"Martin Eden" -- Movie Review

This week at the Lincoln Center Virtual Cinema, I streamed the Italian film “Martin Eden”, which appeared at The 57^th New York Film Festival.

Synopsis

When an uneducated man aspires to become a writer, will making his dream come true lead to happiness?

Story

As a ruggedly handsome man, Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli) has absolutely no problem attracting women.  But as a travelling sailor in Italy, he has trouble keeping them.  So, he is forever single, never burdened with a serious relationship.  That changes one day when his shipmate Arturo is bullied by one of the other crew members; Eden springs into action and comes to his aid, subduing the bully and saving his friend.  Unbeknownst to Eden, this will wind up having some long-term benefits when Arturo introduces him to his wealthy family, who effusively thanks him for saving Arturo from a beating.

An added bonus to meeting Arturo’s family is an introduction to his sister Elena (Jessica Cressy) – a beautiful, erudite young woman who is instantly drawn to Eden.  This turns out to be something of a watershed moment for Eden because he’s smitten; the two begin to spend a great deal of time together and it is not long before Eden proclaims his love for Elena.  But the class difference proves to be too much of an obstacle to overcome; even Eden himself admits that she is brilliant.  Elena encourages Eden to seek further education, but his rudimentary scholastic capabilities prove to be a considerable shortcoming. 

Eden confesses to Elena that he wishes to become a writer.  When he attains questionable fame for being mistaken as a socialist, she rejects him for being shamed by her family.  Eventually, Eden gets recognized for his writing ability and obtains celebrity by having many books published.  Over time, he becomes even more entrenched into his beliefs about how all workers are essentially enslaved by the free market economy and his political philosophies are his greater identity than as a writer.  When Elena suddenly returns and admits she made a mistake by shunning him, will Eden resume his relationship with his one true love?

Review

This movie version of Jack London’s novel is utterly unfocused, inarticulate and overwrought; as a result, it misses an opportunity to make a significant impact on an audience.  Speaking of overwrought, the performance by Luca Marinelli as the eponymous protagonist goes the full spectrum from nuanced to scenery-chewing so much so that it is absolutely alarming.  “Martin Eden” had a chance to be something groundbreakingly special, but blew it so badly that it’s almost embarrassing.  At least director Pietro Marcello gave us some lovely shots of scenery (especially at the end).

At over two hours, “Martin Eden” seems to meander and might have benefited from some “tough love” editing; as it stands, it comes across as somewhat self-indulgent – but perhaps we can at least be thankful that it’s not a three hour ego-fest.  The point of the movie – which may differ from that of the novel on which it is based – seems to be that success will destroy you and that it is its own form of death (if not corporeally, at least spiritually).  However, the fact that the character of Eden himself seems to be ambiguous about his own political beliefs fails to make that connection.

What challenges belief is Eden’s sudden realization that Elena only now loves him for his renown as an author, despite the fact that she snubbed him when he was perceived as a socialist.  The scene comes across less as a realistic revelation than as a drug-induced fever dream by Eden.  His rejection of Elena is understandable but the manner in which it is done is anything but.  In the hands of someone better at shaping a narrative, the film version of “Martin Eden” had the potential of something spectacular.  Instead, it is nothing less than a shallow attempt at artistic relevance.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"French Exit" -- Movie Review

 

On the closing night of the Virtual 58^th New York Film Festival, I streamed the World Premiere of a new comedy-drama, “French Exit”, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Synopsis

When a dowager loses all her money, she and her son head to Paris – but can they make a go of it?

Story

Frances (Michelle Pfeiffer) has just gotten the worst possible news.  The inheritance she’s been living on since the death of her wealthy husband is quickly running out; pretty soon, she’s going to be completely broke.  This will also negatively impact her adult son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges), who lives with her.  Malcolm and his girlfriend Susan (Imogen Poots) were thinking about getting married, but that doesn’t look like it’s in the cards now.  The plan forward is for Frances to raise some much-needed cash by selling her art, jewelry and Manhattan mansion.    

While ridding herself of many of her material possessions, Frances confides to her friend Joan (Susan Coyne) about her predicament.  When Joan realizes that Frances will soon be homeless, she offers Frances her apartment in Paris, which she hasn’t used in a long time.  With no better offers on the table, Frances takes up Joan’s generous proposal.  When Frances informs Malcolm, he finds that he is now forced to break up with Susan, who is understandably furious.  Soon, Frances and Malcolm set sail to France to carve out a new life. 

During the cruise, Malcolm befriends Madeleine (Danielle Macdonald), who works on the ship as a fortune teller.  Although her ethics are notoriously suspect, she does seem to have one redeeming feature:  she has formed a connection with Small Frank, Frances’ black cat.  This comes in handy once Frances and Malcolm settle into their new apartment because Small Frank runs away; Frances gets an idea to reach out to Madeleine to use her talents as a clairvoyant to help locate the cat.  But when Frances is forced to reveal the true importance of Small Frank, will finding her pet really be the best outcome for Frances?    

Review

The movie “French Exit” takes its title from the novel on which it was based, authored by Patrick DeWitt, who also wrote the screenplay.  The title of both is derived from a phrase that means “to make an early exit without saying goodbye”.  If you’ve read the book, you’ll understand the title better, as you will if you see this screen adaptation.  As for the film itself, it’s a mildly entertaining bunch of oddball characters, but the comedic portions of the movie aren’t truly deserving of a laugh and the dialog is a bit wanting.  The attempted humor doesn’t come so much from jokes as it does from the characters in wacky situations.

“French Exit” ultimately morphs into something of an ensemble piece-cum-drawing-room comedy.  The characters of Frances and Malcolm are its main focus – and at that, mainly Frances.  At times, it feels like Malcolm is only around so that Frances doesn’t have to go through this entire adventure completely alone and gives her someone with whom to talk.  Primarily, it is Frances’ story, but Malcolm’s story – which is only fully explored in the third act – is essential to the movie as a whole and is handled as something of a reveal late in the game. 

Pfeiffer’s performance is what keeps you hanging in there – as Frances, she’s not exactly the most sympathetic character in the world.  In fact, at times, you might even find yourself rooting against her because she comes across as so cold, cruel and dispassionate.  It is the fact that despite this, Malcolm’s lack of harshness towards her makes you think that if you hang in there long enough, you will eventually find a likeable human being.  That said, you’ll be in for quite a long wait.  Director Azazel Jacobs succeeds in providing the audience with “geo porn” – i.e., beautiful shots of Paris that will make you want to visit if you’ve never been and make you want to return if you already have.        

 

 

 

 

"Undine" -- Movie Review

 

On the closing weekend of the Virtual 58^th New York Film Festival, I streamed the new romantic drama from Germany, “Undine”, directed by Christian Petzold. 

Synopsis

When a mysterious woman’s love affair abruptly ends, will she be able to take revenge on her ex even though she’s found someone new? 

Story

Undine (Paula Beer) is having coffee with her boyfriend Johannes (Jacob Matschenz) when he breaks the news to her that he’s leaving her for another woman.  This is bad news not only for Undine herself, but also for Johannes, against whom she promises to seek some form of retribution.  She has to go to work but warns him to stay right where he is until she returns.  Her job is that of a tour guide who explains Berlin’s history and architecture to tourists.  Unfortunately, when she goes back, Johannes is nowhere to be found. 

While searching for him in the café, Undine is approached by Christoph (Franz Rogowski), one of the people in the group who heard Undine’s lecture earlier.  In an awkward “meet cute” that winds up trashing the café, Christoph asks her out on a date.  Despite the clumsiness, Undine agrees to go out with him and they wind up spending a great deal of time together.  Eventually, things turn romantic and they become a couple.  Things are going quite well until one night when Undine receives a phone call from Christoph, accusing her of cheating on him.  Convinced he is right, he curtly hangs up on her.

The next morning, feeling things unresolved, Undine goes to meet Christoph at his job – only to learn that there was a terrible accident and he was taken to the hospital.  Undine rushes to the hospital to visit Christoph at the hospital, where she discovers that Christoph is in a coma from which he may never awaken.  Upset over the fact that she has lost yet another lover, Undine uses this opportunity to make good on her threat and seek vengeance on Johannes.  But can she carry out her plan – and if she does, will she be held accountable for her deed?     

Review

“Undine” is based on a character in Greek mythology – Undine, a spiritual woman of the water who turns human only after she falls in love with a man who will die if he betrays her.  This movie has a rather preternatural quality to it, so know that it won’t be either a typical romantic story or a full-on science fiction fable either.  Instead, it focuses on unusual characters doing unusual things all against the backdrop of a love story.  If you’re in the mood for something non-traditional, this may just be the motion picture for you.

The performances in “Undine” are quite good – you really believe that Undine and Christoph have a legitimate attraction to each other; perhaps that’s because the same two actors played romantic interests in a previous Petzold film, “Transit”.  Both Beer and Rogowski genuinely do seem to have a chemistry between each other.  When they have an argument over the telephone, you truly worry that this may very well be the end of what came across (to the audience, at least) as a perfect relationship and you’re rooting for the relationship, not necessarily either character.        

One of the more remarkable things about “Undine” include the type and variety of the visual images Petzold is able to capture by way of telling this phantasmagorical story.  At points in the movie, you get a sense of a dreamlike quality to the whole yarn – in large part, due to the trancelike imagery.  This is something that’s a key to the film’s success – if you’re going to depict a tale that has some degree of a mythical quality to it, then you better make sure that parts do in fact feel other-worldly.  Where Petzold succeeds is in his ability to traverse between naturalism and supernaturalism.             

 

 

 

 

"American Utopia" -- Movie Review

  

This weekend at the Virtual 58^th New York Film Festival, I streamed the new HBO documentary, “American Utopia”, starring David Byrne and directed by Spike Lee.

Synopsis

The Broadway staging of the musical “David Byrne’s American Utopia” as shot by director Spike Lee.

Review

The Talking Heads first showed up on my radar way back in the late 1970’s, as a college freshman.  Back then, my enjoyment of the band’s music came largely because I found David Byrne to be delightfully silly.  Decades later, approaching The Medicare Generation, I still find Byrne to be delightfully silly.  But also, more profound than originally perceived in my callow youth.  Whether Byrne’s depth came through his maturity or mine is almost irrelevant; the point is that it is there to be experienced.  Although I missed “American Utopia” when it was originally on the Broadway stage, we can consider ourselves fortunate that it was recorded for all to enjoy.

If you are (were?) a fan of “The Talking Heads” and expecting a greatest hits performance in “American Utopia”, then you will be sorely disappointed.  In that case, you might be better off renting Jonathan Demme’s excellent “Stop Making Sense” to see Byrne in his clownishly oversized suit.  However, in doing so, you will miss a truly great performance by a brilliant creative mind in music.  It turns out that David Byrne still has plenty to say and there are many out there who are eager to listen.  One of the more fascinating things that are discovered in this documentary is both Byrne’s humor and his expertise as a monologist.

In “American Utopia” (a bitterly ironic title if there ever was one), you will find such classics as “Once In A Lifetime” (a personal favorite), “Burning Down The House” (which appeared to have the greatest crowd response) and “Road To Nowhere”, which closes out the performance.  Others may be somewhat lesser known (at least to the casual music fan), but it is the performance art and the staging are what make them noteworthy.  Also, Byrne’s ability to tell stories and introduce the songs provide a greater context and insight into each one. 

As for Spike Lee’s direction, it is almost flawless.  Lee never allows this documentary to feel in the least bit static; he shoots from many different camera angles and incorporates them well.  Some overhead shots are reminiscent of the late Busby Berkeley.  However, if there is one criticism, it would be the fact that there aren’t enough crowd reaction shots included during the performances.  The audience is clearly exuberant (at least, those in the orchestra seats appear to be) as they are standing throughout many of the songs.  But it’s not until the performance of “Burning Down The House” that we realize there haven’t been any reaction shots up to that point.

Byrne is not at all shy when it comes to getting political.  He talks about participating in a voter registration program and is disappointed when he reports that only 55% of eligible voters actually turn out to cast a vote for national elections and when it comes to local elections, there is a woeful turnout of only 20%.  Later in the show, Byrne performs a protest song by Janelle Monáe which is about the many African-Americans who have died over the years due to police brutality.  The moment brings a serious note into an otherwise fun experience but fails to completely interrupt the performance. 

For many years, Byrne has seemed like a distant, almost reluctant celebrity.  In his oddball creativity, he didn’t seem like one with whom a normal conversation could be had.  One of the achievements in this documentary is the fact that it humanizes him completely.  Byrne tells his own story – he is a naturalized American citizen who was brought to this country by his parents who immigrated from Scotland.  He describes how this shaped his viewpoint as an American and exclaims that America’s diversity is what has already made it great.            

 

 

 

"The Salt Of Tears" -- Movie Review

This week at the Virtual 58^th New York Film Festival, I streamed the new French drama, “The Salt Of Tears”.

Synopsis

After breaking a few hearts, what happens when a ladies man actually falls in love? 

Story

Luc (Logann Antuofermo) aspires to be an even better carpenter than his father – that’s why he’s headed off to a noted carpentry school in Paris.  While there for a few days, he’ll take a test in the hope that he will earn admission.  But besides his serious professional ambitions, Luc also has an avocation:  he’s a bit of a scoundrel.  Fashioning himself as a bit of a Casanova, he’s something of a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em type.  The only reason why Luc is able to get away with this is because he’s young and handsome; he can pretty much get any woman he wants and make them feel lucky.

During his time in Paris, Luc picks up Djemila (Oulaya Amamra) at a bus stop.  Flattered by the attention, she’s extremely responsive to his advances.  They see each other these few days and have an intense affair, the upshot of which is Djemila falling in love with Luc; when he leaves to return to his father’s house, Luc makes plans with Djemila to hook up at some point down the road.  But when the day comes, he carelessly stands her up because he has run into Geneviève (Louise Chevillotte), an old girlfriend from high school.  When Luc learns he’s been accepted to the school in Paris, he leaves Geneviève behind – even though she informs him that she’s pregnant with his baby.

Going to school in Paris, Luc eventually meets his match.  When set up on a double-date, he is introduced to Betsy (Souheila Yacoub), an attractive young nurse who works at a hospital near his school.  After a short but intense period of dating, they agree to move in with each other.  Things are going well until the day he picks up Betsy after work and she introduces him to Paco (Martin Mesnier), a co-worker who suddenly finds himself with nowhere to stay when he’s evicted by his landlord.  Reluctantly, Luc agrees to allow Paco to move in with them.  But while Luc is at school, is Betsy having a secret affair with Paco?          

Review

“The Salt Of Tears” (AKA, “Le sel des larmes”) was shot in black and white – whether this was done to make the film more or less romantic may very well depend on your own personal viewpoint of the movie.  As you play along with this motion picture and just let it wash all over you, it can be difficult to predict exactly where it is going.  While the story itself is satisfying, its ending is a little less so, leaving us with more questions than answers about where Luc is going after the picture’s conclusion.  Although this is a bit frustrating, it doesn’t seriously detract from the overall work.

It would be inaccurate to put “The Salt Of Tears” into the genre of Romance because the protagonist of this story, Luc, is far too selfish to be able to actually fall in love – although he does manage to con other women into falling in love with him.  While this film will inevitably be characterized as more of a Drama, perhaps more precisely, it’s a Tragedy because the protagonist eventually finds himself in a truly tragic situation in the end.  The way Luc engages these women, there’s no sense of fun – maybe cruelty is the more exact term, although we’re never quite sure why he does this. 

This film is rather short – under two hours.  Normally, the concise style of storytelling is more of a positive than a negative, but in this case, it may be that the brevity hurts “The Salt Of Tears”.  Another ten minutes at the end would have been useful to provide more of a sense of resolution.  One might be left to feel that by the time the credits roll, these characters are merely left to float aimlessly in space.  Not providing one more scene or two is a cop-out in storytelling; it’s lazy.  Here, the director is asking the audience to do his job by writing their own end to the movie.  This lack of creativity damages what is otherwise a decent motion picture.