"El Planeta" -- Movie Review

On the opening night of the New Directors/New Films festival, I viewed “El Planeta”, the new comedy-drama from Spain. 

Synopsis

When a mother and her grown daughter find themselves in financial straits, how long can they maintain their scheming in order to keep up a certain lifestyle?

Story

Gijon, Spain is a rainy seaside town in the northwestern part of the country.  After her divorce, Maria (Ale Ulman) remains there with her daughter Leo (Amalia Ulman) – in a flat neither one of them can afford.  Leo is a student who very occasionally picks up odd jobs – one day, she may get a gig where she works as a stylist for Christina Aguilera or in a worst case, offering sexual services in exchange for financial remuneration.  Her mother Maria, on the other hand, is getting stiffed on the alimony she’s due.  Without the means to afford a lawyer, she is unable to sue her ex-husband and without a sufficient work history, she doesn’t qualify for public assistance.   

All of that being said, none of this stops either one of them from living above and beyond their means – a lifestyle they both feel they deserve.  Maria is getting by on credit cards she knows she will never be able to pay off – and when she can’t use her credit cards, shoplifting always seems to be a viable alternative (even if she does get caught every now and then).  Leo is able to connive friends and potential boyfriends into paying for luxurious meals at high-end restaurants.  She seems to have learned well from her mother.

Before too long, things get out of hand – having been delinquent on the utility bills, the electricity is shut off.  The two women have to live by candlelight and cooking at home is now completely out of the question.  They now have to depend on the kindness of acquaintances for their meals.  Not one to let a minor setback get her down, Maria invites Leo to go shopping at the mall using credit cards to their limit, knowing the bills will go ignored.  While now having a nice upgrade to their wardrobe, this eventually comes to a halt when the authorities come looking for Maria.  Will she be able to talk her way out of this?  And what will become of Leo? 

Review

On some level, “El Planeta” is a fun film to watch because it is almost documentary-like in the sense that you get a glimpse into the life of these two women who, to some degree, are dependent on each other – at least from an emotional support standpoint.  This documentary-like quality has its drawbacks, however – it’s entirely episodic.  There is no plot to speak of and you feel that the movie is merely meandering – it is lacking any degree of dramatic momentum the drives the story forward to a conclusion (largely because there is no story to speak of).  It has no traditional beginning-middle-end and begs the question, “Why am I watching this?”. 

From a technical standpoint, there are some highlights.  First of all, “El Planeta” is shot in black and white; this is very reminiscent of much of the early work of Jim Jarmusch, especially given that this film is largely based on its deadpan-style humor.  Another positive point to report is that it’s a Spanish movie with English subtitles – which are in yellow, making them easier to read.  One might assume the choice to put them in yellow was based on the fact that the motion picture is in black and white.  Whatever the reason, it’s good to see that at least some filmmakers are going this route.  The weird thing, though, is that there are some scenes were English is spoken and the subtitles are still implemented (in English)!

Following the screening, there was an interview with the film’s star and director, Amalia Ulman.  She is originally from Gijon, Spain and said that her memory of it is that despite the fact that it is seaside, it is not a particularly touristy spot – instead, it tends to be more industrialized and has a good deal of factories.  The story, she said, is about the various transactional relationships the two women have in their life.  Due to their situation, they see these relationships as coming from a point of desperation – they need these relationships in order to eat.  As a result, they view all of their relationships as transactional – they view them asking, “What can this do for me?”

"Limbo" -- Movie Review

 

This week, Lincoln Center held an advance screening of the new drama “Limbo” from Focus Features. 

Synopsis

When a Syrian refugee seeks asylum abroad, will he be able to wait it out while separated from his family?

Story

Omar is a young Syrian man who suddenly finds himself isolated on a Scottish island; he is there as a refugee seeking political asylum from the government.  His reason for leaving was due to the long-standing civil war in his native country; he has escaped to seek a better, safer life in a new and unfamiliar land.  While his parents also escaped, too, they wound up going to Istanbul, Turkey.  Nabil, Omar’s older brother, chose to remain in Syria to fight in the civil war.  As a musician, Omar brought with him his most prized possession:  an oud (a mandolin-like instrument) handed down to him by his grandfather. 

Periodically, Omar lugs his oud on a long trek to a public telephone booth where he can call his parents in Istanbul.  Things are not going all that well for them; they are running low on funds and are finding it difficult to pay the rent on their flat.  By contrast, the government is providing housing and a modest stipend to Omar -- but the truth of the matter is that neither he nor his parents are living particularly well.  His parents hope that someday they will be able to return to Syria, but right now, things don’t look terribly promising as the war continues to escalate on a daily basis. 

While in his temporary housing, Omar is befriended by Farhad; he is not only Omar’s roommate but a fellow refugee from Afghanistan.  When Farhad learns that Omar is a musician, he offers to serve as his agent -- this despite the fact that he hasn’t heard Omar play his oud due to an injury that has resulted in him wearing a plastic cast on his arm.  At times, however, they both tend to get on each other’s nerves but maintain their friendship because neither one has any better options.  In spite of the fact that both men have applied for asylum at approximately the same time, Farhad learns that his request for asylum has been approved.  What will this do to their relationship?  Will Omar get discouraged to the point where he will give up on his goal to be awarded his own asylum? 

Review

“Limbo” is a film that might best be described as quirky -- although it is categorized as a drama, it’s sprinkled with bits of somewhat absurdist comedy.  While these humorous moments serve as a welcome relief from the otherwise dolorous tone of the movie, these brief little outbursts of comedy almost come as something of a shock to the system at some points.  Whether it feels appropriate within the context of the story may depend on your tastes.  Don’t be confused -- it’s definitely not what could be called a comedy-drama; it’s a drama with occasional (sometimes unexpected) moments of comedy.  

Where “Limbo” succeeds is providing a realistic insight into what the life of a refugee is like.  This is seen in the pain that Omar feels by not only leaving his homeland -- which he remembers as being a beautiful country -- but also leaving his family behind.  He remains very much connected to them, despite the numerous conflicts that are exposed throughout the film.  Carrying his oud around everywhere he goes is a good visual symbol of that -- it is almost like an umbilical cord between him and his family.      

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Ben Sharrock and stars Amir El-Masry (Omar) and Vikash Bhai (Farhad).  Sharrock said that over a decade ago, he lived in Damascus, shortly before the Syrian Civil War erupted.  Later, he got to know some refugees who were frequently dehumanized.  Sharrock decided to do the film in order to humanize them, partly by using humor.  El-Masry mentioned that he had to learn how to play the oud for this role and a music instructor was brought in specifically to teach him.  Bhai’s greatest challenge was the weather in Scotland in how much it varied not only from day-to-day but also within a given day.   

"Sound Of Metal" -- Movie Review

This week, MoMA Film screened the award-nominated “Sound Of Metal”, starring Riz Ahmed.

Synopsis

When a drummer realizes he’s losing his hearing, can he handle the changes in his life and livelihood?  

Story

As a drummer in a heavy metal band, Ruben Stone (Ahmed) is struggling; with all the exposure to loud music over the years, he’s having difficulty playing because he can’t hear the music as well as he did in the past.  When he goes to the doctor, some tests are run and it is determined that Ruben has in fact suffered some hearing loss – he’s only able to hear around a quarter of what he should be able to hear.  This causes Ruben to panic – not only is he in danger of losing his career as a musician, but he’s also in danger of losing his girlfriend Louise (Olivia Cooke), who also happens to be the lead singer and guitarist in the band. 

During his doctor visit, he learns that there is a possibility that he could get his hearing back, but it’s both risky and expensive:  it’s called a cochlear implant.  As the doctor explains, there’s no 100% guarantee but this is Ruben’s best bet:  basically, there’s a surgical implant that would effectively “trick” his brain into thinking that he’s hearing again.  The problem is the procedure can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000 and it’s not something that’s covered by insurance.  With that being the case, Ruben is forced to confront the truth and admit to Louise that he’s going deaf. 

Reaching out to some friends, Louise learns of a deaf community that is run by Joe (Paul Raci), a Vietnam war veteran who became deaf as a result of his service.  The benefit of the community would be not only a support system of others who have suffered a similar hearing loss but also, that he would be able to learn how to live with his impairment as well as get lessons in American Sign Language.  Ruben isn’t crazy about diving into this but when Louise leaves to live with her father, he understands he no longer has any options.  After living at the community for a while, he sells all of his possessions in order to get the implant – but after the surgery, will Louise take him back?

Review

While a great deal of much-deserved attention has been bestowed upon Riz Ahmed’s excellent performance, what seems more remarkable is how well this story is told.  Director Darius Marder made the interesting choice of having the audience experience the world the way Ruben did – not quite hearing things all that well.  As a result, a considerable amount of captioning occurs all throughout the film so the viewer can still follow along.  Although daring, it does work, given the context of the story.  This technique definitely succeeds in giving you the sense of isolation Ruben is experiencing. 

One thing is that with the audio being distorted so much of the time, it does become a little annoying at times.  Although to some degree this gets offset with the captioning, it can be rather distracting.  Despite this, one of the ways the story succeeds is that it takes us into the world of the hearing impaired – not just how they live and survive, but also the medical advances that have been made over the years.  Yet, there are some that reject this technology that is designed to help because it rejects the special community they have formed.       

Following the screening, an interview of director Darius Marder and Riz Ahmed was streamed.  Ahmed said that during the shooting, he was given an audio blocker to place in his ear in order to create a sense of disorientation when he couldn’t hear.  In researching the story, Marder learned that the deaf community does not see their inability to hear as a disability – in fact, they think that calling it a disability in the first place is something of an insult.  They prefer instead to think of it as a different ability; that is why the concept of the cochlear implant is so controversial – they have their own community and to get the implant is to completely reject that.   

"Moving On" -- Movie Review

This week at MoMa Film, I streamed the Korean drama, “Moving On”.  

Synopsis

When a man moves into his father’s house with his children, will the multi-generational brood get along?

Story

At the age of 17, Ok-joo finds herself going through some things.  Living with her father and nine year old brother Dong-joo after their parents have divorced, she is bitter and lonely, feeling abandoned by a mother that she believes didn’t love her own children.  With summer coming and their father currently unemployed, the family moves in with their grandfather – an elderly man with a spacious house that makes their tiny apartment look like a mansion.  Yet despite all of this space, the siblings find a way to get on each other’s nerves with alarming frequency, only making their father’s already stressful life more difficult.

The father is currently unemployed and is severely financially strapped; while studying with the hope of eventually getting a well-paying job, the best that he can do to support his family right now is to sell sneakers from the back of his van.  Since these sneakers are cheap knockoffs of a famous brand, few people show interested in buying them.  Meanwhile, Dong-joo looks forward to all-too-infrequent reunions with his mother – something which Ok-joo disapproves and reproaches her younger brother for his enthusiasm when he anticipates seeing their mother.  Ok-joo’s main interest these days is to win the affection of a teenage boy who fails to reciprocate the same level of interest.

When the father’s sister experiences her own break-up, she moves in with all of them.  With all of the family now under one roof, it begins to feel like a somewhat normal life.  Eventually, however, the grandfather’s health comes into question.  The father and aunt discuss putting him in a home since the old man is increasingly difficult to care for, but the children want to keep their grandfather around.  Suddenly, the grandfather’s health deteriorates to the point that he must be hospitalized.  If the grandfather’s health doesn’t improve soon, what will happen to the rest of the family?    

Review

“Moving On” is one of the most heartfelt movies you will ever see – and it is a great reminder of the extraordinary filmmaking talent that has been coming from South Korea over the past number of years.  The acting, directing and storytelling are truly remarkable and it is worth taking the time to hunt down if you can find it somewhere.  This film is bittersweet in its authenticity and is proof that we all share the same humanity around the world, regardless of where you may come from – and add to that the complexity and inherent conflict of familial relationships that is one of the most universal of all truths.  

Despite the above plaudits, “Moving On” honestly does have its issues and while very good, is by no means perfect.  For one thing, the man’s sister is an underdeveloped character and seems to exist for no reason other than to mirror the relationship between his son and daughter.  Otherwise, the sister’s absence from the movie would not have been missed.  Also, in spite of her presence in much of the film, she seems to mysteriously disappear at the end and this is never truly explained, although one might be able to draw some conclusions based on some previous scenes.  It would have been appreciated if this had been clarified.    

Following the screening, there was an interview with the film’s director, Yoon Dan-bi.  The director said that only about 20% of the movie was autobiographical – including some lines of dialog and certain situations.  Other than that, it is mostly fiction.  She said that over the years, she has lost many loved ones and she often thinks of them with sorrow – that is basically the theme of her motion picture.  When “Moving On” first opened in her home of South Korea, she remarked that most of the feedback she got from the audience was wondering if these people were actually a real family; they would carefully watch the closing credits in order to see if they all had the same surname.