"Emilia Pérez" -- Movie Review

 

During the first full week of The 62^nd New York Film Festival, I attended a screening of the new musical crime drama “Emilia Pérez”, starring Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. 

Synopsis

When a drug dealer wants to retire and have a sex change operation, can the lawyer he hires help him?

Story

Rita (Saldaña) is an overworked and underappreciated lawyer working in Mexico.  Dissatisfied with her job, a new opportunity is unexpectedly presented to her – a cartel operator offers her quite a sum of money to help him get out of the business once and for all.  In fact, not only does he want to retire, he also wants to undergo gender reassignment surgery so that he will be untraceable to his nemeses.  Ultimately, Rita takes the offer; she quits her job and has the cartel boss as her only client.  She is now tasked with trying to find a surgeon who can not only perform the job successfully, but also can be relied upon to keep it quiet.

Once the operation is completed, the cartel boss decides to go by the name of Emilia Pérez.  With her past business having financially set her up for life, she no longer needs to work.  By now, having completed her assignment, Rita is living the good life; she decides to treat herself by taking a trip to London, where she has a chance meeting with her former client Emilia.  Emilia’s former wife Jessi (Gomez) was given to understand that her husband was dead and she would have to raise their children by herself.  Emilia tells Rita that she now misses her children and wants them and Jessi to live with them; Rita is now hired by her with a new mission.

After Rita intercedes on Emilia’s behalf, Jessi and their children go to stay with her; Emilia tells the children that she is an aunt they haven’t previously met.  Everything seems to be working out well until Jessi decides that she wants to move out to live with her new boyfriend – the problem being that she intends to take her children with them.  Emilia is suspicious of Jessi’s boyfriend and believes that Jessi is merely being selfish and may not be taking the best interests of their children into consideration.  Rita is once again involved in the situation – but once she learns that Emilia and the children may be endangered, can she rescue them? 

Review

“Emilia Pérez” seems to be a motion picture that’s targeted towards young people, especially those that fall into the Hispanic demographic.  They say that youth must be served; if that’s true, then they are more than welcome to be served my portion.  The film contains an operetta replete with libretto but also has something of the look and feel of a telenovela.  Given the fact that this is such a wild storyline, perhaps this should be expected.  The ending requires something of a suspension of disbelief, but with this kind of tale, maybe you could say the same thing about the entire movie. 

The film checks off almost all of the requirements for DEI compliance:  a French director with an Hispanic cast and story about a transexual former drug lord.  Yahtzee!  An argument could also be made that it passes The Bechdel test as the lead character doesn’t have any romantic relationship and the movie focuses on female characters.  Technically speaking, the motion picture suffers by way of its subtitling as all of it is in white, which makes it hard to read on light-colored backgrounds (of which there are many); instead, the color yellow would have been a major improvement as it is readable against all colored backgrounds (except yellow itself, obviously, which is rare).

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Jacques Audiard and some of the cast.  The director stated that it took him four years to get the film made; it was adapted from a novel and he chose to focus on a single character from the book.  Zoe Saldana said she found elements of herself in the character she played, including the dancing as she had previously studied ballet.  One of the things that appealed to her about the script was that it was about women looking to find some form of freedom in their own way.  Also, she found that the story showed mercy for characters that are ultimately unredeemable.  

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"Rumours" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening weekend of the 62^nd New York Film Festival, I attended a screening of the horror comedy, “Rumours”, starring Cate Blanchett. 

Synopsis

When the leaders of the G7 countries meet for a summit, will they be able to survive attacks by mysterious beings?

Story

The leaders of the G7 countries gather for a summit in Germany, hosted by the country’s Chancellor Hilda Orlmann (Blanchett).  At the outset, their objective is to collectively compose a document that represents a single voice of the most economically successful countries regarding various global crises currently facing the world.  Upon their arrival, the various heads of state are treated to a tour of the grounds by Chancellor Orlmann; one of the more unusual locations is that of a gravesite where ancient ancestors were laid to rest.  As the tour draws to a close, they head for dinner at a gazebo. 

At nightfall, the atmosphere takes something of a spooky turn.  Some of the attendees are getting perhaps more than a little overserved when it comes to the high-end wines that are offered, somewhat altering their behavior.  We learn that a couple of the leaders may have had a tryst at a previous get-together and that is negatively impacting their progress at this meeting.  When one of them takes off in a huff, Orlmann sets out to go find him so they can return to the table and try to get some work done.  Another loses some of the papers on which he was taking notes and when the sheets scatter about, he tries to collect them. 

When some of the other guests are attacked, it turns into something of a mystery as to exactly who did it and why.  Eventually, they realize that they are all endangered by whoever their attackers were, so they set out to try to find not only the other leaders, but also to figure out who (or what) came after them.  Venturing into a dark forest, it doesn’t take long for them to get lost – but at least they are successful in finding some of the missing G7 leaders.  Getting back to their residence, on the other hand, becomes something of a challenge, especially when certain leaders are injured or sick.  But once they learn the identity of their attackers, will they be able to make it back alive?

Review

"Rumours" is a purported comedy – that is to say, it is intended to satirize horror movies, especially the ones that are shown at midnight in theaters.  With that in mind, it really isn’t terribly funny.  Odd, yes, but humorous no.  In some ways, it also intends to be something of a political satire designed to illustrate how ineffectual the so-called world leaders are.  After all, they are having great difficulty composing a joint statement that reflects a unified vision of the world and how best to deal with the challenges that face each country.  It fails on this front, too – while we can see their incompetence, there aren’t enough good jokes to support the effort.

Wherein lies the problem?  Well, for one thing, life imitates art.  Note that there are three directors on “Rumours”; just as the world leaders in the story cannot come up with a unified vision for their meeting, there is no unified vision for this movie because each one had their own perspective or strength.  Perhaps a simpler way to put it is that in this case, too many cooks (directors) have indeed spoiled the broth that is this film. When you have a single director on a motion picture, his or her viewpoint is conveyed in the essence of the visual storytelling.  Here, however, it is as though each director had a different story they wanted to tell.  

Following the screening, there was an interview with the three directors (Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson) and star Cate Blanchett.  According to the directors, their process was sitting around the desk and each would contribute a percentage of the story, which ultimately resulted in a very long script.  Eventually, just about everything was thrown out of the original draft except for the concept of the G7 meeting.  They also explained that when the president of France is injured and must be carted around in a wheelbarrow, they actually substituted a body double because it was easier to push around. 

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"Maria" -- Movie Review

At the beginning of the first week of the 62^nd New York Film Festival, I attended a screening of “Maria”, starring Angelina Jolie.

Synopsis

The final days of the late opera singer Maria Callas as she resides in Paris post-retirement. 

Story

Maria Callas (Jolie) has been retired from her career as a world-famous opera singer for about the past four years – and she’s miserable.  Originally, she retired because she felt that her voice was no longer what it once was.  By now, she’s bored and considers a return to the stage.  As much as she wants this comeback, her age and quality of her voice seem to betray her; she hires a pianist to accompany her at a Paris opera theater not far from where she lives, but is disappointed when she hears what is now coming out of her mouth.  Trying to be supportive, the pianist suggests that this is simply because she’s out of practice and with more attempts, she’ll improve.

Callas is in mourning over her past life – both professional and personal – which she gradually comes to realize she will never regain.  As far as her romantic life was concerned, there were many men who were interested in her either because of her talent or her fame.  She had an affair with the wealthy Aristotle Onassis, who eventually went on to marry the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy.  Callas was only casually interested in him, but was more impressed by his vast wealth.  Although American born and of Greek descent, she was raised in Europe during World War II where the Nazis paid her to entertain them with her singing. 

In September of 1977, during her final days, Callas arranges an interview with a television station that wants to do a documentary about her life.  But at times, it seems as though the interviewer is only a figment of her imagination as he mysteriously comes and goes throughout.  It seems as though Callas wishes this to be true rather than actually in fact taking place; she obviously misses being in the spotlight and craves the attention and exultation.  One reality which she cannot escape is her doctor’s diagnosis of her health – something of which she appears to be in denial.  Can “La Divina” successfully make her comeback before it’s too late? 

Review

Like an opera itself, “Maria” is melodramatic – not to mention a bit overwrought as well.  But the diva known as La Callas would probably have had it no other way.  Unfortunately, the movie about her last days suffers from this and makes the end result rather unappealing.  While certainly not terrible, it is not well served by the director’s lionization of the film’s main character.  There is an attempt to show Callas in a warts-and-all way, but for the purpose of the story, she can’t be made out to be too obnoxious for fear of losing the audience’s support and empathy.  Nevertheless, her occasional oddball behavior could probably be written off as ego of an artiste. 

Among the positives here include Jolie’s performance as Callas.  She is convincing in the Diva role, almost considering herself as royalty despite the public brickbats hurled in her direction, in part due to her early retirement from the stage.  One becomes unsure as to whether they should feel sympathy toward Callas or the people around her, whom she appears to take for granted in spite of their loyalty.  Technically, the filmmaker chose to show flashbacks in black and white in order to make it clear that these scenes were happening in the past and were merely Callas’ memories as she reflects on her life. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Pablo Larraín  and some of the cast.  Larraín claimed that Angelina Jolie did some of her own singing in the film; Jolie said that she went to a vocal coach to help her learn how to sing opera for certain scenes.  The director said that he had two passions in life:  movies and opera.  Jolie said that while she was interested in working with this director, she was quite intimidated at the thought of playing Callas.  She also prepared by listening to recordings of Callas’ singing.  Alba Rohrwacher, who played Callas’ cook, mentioned that she went to a cooking teacher to help her learn how to flip omelets in the frying pan.

IMDB

 

"Anora" -- Movie Review

 

At the opening weekend of the 62^nd New York Film Festival, I attended a screening of the comedy-drama “Anora”, starring Mikey Madison and directed by Sean Baker. 

Synopsis

When a young sex worker marries a wealthy Russian, will their marriage survive despite his parents’ objections?

Story

Anora (Madison), 23, prefers to go by the name Ani; she lives in Brooklyn with her sister, who knows that Ani works as a stripper who makes extra money by giving lap dances and private sessions at the topless bar.  One night at work, her boss tells her to go with a young man, 21-year-old Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), who is Russian and requested a girl who speaks the language.  Knowing that Ani is of Russian descent and speaks the language taught to by her grandmother, Ani is the logical choice.  Initially resistant to the idea, she eventually relents and accepts the assignment.  One thing leads to another and they arrange a private meeting at his home.

It turns out that Ivan lives in a mansion because his parents are filthy rich; he is wrapping up his college studies in New York City while his parents live in Russia.  Ivan spends quite a bit of money on Ani over the course of a number of assignations between the two; eventually, he pays Ani to accompany him on a trip to Las Vegas where he winds up proposing to her.  She accepts and they get married at a small chapel in Vegas before returning to New York City where Ani moves in with Ivan.  Soon, Ivan’s parents find out that their son has not only married, but even worse, to an exotic dancer.  Given their high profile in Russia, this will be an embarrassment.

Ivan’s parents want the marriage annulled, but it turns out that since they got married in Las Vegas, they cannot get it annulled in New York.  His parents decide to fly to New York City and take them to Vegas to get all of this done, with the deal being that they will pay Ani to keep her mouth shut and forget all about this.  Although both Ivan and Ani resist, they are quickly convinced that they have no other choice.  But when Ivan suddenly disappears, will the thugs employed by his parents to keep an eye on him be able to find Ivan before the parents arrive in New York City? 

Review

It’s rare that a rave review appears on this blog, but “Anora” is most definitely worthy of one.  While making the film festival circuit in recent months, it has garnered a great deal of buzz – and deservedly so.  This is a fun, wild ride and should definitely be seen as soon as possible; it opens in theaters later in October – it might be a good idea to see it sooner rather than later via a streaming service.  That’s how good this movie is.  Run, do not walk, to a screening; it’ll be worth your time and effort.  This would probably be a good date night film because it’s sexy, funny and contains plenty of action. 

The acting in “Anora” is top-notch, particularly by Mikey Madison; this is truly a breakout performance that will likely make her a big star – she's earned it.  “Anora” is an emotional roller coaster ride from beginning to end and an enjoyable one at that with a deeply satisfying ending.  While the title character seeks to attain both independence and respect despite (or because of) her chosen line of work, this is also a story about the haves and have-nots.  Who exactly wins in the end depends on one’s definition of the word “win” – something worthy of discussion after viewing.  There are valid arguments to be made on either side for Ani’s outcome. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Sean Baker and star Mikey Madison.  For her role, Mikey said that she is not a dancer – in fact, she doesn’t even dance at parties.  She believes that dancers are in tune with their body and she is not.  As Anora, she focused on connecting with another person.  The script was vague when it came to her sexy dancing scene, so she tried one and had her mother record the video, then sent it to the director.  Baker said that he wanted to do a movie that took another view of sex workers; he added that due to the short shooting schedule, he had to shoot all of the scenes in the mansion together. 

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