"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.  

"Lovers" -- Movie Review

 

On the final weekend of Film At Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I streamed the thriller “Lovers” (AKA “Amants”). 

Synopsis

When a married woman runs into her ex-lover while on vacation, will she assist him in his plot to murder her husband so they can be together again?

Story

In Paris, Lisa and Simon (Stacy Martin and Simon) are inseparable lovers – almost.  Working as a drug dealer, Simon sometimes runs off at odd hours and for extended periods of time in order to make his latest sale among his upper-crust clientele.  As lonely as Lisa gets during these times, she is sure of one thing:  at some point, Simon will return to her.  One of Simon’s customers is a young man of wealthy parents; he summons Simon to his home to make a purchase.  Simon obliges, but things go wrong when his client dies of an overdose.  He warns Lisa that the police may be after them both – so he takes off, leaving Lisa to fend for herself. 

Time passes.  Although Lisa’s heart is still broken, she tries her best to put Simon out of her mind and move on with the rest of her life.  Eventually, she meets Leo (Benoît Magimel), a considerably older man, who shows interest in her.  He is quite different from Simon, not only in terms of age, but in life in general – he works in the insurance business and is an extremely successful executive.  Providing Lisa with some semblance of a normal life not to mention financial security, she marries him.  With travel being a significant part of his job, Leo brings Lisa on some of his longer trips – one of which is to Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean.  Bad idea.

On this beautiful tropical tourist spot, Lisa has a chance run-in with Simon, who she hasn’t seen or heard from for three years.  He is now working here giving tours.  While Leo is busy working, she and Simon rekindle their love affair.  Ultimately, despite her strong attraction to Simon, she realizes her life is now with Leo, so she returns with him to their home in Geneva.  When the tourist season ends, Simon takes a leave of absence from his job and finds Lisa in Geneva.  Once again, they embark on their affair, but Simon doesn’t want to share her with Leo, so he plans to get him out of the way.  Will Lisa go along with this or will she warn her husband that he’s in danger?

Review

Although ostensibly a romantic drama, “Lovers” doesn’t really turn into a thriller until the third act, when the couple is in in their Geneva home.  Certainly, it suggests a mystery genre early on by the use of darkness and pale colors; at times, it truly seems like it is aspiring to be film noir, as many of the scenes appear to be almost completely drained of color.  So in some respects, viewers might find this reminiscent of such previous similarly-themed efforts such as “The Postman Always Rings Twice” or “Body Heat” (which may arguably have been better at the genre). 

Despite the fact that the film has some kind of a resolution in terms of the men competing for the same woman, the overall movie does not have the same feeling of a resolution.  This is because we are left asking many questions about Lisa.  In the post-screening interview (below), the interviewer seemed to have the same issue as she subtly suggested the director make a sequel so we know what happened to Lisa’s character after this harrowing event.  While not a great motion picture, it’s definitely a good one, but the final couple of scenes will leave you hanging, not fully providing sufficient closure.       

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Nicole Garcia and the star of “Lovers”, Stacy Martin.  Martin said that the central question for Lisa in this movie was how far are you willing to go for love?  Her character’s life was always defined by men in some form or fashion – whether it was her father or her romantic interests.  Garcia said of the character of Lisa that she is not a femme fatale – she doesn’t rule over others.  Instead, she’s dominated by other men.  Also, the film, as with many others, was shot out of sequence; the story structure is Paris – Mauritius – Geneva.  In reality, it was shot with the Geneva scenes first, followed by Paris with the Mauritius scenes last.   

"Love Affair(s)" -- Movie Review

 

This week during Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I streamed the romantic drama, “Love Affair(s)” (AKA, “The Things We Say, the Things We Do”). 

Synopsis

When a man’s visit with his cousin is interrupted by a sudden business trip, he’s forced to spend time with his cousin’s wife – but when they develop an attraction, will she leave her husband for him?

Story

Maxime (Niels Schneider) has travelled to the countryside to visit his cousin François (Vincent Macaigne) and François’ wife Daphné (Camélia Jordana).  Currently working as a translator, Maxime aspires to be a novelist; during downtime in his visit, he intends to spend it doing as much writing as possible.  The only obstacle he faces at this point is his own self-doubt.  Upon arrival at the train station, Maxime is met by Daphné, who informs him that his cousin is out of town for a few days due to a work emergency.   As a result, Maxime and Daphné will spend time alone in a big house awaiting François’ return.

Daphné, who is now three months pregnant with François’ baby, wants to get to know her husband’s cousin.  Since François told her about a recently failed romance which prompted the trip in the first place, she asks Maxime about what happened.  This sets into motion a long and unusual collection of stories about a number of his love affairs, which he eagerly shares with Daphné.  After an affair with a married woman ends when she moves to Japan to work with her husband, he runs into an old female friend, who rekindles romantic sparks.  Once Maxime introduces her to a male friend, the troika eventually form a “throuple”. 

As it turns out, Daphné has her own tales of romantic woe from her past.  When her hopes for a relationship with a mentor fades, she stumbles upon François.  She remains emotionally distant and unavailable to him, just using their trysts purely for sex.  François, however, doesn’t experience it the same way; the more he is with Daphné, the deeper he falls in love with her.  Finally, however, he reveals the truth:  he’s married.  At that point, François needs to figure out how to end things with his wife.  But as Daphné and Maxime exchange their stories, an intimacy develops.  Will she wind up leaving François for Maxime?              

Review

As you get drawn into the rabbit hole of odd love stories being told in “Love Affair(s)” (the original French title being “Les choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait”), it is easy to overlook other details – such as the cinematography or the costume design, but especially, the soundtrack.  The music that was selected in this film was excellent – not only the choices, but also the decisions of when to use which piece of music.  It is certainly part of the magic of this movie in that it hooks you in on an emotional level so that you find yourself deeply involved in scenes that would otherwise seem superficial. 

It seems that only the French can adequately encapsulate the feelings of love – or perhaps more accurately, the sensuality – that people feel and all too often bury in the course of their life, resulting in a form of self-sabotage.  We sometimes seem to deliberately dehumanize ourselves when we ignore our most primal urges and desires.  French filmmakers have reminded us over the years that this is wrong – we’ve got it backwards.  An almost hedonistic philosophy, they seem to be telling us to live your life through your soul rather than through your material possessions. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with the film’s writer/director, Emmanuel Mouret.  One of the themes of “Love Affair(s)” is the idea of love being a possessive act versus being an act of selflessness.  The director said that he took this theme as a starting point for his film – it is a complex gesture in that it takes kindness and devotion, yet it is done in a manipulative fashion and the character who claims to have done this has simply lied in order to save herself.  Mouret said that the idea for the movie did not come from a need to try to convey a message.  Instead, he found the concept of multiple concurrent (and complicated) love stories being told to be exciting.    

"Another Round" -- Movie Review

 

This week, Film at Lincoln Center provided a special screening of the Danish comedy-drama, “Another Round” (AKA, “Druk”), starring Mads Mikkelsen. 

Synopsis

When a group of friends experiment with alcohol, how will this impact their life – both personally and professionally?

Story

Martin (Mikkelsen) has been teaching for a long time -- so have several of his colleagues.  They’re currently finding themselves at something of a dead end in both their personal and professional lives.  Finding their family life a dud and not particularly motivated to teach any longer, they find a possible way to get out of their rut:  alcohol.  When the men go out to dinner one night, one of them happens to mention that there is a belief that maintaining a minimum Blood Alcohol Level could actually enrich one’s life.  The men decide to embark on a little experiment:  sustain a moderate buzz throughout the day to see its impact.

One of the things in Martin’s life that has been suffering is his relationship with his wife, Anika (Maria Bonnevie).  For one thing, they are on different schedules because she works a night shift and they rarely see each other as they share the responsibility of caring for their teenage sons.  Another dead spot for Martin is his role as an educator; he is bored teaching and it shows -- his students are obviously lacking interest in his daily classes.  However, once his secret experiment begins, his life seems to turn around almost immediately.  Martin suddenly becomes more enthusiastic in his classes -- students pick up on this and their attitude changes.

This enthusiasm translates into his family life as well.  Martin becomes more romantic with Anika and even takes the initiative to plan a family vacation with their boys.  His confidence level becomes such that he feels that increasing his alcohol level will improve his performance even further.  Why not?  After all, he seems perfectly capable of moderating his intake and doesn’t appear to be bordering on alcoholism.  Since Martin believes he can handle his drinking, he and his friends drink more with increasing frequency.  But when Anika leaves him after observing some serious behavioral changes, will Martin wind up losing his family?

Review

Fellow alcohol lovers, rejoice!  With “Another Round”, we finally, we have a reason to be proud of our chosen vice.  The solution itself plays a role as both the hero and the villain in this story as it simultaneously enhances and depreciates the quality of life of the various protagonists.  What makes “Another Round” worthwhile is that it is even-handed in its approach toward the characters’ flirtation with borderline alcoholism:  on the one hand, it romanticizes the joy of its ephemeral sense of liberation while also not shying away from the fact that living a life in excess can clearly have a destructive impact on many levels. 

The cast is splendid and appear to have an excellent chemistry – you truly believe that these men could be friends in real life.  What’s clear, though, is that they are using alcohol in order to deal with what amounts to a mid-life crisis:  these men are feeling their youth slowly slip away from them and resort to the behavior of adolescents.  For those that are married, the wife must be the sole grownup in the relationship – these women are discouraged to learn that their partner is just another child (albeit an overgrown one) who must be cared for or punished, depending on the circumstances at the time. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with the writer/director of “Another Round”, Thomas Vinterberg.  Vinterberg noted that his film is supposed to be funny; instead of being moralistic, it is rather a celebration of alcohol.  However, he does realize that there is certainly a dark side:  it can kill people and destroy families.  He believes that people drink when excited to maintain that feeling; problems and censorship tend to disappear.  There are no angry drunks in the movie – this is a group of fun-loving friends who genuinely enjoy each other’s company.  Vinterberg points out that none of the actors were actually drunk during the shoot – he believed in the cast’s ability to be professional and merely “act” drunk. 

"Margaux Hartmann" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I streamed the drama, “Margaux Hartmann” (AKA, “The Embrace”).

Synopsis

Can a middle-aged woman rebuild her life after a devastating loss?

Story

Six months ago, Margaux (Emmanuelle Béart) became a widow; after being married for many years, her husband succumbed following a long illness.  Now, she is looking to hit the reset button on her life – and she feels that the best way to do this is to move from her home in Nice to live in her sister’s house in Versailles.  While there, she decides to register for some classes at the local university – partly in hopes to distract her from her grief and partly with the aspiration of finding a new career.  Taking classes with students seeking a Masters degree, she is clearly the oldest one there. 

As far as romance is concerned, Margaux is a bit unsure.  She manages to hit it off with one of her professors, but when their assignation doesn’t exactly go as planned, she immediately transfers out of his class.  Margaux develops friendships with some of her fellow students, but after a while, it becomes clear that because of her age, she does not totally fit in with them.  She’s feeling alone and doesn’t want to go the rest of her life without a man, but she realizes that she needs to find someone who is age-appropriate.  But if she’s only hanging around with people a quarter of a century young than she is, how can that happen?

Eventually, Margaux gets the idea to join a dating service that is specific to her age group.  She then begins a series of adventures, mostly unsatisfactory.  One man she finds attractive agrees to meet with her in a café – only to learn that he is unemployed and has no prospects.  Onward.  Another man she finds from this web site just wants sex – and Margaux, surprisingly, is just fine with that.  So she meets him at his apartment on a few occasions and begins to feel better about things – until she learns that he’s been lying to her and is married with children.  One especially bad experience almost winds up with her being gang-raped, which she manages to escape.  With things turning out this way, can Margaux find happiness in her studies regardless of whether she finds romance?      

Review

“Margaux Hartmann” (or “L'étreinte”, its original French title) is a touching story about how we deal with the aftermath of a great loss – and sometimes, how we don’t deal with that loss.  Margaux seemingly bounces from one experience to another not unlike the ball in a pinball machine – and yet she doesn’t really seem to fully absorb or learn much from any of them.  It seems as though she is merely in survival mode.  One key aspect to this is the fact that she has no children, which would presumably anchor her.  Instead, she is more childlike herself in many ways.  After many years, Margaux is learning how to interact with men after being married so long.

While the episodes of her various adventures are fascinating, where the film ultimately falls apart is in its ending, which is quite a disappointment.  The story never fully resolves and its climax is, well, rather anticlimactic.  Basically, Margaux seems off on yet another adventure without having gained very much in the way of knowledge – especially, self-knowledge.  She still doesn’t know what she wants or how to go about getting this ephemeral objective.  As a result, the totality of the movie is a bit unsatisfying and underwhelming – which is a shame, because everything before it seemed to be really building to something special.   

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Ludovic Bergery and star Emmanuelle Béart.  Bergery said that much of his inspiration came from his childhood, watching movies with his mother and experiencing them through her eyes as a single parent.  Such films as Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”, Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under The Influence” and Antonioni’s “The Eclipse” were included as the inspirations for “Margaux Hartmann”.  Béart said that the character touched some very intimate and private areas of her personality and that she had no memory of her performance during the shoot.      

"Faithful" -- Movie Review

On the opening weekend of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I streamed the historical drama “Faithful” (AKA “De nos frères blessés”).

Synopsis

When an Algerian man fights for his country’s freedom from France, he is imprisoned for allegedly planting a bomb -- but can his Polish wife secure his freedom?

Story

In the 1950’s, Fernand (Vincent Lacoste) met Hélène (Vicky Krieps) at a Paris nightclub.  They could not be more different -- and yet they fell in love.  He is an Arab Algerian in town to have some medical tests conducted; she is a single mother from Poland who moved here to flee the communists in her homeland.  An interesting contrast to Fernand, as she comes to learn, because he is a staunch communist who actively opposes France’s occupation in his country, as well as the French treatment of Arabs.  Eventually, Fernand and Hélène marry; she takes her son and moves to Algiers with her new husband.   

Upon returning to Fernand’s home, Hélène is now able to see firsthand the oppression by the French government as well as their mistreatment of Algeria’s native Arab inhabitants.  Fernand becomes a member of a group dedicated to seek his country’s freedom from the French -- but when he is arrested for planting a bomb at the factory where he works, he is immediately thrown into prison to await trial.  During the trial, it comes out that Fernand placed only one bomb (not the two he was accused of) and that it was set near a deserted warehouse, timed to go off after his fellow factory workers have long gone.  

By the end of the trial, the tribunal’s verdict is that Fernand is guilty and must return to prison where he will await his fate -- a death sentence where he will face the guillotine.  Hélène then frantically meets with Fernand’s public defenders to form a strategy that will at the very least rescue her husband from a certain death -- and hopefully, free him from prison.  Having a connection close to the French government, they decide to go the public relations route -- get articles published about Fernand to make him out to be more of a victim than a traitor.  But with Fernand’s execution date already set, can Hélène rescue him in time?  

Review

One of the things that’s especially interesting about “Faithful” is the fact that most of us aren’t quite so familiar with the history of the French occupation of Algiers, making this movie quite informative.  In retrospect, it is curious that the French colonization of Algiers continued after World War II -- following the Nazi’s occupation of France.  Following a long and bloody war that lasted eight years, Algeria finally won its independence from France, with Algiers winding up as its capital.  Additionally, this film is not only based on true events, but also on real people who experienced this struggle for freedom.  

The main actors appeared to have a real chemistry and the portrayal of their relationship is as gripping as the story itself.  It was a good choice telling this tale as a feature-length film rather than as a documentary because the couple’s love story really draws you in to the bigger issue of the Arab Algerians battling the Christian French in order to earn freedom and equality.  It is also quite uncomfortable to watch, knowing of the social injustices of that period clearly mirror those that occur around the world -- and in particular, here in the United States.  The narrative, however, is told in multiple flashbacks, which can be occasionally confusing.    

Following the viewing, there was an interview with Vincent Lacoste, who played Fernand in  “Faithful”.  Lacoste said that while this is based on the lives of actual people, the film is loosely based on a novel about this period; as a result, when he took the role, he not only read the novel but also did a bit of a deep-dive into historical documents about Fernand and Helene.  He wound up having to do this because most French are not particularly familiar with this period of their country’s history.  Due to the pandemic, “Faithful” has not yet been released in France, so Lacoste is curious as to what the audience reaction will be. 

 

 

"Minari" -- Movie Review

 

This week, I streamed A24 Film’s drama “Minari”. 

Synopsis

When a family of Korean immigrants move to Arkansas to start a new life, will they be able to remain intact as they pursue their definition of success?

Story

In the early 1980’s, Jacob (Steven Yeun) and his wife Monica migrated to the United States from Korea.  Initially, they lived in California, where they had two children:  Anne, the oldest and David, who lives with a serious heart condition.  Together, the couple just barely eked out a living there, but couldn’t get ahead.  Jacob’s ambition spurred him to buy a home in Arkansas and move his family there.  The plan is to start his own farm where he can grow Korean produce.  Why Korean?  His research tells him that with thousands of Korean immigrants flocking to America each year, they will likely be homesick and want foods familiar to them.  

Once Monica and their children move to Arkansas, they are shocked by the new home in which they will now be forced to live:  it turns out to be a trailer rather than an actual house.  Monica is particularly upset about this, especially given the fact that they have no neighbors because they are in the middle of nowhere; this is of special concern due to David’s condition as they are at least an hour’s drive away from a hospital.  Nevertheless, Jacob and Monica work at a chicken ranch sexing baby chicks in order to earn a subsistence living; in his spare time, Jacob builds the farm.  He purchases a tractor from Paul (Will Patton), an eccentric old coot whom he later hires him as a farmhand.   

Eventually, Soonja, Monica’s elderly mother, leaves Korea to move in with them.  This somewhat upsets the family balance as she and David don’t get along at all.  This is exacerbated by the fact that the two now have to share the same bedroom -- not to mention her personality is a bit on the crusty side to begin with.  Over time, Jacob is forced to overcome a wide variety of obstacles when attempting to make a go of his farm.  With Monica unhappy anyway, this causes a strain in their marriage.  When an unforeseen accident occurs which threatens the viability of his farm, can Jacob still make his farm work or will Monica and her mother take the kids and leave him?

Review

The title “Minari” references a type of water plant that is common in Korea; it’s similar to watercress, but with a much stronger flavor.  Without giving away too much, it’s used as the title because it plays a significant part in the story.  As far as “Minari” the movie is concerned, it is one of the most heartfelt tales of humanity imaginable.  It would be easy to characterize this as about Korean immigrants, but that’s an egregious oversimplification.  In fact, it is a truly American story that just happens to be told through the eyes of Korean immigrants. 

This family aspires to The American Dream – but what the movie reminds us is that the dream can only be attained through hard work, sacrifice and the ability to be resilient in the face of setbacks.  But “Minari” is so much more than merely that; it is a film that is rich in both allegory and significance.  Additionally, it forces us to remember that the sense of community – whether it comes in the form of family, religion or friends – is vitally important to much of society.  Community serves as the glue that binds us all together.  Lastly, it should not be lost on anyone the timeliness of this story, given the uptick of anti-Asian sentiment resulting from the pandemic.

Following the movie, there was an interview with writer/director Lee Isaac Chung and the cast.  Chung talked about the deeper meaning of the title, stating that minari is a plant capable of growing virtually anywhere – even under poor conditions.  Also, minari has the curious benefit of purifying both the surrounding soil and water in the area in which it has grown.  This in and of itself is a powerful symbol for the impact of immigration, as an influx of an unfamiliar culture can have a positive impact on society; sadly, since this is a so-called “art-house” film, this concept is probably preaching to the choir and the people who need to see it likely won’t.