"Baby Ruby" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new psychological thriller “Baby Ruby” starring Kit Harington and Noémie Merlant. 

Synopsis

Will a couple’s newborn baby drive her mother mad – or is someone really trying to kill her?

Story

Jo (Noémie Merlant) and her husband Spencer (Kit Harington) are expecting their first child any day now.  With the couple having moved to a secluded rustic suburb far from the city, Jo, an internet influencer, arranges her own baby shower; attendees include the team of support staff who work on her lifestyle web site.  Childbirth does not prove to be the beautiful experience Jo had originally envisioned; it is painful and messy and its aftermath altogether unpleasant.  Once she is discharged from the hospital, one of the nurses “gifts” her with the placenta because it is rich with nutrients. 

Upon getting baby Ruby home, Jo’s problems are just starting – and get increasingly worse.  To begin with, Ruby is incessantly crying – to the point that there’s precious little Jo can do to quiet her down; this is wearing on Jo because she’s losing sleep and is lacking in the mental and physical energy needed to maintain her web site.  Jo believes Ruby is displaying great hostility towards her; Ruby gets increasingly rough with Jo, biting her during breastfeeding and pulling off her earring to the point that it tears her earlobe, drawing blood.  Jo takes Ruby to the doctor and informs him about all of this, but he insists it’s normal behavior for an infant. 

Eventually, Jo comes to discover that she’s not alone – there are other young women in her area that are also recent mothers with infants to care for.  She eagerly befriends them in search of a support system but soon becomes suspicious of who they are and what their motives may be.  Are they really parents?  Do they even have babies at home?  Jo believes that everyone in her inner circle is against her because they believe she’s an incompetent mother – even Spencer and his mother, who assists in caring for Ruby.  Thinking she and her baby are in danger, Jo takes Ruby and hurriedly leaves – but will she really escape their supposed peril?     

Review

First-time director Bess Wohl certainly nailed the standards of this type of movie – stinger music, jump cuts, spooky lighting and so forth.  Unfortunately, the script is somewhat trite which is rather surprising given that Wohl’s career has primarily been as a writer.  Exactly who the antagonist is changes from moment to moment:  is it the baby or the creepy neighbors or the husband or the mother-in-law?  We are somewhat led to believe that this is going to be a supernatural or paranormal story, but it turns out that the heroine is actually confronting more of an internal nemesis. 

Ultimately, “Baby Ruby” comes across as a great advertisement for contraception; part way through the movie, you almost expect its denouement will be Amazon delivery workers to be dropping off crate after crate of condoms at the couple’s doorstep.  At its heart, what the film seems to want to convey is that mothers of a newborn – especially first-time mothers – have very little in the way of support from society and don’t have an outlet for their concerns.  Part of the problem with the motion picture is that it doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be – social commentary?  Horror?  Science Fiction?

Writer/Director Bess Wohl was interviewed following the screening.  Wohl’s career has primarily been spent as a playwright, although she has written a number of screenplays and teleplays, as she says, just to pay the bills in between stage plays.  “Baby Ruby” is not her first screenplay credit but it is her first credit as a director.  She sees this movie as something of a mixed genre – horror, drama, psychological thriller.  Wohl says that her influences for this film included “The Shining”, “Fatal Attraction” and “Rosemary’s Baby”.  The ending of  the motion picture is different from the script she originally wrote (which is what drew Kit Harington into the project); during the shoot, Noémie Merlant convinced her to change it and that’s the one that wound up in the final version. 

"Saint Omer" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening weekend of the official release of courtroom drama “Saint Omer”, I attended a special screening at Lincoln Center.

Synopsis

When a young woman goes on trial for killing her baby, will she be found guilty or is she merely being set up to take the fall?

Story

Rama (Kayije Kagame) is a successful author who has commenced to proceed on her next book:  a work about the mythical character Medea and how she overcame the patriarchy.  As part of her research for that tome, she leaves her family and her husband in Paris for a short trip to Saint Omer, a town in northern France.  While there, she will spend several days attending the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese philosophy student in her mid-twenties, who is accused of murdering her 15-month-old daughter Ellise.  This turns out to be a trial that is captivating much of the nation, receiving extensive coverage by the news media.

During the trial, it comes out that Coly admits to the killing of her baby – however, she claims that it was not her fault.  She believes that sorcery was involved – specifically, she thinks that a curse was put on her by someone and it was this that caused her infant’s death.  In tracing her background, it turns out that the father of her baby is Luc Dumontet (Xavier Maly), a much older married man with whom she was engaging in an affair.  Dumontet was supporting her financially when Coly’s father stopped financing her studies in France.  With the presence of the unwanted baby, their relationship became even more strained.

As the trial wears on, it becomes evident that Rama is having a severe emotional reaction the more she listens to Coly; upon hearing about Coly’s dysfunctional relationship with her mother, Rama compares this to her own family situation and can easily relate.  Rama instantly becomes sympathetic to Coly’s situation.  But there’s much more to it than merely that.  It seems that Rama herself is several months pregnant; listening to Coly’s history, she begins to wonder if she would have a similar reaction to her own baby – or if she should even have the baby at all.  Given the similarities, will Rama decide to take her pregnancy to term? 

Review

“Saint Omer” has been one of those films that could be characterized as a darling of the critics; not only has it appeared at a number of film festivals in the past year, it has also either won or been nominated for quite a few awards.  All of that having been said, it lacks an emotional impact, keeping the characters at an arm’s length (or more), never truly humanizing them sufficiently for the audience to gain an interest in their outcome.  Although the story is about Coly’s trial, it is the character of Rama that appears to be the real protagonist here and she comes across as so distant and detached that one is left to merely shrug at the conclusion. 

Much of the movie has the static nature of a stage play because the majority takes place in the courtroom during the trial.  The reason why Rama feels so strongly about attending the trial remains somewhat vague for a good deal of the story; by the time her true motivation is revealed, it seems too little too late.  Some of this may be due to the director’s previous experience as a documentarian and “Saint Omer” is her first feature film narrative.  It is possible that the film’s impact may vary based on gender – that is to say women may find this motion picture of a more compelling nature than men.  The fact that Rama sees tying this into the mythic tale of Medea only serves to buttress this theory.   

Director Alice Diop and actress Guslagie Malanda (Laurence Coly) were interviewed following the screening.  Diop said that this is based on a real trial, which she and many other women in France followed rather closely because it spoke to maternity and motherhood.  She said that the reason why she did not make this as a documentary was because that by the time she decided she wanted to turn this into a film the trial was already over.  Malanda said that originally, there were 10 rehearsals scheduled but they wound up only needing two because they found both the story and the character to be rather straightforward.  She added that she prepared for the shoot for months in the same way that an athlete would leading up to a competition. 

 

Hedonism II At New Year's 2022-23 -- Trip Report

 Day1 Monday 12/26/22

Checked into Hedo today. Despite all of the craziness we've been seeing at the U.S. airports in the days leading up to Christmas, my flight was thankfully not cancelled -- but it was delayed considerably for a variety of reasons. As a result, the 7:30AM JetBlue flight did not take off for an hour and a half (9AM).

Anyway, I'm here now and that's the only thing that matters I guess.

Upon check-in, they handed me glossy cards: one was an invitation to the New Year's Eve party, themed "Amorous Attractions: Hedonistic Prom Night". The other card was titled "Lustful Liaison", which was just the theme nights for the last week of the year. Comparing this to the PDF of the events schedule downloaded from the QR Code they gave me at check-in (that's new, isn't it?) it appears that the only two nights that are different were Christmas ("The Naughty List: Boudoir de Mystique") and this Saturday (NYE, as described above).

One other thing about check-in: in addition to the credit card, they also asked me for my Driver's License. I don't recall being asked for this before. This is definitely new. What's the purpose? I was asked for my passport, too, but then she asked for my license, which I thought was odd.

Initially I was asked for my passport (as they usually do) and handed it over. Then, she immediately handed it back to me without even looking at it and said, "You know what would be better? If you gave me your driver's license instead". At that point, I handed over the driver's license and she made a copy of that, not both the license and the passport. I needed the passport anyway because on the form they make you fill out during check-in you have to enter your passport number. I have since learned that they are supposed to ask for either or.  So, my best guess is that she probably misspoke because she is used to asking for the passport alone and the driver's license thing is somewhat new.

Based on the weather reports I’ve been checking, this week could be a wet one. It rained slightly on my way from the airport and rained heavily late in the afternoon, stopping just in time for dinner.

Day 2 Tuesday 12/27/22

No rain today, thankfully.  A little annoyed that they didn't give me a notice about the repeaters party scheduled for tonight so I missed that. Since I checked in yesterday, they obviously knew I was here.  On a positive note, I did begin to see quite a few new arrivals tonight, including many familiar faces from New Year’s trips past.  The downside to the new incoming guests was that it was more of a challenge for me to find a seat at dinner (Asian Cuisine night, it seemed).

Day 3 Wednesday 12/28/22

After an ill-advised post-dinner latte, I'm pretty wired-up on caffeine tonight – at least it’s helping me to stay up late without feeling drowsy. 

Next, the piano bar. Monday night there was entertainment but no Eldon; Tuesday night was karaoke (ICK!) and still no Eldon. Tonight, the piano player returned and so did Eldon! Eldon told me that after his horrible accident earlier in the year he's about 80-85% right now; he wasn't able to work for four months, getting injured in June and returning in October. It never ceases to amaze me how he's able to not only recognize me but also call me by name and immediately pour my usual drink without having to be asked.

Lastly, apparently the disco is a thing again -- or at least it was for tonight, anyway. Monday, I tried to go in but the door was locked; Tuesday I didn't even bother. Tonight, when the piano bar cleared out, I left and heard music coming from the disco; when I entered I found the dancefloor packed with people stomping to Pitbull's "Fireball". The bar, however, seemed relatively empty. But at least the disco was back -- if only for one night.

Day 4 Thursday 12/29/22

Plenty of activity around the pool and in the hot tub today, but there has been a pattern of clouds mid to late afternoon which resulted in not only little sun but also no chance to view the sunset later in the day. 

Day 5 Friday 12/30/22

Around 4:30PM today was the first significant rainfall, but thankfully, it didn’t last too long; just as I was getting ready to leave, the rain stopped – as a result, I just swapped for some dry towels and stuck around for a while longer. 

Day 6 Saturday 12/31/22

Friday night as I was preparing for dinner, a note was slipped under my door stating that starting Saturday AM, the main pool deck would be unavailable all day because they were constructing the set for New Year's Eve. As of shortly before dinner at 7PM, they were still putting on the finishing touches, so they just barely completed by the time dinner was officially served.

Dinner consisted of the usual fare for New Year's Eve (i.e. the Friday Gala was moved to Saturday so we had lobster).

Mojito bar set up on the pool deck, martini bar near the courtyard (in that space where the pool/ping pong tables are located).

Went into the piano bar to get away from all the noise; no piano player that night but some folks volunteered to tickle the ivories.

Just as they've done the past few years, the countdown to midnight took place in the courtyard which had more than enough space for folks to dance.

This year and last year, it didn't seem like the place was all that full for the party -- appeared to be quite a few of the resort guests but not that many night passes. I say that because there were plenty of places set for dinner but a number of them were left unoccupied (at least that meant I had no trouble finding a place to sit down to eat dinner).

Day 7 Sunday 1/1/23

Hangover day for many folks so it was rather quiet; what added to the quiet atmosphere was that a few folks had already departed. 

Day 8 Monday 1/2/23

An even slower and quieter day today as even more people I know left; quite a depressing day.  Late day rain forced me to pack up and head back to my room a little earlier than I would have preferred.  One last night of the party before the fun of packing begins. 

Day 9 Tuesday 1/3/23

Got up a little bit earlier than usual so that I could get a head start on packing and grab a quick breakfast prior to check-out.  Pick-up for the ride to the airport was early, so I got to check-in for my JetBlue flight with plenty of time to spare.  Encountered a great deal of difficulty using the kiosk at MBJ; fortunately, there was a JetBlue employee there to assist (albeit begrudgingly).  Long wait to check my bag and an almost as long wait to retrieve my ticket to enter Club MoBay.  Once I got to the lounge, I discovered the flight had been delayed; what started out as a 2:30PM flight eventually didn’t take off until 6PM.  Fortunately, the airport pickup driver was on top of it and delayed meeting with me at the gate.  JetBlue eventually got in touch with me to apologize for the delay by giving me a credit on my next flight – but since it’s only $50, I doubt it’ll help very much (and not much in the way of compensation for all of the time lost and inconvenience suffered). 

 

 

"The Quotable Hitchens" -- Book Review

During my recent winter vacation, I read “The Quotable Hitchens”, edited by Windsor Mann. 

The full title of the book is “The Quotable Hitchens:  The Very Best Of Christopher Hitchens”; the book was published over a decade ago, around the time that Hitchens had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and roughly a year before his death.  Editor Windsor Mann was a friend of Hitchens and decided to assemble this collection as a way of appreciation for Hitchens’ work over the years – a gift to the writer prior to his passing.  For those unfamiliar with the writings of Hitchens, he was primarily a journalist but was also known as an expert polemicist – someone with whom you would not want to debate. 

Hitchens was known to have a mind and wit that were both equally razor sharp and capable of (virtually) drawing blood anytime he wanted, largely for his own personal amusement.  He was known to be a contrarian and a gadfly, getting under the skin of  political foes, regardless whether they were from the left or the right.  His disdain for religion was found equally irritating by the devout.  There was rarely someone whom he didn’t anger with his opinions and observations about life, society, culture, or any other subject. 

Structurally, the book is not divided into sections or chapters; instead, it lists the topics of Hitchens’ quotes alphabetically.  The cover of the book bears the subtitle “From Alcohol To Zionism”, but this is not entirely accurate; although the last topic of the book is in fact Zionism, the first quote is actually regarding Abortion.  In fact, Alcohol is covered, but that does not come until much later in the “A” portion.  The quotes are derived from a wide variety of sources; some of the quotes are from his writings (books, magazine articles, essays), others from interviews he's given (television, radio and print media) and still others come from various formal debates in which he participated. 

There is the old saying, “Brevity is the soul of wit”.  One is reminded of this when reading Hitchens’ quotes on various subjects.  Some of the longer passages just don’t quite have the impact as the shorter ones – he was clearly a master of the one-liner and the clever rejoinder that could pierce a bloated ego.  By far and away, the subject that has the greatest number of quotes in this book is Bill Clinton, whom he hated.  Quotes about the former president weigh in at a whopping nine pages.  On Religion, there is, unsurprisingly 11 pages.         

What’s great about this book is the fact that you don’t necessarily have to read it in order; you could just pick it up and randomly select any subject.  One of the best examples is his quote on the matter of martinis:  “On the whole, observe the same rule about gin martinis – and all gin drinks – that you would in judging female breasts:  one is far too few and three is one too many”.  Regarding Etiquette:  “It’s often necessary to be rudest to the nicest people” – a remarkably insightful observation on his part. 

If you are a Hitchens fan, then you’ve likely already read this book; if you are a Hitchens fan and this work has somehow managed to elude you, then your duty is both clear and immediate to get on it right away.  However, if you are not already a Hitchens fan, then this book might be something of a waste of time for you – at least until you’ve sufficiently devoured a good deal of this man’s work.  There isn’t a day when one wishes that Hitchens was still around to comment on today’s current events, not to mention the Trump years. 

"Corsage" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new Austrian historical drama “Corsage”.

Synopsis

When Empress Elizabeth of Austria turns 40, can she find a way to maintain her youthful public image?

Story

In the Austria of 1877, Empress Elizabeth (Vicky Krieps) turns 40 on Christmas Eve of that year.  This is a traumatic event for her because in that day and age, she is wrongly perceived as old; given the fact that she has been considered a beauty and a trendsetter (particularly in terms of fashion), it comes as quite a blow that society suddenly no longer sees her as youthful.  As a result, she resorts to some rather drastic measures to maintain a youthful reputation and appearance.  For one thing, she’s just barely getting by on a starvation diet in order to keep her weight down.  Additionally, she has her attendants fasten her corset in such a way that it is unreasonably tight so as to appear thin. 

To make matters even worse, her husband the Emperor is paying her less and less attention.  Part of the reason for this because his attention has been focused on an ongoing military conflict with Bosnia.  Another reason is that he sees his wife’s public behavior as being somewhat erratic; with the viability of the empire foremost in his mind, he has been increasingly distancing himself from her over time.  The Empress is painfully aware of this and winds up seeking male companionship outside her marriage – even traveling abroad to do so.  Rumors about her infidelity circulate quickly, causing both the Emperor and their daughter great embarrassment. 

Eventually, things become too unbearable for the Empress; she begins to self-medicate and stops making public appearances.  She becomes increasingly secluded, only interacting with her servants and most trusted aids.  Ultimately, when her attempts at affairs don’t work out the way she had planned, she sees her life as empty and without value or pleasure.  The activities she used to enjoy become meaningless to her now.  With her reputation as a world traveler still intact, she decides to go on a cruise with her aids in the hope that time away from her quotidian life will somehow reinvigorate her.  But will she find the peace of mind she so desperately seeks? 

Review

Overall, “Corsage” is a rather underwhelming experience, despite its daring attempts to flip the genre of the historical biopic on its ear.  This is more of a fictional take on the Empress rather than an historically accurate one; this is too bad because the woman’s actual story is considerably more interesting than this occasionally dull and slowly paced motion picture (and her actual demise more fascinating than the melodramatic version in this interpretation).  Reviews tend to highlight the performance by Vicky Krieps as the Empress; just as the film is unconventional, so is her portrayal of the Empress. 

Unless you are intimately familiar with the history of 19th-century Austria in general, or Empress Elizabeth in particular, it will be difficult to discern fact from fiction – and make no mistake about it, this is a highly fictionalized version of the life of the Empress.  For example, in “Corsage”, she is prescribed heroin by her physician and we see her self-injecting.  There are also many anachronistic occurrences here, not the least of which being source music written by such famous 20^th century artists like Kris Kristofferson and The Rolling Stones being played by musicians on-screen. 

An interview with “Corsage” director Marie Kreutzer and star Vicky Krieps took place after the screening.  Krieps said that as a 14-year-old, she read a book about the Empress (nicknamed “Sisi”) and was fascinated by her because she felt that much of her behavior was imposed upon her by society.  Kreutzer also read a book about her as well, but it wasn’t very detailed and just contained the bare facts.  The director also added that despite Sisi being a complex character, she wasn’t terribly concerned about whether or not the audience would like her.  Instead, she wanted to tell a story about someone who projects many different faces, as we all do. 

"Close" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended a special screening of the new Belgian drama “Close”, written and directed by Lukas Dhont. 

Synopsis

When a friendship between two boys abruptly ends, can one of them come to terms with the cause?

Story

In the Flemish region of Belgium, Leo and Remi are a pair of “tween” boys living their best life.  They always ride their bike together to and from school, sit next to each other in their classes, sleep over at each other’s house – you get the idea.  But the two boys are quite different from each other; Leo is a bit more outgoing while Remi is a bit of an introvert – in addition, Leo is more of an athlete while Remi is a bit of an intellect.  Remi studies music and plays the oboe for his school’s music group.  Because the two spend so much time together – largely to the exclusion of others – a number of their classmates grow suspicious. 

One day, Leo decides to join the school’s hockey team – while he’s not exactly the best skater, he’s enthusiastic and enjoys both the competition and camaraderie with his teammates.  Due to the fact that he’s now spending a considerable amount of time at hockey practice and as a result developing a new set of friends, he finds himself spending less and less time with Remi.  While Leo doesn’t recognize a change in their friendship, Remi, who is something of a loner when not with Leo, certainly does notice the difference.  He is feeling ignored and believes himself to be unwelcome in Leo’s new life. 

After a class field trip for which Remi is noticeably absent, Leo and his fellow students are shocked by some tragic news upon their return to the school:  Remi has died from an apparent suicide.  Leo is understandably stunned at the loss of someone he perceived as his best friend.  In retrospect, Leo tries to retrace their friendship; towards the end, he does remember Remi seeming more distant and less inclined to be part of Leo’s new circle.  Leo desperately tries to get on with his life but the distractions disappear when he’s alone and turns introspective.  Sophie, Remi’s mother, discovered her son in his room.  When Leo confronts Sophie, can the two get closure with the loss of Remi?

Review

It might be thought that “Close” is a story about suicide or coming of age or homosexual discovery in youth.  However, there may be another angle:  toxic masculinity, which can begin early in life.  In this movie, the boys are taunted for their tight-knit friendship – the taunts mostly come from other boys, but interestingly, sometimes from girls, too (although occasionally in a much more nuanced fashion).  Regardless, it is certainly difficult to watch.  Some critics have observed that one strike against the film is the fact that it has a somewhat manipulative ending which detracts from the rest of the story; this is correct and it is unfortunate. 

Despite that, the performances are quite good, especially, by Eden Dambrine, who plays Leo.  This young man is not a professional actor, which makes the portrayal all the more remarkable.  The story behind how he got cast in “Close” is rather interesting; the director found him during a train ride when the boy was talking to his friends.  By both his look and his behavior he thought that he would be perfect for the role, so he introduced himself and gave him his business card; his parents then brought him in for an audition and it became apparent that casting him was a no-brainer.  It turned out to be an excellent choice.    

There was an interview with director/writer Lukas Dhont following the screening.  Dhont said that he got the original idea for the screenplay after reading a book called “Deep Secrets”, in which the author interviewed about 150 boys in their early teen years, then followed-up with them five years later.  In the original interviews, the author asked the boys about their friendships with other boys; the way in which they described them was almost like love stories.  During the later follow-up when the same boys were age 17 or 18, they were asked the same question; it was discovered that at this later point in their life, the boys didn’t allow themselves that same type of emotional connection. 

"The People We Hate at the Wedding" -- Movie Review

 

This week, I streamed Amazon Studios new Prime Video comedy, “The People We Hate at the Wedding”, starring Allison Janney and Kristen Bell.  

Synopsis

When a dysfunctional blended family reunites for a wedding abroad, can they avoid triggering each other to prevent the nuptials from turning into a disaster?

Story

In her youth, Donna (Allison Janney) met and married Henrique (Isaach De Bankolé); they lived in London with their daughter Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) – but unfortunately, they did not live happily ever after.  A few years later, Henrique began cheating on Donna; they ultimately divorced and Donna returned to the United States with Eloise.  Eventually, Donna remarried and had two more children with her new husband:  Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt).  They all lived together until Donna’s husband passed away.  Once the children were grown, they went their separate ways – Eloise left for London and the once-close family was now distanced both geographically and emotionally.

The day that everyone was secretly dreading has finally arrived:  Eloise announces that she’s getting married and she wants her mother and half-siblings to attend.  Although Donna is happy for her oldest daughter, she doesn’t look forward to making the long trip to London, especially since she will inevitably wind up having to see Henrique once again after all these years.  Likewise, Alice and Paul find this to be a significant interruption to their own life; feeling rather detached from their half-sister, the rigmarole is nothing but a nuisance – not to mention bad timing. 

Reluctantly, they agree to attend (as if they had a choice!).  Alice, who is having an affair with her married boss, heads to London on her own; her “boyfriend” agrees to meet her there just in time for the ceremony.  Paul and his partner also fly out, only to eventually learn that their own relationship is on the rocks when they meet up with another man.  Following a raucous and chaotic pre-wedding party, Eloise then informs her mother and half-siblings that they are uninvited from the wedding.  On the day of the ceremony, Eloise has a meltdown and starts to panic.  Can the family finally come together to help her save her special day?

Review

Based on the book by Grant Ginder, the R-rated movie adaptation of “The People We Hate at the Wedding” seems to be going for the same audience that made the film “Bridesmaids” such a huge (and well-deserved) hit.  The problem is that despite terrific performances by both Kristen Bell and the consistently excellent Allison Janney, the humor is not quite sharp enough, even though it does make many attempts to rely on the same style of ribald jokes.  One gets the sense that the screenwriters may have downed many glasses of Chardonnay as a prelude to getting their words into the script.   

If you are considering streaming “The People We Hate at the Wedding” on Prime Video, it may be worth it more for seeing Janney and Bell rather than the film itself.  Janney provides the necessary credibility for her character while Bell seems quite comfortable playing the quite outlandish daughter from the second marriage; speaking of outlandish, Ben Platt’s character has one scene where a gay three-way is threatened to ensue – that scene alone is conceivably what earns this movie the R-rating it justly deserves.  Definitely not a family-friendly film unless your family is as twisted as the one portrayed here. 

Coming in at less than two hours, “The People We Hate at the Wedding” is not a very demanding investment of your time – in fact, at a little over an hour and a half, it’s just about the perfect length for a comedy.  More mildly amusing than actually laugh-out-loud funny, this movie can serve as something of a lighthearted distraction if that’s all that you’re in the mood for – but if you’re in need of more substantial entertainment, it may be necessary to look elsewhere.  There aren’t too many serious scenes in this film, so don’t expect anything terribly profound.  In fact, it’s a motion picture that will likely be easily forgotten not too soon after it’s been viewed.    

 

"The Son" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Film At Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of “The Son”, a new drama by writer/director Florian Zeller; it features Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Anthony Hopkins. 

Synopsis

When a divorced father learns of his teenage son’s emotional problems, can he save him before the boy does something drastic?

Story

Peter (Jackman) is a successful, ambitious businessman in New York City – he’s even fielding an offer from a United States Senator who wants to hire him for his upcoming presidential campaign.  After his divorce from Kate (Dern), he’s remarried to Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and started a second family with their newborn son Theo.  His plans get interrupted when Kate informs him that their 17 year old son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) has been having some problems; with Nicholas skipping school and displaying a variety of behavioral issues, Kate implores Peter to intervene.  When he meets with his son, Nicholas requests he move in with Peter and Beth – despite Beth's concerns, Peter relents. 

Nicholas takes a spare room at Peter and Beth's apartment; Beth maintains a watchful eye on him due to his unusual demeanor.  Peter registers him in a new school so he can have a fresh start.  Soon after, however, he discovers that Nicholas is a “cutter” – he makes cuts in his arm occasionally, causing bleeding and leaving scars.  When confronted about this, Nicholas admits to his father that he’s been having difficulty dealing with his parents’ divorce, especially after witnessing his mother's reaction; he feels that both he and his mother have been abandoned, discarded and completely forgotten. 

Eventually, Peter finds out that Nicholas has been hiding the truth from him – he hasn’t been attending classes at his new school and he’s continuing to cut himself with increasing frequency.  One of his cuttings results in a failed suicide attempt, which causes him to be hospitalized; once his physical health is stabilized, Nicholas remains in the psychiatric ward for observation.  The psychiatrist tries to convince Peter and Kate to let Nicholas remain there because of his severe depression and likelihood of another suicide attempt.  Despite the recommendation, they decide to sign out Nicholas and take him home, believing that if they shower him with enough love and attention, he will improve.  But will this plan truly work?

Review

With such a great cast, you would think that “The Son” would be a terrific motion picture – unfortunately, the performances can’t elevate its quality.  It couldn't be saved even if Hugh Jackman transformed into Wolverine at the end.  There is just too much of a melodrama feel to garner much interest.  “The Son” is basically a made-for-TV flick that only got greenlit as a feature because of the cast attached to the project – not to mention the director’s previous success with “The Father”.  After Zeller made “The Father”, he followed-up with “The Son”.  Will his next be “The Holy Spirit”?  That would make quite the trinity.           

Much of the script is rather curious, making you wonder what the characters are doing and why they are making the choices they have made (or haven’t made, as the case may be).  While the intent behind the film seems to be heartfelt, it’s difficult to muster much compassion for these characters.  Even the distressed son can be a bit irritating with his passive aggressive behavior.  One thing to note is that while Anthony Hopkins is in “The Son”, he only has the one scene, which is quite good; so if you’re considering seeing this for another stellar Hopkins portrayal, you may want to reconsider. 

There was an interview with the star of “The Son”, Hugh Jackman, after the screening.  Jackman said that Zeller’s approach to shooting the film was to not have any rehearsals, nor did he allow the cast to watch the monitors after a take.  As a result, Jackman felt that he had to put complete trust in his director.  The final emotionally intense scene of the movie was shot only three days after Jackman’s own father had passed away; he said it took a total of 17 takes and the entire time, he felt his father’s presence on the set.  The play on which the motion picture is based was set in France, but Zeller put the adaptation in New York City because he believes that New York is the crossroads of the world and that the story could be set anywhere because it’s so universal.      

"Aftersun" -- Movie Review

 

Recently at Lincoln Center, I attended a screening of the new drama, “Aftersun”. 

Synopsis

When a little girl goes on vacation with her father, will they be able to bond despite the fact that he is now separated from her mother?

Story

As the summer winds down and a return to school approaches, Calum (Paul Mescal) negotiates with his ex-wife to take their 11-year-old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) to Turkey for a brief (and cheap) vacation.  The weather is hot and the sun is unremitting, so Calum is dutifully applying plenty of sunscreen to his daughter.  Sophie appears to be enjoying herself – or at least, she’s enjoying having time to spend with her father; a rare thing these days since her parents separated.  Short on cash since he’s had difficulty earning a living, Calum does his level best to show Sophie a good time. 

Sophie’s sources of entertainment are somewhat limited because there aren’t too many children at this resort that are around her age; the few young people she encounters are in their late teens.  Since they are mostly interested in hanging with peers their age so they can imbibe virtually unlimited alcohol, pretty much the only thing they can do with Sophie is play pool.  Sophie, however, is left to look on enviously and forlornly as her vacation pals engage in some romantic pursuits.  Pretty much the best Sophie can do is to befriend a boy at a nearby arcade as they spend the afternoon playing games together. 

Tension sets in during their stay when Sophie’s interests diverge from Calum’s; she wants him to join her in karaoke, but he refuses.  Later, he suggests retiring to their room, but she resists.  Seeking out her own adventures, Sophie finds the boy she met at the arcade; seeing as how they are close in age and neither one of them has yet fully embarked on the tremulous adventure known as adolescence, they make an awkward attempt at a tryst.  When it gets late and Sophie grows tired, she finally decides to return to the room she and Calum share – but when she discovers that she’s been locked out, will this imperil the remainder of their otherwise pleasant trip?       

Review

Although “Aftersun” played at the recent New York Film Festival, this screening took place after its official release.  The movie has received widespread critical acclaim; there is good reason for that given the stylistic choices made by director Charlotte Wells and the performance by Frankie Corio in the role of Sophie.  Despite “Aftersun” becoming something of a critic’s darling, it is a bit of a letdown in terms of the emotional impact which it attempts to deliver; much of what we learn comes at the end of the film and it is ultimately left up to the imagination of the viewer to figure out everything at that point. 

Where the directing somewhat falls apart is in the actual framing of the story.  Clearly, it is a coming-of-age tale told through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl; what we as an audience don’t immediately know – and are left to assemble the pieces of the puzzle at the conclusion of the film – is that this is told in the form of a flashback by the now-adult Sophie (who is apparently also a parent herself).  This “reveal” and the way it is done is both awkward and confusing; given the seeming intent by the filmmaker, it might have been made clearer (and more satisfying) to inform the audience upfront about how this story would unfold. 

Ultimately, “Aftersun” is more style over substance.  Unfortunately, this style obfuscates the substance, which is the reflection of the adult on her complex relationship with her father during her childhood now that she has also assumed the role of parent.  While the relationship between daughter and father in her childhood is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, without the context behind this story we cannot establish the deeper meaning behind adult Sophie’s reminiscences.  Perhaps that is the most heartbreaking part of the motion picture – knowing that it could have been so much better than its final version. 

The 60th New York Film Festival

Here's a photo dump from the screenings that have been reviewed at this year's New York Film Festival.  

Opening Night "White Noise"

 

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 "Master Gardener"

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"Till"

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"Triangle of Sadness"

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"Stars At Noon"

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Centerpiece screening:  "All The Beauty And The Bloodshed"

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"Decision To Leave"

 

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60th Anniversary Celebration Screening:  "Armageddon Time" 

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Closing Night:  "The Inspection"

 

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