Shoddy shaky camera-work from the get go points to this being a frustrating experience throughout. The plot is wafer-thin. Girl moves to new area, falls in with the wrong crowd, happens to come across something she shouldn't, and is forced to keep quiet. The characters all come across as clichés of teenage angst. There's the bad egg, the good guy at heart who has fallen in with the wrong crowd, the big fat oaf and the girl who feels as if the whole world is crumbling in on her. The scene at the bookshop where books and reading is made out to be the antithesis of teenage cool is cringeworthy beyond belief. There's nothing to recommend this on.
Reviews
8 Reviews
The Fool
(II) (2014)
Durak (2014 - Yuriy Bykov): ****1/2
21 March 2016
The setup is fairly simple, during a violet domestic dispute about stolen money that serves as the film's prologue, a water pipe bursts. The whole scene underscores what is to come: a tale of a corrupt society teetering on the brink of disaster socially, economically and politically.
The hero of the film, Dima, the "durak" (fool) of the title of the film, is a bright young plumber on the way up in the world. After inspecting the damage, he soon realises that the burst pipe is merely evidence of a much larger issue: the entire block of flats is falling apart and will do so in 24 hours. While this should have been rectified during regular renovations of the building, the funds to do so were skimmed off the top by the local head of the housing organisation.
In response, Dima goes right to the very top of the provincial town in an attempt to save the lives of the occupants. Is anyone going to be motivated to act, however, if they have already been bleeding the system dry until now? Perhaps covering their own backs will prove the only motivation.
A brilliant film: one where you truly don't know whether to laugh or cry. From my time in Ukraine though, I dread just how accurate this slice of modern small town Russian life is.
The hero of the film, Dima, the "durak" (fool) of the title of the film, is a bright young plumber on the way up in the world. After inspecting the damage, he soon realises that the burst pipe is merely evidence of a much larger issue: the entire block of flats is falling apart and will do so in 24 hours. While this should have been rectified during regular renovations of the building, the funds to do so were skimmed off the top by the local head of the housing organisation.
In response, Dima goes right to the very top of the provincial town in an attempt to save the lives of the occupants. Is anyone going to be motivated to act, however, if they have already been bleeding the system dry until now? Perhaps covering their own backs will prove the only motivation.
A brilliant film: one where you truly don't know whether to laugh or cry. From my time in Ukraine though, I dread just how accurate this slice of modern small town Russian life is.
Carol
(2015)
Carol (2015 - Todd Haynes): ***½
21 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this but didn't love it. The film is technically brilliant, almost perfect in fact, yet I remained unmoved throughout. I admired it but I cannot say I embraced it. It was only listening to the Guardian film podcast on the way home that clarified many of my thoughts on the film.
Primarily, I struggled to believe in Carol and Therese's relationship as anything that could possibly be long lasting or positive long term. The relationship in my eyes had far more in common with the one in The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), whereby an older stepfather takes advantage of his willing, pubescent stepdaughter, than any classic romance. Therese, to me at least, was presented as barely a woman. Rooney Mara is 30 in real life but she comes across as barely 20 here. Whilst the audience is invited to see the lovers' relationship as a blossoming romance, to me it was more akin to a puppy dog love for Therese that forms part of everyone's growing pains. I also couldn't help thinking that were Carol male, then the audience would struggle that much more to see their relationship in such a positive light. It's ironic, but to this modern viewer, the more unsettling aspect was not the sapphic relationship but the vast age difference or, better still, maturity, between an older adult and a young girl.
Part of the problem may have been that Blanchett is such a screen presence that she dominates the relationship and every scene that she's in. It's little wonder therefore that Mara comes across as a young waif in comparison. This is admittedly partly intentional and the couple do comprise of clear submissive and dominant roles, but it's too strong for the tone of the film. I think Blanchett is really good; Mara is passable and neither performance certainly comes across as weak, yet there is little chemistry between the two in my eyes, which is what the success of the film hinges upon.
So, it comes to the ending. Carol calls Therese back. Therese goes back to Carol. Poor Therese, she'll be heartbroken again in a few weeks, when the dom takes away her love once more.
Primarily, I struggled to believe in Carol and Therese's relationship as anything that could possibly be long lasting or positive long term. The relationship in my eyes had far more in common with the one in The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), whereby an older stepfather takes advantage of his willing, pubescent stepdaughter, than any classic romance. Therese, to me at least, was presented as barely a woman. Rooney Mara is 30 in real life but she comes across as barely 20 here. Whilst the audience is invited to see the lovers' relationship as a blossoming romance, to me it was more akin to a puppy dog love for Therese that forms part of everyone's growing pains. I also couldn't help thinking that were Carol male, then the audience would struggle that much more to see their relationship in such a positive light. It's ironic, but to this modern viewer, the more unsettling aspect was not the sapphic relationship but the vast age difference or, better still, maturity, between an older adult and a young girl.
Part of the problem may have been that Blanchett is such a screen presence that she dominates the relationship and every scene that she's in. It's little wonder therefore that Mara comes across as a young waif in comparison. This is admittedly partly intentional and the couple do comprise of clear submissive and dominant roles, but it's too strong for the tone of the film. I think Blanchett is really good; Mara is passable and neither performance certainly comes across as weak, yet there is little chemistry between the two in my eyes, which is what the success of the film hinges upon.
So, it comes to the ending. Carol calls Therese back. Therese goes back to Carol. Poor Therese, she'll be heartbroken again in a few weeks, when the dom takes away her love once more.
It Follows
(2014)
It Follows (2014 - David Robert Mitchell): **½
21 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
With allusions to STDs and all else that casual sex entails, It Follows is a promising piece of Cronenbergian body horror that falls flat at the end. The setup is remarkably simple and the threat is unsettling: to rid yourself of the stalking demon picked up from your last sexual encounter, infect another. The film is at its best when it allows the presence to slowly draw closer to its intended victim, rather than relying on the lesser interesting slasher aspects the work sometimes falls prey to. After a chilling first hour, the climax of the film sorely disappoints. While we could plausibly believe that the enemy is purely an intangible supernatural presence, perhaps a figment of the imagination, a physical confrontation at the climax takes away much of the trepidation that the film had built up during its opening two-thirds. Despite its potentially hokey setup, the story never felt cheesy until the final encounter.
The Legend of Rita
(2000)
Die Stille nach dem Schuss (2000 - Volker Schlöndorff): **¾
21 March 2016
Drawing parallels with real members of the RAF far-left militant group and events of the 70s and 80s in Germany, Die Stille nach dem Schuss depicts the relationship between the terrorist organisation and the East German Stasi through the eyes of an individual. Rita Vogt seeks refuge in the GDR after becoming the target of a manhunt following a prison break gone wrong. Rita is shown to be unique in her unconditional love for the supposed values of her adopted homeland, standing in stark contrast to her fellow citizens, all of whom refuse to have the wool pulled over their eyes. The film lacks both the style and thrills of Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008) or any real sustained drama. Much of the time you find yourself lacking empathy for the characters and unmoved by the lack of much suspense or action. Arguably this indifference and coldness from the audience to the East is intended at times, but at others there is something lacking. Just when it seems the stakes are to be raised in Rita's personal life, the narrative moves on too soon.
Tomboy
(2011)
Tomboy (Céline Sciamma - 2011): ****¼
21 March 2016
A tender coming-of-age drama in Tomboy sees the young titular character, Laure, and her family move to a new area. Laure quickly becomes acquainted with Lisa, the leader of a group of children playing outside, but introduces herself as Mickäel: the male persona she tends to adopt at home. Young love soon begins to develop between Lisa and Laure/Mickäel, but there is always the sense that the pretence cannot be maintained for long. As school is soon to begin, the truth will have to come out. One cannot help but empathise with Laure and her predicament. Clearly she feels more comfortable as her alter ego, but at her young age she cannot grasp the potential consequences of adopting her guise. Laure's coming to terms with her identity is beautifully acted by Zoé Héran and makes for a moving drama.
Under the Skin
(I) (2013)
Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer - 2013): ****¼
21 March 2016
One of the pleasures of cinema is stumbling across a film that you know next to nothing about. There's no expectations to meet and no preconceptions to warp your impressions. Under the Skin was one of those rare experiences. How does one begin to describe a film such as this? Candid Camera meets 2001? The unorthodox use of hidden camera footage is effective in rendering Scarlett Johansson alien to Greater Glasgow. The stunning imagery of the opening and entrapment sequences serves as an excellent contrast in providing an otherworld quality. The ebbing final third of the film may just fall short on fully delivering on the intriguing and gripping opening hour, yet it recovers to conclude rivetingly. The ambiguous narrative and ending will, unsurprisingly, alienate some, but this is unexpected greatness nonetheless.
Oslo, August 31st
(2011)
Oslo, 31. august (2011 - Joachim Trier) ****½
21 March 2016
Oslo, 31. august (2011 - Joachim Trier) ****½
Melancholic drama about a recovering heroin addict on day release from a rehab centre. He appears to be making progress in his recovery and seemingly wants to move on with his life. He spends the day visiting old friends, attending a job interview and traipsing around the city, although there is continual sense of a relapse around every corner.The film is an enthralling and moving character study about an individual beginning the first day of his new life or a final one of his current existence. Apparently it is a loose adaptation of Le feu follet by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, but I am not overly familiar with the book aside from knowing of Malle's adaptation.
Melancholic drama about a recovering heroin addict on day release from a rehab centre. He appears to be making progress in his recovery and seemingly wants to move on with his life. He spends the day visiting old friends, attending a job interview and traipsing around the city, although there is continual sense of a relapse around every corner.The film is an enthralling and moving character study about an individual beginning the first day of his new life or a final one of his current existence. Apparently it is a loose adaptation of Le feu follet by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, but I am not overly familiar with the book aside from knowing of Malle's adaptation.
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