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Deux jours, une nuit (2014)
Simplicty is an Art form
This beautifully simplistic film follows Sandra, a young mother and wife who must convince her work colleges to sacrifice their bonus in order for her to keep her job. With the help of her number one support system, Manu her husband, Sandra may be able to overcome this adversity and keep her job. There is one problem however. Sandra has serious depression thus the cause for her apparent and so called justifiable sacking. Her workmanship has fallen slightly due to this depression so the workers' boss gave them all a choice: either vote for their bonus and Sandra looses her job or keep Sandra and lose the bonus because God knows they can't have both.
The film spans the length of a weekend, two days and one night. We begin with Sandra on Saturday morning. Her friend has convinced the boss to let Sandra have the weekend to try to win her job back because the voting that occurred on Friday was not fair. The second in command had been telling workers that if Sandra didn't lose her job, then they would lose theirs, which influenced the vote. Sandra now must fight for her job and overcome her depression at the same time.
The plot is not the greatest of all plots by any means. The film is quite basic and sometimes boring to the average viewer. What makes this film beautiful and capturing is the story. It is human struggle. Sandra fights her depression throughout the entire film. Going from house to house asking her coworkers to reconsider their vote not only forces her to believe in herself, but also shows others that she is getting better and is not succumbing to her illness.
Each scene where she meets with her coworkers is almost the same but that is the beauty of it because that is exactly how it would go down in real life. The lack of a musical soundtrack and the incredibly long seven to ten minute shots serve as a realistic factor. You don't have a soundtrack playing in your life, you often say the same things to different people in a situation like this, and you don't just magically appear at someone's house; you walk and/or drive there. Two Days, One Night is a wonderful portrayal of real life featuring real people with real problems. It's a film that everyone can identify with because we all have been in a situation like Sandra's before. Maybe we don't have depression and maybe we aren't losing our job, but who hasn't felt embarrassed to go and beg people for something or had to overcome adversity of some sort? We all have had to do it.
I haven't even gotten to the one of the best parts of the film, Marion Cotillard. She is amazing. This is one of her best performances ever. With every facial expression, every word she utters, and every step she takes towards overcoming her depression she inspires us. If this isn't an Oscar worthy performance then I don't know what is because she captured depression as if it were an art form. The change in her attitude and (spoiler) winning her life back shows such a dramatic change from beginning to end. Her performance enhances everything about her character and she shines brightly as a depressed mother of two combating her own inner demon and the demons telling her she's going to fail.
This film is inspirational and great. It uplifts the human spirit and shows that anybody can change his or her life around. Marion Cotillard is one of the best actresses of our generation and I can't wait to see her next projects.
Leviafan (2014)
A Cunning Social Drama
This film is a cunning social drama about the insecurity of a man in a cruel world that has left him behind. Nikolai has a small coastal home on a piece of beautiful land that obviously the corrupt fat mayor wants for himself. Nikolai must fight back but in a land of Communism where corruption rules politics, Nikolai has no chance at all. He resorts to drinking, loses his wife, and finds himself behind bars as the big man takes over what is not so rightfully his. The cleverness of the title comes from biblical meaning. Leviathan is referred to in the Old Testament as a giant sea monster that resembles a modern whale. It ruled the ocean just like the mayor rules this city. Leviathan is mentioned in the Old Testament several times and there is a scene in the film where Nikolai is talking to an old priest who quotes something like this from the Old Testament. "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?" Leviathan is a great film full of symbolism and righteousness. The big man ruins the little man and society can do nothing to prevent it. There is a scene showing this where Nikolai's attorney tries to set up meetings with people in the political circle and everyone ironically is out to lunch or cannot meet with him. The film shows that the corrupt people in charge stay in charge and offer no assistance to anyone or anything that may get in the way. This was the closing night film so I deemed it appropriate to write last. It is sad and it is harsh but nevertheless it is also probably accurate. This epic social drama takes you down a road of turmoil that leaves a man and his family destroyed forever. One of the last scenes in the film shows Nikolai's house being torn down by construction workers indicating that the mayor has indeed won and will be taking his prize after all. The iconic leviathan can be scene in the film which adds even more to importance to its meaning. The house lies near a whale graveyard full of the bones of beached whales. Whales can also be seen swimming by a cliff next to the house as well. Many times throughout the film we see this graveyard, and we see main characters looking out over the cliff watching the whales swim by. This film is full of symbolism that at first is not so obvious. Coming out of the theatre I thought that this film was good but nothing special. It was not until I thought about it afterwards and conversed with my colleges about it that I realized Leviathan was much more than I had previously thought. This film is huge. The story is epic and lacks the basic human right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is what happens in a Communist controlled country. I realized that this film is incredible and many people should go see it. While the Russian language is almost unbearable to listen to for two hours and twenty minutes, if you focus on the importance of the film's message you may just find the beauty within it. Leviathan is another film that probably should have won the Palme d'Or because it really is about human struggle with political undertones and social issues. It covers important details that we as Americans take for granted.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014)
It would've been better as one film instead of 3
Before the film began, I had no idea what exactly the film was going to be about. Director Ned Benson premiered his directorial debut at the Debussy Theatre at Cannes and Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy where also in attendance. The film begins in a happy mood; the young couple so in love eats at a restaurant when they decide to run off without paying the bill. The scene emanates a cuteness factor due mostly to Jessica Chastain's bold and lovable Eleanor. However, the opening scene grabs your attention immediately and you begin to think this is going to be a delightful romantic comedy, but suddenly that mood changes.
Jessica Chastain plays the title character, Eleanor Rigby, which has nothing to do with the Beatles song interestingly enough. She is suffering, but we do not know why until almost the middle of the film. The film moves along slowly during these moments due to its lack of happenings. Nothing really occurs in the film for many scenes. Mostly, the audience sees Jessica Chastain sulking and James McAvoy living poorly with the failure of his restaurant, the foreclosure on his apartment, and his reluctance to ask for daddy's help. The flashbacks visiting us through Eleanor's reminiscence offers a solid escape not just for Eleanor but also for the audience.
One flashback in particular helped make this film much better. Eleanor is playing with her nephew after she has moved back in with her parents and sister when you see her trail off into her own recollection of a much happier past. She and Connor (James McAvoy) kiss and gleefully hold each other while eating Twizzlers in his car. They tease one another encompassing such energy and life thus making everyone sad to think that this beautiful couple is anything but full of life right now. This film basically shows a relationship that was once alive slowly deteriorate after certain events unfold.
The negative aspect of the film, the audience never acquires an understanding of how this event created two very unhappy people. The only glimpse I receive of their suffering is at the beginning when Eleanor tries to kill herself by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. The movie transitions from utter happiness in the opening scene to a suicide attempt hence the sudden mood change. From there on it is downhill with the occasional hope of a happy ending unfortunately never fulfilling though.
Now, something very interesting the director mentioned before the premiere included a brief statement of a three-part film. What I witnessed was called The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them but there also is a Him and Her part as well. With this insight, I imagine the other two films follow the story from Connor's point of view and Eleanor's point of view. Hopefully with the release of these other two parts my hunger for how this couple spiraled out of love and into a dimension of failure, loneliness, and sorrow will be satisfied.
I am not saying this film deserves bad reviews or anything negative because I happened to like the film more than most of the films I have seen in Cannes. What I am saying is that this film may be boring to many people and upsetting to many people because it is not a happy film about a happy couple. It is very real and sometimes reality is not something the general public wants to see when they pay eleven dollars to go see a movie. There are moments of comedy brought on by a very sarcastic and melancholy Viola Davis, who play Eleanor's professor for the brief time she returns to school. Her moments lighten the setting because she makes us laugh but not in the traditional comedy way. It is subtle humor, sort of like that friend you may have who begins discussions with sarcastic remarks and then proceeds to self-disclose personal information in a dreary manner purposefully thus forcing you to smile a bit.
The story seems slow at first but in retrospect this film is way more than just a sad story. It becomes a story about second chances, moving on, and even forgiveness. It's about Eleanor moving forward after the event, Connor forgiving his father, and both of them having a second chance at love even if it's not with each other. As far as directorial debuts go, Ned Benson does an adequate job however it's the chemistry between Chastain and McAvoy that allow us to leave the theatre feeling content.
The Search (2014)
A Tragically Great Film
Academy Award winning director, Michel Hazanavicius, directs a beautiful film about four interconnected stories that face the tragedies of the Chechnya War. I honestly was not even aware of what this war entailed until I saw this film. Hazanavicius previously directed the Oscar winning film The Artist (2011) and thus takes a very dramatic turn with his newest feature. The Search is not lighthearted at all like his previous films. It is rooted in darkness and horror. The film opens up to a soldier filming a family being slaughtered as a form of entertainment. The entire mood becomes dark, and that effect is not due to the grayish tint that happens to be present throughout the film.
The darkness is due to the realities of war and the effects it has on everyone from young men thrown into mandatory military service to children left as orphans. The plot follows Hadji, a young lad who witnesses his family's murder by the soldiers at the beginning of the film. Hadji flees his home in search of someplace safer and is reluctant to be picked up by refugees and taken to an orphanage. He does not know however that his teenage sister, Raissa, managed to survive. She begins to search for Hadji, whom she believes is still alive.
The plot thickens as we now move on to see a young Russian teen, Kolia, recruited for military duty. This becomes the most disturbing part of the film. As we see Hadji's life slowly improving after befriending a human rights worker, the film follows the slow deterioration of a young man's morals by the facets of war. Kolia transforms from a normal teenage boy into a ruthless killing machine that embodies no hope of redemption. He learns to kill innocence and leave what's left of his childhood behind.
This transition in the film offers an interesting perspective. The audience goes from watching the horrors caused by war to sympathizing with a Russian soldier who becomes responsible for more destruction in the future. As one innocent life begins to improve, another innocent life begins to decline. Kolia never wanted to join the Russian military shown by his suicide attempts and frequent moments of hysteria. Hadji obviously didn't want his parents murdered. Therefore, both stories offer two dramatically different sides of war traumas. While Hadji's future remains hopeful however, Kolia's spirals downhill into a black box of despair. It's interesting to see that the people responsible for warfare have the most tragic endings. The point is, no matter which side you're on, war offers no benefits to the players directly involved. It transforms and configures humanity into a world nobody would want to live in. Children are forced to mature way beyond their years, and families are torn apart.
With the help of the human rights worker, Carole, Hadji's situation goes from horrible to optimistic. Berenice Bejo plays Carole. Once again working with Michel Hazanavicius, the Oscar nominated actress delivers another masterful performance. She provides a light at the end of the tunnel effect. Carole houses young Hadji after seeing him wandering the streets alone and without any provisions. The human rights worker establishes a connection with Hadji after several unsuccessful tries due to Hadji's complete silence. He's experienced traumatic events that would obviously leave someone shell shocked and saddened.
It is Berenice Bejo who steals the show. With her persistent attitude in trying to raise support and awareness for the innocent victims of the Chechnya War, she ignites a burning passion to help especially after hearing other victims' stories. The best scene showing this determination and relentless attitude is when Carole is on the phone with a European Union correspondent. She has been trying to arrange a meeting to inform people of the issues she witnesses every day. Her speech, backed with a mixed range of power, frustration, and genuine care, not only gets her a meeting but also leaves the audience wanting to help the situation too.
Although family is destroyed in this film, it offers a positive alternative. Carole wants to adopt Hadji, but we know that Raissa is still alive and searching for him. This puts us in a perplexing spot because we want both Carole and Raissa to achieve what they have been searching for all along. Carole searches for inspiration and meaning to her work and life finding that in Hadji, while Raissa searches for what's left of her family.
The Search offers multiple perspectives at the negative effects of war. The soldier, innocent child, and maturing teenager face direct effects while the orphanage head, EU correspondent, and human rights worker face indirect effects. The complexity of each situation is made so easy to watch and understand. Michel Hazanavicius is a great director, and I will always continue to search for his future films.
Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar Oscar Campaign
Every person that I have talked to after seeing Interstellar love this film. Christopher Nolan has gone above and beyond, more so with this film than any other film of his. He has literally transcended time and space Interstellar and his enormous amount of work and effort should be recognized. This story is one of the most touching and emotional stories I've ever seen, especially for the 2014 year. Christopher Nolan deserves to be nominated for Best Director and for Best Picture. He has been snubbed so many times before whether it was for The Dark Knight or Inception. Christopher Nolan has become one of the best auteurs, creators, innovators, and a try actor's director. Interstellar is a very complicated film full of scientific terms and data that go beyond the understanding of average moviegoers. With that, Nolan effectively communicates the main theme to the audience as well as the complicated concepts surrounding the theme. There was never a time where I didn't accept what I was watching. In many films I will always ask why this happened and why that happened but with Interstellar, Nolan made it clear and kept the viewer so engaged that you would leave the theater thinking about the film rather than during. During the film, the viewer actually feels like he/she is part of the experience. Promoting this film more, on top of receiving Oscar noms for Best Picture and Best Director, the film's star's Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain should all gain recognition for their performances. McConaughey has once again wowed us just like his performance last year in Dallas Buyers Club exposing a real rawness and depth in his performance. As for Hathaway and Chastain, they give outstanding supporting performances full of emotion and range. The next element deserving praise would be Hans Zimmer's outstanding score. The score kept the film flowing and added to the excitement. It's Zimmer's best score since Inception and before that, Gladiator. It is no surprise that I loved this movie and I think most audiences did as well. It's a beautiful film about love transcending time and space and the importance of family. Christopher Nolan has truly made a science fiction masterpiece. Bravo!
Foxcatcher (2014)
Cannes darling Foxcatcher will be big at this years Oscars
Bennett Miller's newest biopic, Foxcatcher, creates quite a disturbing picture for one of America's wealthiest and most powerful families. The film is based on the autobiography of Olympic Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz where he details his training leading up to the 1988 Olympics.
John Du Pont decides he wants to coach the men's Olympic Wrestling team. What are his qualifications you are asking yourself in the meantime? None. He has no qualifications. He simply is a rich schizophrenic man who lives at home with his mother and has a very strange affection toward men's wrestling and especially Mark Schultz. The film provides a dark tone and setting for the entirety of the film offering no alternative. The story is dark and Miller makes sure you know that.
The film is based on real events so it is not a spoiler to tell you that Du Pont's schizophrenia leads to a murder resulting him in jail where he resided until his death in 2010. His obsession with Mark and his brother Dave Schultz, another Olympic gold medalist, becomes the center of the plot in this spine tingling tale.
Steve Carell is going to get an Oscar nomination for this. He has finally proved to audiences that he can undertake and perfect dramatic acting. There is not one specific scene in the film that showcases this talent rather his performance as a whole. He is John Du Pont. They plaster on him a fake nose, make him look much older, and voilà you have Steve Carell looking like Du Pont. Next, he masterfully had to act like Du Pont. His struggle to prove to his mother he can do something and his sickening obsession with Mark and Dave give us that eerie feeling he is up to no good. Steve Carell freaked me out in this film. If it were up to me, I would absolutely give him a nomination and probably the Oscar.
Channing Tatum gives the biggest and best breakthrough performance I have ever seen. This role is not like any others for Tatum. He plays Mark Schultz, the younger of the two brothers. Tatum perfects Schultz's nervous habits allowing the audience to see the insecurity in Schultz's mind. He is a loner, seemingly sexually confused, and very much insecure about his own wrestling ability despite being an Olympic Champion. Channing Tatum is magnificent. I pray he receives an Oscar nomination as well.
It is so refreshing to see actors who have never really branched out before finally show us what they got. Tatum branched out with Foxcatcher and he showed us he has what it takes to be a serious actor and potential Oscar nominee in the future.
Director Bennett Miller won the Best Director prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival and I must confess I admire his directing so much. Foxcatcher is a very well made film and is created quite tastefully. There are several scenes that allude to Du Pont's homosexuality with his complete infatuation with Mark towards the beginning. It even implies Mark allowed this to evolve into something. Whatever it is, Miller does an excellent job conveying the creepiness of it all. His previous filmography includes Capote (2005) and Moneyball (2011). Obviously Miller enjoys creating stories centered on real people and events.
This film is not lighthearted and happy. It is dark and it is mysterious. Miller keeps us in a sort of shrouded mist throughout the film. It is very ambiguous at times but this ambiguity does not inhibit the film at all. This was one of the best films I saw at Cannes this year and I believe it's going to rack up a lot of Oscar nominations this awards season.