(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Gaspar Noe, Enter the Void is the story about an American drug dealer who is killed in Japan as he spends his afterlife watching his sister live her life. The film is an exploration into the world of death but also life itself where a dead man deals with his past as well as his sister’s future. Starring Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, and Cyril Roy. Enter the Void is a hallucinatory yet mind-bending trip of a film from Gaspar Noe.
The film is essentially a story of life and death in which an American drug dealer who lives in Tokyo with his sister as he gets killed during a deal gone wrong. The event would lead to all sorts of things as the man would spend part of his afterlife in an out-of-body experience where he not only watches his sister grieve but also look back on his entire life that is full of drama and tragedy which plays into the fragile bond he has with his sister. It’s a film that may have a simple story with little plot despite utilizing a three-act structure. Yet, it’s a story that is quite intriguing in not just the idea of death but also grief as the sister Linda (Paz de la Huerta) deals with this loss as she had already been through enough in her life where she and her brother Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) made this pact to be together to the end.
Instead, Oscar’s death would send Linda into a tailspin where Oscar would watch his life play out in the film’s second act as it would lead to some very telling moments in its third act. Oscar’s out-of-body experience relates to his interest in the Buddhist book The Tibetan Book of the Dead where what happens him after death has him lurking around his surroundings where he looks for something to inhabit as if he believes in reincarnation.
The direction of Gaspar Noe is very hypnotic in not just the way he presents Tokyo but also everything else where he does play into this style where it is shot in continuous take with the exception of the second act where Oscar looks back on his entire life. With all of these stylish shots that is told from Oscar’s point-of-view, the camera is always showing things as if he’s looking at something including what happens to him after death. There, the camera is often flying over the city of Tokyo where it looks down on what is happening and how the world is moving on without him. While there are these fast blinks that does happen in the film’s first and second act which does often happen continuously, it becomes much more continuous in its third act where Oscar is flying over the city looking above.
The city of Tokyo itself is a character but it’s presented in this very lavish and colorful world as if it is presented with this air of psychedelia and surrealism where the colors are much more heightened. Notably as Noe would include some insert shots of Tokyo being shot from above as well as some very intense yet entrancing visual effects sequences that plays into Oscar’s drug-induced state or coming into the afterlife. These sequences are definitely help to tell the story as well as the idea of life and death. Especially in the latter where time doesn’t exist where Oscar watches things from afar including all of these moments that includes some sexually-explicit content that is stylized as well as moments that play into the emotional turmoil that Linda is going through. Overall, Noe creates a very evocative yet sensational film about life and death.
Cinematographer Benoit Debie does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and extravagant cinematography with its use of colorful lights to heighten the world of Tokyo as well as creating moods that are surrealistic but also stylized. Editors Gaspar Noe, Marc Boucrot, and Jerome Pesnel do amazing work with the editing by creating a sense of texture through the continuous approach of the editing while using some unconventional jump-cuts for the film‘s second act montage. Production designers Jean-Andre Carriere and Kikuo Ohta do fantastic work with the set pieces from the apartments, strip clubs, and other places along with some of the models of Tokyo.
Costume designer Nicoletta Massone does wonderful work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the clothes that Linda wears. Visual effects supervisor Geoffrey Niquet and visual effects designer Pierre Buffin do phenomenal work with the visual effects that play into that sense of surrealism from the hallucinogenic images to some of the scenes of Tokyo. Sound designer Ken Yasumoto does superb work with the sound to create that sense of tense atmosphere in the clubs where layers of sounds clash as well as scenes set in Tokyo. The film’s music by Thomas Bangalter is great for its soundtrack that is filled with a mixture of high-octane dance music with some ambient pieces as it is presented in a sound collage that features acts like Coil, Throbbing Gristle, LFO, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
The casting by Lisa Mae Fincannon, Des Hamilton, Barbara Pfister, and Kathryn Taylor is excellent as it features some notable small roles from Emily Alyn Lind and Jesse Kuhn as the adolescent versions of Linda and Oscar, Janice Beliveau-Sicotte as their mother, Masato Tanno as Linda’s boss Mario, Ed Spear as Oscar’s supplier Bruno, and Olly Alexander as one of Oscar’s customers in Victor. Cyril Roy is terrific as Oscar’s artist friend Alex who is the one person in Oscar’s life that is any good as he also tries to help out Linda. Nathaniel Brown is amazing as Oscar who deals with his own death while wandering around Tokyo as a man seeking a soul to inhabit. Paz de la Huerta is wonderful as Linda as a woman ravaged by loss as she is trying to deal with her loneliness as well as the tragedy of her life.
Enter the Void is an outstanding film from Gaspar Noe. The film is truly unlike anything that is out there in terms of its technical brilliance as well as it’s very compelling approach on the idea of life and death. It’s also a film that plays like one big-ass mind-fuck that won’t stop while seducing the audience with its extremely sensational images. Though it’s not for everyone including those with epilepsy, it’s definitely a bold yet ambitious statement about the concept of life and death. In the end, Enter the Void is a magnificent film from Gaspar Noe.
Gaspar Noe Films: (I Stand Alone) - Irreversible
© thevoid99 2013
(Winner of the Best Actor Prize to Olivier Gourmet at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Le Fils (The Son) is the story about a carpenter who hires a 16-year old as his apprentice knowing that the boy killed his son many years ago. The film is an exploration into the world of grief and forgiveness as a man tries to come to terms with his loss while getting to know the young man who ruined his life. Starring Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, and Isabella Soupart. Le Fils is a remarkable film from the Dardenne Brothers.
The film is a simple story about a man dealing with the loss of his son five years ago as he is a carpenter who teaches young teens at a training center where one of his new students is the boy who killed his son some years ago. What happens for the man named Olivier (Olivier Gourmet) is that he becomes troubled and conflicted about whether to get revenge for what happened or to understand what happened on that day his life changed. During the course of the film, Olivier observes the young boy named Francis (Morgan Marinne) where he learns more about him and his home life as Olivier is later confronted by his ex-wife Magali (Isabella Soupart) about why he put the boy in his class. For Olivier, he is wondering why is he interested in this boy that ruined his life?
The screenplay by the Dardenne Brothers doesn’t have much of a plot nor does it need one where it is more concerned with the conflict that Olivier is facing internally. He is already filled with loss as he just fills his time helping young boys how to become carpenters while he rarely meets his ex-wife whose life is about to change where it’s clear she’s set to move on. When Francis comes into the picture, he is unsure about what to do as he observes the boy who is revealed to be this quiet kid who is just trying to start a new life as he has no idea who Olivier is. Once the story progresses where Olivier becomes a father figure of sorts for Francis, there is still that conflict over the fact that he’s helping the boy who killed his son where there are no explanations into these actions.
The direction of the Dardenne Brothers is typical of their style that harkens to concept of cinema verite where it’s shot in a documentary hand-held style to capture whatever action and drama that is happening. It’s a visual style that often works in order to capture a sense of realism but what makes this film standout is the fact that there’s a bit of suspense that is told in an unconventional manner. There are also moments where the directing style can be very entrancing as the Dardennes often shoot scenes in long takes including a scene in the car where the camera moves inside where Francis goes to the back while the camera goes in the front in one entire take. It’s a moment in the third act that includes the eventual dramatic confrontation over what Francis did but it is told in that realistic manner that plays into that theme of grief. Overall, the Dardenne Brothers create a very riveting yet haunting film about loss and conflict.
Cinematographer Alain Marceon does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful yet low-key cinematography to capture some of the exterior locations of Belgium including some use of available light in the nighttime scenes. Editor Marie-Helene Dozo does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly low-key with its straightforward cutting style where there aren‘t a lot of cuts except in a few suspenseful moments. Production designer Igor Gabriel does terrific work with some of the minimal set pieces from the trade school to the lumber yard owned by Olivier‘s brother.. Costume designer Monic Parelle does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual. Sound editor Benoit De Clerck does superb work with the sound to capture everything on location that helps with the film’s drama and suspense.
The film’s cast is great as it mostly features non-actors in small roles while Isabella Soupart is wonderful as Olivier’s ex-wife Magali who is about to start a new life until she hears about Francis being released and is at Olivier’s school. Morgan Marinne is brilliant as the boy Francis who is very quiet until he finds a father-figure in Olivier as he sees the man as a beacon of hope and redemption for his past actions. Finally, there’s Olivier Gourmet in a marvelous performance as the carpenter Olivier as a man trying to move on until Francis comes into his life as he deals with his grief but also the conflict about the boy who killed his son some years ago on whether to help him or destroy him.
Le Fils is a phenomenal film from the Dardenne Brothers that features a mesmerizing performance from Olivier Gourmet. The film is definitely one of the Dardenne Brothers’ finest films as well as a compelling piece on the idea of vengeance, grief, and conflict. It’s also a film that doesn’t play by any rules while allowing the audience to understand a father trying to comprehend his loss. In the end, Le Fils is a fantastic film from the Dardenne Brothers.
Dardenne Brothers Films: (Falsch) - (I Think of You) - La Promesse - Rosetta - L'Enfant - Lorna's Silence - The Kid with a Bike - (Two Days, One Night)
© thevoid99 2013
(Played at the Un Certain Regard Section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed by Gregory Nava and screenplay by Nava and Anna Thomas from a story by Nava, El Norte is the story of two young Guatemalan siblings who decide to flee the country during its civil war as they trek through Mexico to go to America. The film is an exploration of immigrants’ desire to go to America seeking the American Dream where they face realities that has them questioning about the myth of the American Dream. Starring Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando. El Norte is a superb yet heartbreaking film from Gregory Nava.
The film is the story about two siblings from a small Guatemalan village who decide to flee the country during its civil war in order to reach America that is often called El Norte. Yet, they would have to endure all sorts of things during their journey from Guatemala to Los Angeles as they had to adapt and do things where they would go through Mexico who look down on Guatemalans especially those of Indian descents forcing Enrique (David Villalpando) and his sister Rosa (Zaide Silvia Gutierrez) to pretend to be Mexican. Upon their arrival to America in the most treacherous way, the siblings are forced to face harsh realities about the myth of the American Dream as well as the prejudice they face not just from Americans but Hispanic-Americans who are just as cruel with the exception of a few people the siblings meet along the way.
The screenplay by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas is told in a traditional structure that plays into the trials and tribulations that Enrique and Rosa Xuncax face as the different locations they’re in also play to that structure. The first act is about their quaint lives in a Guatemalan village but not everything is great as their father (Ernesto Gomez Cruz) is a coffee picker who is trying to organize a rebellion against their cruel boss only for things to go wrong as the lives of the Xuncax family is destroyed. With the help of their godmother and an old family friend, the two flee to El Norte as they hear it’s a place where anyone can succeed. The film’s second act takes place in Mexico where the two had to pretend to be Mexicans by speaking Spanish in a very brash way while realizing that it’s a place where no one can be trusted with the exception of a man who is a friend of their godparents who would take them to America but in the most horrific means.
The film’s third act is about the moment they finally arrive in El Norte by going to Los Angeles where everything they had dreamed about turns out not to be real. Though things start out well at first where Enrique gets a job as a busboy at a very posh restaurant while Rosa cleans house with a woman named Nacha (Lupe Ontiveros). The fact that they both arrive to the country without documentations does add trouble where they face realities that is similar to the struggles they faced back at home making the story far more heartbreaking.
Gregory Nava’s direction is quite entrancing for the way he presents a world that is very different to an Anglo-American audience but very realistic to a Hispanic-American audience. Largely as it plays to the many differences of what is happening in Latin America where a lot of the shooting takes place in California and Mexico as it was impossible to make a film in Guatemala due to its ongoing civil war that began in 1960 and would eventually end in 1996. Still, there is something about Nava’s approach to the scenes set in Guatemala that is quite mesmerizing with its shots of the mountains, villages, and graveyards to play a world that is completely isolated from the more urban-based world. Yet, the fates of the Xuncax family would be marked by betrayal and scheming where it plays into that reality where they can’t trust anyone.
Nava’s direction in Mexico is looser as there’s some humor that occurs where Enrique would say “fuck” very often to adapt as if he was Mexican where was able to convince U.S. immigration officials that he and Rosa were Mexican. Still, there is an element of suspense that occurs including one of the most gruesome moments where Enrique and Rosa had to crawl into an old sewer tunnel that is filled with rats and such. While they arrive in America, they realize that there isn’t much difference between Los Angeles, Tijuana, and the small Guatemalan village of San Pedro in terms of the prejudices and realities that they face. While there are some sequences that play up to that sense of dream world as well as fantasy, it is often clashed with this very grim truth about the world. Though there is an air of sentimentality over the plight that the siblings face, there is truth to the struggle that they endure as it demystifies the idea of the American Dream. Overall, Nava creates a very compelling and engaging film about two people’s desire to find a good life.
Cinematographer James Glennon does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful and evocative cinematography to capture the beauty of the skylines and countryside locations to the grimy look of the city where there is this air of beauty and ugliness in the mix to play up the similarities of the different worlds the characters encounter. Editor Betsy Blankett Milicevic does brilliant work with the editing to not help structure the story but also create some interesting montages to play up some of the haunting moments of the film including the idea of fantasy for the characters. Production designer David Wasco does some excellent work with not just some of the look of the gravesite in the hills of San Pedro but the shabby houses of Tijuana and the drab apartment Enrique and Rosa live in once they arrive in Los Angeles.
Costume designer Hilary Wright does nice work with the costumes from the colorful clothing of the women in Guatemala to the more fashionable yet casual clothes that Rosa wears in Los Angeles. Sound designer Michael C. Moore and sound editor Greg Barbanell do fantastic work with the sound in not just the atmosphere of the locations but also the craziness of a world that is very chaotic. The film’s soundtrack consists largely a different mix of music ranging from folk to orchestral music that features contributions from Emil Richards, the Folkloristas, Linda O’Brien, and Malecio Martinez as it is an intoxicating and wonderful soundtrack to play up the plight of the characters.
The casting by Bob Morones, Toni Conchita-Rios, and Jean Gill is superb as it features some notable small roles from Jose Martin Ruano as the Guatemalan foreman, Alicia del Lago as Enrique and Rosa’s mother, Stella Quan as their godmother, Abel Franco as the man known as the Coyote who helps the two cross the border, Ernesto Gomez Cruz as Enrique and Rosa’s father, and Diane Cary as the woman who offers Enrique a big job in Chicago. Other memorable small roles include Enrique Castillo as a dishwasher Enrique befriends in Los Angeles while Tony Plana is very good as a slimy Chicano waiter who despises Enrique. Trinidad Silva is excellent as a landlord of sorts who gives Enrique some harsh truths about the way the world works while Lupe Ontiveros is fantastic as Nacha who helps Rosa out in adapting to the ways of American life.
The film’s best performances go to David Villalpando and Zaide Silvia Gutierrez in their respective roles as Enrique and Rosa Xuncax. Villalpando displays the role of a more determined young man eager to succeed where he would make some bad decisions. Gutierrez is more subdued as a woman who is a dreamer but also much more reserved as she deals with not just the harshness of her new surroundings but also the fact that the American Dream is really a myth.
El Norte is a remarkable film from Gregory Nava. While it is a film that can be very bleak over the circumstances the people face in this film, it is told with such care where it does have some idea of hope despite the realities the people face. It’s also a very telling film that doesn’t just reveal the struggles indigenous Latin Americans face but also the prejudice they endure from people of their own race no matter what country they’re in. In the end, El Norte is a marvelous film from Gregory Nava.
Gregory Nava Films: (The Confessions of Amans) - (A Time of Destiny) - (My Family) - (Selena) - (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?) - (Bordertown)
© thevoid99 2013
(Winner of the Palme D’or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the story about a man recalling his past in the final days of his life as he even sees though who had already departed. Inspired by the book A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives from the monk Prha Sripariyattiweti, the film is about a man surrounded by family as he looks back while facing the idea of life after death. Starring Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, and Sakda Kaewbuadee. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is an enriching yet fascinating film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The film revolves around the last few days of a man who is visited by his sister-in-law and his nephew as they later receive a visit from the man’s dead wife and his son who had disappeared some years ago. In the course of the film, the family surround themselves with this man who knows he’s going to die as he recalls about his past in different parts of his life not really sure where he’s going next. Even as he is spending his final days in the Thailand countryside with a Laotian farmer as his very spiritual family also have to deal with questions over the disappearance of the man’s son where the mystery is solved. While the film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot, it does play into the man known as Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) thinking about his life while coming to terms with what he’s lost as well as what he’s going to leave behind to those who are close to him. Notably as he thinks about the events in his life that made an impact as he’s set to go into the afterlife.
The direction of Apichatpong Weerasethakul is quite simplistic in some of the imagery he conveys that recalls some of the minimalist visual style of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The only major difference is that Weerasethakul shoots his scenes on a standing tripod with very little movements except in a few scenes where some things are moving including a shot in a small lake. Still, the compositions that Weerasethakul creates that are filled with gorgeous images of the northern Thailand countryside with its jungles, mountains, and caves. Even scenes at Boonmee’s home are just filled with beauty where the camera just stay stills and let things play out where there are some moments that do play into this world of death with the appearances of Boonmee’s late wife Huay (Natthakarn Aphaiwong) and his late son Boonsong (Jeerasak Kulhong).
There aren’t any flashback scenes as far as how they’re told conventionally though there is a sequence where Boonsong reveals what happened to him and why he looks the way he is after his disappearance. It has this air of mystery but also something that is entrancing where it would play into Boonmee’s decision as it’s third act becomes this very evocative moment where he and his family trek through the caves. It plays into Boonmee’s decision about what he’s going to do in his final moments where it’s aftermath has his family returning to Bangkok where things are different but still has this air of spirituality. Overall, Weerasethakul creates a mesmerizing yet powerful film about life and death.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, with additional contributions from Yukontorn Mingmongkon and Charin Pengpanich, does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful yet naturalistic photography that is shot in 16mm film where many of its daytime scenes are exquisite while the nighttime scenes are more stylized to convey that sense of death. Editor Lee Chatametikool does excellent work with the editing as it‘s low-key except in a few rhythmic cuts to play out the drama. Production designer Akekarat Homlaor does nice work with the look of Boonmee’s home that is quite simple to play out the world he lives in
Costume designers Chatchai Chaiyon and Buangoen Ngamcharoenputtasri do terrific work with the costumes as most of it is casual with the exception of the princess one of Boonmee‘s stories about his past. Sound designers Akritchalerm Kalayanamirt and Koichi Shimizu do fantastic work with the sound to capture the essence of the countryside locations with its minimal approach to sound while capturing whatever music that is played in the background including a rock song at the end of the film.
The casting by Sakda Kaewbuadee and Panjaj Sirisuwan is wonderful as it features some noteworthy small roles from Wallapa Mongkolprasert as the princess and Sumit Suebsee as the soldier where they both appear in a story about one of Boonmee’s past lives while Kanokporn Thongaram is very good as Jen’s niece and Samud Kugasang is excellent as Boonmee’s Laotian farmer friend Jai. Natthakarn Aphaiwong is terrific as Boonmee’s late wife who appears to the family as a ghost while Jeerasak Kulhong is superb as Boonmee’s late song Boonsong who also makes an appearance revealing what happened to him when he disappeared.
Sakda Kaewbuadee is amazing as Boonmee’s monk nephew Thong who aids his uncle in his final moments while Jenjira Pongpas is brilliant as Boonmee’s sister-in-law Jen who is trying to understand the mysteries around them while getting to know the man who had married her sister. Finally, there’s Thanapat Saisaymar in a remarkable performance as Uncle Boonmee as a dying man trying to spend his last moments being alive whether it’s farming or recalling about his past as he is the heart and soul of the film.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is a magnificent film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film is an entrancing yet thoughtful film about life and death as well as what might lurk ahead in the afterlife. It’s also a very ravishing film that plays into the idea of spirituality and how it surrounds humanity. In the end, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is a phenomenal film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Films: (Mysterious Object at Noon) - (Blissfully Yours) - (The Adventure of Iron Pussy) - (Tropical Malady) - (Syndromes and a Century) - (Mekong Hotel)
© thevoid99 2013
(Winner of the Best Actress Prize to Juliette Binoche at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami, Certified Copy is the story about a British writer and a French antiques dealer who meet in Tuscany as they get to know each other while talking about the concept of authenticity. The film is an exploration into what is real as well as the concept of art as it is told by led by two people in the course of a day. Starring Juliette Binoche and William Shimmel. Certified Copy is a rapturous yet provocative film from Abbas Kiarostami.
The film is a very simple story about a writer (William Shimmel) who meets an antiques dealer (Juliette Binoche) where they spend the afternoon in Tuscany talking about the idea of authenticity in not just art but in humanity and such. During the duration of the afternoon, their discussions become more passionate to the point that it raises questions about everything including themselves as the woman is also the mother of a nine-year old. They would encounter various people along the way including young couples getting married as their discussion gets more heated about the idea of romance. It’s all part of a world in which Abbas Kiarostami questions the idea of authenticity in not just art but also humanity and the idea of romance.
While there isn’t much of a script that Kiarostami has created, it does raise a lot of questions into these ideas of what is real and what is forgery where he asks about these two people. Do they know each other or are they attracted to each other as both of them couldn’t deal with the reality about themselves? They are the many questions Kiarostami delves into while the writer has written a book about the idea that there might not be the idea of originality once it gets re-printed and forged. Even in the idea of humanity where the writer thinks that marriage is destined to fail though the antiques dealer disagrees thinking there could be hope.
Kiarostami’s direction is quite engaging in its simplicity as he doesn’t really do a lot of visual trickery with the exception of a shot of the two in a car while the front window is reflecting these gorgeous images of the buildings. Still, Kiarostami maintains something that is still engrossing about the conversations that are unfolding between two people and some of the people they encounter as he does create some beautiful compositions where he also puts something in the background to add a sense of interest. Even in the way he places the actors in a frame while having them in a certain location in Tuscany that adds something that is quite intoxicating to watch. The location itself is a character of the film where it plays to that sense of romance that is around the characters but it also plays into the idea that it could be a fantasy or a reality the characters don’t want to face. Overall, Kiarostami creates a very delightful and captivating film about authenticity in art and humanity.
Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi does excellent work with the film‘s very evocative cinematography to capture the beauty of the Tuscan fields and its small towns as well as some nice low-key lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interiors. Editor Bahman Kiarostami does wonderful work with the editing as it doesn‘t play into any particular style while keeping things low-key for some of its long takes while using a few rhythmic cuts to capture the drama. Production designers Giancarlo Basili and Ludovica Ferrario do nice work with the set pieces from some of the cafes the characters attend to the wedding halls they encounter. The sound work of Olivier Hespel and Dominique Vieillard is terrific for the sound work where it has this nice layer of being naturalistic but also with the mixing to combine these layers of effects that is happening in the locations including the music that’s played in the background.
The film’s cast largely consists of some small performances that includes Adrian Moore as the woman’s son, Gianna Giachetti as a café owner the antiques dealer talks to, Filippo Troiano and Manuela Balsimelli as the marrying couple the characters meet, and Agathe Natanson and famed screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere as an old couple the main characters meet at the town square. William Shimmel is amazing as the writer as a man who tries to explain his thoughts of authenticity as well as humanity itself as it’s quite remarkable to watch him act with someone as revered as his co-star Juliette Binoche. Binoche’s performance is definitely full of radiance and energy as a woman who has a very keen opinion on art as well as life as she is also enchanted by what she sees while dealing with her own personal drama surrounding her son as well as the fact that his father isn’t around much as it’s Binoche at her most exquisite.
Certified Copy is a tremendous film from Abbas Kiarostami that features brilliant performances from Juliette Binoche and William Shimmel. The film isn’t just one of the most intriguing films about art and life but also the idea about the ideas of authenticity. It’s also one of Kiarostami’s more accessible features where he can bring something different in a world outside of Iran but still be engaging over what he presents and the questions he wants to ask. In the end, Certified Copy is an incredible film from Abbas Kiarostami.
Abbas Kiarostami Films: (The Experience) - The Traveler - (A Wedding Suit) - (The Report) - (First Case, Second Case) - (Fellow Citizens) - (First Graders) - (Where is the Friend’s Home?) - (Homework) - Close-Up - (Life and Nothing More…) - (Through the Olive Trees) - Taste of Cherry - (The Wind Will Carry Us) - (ABC Africa) - (Ten) - (Five) - (10 on Ten) - (Shirin) - (Like Someone in Love)
© thevoid99 2013
(Winner of the Best Actress Prize to Valerie Perrine at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed by Bob Fosse and written by Julian Barry from his own play, Lenny is the story about comedian Lenny Bruce who pushed the envelope on the concept of stand-up comedy with obscenities as he rose high and later fell hard. The film is an exploration into the life of a man who tries to be outrageous to his audience only to succumb to drugs as the pressures of the authorities start to get to him. Also starring Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, and Stanley Beck. Lenny is a riveting yet uncompromising film from Bob Fosse.
Lenny Bruce’s work in comedy wasn’t just shocking in the subjects he talked about also the way he talked about it where there was this sense of fearlessness in his work. While it garnered him praise from audiences as he is later considered one of the greatest comics ever. He was considered to be too obscene for his language as he would be arrested for these obscenities were the piling of arrests and legal issues along with his escalating drug abuse led to his downfall and his death of a morphine overdose in 1966. What this film does is tell Lenny Bruce’s story from not just his standup performances as he is also talking about his legal issues in one of his final standup shows. His story is also told from those who were closest to him in his life.
Julian Barry’s screenplay has a unique narrative that cross-cuts throughout the film where even though it is told chronologically from the time Lenny meets his future wife in a stripper named Honey (Valerie Perrine) to his death. Though the script would feature moments where Bruce is talking about his life in his last stand-up show, it is Honey as well as Bruce’s mother Sally Marr (Jan Miner) and his agent Artie Silver (Stanley Beck) that would talk about Bruce as they’re being interviewed. What they would reveal is just some of the attributes of Lenny that were good as he could be a kind, loving person who wants to do right while wanting to tell the truth to his audience. Yet, there are aspects about Bruce that is quite despicable as he is a junkie who can be cruel. He’s willing to sleep with other women and do all sorts of things while he can be very confrontational.
A lot of the story about Bruce’s life is told from Honey who would also endure her own trials and tribulation as she also became addicted to drugs where she would be in prison for two years forcing Bruce to take care of their daughter as he’s managed to do a good job. Still, the two struggle to be clean until Bruce finally becomes a success through his unique stand-up comedy as he’s getting paid lots of money but it also brings trouble. Notably in the third act in which Honey is released from prison as they both relapse where Bruce does a show that would mark the beginning of the end where his fall shows a man facing his troubles as he is desperate to do right again.
The direction of Bob Fosse is very entrancing for not just the way he presents the film but also give it an air of style where some of it is shot in nightclubs while having this feel where the film is sort of a documentary. While the look of the film as a whole is polished, there is an air of grittiness to the stand-up comedy scenes where things feel awkward at first but once Bruce finally finds his footing, there is something that is engaging where Fosse shows a reaction shot from the audience as well as Bruce himself. There’s an energy to the comedy act that occurs where it can be very risqué and confrontational but it’s also very funny since Fosse knows that Bruce is a satirist.
The direction maintains that air of risqué content in some parts of the film outside of the comedy with some striptease shows where if one was to see it from a present point-of-view, it’s really tame but it has an elegance that is lost in today’s stripping culture. There are also moments where Fosse shows that world of Bruce’s home life that is very dark where Honey is subjected into things that was considered taboo at the time while the drug scenes showcase that sense of detachment in Bruce’s life. The trial scenes have Fosse not only treat it with a sense of realism where sometimes it can be funny but also dramatic in the way Bruce tries to defend himself as the framing is quite startling to see Bruce on his own trying to prove to the court that he isn’t doing anything wrong. Overall, Fosse creates a very engrossing yet unsettling film about the life of Lenny Bruce.
Cinematographer Bruce Surtees does great work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography to create a timeless look of the film as it is set from the 1950s to the 1970s in the interview scenes as it features some evocative lighting schemes in the clubs. Editor Alan Heim does excellent work with the editing to help structure the story by moving the interviews and the events back-and-forth while creating some rhythmic cuts for some of the audience reaction towards Bruce‘s act. Production designer Joel Schiller and set decorator Nicholas J. Romanac do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the nightclubs to some of the look of the buildings from the 1950 and 1960s to play up a world that is unraveling through Bruce‘s act.
Costume designer Albert Wolsky does wonderful work with the costumes from the lavish stripper clothing of the 1950s to the more grimy, casual look that Bruce goes for in the 1960s. The sound work of Dennis Maitland is terrific for the atmosphere of the stand-up comedy scenes as well as some of the raucous moments in the trial scenes. The film’s music by Ralph Burns is superb as it is largely a jazz-based score with some up-tempo pieces to some more somber pieces for its drama as the soundtrack also includes some pieces by Miles Davis.
The casting by Marion Dougherty and Beverly McDermott is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Rashael Novikoff as Bruce’s mother and Gary Morton as old-school entertainer Sherman Mort who tries to guide Bruce into what he should do. Stanley Beck is excellent as Bruce’s agent Artie Silver who tries to ensure Bruce’s financial future while being very loyal to him. Jan Miner is wonderful as Bruce’s mother Sally Marr who encourages him to succeed with his act while being troubled by his fall. Valerie Perrine is phenomenal as Honey Bruce as a woman who falls for Lenny and becomes a drug addict like him where Perrine just doesn’t exude sexiness but also vulnerability and a weariness as her character is being interviewed. Finally, there’s Dustin Hoffman in an incredible performance as Lenny Bruce where Hoffman brings a bit of sensitivity and vulnerability to the role but is also willing to be outrageous and confrontational as he captures all of the manic energy of Lenny Bruce.
Lenny is a remarkable film from Bob Fosse that features marvelous performances from Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine. The film is definitely one of Fosse’s finest works as well as one of his darkest films that explores the world of humor and how one man was eager to push the envelope. The film is also an intriguing look into the life of Lenny Bruce and his reasons to create comedy with no rules. In the end, Lenny is a fantastic film from Bob Fosse.
Bob Fosse Films: (Sweet Charity) - (Cabaret) - (Liza with a Z) - All That Jazz - (Star 80)
© thevoid99 2013
(Co-Winner of the Palme D’or w/ The Piano & Winner of the FIPRESCI Award at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on the novel by Lilian Lee, Farewell My Concubine is the story about the life of two Peking actors who endure many events in the course of five decades as they watch China change through the years. Directed by Chen Kaige and screenplay Lilian Lee and Lu Wei, the film explores the relationship between two men who are bounded together by their love for Peking opera as they endure all sorts of things where they watch the history of China change from afar. Starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, and Zhang Fengyi. Farewell My Concubine is an engrossing yet heart-wrenching drama from Chen Kaige.
The film explores the lives of two revered actors of Peking opera who would encounter through many events in the history of China from 1924 during the days when warlords ruled the country to the post-Mao period of China in 1977. Though the story begins in 1977 when these two men in Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) are practicing the opera known as Farewell My Concubine that would recall how they met when Cheng was known as Xiaodouzi (Ma Mingwei) as he was accepted to the school after his mother cuts off an extra finger where he is later protected and befriended by Duan who was known as Xiaoshitou (Fei Yang). Both boys would endure harsh punishments in their training to be actors which would pay off as men where they would have success but Duan’s attraction towards a prostitute in Juxian (Gong Li) while Cheng is courted by an opera patron named Yuan Shiqing (Ge You).
The screenplay by Lillian Lee and Lu Wei not only uses the opera as a way to help tell the story about the fates of these two men but also the events they would endure such as Japan’s occupation of China in the 1930s, the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War, and the Cultural Revolution. While they have a relationship that can be tumultuous at times, there is still love between these two men though Duan treats Cheng like a brother though Cheng’s feelings for Duan is more than just brotherly. The presence of Juxian would threaten that relationship as she would have an uneasy relationship with Cheng though she would become one of the few people in his life who would care for him. Even as she would help him face against accusations of treason in the aftermath of World War II or being usurped by his protégée Xiaosi (Lei Han) before a performance. The events that these two men and the people close to them would encounter wouldn’t just test their relationship but also would force them to do things they aren’t proud of.
Chen Kaige’s direction is very mesmerizing in the way he explores the world of two boys who grow into men in the span of five decades. Notably as he shoots some of the early scenes set in 1924 in black-and-white and then into color to express a period in time that is chaotic where children don’t have much prospects. Kaige also showcases the sense of realism into what boys have to do to become Peking opera actors where the training is very punishing but also has this sense of discipline that is just fascinating to watch. Though there are moments that are unsettling that would include tragedy, it would play into the development of Cheng and Duan as well as strengthening their bond. The former becomes intent on being a great actor after seeing the Farewell My Concubine play. The latter acts as the older brother who is aware of Cheng’s determination as he would help out. Both would become these revered actors with a troupe that acts as a family where the direction is straightforward in some parts of the film such as the close-ups and medium shots.
The scenes of the Peking opera is a major highlight of the film not just how the story is told but also in how the relationship between the two men play where things definitely become more chaotic as the events in China would reflect that. Notably in the third act where the relationship between Cheng and Duan is quite strained as there’s some courtroom dramas as well as dealing with Communist party over comments from the past and such. There is also a sense of disconnect that the two deal with as Duan is eager to have a simple life with Juxian while Cheng wants to play the role that he has done for all of his life. The outcome like the play itself would be tragic but also fitting to everything these two men endure. Overall, Kaige creates a very sprawling yet exhilarating drama about the lives of two actors and their encounter with history.
Cinematographer Gu Changwei does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with some of its early use of black-and-white to some of the colored lighting schemes and use of lights to play up some of its drama and its opera scenes. Editor Pei Xiaonan does brilliant work with the editing to play up some of its drama through rhythmic cuts while structuring the film with some fade-outs. Production designers Yuhe Yang and Zhanjia Yang, with art director Huaikai Chen, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the opera presentations to the training houses and places the characters encounter throughout the course of the film.
Costume designer Chen Changmin does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes the actors wear during the performance to the use of more casual yet simpler clothing to play out the sense of changing times. Makeup artists Fan Qingshan and Guan Rui Xu do terrific work with the makeup to create the personalities of the characters during their stage performances. The sound work of Jing Tao is superb for the atmosphere that is created in the opera scenes as well as the more raucous moments during the protests and such. The film’s music by Zhao Jiping is wonderful for its mixture of soaring orchestral music with Chinese folk music to capture the drama that occurs throughout the film.
The film’s cast is great as it features some notable small roles from Lu Qui as the boys’ master Guan, Li Dan and Yang Yongchao as the boys’ classmate Laizi as a child and later a teen, Li Chun as the teenage Xiaosi, Ying Da as the actor’s troupe manager Na Kun, Yidi as the Eunuch Zhang whom the teenage Cheng would meet, and Lei Han as Cheng’s young protégée Xiaosi who would later usurp him as a way to humiliate Cheng while taking part in the Cultural Revolution. Ge You is excellent as the opera patron Yuan Shiqing who takes an interest in Cheng as he is also a fan of Peking opera only to get into some trouble regarding his involvement with the Japanese.
Gong Li is tremendous as Juxian as a prostitute who later becomes Duan’s wife as she tries to deal with all of the turmoil they endure as well as Cheng’s fall from grace as she would try to help him despite her reservations towards Cheng. In the role of Duan Xiaolou, there’s Fei Yang as the child version of Duan brother while Zhao Hailong plays the version of Duan as a teenager where they both maintain that sense of protectiveness towards Cheng. For the roles of Cheng Diyei, there’s Ma Mingwei as the child version of Cheng and Yin Zhei as his teenager counterpart where both boys play up that air of androgyny in Cheng. In the adult roles of Duan and Cheng, Zhang Fengyi and Leslie Cheung are incredible in their respective roles with Fengyi being the more aggressive and testosterone approach of Duan while Cheung is more sensitive and dramatic as Cheng as the two are just fantastic to watch in the way they act together.
Farewell My Concubine is a phenomenal film from Chen Kaige that features the brilliant performances of Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, and Gong Li. The film is definitely one of the most compelling stories about an ever changing world told from the eyes of two Peking opera actors trying to keep the Peking opera alive. It’s also a film that explores the bond between two men in the span of five decades as they endure all sorts of trials and tribulations during China’s tumultuous history. In the end, Farewell My Concubine is a rapturous film from Chen Kaige.
Chen Kaige Films: (Yellow Earth) - (The Big Parade) - (King of the Children) - (Life on a String) - (Temptress Moon) - (The Emperor and the Assassin) - (Killing Me Softly) - (Together (2002 film)) - (The Promise (2005 film)) - (Forever Enthralled) - (Sacrifice (2010 film)) - (Caught in the Web)
© thevoid99 2013
(Winner of the Best Director Prize to Wong Kar-Wai at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai, Happy Together is the story about a tumultuous romance between two men as they travel from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires where they endure more trouble as they make up, break up, and do all sorts of things. The film is a look into the world of love and its complications told from the perspective of a man overwhelmed in his troubled relationship. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Leslie Cheung, and Chang Chen. Happy Together is a rich yet exotic film from Wong Kar-Wai.
The film is about a relationship between two different men as they travel to Argentina in hopes to visit the Iguazu Falls. Instead, they get lost on their way as they get separated only to meet again in Buenos Aires to resume their relationship but it becomes back-and-forth as one becomes frustrated while the other becomes very selfish. As much as Ho Po-Wing (Leslie Cheung) and Lai Yui-fai (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) have their differences in personalities and drive, they definitely love each other but there comes the question about whether or not they are right for each other? Ho is a very volatile individual who likes to party, get into fights, and be very controlling though he is often apologetic for his behavior but gets into that dangerous cycle again. Lai is a more responsible and sensitive man who is willing to help but doesn’t feel appreciated for what he does for Ho.
The film’s screenplay does have a structure of sorts though it’s very loose as Wong Kar-Wai is more interested in this very tumultuous relationship where it begins with the two arriving in Argentina where they attempt to travel to the Iguazu Falls by car but things don’t go well aside from the fact that the car is a piece-of-shit. Ho and Lai split up where the latter has to find work in order to raise money so he can return to Hong Kong while Ho just wanders around partying with various people and getting into fights where one fight has him coming back to Lai. The two end up being together in Lai’s apartment but the cycle of chaos and selfishness returns where Lai has to work to buy cigarettes and make food for Ho while Ho would blow the money gambling and such. It then raises questions into why does Lai put up with Ho’s selfishness? Another question is why can’t Ho just step up and actually do something for Lai other than teach him tango?
A lot of the film is told from the perspective of Lai as he tries to deal with his relationship with Ho while the narrative would later introduce another character in a Taiwanese immigrant named Chang (Chang Chen) who is definitely the kind of person that Lai needs in his life. While Chang is also someone trying to raise money to return to Taiwan, he’s an individual that is embarking on a journey of his own though his voice-over narration doesn’t reveal whether or not that he’s gay. Chang just adds a new dynamic for Lai’s character development though it also increases his sense of melancholia over how troubled his relationship with Ho is where things finally reach a breaking point.
The direction of Wong Kar-Wai is just intoxicating to watch with its hypnotic imagery and stunning approach to presentation. While it plays to a lot of the visual styles that Kar-Wai is known for that includes slow frame-speeds towards lingering images and motifs that includes lots of references to the Iguazu Falls such as the lamp Ho bought for Lai. It is told with a sense of restraint for the scenes in Lai’s apartment that is a bit cramped but also comforting though it would devolve into chaos once Ho stays there. There is an intimacy to those moments though Kar-Wai would maintain some energy to the scenes where Lai has to cook in the kitchen at his apartment building where it’s always chaotic and then walk up the stairs to his apartment carrying food.
For the scenes in Buenos Aires, Kar-Wai makes the city a character onto itself where it does have this strange yet ethereal quality for what happens in night such as tango dances and what goes on in the city. Notably a sequence where the Obelisco de Buenos Aires shown in the middle of the frame while the frame also contains the clock showing what time it is as it time moves forward. It plays into that world where Lai starts to feel lost as he is obsessed about going to the Iguazu Falls. The direction has Kar-Wai playing up that sense of frenetic style as the film is shown in this heightened yet grainy black-and-white film stock early on before going into full-on color where it plays up that mood of melancholia. Even in the end where once again the colors have this sense of style but also the fact that it plays about the outcome of this relationship as well as Lai’s journey to find strength in himself. Overall, Wong Kar-Wai creates a truly evocative and riveting drama about love gone wrong.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle does phenomenal work with the photography from the use of grainy black-and-white to play up the turmoil of Ho and Lai‘s relationship to the use of colored lighting schemes to heighten that mood with the use of blue to showcase the images of the Iguazu Falls as well as some of the scenes in the morning as Doyle‘s work is a major highlight of the film. Editors William Chang and Wong Ming-lam do amazing work with the film‘s very stylized editing with its use of jump-cuts as well as playing around with frame-speeds to create these exotic images that play up some of its melancholia.
Production/costume designer William Chang does excellent work with not just the look of Lai‘s small yet quaint apartment but also the Chinese restaurant he and Chang work at as well as the Cantina the two go to while the costumes are mostly casual with some style to play up the different personalities of the three men. The sound work of Chi-Tat Leung and Du-Che Tu is brilliant for the atmosphere is created in some of the film’s locations including Iguazu Falls plus some of the moments at the places the characters encounter. The film’s soundtrack is wonderful for its intoxicating mix of music that features elements of tango-based music from Astor Pataleon Piazzolla as well as ballad by Caetano Veloso plus some frenetic music by Frank Zappa and a cover of the Turtles song Happy Together by Danny Chang.
The film’s small cast consists a lot of interesting appearances from the people in the film though it really belongs to its three principle actors. Chang Chen is great as Chang as a man who is intrigued by Lai’s presence in the restaurant they work as he is eager to go to the lowest point of South America where he would become the one sense of hope in Lai’s troubled life. Leslie Cheung is remarkable as the volatile Ho as a man who wants to party and do crazy things as he often takes advantage of Lai’s kindness while he also tries to apologize to him unaware of how valuable Lai is. Finally, there’s Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in an incredible performance as Lai as a man lost in a trouble relationship as he tries to pull away only to come back as Leung displays that sense of vulnerability and despair as a man who is unsure about who he is in a land that is foreign to him.
Happy Together is a magnificent film from Wong Kar-Wai that features superb performances from Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Leslie Cheung, and Chang Chen along with some amazing technical contributions from Christopher Doyle and William Chang. The film is definitely one of Kar-Wai’s finest films in terms of its visual style and exploration into the world of troubled relationships. It’s also a film that dares to ask questions while not giving any answers into this relationship that is very chaotic but also very loving. In the end, Happy Together is an outstanding film from Wong Kar-Wai.
Wong Kar-Wai Films: (As Tears Go By) - (Days of Being Wild) - Chungking Express - Ashes of Time/Ashes of Time Redux - (Fallen Angel) - In the Mood for Love - 2046 - (Eros-The Hand) - My Blueberry Nights - (The Grandmaster) - (The Auteurs #28: Wong Kar-Wai)
© thevoid99 2013
(Played at the Un Certain Regard Section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Cate Shortland, Somersault is the story of a 16-year old runaway who travels to Jindabyne from Canberra in Australia where she meets a young man who is unsure of his identity. The film is an exploration into the search for identity between two young people who are both in the trenches between childhood and adulthood. Starring Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Erik Thomson, and Lynette Curran. Somersault is an ethereal yet enchanting coming-of-age film from Cate Shortland.
The film is a coming-of-age tale in which a 16-year old girl runs away from home after making out with her mother’s boyfriend as she lands in Jindabyne Lake in hopes to start a new life. Though she eventually gets a job and a place to live, she befriends the son of wealthy ranchers who is going through a sexual identity crisis of his own as the two have a relationship though neither are unsure if it’s love or just sex. It’s all about a girl who is in this state of transition of girlhood and adulthood where she can be mature at times and can fend for herself but she’s also hung up on things like partying and making scrapbook collages filled with unicorns and glitter. Even her name in Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is somewhat girlish though she doesn’t seem to act like a girl.
Cate Shortland’s screenplay doesn’t carry much of a plot in order to explore Heidi’s sense of wonderment as she travels from the suburbia of Canberra to the ski town in Jindabyne Lake early in the film. Heidi is this girl who wanders into every situation as she can be quite going but also very introspective when she isn’t surrounded by large groups of people. In Joe (Sam Worthington), Heidi finds someone she thinks who can love her and be with her but Joe isn’t very sure as he likes to wander around to. Even as he starts to have feelings towards his neighbor (Erik Thomson) who already admits to being gay. Though Heidi would befriend a co-worker in Bianca (Hollie Andrew), she has no clue how to befriend someone who is quite different from her as Bianca lives a very careful life with a little brother suffering from Aspberger’s Syndrome.
Shortland’s direction is definitely stylish in the way she presents the film as she incorporates a lot of dreamy images to the scenes that play out including moments where Heidi wanders around this small town through its pubs and such. While a lot of the compositions and framing is straightforward with some close-ups and wide shots, Shortland infuses a lot of strange camera movements to create this sense of dream world where a girl can wander around as it includes a lot of slow-motion shots and exotic images in the snow and rain. Even as the camera would create frames that are filled with these moments of surreal images to play up the sense of emotions of Heidi. Overall, Shortland creates a very mesmerizing yet captivating drama about a young girl growing up.
Cinematographer Robert Humphreys does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and entrancing cinematography filled with gorgeous usage of blue filters to play out the sense of dreaminess that Heidi encounters. Editor Scott Gray does amazing work with the editing as it has this array of style from jump-cuts and exotic frame speeds to play up Heidi‘s wonderment. Production designer Melinda Doring, with set decorator Glen W. Johnson and art director Janie Parker, does nice work with some of the set pieces such as the apartment flat Heidi stays at to some of the pubs and clubs that she and Joe frequent.
Costume designer Emily Seresin does terrific work with the costumes from some of the clothes that Heidi wears including the red mittens she buys at the BP where she later works at. Sound designer Sam Petty does superb work with the sound as it features some layers in the sound mixing for some of the parties and clubs along with the intimate moments in the more natural surroundings. The film’s music by Decoder Ring is fantastic as it’s largely low-key with its dreamy, ambient-based music while the soundtrack consists a mixture of pop and rock music in the clubs the characters encounter.
The film’s cast is excellent as it includes some notable small roles from Nathaniel Dean as Joe’s fellow ranch worker Stuart, Olivia Pigeot as Heidi’s mother, Damien de Montemas as the boyfriend of Heidi’s mother, Hollie Andrew as Heidi’s BP co-worker clerk Bianca, Erik Thomson as Joe’s neighbor Richard, and Lynette Curran in a wonderful performance as the hotel owner Irene who lets Heidi stay at her incarcerated son’s flat. Sam Worthington is superb as the sexually-confused Joe who is a young man that befriends Heidi as he isn’t sure if he’s in love with her or is just using her to fulfill his sexual needs. Finally, there’s Abbie Cornish in an exhilarating performance as Heidi as this young woman who is trying to find herself in a new town while dealing with her own identity as she is caught between the world of childhood and adulthood as it’s one of Cornish’s finest performances.
Somersault is a phenomenal film from Cate Shortland that features a brilliant breakthrough performance from Abbie Cornish. The film is definitely a visually-exotic as well as an evocative film that explores a young woman coming of age while meeting a young man who is also trying to find himself. It’s also a film that explores two people’s fascination with sex and its implications as they transition into adults. In the end, Somersault is a remarkable film from Cate Shortland.
Cate Shortland Films: (The Silence (2006 TV film)) - Lore
© thevoid99 2013
