Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers is the story of a tennis prodigy who becomes a coach following a career-ending injury as she tries to help her husband who is on a losing streak as he is set to go into a match against her former boyfriend. The film is a romantic-sports drama that explores a love triangle between three tennis players from their time when they were filled with promise to later becoming more professional with a young woman being the coach as she finds herself caught in a triangle again. Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, AJ Lister, and Hailey Gates. Challengers is a gripping and evocative film by Luca Guadagnino.
Told in the span of 13 years from 2006 to 2019, the film explores the dynamic between three tennis players as they engage into a love triangle that would play into their personal and professional lives. The film is an unconventional genre-bending film where it plays into the intensity of the game of tennis and how the game also play into the lives of these three people who love the game. Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay is told in a non-linear narrative where it shifts back and forth from this challengers’ match between two once-close friends in Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) who were once partners and won the boys’ junior doubles title at the U.S. Open in 2006 is where they would meet the tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). The narrative takes place in 2019 where Donaldson has become a major star but has returned from injury and is on a losing streak with Tashi as both his wife and coach as she books him as a wild card for a Challenger event in New Rochelle, New York. Also, at New Rochelle there is Zweig whose career has fallen into hard times as he lives in his car and enters tournaments for money as he also takes part in the event.
Kuritzkes’ script explore the dynamic of the three where Tashi and Donaldson would both go to Stanford University in continuing their career in college with the former being slated to go pro until an injury threatened her career. Around that time, Tashi was dating Zweig who got her number after a game that Donaldson and Zweig played the year before. Yet, part of the reason into why Zweig and Tashi’s relationship had issues is due to the former’s immaturity and the latter’s own desire to be great in the game of tennis. After a few years in which Tashi and Donaldson reconnect with the latter asking the former to coach him, she finds a new lease on life, yet the presence of Zweig still looms. It all would be inter-cut with these images from what is happening at New Rochelle where there is a lot at stake in this match between Zweig and Donaldson for both.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is stylish in the way he presents the game but also the period of 13 years in the life of these three people. Shot on location in Boston and areas near the city including some of its tennis stadiums, Guadagnino creates a world where these characters are driven by a game that requires a lot of skill, timing, strength, and mental capabilities. Guadagnino’s usage of wide and medium shots play into the length of a tennis court and the places the characters go to with the latter also appearing for intimate scenes involving the protagonists as they interact with one another. Most notably a scene in 2006 where Zweig, Donaldson, and Tashi are all talking and later engage into a threesome that highlights a lot of emotions that occur as it would also mark a change in the relationship between Zweig and Donaldson who knew each other in boarding school since they were 12. Guadagnino’s compositions do play into sexual tension among all three protagonists as well as this sense of competition that does play like a mental tennis match.
Guadagnino also create some unique set pieces such as a meeting late in the film between Zweig and Tashi on a late and windy night that plays into a lot of the emotional chaos that is happening. Even as it leads to this match that Zweig and Donaldson are to play where the match itself has Guadagnino create some unique compositions. Notably in a point-of-view shot from their perspective as they hit the ball with their rackets as well as other stylish shots that only adds to the intensity of the game. Guadagnino also plays into Tashi’s perspective as she is seen sitting in the middle where she would look at one of the men at times and sometimes at the middle. The final set for the match point is where everything comes into play as it is about the game and who wants to win it. Overall, Guadagnino crafts an exhilarating and riveting film about a love triangle between three players that come to ahead at a Challenger tennis tournament match.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does amazing work with the film’s cinematography in the way many of the daytime exterior scenes are shot as well as the scenes set at night including some of the interior scenes in the hotel suites that Tashi and Donaldson stay at. Editor Marco Costa does brilliant work with the editing where it has a lot of style in its rhythmic cutting and jump-cuts to play into the intensity of the tennis game as well as in the dramatic moments as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Merissa Lombardo, along with set decorator Jess Royal plus art directors Paul Alix, Jasmine Cho, and Matthew Gatlin, does excellent work with the look of the hotel rooms and hotel suites the characters stay in as well as a few places at the tennis club where the Challengers game happens. Costume designer J.W. Anderson does fantastic work with the costumes where some of it is stylish in some of the posh clothing that Tashi would wear as well as the clothes the men wear in the different years of their lives.
Hair designer Massimo Gattabrusi and makeup designer Fernanda Perez, along with prosthetics designer Howard Berger, do nice work with the look of the characters in the youthful and shaggy look of Donaldson early in the film that would later become Zweig’s look later along with the hairstyles that Tashi would have as she gets older. Special effects supervisor John Ruggeri, along with visual effects supervisors Brian Drewes, Harut Harutyunyan, and Riza Patel, does terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to some of the tennis scenes including the climatic game in the film. Sound designer Paul Carter and sound editor Craig Berkey do superb work with the sound in how a ball sounds when it hits a tennis racket as well as the atmosphere of a tennis stadium where is a lot of detail that is captured in the sound.
The film’s music by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross is phenomenal for its pulsating and hypnotic electronic-based score that include themes that play into the characters as well as the games that occur in the film while music supervisor Robin Urdang compiles a music soundtrack that features music from Nelly, David Bowie, Spoon, Fine Young Cannibals, Devonte Hynes, Lily Allen, Blu Cantrell, Bruce Springsteen, Benjamin Britten, Patty Pravo, Caetano Veloso, Extreme Music, and some classical pieces that add to drama in the film.
The casting by Francine Maisler is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Burgess Byrd as a USTA official who was also a line judge at earlier Zweig/Donaldson match, Nada Despototvich as Tashi’s mother who often watches her granddaughter, Naheem Garcia as Tashi’s father in the 2006 scenes, Darnell Appling as the umpire for the Challengers game between Zweig & Donaldson, A.J. Lister as Tashi and Donaldson’s daughter Lily, and Hailey Gates as a blind date that Zweig meets in New Rochelle at the hotel where Tashi and Donaldson were staying at. Mike Faist is marvelous as Art Donaldson as a reserved young man who would be more of a friend to Tashi and later her husband where he deals with recovering from his own injury and a losing streak where he becomes unsure if he wants to continue.
Josh O’Connor is remarkable as Patrick Zweig as the more arrogant of the two men as he is skilled in the game, but he is also immature when it comes to emotions where he would deal with living in his car and barely making money while also having feelings for Tashi. Finally, there is Zendaya in a tremendous performance as Tashi Duncan as a former tennis prodigy turned coach who has a love for the game as well as a better understanding of it in terms of chemistry, emotion, and strategy. Zendaya’s performance is also filled with a lot of grit as well as a sensuality that makes her appealing for the men to be entranced to as she also has amazing chemistry with both O’Connor and Faist as it is one of her finest performances to date.
Challengers is a sensational film by Luca Guadagnino that features great performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. Along with Justin Kuritzkes’ compelling script, gorgeous visuals, its mixture of sports and drama, and a phenomenal music score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The film is a fascinating and ravishing film that is both a unique study of the sport of tennis as well as the people who play the game as they are caught in a chaotic love triangle. In the end, Challengers is a spectacular film by Luca Guadagnino.
Related: (null 18 [MIXED]) – (null 18)
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) – I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones and All - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
If there was ever the story of someone monumental that people want to see on the big screen, it would have to be an audacious project. A film about the Beatles would fit that description but one film covering the lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo would impossibly considering that the story of the Beatles do not play into the conventions of what is expected in a bio-pic. News about a bio-pic on the Beatles have been told over many years but in February of last year. British director Sam Mendes announced plans to direct and produce not one but four films about the Beatles with each film told from the perspective of one of the Beatles. It is an idea that could work in which audiences can see period of the Beatles be shown by one of them and another period from another Beatle.
This is the right way to go and with the announcement of the four actors to play the Beatles in Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The potential for something astronomical is happening yet this is only the beginning as the film is set for an April 2028 release. Still, there is a long way to go in not just writing the script on all four films but also the approach into the narrative of the Beatles on where to start and where to end. There is also no announcement about who else will be in the film. There are a lot of things audiences want to see in these films about the Beatles as I have produced a list of 10 things I want to see in these four films about the Beatles.
1. Balanced Perspectives of the Period from the Beatles
If one were to make a film about the Beatles told from the perspective of one member of the Beatles. Each film must share a similar running time but also coverage of how they saw things from a certain period of the band’s career. The idea of how Ringo saw things when he was officially part of the band, and the early days of Beatlemania would have him deal with sudden fame and such could be an example. In John’s story, it could be the third film in how he coped with the death of the band’s manager Brian Epstein, his failing marriage to Cynthia Powell, and how he met Yoko is another idea. There are many ways the story of the Beatles could be told as there is a period of 13 years from their formation to their dissolution that could split into four parts. The thing that needs to work is that each film must have a strong narrative to see how all four of these men saw things.
2. Not Playing into Traditional and Cliched Bio-Pic Narratives
Music bio-pics have become big hits in the box office although not everyone is happy about it as some claim that these films are Wikipedia pages on films that tells a basic element of the story but not the whole story. With the Beatles, a traditional narrative does not work because there is so much ground to cover not just the music, they were making but also the cultural impact they had on the world. Jake Kasdan’s 2007 spoof film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story made fun of those conventional narrative takes to the point that recent films such as Bohemian Rhapsody on Queen, Baz Luhrmann’s film about Elvis Presley, and the recent film on Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love play too heavily in these traditional narratives where an artist rises, falls, alienates certain people, make a comeback, and then die.
With the Beatles, it does not work in that way as films such as Todd Haynes’ anti bio-pic on Bob Dylan in I’m Not There and Oren Moverman’s film on Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy strayed from those narratives. With the Beatles, they do not fit into those conventions and condensing certain things about parts of the band’s story would be upsetting to fans of the Beatles. Since it is also likely to not be a conventional bio-pic, this would allow Mendes and his crew to present the film in different ways in terms of its photography and film formats.
3. The Presentation of the Music
Music rights have been a particular issue in why certain films about artists could not be made though some have attempted to make films without the music of that artist as the 2020 film Stardust about David Bowie’s first trip to America in 1971 was poorly-received as one of its faults was that the filmmakers were refused permission to use his music by Bowie’s estate including Bowie’s son Duncan Jones. Mendes is fortunate that he is working with Apple Corp Ltd. CEO Jeff Jones in the film as he will get to use the music of the Beatles. Yet, Mendes does need to avoid making the four films into a musical jukebox as every fan knows the hits but there are also album tracks and deep cuts that the fans would want to hear.
Another thing that Mendes wants to avoid is what Baz Luhrmann did with his Elvis movie had other artists interpret the Beatles as the result of what Luhrmann did polarized audiences as some of those songs were used with modern equipment including Autotune that must have angered fans of Presley. While it is likely that Giles Martin would be involved in the music as he had been remastering and remixing the original recordings with the MAL software. The music of the Beatles must be presented with great respect in a way that a new generation can be introduced to this great music.
4. A Strong Supporting Cast in the Roles of the Fifth Beatles
A film about the Beatles would need to have people to play certain parts as the story of the Beatles is incomplete without the involvement of those who played major roles in their ascent. Notably the role of the Fifth Beatle as there are several individuals who are all important in what they did for the band. Obviously, the films must include Beatles manager Brian Epstein and Beatles producer George Martin as they were instrumental into their ascent in different parts of the Beatles’ inner circle. Then there are people like longtime assistants in Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick, publicist Derek Taylor, fan club president Freda Kelly, publisher Dick James, and Billy Preston. It is one thing to play one of the Beatles but for anyone to play these individuals would be a major coup as there is a dream ensemble that can be made for this. My choice for George Martin would be Benedict Cumberbatch and Maisie Williams as Freda Kelly.
5. Humor
If there is anything that the Beatles are known for throughout their career, it is the fact that they never took themselves seriously. They were always providing a sense of fun and joy in what they did. Part of the problem with some bio-pics is that there is not enough humor and everything is taken seriously. The Beatles are known for not taking themselves seriously through the films they made as well as the press conference they did when they first arrived in America. The Beatles story must have moments that can get audiences to laugh along with some jokes every now and then. Even in some of the stories about some of the people they met where there could be a funny moment where the band met Bob Dylan who introduced them to marijuana. There also could be moments in the recording studio as it plays into the sense of fun as there were a lot of those funny moments in The Beatles: Get Back.
I do have one request for the film regarding humor in which there is a moment where Sgt. Pepper is about to release where someone in the band or in their inner circle say, “I hate to be the sod that has to release the record on the same day as this”. It then cuts to people at the record shop getting the album while a young man is there sitting on a chair trying to sell his own debut album. That young bloke is… David Bowie.
6. Maintaining a Sense of Authenticity into the Small Details
One thing about bio-pics that annoy the fuck out of me is inaccuracy. Watching some of these bio-pics about certain artist has me seeing things where I am like “wait a minute, that did not happen.” Other things include the instruments the musicians play where there was a moment in Bohemian Rhapsody where the band is playing the song Another One Bites the Dust and Brian May is playing a Gibson Les Paul and I was like… “I do not remember him playing a Gibson Les Paul” and anyone who knew about Queen knew that May played a few guitar models including his Red Special but never a Gibson Les Paul. It is among these things that these four films must understand, which is why there must be a consultant for these things. Otherwise, you would have fans nitpick over every little detail over what instrument the band played and what model. People do take this shit seriously as it is something these four films must avoid as Mendes is likely to be aware of what he needs to do and what not to do.
Then there is the fact that these films will be set in the 1960s as it is not just in the models of the guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards that was used but also the recording equipment in those times. There are also some famous locations that the Beatles were famous for such as the Cavern Club which is still around although it is unlikely that they could shoot scenes in that film. There are a lot of things that Mendes and his crew need to do to recreate that sense of
7. A Fair and Balanced Portrayal of Yoko Ono and the Spouses/Girlfriends of the Beatles
Once considered to be the villain of the Beatles story in an unfair way, Yoko Ono fortunately has gained apologies from fans over the years of her involvement in John Lennon’s life and being in the Beatles recording sessions because John wanted her there. Ono is a key figure of the story of the Beatles as someone that did play a sense of discord of how the band did things back then, but she was never this disruptive figure when it came to the band making music. Peter Jackson’s documentary The Beatles: Get Back destroyed the myth of Ono breaking up with the Beatles as the band’s break-up was more complicated than just someone’s girlfriend involved. Ono is likely to be a major character in the film the roles of the Pattie Boyd, Maureen Starkey, Linda McCartney, Cynthia Powell, and other women in the lives of the Beatles are likely to be minor, but they must be told with respect as a few of them were in the recording while Maureen Starkey should be known as the #1 fan of the Beatles. Thanks Mo!
8. Not Being Afraid to Show the Flaws of the Individual Members
Bio-pics often skirt around certain things about the individual they are exploring as they often delve into parody like Walk Hard in which Dewey Cox goes to rehab as he needs more blankets, less blankets, and more and less blankets. The Beatles themselves are flawed individuals as I am sure that Mendes has been able to talk to McCartney, Starr, Olivia Harrison, and John Lennon’s estate about the portrayal of themselves. Lennon was known for having an attitude while McCartney was often seen as bossy. While Walk Hard had a scene of Cox and his band meeting the Beatles who are portrayed in the most exaggerated and humorous ways.
That film succeeded in playing into Lennon and McCartney’s ego with Harrison wanting more songs on the album and Starr trying to get his input into the music. It could be told in a humorous way, but it should not skirt the fact that these men are human and had their bad moments. It would at least allow the audience to see these men as just four guys from Liverpool who made it big but also had a hard time with fame and their own responsibilities as men. Plus, they were not those clean-cut boys that were the object of affection for teenyboppers. These were four foul-mouthed assholes from Liverpool but that is why people love them.
9. No Stupid Stunt-Casting on Smaller Roles
Last year saw the release of the Brian Epstein bio-pic Midas Man starring Jacob Lloyd-Fortune as Epstein that also featured the much-reviled late night talk show host Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan. The film has not been seen widely by audiences while it has also received criticism from fans of the Beatles as the idea of Leno as Ed Sullivan is just poor stunt-casting. Since this film is going to be set in the 1960s where it would feature actors playing roles like Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, and many others, the Beatles met along the way. It would be annoying if there is a certain celebrity in playing a certain part though I do have an idea of having Tom Hanks play the role of Ed Sullivan is something I would not mind. Yet, it should be kept to a minimum as the idea of a popular celebrity in today’s world playing someone like Mick Jagger would be distracting.
10. PLAY IT FUCKING LOUD!
When it comes to the Beatles, the fact that these four films will be released simultaneously as part of a cinematic binge is a way to get people in the movie theaters and just lose themselves. Since the pandemic, it has been slow for people to find a reason to go to the cinema as there has not been a lot of excitement with streaming being the thing where people can watch a film and stay home. Yet, what Mendes is hoping to create is something different as there has not been a major cinematic event in years that can get people to go the movie theaters. More importantly, the fact that these four films will be about one of the greatest acts in popular music has to be more than just a cinematic event.
It must be grand in the way that Barbenheimer was in the summer of 2023 where audiences got to see 2 different films in Barbie and Oppenheimer. Yet, this feels a lot bigger as it must be seen on the biggest screen possible with the loudest sound available. This is not fucking rocket science! This is motherfucking rock n’ roll! A film in which the audience can sing-along to these old songs with people of all ages. From those who saw them back in the 1960s to the kids who were given 1 greatest hits album from the Beatles in 2000. This is a chance for audiences to experience something that few people have experienced as this might be the last thing that Paul and Ringo will offer to the world.
Spring has arrived once again and well; things are pretty fucked up here in America. Yeah. We are in some bad times as everything is now costing more these days. Eggs. Canned food. Imported food and material. Yeah, thanks a lot Elon and Dookie Tank you fucking cunts. I recently joined Reddit as I have created my own account just to check out conversations and news as X is not a place to go to anymore. I have found a lot of interesting things including how the rest of the world sees the U.S. as there was a Swedish newsclip that had a picture of Russian president Vladimir Putin mentioned as the U.S. president. Honestly, they are not wrong. That is right Americans, we are now Russians so we will now have to sing their anthem. Putin is our real president with Elon as the vice president. Dookie Tank as our puppet-in-chief and J.D. Vance is the Bottom Bitch of that bunch.
News reports about people getting taken and deported as there has also been people at the University of Columbia in New York getting arrested with one person having been detained where no one knows where he is. The idea of forced disappearances now feels like a reality as it is now dangerous to live in the U.S. It is amazing that this country is supposed to be the representative of the free world where immigrants can be welcomed and be given the opportunity to prove themselves. That dream has already fucking died. I do not blame the rest of the world for looking down on us and I do not blame Canada and Mexico for putting tariffs on this country since Dookie Tank put tariffs on them first. After all, we did this to ourselves, and we have no one to blame but ourselves for believing in a bullshit system that allows ass-clowns like Dookie Tank to take power with politicians complaining about drag queens.
In the month of March 2025, I saw a total of 15 films 10 first-timers and 5 re-watches with 4 of those first-timers being films directed/co-directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Down from last month as I just spend time not doing anything while I still have writer’s block for my Auteurs piece on David Lean. The big highlight of the month and the best film of the month easily is my Blind Spot pick in The Sting. Here are the top 9 first-timers that I saw for March 2025:
One of the 2 short films that I saw on MUBI as the first is from Pawel Pawlikowski as it is a five-minute black-and-white silent film short with sound effects as it plays into the dynamic between a piano player and his muse. It is a comical short that explores that dynamic as it stars Malgoratza Bela and Marcin Masecki as the latter also does the music in the film. It is a fun and entrancing short that Pawlikowski makes with an ending that is shocking yet inventive.
Rotten: Behind the Foodfight
Ever wondered what it is like to participate in making one of the worst animated films ever made for the span of 15 years of production? Well, there is this documentary I found on YouTube about the making of the 2012 animated debacle that is Foodfight! Starring Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria, Hilary Duff, Wayne Brady, and Christopher Lloyd among others as it is widely considered one of the worst films ever made. The 54-minute documentary film by Ziggy Cashmere is an exploration of the chaos that went into production that include its director falling for one his animated creations, poor working conditions, theft, and a director’s ego as he tried to schmooze many studios into funding this film that cost ranging from $45 million to $65 million with a final gross of $120,000 where it was released to a few countries including Britain.
Someday
Directed by Spike Jonze and starring Pedro Pascal, this five-minute commercial/short has Pascal dealing with a break-up as he listens to music on his new Apple AirPods 4. It is a five-minute short that plays into a man’s emotions as he deals with heartbreak in the cold weather, but things will be fine as he might get someone new. It is a short filled with unique dance choreography as it displays the many talents that Pascal has dancing and moving around in different color schemes. Jonze creates something that is so fun to watch although who the fuck would break-up with Pedro Pascal?
Leguas
Lucrecia Martel’s 12-minute short that she made in 2015 has her exploring her themes of people living outside of conventional society as it revolves around kids from an Indigenous community in Argentina. Especially as it relates to them dealing with people from conventional society trying to take over their land as it plays into the importance of education. Even as it plays into this post-colonial world where Indigenous communities are shrinking with kids from that community dealing with the lack of a future.
Autobiografia di una Borsetta
The second short that I saw on MUBI is the 29th entry in Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales short films series and easily one of the best entries from that series from director Joanna Hogg. This 24-minute short film is told from the perspective of a Miu Miu handbag as it is purchased by a rich family for their teenage daughter. Then, a series of events happen where the bag would be in possession of one owner and then another throughout the film as it is set in Italy where a lot of things happen. A lot of it is said from that bag’s perspective as it is an unconventional short but one that shows the richness of a handbag that has a lot of personality.
Dark Side of the Ring(season 6, episode 1)
The newest season of the wrestling series on Vice opens with a story that every wrestling fan knows about, which is the 1998 King of the Ring pay-per-view event from WWE that featured the now-legendary match between the Undertaker and Mick Foley as Mankind in the Hell in the Cell cage match. The match is known for Undertaker throwing Foley off the top of the cage and Foley landing on the Spanish announce table and later being choke-slammed on top of the cage only for that top to break and Foley landing on the ring. The episode is more about Foley’s desire to do something memorable and at the cost of his own health as it features interviews with his wife Collette and a few of their kids including Noelle as the episode featured the infamous clip from Beyond the Mat in which Collette, Noelle, and one of Foley’s other kids watching the Rock hitting Foley with chair shots to the head. While Foley is still in good health having retired from wrestling, the effects of the physical abuse he took in wrestling still looms as his family worry about his mental state as he is getting older. It is an excellent episode though some of the things I learned about the cage including the fact that zip ties were used to hold some of the stuff on top of the cage is scary.
Well, that is all for March. Next month, the theatrical release I will watch will be Ryan Coogler’s Sinners though my Auteurs piece on him will have to wait longer as I want to finish my piece on Lean despite my writer’s block as I prefer to do an essay one at a time. The Blind Spot for next month is going to be Love Streams by John Cassavetes as I had a review prepared for it, but I went with The Sting since it was on Netflix and was about to leave the service. There will be other films I hope to catch up on though it is now more likely that I will not be posting a lot of reviews that I used to years ago.
Before I bid adieu, I want to express my condolences on those who passed away this month in such figures as Richard Chamberlain, George Foreman, Richard Norton, music engineer Terry Manning, Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley, Denis Arndt, New York Times journalist Max Frankel, Bill Mercer, BBC Radio 1 DJ Andy Peebles, music video director Marty Callner, Emelie Dequenne, Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods, Wing Hauser, Jim Breazeale of the Atlanta Braves/Chicago White Sox, Bruce Glover, the original Emperor Palpatine in Clive Revill, film producer Stanley R. Jaffe, D’Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone`!, Roy Ayers, George Lowe aka Space Ghost, Angie Stone, and Joey Molland of Badfinger. We will miss you. This is thevoid99 signing off…
Written and directed by Mati Diop, Dahomey is a documentary film about 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are held in a museum in France as a portion of these 7000 treasures are returned to Benin. The film is a study of colonialism as well as the artifacts that are collected as they are told from the perspective of the artifacts voiced by Makenzy Orcel. The result is a tremendously riveting film by Mati Diop.
In 1892 during a colonial conflict between France and the Kingdom of Dahomey, 7000 artifacts were taken from the French as they would be put in museums with the Musee du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac being the most notable of these museums to display these artifacts. For over a century, these artifacts would be in display in these museums until November of 2021 when 26 of these artifacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey would be returned to the country of Benin in an act of reparation. Mati Diop creates a film about the return of 26 of these artifacts though the remaining artifacts that the French took during a period of colonialism have set to be returned as many believed this act is the first step of France atoning for their sins. Shot from November of 2021 to February of 2022, Diop explores the 26 artifacts that include statues of Dahomey’s two kings in Glele and Behanzin.
With Makenzy Orcel being the voice of these two statues and other artifacts, Diop chooses to film things from the perspective of these statues as they deal with returning home but also the world around them. Even as they return to a world that has changed some things have not changed as if there is an air of familiarity around them. Upon their arrival at Benin where newspapers are calling this event historical as there is a national sense of pride for the country. Not everyone is happy about this return as students at University of Abomey-Calvai debate about the return of the artifacts. Some believe this is a positive first step of France atoning for their actions as well as the chance for more artifacts to come. Even as a filmmaker believes that the return of these treasures could do more for the people of Benin as they would speak their native language of Fon instead of French. Others feel this is a political stunt for the leaders of Benin and France while wondering why more artifacts have not been returned and only 26 so far.
Diop also displays the location where the artifacts are held and shown to the public at the museum at Abomey where they are first shown to dignitaries and political officials first and later the public at large. Yet, students at the university feel like it would not be enough for those who live in villages and might not have the funding to see these artifacts. Diop’s direction does use a lot of surveillance footage in the museums in France and Benin while also placing cameras inside these crate boxes where the artifacts are put upon traveling. With the aid of cinematographer Josephine Drouin-Viallard, Diop captures the city of Abomey as well as its museum just as it was being restored. She also captures areas in the city on the day and at night as there is an entrancing quality to what she and Drouin-Viallard capture as the people continue with their daily lives but there is also this sense of hope that is happening now that these artifacts have returned to their homeland.
With the help of editor Gabriel Gonzalez, Diop also maintains a steady pace to the film with its 68-minute running time as well as aiming for cuts that are straightforward with a few montages in some parts of the film as she also knows when to keep the camera steady. Sound designer Nicolas Becker also helps with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of a museum or a room when it is silent as well as the sounds of a city from the outside of the museum. The film’s music by Wally Badarou and Dean Blunt is incredible for its hypnotic electronic music score with elements of synthesizers and ambient textures along with a music piece by Actress that has elements of African tribal chants as it plays into this sense of calm but also loss considering how long these artifacts have been away from their homeland.
Dahomey is a spectacular film by Mati Diop. It is a documentary film that explores a key event in Benin’s history as it reclaims a lost part of its identity and heritage while also exploring the many fallacies of colonialism. Notably as it is a film that has people not only deal with the ruins of colonialism but also wonder if they can move on despite the troubled history that led to the death of the Kingdom of Dahomey. In the end, Dahomey is a magnificent film by Mati Diop.
Directed by George Roy Hill and written by David S. Ward, The Sting is the story of two con artists who team up to get revenge in pulling off the ultimate con by stealing money from a rich mobster. Inspired by the real-life exploits of Fred and Charley Gondorff and a book about their exploits in The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man by David Maurer. The film is caper film set in the 1930s in which two different men team up to swindle money from a man who had wronged a mutual friend. Starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Robert Shaw. The Sting is a witty and exhilarating film by George Roy Hill.
Set in 1936 Chicago during the final years of the Great Depression, the film is about a grifter who steals money from a courier with his partner only for his partner to be killed as the money belonged to a rich mobster forcing the grifter to team up with a veteran con artist in creating the ultimate con against this mobster. It is a film that is a bit of a revenge film but a caper film in which two men decide to go after a man who killed an acquaintance of theirs as well as using criminal activities to gain influence in corrupting those in politics and in the law enforcement. David S. Ward’s screenplay has a unique approach to structure as it plays into the journey that both the young grifter in Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and the veteran con man Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) take in pulling the ultimate con on the Irish-American mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).
Ward’s script plays into Hooker’s motivations as he and his partner in Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) had stolen money from a courier with help from their friend Joe Erie (Jack Kehoe) as it turned out the man was carrying $11,000 that was to be delivered to Lonnegan. Coleman planned to retire with his cut of the money only to be killed forcing Hooker to go to a friend of Coleman in Gondorff who is reluctant to go into the con game due to his own experiences and failures but becomes convinced as he assembles a team to go after Lonnegan. Ward also plays into Hooker being pursued by a corrupt detective in Lt. William Snyder (Charles Durning) as well as people working for Lonnegan even though Lonnegan does not know that Hooker is the one who stole from him. The script is also filled with twists and turns with several of Gondorff’s friends playing different roles in the con including Erie who joins in the con.
George Roy Hill’s direction is rapturous in terms of its overall presentation displaying a period during the waning years of the Great Depression. Shot on location at the Universal Studios backlot in Hollywood along with additional location shots in Wheeling, West Virgina, the Santa Monica pier carousel that stands as Gondorff’s home, and Chicago. Hill maintains a feel of the times in the usage of wide and medium shots to play into the energy as well as the sense of despair that was happening at the time. Even as Hill gives the film a look that does play into that period with its muted colors while he also uses wide and medium shots to get a scope of what it was like in Chicago as well as in the interiors such as a club that Gondorff and his team create to fool Lonnegan. Hill also maintains an intimacy in his close-ups as well as scenes where a poker game happens including a scene on a train where Gondorff acts as a boorish crime boss to play against Lonnegan while also aware that Lonnegan is a cheat. Hill’s direction highlights the detail into how Gondorff would beat Lonnegan in his own game with Hooker playing a role in this con.
Hill also plays into this sense of intrigue that occurs on whether everyone is playing each other in the con with Hooker wondering about its outcome as the FBI gets involved. The presence of the FBI does add more suspense and intrigue with Lonnegan also trying to figure out what to do and who to trust leading to this climax that is all about his own ego and thirst for power. The climax is also about Gondorff and Hooker both trying to understand what they want to do as individuals but also as partners where the stakes are big in terms of the money, they want to swindle from Lonnegan. Overall, Hill crafts a whimsical and riveting film about two men who decide to create the ultimate con against an Irish-American mobster who craves money and power.
Cinematographer Robert Surtees does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its muted colors for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of stylish lights for some of the scenes at night. Editor William Reynolds does excellent work with the editing for its usage of transition wipes, montages, and other stylish cuts to play into the humor and its offbeat energy. Art director Henry Bumstead, along with set decorators James W. Payne and Emile Kuri, does amazing work with the look of the sets from the building that Gondorff buys to create a fake gambling house as well as the places the characters go to. Costume designer Edith Head does fantastic work with the look of the suits the men wear in the film as well as the clothes the women wore as well as the design of the hats in those times.
The sound work of Ronald Pierce and Robert R. Bertrand is terrific for its approach to sound as it is presented on location as well as the way sound is presented from a radio during the horse races and in the effects used in some scenes in the film. The film’s music by Scott Joplin, which is adapted by Marvin Hamlisch, is incredible for its playful approach to ragtime piano music. Notably as Hamlisch brings in that sense of energy and melodic elements to the music, including his take on some standards of those times as it is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by William Batliner and Robert J. LaSanka is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Sally Kirkland as a showgirl that Hooker goes out with early in the film, Ken Samson as a Western Union executive, Paulene Myers as Luther’s wife Alva, Joe Tornatore as a mysterious gunman, Lee Paul as a bodyguard of Lonnegan, James J. Sloyan as Lonnegan’s right-hand man Mottola, Dimitra Arliss as a diner waitress Hooker befriends in Loretta, Jack Kehoe as Hooker’s friend Erie Kid who joins Hooker and Gondorff in the con, and Dana Elcar as a FBI agent pursuing Gondorff. Other notable small roles as members of Gondorff and Hooker’s team include John Heffernan as Eddie Niles who pretends to be a casino cashier, Harold Gould as the veteran conman Kid Twist who would fool Lonnegan as a financier working with Hooker, and Ray Walston as J.J. Singleton who would get the racing results and help make the announcements.
Robert Earl Jones is superb as Luther Coleman as Hooker’s partner/mentor who has decided to retire only to get himself in trouble with Lonnegan and his business. Eileen Brennan is excellent as Billie as a brothel madam whom Gondorff is in a relationship with as she helps Gondorff and Hooker in the con as she also finds way to be involved and outsmart Lonnegan. Charles Durning is brilliant as Lt. William Snyder as a corrupt detective who is pursuing Hooker over some counterfeit money unaware that Hooker stole from Lonnegan as he is also a bully to others as he shares Lonnegan’s views on maintaining power. Robert Shaw is phenomenal as Doyle Lonnegan as an Irish-American mob boss that is eager to become legitimate through his connections as he becomes upset that someone stole money from him as well as endure some humility that he is unable to deal with.
Finally, there is the duo of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in spectacular performances in their respective roles like Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker. Newman’s performance has this air of charm and humor as a man who has been through the con game for years yet is inspired to do this to humiliate Lonnegan who he sees as a threat where Newman also brings a lot of laughs during a poker game where he acts like a buffoon. Redford’s performance as Hooker is the more serious of the two as someone that wants to avenge Luther’s death as well as learning more about the con game where he also learns about the tricks of the trade. Newman and Redford together has this rapport where they know how to play off one another, where they know what the other person thinks as well as the sense of trust that they have in one another as they are major highlights of the film.
The Sting is an outstanding film by George Roy Hill that features the tremendous leading performances of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, lively visuals, David S. Ward’s inventive screenplay, and a fun music soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch. It is a caper film that is full of energy, wit, and suspense while also being this study of two men trying to outwit a powerful criminal and show him some humility. In the end, The Sting is a magnificent film by George Roy Hill.
George Roy Hill Films: (A Night to Remember) – (Period of Adjustment) – (Toys in the Attic) – (The World of Henry Orient) – (Hawaii (1966 film)) – (Thoroughly Modern Millie) – Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid - (Slaughterhouse-Five) – (The Great Waldo Pepper) – (Slap Shot) – (A Little Romance) – (The World According to Garp) – (The Little Drummer Girl) – (Funny Farm)
Written, directed, edited, and sound work by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou, Take Out is the story of an undocumented Chinese immigrant being a deliveryman for a Chinese take-out shop in New York City. The film is an exploration of the post-9/11 New York City in which a Chinese immigrant deals with working day-to-day as he also copes with owing money to smugglers who brought him to America. Starring Charles Jang, Jeng-Hua Yu, Wang-Thye Lee, Justin Wan, and Jeff Huang. Take Out is an enriching and somber film by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou.
Set in the span of an entire cold and rainy day in New York City, the film revolves around an undocumented Chinese immigrant who is given one day to clear his debt with smugglers, or his debt will be doubled with little chance to see his family coming to America. It is a film with simple premises as well as a loose script that explores a day in the life of Ming Ding (Charles Jang) who is in New York City hoping to get his wife and their child to America as he sends money to them but also owes money to the smugglers who brought him here. The film starts with two smugglers trying to find Ding as they want the money, he owes them as he gives them what he has but is given a day to collect the remaining $800 he owes or else he faces dire consequences. Working at this Chinese restaurant own and run by a woman in Big Sister (Wang-Thye Lee) with two cooks in Wei (Justin Wan) and Ma (Jeff Huang) and another deliveryman in Young (Jeng-Hua Yu) who spends much of his time at the restaurant does a few deliveries. During the day, Ding deals with all sorts of customers as some treat him well while others treat him terribly while the restaurant do what they can make orders and such.
The film’s direction by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou is entrancing in its hand-held style as it is made with a $3000 budget with digital video cameras in a style that is like cinema verité. Shot on location in New York City, Baker and Tsou maintain this air of realism with Baker serving as the film’s cinematographer with he and Tsou also recording all the sound on location with sound editors Eric Marks and Rob Marshall providing all the design to capture the overlapping sounds at the restaurant. The restaurant itself is a character in the film as it is a real place as Baker and Tsou capture what happens when the restaurant opens and what everyone at the place does before closing time. The usage of hand-held cameras allow Baker and Tsou to use close-ups and medium shots to capture the sense of claustrophobia in the restaurant in the space that the kitchen has and what Big Sister must do to get all the orders. There are some wide shots as it relates to Ding riding on his bicycle to deliver food on a cold and horribly rainy day.
Also serving as the editors of the film with the only other crew member in the film is Eva Huang doing makeup on the bruise of Ding’s back due to an altercation he would have with the smugglers. Baker and Tsou’s editing is filled with a few montages and jump-cuts to play into the sense of urgency that Ding must do riding his bicycle in the city. Baker and Tsou would also maintain that element of realism as it play into Ding’s struggle with tension often escalating between him and his co-workers where one of the cooks got a glimpse of the bruise on his back. When the film reaches its third act, set at night with rain still pouring and everything winding down. There is a sense of calm but also something unexpected as it adds to the realism that Ding must go through on a day that has been overwhelming and tiring. Overall, Baker and Tsou craft a riveting and intoxicating film about an undocumented Chinese immigrant’s hard day doing food deliveries all over a rainy day in New York City.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast mainly features non-actors and real people that include Shih-Yuh Tsou and Joe Chien as the smugglers Ding owe money to, Amy Danielson as a bitchy customer from the West End, and Karren Karragulian as a customer who is upset that he got chicken instead of beef that he ordered. Jeff Huang and Justin Wan are excellent in their respective roles as the cook Ma and Wei as the two men who work tirelessly to cook the food that the people ordered as they also talk about their own situations in coming to America with the latter being sympathetic over Ding’s situation though he does not say anything.
Jeng-Hua Yu is fantastic as the slacker Young as a deliveryman who does a few deliveries as he brings a lot of humor to play into the mundane elements of the day while also helping Ding with his situation. Wang-Thye Lee is amazing as Big Sister as the restaurant manager/cashier who takes the food orders while also chatting with customers in a playful manner. Finally, there’s Charles Jang in an incredible performance as Ming Ding as an undocumented Chinese immigrant who owes money to smugglers where he does not say much as he does his work while dealing with his own issues as it is a heart wrenching yet intoxicating performance of a man dealing with a lot in his life including missing his wife and newborn baby that he has not met.
Take Out is a tremendous film by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gritty cinematography, a minimalist presentation, and its somber look into the life of an undocumented immigrant working as a deliveryman. It is a film that does not shy away from the struggles that people go through in post-9/11 New York City as well as what an immigrant does to stay in America despite all the shit he has to go through. In the end, Take Out is a sensational film by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou.
Based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 is the story of a man who gets a job working for a mysterious corporation where he finds himself dying on the job several times in the hopes of saving mankind. Written and directed for the screen by Bong Joon-Ho, the film is a dystopian comedy that explores a man who finds himself being cloned several times to do odd jobs while dying multiple times in the process. Starring Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Anamaria Vartolomei, Cameron Britton, Holliday Grainger, Patsy Ferran, Daniel Henshall, Stephen Park, and Mark Ruffalo. Mickey 17 is a whimsical and exhilarating film by Bong Joon-ho.
Set in a futuristic world in the span of nearly 5 years, the film is about a man who joins a space expedition towards a snowy planet that is to be colonized as he signs for a job that would kill him multiple times where his 17th variation makes a discovery about the planet they are colonizing. It is a film that does not play into a certain genre as it blends all sorts of genres from science fiction, satire, suspense, drama, and action as it explores a man who takes a job to escape from loan sharks as the ship is ruled by a politician who plans to rule the colony as he would also bring in a cloning device on his ship although the cloning device is deemed illegal on Earth. Bong Joon-Ho’s screenplay has a lot of layers in its narrative as it is largely told from the perspective of its titular character (Robert Pattinson) as he is a man that has endured a lot of bad luck from the death of his mother as a child as he blames himself for what happened and the trouble his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun) has put him in through involving loan sharks.
In taking on the job as an expendable, Mickey would endure a series of odd jobs in which he would be killed or become a lab rat for diseases and such as he would be cloned through a printing machine of sorts though it is a method that is illegal on Earth. The expedition is run by the politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) in the hopes that he can bring hope to humanity on a new planet although he is revealed to be an idiotic narcissist while Ylfa is the smarter of the two but is also arrogant and obsessed with bad gourmet cooking. Mickey would find friends during his journey including a girlfriend in the security officer Nasha (Naomi Ackie) but becomes annoyed with people asking him what it is like to die. Even as they land on the planet where Mickey makes a discovery about its inhabitants after getting injured on the job and left for dead by Timo. Upon his return, Mickey, in his 17th variation, learns about something else that is happening that is considered forbidden as it explains why Earth is not fond of the idea of cloning. All of this leads to revelations about what Marshall wants to do and the trouble he is creating on the planet he wants to colonize.
Bong’s direction is grand in not just its unique setting and blend of genres but also in its approach to satire. Shot at the Leavesden Studio in Britain, Bong’s creates a world that is chaotic where much of the action takes place inside a spaceship. The usage of close-ups and medium shots in these cramped and claustrophobic rooms that Mickey, Nasha, and others live in do play into this idea of class as the Marshalls live in a spacious and lavish room with the finest food and decors that represents this disconnect that the Marshalls have with everyone else in the ship. Bong also uses wide shots to get a look into the Marshalls’ room as well as the dining hall and scenes on the snowy planet known as Niflheim as it is a key element in the film’s second half as well as the first scene of the film where Mickey 17 is left on a ravine injured where Timo leaves him for dead. It is also the moment where Mickey would discover the original inhabitants of these creatures that look like bugs but something different in their interiors as they were designed by Bong and creature designer Jang Hee-chul.
Bong’s direction also play into this sense of absurdity in the many ways Mickey would die as well as the atmosphere of the spaceship as it has an offbeat presentation of how bureaucracy works as there are also odd things that happen in the film. Even as there is a guy in a pigeon suit (Tim Key) who would come in to be a reporter as a mascot for Marshall. The film does take a serious tone in its third function as it relates to the inhabitants of Niflheim and what Marshall wants to do although Mickey is in a far more complicated situation as it relates to why Earth banned cloning and re-printing humans. Even as he becomes a bigger liability where it leads to Marshall waging war with the inhabitants of Niflheim although they have no issues with humanity. Still, Bong plays into the many fallacies of politics as well as what happened when people put their faith in someone who is an imbecile forcing a regular person to do what he can to save humanity from themselves. Overall, Bong crafts a witty and riveting film about a man who dies constantly on the job during a four-year expedition to colonize a planet for an imbecilic politician.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting for the interior scenes inside the spaceship with low-key lighting for the rooms that Mickey and others live in to the artificial look of the Marshalls’ suite. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts and jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense along with some stylish cuts for some of the humor. Production designer Fiona Crombie, with set decorator Alice Felton plus supervising art director Jason Knox-Johnston and senior art director Darren Tubby, does amazing work with the look of the interiors of the spaceship including the rooms, dining hall, lab, and garage as well as the caves at Niflheim. Costume designer Catherine George does fantastic work with the costumes from the ordinary jumpsuits many of the people at the spaceship wear to the posher clothing that the Marshalls wear.
Hair & makeup artist Anita Burger does terrific work with some of the makeup that Kenneth Marshall has in his TV appearances including a somewhat-heightened tan on his face. Visual effects supervisors Dan Glass, Arudra Jaykar, and Kelvin McIlwain do incredible work in the look of the planet and the exterior of the spaceship as well as the movement of the body parts from the creatures at Niflheim. Sound designer Eilam Hoffman and sound editor Choi Tae-young do superb work with the sound in the way the creatures sound as well as layers of sound effects for scenes inside the ship as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is great in its piano orchestra presentation with elements of bouncy percussions and string arrangements that play into the film’s offbeat tone while its music soundtrack features pieces from Nino Rota, Elliot Smith, Georg Friedrich Handel, and a hilarious original from Jung and Sharon Sung Jae Choi that the Marshalls sing that is full-on camp.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Milo James as a young Mickey, Ian Hanmore as a loan shark Timo and Mickey owes money to, Ellen Robertson as Kai’s girlfriend Jennifer, Tim Key as the man in a pigeon suit, Thomas Turgoose as a security officer who likes to carry a bazooka, Angus Irmie as a security officer known as Shrimp Eyes, Stephen Park as the head security officer Zeke who becomes concerned with what the Marshalls are doing and other activities involving drugs, Holliday Grainger as a Marshall representative whom Mickey meets early in the film about becoming an expendable, Cameron Britton as the science team leader Arkady who is a stooge for Marshall, Patsy Ferran as the scientist Dorothy who cares about Mickey’s well-being, Anna Mouglalis as the voice of the head creeper creature from Niflheim, and Edward Davis as a political figure who was part of the reprinting program who went too far in his studies as he is seen in a flashback.
Daniel Henshall is terrific as Marshall’s personal assistant Preston as this smarmy man who is willing to goad his boss into anything and film it to boost his boss’s ego. Anamaria Vartolomei is fantastic as the security officer Kai Katz as a woman who is one of Mickey’s friends as she would cope with events that shaped her while also making a discovery that makes her uneasy. Steven Yeun is excellent as Timo as a childhood friend of Mickey who would constantly put him in trouble as he would get a job as a pilot for the ship where he constantly finds a way to advance his position as well as taking part in illegal activities involving drugs. Naomi Ackie is brilliant as Nasha as a security agent who becomes Mickey’s girlfriend as she deals with his own issues while also becoming aware of Marshall’s idiocy where there is a great moment where she calls him out in front of his face into how stupid he is.
Toni Collette is incredible as Ylfa Marshall as Kenneth’s wife who is this woman that wants to create gourmet cooking that she can make money of as well as crave power where Collette has an element of camp that adds to her performance as she is monstrously hilarious. Mark Ruffalo is amazing as Kenneth Marshall, as this political figure who wants to colonize a planet in the belief that he will save humanity except for the fact that he is a narcissistic imbecile who craves attention while Ruffalo speaks in a way that is over-the-top as it adds a level of hilarity to his performance. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a tremendous performance as Mickey Barnes and the many variations he would take including Mickey 17 as this ordinary man who takes the job where he makes himself expendable where he would be cloned and re-printed as a lab rat while doing odd jobs that are considered deadly. Pattinson’s performance is also full of joy in how shy he is as he speaks in an odd way while he would speak more menacingly as another variant as it is one of Pattinson’s finest performances of his career.
Mickey 17 is a spectacular film by Bong Joon-ho that features a phenomenal leading performance from Robert Pattinson. Along with its ensemble cast, grimy visuals, its satirical approach to social standings and political idealism, and a fun music score. The film is an engaging and witty genre-bending film that explores a man who dies constantly for someone’s own idea of power only to become a rebel and realize that man’s ignorance and stupidity over everything. In the end, Mickey 17 is a sensational film by Bong Joon-ho.
Written, directed, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is the story of two mismatched Jewish-American cousins who travel to Poland to honor their late grandmother. The film is a buddy-road movie in which two cousins travel to Poland as they both deal with their differences as well as their own issues in a trip to pay tribute to their late grandmother. Also starring Keiran Culkin, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Ellora Torchia and Daniel Oreskes. A Real Pain is a heartfelt and witty film by Jesse Eisenberg.
The film follows two Jewish-American cousins who both travel to Poland to honor their late grandmother as they take part in a heritage group tour through the country to connect with their late grandmother and their roots. Along the way, they deal with their growing differences as well as deal with their grandmother’s past and the current state of their lives. Jesse Eisenberg’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative as it is a character study of sorts in the two protagonists, he creates in the strait-laced family man David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) and the free-spirited Benji Kaplan (Keiran Culkin). Using the money they inherited from their grandmother, they travel from New York City to Poland where they part of this group tour that include the retiree couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio in Mark and Diane (Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadosky, respectively), the recently-divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), a Rwandan genocide survivor in Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) who converted to Judaism, and their British tour guide in James (Will Sharpe).
Eisenberg’s script brings a lot of depth to the people that David and Benji are with, as Mark and Diane are interested in learning about the former’s family roots while Marcia is also trying to find herself having gone through some recent events in her life. Eloge’s interest in Poland has more to do with his own interest in Judaism as well as wanting to learn the similarities of what he went through and the Jewish community during the Holocaust. During this trip, David and Benji deal with one another as the latter often speaks out over certain things while hiding things about himself that David would later share with the group. The two also leave the group early to see their grandmother’s home in Krasnystaw to honor her with Benji wanting to go there due to the close relationship he had with her.
Eisenberg’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions as it is shot on locations in Poland as well as some locations in New York City including JFK International Airport. Notably as he aims for intimate compositions in his presentations for scenes in the airplanes, trains, and buses as well as scenes in hotel rooms and restaurants through close-ups and medium shots. Eisenberg also uses wide shots for some of the locations including shots in various landmarks in cities and towns of Poland include Warsaw, Lublin, and Krasnystaw. Even as Eisenberg would create scenes such as Benji and the tourists reenacting the Warsaw Uprising with its monument behind them as it highlights Benji’s willingness to keep things lively to make the tour a bit more fun for everyone. It is among these lively moments that Eisenberg put into the film though the tour is an exploration of one of the most horrific events of the 20th century. Eisenberg also play into the differences between David and Benji with the former often sending phone messages to his wife back in New York City whenever he is alone while Benji would wander in a hotel where he and David would go on a roof to smoke some marijuana that Benji smuggled.
Eisenberg also plays into the darker elements of the trip as it relates to certain places that James takes the group to including a gravesite where Benji becomes annoyed by James being factual and to be aware that these are real people. It is among some of the somber moments in the film, including a dinner where David reveals to the group about Benji who went to the bathroom. One of the film’s most stark moments involves the group visiting the Mjdanek concentration/extermination camp as Eisenberg keep things simple and at a distance. Even in some of the buildings as it is among the stunning and discomforting moments in the film. Eisenberg still maintains a balance of comedy and tragedy as it plays into David and Benji’s trip to Krasnystaw to find their late grandmother’s home as well as the idea of what is next for them. Overall, Eisenberg crafts a touching and comical film about two mismatched Jewish-American cousins traveling to Poland to honor their late grandmother.
Cinematographer Michal Dymek does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in capturing the naturalistic look of the locations in Poland in the daytime as well as some of the usage of light for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Robert Nassau does amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into the some of the comical moments as well as giving the film some offbeat moments in the drama. Production designer Mela Melak does excellent work with the look of David’s home in New York City in its interiors as well as the look of some of the hotel rooms that they stay in. Costume designer Malgorzata Fudala does nice work with the costumes as it is casual that all the characters wear including a baseball cap that David wears and the loose clothing that Benji wears.
Visual effects supervisor Yuval Levy does terrific work with the visual effects as it set-dressing in some of the locations including bits in New York City and the videos that David has on his phone. Sound editor Tim Korn does superb work with the sound in the way a location sounds as well as in some of the sparse moments in the film. Music supervisor Erick Eiser does wonderful work in compiling the music as it features piano pieces by Frederic Chopin that is performed by Tzvi Erez as it adds a somber mood to the film.
The casting by Jessica Kelly is marvelous as it feature a couple of small roles from Ellora Torchia as David’s wife Priya and Jakub Pruski as their son Abe. Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadovy are superb in their respective roles as the retired couple Mark and Diane as they travel to Poland for the former to learn about his ancestor’s homeland as they both make some witty comments about themselves and their trip. Kurt Egyiawan is fantastic as Eloge as a Rwandan genocide survivor who converted to Judaism as he is someone fascinated by the religion which plays into his own conversion as well as wanting to understand the similarities of how he and those from the Holocaust endured. Will Sharpe is brilliant as the British tour guide James who is full of facts and such though, he is taken aback by Benji’s criticism for not being emotionally connected into the landmarks and such.
Jennifer Grey is amazing as Marcia as California divorcee who just moved back to New York as she travels to Poland to find herself as well as her own roots as she is also going through her own emotional issues in relation to her life. Jesse Eisenberg is incredible as David Kaplan as the straitlaced cousin with a wife and child who is anxious and wanting to be things on schedule where he also deals with his cousin’s behavior as well as things that he is upset about towards him. Finally, there’s Kieran Culkin in a phenomenal performance as Benji Kaplan as a free-spirited slacker who has no filter in what he says while is also someone with some issues. Eisenberg and Culkin together are a joy to watch as they bring a lot of chemistry as these two mismatched cousins who deal with each other as well as why they are not as close as they used to be.
A Real Pain is a sensational film by Jesse Eisenberg that features great performances from Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Along with its ensemble cast, usage of Frederic Chopin’s piano pieces, gorgeous imagery, and study of two men going on a journey to honor their grandmother. The film is a funny as well as heartfelt story about two cousins who try to reconnect despite their differences by going to Poland to learn about themselves and their late grandmother. In the end, A Real Pain is a phenomenal film by Jesse Eisenberg.
