Set in the Lakota community at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the film revolves around two siblings who deal with the death of their father as they both embark on different paths with the eldest preparing to leave to go to Los Angeles. It is a film that explore two young siblings as they also deal with the fact that they have a bunch of half-siblings as well as another who is serving a prison sentence as they ponder what to do next. Chloe Zhao’s screenplay is largely straightforward though it doesn’t have much of a plot in favor of exploring the diverging paths of John Winters (John Reddy) and his younger sister Jashaun (Jashaun St. John) who both live with their mother (Irene Bedard) as they get the news that their father died in a fire as he lives in another house. John does bootlegging to make money for his mom and sister yet is eager to go to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Aurelia (Taysha Fuller) despite the fact that her family don’t approve of him. Jashaun learns about John’s plans to go to Los Angeles leaving her heartbroken as she befriends the recently-released tattoo artist Travis (Travis Lone Hill) where she helps him while he would make her traditional ceremonial robe.
Zhao’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in its presentation as it is shot on location at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and areas nearby. Notably in the fact that it is shot on many of the rural areas as well as some mountains and canyons nearby as there is a beauty to the locations as well as this sense of community that is somewhat disconnected from modern-day society. Yet, it is a community that is vital but with its dangerous and chaotic elements due to the fact that there’s some bootlegging and other criminal activities. Zhao’s direction include a lot of wide and medium shot to capture the vast look of the locations that include these gazing shots of scenes in the canyons and mountains where a lot of the characters spend time alone or in these scenes in rural areas where there is this air of danger. Notably as bootlegging alcohol is something that is done and there’s a rivalry where John deals with others who aren’t fond of him interfering with their business.
Editing the film with Alan Canant, Zhao would keep much of the editing to be straightforward with a few jump-cuts for some of the film’s intense scenes that involve bits of gang violence as it adds to this world that is unruly. Zhao’s usage of close-ups also play into the drama as it relates to Jashaun and her time with Travis where it is a friendship that is about legacy and tradition where the latter believes that Jashaun has a greater future since she does care about the heritage of the Lakota. Zhao also play into this air of uncertainty as it relates to the fact that John and Jashaun both have these other half-siblings who all shared the same father though many didn’t live with him as he was a complicated individual. Even as John deals with the fact that as much as he wants to leave the reservation, it wouldn’t leave him as it is something Jashaun knew already. Overall, Zhao crafts a touching yet intoxicating film about two Lakota siblings dealing with loss and their next step in life.
Cinematographer Joshua James Richards does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of available lighting including fire for the scenes at night. Production designer/special makeup effects artist Melissa Barnard does excellent work with the look of the houses in their interior setting including Travis’ home and the home where John and Jashaun live along with the look of the many tattoos Travis has. Visual effects supervisor Darren Orr does terrific work with the film’s visual effects as it is largely set dressing for a few bits including a key scene involving violence.
Sound designer Bob Edwards does amazing work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations and some of the parties as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Peter Golub is wonderful for its low-key ambient-based score to play into the drama while music supervisors Kevin J. Edelman and Ben Sokoler cultivate a music soundtrack that largely consists of traditional Native American music, hip-hop, pop, metal, and country music.
The casting by Rene Haynes is brilliant as it feature some notable small roles from Kevin Hunter as John and Jashaun’s incarcerated sibling Kevin, Bernardo Rodriguez as a police sergeant who gives John and Jashaun’s mother the news, Eleonore Hendricks as a young white woman in Angie whom John is fascinated by, Allen Reddy as an elder who gives John his father’s old truck, Taysha Fuller as John’s girlfriend Aurelia who is thinking about going with him to Los Angeles, Travis Lone Hill as a tattoo artist who befriends Jashaun and decides to make her some traditional robes, and Irene Bedard in a superb small role as John and Jashaun’s mother Lisa who copes with grief through alcohol before finding something that would give her meaning. Finally, there’s the duo of John Reddy and Jashaun St. John in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as the siblings John and Jashaun Winters. Reddy’s performance as John is filled with some angst but it is largely restrained to play into the sense of loss this young man is dealing with as well as the uncertainty of what he wants to do when he goes to L.A. St. John’s performance is more understated as a young girl who isn’t just dealing with a man she barely knew but also the idea that her brother is leaving her alone with her mother as she becomes fascinated by her heritage with the help of Travis as a way to keep her brother home.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a sensational film from Chloe Zhao. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, intoxicating sound work, and its exploration of grief and growing pains in a remote community detached a bit from society. It is a film that doesn’t just explore two siblings dealing with revelations about their father and extended family but also going into different paths to find themselves and their roles in the community they live in. In the end, Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a phenomenal film from Chloe Zhao.
Chloe Zhao Films: The Rider - (Nomadland) – Eternals
© thevoid99 2022
The film revolves around a group of immortal alien figures who arrive on Earth to protect humanity from evil creatures known as Deviants where the group reunite centuries later to deal with return of Deviants but also an event they have to ensure happens. It is a film that is about a family of sorts who all reunite centuries later as they live on Earth for a long time observing and interacting with humanity and civilization as the events of the Blip that lead to the return of half of the population who were wiped out five years before by Thanos suddenly lead to the return of the Deviants. The film’s screenplay does a lot of world building and establishing who the Eternals are yet it unfortunately takes up a lot of time for the narrative to have the entire team reunite but also deal with their own ideological differences, views on humanity, and their mission at hand as they have to serve the Celestial god known as Arishem (voice of David Kaye). The narrative for much of its first act also play into flashbacks into the lives of the Eternals including an event that lead to their break-up as well as other issues following their last encounter with the Deviants.
The titular group of consist of ten individuals each with a special power as they’re lead by their spiritual leader/healer Ajak (Salma Hayek) who is also the bridge between them and the Celestials. There’s also the empathetic Sersi (Gemma Chan) who can manipulate matter through physical contact, Ikaris (Richard Madden) who can fly and shoot cosmic beams with his eyes who is determined to finish his mission, the illusionist Sprite (Lia McHugh) who has the physical appearance of a 12-year old girl, the comical Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) who shoots cosmic beams with his hands as he’s become a Bollywood star, the weapons and technological inventor Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the deaf Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) who possesses super-speed, mind-manipulator Druig (Barry Keoghan), the strongman Gilgamesh (Don Lee), and the goddess of war in Thena (Angelina Jolie) who can create weapons with her own powers. They all have something to offer but are broken apart by idealistic views on humanity and the decision to not interfere in human conflicts or events under Arishem’s rule. Upon the events of the Blip and the re-emergence of the Deviants, the team struggle to get themselves back on board due to various issues but also the fact that some of them have their own lives and are reluctant to take part in this conflict where the stakes are larger.
Chloe Zhao’s direction is definitely astonishing for the fact that it’s shot on various locations and its emphasis on realism about the evolution of civilization. Shot on various locations such as London, South Dakota, the Canary Islands, and Los Angeles, Zhao does create a film that does take place many centuries where the narrative flashbacks to the age of cavemen, Babylonia, the Incas, and the present world in the aftermath of the Avengers’ war against Thanos. Zhao’s usage of wide and medium shots to establish the locations and the world these characters are in as they interact with the world or observe the world around them. The way Zhao establishes the Eternals and how they impacted civilization early on does showcase moments that do play into their development but Zhao is unable to maintain that same momentum following their break-up as the reunion goes on for a long time.
While there are these moments that do play into the drama with Zhao’s usage of the medium shots and close-ups as it help audiences be engaged by the characters. There are moments where it drags too long for each member to reunite with one another as there’s also a lot of baggage from everyone in the team to deal with. Phastos is man with a son and a husband he loves as he had lost interest in creating new tech following a major historical event while Thena is a woman that is going through serious mental issues and memory loss due to centuries of fighting. For nearly two hours into the film, the two acts serve as not just to establish the team and who they are but also their reunion and the stakes of the mission as it could’ve been trimmed. Even as the third act reveal some revelations on Arishem’s motives as well as why the Deviants were created as it is clunky though there is some amazing action and drama that occur in the film. Overall, Zhao crafts an engaging yet extremely uneven film about a group of immortals trying to save Earth one last time following the return of their old foes.
Cinematographer Ben Davis does brilliant work with the cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes along with some low-key lighting for the exterior scenes at night and other stylish lighting including Kingo’s Bollywood film set. Editors Craig Wood and Dylan Tichenor do fine work with the editing as it has some style in the jump-cuts and allowing shots to linger though there’s moments where it does feel too long as the film could’ve trimmed 15 minutes from its running time. Production designers Eve Stewart and Clint Wallace, along with set decorators Pancho Chamorro and Michael Standish plus supervising art director Matthew Gray, do amazing work with the look of the Domo ship interiors as well as Ajak’s home in South Dakota, Gilgamesh and Thena’s home in Australia, Druig’s camp in the Amazons, and Phastos’ home in Chicago. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does excellent work with the costumes from the casual look of the group in their non-hero suits to the design of the superhero suits they wear upon their arrival on Earth.
Hair/makeup/prosthetics makeup designer Frances Hannon does fantastic work with the look of the characters as it play into the different periods with Thena having a unique look of her own as does Ajak. Special effects supervisor Neil Corbould and visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti do incredible work with the look of the Deviants, the exterior of the Domo spaceship, and other effects as the mixture of practical and computerized effects as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designers David Farmer and Addison Teague, along with sound editor Daniel Laurie, do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the sound effects into the powers that the Eternals have. The film’s music by Ramin Djawadi is wonderful for its orchestral-based score as it play into elements of bombast for some of the action and suspenseful scenes along with low-key string-based pieces for the dramatic moments while music supervisor Dave Jordan create a soundtrack that features different array of music that include pop, country, rock, hip-hop, Bollywood-based music, and others that feature contributions from Lizzo, BTS, Skeeter Davis, Foreigner, and Pink Floyd.
The casting by Sarah Finn and Anna Tenney is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Haaz Sleiman as Phastos’ husband Ben, Esai Daniel Cross as Phastos’ and Ben’s son Jack, Zain Al Rafeea as a villager who first meets the Eternals after being saved from a Deviant, Bill Skarsgard as the voice of an evolved Deviant in Kro, and David Kaye as the voice of the Celestial God Arishem. Harish Patel is terrific as Kingo’s manager Karun who films everything for Kingo’s documentary on the Eternals as he provides some humor but also some nice insight on his view on the group. Kit Harrington is superb as Sersi’s boyfriend Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum in London as he is hoping to commit to her.
Lauren Ridloff and Barry Keoghan are excellent in their respective roles as Makkari and Druig with the former being a deaf yet funny Eternal with super-speed as she communicates through sign language while the latter is a sarcastic yet passionate figure with the power to manipulate minds as a way in wanting to stop conflicts in the hope he can save humanity. Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek are brilliant in their respective roles as the technology inventor Phastos and the group leader/healer Ajak as the former being someone who hoped to create things that would help civilization only to retreat after catastrophic events to become a family man while the latter is a spiritual figure who communicates with Arishem where she never questions his motives until the return of the Deviants as she begins to question him as well as having a change of heart about the mission at hand. Don Lee and Angelina Jolie are amazing in their respective role as the super-strongman Gilgamesh and the warrior goddess Thena with the former being a man who is powerful but also someone with a lot of heart and patience in taking of the latter where Jolie displays a woman who is suffering from serious PTSD and weariness while also dealing with memory loss as it relates to her life fighting against Deviants.
Kumail Nanjiani is remarkable as the powerful yet witty Kingo who spent almost a century being a Bollywood film star as he brings a lot of humor but also questions about the mission at hand where he isn’t sure of being involved in something that would break up the team again. Lia McHugh is incredible as Sprite as a master illusionist who can create things yet has the body of a 12-year old girl who can’t age where she laments not being able to grow up while having her own feelings for Ikaris. Richard Madden is marvelous as Ikaris as a Superman-like persona who can fly and shoot cosmic beams with his eyes as a figure who is intent on wanting to finish his mission as well as reunite with his former flame in Sersi in the hope they can stay together after the mission. Finally, there’s Gemma Chan in a phenomenal performance as Sersi as the empath Eternal who can manipulate matter through physical touch while discovering new powers as a way to deal with the Deviants while lamenting over her love for humans and the stakes of the mission itself where she has to take charge in the film’s climax.
Eternals is a stellar yet wildly uneven film from Chloe Zhao. While it features a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, a cool music soundtrack, and some amazing action scenes. It is a film that is ambitious yet is hampered by wanting to be both a superhero film and an art film as it never found its balance despite some exciting moments. In the end, Eternals is a good film from Chloe Zhao.
Chloe Zhao Films: Songs My Brothers Taught Me – The Rider - (Nomadland)
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
© thevoid99 2021
Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, The Rider is the story of a young horse trainer/rodeo rider who suffers a big head injury when his horse falls on his head as he contemplates what to do next. The film is the story of a young man who was once a rising star in the rodeo circuit as he deals with uncertainty as well as his identity as a man in the American heartland. Starring Brady Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lane Scott, and Cat Clifford. The Rider is an entrancing and evocative film from Chloe Zhao.
The film follows a young rodeo cowboy/horse trainer who is recovering from a serious head injury when his horse fell on his head as he tries to recover hoping to ride again despite warnings from doctors that he shouldn’t ride every again. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into this young man struggling with this injury that has given him seizures and other illnesses yet is unable to let go what he loves which is riding rodeo horses. Chloe Zhao’s screenplay doesn’t emphasize much on structure as it play into the struggle that Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) is going through as he lives in a trailer home with his autistic teenage sister Lilly (Lilly Jandreau) and their father Tim (Tim Jandreau) while often making visits to his friend Lane (Lane Scott) who has also been in a riding accident that’s left him brain-damaged. While Brady tries to get back in the game, he also deals with the financial struggles that his family endures as he takes a job at a market after his father sold his horse. Even as he would get money to buy another horse but also endures the symptoms of his injuries as he questions about what to do.
Zhao’s direction is largely straightforward with its visuals as it does emphasize more on long and gazing takes as well as intimate and simple compositions. Shot on location in the badlands area of South Dakota, the film does play into this world that is largely dominated by rodeos, horses, and cowboys as it is this old idea of masculinity but a world that is distant from modernity which suits Brady fine. Yet, the idea of him not being able to ride a horse or be in a horse rodeo becomes foreign to him as it’s a world that he only knows. Zhao’s usage of close-ups and extreme close-ups add to the anguish that Brady endures throughout the course of the film while would shoot him in medium shots whenever he’s working in a market as he silently does his job. Zhao would use wide shots to get a look and scope of the location that Brady, his friends, and family are in as well as this unique world that is the rodeo and horse-riding.
Zhao’s direction also play into Brady’s determination into getting back in the rodeo circuit as he would often try and get Lane to get his old self for a bit including a scene of Lane acting like he was in a rodeo. The direction also play into Brady’s love for horses including one he would gain named Apollo who is like Brady in their stubbornness. It would give him the chance to maybe ride again but seizures and hindering motor functions in his right hand start to emerge. Zhao would often feature stylish montages of the rodeo as it’s a recurring image of Brady’s desire but the risks are intense as Brady’s father is concerned and wants him to not return. It plays into the dramatic tension that Zhao would use in Brady as he likens himself to horses when they are of no use as it play into the emotional, mental, and physical struggles he endure as well as this uncertainty of not ever riding again. Overall, Zhao crafts a rapturous and haunting film about a horse trainer/rodeo rider coping with the idea of not riding a horse ever again.
Cinematographer Joshua James Richards does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its low-key yet naturalistic photography add to the film’s visual beauty while emphasizing on available light for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Alex O’Flinn does brilliant work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some stylish approach to slow-motion for some of the montages and a few jump-cuts to play into the emotional turmoil that Brady endures. Special makeup effects by Ryan Flint is excellent as it play into the look of the tattoos Brady and some of his friends have as well as the scars from injuries he’s acquired.
Sound editor Paul B. Knox do amazing work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music sounds on location and the layer of sounds in the rodeo events and horse auctions. The film’s music by Nathan Halpern is wonderful for its low-key folk and ambient score that doesn’t appear often in the film as it play into the some of the melancholia and uncertainty that Brady endures while music supervisor Ben Sokoler cultivates a soundtrack that largely consists of country music that is performed on location in a jukebox or on a radio as it feature pieces from Lucian Blaque, Jonathan Terrell, Charlie and the Regrets, Cat Clifford, the Quaker City Night Hawks, Brian Whelan, Roosevelt Road, Luke Kaufman, Derrick Procell, James and the Wild Spirit, and Lloyd Conger.
The film’s superb cast features an array of non-actors and amateurs that include James Calhoon as a family friend, Cat Clifford as one of Brady’s friends, Terri Dawn Pourier as a young woman Brady smokes with, Tanner Langdeau as a man who sells a horse to Brady, and Lane Smith as Brady’s friend Lane who suffered brain damage due to a similar accident that Brady has faced with. Lilly Jandreau is fantastic as Brady’s autistic teenage sister Lilly as someone who is eccentric and awkward but often says things that do make a lot of sense. Tim Jandreau is excellent as Brady’s father Tim as a man who is just trying to make ends meet while dealing with his son’s desire to return to riding. Finally, there’s Brady Jandreau in a sensational performance as Brady Blackburn as a young horse trainer/rodeo rider who copes with his injuries and future as it is a low-key yet mesmerizing performance that is restrained but also intense at times as Jandreau is a major highlight of the film.
The Rider is a phenomenal film from Chloe Zhao. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and compelling character study of a young man struggling with uncertainty and the possibility of death. It’s a film that doesn’t play by conventions as it focuses on a young man dealing with the ideas of masculinity and his own identity but also the dangers of those ideals as he’s forced to deal with the realities of his own injuries. In the end, The Rider is a tremendous film from Chloe Zhao.
Chloe Zhao Films: Songs My Brothers Taught Me – (Nomadland) - Eternals (2021 film)
© thevoid99 2020
