The film follows the exploits of a 30-year old woman who chooses to go after predatory men by pretending to be drunk and then make them uncomfortable as a form of vengeance to cope with the loss of her best friend years ago who had been raped and later humiliated in court that led to her suicide. It is a revenge film of sorts as it plays into this woman who saw her friend in that ordeal as they were both med school students at the time but incident lead both of them to drop out of med school as this woman works at a coffee shop by day and then go after men at night. Emerald Fennell’s screenplay is really a study of its protagonist Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) who was once a promising med school student who had all of the potential to become a doctor but the rape, humiliation, and eventual suicide of her longtime childhood friend Nina destroyed that dream. For Cassie, the need to play a drunken woman to go after predatory men is a way to cope with her loss though the presence of a former classmate in Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham) who goes to her coffee shop has her thinking about life for herself.
The first act is about Cassie and the life that she leads where she still lives with her parents (Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge) who are unaware of what she does at night while also being courted by Ryan who is a pediatrician as he wonders why Cassie never finished med school. When Ryan makes mention that he’s been invited to the wedding of a former classmate in Al Monroe (Chris Lowell), the man that raped and humiliated Nina. The film’s second act revolves around this act of vengeance for Cassie on those who failed Nina as well as did dirty work for Al as it also play into this growing relationship with Ryan who wants to show her the good things in life unaware of the things Cassie does except on one night where he questions her actions. Fennell’s script is filled with these complexities but also the air of indifference about the rape of a young woman as some want to claim it’s a bunch of he-said, she-said thing when the reality is far more complicated. Even as Cassie would learn more about what happened on that night in the film’s third act.
Fennell’s direction does bear some style in its presentation with its emphasis on vibrant colors being present as backdrops yet much of her ideas in terms of the compositions are straightforward. Shot on location in and around Los Angeles, Fennell opens the film with three guys in a club talking about women as they see a supposedly drunken Cassie who is out of her mind where she accidentally shows her panties where a guy decides to bring her home. It is a sequence that sets the tone as it introduces the kind of woman Cassie is as well as the world she’s in where it is complicated where men are trying to be careful while women either portray themselves as victims or will do things to keep men down. Fennell’s usage of the wide and medium shots not only add a lot of scope into that world such as the home where Cassie lives with her parents or the coffee shop in its interior but also in some of the clubs she goes to.
Fennell also uses close-ups and long shots to play into some of the dramatic tension whether it has Cassie confronting an old friend or having her play a role to get what she wants. Fennell’s approach to the suspense is low-key in the way she builds up tension as if something violent could happen yet it would be typical for a revenge film to have some idea of violence. Fortunately, Fennell aims for minimal violence in just two scenes as one play into a moment where some guy annoys Cassie and the other is in the film’s climax in its third act. The third act isn’t just about these revelations that Cassie learned about the night of Nina’s rape but also who was there as it leads her to this big event where Al is present. It would be followed by an aftermath that do play into this idea of history repeating itself but its ending isn’t just this massive gut-punch that Fennell creates. It is more about a woman trying to bring justice for the friend she lost but also the loss of her own identity. Overall, Fennell crafts a haunting yet darkly-comical film about a woman going on a path of revenge for her late friend.
Cinematographer Benjamin Kracun does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography from the usage of natural lighting for the daytime interior/exterior scenes including some low-key lighting in a few rooms to the usage of stylish colors for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Frederic Thoraval does excellent work with the editing as does have some elements of style in the jump-cuts but also being straightforward in making sure shots linger to establish a moment in the film. Production designer Michael T. Perry, with set decorator Rae Deslich and art director Liz Kloczkowski, does amazing work with the look of the coffee shop in its interiors as well as a few places Cassie goes to as well as her family home.
Costume designer Nancy Steiner does fantastic work with the clothes that Cassie wears as it ranges from stylish to just casual as it adds to her offbeat personality. Sound editor Frederic Dubois does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of some of the parties as well as the way sparse objects sound as it help add to the film’s offbeat tone. The film’s music by Anthony Willis is wonderful for its eerie orchestral score that include some themes that play into the drama along with bits that play into the film’s dark humor while music supervisor Susan Jacobs cultivates a music soundtrack that ranges from pop, electronic, indie, and classical with contributions from Juice Newton, Charli XCX, Maya B, the Spice Girls, DeathbyRomy, Cyn, MUNA, Donna Missal, Jacqueline Taieb, Carmen DeLeon, Lily & Madeleine, Richard Wagner, Sky Ferreira, Lionel Richie, Fletcher, BLESSUS, Kitty White, a string-based version of Britney Spears’ Toxic, Renni Rucci, and Paris Hilton for a touching and light-hearted scene involving Cassie and Ryan.
The casting by Lindsay Graham Ahanonu and Mary Vernieu is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Emerald Fennell as a YouTuber who makes an instructional video on blow job lips, Steve Monroe as a police detective late in the film, Francisca Estevez as a high school student that Cassie uses for a blackmailing scheme, Molly Shannon as Nina’s mother in a lone scene where she tells Cassie to move on, Adam Brody as a guy named Jerry who takes Cassie to his place in the film’s opening sequence, Sam Richardson as Jerry’s friend Paul who would also meet Cassie only to realize something is off, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as a guy named Neil who tries to get her to do drugs and sleep with him only to put himself into trouble as he begs Cassie to not do anything, Max Greenfield as Al’s friend Joe who is the embodiment of a fucking douche, and Alfred Molina in an un-credited yet superb performance as Al’s former attorney Jordan Green as a man who admitted to what he did to Nina as he is filled with a lot of regrets over his actions.
Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge are excellent in their respective roles as Cassie’s parents in Stanley and Susan Thomas as the former is a man that prefers to not to say anything about what Cassie does while the latter is more concerned with trying to get Cassie back on board as she often tries to dodge questions to friends about Cassie. Laverne Cox is fantastic as Cassie’s boss Gail who often asks questions about Cassie’s life and feelings about men while also being someone who is funny and keeps Cassie around because she’s good at her job. Alison Brie is brilliant as a former classmate of Cassie in Madison as a successful woman who prefers not to talk about what happened to Nina thinking that no one should care until Cassie does something to her that would become key in the film’s third act. Connie Britton is amazing as the medical school dean in Walker as someone who was indifferent to the report about Nina as she is forced to deal with what Cassie is doing to her through means of blackmail.
Chris Lowell is incredible as Al Monroe as the man who raped Nina years ago and got away with it as he is about to be married as he is present at his own bachelor party where he meets Cassie unaware of her identity and why she wants to meet him. Bo Burnham is remarkable as Ryan Cooper as a former classmate of Cassie, who is now a pediatrician, who befriends her and tries to show her the good sides of life as he would fall for her as he is this idea of someone that is a good guy but also has some secrets of his own that he doesn’t want to share. Finally, there’s Carey Mulligan in a tremendous performance as Cassie Thomas as a former med student with so much promise to become a doctor only for the loss of her best friend to change all of that where Mulligan brings a lot of wit to her performance as someone that is willing to put men into her place as well as being someone that is also guarded. It is a performance that has Mulligan also slowly displaying her vulnerability but at its most restrained as well as showcase the struggle of wanting revenge but also showing forgiveness.
Promising Young Woman is a spectacular film from Emerald Fennell that features a career-defining performance from Carey Mulligan. Along with its supporting cast, colorful visuals, an offbeat music soundtrack, and its study of loss, vengeance, and forgiveness. It is a film that explores a woman’s journey to bring justice over not just the friend she lost but also her own identity that she lost as well while trying to see if she can find forgiveness and a new life for herself in a toxic environment. In the end, Promising Young Woman is a sensational film from Emerald Fennell.
© thevoid99 2022
Directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, Beatriz at Dinner is the story of a Mexican-American massage therapist who is unexpectedly invited to dinner by one of her clients where she finds herself dealing with an arrogant dinner guest. The film is a look into a dinner party filled with rich white people and a lone working-class Mexican-American who finds herself at a dinner where it eventually starts to unravel due to her presence. Starring Salma Hayek, Connie Britton, David Warshofsky, Chloe Sevigny, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, and John Lithgow. Beatriz at Dinner is an eerie yet somber film from Miguel Arteta.
What happens when a massage therapist finds herself being a guest at a dinner party where the man who is the center of attention happens to be one of the most evil men living on Earth? That is pretty much what the film is about as it explores a day in the life of this woman named Beatriz (Salma Hayek) who spends the day doing work at a massage therapy center in helping cancer patients as she also has a rich client in Kathy (Connie Britton). Mike White’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Beatriz’s day as she copes with loss of a goat who was killed by her neighbor but also a day that feels very typical until she is asked to see Kathy who is preparing for a dinner party with her husband Grant (David Warshofsky). Beatriz’s relationship with Kathy and Grant has much to do with the fact that Beatriz had helped their daughter with her battle with cancer. Due to the fact that Beatriz’s car couldn’t start, Kathy invites Beatriz to stay for dinner where Beatriz spends much of the film being this observer as the guests at the dinner party are all white.
The guest of honor at this dinner party is the real estate mogul Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) who is this unconventional antagonist who seems to take pleasure in the money he makes as well as be arrogant in his accomplishments. Yet, Beatriz is curious over a connection she has with him as Strutt is accompanied by his wife Jeana (Amy Landecker) while a couple in Shannon (Chloe Sevigny) and Alex (Jay Duplass) are also guests at the party. Beatriz would observe everything that goes on while also telling about how she met Grant and Kathy through their daughter only to be interrupted by Strutt who would ask questions about her status in America. The dinner would eventually intensify with Kathy stuck in the middle wanting to protect Beatriz yet is aware that Strutt is the reason she and Grant are living a life of luxury as they really don’t know anything else.
Miguel Arteta’s direction doesn’t really bear much of a visual style other than recurring images of Mexico as well as Beatriz’s dead goat and ocean waves as it play into the sense of longing and loss that looms Beatriz during the course of the day. While there are some wide shots in the film including the way Arteta would frame some of the characters in a scene inside Kathy and Grant’s home as a way to show how detached everyone else is to Beatriz’s life and Beatriz herself. It’s also the way Arteta would use close-ups and medium shots to play into Beatriz’s own observation of this party as well as the guests who don’t know her at all as they find her interesting but are concerned about their own lives and what’s going to happen. Yet, with Strutt being the center of attention talking about his accomplishments and ultra-conservative views on the world. Beatriz would eventually find herself becoming more disgusted with him and who he is as a human being.
Arteta’s approach to the suspense and drama is restrained as well as it play into Beatriz being this outsider who would realize more of her connection to Strutt and his actions towards the world. There are these brief moments of intense moments of confrontation but it is all about the status quo as there’s elements of realism that Beatriz has to deal with as it relates to who she is and the ways of the world. Despite the things Strutt says and his actions about what he does, there is still an air of defiance and dignity in Beatriz in how Arteta would frame her as it does play into her place in the world. Overall, Arteta crafts a riveting and understated film about a Mexican-American massage therapist being a guest in a dinner party with one of the vilest men in the world.
Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield does excellent work with the film’s cinematography for the usage of low-key lights for the scenes in the daytime as well as the look for the scenes at night including its interior/exterior setting. Editor Jay Deuby does fantastic work with the editing as it does have bit of styles in the usage of the recurring flashbacks in some stylized transitions as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Ashley Fenton and set decorator Madelaine Frezza do amazing work with the look of Kathy and Grant’s home in how lavish it is as well as the look of their daughter’s room. Costume designer Christina Blackaller does wonderful work with the costumes as it play into the ordinary look of Beatriz to the more posh look of Kathy and her friends.
Visual effects supervisors George Loucas and Scott Mitchell do nice work with the visual effects as it is largely minimal for some exterior set dressing including images that Beatriz would see. The sound work of Dan Snow is superb for its low-key atmosphere in the dinner scenes as well as how Beatriz would observe guests outside the house as she is listening to their conversations. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is terrific for its low-key approach to the music with its mixture of ambient, soft keyboard-based music, and somber orchestral music to play into the melancholia while music supervisor Margaret Yen provides a low-key soundtrack filled with kitsch music played in the background as well as an ambient piece by Brian Eno.
The casting by Joanna Colbert and Meredith Tucker is amazing as it features a few small roles from John Early as Grant and Kathy’s servant and Enrique Castillo as a tow truck driver. Jay Duplass and Chloe Sevigny are superb in their respective roles as the couple Alex and Shannon with the former being someone who likes to drink and do immature things while the latter is a snobbish woman who believes she has a lot to offer. Amy Landecker is fantastic as Strutt’s wife Jeana as a woman who doesn’t really know much about the world as well as being ignorant about everything she has. David Warshofsky is excellent as Kathy’s husband Grant who isn’t keen on having Beatriz at the dinner party but reluctantly gives in since Beatriz did a lot for his daughter.
Connie Britton is brilliant as Kathy as a woman who is kind of Beatriz though she’s is torn in her loyalty to Strutt for the lifestyle he’s brought to her and Grant as well as what Beatriz meant to her as it’s a tricky performance from Britton who could’ve been a one-dimensional character but shows there’s still an air of humanity despite her ignorance of what Beatriz is going through. John Lithgow is incredible as Doug Strutt as it’s a performance that just oozes this air of inhumanity, arrogance, and disdain as someone who is proud of what he’s done with little regard for what other people think and whom he’s hurt as it is one of Lithgow’s great performances. Finally, there’s Salma Hayek in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as a Mexican-American massage therapist who becomes an unexpected dinner guest as she deals with the other guests including Strutt whom she would despise as the night goes on as it’s a restrained performance from Hayek that shows a woman who’s endured so much loss and heartache as it’s Hayek in one of her defining performances.
Beatriz at Dinner is a sensational film from Miguel Arteta that features top-notch performances from Salma Hayek and John Lithgow. Featuring a compelling script by Mike White, a superb ensemble supporting cast, and a look into a world that is toxic with the person at the center of attention mirrors a certain figure who is probably the most hated individual of the 21st Century so far. In the end, Beatriz at Dinner is a spectacular film from Miguel Arteta.
Miguel Arteta Films: (Star Maps) – (Chuck & Buck) – (The Good Girl) – (Youth in Revolt) – Cedar Rapids - (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) – (Duck Butter)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the story of a high school senior who befriends a girl suffering from leukemia as he calls on the help of a friend to make her life a little better. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Jesse Andrews, the film is an exploration into death as well as a young man trying to find meaning in his young life with the aid of this dying young woman. Starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal, and Connie Britton. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a heartwarming and witty film from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
The film revolves around a jaded high school senior who is forced by his mother to spend time with a leukemia-stricken classmate of his where the two become friends and bring another friend into the circle. It’s a film with a simple story but it is largely told from this young man named Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) who is trying to write his college essay as he talks about the time he spent with this young girl named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who tries to cope with her ailment. Even as he would eventually try to make a film for her with the help of his friend Earl (RJ Cyler) who would also befriend Rachel. Jesse Andrews’ script is told in a reflective narrative as Gaines tries to write his college acceptance essay which is largely about his time with Rachel and being her friend.
Even as it explores Gaines’ own unwillingness to socialize with other students as he has trouble fitting in while he and Earl share a love of watching classic art-house/auteur-based cinema where their parodies of those films is something Rachel would enjoy. Earl is sort of the film’s conscience in the film though his commentary on things including lots of things about women’s breasts make him an odd but an endearing one since he really does care. Gaines is someone who is just unsure of himself as someone who is full of self-loathing in his belief that he couldn’t do anything right where Rachel would mark a change of direction for him. Yet, he keeps wondering if he’s going to make things worse just as Rachel’s own health is failing which prompts to question his own self and his own reasons into what he wants to do with his life.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s direction is very simple not just in terms of the compositions but also in the way he creates a story that is simple and makes it more rich and extraordinary that it already is. Shot largely in an anamorphic format, Gomez-Rejon’s approach to shooting to shooting the school as well as various locations in and near Pittsburgh would give the film a lot to say visually. Even in the way he would put his actors into a frame where one would be in the foreground and the other in the background or would just go for a simple medium shot during a scene where Gaines, Rachel, and Earl are eating popsicles. The film parodies that Gaines and Earl would make not only have something that is amateurish but also with a sense of charm where the two put their own spin on classic films including the ones by Stanley Kubrick, Francois Truffaut, and Werner Herzog. Especially the one Gaines would make as it was created with the help of stop-motion animators Edward Bursch and Nathan O. Marsh as it would serve as the film’s climax for what Gaines would do for Rachel. Overall, Gomez-Rejon crafts a touching yet lively film about a high school senior trying to help a dying young girl.
Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung does brilliant work with the cinematography from not just the look of the classrooms and lunch room but also in the way much of the daytime interior/exteriors are lit as well as some unique lighting for some scenes set at night. Editor David Trachtenberg does excellent work with the editing as it has a lot of style with its jump-cuts and other stylish cut to play into the humor and some of the drama. Production designer Gerald Sullivan, with set decorator Diana Stoughton and art director Sarah M. Pott, does fantastic work with the look of the rooms that Gaines and Rachel had to express their personalities as well as the DVD store Gaines and Earl often go to where they show a lot of art films. Costume designer Jennifer Eve does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with bits of style to express the personality of the many characters in the film.
Visual effects supervisor Zared Shai does terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects that include a few things in the home movies Gaines and Earl make. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff does superb work with the sound in the way the lunchroom sounds as well as the way the movies are being heard on TV or on a laptop. The film’s music by Brian Eno and Nico Muhly is amazing as it features some soft, ambient pieces from the latter while the former would contribute music from some of albums ranging from experimental rock to ambient pieces while music supervisor Randall Poster would create a soundtrack that doesn’t just feature Eno’s music but also score pieces from composers like Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, David Shire, Wendy Carlos, and Jean Constantin and music from other films by Harry Nilsson, Explosions in the Sky, Ra Ra Riot, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, and Roy Orbison.
The casting by Angela Demo is great as it features some notable small roles from Bobb’e J. Thompson as Earl’s older brother Derrick who doesn’t really like Gaines, Matt Bennett as the Goth kid Scott Mayhew, Masam Holden as the wannabe rapper Ill Phil, Edward DeBruce III as the young Earl, Gavin Dietz as the young Gaines, and Katherine C. Hughes in a wonderful performance as Gaines’ crush in Madison who would give Gaines the idea to make a film for Rachel despite his own reluctance to. Jon Bernthal is terrific as Gaines’ history teacher who would let him and Earl eat lunch at his office while watching classic film as he would give Gaines some very wise advice but death and what can be learned afterwards. Molly Shannon is fantastic as Rachel’s mother Denise who is a very sweet woman that is going through a lot as she also display a vulnerability as she copes with what she might lose.
Connie Britton and Nick Offerman are excellent as Gaines’ parents with the former as the one who would make Greg see Rachel and telling him to think about his future while the latter is an eccentric who likes to watch classic films while feeding his son and Earl some strange food. RJ Cyler is amazing in his film debut as Earl as this kid who says a lot of weird things yet is sort of the film’s conscience as this kid from the streets that is very kind and patient to Rachel while getting Gaines to deal with his own faults. Olivia Cooke is brilliant as Rachel as a teenager stricken with leukemia as she tries to deal with the seriousness of her illness while finding comfort in the presence of Gaines and Earl as she would also confront the former about his own worth as a person. Finally, there’s Thomas Mann in a marvelous performance as Greg Gaines as this jaded high school senior who is forced by his mother to hang out with Rachel where he tries to cope with her illness and ways to make her feel better where he is forced to deal with his own self-loathing and feelings about the ways of the world.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is an incredible film from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Featuring a great cast, a compelling premise, and a sensational film soundtrack, the film is a witty yet engaging story that explores life and death from the views of teenagers as well as the ideas of the world itself. In the end, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a phenomenal film from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
© thevoid99 2016
