Written, directed, and co-edited by Coralie Fargeat, The Substance is the story of a former Hollywood film star who turns 50 as her career starts to fade until she goes to the black market to get a drug that will make her a younger version of herself. The film is an exploration of aging and body image where a woman deals with a fading career as an aerobics instructor on TV where she takes a drug to become a different person only for things to go wrong. Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. The Substance is a monstrous and exhilarating film by Coralie Fargeat.
The film revolves around a former Hollywood starlet whose aerobics TV show is abruptly cancelled as she had turned 50 where she is given a mysterious flash drive about a black-market drug known as the Substance that would allow her to become a younger and better version of herself but with some rules. It is a film that explores many themes including aging, body imagery, and the male gaze towards the women they exploit. Coralie Fargeat’s screenplay does have a straightforward narrative where it explores the world of Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as she was this celebrated figure with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that has been treated with indifference despite the popularity of her aerobics show. Its cancellation is abrupt because she just turned 50 as its producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) made the decision in the hopes he can get someone younger to drive up ratings. After a car accident, a nurse (Robin Greer) gives Sparkle a flash drive about this drug known as the Substance where she is intrigued by it while also following its specific instructions.
Upon using the Substance, its activator can only be used once where Sparkle’s body becomes unconscious while her new body in Sue (Margaret Qualley) can be conscious but only for seven days as they would have to switch places with no exceptions with balance being key to its success. Sue would get the attention of Harvey following an audition as she would get her own fitness show where ratings go through the roof as she would crave more fame and fortune. Thus, she would break the rules of using the substance which would cause parts of Sparkle’s body to age rapidly. Fargeat’s script doesn’t have a lot of dialogue throughout the film other than moments where events in the second and third act where Sparkle starts to mentally unravel over her physical state as she becomes resentful towards Sue for breaking the balance of their usage of the Substance. For Sue, she becomes annoyed with Sparkle’s own behavior antics that threatens her career as things start to get out of control.
Fargeat’s direction is stylish in every sense of the word in how the film opens with the Substance serum injected into an egg that splits into two and then cuts to Sparkle getting a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Shot on various locations in France with Cote d’Azur being the exterior double for Los Angeles and interiors shot in studios in Paris. Fargeat creates a film that is set in a hyperactive world where it is about giant billboards, flashing cameras, how many people are seeing you, and everything that comes with fame. Fargeat emphasizes on extreme close-ups and medium shots to play into this manic world of celebrity culture as well as the fact that women are often exploited for reasons beyond their control. Fargeat doesn’t hold back when it comes to the male gaze in scenes where Sue is hosting her show with a lot of close-ups of her ass and cleavage being a key part where sex sells. While Sparkle is a beautiful woman for her age, she is not what Harvey wants where there are scenes of her fully-naked where the flaws of her body come into play as it play into Sparkle’s desire to use the Substance. There are wide shots to play into the growing sense of disconnect that happens for Sparkle as she tries to distance herself from Sue.
Editing with Jerome Eltabet and Valentin Feron, Fargeat emphasize on different editing styles such as the overly-stylized fast-cutting common with Hollywood films to play into the chaotic world of celebrity culture. Yet, Fargeat would know when to slow things down as it relates to Sparkle’s own declining physical and mental state where she would also use tracking shots for both her and Sue walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Even as the camera would show them walking from their point of view where it is presented in a hand-held style as if both women would get sick during their time in using the Substance. The second half is where the body horror comes as it doesn’t just play into Sue’s disregard for the rules of using the Substance but its effect on Sparkle where parts of her body would age. Even as there is a moment where Sparkle’s own abuse of her own body would start to affect Sue in a scene where she finds something in her body as it plays into this conflict between the two women.
The film’s third act is where the body horror is intensified as it plays into the fallacies of beauty and fame with Sparkle wanting to end it all just as Sue is about to host a big New Year’s Eve special on TV. What would happen afterward would play into the desperation of wanting to be beautiful and the eventual result is shocking. Shocking would be an understatement to describe the film’s climax as it goes beyond the parameters expected in body horror where Fargeat goes all out and then some. Overall, Fargeat crafts a horrifying and provocative film about an aging starlet taking a mysterious substance where she creates a young woman who shares her consciousness.
Cinematographer Benjamin Kracun does brilliant work with the film’s vibrant and colorful cinematography for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the scenes in the bathroom along with some stylish lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Production designer Stanislas Reydellet, along with supervising art director Gladys Garot plus set decorators Cecilia Blom, Marion De Villechabrolle, and construction manager Jacques Oursin, does amazing work with the look of the condo that Sparkle lives in as well as the studio hallway where Sue would work at and the office that Harvey works at in all its awful grandeur. Costume designer Emmanuelle Youchnovski does excellent work with the costumes in the revealing fitness clothing that Sue wears for her show as well as the yellow coat that both women share. Special effects makeup designer Pierre Olivier Persin does phenomenal work with the makeup as it is the highlight of the film in the prosthetics breasts of Sue as well as the aging makeup for Sparkle due to the unbalanced effects of the Substance as it is a highlight of the film.
Special effects supervisors Pierre Hugueny and Jean Miel, along with visual effects supervisor Bryan Jones, do terrific work with the visual effects for some set-dressing in scenes outside of the condo as well as other visual elements that play into the horror of the film. Sound designers Valerie Deloof and Victor Fleurant do superb work with the sound in the way Harvey eats shrimp in the most disgusting of ways as well as some of the sparse sound textures in the film that play into the sense of horror and suspense. The film’s music by Benjamin Stefanski, in his Raffertie pseudonym, is incredible for its warbling electronic score that has elements of pulsating sounds and textures to play into Sue’s world but also some somber pieces that play into the horror and anguish that Sparkle goes through while music supervisor Guillaume Baurez creates a soundtrack that is filled with some electronic pieces from Holy Fuck with Lucia Tacchetti, Romanger, Earl Gregory, Thomas Kuralti, and a couple of score pieces by Richard Strauss and Bernard Herrmann.
The casting by Laure Cochener and Lea Moszkowicz is fantastic as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Vincent Colombe as one of Harvey’s executives, Yann Bean as the voice of the Substance, Hugo Diego Garcia as a lover of Sue that appears in the third act, Oscar Lesage as another lover of Sue who is a biker, Tom Morton as a doctor who examines Sparkle early in the film, Robin Greer as a young male nurse that would give Sparkle the flash drive for the Substance, Gore Abrams as a neighbor of Sue/Sparkle, Edward Hamilton Clark as a former classmate of Sparkle that she bumps into whom she almost goes on a date with, and Christian Ericksen as a mysterious old man Sparkle meets at a diner. Dennis Quaid is great as the TV producer Harvey as Quaid goes all out as a man who is the most despicable person in the world. A man that eats large shrimp in the most disgusting of ways that makes all the body horror seem tame in comparison while he is an absolute misogynistic asshole that anyone who comes across with would want to punch him in the face.
Margaret Qualley is phenomenal as Sue as the younger version of Sparkle that comes out of Sparkle’s body where Qualley displays a great sense of physicality into her performance as someone that is fit as well as being able to do the kind of fitness that a fitness model needs to do. There is also a complexity in her personality in the way she presents herself publicly as well as dealing with what Sparkle has done to herself, showcasing a dark edge that would be her own undoing. Finally, there’s Demi Moore in a performance for the ages as Elisabeth Sparkle as a former actress/TV fitness personality who had just turned 50 and lost her job as she copes with aging and not knowing what to do next. Moore brings a lot of wit to her performance once her character starts to age as there is a physicality and a dark edge into her performance where Moore goes all out and then some as it is really the performance of her career.
The Substance is an outstanding film by Coralie Fargeat that features a tremendous leading performance from Demi Moore as well as a great supporting performance from Margaret Qualley. Along with its study of aging, vibrant visuals, a hypnotic music soundtrack, discomforting sound effects, and the incredible special makeup effects that pushes the idea of what body horror could be. It is a film that doesn’t hold back in terms of its exploration of an industry that exploits women and the pressures to be beautiful as well as the effect on those who are forced to retire when they still have much to offer. In the end, The Substance is a magnificent film by Coralie Fargeat.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, Kinds of Kindness is a trilogy of stories in which a man is trying to take control of his life after being under total control from everyone while a second story involves a policeman who learns his wife has returned but is completely different and a third story involving a woman trying to find someone with special abilities and make that person a spiritual leader. The film is a loosely connected trilogy of stories that involves multiple characters dealing with their situations as well as going on a search for anyone that can sympathize with them. Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer. Kinds of Kindness is an extraordinarily absurd and whimsical film by Yorgos Lanthimos.
The film revolves around a trio of stories that all play into the idea of humanity with people encountering the absurd but also in situations that would prove to be challenging. All of which would feature a character mysteriously known as R.M.F. (Yorgos Stefanakos) as he is the titular character in all three different stories in the film. The first story entitled The Death of R.M.F. is about a man whose life is always in control until he refuses to finish an assignment he is asked to do where his life would fall apart. The second story in R.M.F. is Flying is about a police officer who learns his wife had been found after being lost in sea during a marine biology assignment, yet he realizes that something is not right as he believes the person who looks exactly like his wife is not really his wife. The third and final story in R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich is about two people trying to find someone who they believe possesses special abilities as they hope this person will become their spiritual leader for a secret cult. The film’s screenplay by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou is straightforward in its narrative, yet each story all plays into characters who are all in some strange situations as well as be in a world that is all absurd.
Lanthimos’ direction is stylish for the different approaches in telling the three different stories though they are all shot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana. Notably as some of his ideas of visual absurdity are kept to a restraint as it plays into more humanistic stories as the absurdity is more driven by the different plots in the film. Lanthimos would emphasize towards wide and medium shots in exploring some of the locations as well as to play into the sense of disconnect from reality. Lanthimos also uses close-ups to play towards some of the dramatic moments as well as some absurd and comical moments that occur in the film. Each story does have a distinctive tone as The Death of R.M.F. has an air of restraint in how the character of Robert Fletcher (Jesse Plemons) lives his day as it is always structured and controlled until he tries to kill someone for his boss/lover Raymond (Willem Dafoe) where he failed as his life falls apart where Lanthimos would maintain a sense of chaos that is burgeoning. In R.M.F. is Flying, the character of the police officer Daniel (Jesse Plemons) is coping with the loss of his wife Liz (Emma Stone) believing that she is lost at sea until he hears that Liz and another marine biologist had been found in an island.
Lanthimos’ direction in that segment is also restrained though the absurdity comes later when Daniel becomes more unhinged about this woman who is living his house where he asks her some odd things. Each segment would feature some offbeat ending that does play into this act of kindness though the third and final segment in R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich is much darker in its absurdity as it plays into the idea of cults that follows the two characters in Emily (Emma Stone) and Andrew (Jesse Plemons) are a part of as they try to find someone who they hope could be their spiritual leader. The direction has Lanthimos presenting a world that is offbeat where Emily and Andrew are part of this cult, yet they venture into the real world to find this person, though the former is also dealing with personal turmoil involving her ex-husband Joseph (Joe Alwyn) who would make things worse for her. It all plays into this desire to belong though reality would eventually kick in with an aftermath that all plays into the titular character of these three stories. Overall, Lanthimos crafts an exhilarating yet riveting film about a trilogy of tales revolving around people who deal with troubling circumstances in their lives.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward for many of the daytime exterior scenes while also utilizing some black-and-white film stock for some offbeat inserts that add to the film’s surrealist tone. Editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of stylish cuts including some slow-motion shots and jump-cuts that add to the film’s humor. Production designer Anthony Gasparro, along with art directors Andrew Carnwath and Chris Cornwell plus set decorator Amy Beth Silver, does amazing work with look of the different homes the characters live in from the posh home that Raymond lives in as well as the motel room that Emily and Andrew stay at. Costume designer Jennifer Johnson does fantastic work with the costumes in the suits that Robert wears as well as the brown suit that Emily would wear and some of the stylish clothing that many characters wear.
Special effects makeup artist Adam Bailey and hair stylist Gabrielle Burns do terrific work in some of the film’s minimal makeup effects as well as some of the design of the hairstyles that some of the characters wear. Special effects supervisor Matt Kutcher and visual effects supervisor Sebastian Barker do nice work in some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it relates to some stunts involving cars and other offbeat visual inserts. Sound designer Johnnie Burn does superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that are created as well as the usage of sparse and natural sounds for some key scenes in the film’s natural locations. The film’s music by Jersin Fendrix is incredible for its eerie music score that mainly consists of a few choral vocal arrangements and some discordant piano pieces that add to the drama and humor while music supervisors Anne Booty, Nick Payne, and Joe Rice cultivate a unique soundtrack that features music from the Eurythmics, Dio, and Cobrah.
The casting by Dixie Chassay is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Krystal Alayne Chambers as a cult member who is hoping to be cleansed, Merah Benoit as Emily and Joseph’s daughter whom Emily rarely sees, Yorgos Stefanakos as variations of a man known as R.M.F., and Hunter Schafer as a young woman named Anna who is observed by both Emily and Andrew to see if she has any powers. Joe Alwyn is terrific in a trio of small roles as a collector appraisal who shortchanges Robert over the sports memorabilia he possesses while he also plays car passenger that Daniel deals with, and as Emily’s ex-husband Joseph who has issues with Emily’s life in the cult as well as how to deal with their daughter. Hong Chau is fantastic in a trio of roles as Robert’s wife, the wife of Liz’s colleague, and as the wife of a cult leader in Aka where Chau brings a lot of low-key restraint and humor to the characters that she plays.
Mamoudou Athie is excellent in a trio of roles as Sarah’s swim coach, Daniel’s police officer partner Neil, and as a morgue nurse where he is quite prominent as Neil who is concerned over Daniel’s behavior considering Liz’s return. Margaret Qualley is brilliant in a quartet of roles as Raymond’s in-house lover Vivian, Neil’s wife Martha, and as identical twins in Ruth and Rebecca where Qualley brings a lot of different complexities to the characters with Rebecca being the weirdest as someone who goes to Emily and Andrew over her sister believing she’s the person they’re looking for. Willem Dafoe is amazing in a trio of role as Robert’s boss/lover Raymond, Liz’s father George, and a cult leader in Omi where Dafoe brings a lot of versatility to his roles as this stern yet caring figure for Robert as well as an offbeat man in Omi who is a true believer of this idea that they’re following believing that purified water from humans will give them long lives.
Finally, there’s Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons in tremendous performances in the trios of roles they play. In the roles of Raymond’s temporary lover Rita, Daniel’s long-lost wife Liz, and the cult follower Emily, Stone provides a lot of different looks and nuances to the characters she plays with Liz being this woman who is trying to understand her husband’s odd behavior while being livelier and more humorous as Emily in her mission to find this spiritual being as well as trying to see her daughter. Plemons’ performances as Robert and Daniel are full of these complexities with former being a man whose life is structured in every way until he breaks from that structure while the latter is someone who becomes suspicious over his wife over the little things about her that he does not recognize. In the role of Emily’s partner Andrew, Plemons is more restrained as someone who helps her while also being in love with Omi as he is envious towards Emily over her connection with him.
Kinds of Kindness is a phenomenal film from Yorgos Lanthimos that features top-notch leading performances from Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. Along with its ensemble cast, wondrous visuals, an eerie music score, and riveting stories of humanity in troubling situations. It is a film that plays into a trio of offbeat stories that has a bit of surrealism as it involves people who are in situations that are beyond their control and to try and find some form of kindness. In the end, Kinds of Kindness is a sensational film by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Yorgos Lanthimos Films: (My Best Friend (2001 film)) – (Kinetta) – Dogtooth - (Alps) – The Lobster - (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) – The Favourite - Poor Things - (Bugonia)
Based on the novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things is the story of a scientist who resurrects the body of a Victorian woman following her suicide as she goes into a discovery of self and sexual identity. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and screenplay by Tony McNamara, the film is a unique take on the story of Frankenstein as it play into men dealing with this woman who has been brought back to life as they are also dealing with her sense of self-discovery. Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Margaret Qualley, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, and Hanna Schygulla. Poor Things is an astonishingly surreal and exhilarating film from Yorgos Lanthimos.
Set in the late 19th Century during the Victorian era of London, the film revolves around a young woman who had killed herself only to be resurrected by a scientist as she goes on a journey of sexual discovery, identity, and ideals through some of the people she meets along the way including a greedy and nefarious attorney who lusts after her. It is a film that follows the life of this woman who despite having a brain transplant following her suicide as she would have the mind of a child that would then grow into a full-fledge woman with an appetite for sex and knowledge. Tony McNamara’s screenplay is filled with not just this unique study of a woman’s mental and emotional development but also through the people she meets in her life including the scientist in Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) who found her dead body in a river and would make a discovery as he would remove her brain and put in another brain and use electricity to revive her as he would call her Bella (Emma Stone).
Dr. Baxter and his maid Mrs. Prim (Vicki Pepperdine) would take care of Bella who would start off with the mind of a child learning to walk as one of his students in Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) would aid them both and take notes as he would fall for Bella. Yet, Bella gets the attention of the attorney Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) who would fall for her and convince Bella to travel with him around the world much to Dr. Baxter’s reluctance and Max’s refusal. Bella’s relationship with Duncan revolves around sex at first until she gets to know him as someone who is a control freak that couldn’t keep up with Bella’s thirst for sex and knowledge as they travel on a ship to Alexandria where she meets the cynical philosopher Harry Astley and the elderly German Martha Von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) who are both amazed by her. Yet, Bella would also encounter things that would challenge her ideals as it all plays into her own journey and revelations about her past life before her suicide.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ direction is quite sprawling in terms of not just the way he imagines some of the places that Bella would encounter but also a world that is just as odd and wondrous as she would imagine. Shot largely on location in Hungary with several interiors and sets made at the Origo Studios in Budapest, Lanthimos does play into this world that is full of wonders but also a reality that is too terrifying to ignore. Much of the film’s first act is shot in black-and-white with bits of color emerging in flashbacks as Lanthimos’ usage of fish-eyed lenses for wide shots add to the surrealistic tone of the film as well as this world where Bella is protected from during her time living with Dr. Baxter who is a father figure to her while also knows the truth about who she is. Max is also protective of her as he would take notes observing her while all three and Mrs. Prim are happy at Dr. Baxter’s lab in doing experiments including the hybrid animals that Dr. Baxter has surrounded himself. Still, Lanthimos’ direction also play into the outside world as its second act goes into full-blown color while it also play into this sense of manic energy into Bella’s hedonistic attitudes as she finds a partner in Duncan.
The scenes set in Lisbon, Alexandria, and the cruise ship they travel on are quite surreal as it is this strange mix of a futuristic world (by 19th Century standards) and the period of the time as it has something that feels artificial and dream-like. Lanthimos’ usage of the wide and medium shots add to the scope of that world while Lanthimos does maintain some intimacy including the usage of close-ups including some extreme close-ups that play into Bella’s sexual awakening. There is a lot of humor that play into Bella’s understanding of the world as well as humanity where its third act that begins in Paris where she learns a lot about the ways of the world and what Dr. Baxter was trying to shield her from. Especially as there’s revelations into her past life where Max feels the need to take a stand for her as well as realize the sacrifices that Dr. Baxter had done towards her. It all plays into a woman discovering herself but also a world where men do what they can to maintain the status quo unaware that she is willing to challenge these ideals. Overall, Lanthimos crafts a majestic yet wild film about a woman coming of age in her understanding of sex and its many ideals including her own identity.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does incredible work with the film’s cinematography from the striking imagery in the black-and-white photography in its daytime interior/exterior scenes to the exterior scenes at night as well as the lush colors for the scenes in Lisbon and the interiors in the ships as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style as well as some unique jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts that add to some of the humor and drama. Production designer Shona Heath and James Price, with set decorator Zsuzsa Mihalek and senior art director Jonathan Houlding, do phenomenal work with the set design in the way Lisbon is presented as well as the interiors of the ships as well as the rooms and lab at Dr. Baxter’s home as it is a major highlight of the film. Costume designer Holly Waddington does fantastic work with the design of the dresses that Bella wears as well as the suits that the men wear during that period in the late 19th Century.
Prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier and hair/makeup prosthetic designer Nadia Stacey, along with hair/makeup supervisor Carolyn Cousins, do amazing work with the look of Dr. Baxter with his scars and deformed body parts as well as some of the scars that Bella has in her body. Special effects supervisors Balazs Hoffmann and Gabor Kiszelly, along with visual effects supervisor Simon Hughes, do terrific work in some of the visual design of some of the hybrid animals that Dr. Baxter have created as well as some set dressing including some of the cable cars at Lisbon. Sound designer Johnnie Burn does superb work with the sound in creating an atmosphere in the way Bella hears things as well as certain natural sounds and textures that play into the humor and drama. The film’s music by Jerskin Fendrix is brilliant for its unconventional music score filled with unique string and piano arrangements and textures that are offbeat in its presentation as well as some orchestral themes that have some discordant elements as it is a highlight of the film while music supervisors Anne Booty and Sarah Giles cultivate a soundtrack that largely features European folk music of that period performed by Carminho.
The casting by Dixie Chassay is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from composter Jerskin Fendrix as a restaurant musician in Lisbon, Carminho as a Fado performer Bella sees in Lisbon, Wayne Brett as a priest whom Bella would have sex with, Tom Stourton as a steward on the ship that Duncan tries to fight against, Vicki Pepperdine as Dr. Baxter’s maid/assistant Mrs. Prim who is very loyal to Dr. Baxter, Suzy Bemba as a prostitute in Toinette whom Bella would befriend and learn the ideas of socialism from, and Margaret Qualley in a terrific small role as Felicity as a replacement for Bella at the Baxter home as she provides a lot of humor as someone that has a hard time learning. Kathryn Hunter is superb as Madame Swiney as an aging brothel madam in Paris that gives Bella a job in the film’s third act as well as show her a broader view of the world through good and bad. Hanna Schygulla is fantastic as Martha Von Kurtzroc as an elderly passenger whom Bella befriends on the ship as she gives Bella some joy and insight as well as gaining her own sense of joy through Bella.
Jerrod Carmichael is excellent as the American philosopher in Harry Astley whom Bella meets on the ship towards Alexandria as a cynic who wants to show Bella the cruelties of the world while he also realizes that Bella’s viewpoint also has some upsides. Christopher Abbott is brilliant as Alfie Blessington as a cruel and sadistic general who is a key figure in Bella’s past as he is this representation of the darkest aspects of humanity and masculinity. Ramy Youssef is amazing as Max McCandles as a medical student that Dr. Baxter brings in to assist him as he falls for Bella while also coping with her absence as he copes with Dr. Baxter’s growing illness as he is someone that represents the best in men as he is also open-minded and caring. Mark Ruffalo is great as Duncan Wedderburn as this sleazy and hedonistic attorney that falls for Bella as he would take her around Europe only to be overwhelmed by her as he is full of dark humor and snobbery that adds to how awful his character is as it is one of Ruffalo’s finest performances.
Willem Dafoe is incredible as Dr. Godwin “God” Baxter as this scientist and surgeon who has a deformed face and hands while also is unable to fart as he is this odd yet caring figure who is trying to understand humanity while caring for Bella as if she’s his daughter as it is a very tender and somber performance from Dafoe. Finally, there’s Emma Stone in a magnificent performance as Bella Baxter as this woman who had been resurrected after committing suicide but with the brain of a baby as she would learn about things while there is also a sense of physicality that Stone brings to her performance. Stone also exudes this sense of wonderment and ferocity in her role as there’s a lot of energy and emotions into her role but also the willingness to be vulgar in a humorous way as it is a performance for the ages.
Poor Things is an outstanding film from Yorgos Lanthimos that features a towering leading performance from Emma Stone. Along with its ensemble cast, Tony McNamara’s riveting script, ravishing visuals, gorgeous cinematography, wondrous sound design, and Jerskin Fendrix’s offbeat score. It is a film that explores a woman’s journey to find herself but also her exploration of sex and identity as it is told in a grand and stylistic manner. In the end, Poor Things is a magnificent film from Yorgos Lanthimos.
Based on a collection of short stories by James Franco, Palo Alto is a film consisting of three different stories set in Palo Alto, California as it relates to teenagers dealing with boredom, lust, and self-destructive behavior. Written for the screen and directed by Gia Coppola, the film is an exploration of teenage life in a small Californian town as it revolves around a group of high schoolers dealing with their own surroundings and the world around them. Starring Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Zoe Levin, Chris Messina, Keegan Allen, Margaret Qualley, Val Kilmer, and James Franco. Palo Alto is an evocative and compelling film from Gia Coppola.
The film revolves around a group of teenagers living in Palo Alto, California as they all deal with growing pains, lust, boredom, and other issues as they all embark on some journey that play to their growth. It’s a film that follow four different teens as they all share a narrative of sorts where Gia Coppola creates as it play into these teens who are just lost in the world around them as April (Emma Roberts) is a high school student that is also part of the school’s soccer team as she has a crush on their coach Mr. B. (James Franco) whom she also babysits her son. April has feelings for one of her classmates in the aspiring artist/stoner Teddy (Jack Kilmer) who often hangs out with the more destructive stoner Fred (Nat Wolff) as they get into some trouble with Teddy being forced to serve community service after crashing into another car in order to avoid juvenile detention. Fred meanwhile goes after a teammate of April in Emily (Zoe Levin) whom he would have sex with yet has also things that he would want to do as he would also cause trouble. Though Coppola’s script is loose in its narrative and can be messy at times, she is able to find ways to play into the evolution of these characters as they deal with their growing pains.
Coppola’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of its presentation while utilizing real locations in and around Southern California including the town of Palo Alto as it is a character in the film. Coppola would use wide shots for some of the locations including scenes where the characters are in a location to play into their own sense of isolation and boredom while she also uses medium shots for some of the party scenes in the film. There are also intimate moments in Coppola’s direction in some of the medium shots as well as close-ups as it add to the drama. Notably as it play into April’s own interaction with Mr. B. whom she would have an affair with despite the fact that he’s an adult and she’s a high school student.
There are also moments that do play into the many fallacies of Teddy and Fred’s friendship as the latter tends to be involved in destructive manners as well as voiceover in what he would to Emily with other boys. Coppola also play into Emily’s own search for love but also her own sexual exploration although her character isn’t as developed as she has no idea about what she’s doing other than become a prop for Fred. The climax does play into a party but also characters growing up over some of the things they encounter as well as thinking about the next stage in their lives. Yet, it also forces a few to ponder if there is even a future for them as it all play into the ideas of growing up. Overall, Coppola crafts a dreamy yet haunting film about teenagers dealing with growing pains in Palo Alto, California.
Cinematographer Autumn Cheyenne Durald does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key and natural lighting for many of the daytime exteriors as well as the usage of lighting to low-level lighting for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Leo Scott does excellent work with the editing as it has style in its usage of jump-cuts and dissolves to play into some of the dizzying adventures the characters go through but also some straightforward cuts for the drama. Production designer Sara Beckum Jamieson, with set decorator Natalie Ziering and art director Dori Hana Scherer, does fantastic work with the look of the homes of where Fred and Emily lived while the rooms of Teddy and April are actual locations. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does nice work with the costumes from the stylish look of Emily to the stoner clothing that Fred and Teddy wear.
Hair/makeup artist Molly Paddon does terrific work with some of the makeup April and Emily would wear along with their friends. Visual effects supervisor Viktor Muller does fine work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it relates to some of the car crashes in the film. Sound designer Richard Beggs does incredible work with the sound in the way music sounds at a party as well as some of the sparse sounds in natural locations. The film’s music by Devonte Hynes and Robert Schwartzman is wonderful for its mixture of indie, pop, hip-hop, and other kinds of music that include contributions from Jason Schwartzman’s side project Coconut Records, Mac DeMarco, Jack Kilmer, Nat & Alex Wolff, Blood Orange, Francesco Pennino, William Storkson, and Tonstartssbandht.
The casting by Laray Mayfield is superb as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Talia Shire as April’s guidance counselor, Janet Jones Gretzky as Teddy’s mother, Emma Gretzky as Teddy’s sister, Colleen Camp as a woman who was part of a car accident Teddy got involved in, Francis Ford Coppola as the voice of a judge, Ana Thea Bogdanovich as a friend of the woman whom Teddy crashed into, Brennan and Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor as a couple of kids at a party, Andrew Lutheran as a boy April makes out with at a party, Jacqueline De La Fontaine as April’s mother, Don Novello as an art teacher, Sandra Seacat as an elderly woman who takes a liking towards Teddy’s art work during his community service, Margaret Qualley as a teammate of April in Raquel whom April notices Mr. B. puts his attention towards to, Chris Messina as Fred’s father who is a stoner and tries to flirt with Teddy, Keegan Allen as a weed dealer who insults Fred, and Val Kilmer as April’s stepfather Stewart who likes to smoke weed but also help her out with her term paper. Olivia Crocicchia and Claudia Levy are terrific in their respective roles as April’s classmates Chrissy and Shauna who often host parties while also making rumors about everyone.
Zoe Levin is pretty good in her role as Emily despite the fact that she’s underwritten in terms of the fact that there’s not a lot of development to her other than that she gives Teddy a blow-job early in the film and is the object of lust for other guys. James Franco is fantastic as April’s soccer coach Mr. B. whom April has a crush on while he is also creepy for the fact that he also likes April as well. Nat Wolff is amazing as Fred as this unlikeable and destructive teen who likes to smoke weed but also engage in vandalism and other destructive elements to the point that he gets Teddy in trouble as well as use Emily for sexual reasons. Jack Kilmer is excellent as Teddy as a stoner who has a gift for art as he deals with the drawbacks of his friendship with Fred but also his own issues as he also has a crush towards April. Finally, there’s Emma Roberts in a brilliant performance as April as a teenage girl dealing with uncertainty with her life as she longs for her soccer coach as well as coping with growing pains as it is one of Roberts’ finest performances.
Palo Alto is a marvelous film from Gia Coppola that features great performances from Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff, and Jack Kilmer in his film debut. Along with its supporting cast, rapturous visuals, hypnotic music soundtrack, and its exploration of teenage life in a small town in Southern California. It is a film that is a mesmerizing coming-of-age film that doesn’t just explore teen angst and uncertainty but also people just trying to find themselves in a small town. In the end, Palo Alto is a remarkable film from Gia Coppola.
Based on the novel by Richard Nathaniel Wright, Native Son is the story of a young African-American man who takes a job as a chauffeur for a wealthy white businessman in Chicago where things don’t go well as it seems. Directed by Rashid Johnson and screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks, the film is an exploration of a young man who is given a major opportunity only to find himself in serious trouble as the story is set to modern times since the book and previous adaptations took place during the 1940s. Starring Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Bill Camp, David Alan Grier, and Sanaa Lathan. Native Son is a compelling and haunting film from Rashid Johnson.
The film follows a young African-American man who lives in the working class area of Chicago as he’s given the chance to take a job as a chauffeur for a wealthy white businessman only to deal with his wild daughter. It’s a film with a simple premise that does play into a young man given an opportunity that will help financially as well as socially though he is an anomaly of sorts as he prefers to listen 70s/80s punk rock and classical music than hip-hop. Suzan-Lori Parks’ screenplay is largely straightforward as it is told largely from the perspective of its protagonist Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders) who lives with his family in the streets of Chicago as it include two young siblings and his mother Trudy (Sanaa Lathan).
While Bigger has a girlfriend in Bessie (KiKi Layne), he is often pressured to take part in things some of his friends do that often involve criminal activities as this opportunity to be a chauffeur for the wealthy businessman Henry Dalton (Bill Camp) as he’s a kind and likeable figure that Bigger doesn’t have any disdain for. Yet, it is Dalton’s daughter Mary (Margaret Qualley) as she is a radical who is engaged to a young activist in Jan Erlone (Nick Robinson) as Bigger thinks they’re good people but also a bit disconnected with the real world.
Rashid Johnson’s direction does have elements of style yet much of his approach to the compositions are largely straightforward as it is shot on location in Chicago. Johnson uses the city as a character as it play into two different worlds of the city with one being urban and working class while the other is upper class and rich. Johnson’s wide and medium shots to play into these different worlds that Bigger is in the middle of as he wants to remain in his original environment but also sees the advantages of the upper class and what it has to offer. There are close-ups that Johnson uses to play into Bigger’s viewpoints on the world he’s in as he’s also narrating through voice-over narration as he copes with his situations in a poetic approach. Johnson also play into some of the tension that is happening with Bigger and some of his friends as one of them wants to do a robbery but is upset that Bigger isn’t black enough because of the music he listens to and the fact that he’s working for a white man. While Bessie gets to know Mary and Jan a bit, she is still unsure if they’re a good influence as she believes the former is trouble.
Johnson’s direction in the film’s second half is eerie as it play into the trouble Bigger gets into as it relates to Mary and Jan in their activities but also wanting to score drugs and be part of Bigger’s social circle. Bigger tries to keep them away from trouble but it is Mary and Jan that are the powder keg of emotions due to the fact that the former is really unstable. Its third act is about Bigger and the consequences of his time with Mary as he is aware that he would be in big trouble with the police largely due to the social injustices and inequalities. Johnson’s direction does put in some unique visuals yet play into the drama that Bigger endures as he is unsure of what he would do as he is also forced to confront his own identity as a young man and the world he’s in. Overall, Johnson crafts a riveting and eerie film about a young man’s opportunity goes wrong due to some awful decision involving both his urban environment and the world of the upper class.
Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime scenes including some of its interiors as well as some low-key and stylish lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night including a party scene with neon lights. Editor Brad Turner does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish cuts including a few jump-cuts and montages as it play into the whirlwind that is Bigger’s life. Production designer Akin McKenzie, with set decorator Melisa Jusufi and art director Miles Michael, does fantastic work with the look of the Doyle family home as well as a few of the places Bigger goes to with Bessie, Mary, and Jan. Costume designer Elizabeth Birkett does nice work with the costumes from the leather jacket and punk paraphernalia that Bigger wears to some of the posh clothes that Mary wears in major social gatherings.
Hair stylist Tonya Johnson does terrific work with the look of the hairstyles of Bigger, Bessie, and their own social circle. Visual effects supervisor Joshua James Johnson does some fine work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it relates to a few dream sequences and set dressing in some parts of the film. Sound editors Mary Ellen Porto and Ryan M. Price do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of some of the locations including the parties that Bigger goes to. The film’s music by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein is wonderful for its somber ambient music score as it play into the drama including moments of dramatic suspense while music supervisor Howard Paar creates a killer music soundtrack that ranges from classical music, hip-hop, and punk rock from Ludwig Van Beethoven, the Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, and several others.
The casting by Raylin Sabo and Mary Vernieu do incredible work with the film’s ensemble cast as it include some notable small roles from Barbara Sukowa as the Daltons’ housekeeper Peggy, Jerod Haynes and Lamar Johnson as a couple of Bigger’s friends in Jack and Gus respectively with the latter feeling that Bigger is selling out, Stephen Henderson as the Dalton family’s old chauffeur who warns Bigger about what he’s getting into, David Alan Grier as Trudy’s boyfriend Marty who tells Bigger about the job, Elizabeth Marvel as Mary’s legally-blind mother, and Sanaa Lathan in a terrific performance as Bigger’s mother Trudy who is concerned about the opportunity that Bigger is embarking on. Bill Camp is superb as Mary’s mother and the wealthy Henry Dalton as a man who wants to give Bigger this opportunity and do well as he’s also someone who knows that Bigger is a good person and doesn’t want to get into any trouble.
Nick Robinson is excellent as Jan Erlone as a young activist who befriends Bigger as he wants to know more about Bigger’s world as isn’t as radical as Mary though is naïve about what he wants to do despite his good intentions. KiKi Layne is brilliant as Bessie as Bigger’s girlfriend who is a kind-hearted person that is a bit wary of Mary despite the opportunity that Bigger is getting as she becomes troubled by Bigger’s behavior late in the film. Margaret Qualley is amazing as Mary Dalton as the daughter of a wealthy businessman who is wild as well as having radical ideas of wanting to change the world yet is also a loose cannon due to her love of partying and causing trouble to the point that she would even make Bigger uncomfortable. Finally, there’s Ashton Sanders in a remarkable performance as Bigger Thomas as a young African-American man with a love of classical music and punk rock as someone who is given the chance to have this prestigious job yet he copes with the two worlds he live in as well as the consequences he would face as it is an understated and complex performance of a young man who makes bad decisions but also tries to comprehend what happened and how it would impact him.
Native Son is a marvelous film from Rashid Johnson that features incredible performances from Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, and KiKi Layne. Along with its ensemble cast, study of social classes, killer music soundtrack, and its evocative visuals. The film is a unique character study that explore a young man trapped into two different social environments and how it would impact the decisions in his life. In the end, Native Son is a remarkable film from Rashid Johnson.
