2018 Cannes Marathon: Captain Fantastic

(Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize for Best Director to Matt Ross at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival)

Written and directed by Matt Ross, Captain Fantastic is the story of a family whose patriarch is forced to return to society with his six children as they’ve been living in the forest as they deal with other family members and the modern world. It’s a film that explores a man trying to deal with returning to the world as well as loss and what people want for his children. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, George Mackay, Missi Pyle, Kathryn Hahn, and Steve Zahn. Captain Fantastic is a riveting and witty film from Matt Ross.

The film revolves around a man who lives in the forests in the Pacific Northwest in Washington with his six children as he receives the news that his wife had died and her father is barring him from the funeral that is held in New Mexico only for the man and his children deciding to go in defiance against their grandfather. It’s a film with a simple premise that play into a man who lives in an unconventional world in the forests where he and his children hunt for food and do all sorts of activities including mountain climbing and read various philosophical things about the world. Matt Ross’ screenplay follows the lifestyle that Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has created with his wife Leslie (Trin Miller) who have six children that live with them as they all share views about their disdain for capitalism and the conformities of society. Yet, Leslie would briefly leave to go to the hospital for treatment for her illness until Ben’s sister Harper (Kathryn Hahn) gives him the news that Leslie died.

The first half of the film largely is set on the road where Ben is taking his kids on their bus as they drive from Washington to New Mexico to go to Leslie’s funeral despite the threat that her father Jack Bertrang (Frank Langella) about having Ben arrested if he shows up. On the road, Ben’s children deal with the world they’re encountering as they have very little clue about the outside world other than the ideas of capitalism and such as well as celebrate Noam Chomsky’s birthday months earlier as they see him as a great philosopher. Yet, there are also these elements of curiosity in the film as it relates to the eldest son Bodevan (George Mackay) who encounters the opposite sex as he is trying to figure out how to woo them while concealing the fact that he’s been accepted to various top universities in America. There’s also tension within the family as the middle son Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton) believes that his mother really died because of his father. The film’s second half is set in New Mexico as it doesn’t just play into family tension but also why Jack has a grudge towards Ben as he is also concerned for the well-being of his grandchildren.

Ross’ direction does have element of style yet much of his approach to the compositions are straightforward to play into the world of a family who don’t live in conventional society. Shot largely in the state of Washington with additional shooting in Portland, Oregon, the film does play into this world where the forest is a place where Ben feels right at home with his children as they spend much of the day learning about philosophies and ideas as well as train to survive for any kind of situation. The first thing that is shown in the film is Bodevan in camouflage as he kills a deer as it is a moment establishes what Ben and his family does to get meat as well as the fact that they have their own garden and the only time Ben and Bodevan leave the forest is to certain things in a nearby town as their source of transportation is in a bus called Steve. Once the film goes on the road, Ross would use wide shots for the many locations they venture into while using close-ups and medium shots to play into the way they interact with other people and things including a stop at Harper’s home with her husband Dave (Steve Zahn) and their two sons.

Ross’ direction also include some humor where Ben asks his nephews about the Bill of Rights as his youngest daughter Zaja (Shree Crooks) brings her own interpretation of the document as it shocks her aunt. The funeral scene is comical but also unsettling for the fact that Ben and his kids are seen wearing strange clothes in comparison to what everyone else in the church is wearing as it play into two different worlds and ideals clashing together. Yet, there is something about the world that Jack offers to his grandchildren that is still compelling as he’s willing to give them a sense of security as well as a chance to discover the real world. Still, much of the film’s motivations is driven by loss as well as the air of uncertainty as it play into what Ben has to do for his children and the possibilities they can bring to the world. Overall, Ross crafts a mesmerizing and witty film about a family who enter the world of society to attend the funeral of their mother.

Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography with the natural look of the scenes of the forests as well as the usage of low-key lighting for some of the scenes at night including at the homes of Harper and Jack. Editor Joseph Krings does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the comedy and drama. Production designer Russell Barnes, with set decorators Tania Kupczak and Susan Magestro plus art director Erick Donaldson, does fantastic work with the look of the bus known as Steve as well as the forest home that Ben and his family live as well as the more lavish home that Jack has.

Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does amazing work with the costumes from the ragged hippie clothes the kids and Ben wear as well as the wild clothes they would wear to their mother’s funeral. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the film’s sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way nature sounds in its natural environment. The film’s music by Alex Sommers is wonderful for its mixture of folk and ambient music textures with some original music played on location while music supervisor Chris Douridas provides a nice mix of genres ranging from classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Glen Gould as well as music from Alex & Jonsi, Sigur Ros, Bikini Kill, and covers of songs by Guns N’ Roses and Bob Dylan.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Erin Moriarty as a teenage girl that Bodeven meets and falls for at a trailer park camp, Missi Pyle as the girl’s mother, Elijah Stevenson and Teddy Van Ee in their respective roles as Harper and Dave’s sons Justin and Jackson, Trin Miller as Ben’s wife Leslie, and Ann Dowd in a terrific small role as Leslie’s mother who would give Ben a letter she received from Leslie as she wants to get to know her grandchildren. Frank Langella is excellent as Leslie’s father Jack Bertrang as a man who has a grudge towards Ben for taking his daughter away from the world and blames him for her death as he wants to give his grandchildren a chance in live where Langella does show a sensitive and loving side when his character is around the grandchildren.

Steve Zahn and Kathryn Hahn are fantastic in their respective roles as Dave and Harper with the latter being Ben’s sister who are both concerned about their nieces and nephews and their interaction with the real world as well was what will happen to them when they’re adults. Shree Crooks and Charlie Shotwell are brilliant in their respective roles as the youngest children in Zaja and Nai with the former knowing a lot about body parts and government amendments while the latter is known for not wearing clothes when it’s time to eat dinner. Samantha Isler and Annalise Baso are amazing in their respective roles as the eldest sisters Kielyr and Vespyr as two teenage girls who are both dealing with growing pains with the former becoming interested in literature and the latter interested in adventure.

Nicholas Hamilton and George McKay are incredible in their respective roles as the middle child Rellian and the eldest child in Bodevan with the former becoming concerned and angry about some truths about what happened to his mother while the latter is trying to conceal secrets about being accepted to prestigious universities just as he’s becoming fascinated by girls. Finally, there’s Viggo Mortensen in a phenomenal performance as Ben Cash as a man of great intelligence who decides to shelter his children away from conventional society in the hope they can think for themselves as he also deals with the death of his wife as he’s also forced to realize his own faults in his methods as it all relates to loss and his unwillingness to deal with reality as it’s one of Mortensen’s finest performances.

Captain Fantastic is a tremendous film from Matt Ross that features an incredible performance from Viggo Mortensen. Along with its ensemble cast, engaging premise, and offbeat tone, it’s a film that explores a man trying to hold his family together to mourn the loss of their mother as they also encounter a world that is foreign to them. In the end, Captain Fantastic is a spectacular film from Matt Ross.

Related: 28 Hotel Rooms

© thevoid99 2018

American Psycho

Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is the story of a yuppie whose vanity and need to conform has him embarking on a killing spree as he struggles with himself and his desires to succeed during the late 1980s. Directed by Mary Harron and screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner, the film is a study of a man trying to a rich yet unrealistic lifestyle as he would also kill in secret as a way to deal with troubled identity as the lead character of Patrick Bateman is played by Christian Bale. Also starring Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Samantha Mathis, Josh Lucas, Cara Seymour, Matt Ross, Justin Theroux, Guinevere Turner, and Willem Dafoe. American Psycho is an exhilarating yet insane film from Mary Harron.

The film follows an investment banker in Patrick Bateman who lives a life of luxury where he has a routine to maintain his lifestyle that includes having friends who are just as shallow as he is while is secretly harboring a need to kill people. It’s the study of a man who is becoming undone by things that are either threatening him or encountering something he absolutely despises. The film’s screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner is told from Bateman’s perspective as he’s also the film’s narrator as this man that is quite vain and has this routine in what he needs to do to keep himself in shape and not age. At the same time, he has this desire to succeed but he always feel like there is someone to upstage him in this position of power and he has to act out. Bateman is quite a despicable character in the way he would treat women and colleagues as well as those who are beneath him. There is also this air of arrogance and narcissism in him in the way he talks about certain pieces of music he owns or the clothes he wears.

The script also has this air of dark humor such as the scene where he invites Paul Allen (Jared Leto) into his apartment where he asks Allen if he likes Huey Lewis & the News. The monologues that Bateman gives about his love for Lewis, Genesis, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston are among some of the finest monologues as they’re told with a sense of style. All of it play into Bateman’s persona which is also filled with anguish during the second act when he invites his secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny) to dinner as they have drinks at his apartment where he wants to kill her but he’s also listening to her talk. It’s a moment where things would shift not just in tone but also in Bateman’s development as it blur the lines between reality and fiction.

Harron’s direction definitely bears element of style yet it plays more into this world of materialism, conformity, and decadence that was so prevalent during the 1980s. Though it is based in New York City, much of the film was shot in Toronto with some exterior shots of New York City to play into this very intense world of money and power. While there are some wide shots that Harron would create to establish some of the locations, much of it shot with close-ups and medium shots to get a look into the world that Bateman has surrounded himself in. Notably in the restaurants as they play to the silliest of trends where one menu is presented in braille, another menu at a different restaurant where the menu is made of wood, and all of these other places to play into a New York City that is filled with a lack of realism. It adds to this air of ambiguity that looms throughout the film as it relates to the things Bateman wants to do where reality and fiction blur. One scene early in the film is at a nightclub where he tried to get a drink and then says something very profane about killing the bartender to the mirror and then do nothing.

Harron’s direction also has this element of dark humor such as a scene of Bateman displaying this monologue about Huey Lewis & the News while wearing a raincoat and carrying an axe to kill someone. Other comical moments involve a three-way with a couple of prostitutes where Bateman is videotaping the act while looking at himself showing that vanity into his own power. The moments of violence are gruesome as it includes an encounter with a homeless man and his dog as well as these off-screen moments that play into Bateman’s thirst for blood. The film’s ending is also ambiguous as it play into that blur of fantasy and reality as well as Bateman forcing to face himself in this world that demands so much of him. Overall, Harron crafts a witty yet intoxicating film about a yuppie’s desire to conform to materialistic society as well as killing his way to succeed.

Cinematographer Andrezj Sekula does excellent work with the film’s cinematography to play into the sheen and slick look of some of the daytime interiors with some unique lighting and moods for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Andrew Marcus does brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of style in its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and humor. Production designer Gideon Ponte, with set decorator Jeanne Develle and art director Andrew M. Stearn, does amazing work with the look of the apartments as well as the look of the restaurants. Costume designer Isis Mussenden does fantastic work with the costumes from the designer suits that the men wear to some of the fashionable dresses of the women.

Key hairstylists Lucy M. Orton and John Quaglia do terrific work with the hairstyles of the women that was so common in the 80s to the very slick look of the men. Sound designer Benjamin Cheah and sound editor Jane Tattersall do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the clubs and some of the intimate sounds in some of the apartments. The film’s music by John Cale is wonderful for its mixture of orchestral bombast to play into the suspense as well as a mixture of somber piano pieces and some ambient cuts while music supervisors Barry Cole and Christopher Covert create an incredible soundtrack that feature a lot of the music from those times from acts like Huey Lewis & the News, Genesis, Phil Collins, New Order, Chris de Burgh, Simply Red, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Robert Palmer, Book of Love, Katrina and the Waves, Information Society, and M/A/R/R/S as well as additional music from Daniel Ash, David Bowie, the Cure, Eric B. & Rakim, and the Tom Club.

The casting by Kerry Barden, Billy Hopkins, and Suzanne Smith is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Reg E. Cathey as a homeless man, Anthony Lemke as a colleague that Allen mistakes him as Bateman, Krista Sutton as a prostitute named Sabrina, Guinevere Turner as a friend of Bateman in Elizabeth who would engage into a threesome with another hooker and Bateman, Bill Sage as a colleague of Bateman in David Van Patten, Josh Lucas as another colleague in the smarmy Craig McDermott, Justin Theroux as Bateman’s colleague Timothy Bryce who is having an affair with Bateman’s fiancée Evelyn, and Matt Ross as a colleague in Luis Carruthers who is dating Courtney as he also has a secret of his own. Samantha Mathis is fantastic as Bateman’s mistress Courtney Rawlinson whom he’s having an affair with as she is someone that has been doing too many drugs.

Reese Witherspoon is superb as Bateman’s fiancée Evelyn as a socialite who is eager to get married while having her time engaging an affair with Bryce. Cara Seymour is excellent as Christie as a prostitute who would meet with Bateman on two different occasions as she copes with what she had gotten herself into as well as her discovery in the second encounter. Jared Leto is brilliant as Paul Allen as top colleague of Bateman who is the envy of everyone in terms of the look of his card and being able to get things while confusing Bateman for someone else. Willem Dafoe is amazing as Detective Donald Kimball as a man who is investigating the disappearance of someone as he suspects Bateman through a couple of interrogations as well as be curious about what Bateman does.

Chloe Sevigny is remarkable as Jean as Bateman’s secretary who endures some of Bateman’s criticism over fashion choice as she is later invited to dinner with him where she provides a moment that is quite human as well as kind of understand the pressure Bateman is in to conform. Finally, there’s Christian Bale in a magnificent performance as Patrick Bateman as this man in his late 20s that is determined to be the embodiment of success as he also copes with his desire to kill as well to display everything he’s about as it’s a charismatic yet eerie performance from Bale that is definitely iconic as well as funny.

American Psycho is a phenomenal film from Mary Harron that features as spectacular performance from Christian Bale. Along with its ensemble cast, a killer soundtrack, dazzling visuals, witty satire, and complex themes of vanity, conformity, and identity. It’s a film that offers so much in the entertainment aspects but also serves as an intriguing character study of a man coming to grips with reality and his desires to succeed by any means necessary. In the end, American Psycho is a tremendous film from Mary Harron.

Related: (Less Than Zero) – (The Rules of Attraction)

Mary Harron Films: (I Shot Andy Warhol) – (The Notorious Bettie Page) – (The Moth Diaries) – (The Anna Nicole Story) – (Alias Grace)

© thevoid99 2017

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Directed by George Clooney and written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck is the story of TV broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow and his conflict to call out Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s during the period of McCarthyism where people are accused of being affiliated with communism. The film is a historical look into a man who refused to give in to McCarthy’s accusations amidst the pressure of corporate sponsors and such during the early years of television. Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, and Frank Langella. Good Night, and Good Luck is a fascinating yet rich film from George Clooney.

In the early 1950s where Senator Joseph McCarthy calls out on American citizens with Communist ties believing they’re working for the Soviet Union. The film revolves around Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and his team to stand up to McCarthy and his many accusations believing that he is calling out regular people and making them cower to his claims. It’s a film that plays into a period in time during the early years of television where Murrow wants to voice his opinions at great risk from losing corporate sponsors. It is a film where people are scared and have no idea who to turn to during this time where Murrow would be a voice for those who are afraid of McCarthy.

The film’s screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov opens and ends with Murrow at a gala in his honor in 1958 with colleagues there to praise him as he talks about the importance of what television should do rather than just entertain. Even as much of the film takes place from late 1953 to early 1954 where there’s a lot of discussion of the stories that Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly (George Clooney) want to talk about as it relates to those who lost their jobs because of McCarthy’s accusations or those who are victimized by McCarthy such as Annie Lee Moss. Though Murrow, Friendly, and some of their staff believe they’re doing something right to call out McCarthy for his actions. They still had to contend with their bosses who are worried about losing their corporate sponsors and the fact that they could be shut down by those sponsors or the powers that be.

Clooney’s direction is very simple yet stylish in not just the way he frames some of the things that goes on inside a television studio. It’s also in how he manages to capture the sense of energy that goes on whenever a story is about to be told through Murrow’s mouth. Using a lot of tracking and steadicam shots to capture some of the movement that goes inside the studios, Clooney would also take great stock in getting close-ups and medium shots to play into the conversations that happens along with very entrancing shots of Murrow talking to the camera. There’s also a few wide shots in the film as Clooney is more focused on maintaining a sense of intimacy of what goes inside a newsroom during the early 1950s in the era of McCarthy. Notably as it also plays into the power of what television could do and how it would affect all sorts of change despite some of the behind-the-scenes politics that goes on which would change everything all because of greed. Overall, Clooney creates a very engaging yet provocative film about a journalist standing up to Joseph McCarthy.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white photography that is a major highlight of the film with its approach to lighting for many of its interior scenes as well as the scenes set at night. Editor Stephen Mirrone does excellent work with the editing where it is very stylized with some simplistic yet methodical cuts along with some inspired usage of stock footage from the McCarthy hearings. Production designer James D. Bissell, with set decorator Jan Pascale and art director Christa Munro, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the offices and the control room as well as the studio where Murrow does his broadcast.

Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes that plays into the period of the times in what the women wore as well as the clothes the men wore. Sound editors Aaron Glascock and Curt Schulkey do fantastic work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the newsroom as well as some of the audio heard in the news clippings and such. The film’s music by Jim Papoulis is superb for its jazz-based score while music supervisor Alan Sviridoff would play into that period with a lot of jazz music as it’s sung on location or in post-production by Dianne Reeves.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great as it features notable small roles from Rose Abdoo as news editor Mili Lerner, Matt Ross as editor Eddie Scott, Reed Diamond as editor John Aaron, Alex Borstein as the secretary Natalie, Tate Donovan as editor Jesse Zousmer, Thomas McCarthy as editor Palmer Williams, and Grant Heslov as the news director Don Hewitt. Ray Wise is terrific as news journalist Don Hollenbeck as a reporter for CBS who finds himself being targeted by the government as a Communist as he starts to unravel. Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson are brilliant in their respective roles as correspondent Joseph Wershba and wife/editor Shirley Wershba as two co-workers trying to keep their marriage a secret as it was forbidden for co-workers to be married in those times.

Jeff Daniels is excellent as CBS news director Sig Mickelson as a man who is trying to warn Friendly and Murrow about what not to say as he is struggling to keep their sponsors as well as reveal what things have to be done in the office. Frank Langella is amazing as CBS chief executive William Paley as the head of the company who knows what Murrow and Friendly are doing but warns them about what they will lose. George Clooney is superb as producer Fred W. Friendly as a friend of Murrow who tries to figure out what to cover and how to help Murrow out with the news as well as see what kind of trouble they would get into. Finally, there’s David Strathairn in a phenomenal performance as Edward R. Murrow as a no-holds barred journalist who decides to spar with Joseph McCarthy over his accusations on people who claim to have ties with Communism in an attempt to do what he feels is right as well as see television as a way to help people instead of other things as it‘s Strathairn in one of his greatest performances ever.

Good Night, and Good Luck is a remarkable film from George Clooney that features a towering performance from David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow. The film isn’t just a look into a period of time when the world of journalism stood up to Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunt. It’s also a film that showcases the world of news on television in its infancy where it was not afraid to speak the truth despite pressures from corporate sponsors. In the end, Good Night, and Good Luck is a spectacular film from George Clooney.

George Clooney Films: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - (Leatherheads) - The Ides of March - The Monuments Men

© thevoid99 2015

28 Hotel Rooms

Written and directed by Matt Ross, 28 Hotel Rooms is the story about an affair between a novelist and a corporate accountant in the span of several years in hotel rooms. The film is a look into the world of relationships and extramarital affairs where people are eager to find escape from their lives at home and at work. Starring Chris Messina and Marin Ireland. 28 Hotel Rooms is an entrancing yet provocative film from Matt Ross.

The film is the simple story about two people who engage in an affair in the course of several years as they meet in different hotels all across America and have a secret long-distance relationship. In the course of their meetings in 28 different hotel rooms, the two endure highs and lows in the relationship they have with each other but also their lives outside of that relationship. Their names are never revealed in the course of the film while they sparingly talk about their lives at home and at work where they maintain the sense of secrecy in this relationship. In these hotel room, the two have sex, eat food, and talk about everything where it is fun at times but also very intense by its second half where a lot of changes occur and the other lives they have starts to seep into the secret life they have.

Matt Ross’ screenplay doesn’t play to a traditional structure though it does feature breaks to play into the hotel rooms they’re in. There is still a sense of looseness in the story and in the dialogue where it feels very real while playing to the intensity of this relationship. There aren’t any explanations into how they met as the script doesn’t need that where Ross is more interested in the relationship just as it’s happening in the course of several years and in these different hotel rooms. Still, there is the sense of progression in the story where this couple endure some personal highs and lows but are always together. Yet, they are tempted to make the relationship so much more but issues in their individual lives complicate things as it eventually becomes troubling whether this secret relationship can continue.

Ross’ direction is very to-the-point where he adopts a style similar to cinema verite with some hand-held cameras but also some still shots to capture a relationship being played in these hotels. While most of it does take place in hotel rooms with a few scenes in bars and hallways. There is still a sense of realism that is happening while Ross does create compositions that are quite mesmerizing in the way he puts the actors in the frame. Notably in the sex scenes and some of the drama that is played while Ross also create moments where there is a feeling that the relationship might fall apart where he knows what not to use and how to present it. Overall, Ross creates a very compelling yet ravishing film about a couple’s secret relationship.

Cinematographer Doug Emmett does excellent work with the film‘s photography to create moods in the hotel rooms as well as maintaining a sense of realism in the different rooms and parts of the hotels. Editor Joseph Krings does fantastic work with the editing to create some rhythmic cuts for some of the conversations while using stylish cuts to play out some of the non-dialogue scenes. Costume designers Julia Caston and Jamie Redwood do nice work with the clothes where they range from casual to more business-like to play off the mood of the characters. Sound editor Steve Ida does terrific work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the rooms as well as some of the more livelier moments in the hallways and bars. The film’s music soundtrack features original music by Fall On Your Swords and Kirk Ross is wonderful as it’s very low-key where it only appears in certain places where it’s a mixture of ambient music with some dreamy guitars to play out the mood of the relationship.

The performances of Chris Messina and Marin Ireland are fantastic as they both display an energy and realism to their performances. Messina as the novelist who is dealing with success and failure as he’s having issues with his own personal and professional life where Messina showcases a man who is more in tune with wanting the relationship to be out there. Ireland as the more reserved corporate accountant who is torn between the secret life she has and the other life as she admits that she loves her husband. The two together have electrifying chemistry whether it’s in the fun moments or in the more emotionally intense one as Messina and Ireland are the highlights of the film.

28 Hotel Rooms is a remarkable film from Matt Ross that features exhilarating performances from Chris Messina and Marin Ireland. The film is an intriguing look into the world of relationships and all of its complexities without giving in towards conventions. It’s also a film that doesn’t try to make it more as it is while not wanting to embellish or exaggerate anything that is typical of most films about romance. In the end, 28 Hotel Rooms is a marvelous film from Matt Ross.

Related: Captain Fantastic

© thevoid99 2013

The Last Days of Disco

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, The Last Days of Disco is the story about two college graduates who work at a publishing house by day as they go to disco clubs in the early 1980s in its waning days trying to find love and fun. The film is about a period in time where things are changing as two women try to spend as much time in a nightclub soaking in these final days while facing the uncertainty of their future. Starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Matt Keeslar, Matt Ross, Tara Subkoff, Jennifer Beals, and Robert Sean Leonard. The Last Days of Disco is an extraordinary comedy-drama from Whit Stillman.

The era of the disco craze was a place where many people get the chance to go to nightclubs, have a few drinks, and dance to some good music. While there were also dangerous elements of cocaine and promiscuous sex involved, it was a period in time that at least got people together to have fun. For two young post-graduates in Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), they go to a lavish nightclub as regulars just to have a good time as a way to escape the dreariness of everyday life where they work at a publishing house. While the two women aren’t exactly best friends, they do move in together with another woman while dealing with ideas of falling in love, dealing with the future, and the role of being a woman. Through the men they meet, they endure all sorts of challenges about what to expect in a man as the men themselves are also dealing with their own issues. Especially as the age of disco starts to go into a major decline forcing these two women to deal with the changes in their environment and in themselves.

Whit Stillman’s screenplay does play to themes that he’s known for as well as setting them transitional periods of time. While the film is set in the early 80s during disco’s decline, the script is structured to play out this period of decline where the first half is about the good times in the age of disco while its second half is about its inevitable fallout due to drugs, sexual promiscuity, and other big things. Particularly as it revolves on several characters in the film aside from Alice and Charlotte. Notably the men such as one of the club’s managers in Des (Chris Eigeman), an advertising executive in Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), and an assistant D.A. in Josh (Matt Keeslar) as they are all part of the group that Alice and Charlotte are in. While there’s a few extra people that are part of this group, they all discuss about their roles in life as well as how to advance in life.

While Alice and Charlotte are these young women who have ambition and go to nightclubs, they are very different women as far as personalities are concerned. Charlotte is very outgoing in the way she deals with thing as well as being extremely opinionated as well as the fact that she’s kind of a bitch. Alice is a more soft-spoken individual who has idealism of what she wants in a man but her encounters end up being very troubling. While she finds something in guys like Des, Jimmy, and Josh as well as their flaws, it does have her raise questions about what she wants in a relationship while Charlotte believes she knows more yet she ends up going through the same questions as Alice about what she wants. Things do get more serious in the third act where the men in these women’s lives deal with not just themselves but also what they want just as the nightclub they all hang out is starting to close.

Stillman’s direction is very fascinating for not just the way the whole world of disco is presented but also the way he presents this rise of the world of the yuppies. There is a clash of these two very different cultures that each represents a different period in time yet Stillman is more interested in the people who are living in this transition of time. Stillman’s approach to framing is quite straightforward but still engaging in the way the characters are seen as well as how they conduct their lives. There is still humor that is present in these conversations as well as some of the action that occurs while it is mostly low-key and dramatic. Particularly as it plays to what these men are going through as Jimmy is trying to advance in the advertising world though he is considered to be a pariah at the club. The club manager Des is someone who is going through a sexual identity crisis while trying to help manage a club that is being targeted by the IRS and the NYPD.

The direction is also very playful while playing with the idea of anachronisms where Stillman uses footage of the infamous Disco Demolition Night in Chicago as well as raid in Studio 54. One aspect in playing with the anachronisms that does help with the film’s plot is the fact that there’s characters from Stillman’s previous films that appear who will help impact the fate of a few characters. Still, there is this build-up to the end where it involves lots of authority figures trying to close down this club that causes a lot of conflict for Josh. Even as it plays to some very dramatic moments about how he’s feeling for Alice as well as the fact that he’s kind of a friend for Des. The film’s ending is about the end of disco but is it really an end? There’s a great monologue that Stillman writes about disco’s demise that really plays true to not just about that period of time but also what it meant to people. Overall, Stillman creates a very rich and wonderfully smart comedy-drama about changing times and identity.

Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the cinematography from the lighting presentation for many of the nightclub scenes to the more straightforward exterior look of New York City. Editors Andrew Hafitz and Jay Pires do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic cuts to capture the tone of the conversations as well as some of the scenes in the clubs. Production designer Ginger Tougas does brilliant work with the look of the club many of the characters hang out at as well as the apartment that Alice and Charlotte live in. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does amazing work with the costumes from the more casual, yuppie-like clothes many of the characters wear in the day to the more stylish dresses the women wear at the club.

Sound editor Paul Soucek does wonderful work with the sound to capture atmosphere of the nightclubs as well as the more quieter moments in the work place and at the apartment. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is terrific as it‘s mostly a low-key orchestral score to play out some of the dramatic scenes or scenes in the office. Music supervisor Peter Afterman does a superb job in compiling a soundtrack filled with some amazing disco classics from artists like Chic, Diana Ross, the O’Jays, Andrea True Connection, Alicia Bridges, Blondie, Sister Sledge, and many others as well as some reggae in the mix and late 60s soul music.

The casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, and Kerry Barden is incredible as it features some appearances from Jaid Barrymore as a club-goer known as Tiger Lady, George Plimpton and Anthony Haden-Guest as a couple of famous club-goers, Mark McKinney as a bar waiter, Michael Weatherly as a client of Jimmy’s who gets into the club, David Thornton as the club owner, Edoardo Ballerini as a club manager, and Burr Steers as the club doorman Van. Other notable small roles features some very funny appearances from Stillman’s previous films such as Carolyn Farina, Taylor Nichols, Bryan Leder, and Dylan Hundley replaying their roles from Metropolitan while Nichols also plays the character he played in Barcelona that includes Debbon Ayer as that protagonist’s future ex-girlfriend. Jennifer Beals is wonderful as a lover of Des who feels slighted by him while Robert Sean Leonard is excellent as a one-night stand Alice was with who later treats her like dirt.

Matt Ross is terrific as Alice and Charlotte’s co-worker Dan who hangs out with them while creating some fascinating observations about the disco world. Tara Subkoff is very good as Alice and Charlotte’s roommate Holly who is a very nice girl that Dan later dates though she is someone who admittedly makes questionable dating choices. Mackenzie Astin is superb as the advertising executive Jimmy who is trying to get into the club to help his career while making some discoveries about the club’s business. Matt Keeslar is great as the assistant D.A. Josh who goes to the club to discover the world of disco while some of his discoveries put him into conflict over what he should do as well as his feelings for Alice.

Chris Eigeman is marvelous as the club manager Des who tries to keep the club in order while dealing with his own sexual identity as he ponders about whether he’s really into women or not as it’s a very witty performance from the Stillman regular. Kate Beckinsale is remarkable as the very outspoken Charlotte as a woman who is very lively and opinionated while often saying the wrong things at times as it is a very delightfully charming performance from Beckinsale. Finally, there’s Chloe Sevigny in a brilliant performance as Alice as a young woman who is unsure about what she wants while dealing with some of the pratfalls about love as well with a discovery that could make or break her career.

The Last Days of Disco is an outstanding film from Whit Stillman that features top-notch performances from Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, and Chris Eigeman. Along with a very fun music soundtrack, the film is definitely an intriguing piece into the world of identity and changing times as well as a look into the last days of the disco culture. The film is also very accessible in the way it deals with people discussing big themes in a setting where a lot is happening where these people are eager to escape from that craziness. In the end, The Last Days of Disco is a fabulous film from Whit Stillman.

Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - Barcelona - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman

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