Set from 1947 to 1963 with an epilogue set in 1980, the film is about a Hungarian-Jewish architect who arrives in America where a wealthy man later asks him to create something in tribute to his mother only for things to get complicated and troublesome. It is a film that is an exploration of ambition and art with this man being at the center of wanting to create something big, but he is forced to answer to the wills of this industrialist who would undermine everything. The film’s screenplay by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold is set into two different parts given the scale of the story of this man who is known for creating architecture that is unique in its brutalist style. The first scenes does not show its main character but rather his niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) as she is being interrogated by Soviet officials in the aftermath of World War II where her uncle Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) is on a ship to America where he arrives in New York City.
The film then goes into its first part, entitled The Enigma of Arrival in which Laszlo arrives in Philadelphia where his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) meets and tells him the news that Laszlo’s wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and Zsofia are alive through a letter as Laszlo would correspond with her as they continue to be stuck in Europe. In Philadelphia, Laszlo would work for Attila and his wife Audrey (Emma Laird) as the latter takes a disliking towards Laszlo as they sell furniture while also do renovation work where Attila is approached by a man in Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) about renovating a library for his father in the industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) as a surprise. Aiding Laszlo is the African single father Gordon (Isaach de Bankole) whom Laszlo befriended during a food line where they share a love for heroin which Laszlo uses for pain in his body only to become addicts. The first half of the film is set in the span of five years from 1947 to 1952 where Laszlo would later meet Harrison, who is impressed with what Laszlo has done as he wants him to create an ambitious project in tribute to his late mother.
The second half of the film entitled The Hardcore of Beauty is set from 1953 to 1960 when Erzsebet and Zsofia finally arrive in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where Laszlo lives and works, yet Laszlo is shocked that Erzsebet suffers from osteoporosis while Zsofia has become temporarily mute because of war. The second half would have Laszlo deal with Van Buren’s consultants who try to undermine what Laszlo wants with Erzsebet observing everything around her, including Van Buren, whom she sees as charming but does not find him to be trusting. Even as an accident would force Van Buren to scrap the project temporarily until a few years later where he asks Toth to travel to Italy to meet with a colleague of Toth in Orazio (Salvatore Sansone) who introduces him to a special kind of marble but things between Toth and Van Buren becomes troublesome. The script plays into the plight that immigrants go through in America with Erzsebet realizing that her husband is unraveling as she learns things about what happened to him while is also dealing with her own physical pain.
Corbet’s direction is immense in its overall presentation as it is shot in the VistaVision widescreen presentation for 35mm film and on various locations such as Venice, Italy for its epilogue with much of the film shot on location in Budapest along with other locations in Hungary and Italy with additional shots in New York City. The film plays into this air of post-war uncertainty as Corbet uses long tracking shots to play into Toth’s encounter with his surroundings as one of the first big shots of the film is Toth seeing the Statue of Liberty upside down. The shot symbolizes what Toth would expect throughout the film as he arrives in New York City as part of its prologue where the body of the film’s first half is set in Doylestown where he meets his cousin Attila. Corbet’s usage of wide and medium shots do help bring in the sense of space that plays into the world that Toth encounters whether it is at the Van Buren mansion or the building that Toth is creating for Van Buren. The wide shots also play into the landscape of Pennsylvania as it includes these exhilarating shots of cars, buses, and trains speeding in a long take. The last of which would be a key moment in the film’s second half where Toth’s relationship with Van Buren begins to falter.
Corbet would also play with aspect ratios as it plays into the creation of this building that Van Buren wants as well as scenes set in Italy where they meet Orazio for some marble as well as meeting people who were part of an anarchist group during World War II. It is a sequence that plays into many revelations about Van Buren who would also discover Toth’s own issues as it relates to his heroin addiction that would lead to a traumatic event for Toth. The second half when Erzsebet arrives as she is a woman that is defiant where Corbet uses some close-ups to play into a woman that has been through a lot of her own trauma while is also dealing with pain that Zsofia can sooth with some medication. The scenes where Erzsebet meeting with Van Buren are filled with ambiguity, including a shot of Harry walking behind Zsofia as it raises some questions that Erzsebet has about Van Buren. The film’s epilogue set in 1980 at Venice with Zsofia as an adult (Ariane Labed) as she talks about the journey that her uncle has taken into his work as it plays into the myths and misconceptions of the American dream with Toth being confronted with these truths. Even as he deals with things that are traumatic and what this building that he created really means to him. Overall, Corbet crafts as grand and evocative film about a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant’s desire for the American dream only to realize that is a myth.
Cinematographer Lol Crawley does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of the VistaVision format allows him to emphasize unique shots in the natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior shots as well as some unique low-key and colorful lighting for the interior scenes at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor David Janco does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of montages that includes stock footage as well as some jump-cuts for some scenes as well as knowing when to cut for some of the long shots. Production designer Judy Becker, along with supervising art director Csaba Lodi plus set decorators Patricia Cuccia and Mercedesz Nagyvaradi, does tremendous work with the look of the Van Buren estate as well as the shop that Attila and Audrey run as well as the design of the building that Toth is building for Van Buren as it is another highlight of the film. Costume designer Kate Forbes does excellent work with the costumes from the expensive clothing that Van Buren and his family wear to the ragged clothes that Toth would wear during his time after being kicked out by Attila.
Hair/makeup designer Gemma Hoff does terrific work with the look of Toth in the bearded look he would have briefly to the hairstyles of the women including Maggie Van Buren with her hairstyle. Special effects supervisor Endre Korda and visual effects supervisor Artem Isaakyan do fantastic work with the visual effects for scenes that are set dressing such as a scene involving a train as well as the look of the building as it is getting built from afar. Sound designer Andy Neil and sound editor Steve Single do superb work with the sound in the way small things sound up close or from afar as well as the way construction machines sound from afar as it is among one of the highlights of the film.
The film’s music by Daniel Blumberg is phenomenal for its grand and sweeping music score with bombastic horn arrangements, discordant string arrangements, somber woodwinds, and themes that play into the sense of yearning and horror that includes an electronic piece for its epilogue with additional contributions by Vince Clarke. Music supervisor James A. Taylor does wonderful work cultivating a music soundtrack that features music from the 1950s and 1960s ranging from jazz music to pop music from the likes of Paul Anka and an electro-pop piece from the 80s by La Bionda.
The casting by Kristina Ederly and Cassandra Kulukundis is great as it feature some notable small roles from the duo of Charlie Esoko and Zephan Hanson Amissah as the younger and teenage version of Gordon’s son William, Benett Vilmanyi as Zsofia’s lover Binyamin in the film’s third act, Salvatore Sansone as Toth’s Italian friend Orazio who would show him the marble that he creates in Italy, Peter Polycarpou as Van Buren’s Jewish lawyer Michael Hoffman who would help get Erzsebet and Zsofia out of Europe, Maria Sand as Hoffman’s wife who is one of the few that is kind to Toth and his family, Michael Epp as an architectural consultant that Toth spars with, Jonathan Hyde as Van Buren’s contractor Leslie Woodrow who is baffled by what Toth wants in the construction of Van Buren’s building, and Ariane Labed as the older Zsofia in the 1980 epilogue where she makes a speech about her uncle’s work. Emma Laird is terrific as Attila’s wife Audrey who takes a disliking towards Toth believing that he is a nuisance as she makes a false accusation about him to Attila. Alessandro Nivola is superb as Toth’s cousin Attila who has assimilated into Catholicism as he helps Toth get a job only to kick him out due to the lie that Audrey made.
Isaach de Bankole is brilliant as Gordon as an African immigrant that Toth befriends as he would work closely with Toth where he also grounds him despite their heroin addiction which Gordon would later wean away from as he later becomes troubled by Toth’s erratic behavior late in the film. Stacy Martin is fantastic as Maggie Van Buren as Van Buren’s adult daughter who is the kindest of the Van Buren family as she is someone who manages the home while also doing whatever she can to help the Toths including a scene in the film involving Erzsebet. Joe Alwyn is excellent as Maggie’s twin brother Harry Lee, who is a slimy and entitled person that is hoping to win his father’s approval while also does a lot to make Toth uncomfortable as he also tries to seduce Zsofia into one scene that is filled with ambiguity. Raffey Cassidy is amazing in a dual role as Toth’s niece Zsofia who spends part of the film mute because of the war as a young woman that observes everything around her while she later regains her voice as she wants to move to Israel. Cassidy’s other role in the film is Zsofia’s daughter in the 1980 epilogue.
Guy Pearce is great as Harrison Lee Van Buren as a wealthy industrialist who is a powerful figure that hires Toth to create a community center in tribute to his mother where he deals with all sorts of things while wanting to own Toth in some way. Pearce has a sense of charm in his performance that is a cover for something sinister as a man that wants it all including Toth himself in the worst ways. Felicity Jones is tremendous as Erzsebet Toth as a Dachau Holocaust survivor who suffers from osteoporosis where Jones brings a subtle quality to a woman ravaged by a disease while she is also an observer into who Van Buren is and what he is doing to her husband. Jones also plays into this sense of restrained physicality as a woman that is suffering from a terrible disease yet her resilience to smell bullshit a mile away as her last scene in the film is one of terror and ferocity. Finally, there’s Adrien Brody in a spectacular performance as Laszlo Toth as a Holocaust survivor who goes to America hoping to reach the American Dream where Brody brings this gravitas of a man that has been through a lot yet is also hopeful until he endures a lot of obstacles and tribulations that would put him in dark places. Brody also maintains this sense of weariness in the many tribulations he endures as there is an anguish in what he brings as it is a career-defining performance from Brody.
The Brutalist is an outstanding film by Brady Corbet that features a sensational leading performance from Adrien Brody as well as top-notch supporting performances from Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce. Along with its ensemble cast, grand visual presentation, its study of ambition and the mythos of the American dream, and Daniel Blumberg’s evocative music score. It is a film that harkens back to legendary American epics as well as being this study of a man’s desire to reach the American Dream only to realize that it is a myth. In the end, The Brutalist is a magnificent film by Brady Corbet.
Brady Corbet Films: (The Childhood of a Leader) – Vox Lux
© thevoid99 2025
It’s the winter of 1981 during one of its tumultuous years as an immigrant businessman is trying to buy a refinery as he finds himself being targeted by competitors where many of his trucks are stolen as it leads to harrowing acts of violence. It is a film that explore a moment in time just as this man who had worked his way to become an American citizen as he owns a small heating oil company as he’s managed to become successful and with a wife and family but he is also an idealist who wants to do things the right way. J.C. Chandor’s screenplay follows a month in the life of Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) who is about to embark on a major deal that would expand his empire but the theft of trucks by hoodlums threaten this deal as well as questions about his business dealings where an assistant district attorney in Lawrence (David Oyelowo) believes Abel is hiding something.
While Abel’s wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) is looking into their books and their attorney Andrew Walsh (Albert Brooks) is trying to handle all of the legal issues. Both Anna and Andrew urge Abel to fight fire with fire as they suspect their competitors are involved as it lead to the assault of one of their drivers in Julian (Elyes Gabel) and one of their young salesman in Alex (Ben Rosenfield). Abel however is convinced that violence isn’t the answer as he knows Lawrence is after him while he is trying to ask his competitors to stop the violence unaware that these hired thugs are just trying to hurt his business. Then there’s Julian who would have another encounter with thugs that lead to trouble where Abel asks Julian’s wife Luisa (Catalina Sandino Moreno) about his whereabouts as his activities would threaten everything Abel is hoping to have.
Chandor’s direction definitely echoes a lot of the films of the 1970s in terms of the crime drama as it play into this man trying to expand his small business empire into something bigger but without trouble and violence during a period of violence in New York City. Shot on location in New York City and areas around the city, the film does play into this cold winter where there is a lot of chaos that include these trucks being stopped either during traffic jams or coming out of a toll booth. Chandor’s usage of wide and medium shots do play into the scope of the city as well as an intense chase scene during the third act through a tunnel and later into a subway is among these moments in the film where there is a lot of suspense. The film also has these small moments that do play into the drama as it relates to a handgun that one of Abel and Anna’s daughters had found following an attempted attack on Abel that got botched. Chandor also play into the stakes of what Abel is trying to do as this piece of property he acquired and his intentions for it yet he has 30 days to make the down payment or else the owners will sell the property to one of Abel’s competitors.
Chandor also play into this underworld that Abel refuses to be a part of but it is a world that Anna’s father used to be in and it’s a world that Walsh is aware of as he talks to a teamster chief in Bill O’Leary (Peter Gerety) about the need to bear arms which Walsh agrees with but Abel refuses to go into that route. Even as he has to deal with Lawrence where Chandor definitely uses some unique camera angles and medium shots to play into their conversations where it is about power play as Lawrence is just someone that wants to uphold the law but he too is a man of ambition like Abel. The film’s ending is about this idea of what to do to achieve that goal but for someone like Abel who wants to maintain some morals and ideals about doing things without illegal means. There is no such thing as morals and ideals when it comes to running a business and dealing with other competitors as it is also about having it all or having nothing at all. Overall, Chandor crafts an astonishingly eerie yet intense film about an immigrant businessman trying to expand his empire in 1981 New York City amidst an era of violence.
Cinematographer Bradford Young does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of natural lighting for some scenes in the day to bits of sepia for a few interior/exterior scenes at night including some eerie low-key lighting for the tunnel chase scene. Editor Ron Patane does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense as well as a few intense moments of violence. Production designer John P. Goldsmith, with set decorator Melanie J. Baker and art director Doug Huszti, does amazing work with the look of the lavish home that Abel and Anna live in with their family as well as the offices and places they go to as it play into the early 80s aesthetics. Costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone does fantastic work with the costumes from the designer clothes that Anna wears as well as the suits and expensive winter coat that Abel wears.
Makeup artist Stephanie Pasicov does nice work with the look of Anna from her hairstyle and the makeup that she wears at times to play into the period of the times. Visual effects supervisors Luke DiTommaso, Jason Forster, and Mark Russell do terrific work with the visual effects as it is largely set-dressing for some of the exteriors to play into the period that is 1981 New York City. Sound designer Steve Boeddeker does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere as well as add to the suspense including scenes such as the chases and the tunnel scene. The film’s music by Alex Ebert is wonderful for its low-key music score with some orchestral flourishes that play into the drama and bits of suspense while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a soundtrack that is largely low-key that includes a song from Marvin Gaye early in the film and a classical piece.
The casting by Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jerry Adler and Quinn Meyers as a couple of Hasidic businessmen who are making a deal with Abel, Ashley Williams as Lawrence’s deputy Lange, the trio of Daisy Tahan, Taylor Richardson, and Giselle Eisenberg as Abel and Anna’s daughters, Nick Bailey and Jenilyn Rodriguez as a couple of sales recruits, Linda Marie Larson as Abel’s secretary Debbie, David Margulies and Annie Funke as a couple of business people whom Abel asks for a loan, Ben Rosenfeld as a young sales recruit who gets mugged by a thug, Pico Alexander as Abel’s younger brother Elias, Peter Gerety as a teamster manager in Bill O’Leary, Elizabeth Marvel as a party guest at a birthday party for one of Abel and Anna’s daughters, Christopher Abbott as a thug that Abel confronts late in the film, Glenn Flesher as a competitor that Abel sees at a barbershop, and Catalina Sandino Moreno in a fantastic one-scene performance as Julian’s wife Luisa who is aware of what her husband has done but also the stakes of how it will affect Abel’s business.
Elyes Gabel is superb as the truck driver Julian who gets mugged by muggers and later gets himself in trouble following another confrontation that puts himself and Abel in serious trouble. Alessandro Nivola is excellent as Peter Forente as a competitor of Abel who also has connections with organized crime as he is aware of what is happening to Abel though is cagey about his involvement where he tries to make a deal with Abel that is in his favor. David Oyelowo is brilliant as Lawrence as the assistant DA who is investigating Abel’s activities though he knows that Abel is a good man but has a job to do while he is also an idealist of sorts but is aware of what needs to be done. Albert Brooks is amazing as Abel’s attorney Andrew Walsh as a man who is trying to handle all sorts of business but is also aware of what needs to be done as he is someone who had seen a lot and knows that not everything is clean.
Jessica Chastain is incredible as Anna Morales as Abel’s wife who has been supportive in his ambitions but is also aware that her husband needs to play dirty as she is annoyed by his idealism as she also watches over their books and finances as it’s something she’s done in working with her father. Finally, there’s Oscar Isaac in a phenomenal performance as Abel Morales as an immigrant businessman who owns a heating oil business as he hopes to expand his business only to deal with the chaos and violence that is looming around him as it is this fierce yet calm performance of a man that is just trying to do the right thing only to learn that there is no straight arrow when it comes to ambition.
A Most Violent Year is a tremendous film from J.C. Chandor that features phenomenal leading performances from Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, and its study of ambition along with its dangers and complexities. It is a film that explores a period in time in New York City that showcases what some will do to get ahead in business and how an immigrant businessman is trying to maintain some morality in a world that is immoral. In the end, A Most Violent Year is a magnificent film from J.C. Chandor.
J.C. Chandor Films: Margin Call - All is Lost - (Triple Frontier) – (Kraven the Hunter) – (The Auteurs #73: J.C. Chandor)
© thevoid99 2021
(Winner of the Best Actor Prize to Joaquin Phoenix and Co-Winner of the Best Screenplay Prize to Lynne Ramsay with Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou for The Killing of a Sacred Deer)
The film revolves around a man whose job is to retrieve young girls and women who have been kidnapped as he is asked by a politician to retrieve his daughter only to uncover a human trafficking network that is bigger than he realizes as he copes with his own trauma relating to his childhood and his time as a soldier. It is a film with a simple premise that plays into a man who takes a job to find and save young women yet this one job ends up being much more troubling than he realizes as it also relates to politics and power. Lynne Ramsay’s screenplay is largely straightforward yet it follows the mind of its protagonist in Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) who does his job in secrecy as he would spend his off-time tending to his aging mother (Judith Roberts).
When he meets his boss John McCleary (John Doman) about an assignment to retrieve the daughter of Senator Albert Votto (Alex Mannette) in Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov). Joe accepts the job yet he remains troubled by his own past as a child (Dante Pereira-Olson) as well as flashbacks as a soldier as it adds to obstacle of his job. Especially as Nina is at the center of this where political power is involved as the film’s second half has Joe deal with what Nina’s father is involved in as trouble ensues. Even as it leads to this trail of blood and anger that Joe would venture into as it play into a dark world that he would encounter yet that world would cross a line that not even Joe would go into.
Ramsay’s direction is definitely riveting for the fact that it aims for something simple but also with elements that are a bit surreal and unsettling. Shot on location in New York City and areas near and at upstate New York as well as interior shots at the Astoria Studios in New York City. Ramsay chooses to avoid many of the city’s many landmarks in favor of going more into areas not often seen as it play into this world that Joe lives in where he lives on the fringes of society. While there are some wide shots that Ramsay uses to establish a few locations and settings in the film, Ramsay chooses to maintain an intimacy on the film as well as create small glimpses of Joe’s own troubled childhood and his time at war. The usage of close-ups and medium shots add to the anguish that Joe endures but also his actions when it comes to dealing with the situation at hand. One aspect that Ramsay does in the film is her approach to violence as much of it is either off-screen or shown from afar with graphic elements are shown in the aftermath of a violent event.
Ramsay also play into this air of intrigue as she often has scenes of Joe wrapping his head around plastic as a way to envision death as it play into his own suicidal thoughts. Ramsay isn’t afraid to play into elements of darkness while she emphasizes on what she doesn’t show as it relates to the world of sex trafficking other than just what needs to be shown. Even as the film leads to the third act where Joe does go hell-bent on uncovering the truth and get some form of justice such as a scene where he confronts a wounded hitman as it is Joe’s humanity that is the most shocking moment in a film that is intensely dark. The film’s climax that involves the main figure of this sex trafficking scandal is intense but on a more emotional approach where Ramsay play into Joe’s own traumas and the sheer chaos of the world he uncovered. Overall, Ramsay crafts a gripping and evocative film about a mercenary who is tasked to recover a politician’s daughter only to uncover the dark world of sex trafficking.
Cinematographer Thomas Townend does brilliant work with the cinematography in its emphasis on natural and low-key lighting while maintaining some stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes at night as it play into the suspense and terror. Editor Joe Bini does amazing work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts and montages add to some of the drama and suspense while being straightforward in some parts of the film. Production designer Tim Grimes, with set decorator Kendall Anderson and art director Eric Dean, does excellent work with the look of Joe’s home where he lives with his mother, McCleary’s office, and the place where Joe finds Nina. Costume designer Malgosia Turzanska does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the expensive suits that the politicians wear as well as a nightgown that Nina wears.
Special effects makeup designers Tom Denier Jr. and Vincent Schicchi do incredible work with the look of some of the wounds and such into some of the victims that Joe encounters or those he kills as it adds a sense of discomfort to the film. Visual effects supervisor Nick Bennett does nice work with a major visual effects scene in the third act as it play into Joe’s own despair as it relates to setbacks and what he must do. Sound designer Paul Davies does superb work with the sound as it adds to the film’s intense atmosphere in the way natural sounds are presented as well as gunshots are sound from afar as the sound design is a major highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood is phenomenal with its emphasis on low-key orchestral arrangements to play into the suspense and drama as well as some eerie electronic and rock-based music pieces that help intensify the moments while music supervisors Catherine Grieves and Frederic Junqua cultivate a soundtrack that features other score pieces from other films as well as songs from Colbie Caillat, Albert Hammond, Joyce Heath, Charlene, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Eileen Barton and the New Yorkers as much of the music is played on a location for a scene in the film.
The casting by Billy Hopkins and Ashley Ingram is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Scott Price as a wounded hitman that Joe questions and comforts, Kate Easton as a younger version of Joe’s mother, Jonathan Wilde and Ronan Summers in the role of Joe’s father whose face is never seen, Frank Pando as a middleman named Angel who works with McCleary and runs a bodega, Vinicius Damasceno as Angel’s son Moises who had witness Joe return home following a job, Dante Pereira-Olson as the young Joe who witnesses and is a recipient of the abuse from his father, Alex Manette as Senator Albert Votto who hires Joe to get his daughter back as he is hiding something relating to a scandal, and Alessandro Nivola as a powerful politician in a state governor who is key player in this dark world of sex trafficking.
John Doman is excellent as Joe’s boss John McCleary as a man who gives Joe assignments while hoping to retire and offer Joe a chance to live a less troubled life. Judith Roberts is brilliant as Joe’s mother as a woman who has given Joe a reason to live despite her old age as well as being someone who is funny. Ekaterina Samsonov is amazing as Nina Votto as a teenage girl who has ran away and finds herself in the world of prostitution as she is unsure of how she got there while coping with the fact that she is really a pawn in a dark underworld. Finally, there’s Joaquin Phoenix in a magnificent performance as Joe as a mercenary hired to retrieve young women from sex traffickers as he is someone coping with trauma from his childhood and time as a soldier where Phoenix provides a restrained performance as someone who keeps to himself as is also a performance of terror and anguish where Phoenix creates a career-defining performance.
You Were Never Really Here is an outstanding film from Lynne Ramsay that features a great leading performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Along with its supporting cast, rapturous visuals, a gripping script, and an eerie music score from Jonny Greenwood. The film is definitely a haunting character study that explores a man coping with the past while trying to save a young girl from a dark underworld that proves to be bigger than he thought. In the end, You Were Never Really Here is a magnificent film from Lynne Ramsay.
Lynne Ramsay Films: Ratcatcher - Morvern Callar - We Need to Talk About Kevin - Die My Love - (Polaris)
Related: The Auteurs #6: Lynne Ramsay - Favorite Films #9: Morvern Callar
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Phil Morrison and written by Angus MacLachlan, Junebug is the story of an art dealer who travels to North Carolina with her husband to meet his eccentric family that includes his brother’s young and pregnant wife. The film is a family comedy-drama that explores not just a family that off the wall but a woman trying to understand where her husband comes from. Starring Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Celia Weston, Scott Wilson, Benjamin McKenzie, and Amy Adams. Junebug is a witty and delightful film from Phil Morrison.
After meeting a man at her art gallery and then marrying him, the film is about a woman who travels to North Carolina with her husband to meet a reclusive painter as her husband’s family live nearby where she wants to meet them. Along the way, she would get to know this family of eccentrics that includes her brother-in-law’s sweet yet naïve wife who is pregnant. Angus MacLachlan’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the life and work of Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) who runs an art gallery in Chicago that explores outsider art. It’s the fact that she is now part of a family with very strong Southern values as they’re a bit wary of her though she means well. Madeleine’s husband George (Alessandro Nivola) is reluctant about not just introducing her to his family. It’s also because he hadn’t been back home for years as it has caused resentment from his younger brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie) who is going through issues as he’s living at home with his parents and young wife Ashley (Amy Adams).
While George’s father Eugene (Scott Wilson) is welcoming towards Madeleine, his wife Peg (Celia Weston) isn’t receptive towards Madeleine as is Johnny who is uneasy about Madeleine’s presence towards Ashley who loves her. Yet, Madeleine would notice that there is tension in the family as she tries to balance her time with the family as well as deal with a competing art gallery from New York who also want the artwork of the local artist David Wark (Frank Hoyt Taylor). The time spent with the family would also become more problematic despite Ashley who is the embodiment of innocence as Madeleine is fascinated by her as she wants to be there for the young woman. Yet, the looming tension within the family would come to ahead once Ashley goes into labor as it becomes clear where everyone is at.
Phil Morrison’s direction is quite simple as it is shot largely on location in North Carolina through a trio of small towns including Winston-Salem as it doesn’t go for anything that is visually-striking. While there are a few wide shots, Morrison aims for something more intimate from the scenes inside the car to some of the local gatherings the characters go to. There are some camera movements in the film yet it is more about the simple aspects of George and his family as well as Madeleine being an outsider into this world. Morrison’s compositions are more concerned with the family unit as well as the tension that is looming with Madeleine being this observer. Still, she does get into moments that are uncomfortable such as a scene where she’s trying to help Johnny prepare for his GED exam as well as being there for Ashley. The film’s third act isn’t just about Madeleine kind of being left out as she would attend to her own business but also the resentment involving Johnny and George. Notably as it reveals why the latter hasn’t been coming back home lately with Ashley somewhere in the middle of this family tension. Overall, Morrison creates a heartfelt yet lively film about a woman meeting her new husband’s oddball family.
Cinematographer Peter Donahue does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it is mostly straightforward with its usage of lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Joe Klotz does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward with a few jump-cuts and fade-outs for transitional scenes from the latter. Production designer David Doernberg and set decorator Sara Parks do fantastic work with the look of the family home in all of its quaint objects as well as the art gallery that Madeleine works at.
Costume designer Danielle Kays does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with some of the more city-like clothing of Madeleine and the colorful clothes that Ashley wears. Sound editor Eric Offin does superb work with the sound as it is mostly low-key and sparse to play into the surroundings and locations in the film. The film’s music by the indie-rock band Yo La Tengo is wonderful for its low-key indie-rock music with sparse guitar melodies and textures as the soundtrack mostly feature some classical music, traditional gospel, and a soul song written by Stevie Wonder.
The casting by Mark Bennett is great as it feature some notable small roles from Alicia Van Couvering as Madeleine’s gallery assistant, Joanne Pankow as Wark’s sister/attorney, and Frank Hoyt Taylor as the eccentric yet reclusive artist David Wark that Madeleine meets and want to present his art to the world. Scott Wilson is superb as George’s father Eugene as a man who is very receptive to Madeleine as she is interested in his work creating birdhouses and stuff out of wood. Celia Weston is fantastic as Peg as a woman who adores her son George though is wary about Madeleine as she sees her as kind of a snob and not good enough for George. Benjamin McKenzie is excellent as Johnny as George’s younger brother who doesn’t really like Madeleine very much yet harbors some issues towards his older brother which also has him feel strained towards Ashley.
Alessandro Nivola is brilliant as George as a man who falls for and marries Madeleine as he is reluctant to see his family where he copes with not just old issues but also trying to make Madeleine feel like part of his family. Embeth Davidtz is amazing as Madeleine as a British art gallery owner who is fascinated by outsider art as well as get to know George’s family where she finds a bond with both George’s father and Ashley. Finally, there’s Amy Adams in an incredible breakthrough performance as Ashley as this talkative and lively pregnant woman who is hoping a baby would help her marriage to Johnny as she is so full of innocence and wonderment that makes the character a pure joy to watch.
Junebug is a remarkable film from Phil Morrison. Featuring some beautiful images, a compelling story, superb music, and a great cast led by Amy Adams in a career-defining performance. It is a true gem of a film that explores unique family dynamics as well as a woman trying to see where her husband comes from. In the end, Junebug is a marvelous film from Phil Morrison.
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and screenplay by Refn, Mary Laws, and Polly Stenham from a story by Refn, The Neon Demon is the story of a young and aspiring model who travels to Los Angeles where she is part of a modeling agency only to raise the ire of other models over her youth and beauty. The film is a study in the world of glamour and what will women will do to maintain their beauty and fight those to earn a coveted spot. Starring Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Karl Glusman, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Bella Heathcote, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves. The Neon Demon is an eerie yet evocative film from Nicolas Winding Refn.
The film follows the life of a young and aspiring model whose key to success is her beauty where she is signed to a modeling agency despite being underage where she finds herself having to compete with older models who despise her. It’s a film with a simple plot yet it doesn’t play by any rules in terms of conventional narrative as it’s more about what this young girl is encountering as well as the people she meets. The film’s screenplay by Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws, and Polly Stenham doesn’t just explore the dark and demanding aspects about the modeling world in terms of its cynicism but also how this young girl with a pure sense of beauty and innocence threaten those who doesn’t just need work but also try to maintain their own beauty as they’re getting older. For the character Jessie (Elle Fanning), she is someone who came from a small town in Georgia as she meets a young photographer who takes some photos and somehow managed to get connections with the biggest and best people in the business.
Jessie is someone that is truly the embodiment of innocence as she is someone that lives alone in a seedy motel in Los Angeles run by a strange and mysterious man in Hank (Keanu Reeves). When the makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone) takes notice of her, she becomes this guardian of sorts for Jessie as she would introduce her to a couple of models in Sarah (Abbey Lee Kershaw) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote) who are both still beautiful but are struggling to get work as they see Jessie with disdain. Aside from Ruby, the only other person that Jessie meets who treats her kindly is a young photographer named Dean (Karl Glusman) whose photos would give Jessie the connections in the world of modeling. Still, Jessie encounters things that are odd as it play into her innocent persona which would descend as the story develops. Especially as her descent would lead her to dark places as well as the people she meets who have an agenda towards her.
Refn’s direction is definitely stylish not just in the compositions that he creates but also in this world that is quite surreal in its overly-stylized setting. Shot on location in Los Angeles where it is a character in the film as this world of glamour and beauty that is entrancing but also has this air of darkness as it is set in the highly-competitive world of modeling. Refn’s usage of the wide shots would play into that world of glamour as well as capture some of the chaotic events of the modeling world with the usage of tracking and dolly shots while he would also use medium shots for scenes involving multiple characters in a conversation. Refn’s framing and how he puts his actors into a composition are key such as the scene in the bathroom between Jessie, Ruby, Gigi, and Sarah where Refn as Jessie at the edge of the frame to emphasize how much of an outsider she is. There are also these weird moments in the film that add to the surrealism that Jessie encounters such as a cougar in her motel room, the things she dreams or sees on the runway during a show, and some of the offbeat behavior of the people in the modeling world including Gigi and Sarah.
Refn would also create some ambiguity into the characters that Jessie meets such as Ruby and Hank. The latter of which is very creepy as he’s only in a few scenes yet is someone that is quite unsettling for how he presents himself and the things he says as it is something Dean would be shocked by. Then there’s Ruby as she is kind of this maternal figure of sorts in the film for Jessie but she too is offbeat. Notably for what Refn reveals in the other job that she has as it’s also even more unsettling to great extremes as it reveals how far Jessie has descended into the world she’s in. The film’s climax is definitely eerie and definitely plays into something that is very violent as it play into the horrifying cynicism of the modeling world as a key character states some harsh truths on beauty. Overall, Refn creates a rapturous yet scary film about a young model’s arrival into a very dark and brutal world.
Cinematographer Natasha Braier does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and evocative cinematography with its usage of many colored lights and mood including neon lights as it help play into the high-octane modeling world for many of the interiors as well as the exterior scenes at night while going for something natural and beautiful in other exterior scenes in the day and night. Editor Matthew Newman does excellent work with the editing as it is stylized with some rhythmic cuts while maintaining some moments that are straightforward including a few montages. Production designer Elliott Hostetter, with set decorator Adam Wills and art director Austin Gorg, does fantastic work with the look of the studio sets as well as the seedy motel that Jessie lives and the home that Ruby is house-sitting at. Costume designer Erin Benach does amazing work with the costumes to play into the high-octane world of fashion with all of its designs including in the casual clothes the women wear.
Special makeup effects work by Ruth Haney, Kristy Horiuchi, and Dean Jones, with hair stylist Enoch H. Williams IV, do superb work with the makeup from the macabre look of Jessie‘s first shoot as well as some of the things she and the other models had to look as well as in the hairstyles. Visual effects supervisors Peter Hjorth, Sunit Parekh, and Tonni Zinck do terrific work with the visual effects as it only play to a few scenes such as a few things that Jessie sees as it relates to the surreal elements of the film. Sound designers Anne Jensen and Eddie Simonsen do incredible work with the sound as it has these unique textures and mixes as it play into the suspense and horror as well as some of the surreal elements as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Cliff Martinez is phenomenal for its eerie yet haunting electronic score with the layers of synthesizers and ambient textures as the soundtrack would also feature some cuts by other electronic acts as well as pop singer Sia.
The casting by Nicole Daniels and Courtney Sheinin is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jamie Clayton as a casting director for a shoot, Charles Baker as Hanks’ assistant Mikey, Houda Shretah as Sarno’s assistant and Alessandro Nivola in a small yet terrific role as the fashion designer Robert Sarno who has some very biting and cynical ideas about the world of fashion and what beauty really is. Desmond Harrington is superb as the photographer Jack McCarther as this professional who is creepy but also has an eye for talent while Christina Hendricks is fantastic as the modeling agent Roberta Hoffman who sees the beauty in Jessie as well as give her some advice about how to forge ahead in the world of modeling. Karl Glusman is brilliant as Dean as a young photographer who takes photos of Jessie for her first photo shoot as he is one of the few kind characters in the film that becomes taken aback by the cynicism and narcissism of the fashion industry.
Keanu Reeves is excellent as the motel manager Hank as this very creepy and lecherous individual who seems to be more concerned with money than one’s well-being as he gives this great monologue of sorts of the kind of business that he does. Abbey Lee Kershaw is amazing as Sarah as model who is quite bitchy as she is desperate to get back in the game and get work as she has a real disdain towards Jessie because of what Jessie is able to get. Bella Heathcote is remarkable as Gigi as another model who is the nicer of the two as she is someone obsessed with trying to look good as she would also do a lot of plastic surgery as it play into the harsh reality of beauty at all costs.
Jena Malone is incredible as Ruby as a makeup artist who is this strange yet offbeat maternal figure of sorts for Jessie as she is someone who had seen a lot but also carries a very dark secret. Malone’s performance is also quite complex where she is very kind and warm to Ruby but there are elements that are quite scary as she does things that are very extreme as it is very chilling performance. Finally, there’s Elle Fanning in a spectacular performance as Jessie as this young 16-year old girl who knows the only thing she has in the world is her beauty as she starts off as this embodiment of innocence as her naivete is key to that performance. By the second half as she encounters these surreal elements, Fanning does become a big darker but also anguished as someone who sees that she is growing up too fast as well as thinking maybe there is a real cost to natural beauty as it is a career-defining performance for Fanning.
The Neon Demon is a tremendous film from Nicolas Winding Refn that features phenomenal performances from Elle Fanning and Jena Malone. Along with a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, an eerie music soundtrack, and gripping themes on beauty. It’s a film that showcases the world of modeling at its most cutthroat as well as going into great lengths into what women will do to remain beautiful in a very dark world. In the end, The Neon Demon is a magnificent film from Nicolas Winding Refn.
Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Pusher - Bleeder - Fear X - Pusher II - Pusher 3 - Bronson - Valhalla Rising - Drive - Only God Forgives - The Auteurs #12: Nicolas Winding Refn
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb, Selma is the story of the events leading to the 1965 march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and several other Civil Rights leaders trying to make a difference during the Civil Rights movement in the American South. The film is a dramatic account of the non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery in the state of Alabama as it is considered a key turning point in the American Civil Rights movement. Starring David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Roth, Tessa Thompson, Wendell Pierce, Alessandro Nivola, and Oprah Winfrey. Selma is a mesmerizing and riveting film from Ava DuVernay.
The film is a dramatic account of the events that preceded the non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) in an attempt for African-Americans to have the right to register to vote that would eventually lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Told in a straightforward manner, the film follows Dr. King and fellow Civil Rights leader who prepare for this march just as Dr. King is having frequent meetings with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) about allowing African-Americans to have the right to register to vote without any issues. Johnson is reluctant as he has other things to deal with where he is also dealing with some opposition like FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker) who thinks King is up to no good while King would also have to deal with Alabama’s Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth).
Paul Webb’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Dr. King’s attempt to get the march going with several other Civil Rights leaders but also dealing with the authority in Alabama where a lot of planning occurs. Even as Dr. King ponders if the media will see what happens as he also deals with the church bombing in Birmingham that killed four young girls and other events that includes the death of Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch). The script also plays in moments behind the scenes where Dr. King becomes weary and unsure of what is doing as his own personal life would nearly unravel when the FBI tries to create discord between Dr. King and his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) over the former’s supposed extramarital affairs. Still, Dr. King tries to get the march forward where he also deals with members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who don’t agree with Dr. King’s views.
There is a structure where much of the first half is about Dr. King and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference trying to plan for the march as well as deal with all sorts of legal and social issues. Even as Dr. King copes with loss and other things as well having to go back to his home in Atlanta and flying to Washington D.C. to meet with President Johnson. The second half is about the first two attempts for the march as the first one ends in violence where it is captured by the press while the second one would end abruptly by Dr. King due to an act of faith. Especially where he would hear that those who would march with him including whites would be targeted in this small Alabama town where racial tension is very high. The third act is about President Johnson’s decision as he is aware of the role he is playing where he knows what might happen if he doesn’t act.
Ava DuVernay’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of the fact that she doesn’t go for anything grand nor play too much into exposition which is often the case with a lot of films based on historical events. While much of it is shot in Atlanta and other parts in the nearby city including a few key shots in Selma and Montgomery. The film is more about the American South as a whole where it plays into a landscape that is changing where you have a group of people that want change but you have this other group that opposes change. DuVernay’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into this tension that is happening in Alabama which is the centerpiece of this old idea of the American South dating back to the 1800s. Even as Dr. King would meet this old man who is in his 80s as he is waiting for the right to vote as it is this very simple moment where this old man just endured loss as he ponders if he has a say in anything in this country that is supposed to be about equality. The direction also has DuVernay create moments that are quite intense such as a non-violent confrontation against a county sheriff that does unfortunately turn violent because the old man couldn’t sit down where a woman would hit that sheriff and all hell breaks loose.
The usage of close-ups and hand-held cameras play into that chaos as well as a moment where people are attempting a march at night where it turns very violent in the hands of the police. There are also moments during these meetings where DuVernay does create something where there is tension but also the need to resolve something not just in the meetings President Johnson would have with his staff and Dr. King but also a scene with him and Governor Wallace that plays into a world that is changing. The latter of which is actually afraid of change but is also indifferent in what history will think of him as it’s something President Johnson is aware of. While its ending is predictable, it does have something to say in what Dr. King has done to make the world better no matter how troubling it is but it’s also in the idea that one person does have a say. Overall, DuVernay creates a gripping yet engaging film about one of the most watershed moments in American history.
Cinematographer Bradford Young does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from its usage of low-key lights for some of the interiors in many of the scenes set day and night to the look of the towns in the daytime including the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Editor Spencer Averick does nice work in creating some unique rhythmic and jump-cuts to play into some of the drama as well as some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with set decorator Elizabeth Keenan and art director Kim Jennings, does fantastic work with the look of the home of Dr. King and his family as well as some church interiors including the scene in Birmingham where the four little girls would be killed on that day. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter does wonderful work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times as well as the dresses the women wear.
Visual effects supervisors Anup Shakya and Dottie Starling do brilliant work with some of the minimal visual effects such as the Birmingham church bombing sequence as well as a few other moments that is essentially set dressing. Sound editor Greg Hedgepath does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the chaos in some of the protests as well as some chilling moments in the conversations. The film’s music by Jason Moran is terrific as it‘s mostly low-key and doesn’t appear very much as it is largely a mixture of orchestral, folk, and gospel to play into the times while music supervisor Morgan Rhodes provides a intoxicating soundtrack that mixes a lot of the music of the times from folk, gospel, soul, and blues from artists like Joyce Collins & Johnita Collins, Duane Eddy, Sarah Vaughan, the Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Odetta, the Impressions, and a new song called Glory by John Legend and Common.
The casting by Aisha Coley and Cynthia Stillwell are incredible as it features a massive ensemble with notable small roles from Jeremy Strong as white Boston pastor James Reeb, Tara Ochs as white Civil Rights activist Viola Liuzzo, Stan Houston as Selma’s sheriff Jim Clark, Nigel Thatch as Malcolm X, Michael Papajohn as state trooper leader Major John Cloud, Henry G. Sanders as the old man Cager Lee that Dr. King befriends, Keith Stansfield as the old man’s grandson, Ledisi Young as the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson that Dr. King turns to for guidance early in the film, and Oprah Winfrey in a small yet wonderful standout performance as activist Annie Lee Cooper who is just a woman that just wants the right to vote. Other noteworthy appearances include Martin Sheen as Judge Frank Minis Johnson who decides whether Dr. King could march, Cuba Gooding Jr. as civil rights attorney Fred Grey, Dylan Baker as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Stephen Root as Governor Wallace’s advisor Al Lingo, Niecy Nash as activist Richie Jean Jackson, and Giovanni Ribisi as President Johnson’s advisor Lee C. White.
In the performances of the many associates of Dr. King, Colman Domingo as Ralph Abernathy, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bayard Rustin, Stephan James as SNCC co-chairman John Lewis, Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams, Lorraine Toussaint as Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Andrew Holland as Andrew Young are all excellent as people who are trying to see what they can do for the movement and make sure it goes in the right direction. Tessa Thompson is superb as Diane Nash as an activist who helps Dr. King in the strategy of the Selma march while Common is fantastic as Reverend James Bevel who also helps in making sure things go right in the need for non-violence. Alessandro Nivola is amazing as Assistant Attorney General John Doar who meets with Dr. King to understand what is doing while trying to ensure him that President Johnson is at his side knowing that what Dr. King wants isn’t easy.
Tim Roth is brilliant as Governor George C. Wallace as Alabama’s then-governor who tries to make sure Dr. King doesn’t march as Roth sells that air of racism in the governor as well as display a sense of fear about what could happen if change does happen in Alabama. Carmen Ejogo is radiant as Coretta Scott King as Dr. King’s wife who is aware of what her husband is doing while also knowing that not everything in her marriage is great though she stands by him when he needs her at the march. Tom Wilkinson is great as President Lyndon B. Johnson who wants to invoke an act where African-Americans can vote without any issue but is trying to see how he wouldn’t get into trouble as he also copes with how history will see him. Finally, there’s David Oyelowo in a tremendous performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the civil rights leader who is trying to make change and ensure that the people of Alabama have a say while dealing with everything that involves in the march and its outcome as well as dealing with personal issues where he becomes overwhelmed with his role as a civil rights leader as it is a performance for the ages from Oyelowo.
Selma is a sensational film from Ava DuVernay that features an incredible performance from David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Featuring a great ensemble cast and a compelling story that plays a lot into some of its historical context and its stakes. It’s a film that doesn’t just carry a lot of importance but also showcase a moment in time that would prove to be a major moment in American history. In the end, Selma is a spectacular film from Ava DuVernay.
Ava DuVernay Films: (This is the Life (2008 film)) - (I Will Follow) - Middle of Nowhere (2012 film) - 13th (2016 film) - (A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Written and directed by Sally Potter, Ginger & Rosa is the story of two young girls living in the 1960s as they cope with the threat of nuclear holocaust during the Cold War as well as a growing divergence between the two. The film is a coming of age tale set entirely in the year of 1962 Britain during the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a young woman fears about the concept of no future. Starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Jodhi May, and Annette Bening. Ginger & Rosa is a compelling and touching film from Sally Potter.
The film revolves around the lives of two 17-year old girls in 1962 Britain as they cope with the idea of nuclear holocaust as they both diverge into different paths where one of them tries to do something about it while the other falls in love. It’s a film that is a coming-of-age tale set in the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis where two girls are trying to have fun but certain events in their lives would change things. While Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert) have many similarities in their personalities and adventures as they were both born on the same day to young mothers. The latter would find herself be drawn to Ginger’s free-spirited father Roland (Alessandro Nivola) in his views of being independent and wild as he encourages Ginger to do so. Yet, Ginger is becoming interested in poetry as she also tries to find herself through activism.
Sally Potter’s screenplay doesn’t just play into the relationship between the two girls but also the events that would drive them apart. Notably Rosa’s actions as she likes to drink and smoke while make out with boys while Ginger is confused if she wants that as she becomes more passionate about activism as well as poetry. While Rosa isn’t exactly a bad person but rather someone who does bad things, her lack of a father figure and need for one in Roland would create a schism in her friendship with Ginger who would also lash out over the state of the world. The film’s second half would have Ginger live with her father but it becomes clear that it’s not ideal where she turns to family friends including an experienced activist in Bella (Annette Bening) who knows what Ginger is dealing with but also tell her there is still a solution to the chaos of the world.
Potter’s direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions she creates yet does manage to create some dazzling visuals as it relates to the world that Ginger and Rosa are living in. Shot largely in locations near Kent in Britain, the film does play into a small-town yet post-war feel in a world that is changing but grounded as much of the film is set in a working class environment where kids are listening to jazz and rock n’ roll. While Potter uses a lot of wide shots to capture the scenes set on Roland’s boat and in some location shots, she maintains an intimacy with the medium shots and close-ups. Especially as it plays into Ginger’s own growing pains and confusion as it would culminate into the third act where she begins to realize that the world she is in as it relates to her father is just as complicated as what is happening around her. Even as Rosa becomes a more complicated person to the point that Ginger has no clue how to comprehend everything around her. Overall, Potter crafts a mesmerizing coming-of-age film about two teenage girls diverging into different paths amidst the growing threat of a nuclear holocaust.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to create some very vibrant and colorful looks for many of the exterior scenes set in the day and night along with some low-key lighting for some of the interior scenes in the film. Editor Anders Refn does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with a few stylish bits such as an opening montage on Ginger and Rosa‘s lives as well as some scenes that play into Ginger‘s emotional turmoil. Production designer Carlos Conti, with set decorator Liz Griffiths and art director Andrea Matheson, does fantastic work with the look of Roland‘s home with its somewhat-Bohemian look that is a sharp contrast to the simplistic yet more spacious home that Ginger lives with her mother. Costume designer Holly Waddington does excellent work with the costumes with the look of early 1960s fashion including the turtleneck sweaters the girls would wear.
Hair/makeup designer Tara McDonald does terrific work with the hairstyles of Ginger and Rosa with the former having dyed red hair as well as the look of young men in Teddy-boy haircuts. Visual effects supervisor Martin Madsen does some fine work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects which is just essentially bits of set dressing for some of the locations. Sound editor Eddie Simonsen does superb work with the sound in not just capturing some of the moments in the locations but also in the way the reports on the radio about the Cuban Missile Crisis is being presented. Music supervisor Amy Ashworth creates a wonderful soundtrack that features different kinds of music from classical, jazz, and rock n’ roll as it features contributions from Franz Schubert, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Miles Davis, the Shadows, Les Paul, and Django Reinhardt.
The casting by Irene Lamb and Heidi Levitt is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Andrew Hawley as the lead activist Tony that Ginger befriends, Luke Cloud as Rosa’s father who is only seen briefly early in the film, and Jodhi May in a wonderful role as Rosa’s mother Anoushka who deals with her daughter’s behavior as well as the activities she is doing. Oliver Platt and Timothy Spall are excellent in their roles as two family friends named Mark who help Ginger in dealing with the chaos of the world as well as provide their own insight into the way things are. Annette Bening is fantastic as Bella as an activist friend of the American Mark who would help Ginger in answers about the ways of the world while calling out on some of Roland’s own bullshit idealism.
Christina Hendricks is amazing as Ginger’s mother Natalie as a former artist turned homemaker who becomes overwhelmed with her daughter’s activities and her husband’s infidelities where she struggles to maintain some sanity over what is happening in her family life. Alessandro Nivola is superb as Ginger’s father Roland who is this free-spirited pacifist who encourages his daughter to be independent and free but often does a lot of bad things as it includes sleeping with other women and students where one of them would be too much for Ginger to deal with. Alice Englert is remarkable as Rosa as a 17-year old girl who becomes more fascinated by boys rather than the reality of nuclear holocaust as she starts to dress more stylish and act a certain way where she would make Ginger feel uncomfortable. Finally, there’s Elle Fanning in an incredible performance as Ginger as a 17-year old girl dealing with the reality of what is coming as she leans towards her poetry to cope with not just that reality but also the one close by as it relates to her disintegrating friendship with Rosa and her relationship with her father.
Ginger & Rosa is a marvelous film from Sally Potter that features a mesmerizing performance from Elle Fanning. Along with a great supporting cast as well as a compelling premise that play into real world situations from the views of a young lady. It’s a coming-of-age film that plays a lot into what happens when a bomb will drop and two young girls different reaction to that reality. In the end, Ginger & Rosa is a rapturous film from Sally Potter.
Sally Potter Films: (The Gold Diggers) - (Orlando) - (The Tango Lesson) - (The Man Who Cried) - (Yes) - (Rage)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by David O. Russell and written by David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer, American Hustle is about the ABSCAM operation of the late 70s where a FBI agent teams with a couple of con artists to nab corrupt politicians so that they wouldn’t go to jail. The film explores the world of corruption and scams where con artists do whatever it takes to make money with a FBI agent while dealing with other problems that would do undo them. Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner. American Hustle is a witty and engaging film from David O. Russell.
Though the film is based on a true story, the first thing presented in the film is stated that some of the events in this film is true which reveals that not everything in this story about ABSCAM is true. Still, it is an intriguing story in which two con-artist lovers who have been successful in embezzling money from other people until they’re caught by an ambitious FBI agent who asks them to take part in a con game to nab a New Jersey city mayor who wants to rebuild Atlantic City. The three go along with the scam to nab the mayor but things become complicated when relationships start to occur in a strange love-triangle while adding to the chaos is a con artist’s emotionally-unstable wife. It’s a film that is about the con game where two hustlers just try to do things carefully only to be involved with this FBI agent where the dealings involve the mob.
The film’s screenplay by David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer explores not just the idea of scams and con games but also the individuals involved in the ABSCAM operation. Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is just a guy who lives his life as a con-artist as he just wants to live a good life despite being married to Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who is pretty crazy as the only reason Irving doesn’t leave her is because he cares for her son Danny (Sonny and Danny Corbo) whom he has adopted. Rosalyn is a unique character just like Irving as she may be this woman who likes to drink a lot and is quite crazy where she is a liability to everything Irving tries to do in secret. There is a lot more to her that even Irving would eventually realizes as she’s also a threat to Irving’s relationship with his con artist partner/lover Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who often goes into the guise as a British woman named Lady Edith Greensly.
Sydney is a woman who wasn’t initially involved in Irving’s schemes but realizes how fun it could be where they have an excellent life though she understands why he couldn’t leave Rosalyn which makes her uneasy. When Richie DiMasio (Bradley Cooper) nabs them and is attracted to Sydney in her Edith persona, he would have Irving to teach him the ropes in the art of scamming which Irving reluctantly does as he isn’t sure what Richie wants to do. Even Richie’s own superiors in the FBI are unsure of his plans to nab this New Jersey mayor in Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) who has been known as a man of the people. When Irving gets to know Carmine, a conflict begins to emerge in Irving over Richie’s operation where it would go too far as it involved politicians and the Mob that frightens Irving. Eventually, things do go out of control in the third act where much of the first half of the film is comical though things get a bit darker in the second act. Especially as Irving and Sydney realize the danger of what they’re doing and how far Richie is going as even Rosalyn becomes involved.
Russell’s direction is pretty lively in the way he plays into the world of the con game where he does infuse the film with a lot of humor but also a shadiness where the film might be a con itself. Still, Russell ensures that there is a story to tell where he spends much of the film’s first 20 minutes to reveal a lot about Irving and Sydney’s relationship and how the former got introduced to the con game. Much of it is sort of told in a montage where Russell does include a lot of voiceover narration as it’s told by Irving, Sydney, and Richie. With Russell using a lot of hidden cameras to play into some of the secrecy of Richie’s operations and the way these secret meetings are set-up. Russell also ensures that there’s some great attention to the way Sydney and Irving play their role in the background with Richie being the center of these schemes.
It’s not just the intimacy in Russell’s direction that is interesting in the way some of the drama occurs that includes a very chilling confrontation involving Rosalyn and Sydney. There’s also moments where Russell would infuse a lot of humor into the film that would includes Rosalyn’s antics as she is this unpredictable wildcard. There’s also humor in the way the men look as Richie has this perm, Carmine’s hair is also weird, and Irving is bald with this bad comb over that just adds to the ridiculousness of the film. Russell does get more dramatic in not just his framing but also in the way he plays into a lot of the emotions as well as a sense of disillusionment that starts to occur in the film. Even as it becomes clear that the actions of Irving and Sydney in their game is much smaller in what Richie wants who becomes far more corruptible in his ambitions. Overall, Russell crafts a very masterful yet entertaining film about scams and the ugliness of ambition.
Cinematographer Linus Sandgren does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the use of its lighting in much of the film‘s interior scenes such as the disco and clubs as well as going for a more naturalistic look for the daytime exterior scenes. Editors Jay Cassidy, Alan Baumgarten, and Crispin Struthers do fantastic work with the editing with its emphasis on style with its use of jump-cuts and montages to help play into the intensity of the story. Production designer Judy Becker, with set decorator Heather Loeffler and art director Jesse Rosenthal, does amazing work with the set pieces from the apartment that Sydney lives in to the house that Irving and Rosalyn live in as well as the look of the cars and such to play into that period of the late 1970s.
Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does fabulous work with the costumes from the leisure suits the men wear as well as the lavish dresses of the women including many of the stuff that Sydney wears which are very revealing. Makeup supervisor Trish Seeney does nice work with some of the makeup work for the look of the men as well as the many kind of hairstyles for those characters. Visual effects supervisor Sean Devereaux does terrific work with some of the minimal effects in some of the background scenes in New York City to play up to that period. Sound designer Jay Nierenberg and sound editor John Ross do superb work with the film‘s sound from the way the tapes are being recorded in the schemes as well as some of sounds of the parties the characters go to.
The film’s music by Danny Elfman is pretty good as it‘s mostly low-key with its emphasis on rock and jazz while music supervisor Susan Jacobs create a very wild soundtrack that includes music ranging from jazz, rock, disco, soul, and pop from artists like Duke Ellington, Jeff Lynne, America, Chicago, Steely Dan, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Todd Rundgren, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Temptations, Paul McCartney & Wings, David Bowie, Elton John, and the Bee Gees.
The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some small yet noteworthy performances from Colleen Camp as the FBI wire transferee Brenda, Paul Herman as a mob attorney, Shea Whigham as an associate of Irving’s who tries to help make the deal between Irving and Carmine, Michael Pena as an agent who pretends to be Sheik Abdullah, Danny and Sonny Corbo as Irving and Rosalyn’s son Danny, Elisabeth Rohm as Carmine’s wife Dolly, Jack Huston as a mob enforcer Rosalyn falls for in Pete Musane, and Robert de Niro in a great cameo appearance as the mob leader Victor Tellegio.
Alessandro Nivola is excellent as FBI superior Anthony Amado who is intrigued by Richie’s ideas while becoming excited by what Richie is offering. Louis C.K. is superb as Richie’s boss Stoddard Thorsen who is unsure of Richie’s plans as he tries to tell Richie a moralistic story while dealing with the craziness that Richie is creating. Jeremy Renner is amazing as Carmine Polito as the mayor of Camden, New Jersey whose hopes to do good for the people of New Jersey has him lost in the scam he’s being targeted for as Renner displays a humility and heartbreak that he would deal with. Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Irving’s wife Rosalyn as this very unstable woman who is just wild and unpredictable yet proves to be almost as smart as Irving and Sydney as Lawrence is just a real scene-stealer.
Bradley Cooper is brilliant as Richie DiMaso as this ambitious FBI agent who hopes to nab the mob and corrupt politicians with this scam only to lose control of his operation as he falls for Sydney, in her Edith persona, as he also becomes a man lost in his ambitions. Amy Adams is phenomenal as Sydney Prosser as this very vivacious woman who wears scantily-clad clothing and sports a British accent as a British woman named Edith as she is someone who enjoys her lifestyle until she becomes aware of the danger of the scheme she’s in. Finally, there’s Christian Bale in a remarkable performance as Irving Rosenfeld as this very smart con artist who has no problem conning people as he finds himself taking a back seat to Richie’s plans while befriending Carmine as he starts to realize the severity of his actions and how troubling Richie’s scheme has become as it’s performance that has Bale put on extra weight but also a humility into a man who has conned himself into a corner.
American Hustle is a marvelous film from David O. Russell. Armed with an amazing ensemble cast and an intriguing look into the ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s. It’s a film that is fun but also compelling to explore the world of scams and how it can corrupt many while hurting those who tried to do good. Even as it explores some of the ugliness of ambition and the loss of identity in a con game. In the end, American Hustle is a sensational film from David O. Russell.
David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees - The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell
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