The Brutalist

 

Directed by Brady Corbet and written by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist is the story of Hungarian-Jewish architect who immigrates to America where he hopes to live the American Dream as he struggles with trying to find work until a wealthy man asks him to build something only for things to get worse. The film is study of a man who is given a chance to create something in his vision as he would struggle to get things his way while dealing with his own issues as well as the demands of this wealthy figure. Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankole, Alessandro Nivola, Ariane Labed, and Guy Pearce. The Brutalist is a majestic and harrowing film by Brady Corbet.

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

Vox Lux

Written and directed by Brady Corbet from a story by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, Vox Lux is the story of a pop singer trying to get her career back on track while dealing her past that included her response to a school shooting that prompted her and her sister to write a song. The film is a study of a woman dealing with stardom and the craziness of it while trying to be a mother to a teenage daughter. Starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Jennifer Ehle, Christopher Abbott, and narration by Willem Dafoe. Vox Lux is a riveting yet haunting film from Brady Corbet.

After surviving a school shooting that left her nearly paralyzed and force her to wear a neck brace for the rest of her life, a young girl writes a song with her sister in response to what happened as it would later make her into a pop star where she later struggles with the demands of stardom and motherhood as an adult. It’s a film that is essentially a character study of sorts that showcases this young woman who has been affected by tragedy as she tries to comprehend what had happened. Brady Corbet’s screenplay has an unusual structure in its study of Celeste Montgomery (Natalie Portman) from the time she was a teenage girl (Raffey Cassidy) who created a song with her older sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin) and then becoming a young pop star to being a major pop star who has become full of herself.

The film’s narration by Willem Dafoe provide some context into what Celeste would deal with but also events that would cause trouble in making Celeste lose touch with aspects of reality. Even in the film’s second act where she’s an adult with a teenage daughter in Albertine (Raffey Cassidy) just as she’s about to release a new album and launch a new tour. Yet, there’s still a lot of issues that Celeste is dealing with while is becoming more problematic while being estranged towards her older sister who has been taking care of Albertine. All of the drama as well as chaos that surrounds Celeste forces her to say things through her music although scandals and her own actions are starting to overshadow the music at a time when branding and image becomes more important.

Corbet’s direction is entrancing for his approach into telling the story of a young pop star’s life and her emergence into adulthood as it is shot on various locations with much of the film’s second half shot in New York City and nearby areas. While there are some wide shots of the locations and the film’s climatic concert sequence, much of Corbet’s direction emphasizes on medium shots and close-ups along with home movie video footage. The home movie footage that include Dafoe’s narration play into the innocence that the young Celeste and Eleanor endured where the former is to be signed with Eleanor on board as not just as a songwriter but also someone who is watching over the young Celeste. There’s a looseness to those moments in the home movie footage where the sisters travel to New York City and later Stockholm and London to make Celeste’s debut album with their manager (Jude Law) as it would later devolve into craziness. There are a lot of tracking shots and long-takes such as an early scene of the school shooting where it’s sudden and visceral in its execution.

When the film shifts towards the second half as it is set more than 15 years after the events where the young Celeste is making her first album. The film does have a different tone where does feel more polished in its camera movements and compositions. Most notably a diner scene between Celeste and Albertine as they talk where the former goes off on the diner’s manager all because he politely asked for a picture. The climatic concert scene that includes choreography by Benjamin Millipied is definitely extravagant yet it also play into this persona that Celeste has created as a way to escape from the horrors of the world despite the fact that she is indirectly connected to a recent event of violence. Still, it does reinforce the role of the pop singer and how they use music to heal despite their own flaws and artificial world they live in. Overall, Corbet crafts an evocative yet harrowing film about the tumultuous life of a pop singer.

Cinematographer Lol Crawley does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward in terms of the visuals with some unique lighting for some of the interiors as well as the film’s climatic concert scene. Editor Matthew Hannam does fantastic work with the editing as it utilizes a few jump-cuts and montages with the latter for the home movie footage. Production designer Sam Lisenco, with set decorators Kendall Anderson and Olivia Peebles plus art director Julia Heymans, does brilliant work with the look of Celeste’s stage set as well as the scenes in the school and at Stockholm such as the recording studio and hotel rooms. Costume designer Keri Langerman does amazing work with the look of the clothes that the adult Celeste would wear that would play into this larger-than-life persona as well as be this idea of cool while everyone else looks a bit casual with Albertine sort of dressed up as a Goth.

Visual effects supervisor Asaf Yeger does nice work with some of the visual effects as it’s mainly set-dressing for some parts of the film including exteriors of 2000-2001 NYC. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does superb work with the sound in creating some effective sound mixes such as the sounds of gunshots as well as how music sounds in a venue or the atmosphere of a hotel room. The film’s music by Scott Walker is wonderful for its usage of ambient and classical-based pieces that help play into the drama while the original songs by Sia are effective and catchy as its approach to electro-pop have something that is engaging with the rest of the music soundtrack by music supervisor Margaret Yen include a couple of tracks by Sunrise in the Desert.

The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Matt Servitto and Meg Gibson as Celeste and Eleanor’s parents, Maria Dizzia as Celeste’s music teacher early in the film, Daniel London as a preacher early in the film, Leslie Silva as Celeste’s stylist, Micheal Richardson as a musician the young Celeste meets in Europe, and Christopher Abbott as a journalist who interviews the older Celeste and eventually piss her off. Jennifer Ehle is fantastic as Celeste’s publicist Josie who is trying to ensure Celeste’s career is going well as well as being realistic to the point that she is also protective of her during the latter parts of Celeste’s career. Jude Law is excellent as Celeste’s manager as a man who would handle the business aspects of Celeste’s career but also try and get her to be reasonable later on while he would unknowingly help cause the rift between Celeste and Eleanor.

Stacy Martin is brilliant as Eleanor as Celeste’s older sister who would be her collaborator in writing the songs they create as well as introduce her to all sorts of things that would later play into their rift with Martin displaying a restraint as someone who feels mistreated by the person she’s caring for. Raffey Cassidy is great in a dual role as the young Celeste and Celeste’s daughter Albertine where Cassidy displays an innocence and charm as the younger Celeste who is also aware of what happened to her and the need to connect which would be something Cassidy would delve into as Albertine as a young girl trying to understand her mother’s state of mind. Finally, there’s Natalie Portman in a spectacular performance as the older Celeste Montgomery as a pop star that is trying to make a comeback with a new album and tour where Portman is unleashed in displaying someone who can really bitchy and mean but also someone who is quite fragile as she needs to escape from the realities of celebrity by just singing as it’s a tour-de-force performance from Portman.

Vox Lux is a sensational film from Brady Corbet that features tremendous performances from Natalie Portman and Raffey Cassidy. Along with its supporting cast, study of trauma and escape, and an incredible music soundtrack from Scott Walker and Sia. It’s a film that explore the mind-set of a pop star who has been affected by tragedy forcing her to create a bubble that disconnects itself with reality with music being her saving grace. In the end, Vox Lux is a phenomenal film from Brady Corbet.

Brady Corbet Films: (The Childhood of a Leader) - The Brutalist

© thevoid99 2018

Funny Games (2007 film)

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games is a remake of the 1997 made by Haneke about a couple and their son whose vacation home is terrorized by a couple of young men. The film is a shot-for-shot remake of Haneke’s original 1997 film as it explores the idea of violence used in films and other forms of media. Starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, and Devon Gearhart. Funny Games is a harrowing yet strange film from Michael Haneke.

A family arrives at their vacation home where they meet a couple of young visitors who would later terrorize their home and make them play a game where the family have 12 hours to live or else they all die. That is the premise of the film in a nutshell where it’s exactly the same thing that writer/director Michael Haneke told ten years before with the original film in the same name made in Austria. This time around, it’s set in America and told through English dialogue as it also has moments that break the fourth wall where one of the young men asks the audience if they want to see more violence. It all plays into this world where there are no rules other than what one decides on what to do and the fate of these characters.

Haneke’s direction has him doing the same visuals shot-for-shot as he did with his original version with a few minor differences as it is shot on location in Long Island, New York and areas in the state of New York. Notably as Haneke maintains that intimacy in the compositions through medium shots and close-ups to play up the suspense and terror. The moments of violence happen off screen as it’s more about the reaction to the aftermath rather than the action of gory violence. Haneke isn’t afraid to show blood or a dead body to maintain that sense of dread of what the characters would encounter. Then there’s these brief moments where the fourth wall is broken as one of the young men in Paul (Michael Pitt) would look at the camera and ask the audience if they could go further. The growing tension and suspense get more uneasy as the story progresses while there is concern of whether this family can get out of this situation. Overall, Haneke crafts a riveting yet unsettling film about two young men invading a family’s home.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key colors for some of the daytime scenes along with lights for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Monika Willi does terrific work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with set decorator Rebecca Meis DeMarco and art director Hinju Kim, does fantastic work with the look of the home of the family including the interiors of the living room and other things at the house. Costume designer David C. Robinson does nice work with the clothes as it is mainly casual with a posh-tennis look for the two young men who terrorize the family. Sound mixers Jean-Pierre Laforce and Thomas Varga do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the home and the usage of diegetic music that is played on a stereo or a car radio that would play an array of classical music as the only non-diegetic piece that is played is a screeching metal piece by Naked City.

The casting by Johanna Ray is wonderful as it include some notable small roles and appearances from Boyd Gaines as the neighbor Fred, Siobhan Fallon Hogan as a friend on a boat in Betsy, Robert Lupone as Betsy’s husband, and Susanne Haneke as Betsy’s sister-in-law. Devon Gearhart is fantastic as Georgie Farber as a young boy who is dealing with the terror as he would try to get help only to make a chilling discovery of what happened next door. Brady Corbet is superb as Peter as the more timid of the two young men who is terrorizing the home yet can prove he can be threatening if he wants to.

Michael Pitt is amazing as Paul as the more aggressive of the two young men who has a devilish wit to him in the way he masterminds everything as well as asking the audience if they want more. Tim Roth is brilliant as George Farber as a man who gets injured as he becomes helpless in his inability to defend his family and fight back. Finally, there’s Naomi Watts in a tremendous performance as Ann Farber as a woman that is trying to deal with everything including moments of humiliation and terror as well as willing to do whatever she can to fight back.

Funny Games is a phenomenal film from Michael Haneke that features great performances from Naomi Watts, Michael Pitt, and Tim Roth. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie storyline, and haunting visuals, it’s a film that play into the concept of home invasion while making commentary on its depiction of violence in film and popular culture. While it doesn’t have much difference with its original version in 1997, it still manages to pack in some punches as well as raise questions about violence. In the end, Funny Games is a sensational film from Michael Haneke.

Michael Haneke Films: (The Seventh Continent) – (Benny’s Video) – (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) – (The Castle (1997 TV movie) – Funny Games (1997 film) - Code Unknown – The Piano Teacher - (Time of the Wolf) – Cache` - The White Ribbon - Amour (2012 film) - Happy End

© thevoid99 2018

Thirteen (2003 film)

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, Thirteen is the story of a thirteen-year old girl who befriends a bad girl in middle school as she is introduced to the world of chaos and self-destructive behavior as she would worry her mother. Loosely based on Reed‘s own experiences, the film is a coming-of-age film that explores a young girl‘s growing pains and her mother becoming frightened by her daughter‘s behavior. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Brady Corbet, Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Kara Unger, D.W. Moffett, Vanessa Hudgens, Kip Pardue, and Holly Hunter. Thirteen is a thrilling yet haunting film from Catherine Hardwicke.

The film follows the life of a thirteen-year old girl who goes from a sweet and caring honor student with a lot of promise who then befriends a popular bad girl as she becomes an unruly bad girl exploring sex, drugs, and alcohol much to the worry of recovering alcoholic mother. It is told in a very straightforward fashion as this young girl doesn’t just struggle with being in middle school but also the transition of growing out of an adolescent into becoming a teenager who would do wild things as she is introduced to all sorts of things by a girl who is also thirteen. The film’s screenplay by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed which is sort of based on the latter’s experiences as a young girl that is struggling to find herself in that period between childhood and adulthood as it is very confusing and volatile at times. For the protagonist Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood), she is a young woman that is full of innocence but there is something about her that is off and confused.

Notably as Tracy often feels slighted by her mother Melanie (Holly Hunter) who devotes time trying to work as a hairdresser as well as spend time with a recovering addict in Brady (Jeremy Sisto) whom Tracy isn’t fond of. When Tracy enters middle school as this epitome of goody two-shoes kind of girl, she is mocked by some of her classmates as she begs her mother to get trendy clothes to fit in. Once the popular bad girl Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed) takes notice of Tracy as well as see what Tracy does to fit in, Tracy becomes part of this clique of girls wearing racy clothing and do outrageous things. When Evie’s legal guardian Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger) goes away for a convention for a few weeks, Evie would temporarily live with Tracy, Melanie, and Tracy’s older brother Mason (Brady Corbet) for a while. Melanie reluctantly let Evie live with them as she becomes a positive maternal figure for Evie in some ways but she eventually would drive a wedge between Melanie and Tracy. The latter of which becomes more destructive and less caring as it makes everyone uncomfortable except for Evie.

Hardwicke’s direction is definitely stylized with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as create certain moods in the photography to help express the whirlwind of emotions that Tracy would go through. Shot on location in and around Los Angeles, California on 16mm film, Hardwicke would go for something that is intimate where she mainly uses a lot of close-ups as well as some medium shots to play into the family dynamic as well as the growing friendship between Tracy and Evie. While there are some wide shots, it also has this stylized approach to the way the camera moves such as the scenes of Tracy and Evie walking around Hollywood where Tracy gets really high and loses Evie who would be someplace else as Mason would make a chilling discovery of what Tracy has become. The direction also play into this air of recklessness into what Tracy and Evie would do such as the opening scene of how wild these girls are and it would return again as it shows how far Tracy has descended. By the time the film reaches its third act, the de-saturated look in the colors become less defined and moodier as it play into that descent but also some of the realities that even Melanie is unprepared for. Overall, Hardwicke creates a gripping yet visceral film about a thirteen-year-old girl trying to grow up too fast in the worst ways.

Cinematographer Elliot Davis does incredible work with the film‘s stylish photography with the usage of blue-colored filters as well as some grainy yet de-saturated look of some of the scenes set in the daytime and at night in the interior/exterior scenes. Editor Nancy Richardson does excellent work with the editing as it features a lot of stylish jump-cuts and dizzying fast cuts as it play into the craziness of what Tracy would go through as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Carol Strober, with set decorator Donti Hurst and art director John B. Josselyn, does fantastic work with the look of the home the Freelands live in as well as some of the shops the characters go to.

Costume designer Cindy Evans does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tracy and Evie would wear as well as some of the clothes that Melanie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the chaotic moments that go on at the house and at some of the locations as well as some of the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is amazing for its electronic-based score that features some playful melodies as it also has bits of rock and pop to play into the culture that Tracy and Evie are in while music supervisors Michelle Norrell and Amy Rosen provide a soundtrack that play into that world as it features music from Liz Phair, Clinic, Folk Implosion, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, the Like, Katy Rose, Kinnie Star and Carmen Rose, and Imperial Teen.

The casting by Jakki Fink, Shani Ginsberg, and Christina Sibul is great as it feature some notable small roles from Charles Duckworth as a teenage boy that Tracy likes in Javi, Jenicka Carey as a friend of Evie in Astrid, Cynthia Ettinger as a frequent customer of Melanie, Sarah Clarke as a family friend of Melanie, Kip Pardue as a neighbor named Luke that Evie would seduce, Vanessa Hudgens as a friend of Tracy who would be abandoned only to maintain her nice-girl persona, and D.W. Moffett as Tracy and Mason’s father who is startled by what happened to Tracy as he is unsure of what is happening. Deborah Kara Unger is terrific as Evie’s guardian Brooke who gives Evie a home and often lets her do what she wants while having a scary moment during the film’s climax as it relates to Tracy’s behavior. Jeremy Sisto is superb as Melanie’s boyfriend Brady as a recovering addict who is trying to redeem himself despite being disliked by Tracy as he becomes aware of the bad influence Evie has become.

Brady Corbet is excellent as Mason as Tracy’s older brother who has a thing for Evie but eventually becomes overwhelmed as he realizes how bad of an influence she’s become. Nikki Reed is amazing as Evie Zamora as a troubled teenager who is popular as she is quite wild and can do a lot of things as she introduces Tracy to a lot of things while being a true friend of sorts where she goes to Melanie in needing a positive maternal figure. Holly Hunter is brilliant as Melanie Freeland as a woman that is struggling to raise two kids as she is unaware of what her daughter is going through as she then becomes scared of what Tracy is becoming as she has a hard time about all that is happening. Finally, there’s Evan Rachel Wood in a phenomenal performance as Tracy Freeland as a thirteen-year old girl who goes from sweet and innocent to being unruly and unpredictable as it’s a wild and scary performance from Wood who displays all of the manic energy and terror of being a teenager.

Thirteen is a spectacular film from Catherine Hardwicke that features incredible performances from Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, and Holly Hunter. Along with an excellent supporting cast, dazzling visuals, and a fantastic music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that is quite intense as a coming-of-age drama where it does have elements that feel very real but also provide some hope about how a parent handle the growing pains of a child. In the end, Thirteen is a tremendous film from Catherine Hardwicke.

Catherine Hardwicke Films: (Lords of Dogtown) - (The Nativity Story) - (Twilight (2008 film)) - (Red Riding Hood (2011 film)) - (Plush) - (Miss You Already)

© thevoid99 2016

2015 Cannes Marathon: Force Majeure

(Winner of the Un Certain Regarde Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival)

Written and directed by Ruben Ostlund, Force Majeure is the story of a family vacation at the French Alps nearly goes wrong when an avalanche nearly kills them. The film is an exploration into the world of family and how people react towards near-fatal catastrophes. Starring Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, and Fanni Metelius. Force Majeure is a captivating and provocative film from Ruben Ostlund.

Set in a ski resort in the French Alps near Savoie, France, the film revolves a week in the life of a Swedish family on a holiday where a near-fatal encounter with an avalanche forces a couple to come into question about their reaction. Most notably as the husband-father Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) ran from his own family during the event as his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) wondered why he did that. It’s a film that plays into a family questioning not just its patriarch over what had happened but why as he goes into denial and such. Ruben Ostlund’s screenplay does play into a traditional narrative structure as it plays into the days of the week where the first day is fine. Yet, it is the second day where the avalanche happens as it becomes about not just Tomas’ action or lack of for his family but also in how things start to fall apart as Tomas’ own children are upset with him. Its second act involve the visit of a couple of friends of Tomas and Ebba who try to make sense of what happened as it leads to many questions about how someone would react into that kind of situation.

Ostlund’s direction is very mesmerizing for the way he creates a simple family drama that is set on location in this ski resort on the French Alps. The location itself is a character in the film as Ostlund uses a lot of wide shots to capture the look of those mountains as well as knowing where to place the camera for the event that would shape an entire family. There aren’t a lot of close-ups in the film as Ostlund prefers to showcase a film about an entire family where a lot of medium and wide shots are used. The compositions showcase how close they are early in the film such as the fact that they all share the same bed. Once they all had encountered the avalanche, the framing becomes evident into how troubled the family is as there’s a shot where a hotel cleaner watches as he would appear very often.

The direction also have Ostlund maintain an intimacy with the scenes inside the hotel suite Tomas, Ebba, and their children live in as he knows how to frame a moment such as the family brushing their teeth or the scene where their friends to discuss what happened. The sense of tension does emerge as well as moments that are very emotionally intense as it relates to Tomas and Ebba each going into their own personal journeys to cope with everything that had happened. There’s also some moments that involves a drone that Tomas had bought which does kind of add an element of suspense but also play into how immature Tomas is at times. One notable scene in the film’s third act doesn’t just play into a family coping with near tragedy but also in a moment where they would have another dangerous encounter that actually mirrors a real-life moment where a bunch of people nearly got killed as it is about a simple human reaction and what a person would do in this situation. Overall, Ostlund creates a very engrossing yet powerful film about a family coping with near-tragedy and its aftermath.

Cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the vast look of the locations in the Alps with its naturalistic look of snow as well as some unique lighting for some scenes set at night including the scenes inside the hotel. Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger does excellent work with the editing as it‘s very simple by not going for any kind of conventional fast-cuts by employing something that is more methodical while knowing when to cut for a transition or use a rhythmic cut for a dramatic moment. Production designer Josefin Asberb does superb work with the look of the hotel halls and some of its rooms as well as the hotel suite that Tomas, Ebba, and their children live in.

Costume designer Pia Aleborg does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play into what the family wears in and out of the resort. Visual effects supervisors Samir Arabzadeh and Hakan Blomdahl do fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such as the avalanche sequence and other parts to play into the cold weather. Sound editors Andreas Franck and Gisle Tveito do brilliant work with the sound editing to play into the sound of snow winds and other parts such as the cannons at night to help create the sense of drama and tension that looms into the film. The film’s music by Ola Flottum is wonderful for its low-key ambient score that is use quite sparingly as most of the music is played on location from electronic dance to a classical piece by Antonio Vivaldi that serves as an effective dramatic piece for some of the film’s transitions.

The casting by Katja Wik is great as it features an appearance from Brady Corbet as an American tourist who dines with Tomas and Ebba, Karin Myrenberg as a friend of Ebba who is dating the American as she talks about what Ebba went through, and Johannes Moustos as the hotel cleaner who would often observe things that is happening in the hotel. Kristofer Hivju and Fanni Metelius are excellent in their respective roles as family friends Mats and Fanni as the two try to observe what had happened as well as present their own views on the situation. Clara and Vincent Wettergren are amazing in their respective roles as Vera and Harry as the two kids who cope with what had happened with the youngest in Harry thinking that his parents will split up. Lisa Loven Kongsli is brilliant as Ebba as a mother of two kids who copes with what happened as she is angry at her husband for his reaction and lack of action. Finally, there’s Johannes Bah Kuhnke in a fantastic performance as Tomas as a man whose reaction to the avalanche makes him look bad in front of his family as he ponders if he didn’t do anything or had a different view of what happened.

Force Majeure is a phenomenal film from Ruben Ostlund. Armed with a great cast, sprawling visuals, and an insightful story about simple human reactions to near-fatal events and other things makes it more than just a simple drama. Even as it manages to provoke many questions about how someone would react to these situations and such. In the end, Force Majeure is a spectacular film from Ruben Ostlund.

Ruben Ostlund Films: (The Guitar Mongoloid) - (Involuntary) - (Play (2011 film)) - The Square (2017 film) - (Triangle of Sadness)

© thevoid99 2015

Clouds of Sils Maria

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Clouds of Sils Maria is the story of a famous film actress who is asked to star in the play that launched her career but in a different role as she copes with aging and the death of an old mentor. The film is an exploration of a woman who tries to figure out the ways of a new world as she contends with a young actress who is known for being notorious while is accompanied by a loyal assistant who tries to help her. Starring Juliette Binoche, Kirsten Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz. Clouds of Sils Maria is a compelling yet mesmerizing film from Olivier Assayas.

The film revolves around a famous film actress who goes to Switzerland to pay tribute to her mentor as she learns he had just died as the play that launched her career is being remade by a new director who asks her to play the older woman. It’s a film that isn’t just about the art of acting but also the world of aging as the actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is playing the role of a character that she has no relations to as she also learns that the character that she played many years ago is being played by a talented but troubled young actress. Aiding Enders into preparing the role is her loyal assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) where the two stay at the home of Maria’s late mentor as the lines begin to blur into the role that Maria is trying to play with Valentine reading lines as the character that made Maria famous.

Olivier Assayas’ screenplay doesn’t just explore Maria’s resistance into playing the role of the older woman Helena who falls in love and becomes destroyed by this young woman named Sigrid. It’s also in the fact that Maria once played Sigrid which was written by her mentor and it was the role that gave her the big break when she was just 18. Still mourning over the loss of the man who gave her the break and the offer to play Helena in that play doesn’t just put Maria in emotional and mental turmoil as she is aghast that the young actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) is to play Sigrid. While Valentine finds Jo-Ann to be very interesting, Maria isn’t so sure as she and Valentine spend much of their time in the Alps hiking and reciting lines for play where Valentine offers her own interpretation of the play as things do intensify. Notably as Maria ponders about who she is and is she becoming Helena.

Assayas’ direction is very simple in terms of its compositions as he shoots the film largely in Switzerland where much of the story takes place in Sils Maria near the Alps. Assayas definitely makes Sils Maria and other locations in Switzerland and places in Germany characters in the film yet it does play into the wonder that is Sils Maria. Assayas does go for a lot of great wide shots of those locations while he keeps things very intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the relationship between Maria and Valentine. Assayas does bring in elements of humor as it relates to Maria’s own reaction towards Jo-Ann and her films while there’s also some commentary that these young starlets aren’t exactly what they seem. Even when Maria and Valentine eventually meet Jo-Ann in the third act as Assayas’ camera becomes more intimate with its dolly-tracking shots as it reveals the different kind of youth that Jo-Ann is. It does play into the world of aging but also reasons into why Maria has trouble relating to the character she is to play which adds a complexity to her relationship with Valentine. Overall, Assayas crafts a very intriguing yet evocative film about an actress dealing with death and aging.

Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its low-key yet stylish look for the scenes set at night to the more naturalistic look of the daytime exterior scenes including some of the moments at the Alps. Editor Marion Monnier does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves and jump-cuts to play into the drama along with some inspired use of transitional fade-outs. Production designer Francois-Renaud Labarthe, with set decorator Gabriele Wolff and art director Gabriella Ausonio, does fantastic work with the hotels that Maria and Valentine would stay in along with the home of Maria‘s mentor.

Costume designer Jurgen Doering does nice work with the costumes as it features mostly casual clothing with the exception of the Chanel dresses that Maria would wear early in the film. Visual effects supervisor Mikael Tanguy does terrific work for some of the minimal visual effects that involve the mysterious clouds that loom over the Alps. Sound editor Nicholas Moreau does superb work with the sound as it’s very sparse in its intimate setting along with low-key moments for the locations in the Alps near Sils Maria. The film’s music soundtrack largely features classical pieces by Georg Friedrich Handel and Johann Pachelbel as well as a brooding electro-rock piece from Primal Scream.

The casting by Antoinette Boulat and Anja Dihrberg is wonderful as it features notable small roles from Brady Corbet as a young filmmaker wanting to work with Maria, Benoit Peverelli as a publicist for Maria in Zurich, Caroline de Maigret as a Chanel press agent, Nora von Waldstatten as Jo-Ann’s co-star in a sci-fi movie, and Angela Winkler as the widow of Maria’s mentor who would reveal to her about the home and what happened to her husband. Hanns Zischler is terrific as an actor Maria worked with in the past whom she disliked as he tries to flirt with her upon their reunion to pay tribute to their mentor. Johnny Flynn is excellent as a famous figure whom Jo-Ann is dating in the film’s third act as it would cause some trouble into their lives. Lars Eidinger is superb as the director Klaus Diesterweg as a famous theater director who wants to remake the play that Maria was famous for as he wanted Maria to play the role of the older woman Helena.

Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Jo-Ann Ellis as this young actress who is a magnet for trouble as she is asked to play the role that Maria was famous for as she copes with her fame and ideas of the play where Moretz brings that young naiveté to her performance as well as someone who is actually more aware of her dysfunction as a person and as a celebrity. Kristen Stewart is amazing as Valentine as Maria’s personal assistant who accompanies her to Switzerland and helps her with the play as Stewart brings some humor to the role as well as someone who isn’t afraid to say things as it’s a very reserved and engaging performance from Stewart who does get to provide some scene-stealing moments. Finally, there’s Juliette Binoche in a remarkable performance as Maria Enders as this famous film star coping with the loss of her mentor and aging as she has trouble trying to play a role that was the opposite of the character that made her famous as it’s a performance where Binoche brings some anguish and humility as well as elements of humor as it’s one of her finest performances to date.

Clouds of Sils Maria is a phenomenal film from Olivier Assayas that features incredible performances from Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz. It’s a film that explores the world of art as well as an actress coming to terms with getting older and be forced to face realizations about herself. In the end, Clouds of Sils Maria is a sensational film from Olivier Assayas.

Olivier Assayas Film: (Disorder) - (Winter’s Child) - (Paris Awakens) - (A New Life) - (Cold Water) - (Irma Vep) - (Late August, Early September) - (Sentimental Destinies) - (Demonlover) - Clean - (Boarding Gate) - Summer Hours - Carlos - (Something in the Air) - Personal Shopper

© thevoid99 2015

While We're Young

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, While We’re Young is the story of a middle-aged couple who cope with their life as they would start to socialize with a young couple in their 20s. The film is an exploration into the world of adulthood and growing up as two different couples hang out together in an attempt to have fun and figure out how to live their lives. Starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Horowitz, Brady Corbet, and Charles Grodin. While We’re Young is a witty yet compelling film from Noah Baumbach.

The film is the story of a couple in their 40s as they cope with aging and uncertainty until their lives are sparked after meeting a young couple in their 20s where they become reinvigorated creatively and in themselves. At the same time, they help this young couple with a documentary film where things become more complicated where the old couple starts to get close the younger one while alienating their older friends. It’s a film that plays into the idea of aging and growing up but also ambition and such as the character Josh (Ben Stiller) is a documentary filmmaker struggling to finish a film as he and his wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are also dealing with the fact that their friends are spending more time being parents as they become unsure about having children.

Noah Baumbach’s screenplay does have a unique structure as well as some depth into the key characters in the film as both Josh and Cornelia are reluctant into having children as their previous attempts ended up not being good. Upon meeting the aspiring filmmaker Jamie (Adam Driver) and his wife Darby (Amanda Seyfried), the two would socialize with the two where both couples get something out of each other. Jamie isn’t just a fan of Josh’s work but also the work of Cornelia’s father Leslie Breitbart (Charles Grodin) whom Josh was mentored by. Jamie’s influence on Josh would seep into his work and ideas to get more money for the film he wanted to make where Josh would also help Jamie out with his own film project as it related to an old friend he knew as a kid.

Eventually, it plays into the ideas of ambition as Josh copes with his own failings as a filmmaker but also deals with Jamie’s ambition which would affect everyone’s lives. Even as Cornelia returns to the producer’s hat which becomes complicated while Darby becomes left out as her character is the one that would grow up as she craves for something simpler. All of which play into this world of ambition as Cornelia and her father gets sucked into Jamie’s world as Josh’s own professional life begins to fall apart where he is forced to act like the adult. Even if he comes to term with who he and Cornelia are as well as who Jamie and Darby are.

Baumbach’s direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions he creates as it is emphasized more on capturing moments that are happening as opposed to something that is more visual. Shot on location in New York City and various nearby locations, the film is definitely a look into this world of the city where 20-somethings created an environment of their own. Baumbach’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are very potent as it includes a scene of the two couples in a car where Josh and Jamie are in the front both wearing Fedora hats while Cornelia, Darby, and a friend are in the back singing an obscure song from a commercial that Josh did years ago. There are elements in the film that does feel loose and realistic as well as comical such as a scene where Cornelia goes to this thing with mothers and their babies as it’s very silly that plays into Cornelia’s sense of discomfort.

Baumbach also plays into the world of high art culture and the world of film as it relates to Josh and Jamie where they would collaborate on a film together. In some ways, Baumbach sort of makes fun of the world of documentaries as it relates to some of the current gimmicks some use to tell their stories. Even as it plays into the idea of old vs. new generation ethics and such where Baumbach definitely approaches it with some humor and some light drama as it delves into Cornelia’s own sense of confusion about where to go and Darby’s own frustrations with the idea of ambition. All of which leads a climax as it relates to the idea of what it means to be an adult. Overall, Baumbach creates an engaging and funny film about a middle-aged couple seeking to find their youth through a young couple.

Cinematographer Sam Levy does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it is very colorful and vibrant that captures many of the moments of New York City with some intimate lighting schemes for some of its nighttime interior scenes. Editor Jennifer Lame does superb work with the editing as it‘s straightforward in some parts while has some stylish usage of montages and jump-cuts to play into the humor. Production designer Adam Stockhausen and set decorator Kris Moran do amazing work with the look of the home that Josh and Cornelia live in as well as the place that Jamie and Darby live in.

Costume designer Ann Roth does nice work with the costumes as it‘s very low-key and casual with a sense of style that plays into the world that Jamie and Darby live in. Sound editor Paul Hsu does terrific work with the sound as it‘s very low-key in some places with some raucous moments in some of social events the characters go into. The film’s music by James Murphy is fantastic as it‘s a very low-key electronic music score that plays into the humor and drama in the film while music supervisor George Drakoulias brings in a fun soundtrack that features classical pieces by Antonio Vivaldi to a diverse array of contemporary music from David Bowie, Lionel Richie, Survivor, Paul McCartney & Wings, Haim, 2Pac, A Tribe Called Quest, Danny Kaye, and the Psychedelic Furs.

The casting by Douglas Aibel and Francine Maisler is brilliant as it features notable small appearances from Peter Bogdanovich as a tribute speaker, Ryan Serhant as a dim-witted hedge fund investor, Dean Wareham as a shaman, Liz Stauber as the sister of Jamie’s old friend Kent, Matthew Maher as Josh’s editor Tim, Bonnie Kaufman as the wife of Josh’s documentary subject, Dree Hemingway as Jamie and Darby’s flat mate Tipper who aids Jamie in his film work, and the legendary folk singer Peter Yarrow as Josh’s documentary subject who often says strange things that are often quite amusing. Charles Grodin is excellent as Cornelia’s father Leslie Breitbart who tries to help Josh with his documentary while being impressed with what Jamie has come up with. Adam Horowitz and Maria Dizzia are fantastic in their respective roles as Fletcher and Marina as Josh and Cornelia’s friends who had just become parents as they have a hard time dealing with Josh and Cornelia’s new activities. Brady Corbet is amazing as Jamie’s old friend Kent who becomes Jamie’s documentary subject as it’s an odd but engaging performance from Corbet.

Amanda Seyfried is remarkable as Darby as a young woman who is skilled at making things including her own ice cream as she bonds with Cornelia in dancing while being alienated by Jamie’s ambitions. Adam Driver is marvelous as Jamie as an aspiring filmmaker who befriends Josh when he attends one of Josh’s lectures as he is someone that does mean well as he is generous and cool but also is very driven to succeed which alienates Darby and scares Josh. Naomi Watts is riveting as Cornelia as a woman who used to produce films for her dad as she copes with not wanting to be a mother as she tries to find herself while being infatuated with Jamie and Darby. Finally, there’s Ben Stiller in a phenomenal performance as Josh as a documentary filmmaker struggling with aging as he tries to feel young while becoming usurped by Jamie as it would affect his professional and personal life.

While We’re Young is a sensational film from Noah Baumbach. Armed with a great cast, a fun soundtrack, and engaging views on aging and adulthood. It’s a film that isn’t just one of Baumbach’s more accessible films but also one of his funniest in terms of exploring the downsides of growing up as well as some of the fallacies of youth. In the end, While We’re Young is an exhilarating and heartfelt film from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking and Screaming - Highball - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - Mistress America - DePalma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2015

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Written and directed by Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene is the story of a young woman who returns home to live with her older sister after being in a cult for two years.  Trying to return to normal life, the young woman struggles with her new surroundings as she‘s haunted by her time with the cult.  Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet, and John Hawkes.  Martha Marcy May Marlene is a haunting yet evocative film from Sean Durkin.

After leaving a cult in the middle of the Catskill Mountains, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) finds herself in a small town as she calls her older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) whom she hadn’t seen or talked to in two years.  Lucy picks her up as she lets Martha stay at a lake house in Connecticut with Lucy’s husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) who are there on vacation.  Lucy is bewildered by Martha’s behavior as she does odd things around the house while being very secretive about her time with a cult that is led by a man named Patrick (John Hawkes).  Martha reflects on her time with the cult where she was called Marcy May as she struggles to re-introduce herself to society.  Paranoia would eventually seep into Martha’s mind as it starts to take a toll on Ted and Lucy as things eventually come crashing down.

What happens to a young woman who had disappeared for two years as a member of a cult as she tries to return to a normal society?  That is what writer/director Sean Durkin asks in this very compelling film about a woman lost in her surroundings as she seeks to find help in her older sister.  Yet, she is haunted by her time with the cult that involved all sorts of things including theft, manipulation, and violence as she was the favorite of this ominous cult leader.  Her odd behavior towards her surroundings in Lucy’s lake house would eventually cause tension between herself, Lucy, and Lucy’s husband Ted.  Even as Ted would try to do something to help Martha only to become frustrated with Lucy struggling to deal with her loyalties.

The film’s screenplay features a narrative that moves back and forth from Martha’s time with the cult to her time with Lucy and Ted.  Even as the script would allow scenes to parallel with one another as it would eventually play out Martha’s struggle to be normal.  The screenplay also serves as a character study where Martha would say odd things at Lucy and Ted’s home that includes a dinner scene where she defies Ted’s views on the world yet is unable to say what is better.  The film has a very unique structure in how the story is told through this cross-cutting narrative where the film’s third act would reveal the moments that would make Martha leave the cult as well as unraveling of her behavior that would force Lucy to make a big decision.

Durkin’s direction is entrancing in the way he frames his actors and have them match another composition to emphasize Martha’s confusion and what she’s going through.  Even as he shoots the film in remote locations in the Catskill Mountains where Martha is part of the cult as it involves farm life and activities that is reminiscent to hippie communes.  In the lake house in Connecticut, Durkin creates a world where it almost feels a bit claustrophobic from Martha’s view though the framing is far more open in its presentation.  Durkin always creates interesting shots to present Martha in her surroundings from the close-ups at Ted and Lucy’s home to more wandering medium, wide shots in the Catskill Mountains.  Even in scenes such as Martha feeling paranoid where she acts out her anger at a bartender during a party held by Ted and Lucy where the camera is shot from feet away from the action yet is aware of what is happening. 

It is to establish that the film becomes darker as Durkin slowly reveals what drove Martha to flee the cult while reminding the audience that leaving the cult isn’t as easy as it seems.  Durkin’s camera work in the third act gets more unsettling as it progresses where it leads to an ending that has an air of ambiguity.  Particularly as it plays to Martha’s state of mind as she starts to unravel as it leads to confrontation where Durkin plays out the emotional intensity that is happening.  Overall, Durkin creates a very intriguing yet mesmerizing film about a young woman lost in the world.

Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes does brilliant work with the film‘s photography to capture the natural beauty of the locations as the camera also has a graininess to capture these locations while utilizing more stylish lights for some of the film‘s nighttime interior settings.  Editor Zachary Stuart-Pontier does fantastic work with the editing to create matching transitions to move the story back and forth as well as some methodical cuts to play out the tension that is building between Marcy, Lucy, and Ted.  Production designer Chad Keith and art director Jonathan Guggenheim do excellent work with the set pieces from the decayed farm world that the cult lives in to the more spacious, pristine lake house that Ted and Lucy live in.

Costume designer David Tabbert does nice work with the costumes to establish the differing worlds that Martha and Lucy live in with Martha in more casual clothing with Lucy in more stylish, casual dresses.  Sound mixer Micah Bloomberg does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the farm as well as the sparse intimacy in the lake house location.  The film’s music by Daniel Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans is amazing for its haunting sound with its mix of folk and low-key string music to play out the drama and suspense that occurs in the film.

The casting by Randi Glass and Susan Shopmaker is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy small appearances from Louisa Krause, Julia Garner, and Maria Dizza as female members of the cult, Christopher Abbott as another cult member, and Brady Corbet as the cult member Watts who is friends with Martha as he would later try to convince to return to the cult.  Hugh Dancy is very good as Ted who tries to get to know Martha and befriend only to become frustrated by her behavior.  Sarah Paulson is wonderful as Martha’s older sister Lucy who tries to figure what happened to Martha while feeling frustrated over her behavior.  John Hawkes is incredible as the cult leader Patrick who has this very dark presence about him as he does thing to Martha that would question herself as he would also guide her into places that she knows is wrong.

Finally, there’s Elizabeth Olsen in a phenomenal performance as Martha.  Olsen displays a great sense of restraint as a woman lost in the world as she tries to deal with her new surroundings.  There is also a sense of darkness in the way Olsen makes Martha a bit confrontational as well as a naivete to the way she perceives about the way the world works.  Olsen is a real discovery as she really creates a performance that is captivating to watch from start to finish.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is an outstanding film from Sean Durkin that features a remarkable performance from Elizabeth Olsen.  Along with noteworthy supporting work from John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy.  It is a film that is truly compelling to see a woman lost in the world as she has no idea how to get herself back.  It’s also a film that revels in the world of cults and how they can disengage themselves from reality.  In the end, Martha Marcy May Marlene is a brilliant film from Sean Durkin.

© thevoid99 2012

Melancholia

Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Melancholia is the story of a young woman’s wedding ceremony is threatened by a planet that is set to collide with Earth as the bride goes into a deep depression while her sister begins to worry about the planet. The film is the second part of an unofficial trilogy that explores depression that was preceded by von Trier’s 2009 film Antichrist. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier, Cameron Spurr, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, and Stellan Skarsgard. Melancholia is an extraordinary yet intoxicating film from Lars von Trier.

Arriving late to their own wedding reception, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) arrive at the castle as they meet their guests. While Justine’s boss/Michael’s best man Jack (Stellan Skarsgard) and Justine’s father make grand speeches, Justine’s mother Gaby (Charlotte Rampling) shows her distaste towards weddings. The mood changes as Justine suddenly falls into a deep depression as her older sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) notices as she tries to get Justine to lighten her mood as Claire’s husband John (Kiefer Sutherland) also tries to get her to improve her mood. Still, Justine feels out of it as Jack sends his new assistant Tim (Brady Corbet) to get a tag line from her for an ad. With the party winding down, things begin to unravel as Justine’s depression worsens as the night ends in disaster.

Going horseback riding with Claire, Justine notices that a star she had seen the night before is gone as they see a large planet emerge. Claire becomes worried about the planet while Justine’s depression worsens though she is drawn to the planet as is Claire’s son Leo (Cameron Spurr). Though John claims that the planet will just pass by, Claire doesn’t think so as Justine’s mood becomes erratic and un-natural due to the presence of the planet. Notably as she claims that life on Earth is evil as the family watches the planet at night where John believes it’s moving away. Later that morning, the inevitable starts to appear as the two sisters react differently to what is going to happen.

What happens when a planet is set to collide with Earth and all of its existence cease to exist? How will anyone react to this situation? Well, Lars von Trier doesn’t really give any answers although he does bring some suggestions about how would a person react to a situation like this where all it would eventually lead to is death. The film is split into two different parts representing the two sisters and their own reactions to everything around them. The first half is about Justine and her own descent towards depression. The second half is about Claire and her anxiety about the fact that the world is going to end. Of course, the ending is very obvious as there’s no deux ex machina or anything to twist things up. Instead, it’s all about how one reacts to the inevitable.

The script that von Trier creates is truly ambitious but also very accessible in the way he studies anxiety and depression. Something the director has known to deal with throughout his entire career, notably in recent years as he was open about the way he dealt with his on-going depression and anxieties. He uses both subjects as a way to react to the idea that the world is going to end in his narrative structure. The first half is about a young woman at her own wedding suddenly falling into her own depression. There, she begins to feel detached to the people around her while wandering around all by herself unsure of what to do. In the second half, she begins to behave erratically while all of the things that happens to a depressed person starts to unveil such as the way people taste food or reacting to things in a certain way.

While both depression and anxiety are evident in both halves of the film, the anxiety portion of the film in the older sister becomes more evident in the second half. There, we have this woman starting to become frightened about the idea that the world is going to end and there won’t be any life after that. She would eventually fall apart and become worried about the people around her while her own depressed sister would realize that since everyone is going to die. The best thing to do is just accept it and get it over with. It’s the way von Trier handled these themes into a grand situation like this that is very engaging and also very realistic to the way people would react to something like the end of the world.

The direction of von Trier is definitely more fluid and hypnotic than anything he had done in his career. While he utilizes some of the visual tricks he cultivated with Antichrist, it’s done in a more refined manner to emphasize the way Justine and Claire react to Melancholia. The film opens with this amazing eight-minute sequence of images of characters reacting to the end of the world as the planet Melancholia is about to collide with Earth. Everything is presented in slow motion and into these beautiful that is inter-cut with the planet setting to collide and destroy Earth. Then the film returns to its main narrative which is split into two parts as von Trier allows the camera to observe everything that is happening.

While there is bits of humor prevalent throughout the film such as the way the wedding planner (Udo Kier) responds to the bride or the way the butler (Jesper Christensen) reacts to everything that is going on. The direction is always engaged to situations while maintaining a straightforward approach to the presentation with hand-held cameras for the wedding and other scenes. For all the scenes involving Melancholia, it’s all about the minimal amount of visual effects used to emphasize that a planet is coming to end everything. While von Trier has stated that this film has no happy ending, he’s right though depending on how a viewer will react to that is different. Overall, von Trier creates what is truly a solid film that is probably his most accessible work to date.

Cinematographer Manuel Alberto Caro does an excellent job with the film‘s photography by emphasizing the use of blue to display Melancholia from above as well as to create a mood that surrounds Justine. There is also a more heightened look as the colors look a little brighter for some of the daytime scenes while using yellow lights for some of the interior and exterior nighttime settings to display more haunting shots during the film‘s first half. Editor Molly Malene Stensgaard does a great job with the editing in maintaining a straightforward style for the main narrative of the film while utilizing some jump-cuts in some places while the opening sequence is presented in a slow but elegant approach to emphasize the dread that is to occur.

Production designer Jette Lehman and art director Simone Grau Roney do a fantastic job with the set pieces created for many of the interiors while all the exteriors are shot at the Tjoloholm Castle in Halland, Sweden. Costume designer Manon Rasmussen does a nice job with the costume design for the look of the wedding gown that Justine wears to the dress that Claire wears for the wedding while the rest of the clothes is more casual. Visual effects supervisor Peter Hjorth does an amazing job with the visual effects created such as the planet Melancholia and the scenes in space which is truly gorgeous to look at.

Sound designer Kristian Eidnes Andersen does a superb job with the sound work to create an intimacy and liveliness for the wedding reception as well as something sparse for some of the exteriors. The film’s soundtrack features a lot of music that is played on the wedding while the rest of the music is largely dominated by excerpts of Richard Wagner’s Tristan une Isolde to play up the dramatic moments of the film for both Justine and Claire.

The cast that is created for the film is brilliant as it features appearances from a few regulars of von Trier in Udo Kier as a flamboyant wedding organizer, Stellan Skarsgard as Justine’s slimy boss Jack, and John Hurt as Justine’s fun-going father. Other notable small roles include Brady Corbet as Jack’s young trainee, Jesper Christensen in a low-key role as a butler, and Charlotte Rampling as Justine’s bitter mother. Cameron Spurr is very good as Claire’s young son Leo who is amazed by the planet while being the only person that can comfort Justine. Alexander Skarsgard is also good as Justine’s new husband Michael who tries to deal with her sudden melancholic state while trying to cheer her up. Kiefer Sutherland is excellent as John, Claire’s logical husband who tries to tell everyone that Melancholia will pass by only to realize that there is no logical conclusion to the end of the world.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is great as Claire, Justine’s older sister who tries to help her younger sister while dealing with Melancholia that brings her a lot of anxieties. While it’s a less frantic role than the one Gainsbourg played previously in Antichrist, it is still a mesmerizing performance for the way she reacts while having some great rapport with Sutherland and Kirsten Dunst. Finally, there’s Kirsten Dunst who definitely gives the best performance of her career. Dunst’s performance is very entrancing from the way she reacts at a very nonchalant, numbing state of mind. Definitely inspired by her well-publicized depression in 2008, Dunst uses that experience to create something that is very real and direct about how one deals with depression as there’s a fearlessness in Dunst that is very hypnotic as she is definitely a major highlight of the film.

Melancholia is a powerful yet enthralling film from Lars von Trier that features radiant performances from Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg. While it may not be as extreme as its predecessor Antichrist, it is a film that truly studies the idea of the way people might react to situations such as the end of the world. For fans of von Trier, the film is definitely his most richest work to date as well as something that people new to von Trier might be intrigued by for the way he presents the ideas of depression and anxiety in such an accessible way. In the end, Lars von Trier creates another outstanding film with Melancholia.

Lars von Trier Films: The Element of Crime - Epidemic - Medea - Europa - The Kingdom I - Breaking the Waves - The Kingdom II - Dogme #2-Idioterne - Dancer in the Dark - The Five Obstructions - Dogville - Manderlay - The Boss of It All - Antichrist - Dimension (2010 short) - Nymphomaniac - The House That Jack Built - The Kingdom: Exodus - (Etudes)

Related: The Auteurs #7: Lars von Trier

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