The Place Beyond the Pines

Directed by Derek Cianfrance and written by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, and Darius Marder from a story by Cianfrance and Coccio, The Place Beyond the Pines is a multi-layered story about two different men who cross into each other’s paths leaving way for their sons to meet many years later. The film is an exploration into the sins of a father and how it would play into the life of their sons. Starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ray Liotta. The Place Beyond the Pines is a mesmerizing and sprawling film from Derek Cianfrance.

When a child arrives into the world, the one thing that their fathers hope to do is to make sure they raise their children better than their fathers did in the previous generation. The film is a story that spans 20 years as it revolves two very different men whose paths would cross each other as they would later set a troubling fate for their sons many years later when they meet not knowing what they have in common. The film has a very unique narrative where it has a traditional three-act structure yet it plays into the fates that would come into play as it all takes place in Schenectady, New York. Notably as the first two acts is about the two different men whose fates would cross each other and the impact it would have as its third act revolves the lives of their sons as teenagers.

The screenplay’s three acts are about these four different men as the first act is about a motorcycle stuntman named Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling). The second act is about a good low-level cop named Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) and the third is about their two sons whose paths would meet each other many years later. The first two act show these two men who both have very good intentions for what they want to do in life as well as set good examples of their sons but they would encounter things that would set the fates for their sons to follow. Notably as Glanton would turn to crime to provide for his son while Cross finds himself in a world of corruption as he turns snitch in order to move up in the world. The paths these two men take would have some uneasy consequences the two would make as well as create a sense of guilt of the path that they take as it would cause trouble for their sons.

The third act showcases a modern world in which Avery Cross has reinvented himself as a politician but one who is still carrying the guilt over his encounter with Glanton as he is also troubled by the antics of his son AJ (Emory Cohen). When A.J. meets a teenager named Jason (Dane DeHaan) who is has no knowledge that Glanton is his real father, their meeting would not only cause a lot of trouble but also unveil the secrets that Avery Cross had been carrying his whole life. While the film is largely about father and sons, there are women who are present in the story as Luke’s former girlfriend Romina (Eva Mendes) is hesitant about having Luke in her life as some of the events that happen forces her to not tell Jason about her father. Avery’s wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne) may not have much time as Romina but she is still crucial as a woman who is forced to see her husband move away from her and the family to do right as he becomes more uncomfortable being called a hero.

Derek Cianfrance’s direction is quite stylish in not just the way he presents Schenectady, New York as an interesting area that is a mixture of a modern world clashing with nature but also a place where it’s a small microcosm that is quite uneasy. With some very interesting tracking shots such as the opening shot of the camera following Luke Glanton around the fairground just as he’s to perform his stunt. There is an air of grain to the look of the film as if it’s meant to create a sense of atmosphere and nostalgia as much of the film takes place somewhere in the 1980s or 1990s. Particularly in the first act as Cianfrance places an air of grit with some hand-held cameras to intensify things as well as placing the cameras for some very stylish chase scenes.

Things cool down during the second act where the framing and camerawork is more controlled as it is dramatic but also filled with some suspense as it revolves around Avery Cross’ encounter with corruption. There are scenes that play into a sense of danger but also melancholy as Cross begins to alienate himself from his family to battle corruption. The third act becomes a mixture of both preceding acts but it has an air of tragedy as it relates to the events in the preceding two acts and how both Avery Cross and Luke Glanton would set up this very troubling fate for the meeting of their sons and how it all comes back to the past. Overall, Derek Cianfrance creates a very compelling and intense film about fathers and the sins they unknowingly create for their sons.

Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt does brilliant work with the film‘s photography where he infuses some grainy camera work into the picture as well as maintaining something very naturalistic for many of the film‘s exteriors as well as placing some lights for some stylish moments of the film. Editors Jim Helton and Ron Patane do excellent work with the editing by using some stylish cuts for some of the film‘s chase scenes as well as some more slow-paced yet methodical cuts for the dramatic moments. Production designer Inbal Weinberg, with set decorator Jasmine E. Ballou and art director Michael Ahern, does wonderful work with the set pieces from the trailer and auto shop that Luke lives in to the home of Avery Cross to represent the two different worlds they live in.

Costume designer Erin Benach does terrific work with the costumes from the ragged clothes of Luke as well as the more youthful clothes that Romina wears in the first act to the more casual look of Avery Cross in the film‘s second act as he becomes a more refined man in the third. Sound designer Dan Flosdorf does amazing work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the fairgrounds as well as the chase scenes and some very intense moments in some of dramatic portions of the film. The film’s music by Mike Patton is superb for its very haunting use of ambient textures and vocal choirs as well as some low-key orchestration to create dramatic moods for the film. Music supervisor Gabe Hilfer creates a fantastic soundtrack that includes a wide array of music ranging from classical pieces from Avro Part and Gregorio Allegri as well as contemporary music from Bruce Springsteen, Hall and Oates, The Cryin’ Shame, Ennio Morricone, Suicide, Bon Iver, Salem, and Two Fingers.

The casting by Cindy Tolan is incredible for the ensemble that was used as it includes some notable small performances from Gabe Fazio as Cross’ fellow officer Scott, Olga Merediz as Romina’s mother, Robert Clohessy as Cross’ chief, Harris Yulin as Avery’s father, Bruce Greenwood as a district attorney who questions Cross about the corruption in the force, and Mahershala Ali as Romina’s boyfriend Kofi who would become the one father figure Jason would have in his life. Ray Liotta is excellent as a corrupt officer who takes Cross around to show him the benefits which makes Cross uneasy while Ben Mendelsohn is terrific as the auto shop owner Robin who aids Luke in the bank robberies. Emory Cohen is very good as Cross’ son AJ as a young city kid who is forced to live with his father as he tries to rule the town.

Dane DeHaan is brilliant as Luke and Romina’s son Jason as a young loner teen who meets AJ as he becomes troubled by the revelations about who is father is as well as the fact that his mother has been carrying a secret about his father. Rose Byrne is superb in a small role as Avery’s wife Jennifer as a woman who tries to deal with the new fame her husband has as well as the things he does that has her alienated from him. Eva Mendes is great as Luke’s old flame Romina who deals with Luke’s return as well as what he tries to do as she later becomes a bitter woman trying to carry a secret that she doesn’t want her son to know about.

Bradley Cooper is marvelous as Avery Cross as a good man who finds himself entangled in the world of police corruption as he seeks to do something right only to drive away his family as he becomes consumed with guilt over his actions and how his son has turned out. Ryan Gosling is phenomenal as Luke Glanton as an intense man wanting to do right for his ex-girlfriend and their son as he turns to crime to provide for them only to set things in motion for the sense of confusion his son would endure in the years to come.

The Place Beyond the Pines is an outstanding film from Derek Cianfrance that features top-notch performances from Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. Along with a great supporting cast, amazing technical work, and Mike Patton’s chilling score. The film is definitely a very captivating look into the world of fathers and the sins they place into their sons as well as the theme of redemption. In the end, The Place Beyond the Pines is a remarkable film from Derek Cianfrance.

Derek Cianfrance Films: (Brother Tied) - Blue Valentine - (Cagefighter) - (Metalhead)

© thevoid99 2013

Blue Valentine

Directed by Derek Cianfrance and written by Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, and Cami Delavigne.  Blue Valentine tells the story of a young couple whose marriage is unraveling as they both look back at the years when they met and got married.  A romantic film that is more unconventional than a lot of films of the genre.  It explores the ups and downs into relationships as one is content and the other wants more.  Starring Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, and Ben Shenkman.  Blue Valentine is a harrowing yet enchanting film from Derek Cianfrance.

It’s another day for Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) as they take their daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka) to school.  Yet, it’s a hard day as their dog went missing while Dean and Cindy seem to be going through some issues.  Even as Dean wants a quiet night with Cindy at a motel despite her reluctance.  After dropping Frankie off to her grandfather (John Doman), they go to the motel for a night of drinking and fun though Cindy doesn’t seem into it.  Even as a conversation leads to more tension between the two with Dean wondering what has come to this.

Years ago, Dean and Cindy met one day when Cindy was visiting her grandmother (Jen Jones) as Dean was helping an old man named Walter move in to an old folks home.  Dean was a mover while Cindy was a college student studying medicine while dating a wrestler named Bobby (Mike Vogel).  Dean wondered about Cindy as he asked her grandmother about her as the two went on a date and they had fun.  Then one day, she became pregnant as the two pondered about what to do.  Though Bobby was upset over the news as he confronted Dean, Dean still managed to be in Cindy’s life as he met her parents.  While her father wasn’t impressed by Dean, he reluctantly welcomes him to the family as he would see the two unravel years later.

The film is about the life of a young couple of how they met, fell in love, get married, had a kid, and then fall out of love.  That doesn’t seem like an exciting story to tell as there isn’t much plot to the film.  Yet, it’s all told in a somewhat, non-linear style since it starts off with the marriage in present time as its unraveling.  Then it goes to the moment they met and fall in love and inter-cut with them at present time.  It’s a style of storytelling that seems like a gimmick but it works.  Largely because it allows the audience to see what it was like when they were in love and how they’re falling out of love in the scenes they’re watching now as in comparison to what they were doing then.

The screenplay not only plays up to the film’s non-conventional storytelling but also to how the main characters are portrayed.  Dean is a man of simple taste that just likes to please people and charm them.  Cindy is a young woman that has aspirations to become a doctor.  When they get together, everything seems fun though Cindy’s pregnancy would be a bump they would have to face.  Years later when Frankie is already in elementary school, the differences between Dean and Cindy start to show.  Though Dean seems content with the way things are, Cindy wants more not just for herself but also Frankie.  The difference becomes more troubling with Cindy starting to drift and Dean becoming more desperate to hold on to things.

Derek Cianfrance’s direction is definitely marvelous in the way he presents the film as a simple though unconventional film.  While it’s shot in a somewhat, documentary style with lots of close-ups, blurry shots, and all hand-held cameras.  The film has a realist approach that doesn’t play up to the conventions of romantic films.  Even as the camera is always there on the characters wondering what is going on.  One notable factor to the film that has caused a lot of controversy with the MPAA in giving it a NC-17 the first time around has to do with a sex scene.

Well, there are scenes of nudity but the sex isn’t as graphic as the MPAA deemed it to be.  The scene that did get the MPAA into such an uproar is a scene where Dean is performing oral sex on Cindy.  The problem is that the scene isn’t graphic at all.  There’s no explicit shots and it’s presented in a simple way of Cindy having an orgasm while Dean is doing his thing.  It’s a sexy yet emotional scene but nothing that is over-the-top nor explicit.  Cianfrance’s approach is very subtle as he doesn’t try to overplay the drama.  Even in an intense scene where Dean and Cindy argue at her job that is really one of the most horrifying because of how raw it is.  The overall work that Cianfrance did is truly spectacular.

Cinematographer Andrij Parekh does an amazing job with the film’s colorful yet grainy photography.  Mostly shot in a verite style, Parekh’s photography is never flashy as it has a gritty, street-like look as it’s shot largely in Pennsylvania and parts of New York City.  For the nighttime exterior scenes, there is a bit of de-saturation to the photography while the scenes at the motel has a dream-like look that is stunning in its mix of grainy realism and colorful palettes reminiscent of the films of Wong Kar-Wai.  It’s definitely one of the film’s technical highlights.

Editors Jim Helton and Ron Patane do a superb job with the way the film is presented.  Even as it maintains a leisured pace for the most part while its transitions from a present scene to the scene of the past.  Those transitions are what makes the film so interesting as it would go to a scene where Dean is about to answer the phone and then a phone is being picked up by another person at the present time.  Even as it goes into jump-cuts to keep the film going as it’s definitely another technical highlight.

Production designer Inbal Weinberg, along with Jasmine E. Ballou and art director Chris Potter, do an excellent job with some of the places they create.  Among them is the room of the old man Dean helped moved and the future-room that Dean and Cindy spend their night together as it has a space-look that is fun to see.  Costume designer Erin Benach does a very good with the costume designs from the casual yet pretty dresses that Cindy wears to the more ragged look of Dean.  Sound designer Dan Flosdorf also does a good job with the sound design to convey the tense atmosphere between Dean and Cindy in the motel room they’re staying while a lot of the other scenes is mostly all over the place whether it’s in a good scene or something dramatic.

The film’s soundtrack features cuts from the likes of the Dirtbombs, Pat Benatar, the Platters, Department of Eagles, Penny & the Quarters, and Matt Sweeney with other musicians.  A lot of the music, notably Penny & the Quarters’ You And Me represents the love song for Dean and Cindy while other stuff either conveys their romantic moments or something dramatic.  Helping to play up to the film’s drama is music by the indie band Grizzly Bear.  Featuring a mostly-instrumental score, the material from Grizzly Bear is very calm and ambient-like as it goes into dramatic tone and tense moments of the film as the overall soundtrack is phenomenal.

The casting by Cindy Tolan is truly excellent with its array of memorable appearances from Melvin Jurdem as the old man Dean befriends, Alan Malkin as a cantankerous cab driver, Jen Jones as Cindy’s grandmother, Maryann Plunkett as Cindy’s mom, and Ben Shenkman as Cindy’s boss at the hospital.  John Doman is very good as Cindy’s father Jerry who is always controlling towards his wife while having big suspicions towards Dean.  Mike Vogel is excellent as Cindy’s ex-boyfriend Bobby who dislikes Dean as he appears early in the film in present when he bumps into Cindy as he plays a much friendlier person.  The best supporting performance is Faith Wladyka as Frankie, Dean and Cindy’s daughter who is a lively person that brings the best in both Dean and Cindy.

Finally, there’s the duet performances of Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as they give their most powerful performances of their careers.  Gosling is great as the loving but childlike Dean who is content with everything he has despite having no ambition.  Gosling definitely creates a performance of a man who starts out looking childlike and then is someone whose starting to have a bald head as he is burned out.  It’s definitely Gosling at his finest.  Michelle Williams is radiant as Cindy, a young woman with ambitions to be a doctor as she falls for the charming Dean as opposed to the then-brutish Bobby.  Williams truly plays a woman who starts out all fun only to be consumed by her own duties as a nurse, a wife, and mother.  Even as she plays sexy in the flashback portions of the film only to be insecure and resistant as Williams definitely creates a role that is truly haunting to watch.

Blue Valentine is a mesmerizing, raw, yet exhilarating film from Derek Cianfrance featuring top performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.  While it’s not a film for conventional audiences wanting a romantic film.  It is something that is challenging while features all of things that makes relationship intense and real.  Even as it is presented in a form that isn’t traditional as it also doesn’t feature a lot of plot.  In the end, Blue Valentine is of 2010’s most fascinating surprises from Derek Cianfrance.

© thevoid99 2011