The Namesake

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/9/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake is the story of the life of a young Indian-American who deals with his identity as he struggles with his own culture clash while learning about the root of his name and his family. Directed by Mira Nair and screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala, the film is a multi-layered story that explores the experience of immigrants as it's told from multiple perspectives from the young man and his parents. Starring Kal Penn, Tabu, Jacinda Barrett, Zuleikha Robinson, and Irfan Khan. The Namesake is a powerful and compassionate film from Mira Nair.

Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) is riding on a train in India reading a book by Nikolai Gogol when he talks to an old man named Ghosh (Jangannath Guha) about the world when a crash occurred. Three years later in 1977, Ashoke is with his family as he is about to meet his bride Ashami (Tabu) in an arranged marriage as they're set to depart for New York City. Though Ashoke manages to find work through a college and be accustomed to American lifestyle, Ashami feels lonely and confused. Yet, she finds comfort in Ashoke as they eventually gain a son the following year whom they name Gogol as the pet name when they're still waiting for her grandmother to give the baby boy his official name. With a baby girl named Sonia to follow, things started to feel blissful despite Ashami's cultural confusion as she and the family return to India following her father's (Sabayasachi Chakravarthy) death.

It's the mid-1990s as Gogol (Kal Penn) has become a typical American teenager who listens to grunge rock, smoke pot, and is about to graduate. Yet, he still struggles with his name Nihil Gogol Ganguli after learning from a teacher (Linus Roache) that he was named after a Russian novelist who had a bleak outlook on life. Though Ashoke and Ashami are struggling with Gogol and Sonia's (Sahira Nair) American outlook, they decide to take the family to India for the summer. Before leaving, Ashoke gives Gogol a present which is a book by Nikolai Gogol that Gogol doesn't seem enthused about yet Ashoke says it will bring him something. Around that same time, plans for a possible arranged marriage is made between Gogol and a young girl named Moushimi (Zuleikha Robinson). During their trip to India, the family visit relatives and other places as the big moment is the trip to the Taj Mahal where Gogol learns what he wants to do with his life. Returning home, Gogol also decides to change his name back to Nihil for a business identity.

Years later as he becomes an architect, Gogol finds happiness in an American girlfriend named Maxine (Jacinda Barrett) while his parents find themselves becoming disconnected with their children as Sonia now lives in California. With Ashoke set to work at a Cleveland university for a semester, he becomes worried for Ashima who never lived alone all her life. Though an awkward visit from Gogol and Maxine arrive for lunch on their way to a vacation, Ashima struggles to deal with Gogol's life while Gogol is trying to think more about himself. It is there that Ashoke has a private moment with Gogol about his name. Then, an event forces Gogol to rethink his entire life as he returns to India and learn about his identity. After seeing Moushimi again, he starts to find himself in touch with his Indian heritage while starting to accept who he is. Still, his acceptance also forces him to learn the true meaning of his name and what he wants with his life.

Films about cultural clash, isolation, family, and acceptance often tend to be overdramatized or sometimes done with humor. Yet, from the vison of Mira Nair whose roots remain in India while splitting her time also in New York City. With a wonderful script by Sooni Taraporevala, the film definitely pays true to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel in this story of change and culture. Nair’s ethereal and evocative direction is amazing from the film's opening scenes in India that is filled with color to the grayish look of winter that reveals the sense of change and isolation from the viewpoint of Ashima. Isolation is the theme of Ashima whose fears to be alone as she deals with not just loss but also her children departing for their own worlds.

Then there's the character of Gogol who like his mother go through a change in character development. While she deals with her own isolation and cultural clashes, Gogol deals with a cultural clash in a similar way yet also his own identity as he becomes confused about himself and his name. Then there's the theme of acceptance where both Gogol and Ashima start to get into in the third act. Yet, for both of them, it becomes a fulfillment of their characters as they're each guided by Ashoke who acts like a guide for everyone as his bravery is really the glue that holds the story together. Nair's direction is truly superb in the way she places her camera, the framing, and presentation is great. Even in the film's final moments has an emotional payoff that is extremely moving without being manipulative or overly sentimental. It's Nair at her finest.

Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does great work in capturing the beauty of India with his fluid camera while adding bits of grainy distortion for flashback sequences including Ashoke's train crash. Elmes work in his photography is brilliant to show the contrasting look of India and New York City in all of its splendor as its exteriors are great while the interiors, notably in India are just exquisite. Editor Allyson C. Johnson does excellent work with the film's editing in the use of transitions and perspective cutting to convey the sense of emotion in the film's scene along with the structuring of the story and flashbacks. Even the film's pacing is solid without being too slow or too fast with credit also going to Nair in her direction.

Production designer Stephanie Carroll and art director Suttirat Anne Larlarb do great work in the differing look of the times from the colorful yet street look of India to the clean, American suburban homes that Ashoke and Ashima live in along with the homes Gogol visits. Costume designer Arjun Bhasin does exquisite work with the traditional Indian clothing that Ashima wears throughout the film along with the contemporary clothing other characters wear in the American sequences. Sound mixers Dave Paterson and Joe White do excellent work in conveying the different cultural atmospheres of India and America in all of their glory. Music composer Nitin Sawhney does excellent work in creating a subtle, traditional Indian score that is filled with layers of vocals and sitars while the soundtrack is a mix of traditional Indian music, Indian pop, hip-hop, and rock music including Pearl Jam.

The casting by Cindy Tolan is great in employing a wonderful mix of Indian and American actors. Small appearances from American actors Glenne Headly and Daniel Gerroll as Maxine’s parents, Brooke Smith as Ashima's library co-worker Sally, and Maximilano Hernandez as Sonia's boyfriend Ben are nice to see along with a cameo from British actor Linus Roache as Gogol's literature teacher. Indian actors Tanusree Shankar and Sabayasachi Chakravarthy as Ashima's parents, Ruma Guha Thakurta and Tamal Sengupta as Ashoke's parents, and Jangannath Guha as Mr. Ghosh are great in their brief scenes. Soham Chatterjee is wonderful as the four-year old Gogol with Noor Lahiri Vourvoulias as the baby Sonia.

Mira Nair's niece Sahira is great as the teenage/adult Sonia who starts off as a typical Indian-American teenager who couldn't relate to India while dealing with cultural changes and then as a woman who takes care of her mother. Jacinda Barrett is excellent as Maxine, Gogol's American girlfriend who loves Gogol and wants to understand his Indian heritage despite a few awkward moments involving his parents that shows her naivete and innocence. Zuleikha Robinson is wonderful as Moushimi, an arty young woman who starts off as a nerd and is then seen as this beautiful, cultured woman who like Gogol, struggles with her own heritage. Robinson's performance is filled with charm and depth as she is a wonder onscreen that includes a great dance sequence of sorts with her and Kal Penn.

Known to American audiences for his comedic film roles including Van Wilder, Malibu's Most Wanted, and the stoner cult-classic Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Kal Penn delivers an impressive performance as Nikhil Gogol Ganguli. Penn does a great job in selling the American teenager that he is struggling with his name and identity while he is then seen as an adult. Then when his character changes and deals with this conflict of identity, Penn shows his strength as a dramatic actor as he is a huge revelation in the film. It's also noted he got the part as he was suggested by Nair's son and a friend of his for the role. Irfan Khan delivers an amazing, subtle performance as Ashoke Ganguli, a man whose wisdom on life is just a joy to watch. Khan's performance is really the centerpiece of the film as his character guides both his wife and son into their own path to self-discovery. Khan's performance is definitely one of the year best and must certainly not be overlooked.

The film's best performance easily goes to Tabu, a famous Bollywood actress in her first major American production. Though she's in her 30s, Tabu definitely brings a performance that starts out youthful as she brought a sense of innocence to the film in her scenes in India. Then in America, she shows depth in her dealing with isolation and cultural change while she has amazing chemistry with Khan. In the role of parent, Tabu has an older look yet remains radiant and spellbinding as this woman who is dealing with her children's Americanized personalities and changing times. Tabu is really the heart of the film and her performance is truly unforgettable.

The Namesake is a phenomenal film from Mira Nair that features great performances from Irfan Khan, Tabu, and Kal Penn. The film is truly one of the most engaging and moving tales about the immigrant experience as well as how a young man comes to term with his identity. Especially as it has very common ideas about family and tradition without the need to embellish as it allows audience to find something extraordinary to connect with these characters and their stories. In the end, The Namesake is a sensational film from Mira Nair.

Mira Nair Films: Salaam Bombay! - (Mississippi Masala) - (The Perez Family) - (Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love) - Monsoon Wedding - (Hysterical Blindness) - (Vanity Fair) - (Amelia) - (The Reluctant Fundamentalist) - (Words with God) - (Queen of Katwe)

© thevoid99 2014

Don Jon

Written, directed, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon is the story of a modern-day Don Juan who falls in love with a beautiful woman until she discovers about his addiction to pornography. The film explores a young man dealing with his addiction as well as view on women. Also starring Scarlett Johansson, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Rob Brown, and Julianne Moore. Don Jon is a witty yet fun film from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The film is really a look into the life of a young man named Jon “Don Jon” Martello Jr. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is this very easy-going Italian-American living in New Jersey that lives a good life while being addicted to pornography. Upon meeting this beautiful woman Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), he thinks about having a real relationship with her while she gets him to try and improve himself by having him go to night classes where he meets an older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore). Barbara’s discovery about Jon’s addiction to porno has her repulsed where Esther also discovers about Jon’s addiction where she questions him about his views on women, sex, and love. Even where Jon wouldn’t just question about how he has sex with women but also what Barbara expect from him.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s script has this exploration about not just the way men view women from a sexual point of view but also what some women want in men. Notably as Barbara is this spoiled woman from New Jersey who loves bad romantic-comedies that she forces Jon to watch as she thinks these films represent the ideas of what love is. Even as Jon takes her to meet his family where it reinforces the idea of Jon finally settling down and having a family but he’s not sure if he wants that until his meetings with Esther has him realizing a lot about himself. The script doesn’t just succeed in fleshing out the many characters in the film but also play into the way women are presented to men as there’s a scene where Jon and his father (Tony Danza) watch a Carl Jr.’s commercial where a woman in a bikini is eating a fish sandwich as they’re entranced by the woman. It’s all told in a very funny manner as well as the way romantic-comedies are portrayed where it’s very obvious at how false they are where Gordon-Levitt pokes fun at the fallacy of the genre.

Gordon-Levitt’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of what he presents where he opens the film with this montage of women being used as sexual objects plus clips of porno to establish this idea of how men treat women. Even as he also maintains this idea of repetition in the way Jon lives his life where he likes to clean his apartment, drive his car, hang out with his boys, go to the gym to work out, go to church on Sundays, eat with his family, go to clubs to meet girls and later have sex with them, and end the day masturbating to porn. It all plays to the life that Jon has where he even gets Barbara to go to the gym with him but the cracks start to come in where she questions about why he talks to himself when he’s working out.

The first half is mostly a light-hearted comedy while the rom-coms that he and Barbara watch has the same kind of visual blandness that is expected in these films as well as the situations that goes on. The second half is a bit more dramatic in terms of Jon’s time with Esther yet it would be crucial to Jon’s growth as a man. Notably as Gordon-Levitt creates some unique compositions to play out the drama that would showcase Jon’s acceptance about what love is as well as what to expect from the people closest to him. Overall, Gordon-Levitt creates a very fascinating yet humorous film about a man’s addiction to pornography.

Cinematographer Thomas Kloss does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the nighttime locations of the places in New Jersey to the look of the clubs that Jon and his friends go to. Editor Lauren Zuckerman does amazing work with the editing in not just some of the inventive montages of Jon‘s daily routines but also in the way it plays to his own attempt to gain control for himself. Production designer Meghan C. Rogers, with set decorator Cindy Coburn and art director Elizabeth Cummings, does nice work with the set pieces from the look of Jon‘s apartment to the home where his family lives.

Costume designer Leah Katznelson does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that Barbara wears to the stylish clothes that Jon would wear. Visual effects supervisor Karen E. Goulekas does some fine work with the film‘s minimal visual effects that involves one of the bad rom-coms that Barbara forces Jon to watch. Sound editor David Chrastka does superb work with the sound from the atmosphere of the clubs to the intimacy in the night classes that Jon and Esther go to. The film’s music by Nathan Johnson is wonderful for its array of folk-based and orchestral music to play up some of the humor while music supervisor John Houlihan brings a soundtrack that mostly consists of hip-hop and dance music including Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

The casting by Venus Kanani and Mary Vernieu is brilliant as it features some very funny cameo appearances from Anne Hathaway, Channing Tatum, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Meghan Good as the stars of the bad romantic comedies that Jon is forced to watch as well as Paul Ben-Victor as the voice of Jon’s local priest. Rob Brown and Jeremy Luke are terrific as Jon’s friends with the former as the more reserved Bobby and the latter as the dim-witted Danny. Brie Larson is wonderfully funny as Jon’s sister Monica who spends most of the film looking at her phone and texting where she only speaks in a key moment late in the film. Glenne Headly is amazing as Jon’s mother Angela who hopes for her son to meet a nice girl while Tony Danza is hilarious as Jon’s father who is kind of a sexist schmoe who likes to watch football games.

Julianne Moore is great as Esther as this older woman that Jon meets in night classes who questions him about his fascination with sex and pornography while she’s hiding some things of her own where Moore brings a very relaxed yet witty performance as a woman who would guide Jon to find something more. Scarlett Johansson is fantastic as Barbara as this very sexy yet vapid woman who spends half her time chewing gum and teasing Jon to get her way while proving herself to be just as shallow as he is. Finally, there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the titular character where he brings in this very suave yet smug Italian-American persona that is full of himself. Gordon-Levitt not only makes the character funny but also endearing as someone who appreciates the finer things in life but also someone with a problem as he is forced to come to terms with who he is where Gordon-Levitt has some great scenes with Johansson and Moore to present the depth of his character making it one of his best performances.

Don Jon is a marvelous film from Joseph Gordon-Levitt that features some excellent supporting performances from Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. The film isn’t just a funny look into the world of porno addiction but also the way men and women view their idea of the opposite sex and what they want from that view. In the end, Don Jon is an extraordinarily entertaining film from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

© thevoid99 2013

The Purple Rose of Cairo

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/14/09 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, The Purple Rose of Cairo tells the story of a woman during the Depression of the 1930s struggling to get by including a loveless marriage. When a character from a film she's watching leaves the screen to comfort her, her life starts to go into an upswing until the actor who plays the character starts to arrive complicating all matters. A comedy-drama that bends all sorts of genres, it is considered to be one Allen's finest films of his career. Starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Glenne Headly, Edward Herrmann, Van Johnson, and in her first of many films for Woody Allen, Dianne Wiest. The Purple Rose of Cairo is an extraordinary, magical film from Woody Allen and company.

Cecilia (Mia Farrow) is a waitress who works at a diner in 1930s New Jersey with her sister (Stephanie Farrow) as her home life isn't any better as she has to deal with her brutish and unemployed husband Monk (Danny Aiello). Cecilia finds escape by going to the movies as one day, she sees a new movie called The Purple Rose of Cairo about a group of bored socialites who meet an explorer named Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels) during a trip to Cairo. After being fired from her job due to her incompetence and discovering that Monk is cheating on her, Cecilia decides to see The Purple Rose of Cairo again where something strange happens as Tom notices Cecilia feeling sad as he walks out of the screen to ask what is wrong with her. The film is suddenly stalled when Tom enters the real world as Cecilia gives Tom a tour of the real world while the actors in the movie are stuck wondering what is going on as they can't do anything.

With Tom amazed by what is happening as he and Cecilia become friends, things get more complicated as the audience that watches the film wonders what is happening as its producer and the film's star Gil Shepherd (Jeff Daniels), who plays Tom, goes to Jersey in hopes to save his acting career. Gil finally meets Cecilia as he tries to convince his character to return to the movie which doesn't go well. Tom wanders around while Gil befriends Cecilia as she falls for both Tom and Gil despite being married. While Tom manages to get the attention of a hooker named Emma (Dianne Wiest) who takes him to a brothel. With Gil promising Cecilia to take her to Hollywood, Cecilia finds Tom as they return to the theater as she enters the film as things get more chaotic. Gil also appears in the theater making Cecilia confused about which world to be in.

The film is essentially a period piece about a loopy woman who finds escape through the films. Yet, when a character of that film suddenly walks out of the screen and appear to her wanting some adventure, thus comes a bizarre love triangle when the actor who plays the character appears to her. What Woody Allen creates is a genre-bending film that is part-romance, part-comedy, part-period piece in which, everything works. It's about fantasy and reality where the character of Tom is transfixed by the real world as he's the most innocent character in the film unaware of things that go on in the real world. There's no fade-outs during kissing scenes, due to the Hayes production code of the time in films, which Tom wonders after he kisses Cecilia. Even Tom's encounter with hookers is innocent as he has no idea what a brothel is or any sexual reference speech means.

Then there's Gil who is an actor on the verge of a career breakthrough finds his character threatening the chance for him to play Charles Lindbergh in an upcoming film. Gil isn't as innocent but more complex as, like Cecilia, is a dreamer who is transfixed by her innocent, loopy persona as they talk about his movies and such. Yet, there's something about Gil who is desperate to have Tom back in the film for the sake of his career where he seems selfish on whether he's acting or being himself. Holding it all together is Cecilia, a dreamer who is trying to find escape in a loveless marriage. Yet, she's flawed because she's loopy and stammers when she lies while couldn't really hold a job despite working hard to pay the rent and such. Finding some form of adventure in both Tom and Gil gives her life meaning but when a decision is made about what happens next. The film ends ambiguously with a variety of emotions. There's sadness in some part but also a bit of happiness about what's going on at the same time.

Allen's script is filled with witty dialogue, commentaries of the film world at the time, as well as a true description of the Depression era. Allen's direction is truly spectacular in its intimacy and his approach to bending genres. Not utilizing the tricks of the old 1930s film, he only does that for the actual film of The Purple Rose of Cairo with some amazing visual effects. The way he uses stock footage of cities for some of the fantasy sequences are dazzling as Allen is proving himself to be a director that knows to use an old style while create something that is magical. At the same time, Allen is aware of the message of how powerful a film can be where he mixes realism and fantasy to the point that this film is a great escape in itself. Allen understands how much an audience can be transfixed by a film and he does so in creating a film and a film-within-a-film where the overall message is to sit back, relax, and watch a good movie. In the end, Allen just doesn't succeed in that approach. He does a lot more than that in creating a unique, touching cinematic experience.

Helping Allen in the visual department is his then-regular cinematographer Gordon Willis, who creates a wonderful look with its use of dark colors and low-lights for some nighttime, interior sequence to a film that is dream like. For the film version of The Purple Rose of Cairo, it's shot in grainy black-and-white like the old 1930s film style with some bright lights and dabbles of gray in the background. At the same time, that film is cropped in an old full-screen ratio like it was before the invention of the widescreen format. Willis work is immensely superb in its richness and devotion to the period of 1930s New Jersey. Longtime Allen collaborator Susan E. Morse does great work with the film's editing as it's mostly straightforward with smooth cuts and transitions while the film-within-a-film has more style with the use of dissolves, fade-outs, and other stylistic transitions to give it an old time feel.

Production designer Stuart Wurtzel, set decorator Carol Joffe, and art director Edward Pisoni do spectacular work with the look of the film from the decaying buildings of New Jersey to the old cars that are used. Even the brothel in its interior setting has a fascinating look. The look of The Purple Rose of Cairo film in its posh setting has something amazing which included a white telephone that Cecilia is amazed by. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does some fantastic work with the costumes, notably the explorer suit with the big hat that Tom Baxter wears along with some of the fancy clothing the actors in the Cairo film including some glamorous dresses and such. Sound editor Dan Lieberstein and recording mixer Rick Dior do some very good work with the sound, notably the way the Cairo film has a unique sound with scratches heard in the film and such. Music composer Dick Hyman brings a smooth, melodic score filled with old-time, 1930s ragtime piano while the soundtrack is mostly dominated by ragtime music and pieces from Fred Astaire in the film Top Hat as it opens and closes the film with style.

The casting by Juliet Taylor is phenomenal with some notable small roles from Michael Tucker as Gil's agent, Alexander Cohen as producer Raoul Hirsch, Juliana Donald as a film usher, Irving Metzman as the theater manager, Mia Farrow's real-life sister Stephanie as her sister and fellow waitress, and Glenne Headly as a hooker in the brothel. In the role of the actors in the film version of The Purple Rose of Cairo, there's Deborah Rush as the glamorous Rita, Zoe Caldwell as the Countess, Van Johnson as the Countess' date Larry, Milo O'Shea as a priest, Karen Akers as a nightclub singer, John Wood as a composer, and Edward Herrmann as the main actor as they all have some funny lines. Notably Caldwell who says a boorish comment towards an audience member's wife. One very memorable minor role that really stands out is Dianne Wiest in her first of many films for Woody Allen as a hooker named Emma. Weist's stylish, no-nonsense performance is filled with charm and wit as she really stands out in every scene she's in.

Danny Aiello is very good as Monk, Cecilia's selfish, gambling husband who couldn't find work as he is a brute of a man but does love Cecilia. Aiello's performance is definitely fun to watch as he and Jeff Daniels, as Tom Baxter, is great displaying the fighting style of the times as Aiello really stands out. Jeff Daniels delivers a tour-de-force performance in the dual role of Tom Baxter and Gil Shepherd. Daniels exudes all of the innocence and exuberance of Tom Baxter with such energy and charm while in Shepherd, there's a bit of a smugness and realism as well as a side of him that is a dreamer. It's a great role from Daniels, who is one of the more underrated working today, as this role reminds audiences into why he is one of the best in the business.

Finally, there's longtime Allen staple Mia Farrow in a wonderful role as Cecilia. Farrow's performance is definitely wonderful as her character is a dreamer who loves to talk about the film she had just seen yet has a hard time paying attention. Even as she puts out the wrong orders, forgets something, and drops plates. Cecilia is innocent but also a bit clueless as she is dealing with a troubled marriage and always threatens to leave him. In Tom and Gil, she finds a sort of escape and adventure along with the idea of a new life. There's a lot of exuberance Farrow puts into the role as it's clearly one of the best performances she put in her career.

The Purple Rose of Cairo is a majestic, whimsical, and heartwarming film from Woody Allen and company. Featuring great performances from Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels with notable standout supporting roles from Danny Aiello and Dianne Wiest. It's a film that is funny, it's entertaining, has a great sense of drama, and has something that audiences can relate to about the power of films. While it may not rank high with more regarded masterpieces like Annie Hall, Hannah & Her Sisters, and Crimes & Misdemeanors. It's a film that is still Allen at its finest and certainly one that is worth re-watching over and over again for all of its charm. In the end, The Purple Rose of Cairo is a dazzling film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What's Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - Hannah and Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra's Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011

Bastard Out of Carolina

Based on Dorothy Allison’s novel, Bastard Out of Carolina is the story of a young woman’s illegitimate daughter who becomes a victim of the physical and sexual abuse of her stepfather during the 1950s in rural South Carolina. Directed by acclaimed actress Anjelica Huston in her directorial debut with a teleplay by Anne Meredith, the TV-film explores a woman’s struggle to love her husband while dealing with her daughter’s abuse as her family watches in horror. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly, Dermont Mulroney, Grace Zabriskie, Diana Scarwid, Lyle Lovett, Susan Traylor, Michael Rooker, and in film debut, Jena Malone along with narration by Laura Dern. Bastard Out of Carolina is a harrowing and heartbreaking film from Anjelica Huston.

After giving birth to her first baby in a state of unconsciousness, following a car accident, and then losing her first husband (Dermont Mulroney) before the birth of second child. The life of Anney Boatwright (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has been a difficult one as she’s raising two young girls in Reece (Lindley Mayer) and Ruth Anne (Jena Malone), who is also called Bone, while living with her mother (Grace Zabriskie) and surrounded by a close though dysfunctional family. When her brother Earl (Michael Rooker) introduces Anney to Glen Waddell (Ron Eldard), Anney is smitten by Glen as the two start a relationship though Anney’s mother isn’t sure about the relationship while knowing that Glen comes from a very rich family.

After the two wed and Anney is expecting another child, things seem to go well until one night when Glen is waiting in the car with Reece and Bone as he wakes Bone up and molests her. Bone becomes confused over what happened as the child Anney gave birth to died stillborn as she and Glen move to various places as Glen struggles to hold down a job. During a visit to the home of Glen’s father (Pat Hingle) where things go wrong, Glen later takes out all of his frustrations on Bone as she would have to endure countless abuse until a doctor asks Anney about what’s going on. Bone, Reece, and Anney stay temporarily with Anney’s sister Alma (Susan Traylor) and her husband Wade (Lyle Lovett) until Glen asks Anney to come home.

When Anney’s older sister Ruth (Glenne Headly) falls ill, Bone is asked to help take care of her, Ruth wants to know what is going on with Glen as she asks Bone about what he’s been doing to her. Bone couldn’t muster up the courage to tell as she returns home to endure another beating as Earl and her aunt Raylene (Diana Scarwid) find out what Glen did to Bone. Earl and Raylene let Bone stay at Raylene’s river home as another family crisis involving Alma brings the family together. When Bone tells her mother that she won’t come because of Glen, Anney finds herself torn between her love for both Glen and Bone.

Films about child abuse can often lead to sentimental and very overwrought ideas but this film is not about child abuse. Instead, it’s about a woman torn between the devotion of her new husband who loves and cares for her though he also has a temper and acts like a grown child. The other thing that this woman loves is her eldest yet illegitimate daughter as she had grown up without a real father figure though she was able to be loved by a man who was later killed in an accident. For this woman, she is desperate to have a man in her life away from her mother and her rural background. Yet, she also has her daughter whom she loves so much but couldn’t bear to see her be harmed in such a gruesome way.

Anne Meredith’s teleplay definitely goes into depths of what Anney Boatwright is going through as she had someone who loved her but then died right away as she hopes to find someone who can get her out of the environment she lives in. While Anney has a family that does love and care for her, despite being quite dysfunctional, she needs a man to be with her so she wouldn’t have to take care of her tired mother. While Glen isn’t a complete bad man, he is earnest in his love for Anney and Reese while is also a victim of abuse from the way his father treats him. Due to what he’s gone through, Glen is forced to take out all of his anger and yearning to be loved by abusing Bone.

The narration, that is told by Laura Dern as the older Bone, has Bone reflecting on the misfortune of her entire life as due to the confusion of her birth certificate, Bone was certified a bastard from the day she was born. Though Anney wants to do good for Bone, her devotion to Glen makes Bone feel more on the outs as she clings to the people in her extended family such as the spiritual Ruth, the playful Earl, and the hardened but wise Raylene. Since she feels like Glen doesn’t love her at all and going through all of this abuse, Bone becomes a much more weary and grounded child that has lost her innocence. Through all of this, she becomes more confused into why her mother would still be in love with a man that would do a thing to her.

Anne Meredith’s script gives director Anjelica Huston the chance to create a film that doesn’t stray into the conventions of TV movies while allowing herself to get her hands dirty in exploring its subject matter. Huston’s direction has a wonderful sense of intimacy for a lot of the dramatic scenes while some of it is very eerie. Notably the scene where Bone is being molested for the first time as Huston has the camera solely focused on Bone. Huston knows what to do while not making it too graphic as she also keeps some of the scenes simple in the way she presents the film. Overall, it is an impressive directorial debut from Anjelica Huston.

Cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond does an excellent job with the photography as it‘s straightforward though is set in a very gray time as it‘s shot on location in North Carolina. Richmond also creates some amazing shots and shadings to emphasize the dark tone of the film for scenes of Bone dealing with everything around her. Editor Eva Gardos does a wonderful job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace to the film while doing a few rhythmic cuts to play up some of the intense drama and heightened moments in the film.

Production designers Nelson Coates and Van Broughton Ramsey, along with set decorator Burton Rencher, do great work with the art direction to play up the world of rural South Carolina in its poor, working class environment that many of the characters live in. Ramsey’s work on the costume design is superb to play up that poor look with its very casual yet grimy clothing while making some stylish clothes such as Anney‘s waitress dress. Sound editor David Hankins does a nice job with the sound to play up the sparse intimacy of the homes that Bone goes to as well as a few scenes to liven things up for its large ensemble cast.

The film’s score by Van Dyke Parks is pretty good for its haunting yet dramatic orchestral score to play up some of the harrowing moments of the film. The music soundtrack that is supervised by Robin Urdang features an array of old-school 1950s gospel and country music that features pieces from Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, the Carter Family, George Jones, Wanda Jackson, and Blind Willie Johnson as the music pieces selected for the film is a major highlight.

The casting of John Brace and Linda Lowy is brilliant as they created what is truly an amazing ensemble cast. Small but notable appearances include Dermont Mulroney as Anney’s kind first husband Lyle, Richard Todd Sullivan as Ruth’s husband Travis, Christina Ricci as Ruth’s teenage daughter Dee Dee, and Pat Hingle as Glen’s spiteful father. Other notable small but memorable roles include Lindley Mayer as Bone’s younger sister Reece, Lyle Lovett as Bone’s uncle Wade, Susan Traylor as the no-nonsense Alma, and Grace Zabriskie as Anney’s tough and suspicious mother who has mixed feelings about Glen early on.

Glenne Headly is very good as Bone’s saintly yet lively aunt Ruth who tries to get everyone to feel good while becoming very concerned about Bone during her illness. Diana Scarwid is excellent as aunt Raylene, a wise yet grounded woman who takes Bone in while trying to make understanding of everything Bone has gone through. Michael Rooker is wonderful as Bone’s uncle Earl who is a fun guy that loves his niece while being the only true male protector she has when dealing with Glen. Ron Eldard is great in a terrifying performance as Glen, an immature man who truly loves Anney yet harbors great resentment towards Bone as Eldard truly brings a complexity to a man that hates this young girl for making Anney choose between him and her.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is superb as Anney, a woman that has experienced loss and turmoil as she is desperate to hold on to the man that loves while being tormented by the fact that he abuses her daughter. Leigh’s performance is definitely harrowing for the fact that this woman is in complete conflict while she doesn’t make Anney a character to despise for the decisions that she makes. Finally, there’s Jena Malone in her feature-film debut as it is truly one of the most outstanding debut performances for any actress. Malone brings a wide range ideas into her role as someone who can be very charming and witty in light-hearted scenes while showing that she’s capable of being very engaging in darker scenes. Though she was only 10 when she did the film, it is truly a performance for the ages for the way she exudes all of the anguish and emotional turmoil that Bone goes through as it’s a mesmerizing yet heartbreaking performance from Jena Malone.

Bastard Out of Carolina is a marvelous though unsettling TV-film from Anjelica Huston that features a great ensemble cast led by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jena Malone. It’s not an easy film to watch due to its subject matter and the fact that Huston doesn’t hold things back in terms of its dark themes. Bastard Out of Carolina is a sensational yet eerie film from Anjelica Huston.

© thevoid99 2011