The Jane Austin Book Club

Based on the novel by Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club is the story of a group of women and one man who come together to read and discuss the books of Jane Austen as the stories start to mirror elements into their own lives. Written for the screen and directed by Robin Swicord, the film is an exploration into the world of love as six different people use the works of Jane Austen to help them with their lives. Starring Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Hugh Dancy, Mark Blucas, Kevin Zegers, Jimmy Smits, and Lynn Redgrave. The Jane Austen Book Club is an enchanting and witty film from Robin Swicord.

The film plays into the lives of five different women and a man who come together to read and discuss the six novels by Jane Austen as the books would inspire some to find love along with other things that play into the works of Jane Austen. Among them is a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog breeder named Jocelyn (Maria Bello) whose best friend Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) is going through a split from her husband who is having an affair with another woman. Joining the two is Sylvia’s daughter Allegra (Maggie Grace) who is exploring her sexuality while leading the club is Bernadette (Kathy Baker) who knows the three as she brings in a prim French teacher in Prudie (Emily Blunt) whom she met at a Jane Austen film festival. The wild card in the group is a young man Jocelyn meets in Grigg (Hugh Dancy) who is a fan of sci-fi novels as he had never read anything of Austen as Jocelyn hopes to hook him up with Sylvia.

Robin Swicord’s screenplay does have a lot that goes on yet it is structured as it plays to each character selecting a book to read where they all come together to discuss it as well as dealing with various individual issues. Among them is Sylvia coping with her split as well as Allegra being in a lesbian relationship while Prudie deals with her marriage to her neglectful husband Dean (Marc Blucas) as she starts to fall for one of her students Trey (Kevin Zegers). While there’s some elements that are quite predictable as it relates to Jocelyn befriending Grigg, it does play into some of the elements that is expected in Austen’s work as Bernadette is also an oddball character as she had been married several times but has no regrets about it. All of which play into these characters all talking about Austen’s novels and their own interpretations it through a monthly meeting as a lot happens in these six months.

Swicord’s direction is very simple as it doesn’t aim for anything with rich or stylish visuals but rather a film that plays more into the lives of different women as it’s set in Sacramento as well as other areas in California. Swicord does go for a few wide shots for some of the scenery in California as she mostly goes for close-ups and medium shots to present the film. Swicord also create scenes that mirrors some of the stories that Austen has created as it plays to Prudie’s longing to get attention from her husband or Sylvia coping with the split from her husband Daniel (Jimmy Smits). Swicord’s approach to scenes with multiple characters to involve her going for medium shots and knowing who to focus on in the frame as it relates to the discussion about a book by Austen. Even as some of these characters would try to find themselves not just through the books of Austen but also either find new love or use these books to bring old lovers back together. Overall, Swicord creates a very engaging film about a group of people reading and finding something in the works of Jane Austen.

Cinematographer John Toon does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to emphasize on a sepia-like look for some of the daytime exteriors along with low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Maryann Brandon does nice work with the editing as it‘s very simple with a few montage cuts to play into each of the characters reading the book to begin the month as well as some rhythmic cuts. Production designer Rusty Smith, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Sebastian Schroeder, does brilliant work with the look of the homes of the characters including Grigg‘s own visual take on Northanger Abbey.

Costume designer Johnetta Boone does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of the hippie clothes that Prudie‘s mother wears. Visual effects supervisor Carey Villegas does some fine work with the minimal visual effects in the film such as a shot of Allegra about to go skydiving and a key scene that plays into Prudie‘s own dilemma. Sound editor Michael J. Benavente does superb work with the sound as it plays into some of the things that goes on some of the characters’ home as well as some of the gatherings they go to. The film’s music by Aaron Zigman is wonderful as it‘s low-key with its mixture of folk and keyboard-based music as well as a few string-based cuts while music supervisor Barklie K. Griggs brings in an electric soundtrack of music from Paolo Nutini, Feist, Snow Patrol, Madeleine Peroux, and Aimee Mann.

The casting by Deborah Aquila, Jennifer L. Smith, and Tricia Wood is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Nancy Travis as Grigg’s guest for the final meeting, Gwendoline Yeo as a doctor Allegra meets, Parisa Fitz-Henley as a young woman that Allegra would date early in the film, and Lynn Redgrave as Prudie’s hippie mother who would often cause trouble upon Prudie’s visit she would overwhelm her daughter. Marc Blucas is terrific as Prudie’s husband Dean who doesn’t seem to understand what his wife wants as he would cancel a trip to Paris to go to a basketball game. Kevin Zegers is superb as Trey as a high school student that flirts with Prudie as he expresses some charm as well as listen to her. Jimmy Smits is excellent as Daniel as Sylvia’s husband/Allegra’s father who leaves Sylvia for another woman as he tries to make it easy for her only to make things worse.

Maggie Grace is fantastic as Allegra as a young woman trying to explore her sexuality while taking on some dangerous stunts to cope with the issues in her family. Amy Brenneman is amazing as Sylvia as Allegra’s mother who is coping with her split from Daniel as she also tries to get her life together. Kathy Baker is riveting as Bernadette as she is the leader of the club as she brings a lot of humor as well as some unique insight into the books. Hugh Dancy is brilliant as Grigg as a sci-fi reader who joins the club as someone no one knows as he doesn’t know anything about Austen yet manages to understand the world of Austen while introducing Jocelyn to the books of Ursula K. Le Guin. Maria Bello is wonderful as Jocelyn as a control freak who tries to help out Sylvia and try to hook Grigg up with Sylvia only to deal that she probably has feelings for Grigg. Finally, there’s Emily Blunt in a remarkable performance as Prudie as she is the film’s standout as a young French teacher who joins the club through Bernadette as she copes with her husband’s neglect as well as many other things as Blunt displays a sense of anguish to her performance where she manages to steal the show.

The Jane Austen Book Club is a marvelous film from Robin Swicord. Armed with a great cast as well as a captivating story about a group of people coming together to read books. It’s a film that manages to convey not just the love of books but also the works of Jane Austen and how it manages to inspire people in the world of love. In the end, The Jane Austen Book Club is a phenomenal film from Robin Swicord.

© 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