The film follows a young novelist/actor who is interviewed by a journalist over a book he wrote about his corresponding letters with an American TV star more than a decade ago who died mysteriously following a scandal relating to both of them. It’s a film that is an exploration of fame and celebrity as well as how his stardom won the affections of a young boy who would write corresponding letters with him that eventually would cause trouble. It’s an idea that is interesting yet Xavier Dolan and co-writer Jacob Tierney create a script that is overwhelmed with ideas but with not much to say as the result is something extremely messy and overblown. Notably as its narrative moved back and forth into the story of its titular character (Kit Harrington) and his young fan in Rupert Turner (Jacob Tremblay) while the older Rupert (Ben Schnetzer) talks about everything to the journalist Audrey Newhouse (Thandiwe Newton).
The script opens with the news of John F. Donovan’s death and Rupert’s reaction as he is watching it on TV at a coffee house with his mother Sam (Natalie Portman) as it would be the start of a non-linear reflective narrative where the older Rupert talks to Newhouse about the book he wrote. Yet, Dolan and Tierney chooses to create a parallel narrative about Donovan’s rise and his need to keep his homosexuality a secret while the young Rupert is striving to become a young actor inspired by Donovan despite the homophobic abuse he receives from classmates. It’s a narrative that showcases both Donovan and Rupert’s own issues with their mothers but also their own struggles with who they are yet it is a narrative that tends to overwhelm itself with the older Rupert coming across as someone who has become an asshole. Especially as it features various characters in their lives with the exception of a few who are either underwritten or played as clichés.
Dolan’s direction definitely has ambition and a look that plays into this world of celebrity though it is largely set in three different cities such as New York City, London, and Prague as much of the film is shot on location in Montreal. While many of Dolan’s compositions are straightforward, there are elements of style in some of the scenes he shoots as it play into some of the film’s melodrama. There are some wide and medium shots in not just scopes of the locations but also in some intimate moments with the latter as it play into conversations including scenes that play into the lives of Donovan and the young Rupert as they struggle with their own issues as well as their own parallel relationships with their mother. Yet, there are these moments in the film where Dolan’s approach to melodrama does create scenes that are either cheesy or just overwrought such as a scene where Donovan visits his mother Grace (Susan Sarandon) for Thanksgiving as Donovan is accompanied by his wife Amy (Emily Hampshire) and his brother James (Jared Keeso) as it becomes this overblown moment of Grace feeling unappreciated while she’s drunk as Donovan gets angry over his uncle being an asshole.
It’s not just that sequence that feels overwritten as well as a scene where Rupert’s corresponding letters were discovered after a homophobic classmate stole them where Rupert had to break into the boy’s house to get it back. It’s also scenes where the older Rupert talks to Newhouse about ethics where he comes off as entitled as it’s another scene that doesn’t work. Dolan also puts in an odd scene where an old man (Michael Gambon) gives Donovan some advice late in the film where it is a strange moment that never feels earned as it would be followed by a scene of Donovan at his mother’s house where he and his brother are singing Lifehouse’s Hanging By a Moment that feels tacked on and never adds anything to the story. For a film that is meant to be this exploration of scandal, misunderstanding, and celebrity, Dolan not only doesn’t say anything new but he also dwells into clichés that doesn’t feel earned nor does it help the story in general. Overall, Dolan crafts an overwritten and baffling film about a young man reflecting on his time as a kid corresponding letters to a troubled TV star.
Cinematographer Andre Turpin does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on low-key lighting and lack of vibrant colors do add to the film’s dramatic tone despite its messy narrative. Editors Xavier Dolan and Mathieu Denis do fine work with the editing where it does have elements of style though some of it do go overboard to play into some major dramatic moments. Production designers Anne Pritchard and Colombe Raby do fantastic work with the look of the home that Donovan’s mother live in as well as the school and home that the young Rupert goes to in London. Costume designers Michele Clapton and Pierre-Yves Gayraud do nice work with the costumes as it has some style in the clothes that Donovan wears while much of it is just casual.
Hair/makeup designer Jan Archibald does terrific work with the look of Sam with her hairstyle as well as the look of a few other characters to play into the world that Rupert and Donovan are in. Special effects supervisor Guillaume Murray and visual effects supervisor Jean-Francois Ferland do some OK with the film’s visual effects for scenes relating to the TV show Donovan is in as well as some set-dressing for some of the film’s locations. Sound designer Sylvain Brassard does superb work with the sound in the way music is played on a car radio to the atmosphere of a few party scenes as well as some sparse moments in the dramatic aspects of the film. The film’s music by Gabriel Yared is good for some of the lush orchestral score pieces that does play into the drama though it does have moments where it does feel overdone while the music soundtrack that features music from Cat Power, Adele, P!nk, Lifehouse, and the Verve do have their moments as it play into the period of the mid-2000s yet some feel used in the most clichéd ways.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is wonderful despite the fact that the cast wasn’t given strong material to work with as small roles from Jane Wheeler and Susan Almgren as two of Donovan’s aunts, Craig Eldridge as Donovan’s asshole uncle Patrick, Lukas Rolfe as the young Rupert’s homophobic classmate Cedric, Sarah Gadon as one of Donovan’s co-stars in Liz Jones, Jared Keeso as Donovan’s older brother James, and Chris Zylka in a somewhat-bland performance as an actor in Will Jefford Jr. who would have a thing with Donovan as he’s never given anything to do. Michael Gambon’s one-scene performance as a man who gives Donovan advice is amazing despite the fact that the scene made no sense while Emily Hampshire’s performance as Donovan’s wife Amy is severely underwritten as someone who never really says a lot in the film.
Kathy Bates and Amara Karan are excellent in their respective roles as Donovan’s manager Barbara Haggermaker and Rupert’s schoolteacher Miss Kureshi with the former being a no-nonsense manager who does what she can for Donovan but not put up with his bullshit while the latter is a kind-hearted teacher who believes that Rupert is gifted. Ben Schnetzer’s performance as the 21-year old Rupert is terrible as he switches between a British and American accent every now and then where he comes off as a real douche bag in how he talks about his past and observations while Thandiwe Newton manages to be solid as the journalist Audrey Newhouse as she just plays it straight and not putting up with some of the bullshit. Susan Sarandon has her moments as Donovan’s mother Grace in quieter moments though the scenes where she is melodramatic is her over-acting a bit.
Natalie Portman is superb as Rupert’s mother Sam as a woman who is baffled by her son’s relationship with Donovan through the letters where Portman does show some realism in the mother world despite some of the clichéd dramatic tropes she had to endure. Kit Harrington’s performance in the titular role is a mess as it does have moments of someone that is struggling with his identity but Harrington is unfortunately hindered by clichés that never allows his character to be fully engaging. Finally, there’s Jacob Tremblay in an incredible performance as the young Rupert Turner where Tremblay displays this air of energy and enthusiasm to the role but also someone who is just trying to understand the ways of the world as he is the only real highlight of the film.
The Death and Life of John F. Donovan is a horrendous film from Xavier Dolan. Despite the performances of Jacob Tremblay, Natalie Portman, Kathy Bates, and Amara Karan, the film is unfortunately bogged down by too many ideas in its study of celebrity and identity by favoring melodrama and tacked on moments that never says anything. It is a film that had a unique idea but fails in its execution where it dwells too much into convention while never going into places that could’ve done more with its subject matter. In the end, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan is an absolute failure from Xavier Dolan.
Xavier Dolan Films: I Killed My Mother - Heartbeats (2010 film) - Laurence Anyways - Tom at the Farm - Mommy (2014 film) - (It’s Only the End of the World) – Matthias & Maxime - (The Night Logan Woke Up) – The Auteurs #46: Xavier Dolan
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue that is based on her novel, Room is the story of a young woman and her son who had been captives of a man where they lived in a single room for years until their years of captivity ends where they struggle to return to society. The film explores the bond between a mother and child as they endure life in captivity where they use their imagination to not think about the severity of their situation. Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, and William H. Macy. Room is an enchanting and heartfelt film from Lenny Abrahamson.
For seven years, a young woman had been held captive inside a garden shed by a man who kidnapped her as she is raising her five-year old son where they plot to find a way to escape. It’s a film that plays into a mother and child dealing with a world that only the child knows inside this little garden shed he calls room but also wondering what is out there forcing his mother to tell him fantasies to shield him from what is really happening. Yet, the severity of their situation which includes their captor’s lack of funds and carelessness would force them to do something but the bigger challenge would come after they escape from their sheltered environment.
Emma Donoghue’s screenplay does have a unique structure where much of its first act revolves around life in this little garden shed where Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live in this world where they would eat whatever they have and live in a place where not everything is working. For Jack, it’s all he knows while Joy copes with the fact that she could only get things to her if she allows her captor to have sex with her with Jack only hearing the activity in the wardrobe. With the situation becoming dire due to the captor‘s money troubles, Joy realizes that something must be done where Jacob would have to make an escape for the both of them. Once the film moves into its second act and third act where Joy and Jack are back in the real world, the real struggle occurs as Joy is forced to deal with a world that has changed.
Even as she becomes concerned for Jack’s well-being and how he would interact with the new world as well as with people he doesn’t know like his grandparents (Joan Allen and William H. Macy). The script also delves into the aftermath of not just Jack dealing with his new surroundings but Joy succumbing into the trauma of what she had experienced under captivity. Especially with the realities of what happened to her family as her mother lives with a new boyfriend named Leo (Tom McCamus) where the two would provide a helpful platform for Jack to have a normal childhood. The film’s third act doesn’t just play more into Joy’s struggle and Jack’s slow progression into the real world but also the bond between mother and child.
Lenny Abrahamson’s direction is entrancing not just for the intimacy that he creates but also in the way he uses space and the lack of it inside this tiny shed. Abrahamson’s usage of close-ups and medium shots help play into the intimacy of the room which is a character itself with its decayed toilet, old bed, stained wardrobe, an old bathtub, and a toaster oven that doesn’t work all the time. The way Abrahamson uses close-ups for the characters don’t just play into this bond between mother and son but also in what they must endure. Even as the sound would play into the presence of their captor who is heard before he’s even seen. Once the film moves into its second act in the aftermath of the Joy and Jack’s freedom, the usage of the wide shots become prominent but there are still elements of close-ups and medium shots to play into their new surroundings. The shots of the cities and suburbs help with the sudden sense of shock the two have where it feels very otherworldly. Since the shed they live only has a window on its roof, it does come as a sense of shock once the characters be part of the world of the city and suburbia.
While Jack obviously has no idea what he’s encountering, Abrahamson does take great care into making his interaction with the new world be handled slowly. Even in a scene where he wakes up one morning where he meets with Leo who decides to playful about eating breakfast that becomes a key moment for Jack to interact with someone other than his mother. It’s among the moments that is quite touching while there is some heavy drama that relates to Joy’s own struggles to reacquaint herself with the world forcing the bond between mother and son to be more important than ever. Overall, Abrahamson creates a powerful and evocative film about a mother son and dealing with being sheltered from the world from an evil captor.
Cinematographer Danny Cohen does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography to play up the low-key lighting and intimacy for the scenes set inside the room while displaying brighter lighting schemes and textures for the interior/exterior scenes in the second and third act. Editor Nathan Nugent does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion, and montage-style cuts to play into the dramatic elements of the film. Production designer Ethan Tobman, with set decorator Mary Kirkland and art director Michelle Lannon, does fantastic work with the design of the room with great attention to detail from the look of the appliances and the rug which is sharp contrast to the more spacious world where Joy used to live.
Costume designer Lea Carlson does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual from the decayed and sort of de-colored clothes that Joy and Jack wear early in the film to the newer and cleaner clothes they would wear following their escape. Visual effects supervisor Ed Bruce does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects as it relate to a few of the exterior settings in the film including bits of the city the characters live at. Sound editor Niall Bradley and sound designer Steve Fanagan do excellent work with the sound to help create a sense of dread in scenes where Joy‘s captor starts to come in along with a few things inside the room as it plays into the tense atmosphere of where they live. The film’s music by Stephen Rennicks does wonderful work with the film’s music as it’s mostly plaintive piano pieces with elements of folk and low-key orchestral pieces that play into the drama while its music soundtrack features most ambient and post-rock pieces.
The casting by Robin D. Cook and Fiona Weir is incredible as it features some notable small roles Amanda Brugel and Joe Pingue as a couple of police officers who would find Jack in his escape, Wendy Crewson as a TV talk show host who interviews Joy in the film’s second half, and Cas Anvar as the psychologist Dr. Mittal who watches over Jack’s progress into society. William H. Macy is superb as Joy’s father Robert as a man who tries to handle all of the legal things relating to the case but has trouble dealing with the presence of his grandson. Tom McCamus is fantastic as Joy’s mother’s boyfriend Leo who slowly bonds with Jack as he finds a way to connect with him while being the male figure the boy can turn to. Sean Bridgers is excellent as the captor known as Old Nick as a man who is very creepy and determined to keep Joy and Jack in captivity where he has the code to get in and get out of the shed while being quite abusive at times towards Joy.
Joan Allen is brilliant as Joy’s mother Nancy who becomes concerned for her daughter’s well-being and behavior in the aftermath of her return while slowly connecting with Jack in unexpected ways. Jacob Tremblay is phenomenal as Jack as a young boy who has been sheltered for much of his life as he is someone with an absolute sense of imagination and an innocence that is just engaging as it’s really an unforgettable performance. Finally, there’s Brie Larson in a magnificent performance as Joy Newsome as a young woman who was kidnapped by a man when she was 17 as she copes with not just being in captivity but also raising her son where she later has trouble adjusting to returning to society and the changes in the world as it’s Larson in one of her best performances to date.
Room is an outstanding film from Lenny Abrahamson that features great performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Along with a strong supporting cast and a gripping story of a mother’s bond with her son in captivity. It’s a film that manages to be a lot of things and more where it isn’t afraid to have a bit of fantasy while being grounded in the harsh world of reality. In the end, Room is a spectacular film from Lenny Abrahamson.
Lenny Abrahamson Films: (Adam & Paul) - (Garage (2007 film)) - (What Richard Did) - Frank
© thevoid99 2015
