Based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pychon, One Battle After Another is the story of a former revolutionary whose daughter is being pursued by a former enemy from his past. Written and directed for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film is an unconventional thriller in which a former revolutionary deals with his past just as he tries to save his daughter from a foe whom his former partner had encountered in the past. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Tony Goldwyn, and introducing Chase Infiniti as Charlene Calhoun/Willa Ferguson. One Battle After Another is an exhilarating and gripping film by Paul Thomas Anderson.
The film is about a former revolutionary whose teenage daughter is being pursued by a corrupt military official who wants to eliminate her as he sees her as a threat to society as well as to be part of a secret white supremacist society. It is a film that explores a man dealing with not just the past as he was part of a revolutionary group until the arrival of his daughter who would become the target of this military official. Paul Thomas Anderson’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative yet there are elements in the narrative that plays into the chaotic atmosphere of underground revolutionaries. The first act introduces this group known as the French 75 where it is led by Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) who is a firecracker that always takes charge while her partner “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) is part of the group along with several others. During an event where they break out detained immigrants from a detention center, Perfidia meets the center’s commander Captain Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) whom she seduces as he falls for her to the point that they would have an affair that eventually becomes troubling.
Even as Perfidia gives birth to Charlene where Calhoun chooses fatherhood over revolutionary activities. Perfidia would continue until a botched bank robbery has her captured as she reluctantly makes a deal with Lockjaw where Calhoun, Charlene, and a few others go hiding for 16 years. The film’s second act begins with the 16-year-old Charlene who is under the name Willa Ferguson living with her father who is now Bob Ferguson as he laments over his failure as a revolutionary as he drinks and smokes weed to cope with his failure. When Lockjaw is given a chance to be part of a secret society while being promoted as a colonel in handling immigration. He decides to pursue Charlene/Willa seeing her as a threat while capturing former surviving members of the French 75 where Willa would gain refuge from a former French 75 member in Deandra (Regina Hall) who rescues her at a school dance. Calhoun would learn about Lockjaw pursuing Charlene as he evades capture while also seeking help from Willa’s martial arts instructor Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro) who is also a community leader who shelters immigrants in his community. The third act is not just about revelations from Deandra about Perfidia but also Calhoun’s own issues about how he disconnected himself with the French 75 after what happened to Perfidia. Even with Lockjaw becoming a liability himself with the society he wants to be a part of.
Anderson’s direction is stylish in the way he opens the film on a highway in California where a detention center is held as it sets the stage for a whirlwind of genres to emerge within the film. Shot on various locations in California including parts of San Diego and Sacramento and El Paso, Texas, Anderson creates a film that is set in a modern world though it is inspired by events from the 1960s and 1970s in the way the French 75 create their robberies, bomb attacks, and other things all in the idea of revolution. The usage of wide and medium shots do play into the scope of the locations including scenes in the desert for much of the film’s third act that includes this entrancing chase sequence around these hilly desert roads. Anderson’s usage of close-ups add to the drama and suspense in the way characters interact with one another. Even in intense moments where Willa/Charlene finds herself in danger as she deals with her own situation as well as the danger of what her parents did.
Anderson’s direction also play into this sense of reality into the idea of revolution and its fallacies with Calhoun being burned out by his own experiences where he becomes disconnected with everything that is happening as he lives off the grid. Spending his time drinking beer, smoking weed, and watching old films to cope with failure as a person and as a father to Charlene/Willa feeling he has not done enough for her. There are elements of humor that Anderson puts in such as a house of the secret society that Lockjaw wants to be in as it is an odd scene considering how elaborate the whole set up is. The scenes in the second act where Calhoun and Sensei St. Carlos try to help immigrants and others while later going on the road through California while drinking beer shows some of the absurdity of two men who both try to do the right thing yet do some bad things on the road.
Anderson also employ the sense of reality in what Lockjaw is doing as he deals with capturing undocumented immigrants as well as create trouble during protests and riots in escalating things for his forces to deal with rioters in extreme measures. Even as there are scenes where the authorities interrogate people and push them to reveal information with threats as it has this air of realism. The film’s third act relates to Lockjaw capturing Willa/Charlene with Calhoun trying to find them displays the level of what Lockjaw will as he hired a bounty hunter in Avanti (Eric Schweig) who has his own issues in what Lockjaw wants to do with Willa/Charlene. Its ending is a wholesome one as it relates to what people can do in relation to activism but also remind themselves that they can make sure to not repeat the mistakes of the past. Overall, Anderson crafts a riveting and whimsical film about a former revolutionary trying to save his daughter from an evil military officer from the past.
Cinematographer Michael Bauman does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of available and lush lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes set in the morning as well as scenes at night while creating some unique lighting for some nighttime interior scenes including the places that Sensei St. Carlos houses undocumented immigrants. Editor Andy Jurgensen does excellent in utilizing unique transitional dissolves as well as some jump-cuts to play into the suspense and humor as well as allowing shots to linger in some of the long shots. Production designer Florencia Martin, along with set decorator Anthony Carlino and supervising art director Andrew Max Cahn, does amazing work with the look of the home Calhoun and Charlene/Willa live in that feels remote as well as the secret room where the secret society have a secret meeting. Costume designer Colleen Atwood does fantastic work with costumes as it ranges from loose and stylish to play into the style of the revolutionary to a more buttoned-down look that Lockjaw and this secret society wears including polo shirts.
Special makeup effects artists Thomas Floutz and Christopher Allen Nelson do wonderful work for the look of a character late in the film that plays into the chaotic aftermath of everything this character went through. Special effects supervisor Jeremy Hays, along with visual effects supervisors Ed Bruce and Laura J. Hill, do terrific work with the special effects for some scenes involving some of the robberies and attacks as well as bits of set dressing for a few scenes set at night. Sound editor Christopher Scarabosio does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as how gunfire sounds from afar and up close as well as maintaining that sense of dread into some of the action as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood does incredible work with the film’s music score with its usage of orchestral arrangements and discordant textures that includes drums and percussions from his Smile bandmate Tom Skinner as it is a major highlight of the film. Music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a fun music soundtrack that mixes all kinds of music as it feature contributions from Jon Brion, Steely Dan, the Shirelles, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sheck Wes, Travis Scott with Kendrick Lamar, Walk the Moon, El Fantasma with Banda Los Populares Del Llano, Survivor, Ella Fitzgerald, the Jackson 5, Los Panchos, Gil Scott-Heron, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.
The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Carlos McFarland, Elisabeth Pease, Colton Gantt, and Autumn Crosswhite as classmates of Willa who get interrogated, Tony Goldwyn, Kevin Tighe, James Downey, and John Hoogenakker as members of the secret society known as the Christmas Adventurers Club, Tisha Sloan as Willa’s teacher that Calhoun meets for a parent-teacher meeting, Starletta DuPois as Perfidia’s mother, Elijah Joseph Sambrano as a skateboarder named Latino Heat who helps Calhoun escape during an immigration raid, April Grace as a nun at a secret convent in Sister Rochelle, and Jena Malone in a voice cameo as the greeting code voice. Other notable small roles as members of the French 75 include Alana Haim as Mae West, Shayna McHayle as Junglepussy, Wood Harris as Laredo, Paul Grimstad as Billy Goat, and Dijon Duenas as Talleyrand. D.W. Moffett is terrific as a Christmas Adventurers Club member in Bill Desmond who is asked to take care of some problems for the society while Eric Schweig is superb as a Native American bounty hunter in Avanti who does some things for Lockjaw while he becomes uneasy about what he has to do with Willa/Charlene.
Teyana Taylor is fantastic as Perfidia Beverly Hills as a revolutionary leader who is full of intensity and charisma while also finding ways to seduce Lockjaw that would eventually get her into trouble. Even as she deals with becoming a mother as she has a hard time letting go of her revolutionary ideals. Regina Hall is excellent as Deandra as a former French 75 member who would save Willa/Charlene from being captured as she is also someone who is resentful towards Willa’s mother over how the French 75 was captured and disbanded. It is a performance that is reserved as a woman who knows the danger of what Willa/Charlene is facing as well as her refusal to compromise.
Benicio del Toro is brilliant as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos as Willa’s martial arts teacher who is also a community leader who helps Calhoun in trying to retrieve Willa through some conventional means. It is a performance where del Toro provides a lot of wit as well as some unique wisdom that would help Calhoun. Sean Penn is amazing as Steven Lockjaw as a corrupt military official with a terrible haircut and odd facial ticks that adds to his eccentric nature as he is also someone that is in love with Perfidia and her ass. Penn brings this element of dark comedy to his performance as someone that is trying to maintain a sense of power as well as his desire to be part of an elite society group.
Chase Infiniti is phenomenal as Charlene Calhoun/Willa Ferguson as a 16-year-old girl who is being pursued by Lockjaw because of who her mother as she deals with her newfound situation as well as revelations about her mother. It is a performance that carries a lot of youthful exuberance as well as someone who is trying to comprehend who her parents are and what she can do with her life while she is still young. Finally, there’s Leonardo DiCaprio in a tremendous performance as “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun/Bob Ferguson as a former revolutionary who has disconnected himself with the underground as he copes through drugs and marijuana over his failures while he is brought back to action when Lockjaw pursues Charlene. It is a performance where DiCaprio brings a lot of humor as well as someone who is just trying to makeup for his own failures as a man and as a father as it is one of DiCaprio’s finest performances of his career.
One Battle After Another is a magnificent film by Paul Thomas Anderson that feature a great leading performance from Leonardo DiCaprio and a breakout performance from Chase Infiniti. Along with its supporting cast, a riveting and somber screenplay, gorgeous visuals, Jonny Greenwood’s hypnotic score, and a killer music soundtrack. It is an unconventional yet rapturous film that bends all kinds of genres to create a story about a father trying to save his daughter from an evil figure from the past as well as deal with his own past as a revolutionary. In the end, One Battle After Another is an outstanding film by Paul Thomas Anderson.
While I am aware that Scarlett Johansson's 40th birthday is the next day. I feel like it is appropriate for both Johansson and Jena Malone to celebrate their birthdays as a two-day event considering that they are both about to turn 40 and let's hope they would be given the respect they deserve as actresses and as women.
Directed and shot by Zack Snyder and screenplay by Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten from a story by Snyder, Rebel Moon is a two-part film series that explores a conflict between an imperialist galaxy who decides to threaten a farming colony on a moon outside of its galaxy leading to a rebellion by a young woman who would seek out various misfits to help her rebel against these imperial forces. The film, in its expanded director’s cuts with a total running time of 377-minutes, is an epic sci-fi adventure film that displays a group of people who refuse to bow down to the whims of an imperialistic force even though the imperialists have an army that will not stop in taking over. Starring Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Jena Malone, Fra Fee, Corey Stoll, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Cary Elwes, Sky Yang, Charlotte Maggi, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, and the voice of Anthony Hopkins as JC-1435 aka Jimmy. Rebel Moon is an audacious, bold, and viscerally evocative two-part film by Zack Snyder.
Set in a futuristic galaxy led by an entity known as the Motherland, the two-part film is about a young farmer who decides to leave her farming village with another farmer to gather some warriors to help train the farmers for an upcoming battle against these imperial forces. It is a story with a simple plot, yet it plays into this planet where a village of farmers deal with a large spaceship whose fleet is led by the sadistic Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) who learns about what the planet does and wants all their harvest though his intentions prove to be far more sinister. Especially as it plays into a dark history of planetary domination and acts of genocide in the hands of the Motherland ever since the assassination of their king (Cary Elwes) and his royal family with a former military leader in Balisarius (Fra Fee) being the new leader. The screenplays by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten, in their extended versions, split the story into two parts with the first chapter entitled The Chalice of Blood and the second chapter entitled Curse of Forgiveness.
The Chalice of Blood establishes this sense of dread that the Motherland has impacted on various planets with a moon called Veldt being the center of this conflict within both stories as a farming village where a young woman in Kora (Sofia Boutella) lives in even though she is seen as an outsider in the village. When Admiral Noble arrives on his ship to see the village and what they had to offer, he demands that the farm give them all their grain while leaving his soldiers to watch over everything. Yet, Kora would kill all but one soldier from raping a young farmer, she would leave the village with another farmer in Gunner (Michiel Huisman) to find people who would help them deal with imperialist forces since Gunner had made secret grain trades to rebels. Meanwhile, a rogue imperial robot in JC-1435 aka (Dustin Ceithamer) would watch over the village and secretly help them out where recalls a story of the Motherland when it ruled peacefully for a time with its king and his young daughter Princess Issa (Stella Grace Fitzgerald) as the latter was believed to be this spiritual being that would bring peace. With the help of a mercenary/starship pilot in Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Kora and Gunner would gain the services of a former imperial general in Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a sword master with cyborg hands in Nemesis (Bae Doona), a former nobleman turned blacksmith in Tarak (Staz Nair), and a rebel soldier in Milius (Elise Duffy) who is part of a rebel faction lead by the siblings in Darrian and Devra Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman, respectively).
In Curse of Forgiveness, the script plays more into the back stories of the rebels that Kora and Gunner had brought in as well as the past of the former whose family was killed by the Motherland where she met Balisarius who would adopt her. Kora’s last encounter with Admiral Noble would prove to be fatal for Noble as he realizes Kora’s identity hoping to capture her to gain favor from Balisarius as well as a seat in the Motherland’s senate. On Veldt, Titus, Nemesis, Milius, and Tarak not only help the farmers in preparing for battle with the rogue soldier Aris (Sky Yang) who would function as a double agent for the farmers in his reports to Motherland. They also rediscover a life they had lost due to their past encounters with the Motherland, adding more weight to what is at stake with Jimmy making a discovery that would get everyone to prepare for Noble and his forces.
Snyder’s direction is truly grand in terms of not just the massive scale he presents as if it plays into events that are inspired by the realities of war and tyranny but also a reality that those disconnected from modern-day society must deal with. With the scenes on Veldt and other exterior locations shot on location in areas in California, much of Snyder’s work is shot on studio soundstages yet he does create something that does play into a world that is in absolute and total chaos. The Chalice of Blood opens with a sequence of a family trying to defend themselves against a force of imperial soldiers where Admiral Noble coerces Aris to join the Motherland through a horrifying act. Also serving as the film’s cinematographer, Snyder does create some unique visuals some of the planets as they are drenched with unique lighting and color schemes with elements of the Motherland being heightened in their lighting to play into this false utopia they claim to portray. Shot in a 2:76:1 aspect ratio, Snyder uses that format to create images as if they are a wide canvas as the diligence in his wide and medium shots add a lot to the world that these characters live in.
Notably in the scenes on Veldt in its village setting as it has this naturalistic feel that is also heightened in its lighting reminiscent of 1970s cinema. Snyder would also maintain a sense of intimacy in his approach to medium shots and close-ups as he also plays into the way characters interact with each other or the environment they are in. Notably in some of the scenes during the harvest in Curse of Forgiveness where there is this sense of community where these outsiders take part in and deal with a world that feels idyllic and inclusive. Especially towards characters like Milius and Nemesis who both came from farming villages that they lost due to the actions of the Motherland where they reconnect with a side of themselves that they had lost long ago. Snyder also maintains some unique compositions in the way he presents the different planets the characters go to in The Chalice of Blood as well as some disparate imagery in the way Veldt is shown and the Motherland ship that Admiral Noble lives in.
In these expanded versions of the films that Snyder had intended to make, it allows him to present the violence in a more gruesome manner in some of the battles and attacks to display how extreme war is. Even in moments of conflict such as the first fight between Kora and Noble in the climax of The Chalice of Blood, while the big battle scene in Curse of Forgiveness is far more intense. Especially as there are these chilling elements where Noble has more concern for himself and making the Motherland look good as the original mission to get the grain from the farmers becomes unnecessary. It has elements of anti-war sentiment where some begin to question Noble’s views as it relates to Kora and her identity believing that capturing her would gain him favor of Balisarius. The ending does not just play into what was lost but also the beginning of something bigger in what a rebellion must do. Overall, Snyder has crafted a rapturous and enthralling film about a young woman who gathers some rebels to fight against a tyrannical force led by a madman.
Editor Dody Dorn does brilliant work with the editing where it is filled with lots of style in slow-motion cuts, fast-cuts, and jump-cuts to play into the action and drama while also knowing when to slow things down to let shots linger to establish what is happening in a scene. Production designers Stefan Dechant and Stephen Swain, along with supervising art directors Julien Pougnier and Brett McKenzie plus set decorator Claudia Bonfe, do amazing work with the look of the farm houses and the interior of some of the spaceships. Costume designer Stephanie Portnoy Porter does fantastic work with the costumes from the regal uniforms that the imperialists wear to the more ragged and simpler look of the people on Veldt as well as the different clothes that Titus, Nemesis, and Tarak wear.
Makeup artist Laura Calvo, hair stylist Miki Caporusso, and special makeup effects/puppet designer Justin Raleigh do excellent work with the look of the characters as well as some of the details in the scars that some characters sport as well as the different hairstyles of Kora. Special effects supervisor Michael Gaspar and senior visual effects supervisor Marcus Taormina, along with animation supervisors Nikki Braine, Yvon Jardel, and Nick Starcevic, do tremendous work with the visual effects with its mixture of practical effects and puppetry for some of the small creatures in the film as well as the design of the different planets and their exterior settings as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designers Scott Hecker, Bryan Jerden, and Chuck Michael do superb work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds as well as other sparse and small sounds with elements of bombastic sound effects that play into the terror of these weapons. The film’s music by Tom Holkenburg is incredible for its mixture of bombastic orchestral arrangements, electronic swirls, and folk-based music as it plays into the different worlds that the film presents with a lot of folk-based music having this sense of traditional tone to play into something that Veldt is trying to hold on to.
The casting by Kristy Carlson is marvelous as it features various small roles and appearances from Brandon Auret and Greg Kriek as a couple of imperial soldiers tasked in watching over the village, Derek Mears as a monstrous alien who is part of a group asked to spy for the Motherland, Tony Amendola as a king who shelters the rebellion, Rhian Rees as the queen of the Motherland in the flashbacks, Elizabeth Martinez as the young Kora, Ray Porter as a farmer from another planet that is Tarek’s master, Stuart Martin as a farmer named Den whom Kora would have sex with early in the film, Dominic Buress as a man Kora and Gunner fight with at a bar where they would meet Kai, Ingvar Sigurdsson as an elder farmer in Hagen who was the one that took Kora into the community as well as being a father figure to her, Stella Grace Fitzgerald as the princess Kora was a bodyguard for as she is the spiritual being who is believed to be the key to peace, and Cary Elwes as the king of the Motherland who would change his ways from being a tyrant into wanting to become a more peaceful leader.
Other notable small roles and appearances include Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher in terrific performances as the sibling rebel leaders in Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe who agree to help Kora and her team only from afar with the latter being involved early on with the former coming in late in the film. Corey Stoll is superb as the village leader Sindri who is troubled by the appearance of the Motherland unsure of what to do while also being unaware of their extremities. Jena Malone is fantastic in her brief role as the humanoid-spider Harmada who kidnaps children and causes trouble where she gets into a fight with Nemesis in The Chalice of Blood. Alfonso Herrera is excellent as Noble’s second-in-command Cassius who runs the ground forces and everything else while finds himself questioning Noble’s intentions. Charlotte Maggi is brilliant as Sam as a water girl who nearly gets raped by some imperial soldiers only to fall for the rogue soldier Aris and become a fighter herself. Sky Yang is amazing as Aris who reluctantly serves for the imperialists after his own encounter with Noble only to go rogue and help the farmers to defy the Motherland. Fra Fee is incredible as Balisarius as the leader of the Motherland who rules the galaxy as a tyrant as he is intent on ruling the galaxy while is hoping to find Kora who is his long-lost adopted daughter.
Charlie Hunnam is great in his role as the mercenary Kai who helps Kora and Gunner travel to the galaxy to gather some people to fight with them as he is an ambiguous individual that is also a pessimist while does see the sense of hope in what Kora is fighting for. The performances of Elise Duffy, Staz Nair, and the duo of Dustin Ceithamer and the voice of Anthony Hopkins are phenomenal in their respective roles as the rebel fighter Milius, the former nobleman-turned-slave in Tarak, and the imperialist robot who has gone rogue in JC-1435/Jimmy as they all express a need to return to a life they once had with Milius as a fighter who once had a life in a farmland that was taken from her with Tarak as a prince who went into exile after his planet was taken and Jimmy as this robot who had been programmed to protect the royal family only to rebel after dealing with the abuse of the imperialists soldiers where he would help the farmers in secrecy.
Bae Doona is remarkable as Nemesis as a sword master with android hands who came from a fishing village that used to be a land of violence where she joins Kora in the rebellion where she regains a sense of what was lost in her encounters with the people of the village. Djimon Hounsou is tremendous as General Titus as a former imperialist general who had become an alcoholic as he reluctantly joins Kora where he would regain a sense of purpose while teaching the farmers how to fight with what they have while also knowing Kora’s identity. Michiel Huisman is sensational as Gunner as a farmer who joins Kora in trying to gather people for the rebellion as he secretly sold grain to the Bloodaxe where he gains a sense of bravery and purpose where he hopes to have a future with Kora.
Ed Skrein is magnificent as Admiral Atticus Noble as this monstrous military figure who is willing to do everything for Balisarius where he has this devilish charm to him that also has elements of camp where Skrein goes all out in this role as it is his greatest performance to date. Finally, there’s Sofia Boutella in a spectacular performance as Kora as a woman who had been Balisarius’s adopted daughter only to flee because of an incident where she exiled herself to become a farmer until the Motherland returns prompting her to gather people for a rebellion. Even as Boutella displays the complexities of her emotions in the guilt that she holds in her past actions while also dealing with the fact that she lost a lot in her life only to gain a new purpose and a community that has embraced her.
Rebel Moon, in their extended director’s cuts, is an outstanding film by Zack Snyder. Featuring a great ensemble cast, enthralling visuals, its exploration of war and guilt, a balance of action, suspense, and drama, and an exhilarating music score and soundtrack by Tom Holkenburg. It is a two-part film series that does not just allow Snyder to highlight his full vision of a space conflict but also shows so much more in its exploration of a community that just wants to live a peaceful life despite the threat they must deal with. In the end, Rebel Moon is a magnificent two-part film series by Zack Snyder.
Based on the novel by Arthur Phillips, Angelica is the story of a couple whose life, following the birth of their daughter, unravels through mysterious events that haunts the wife who believes something is haunting them and their daughter. Written and directed for the screen by Mitchell Lichtenstein, the film is a psychological/supernatural drama-horror film that explores a couple dealing with their surroundings as a woman also copes with her own sexual repression. Starring Jena Malone, Janet McTeer, Ed Stoppard, Tovah Feldshuh, Charles Keating, Henry Stram, Daniel Gerroll, James Norton, and Glynnis O’Connor. Angelica is a rich and evocative film from Mitchell Lichtenstein.
Set in Victorian London, the film follows the life of a young woman who marries a scientist as their blissful life is interrupted following the birth of their daughter as the woman succumbs to madness relating to her physical and mental condition believing something is haunting her daughter. It is a story of this woman whose love for her husband and child is tested yet her physical ailment following her daughter’s birth forces the couple to not have sex much to the frustration of the husband who becomes troubled by his wife’s growing paranoia. Mitchell Lichtenstein’s screenplay opens with a young woman in the titular character (Jena Malone) as she has finished a play as she’s asked by her aunt Anne Montague (Janet McTeer) to see her ailing mother Constance (Glynnis O’Connor) who would tell her daughter the story of her young life and what happened to her father Dr. Joseph Barton (Ed Stoppard). It would lead into the main narrative set nearly 30 years ago when the young Constance (Jena Malone) was a shopkeeper who meets Dr. Barton as the two fall in love, marry, and would gain a daughter in Angelica.
However, Angelica’s birth was nearly fatal to both the baby and Constance as the latter still deals some physical pain which prevents her and Dr. Barton to have sex as the latter becomes frustrated where he focuses more on his work as a scientist experiment on animals to find diseases. It is something Constance would discover as it would add to their growing separation as well as her own erratic behavior where the housemaid Nora (Tovah Feldshun) would turn to Montague in an attempt to scam Constance but Montague realizes that Constance’s growing fears into this supernatural thing she’s seeing has merit where she befriends Constance and helps her along with Nora. Still, Dr. Barton remains troubled by his wife’s behavior following an incident including a moment where Constance poured oil around Angelica’s bed to prevent a ghost from taking Angelica. It all plays into whether everything Constance is dealing with is a product of her unhappiness or something much more as it relates to her love for Angelica and her husband’s growing estrangement.
Lichtenstein’s direction is stylish for the fact that the story is set in mid-19th Century London during the era of Queen Victoria as it is shot on location in areas in London as well as bits of New York City for the scenes set in the late 19th Century with the adult Angelica as well as areas where Montague lived in. Lichtenstein’s direction has moments that are straightforward in its compositions with elements of wide and medium shots as he does maintain this sense of beauty in the world that is Victorian London where everyone of upper and mid-upper class society wear the finest clothes. Still, Lichtenstein maintains this sense of dramatic tension that would be prevalent throughout the film as it plays into Constance’s own growing sense of madness but also this loss she would have due to the fact that she couldn’t have sex with her husband as it would hurt her drastically or kill her. Sex is a major factor in the film as Dr. Barton often tries to get some sexual pleasure but since he can’t do anything anal with her. There is a moment in the film where he tries to get her to perform oral sex but she is too distracted with what is happening with their daughter.
When the film moves into the second half where Constance meets Montague, things do loosen up a bit where Montague also gets Constance to relax as it does give the film bits of humor. Notably as it is where Montague also has Constance to think a bit more for herself instead of the need to please her husband who would continue to grow detached from her. Still, the element of horror is prevalent into what Constance sees as it relates to what Dr. Barton had shown her early in the film that adds to Constance’s mad state. Even as the film reaches its third act where Dr. Barton goes to colleagues and such to play into his own perspective unaware that he has contributed to his wife’s mental state through his own neglect. Its finale returns to the adult Angelica as she tries to get an understanding into her mother’s mental state as well as why her mother was protective of her despite the risk of her marriage. Overall, Lichtenstein crafts an eerie yet compelling film about a young woman’s mad encounter with the supernatural in her attempt to save her marriage and her daughter.
Cinematographer Dick Pope does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of oil lamps for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as other low-key lighting adds to the film’s gorgeous look as well as its emphasis on heightened colors for some of the film’s daytime scenes. Editors Andrew Hafitz and Lee Percy do excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in the jump-cuts as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Luciana Arrighi, along with set decorators Kimberly Fahey, Susan Raney, and Katie Tharp plus art directors Matteo De Cosmo and Chris Wyatt, does amazing work with the look of the home that Dr. Barton and his family live in as well as the home that Montague lived in that is a direct contrast to the spacious and refined home of the Bartons. Costume designer Rita Ryack does fantastic work with the costumes in the design of the Victorian dresses of the times that is filled with vibrant colors and textures that says a lot about Constance’s place in society but also her own unraveling as she tries to maintain the role of a wife of an important figure in the world of science.
Makeup supervisor Emma J. Slater and hair stylist Joseph Whitmeyer do wonderful work with the design of some of the hairdos that Constance has as well as the look of the older Angelica. Visual effects supervisors Theodore Maniatis, Todd Sarsfield, Vico Sharabani, and Angus Wilson do terrific work with the visual effects in the look of the parasites that Dr. Barton shows Constance early in the film as they would form as a supernatural force that only she could see though some of the effects look clunky at times. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the film’s sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations along with some sound from afar to help play into the horror elements in the film. The film’s music by Zbigniew Preisner is brilliant for its orchestral score along with elements of piano-based orchestral pieces that play into the drama as well as themes that add to the suspense and melancholia as it is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Connor Inorio and Pela Kolodziej in their respective roles as the infant and two-year old Angelica, Henry Stram and Daniel Gerroll as a couple of doctors who warn both Constance and Dr. Barton about having sex as it relates to the former’s physical condition, James Norton as a colleague of Dr. Barton who suggests getting a mistress for Dr. Barton, Glynnis O’Connor as the older Constance as an ailing old woman filled with regret, Emma Caraman as the young Angelica who tries to deal with her mother’s mad state, and Charles Keating in his film performance as Dr. Miles who would meet Constance and Angelica late in the film to see if there’s anything wrong mentally with the former. Tovah Feldshun is excellent as the housemaid Nora who watches over everything as she does try to help Constance but also wanted to profit from what Montague is doing only to realize that Constance is really ill.
Ed Stoppard is brilliant as Dr. Joseph Barton as a scientist who tests on animals as he becomes sexually frustrated and emotionally-detached as he was once in love with Constance as he would use his time at work to distract himself only to find other ways to fulfill his sexual pleasures though he is confused by his wife’s mental state. Janet McTeer is great as Anne Montague as a woman who knows a lot about witchcraft and such though her intention was to scam Constance only to realize how fragile Constance is where she helps Constance loosen up but also do what she can to help Constance in her troubled mental state. Finally, there’s Jena Malone in a phenomenal performance as both the adult Angelica and the young Constance where she is a more subdued as the adult Angelica as she sports a heavier British accent. In the role of Constance, Malone adds this sense of innocence that would unravel as she becomes troubled by what is haunting her daughter but also in how it would cause her husband to be distant where Malone brings a lot of anguish to her role as well as playing someone who is a prude but is also trying to come out of that despite her mad state as it’s one of Malone’s great performances.
Angelica is a sensational film from Mitchell Lichtenstein that features great performances from Jena Malone and Janet McTeer. Along with its supporting cast, wondrous visuals, Zbigniew Preisner’s incredible music score, and its exploration of madness and sexual repression that leads to strange supernatural events. It is a film that mixes horror, suspense, and the period drama that plays into a woman coping with her love for her daughter but also her madness that would push her husband away. In the end, Angelica is a phenomenal film from Mitchell Lichtenstein.
