Showing Up

 

Directed and edited by Kelly Reichardt and written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, Showing Up is the story of a sculptor who is about to open her own exhibition while she also tends to her family life as well as friends and competing artists just as she is convinced she’s going to get her big break. The film is an exploration into the art scene in Portland, Oregon where a woman is eager to make it while trying to devote much attention to her job, family life, and friendships. Starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Andre Benjamin, James LeGros, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, and Judd Hirsch. Showing Up is an engaging and somber film from Kelly Reichardt.

The film follows the week and the life of a sculptor living in Portland, Oregon where she works for her mother at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft while is set to have her first major art exhibition while dealing her neighbor who is a competing artist as well as issues with her family and tending to a wounded pigeon that her cat attacked. It is a film that follows a woman who is struggling to work on her sculptors and manage other things in her life yet her apartment doesn’t have hot water as her neighbor isn’t fixing it in favor of her own work with her own exhibition. The film’s screenplay by Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond largely explores the life that Lizzy (Michelle Williams) has as her father Bill (Judd Hirsch) is a retired artist while she works at the college with her mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett) who is trying to do her work but also have this major exhibition that could be the break she needs as an artist.

Yet, her neighbor Jo (Hong Chau) hasn’t been able to fix Lizzy’s water heater as she is often distracted with other things relating to her own exhibit as well as having to care for a pigeon that Jo found which had been attacked by Lizzy’s cat. It all plays into the many things that are keeping Lizzy from completing her work for the exhibition as well as some family issues as it includes her reclusive brother Sean (John Magaro) who had been estranged from the family. Lizzy is also dealing with the fact that there’s other artists who have been doing exhibits that has been very successful as there is a pressure for her to get some attention as well as get some validity as an artist.

Reichardt’s direction definitely has some style as it is shot on location in Portland as well as places at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft in Portland, Oregon as it is a character in the film. Reichardt would maintain a simplistic presentation as she emphasizes on some long shots and a few static shots in either some medium or wide shots in certain rooms. Yet, the film opens with a shot that lingers for a few minutes as it moves around various sculptures that Lizzy has created. Much of the sculptures that Lizzy creates is mainly created by artist Cynthia Lahti as it has a unique style as a lot of the art work such as the work that Jo has created showcases a vibrant world that emphasizes on craftsmanship through all sorts of means in the world of art. Even as the college that Lizzy and her mother work at is filled with things that are unique where Reichardt maintains a looseness to the world and the many things that occur to ensure someone is always being creative or how sculptures are refined in a kiln. The attention to detail that Reichardt shows in what Lizzy would do to create her sculptures with its close-ups on her hands is a key aspect of the film.

Also serving as the film’s editor, Reichardt would allow shots to linger while deviating into stylish fast cuts in order to play into the drama that includes Lizzy’s family life as she is upset that her father would often surround himself with drifters. Reichardt’s careful framing and sense of looseness in her direction does give the film a tone that feels free where there are moments where nothing is staged. Notably in the film’s climax at Lizzy’s exhibition is where a lot of the characters come in to support her including this pigeon that she has grown fond of while is also trying to resolve issues with Jo. Overall, Reichardt creates a compelling and wondrous film about an artist trying to get her break while dealing with the chaos in both her professional and personal life.

Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic yet low-key approach to the photography as well as giving it a grainy look of sorts for some of its interior scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Anthony Gasparo, with set decorator Amy Beth Silver and art director Lisa Ward, does amazing work with not just the homes of the characters but also some of the art exhibitions as a lot of it were created by local artists. Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual and low-key to play into the personality of these characters with some of whom are wearing hippie-inspired clothing.

Visual effects supervisor Chris Connolly does terrific with the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely based on the pigeon in a few key scenes with a lot of emphasized on animatronics rather than computer effects. Sound editor Daniel Timmons does superb work with the sound to play into the natural elements of the locations as well as how sound is presented from afar or up close. The film’s music by Ethan Rose is wonderful as it is largely a low-key electronic/ambient score with some woodwinds that includes flute performances by Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 while music supervisor Dawn Sutter Madell creates a soundtrack that is largely low-key and played on radios with a lot of being indie music.

The casting by Simon Max Hill is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy as a couple of drifters who are crashing at Bill’s home, Lauren Lakis as a colleague in Terri, Denzel Rodriguez as a young administrator in William, James LeGros as an older administrator in Ira, Heather Lawless as an artist in Marlene who just had her own successful exhibit, and Theo Taplitz as a young neighbor of Sean who watches over Sean. Judd Hirsch is fantastic as Lizzy’s father Bill as a former artist who still creates pots yet prefers to enjoy retirement and hang out with drifters which worries Lizzy. John Magaro is superb as Lizzy’s brother Sean as a former artist who has turned into a recluse as he becomes paranoid as it relates to his own mental illness and such as he hasn’t talked to his parents in months.

Andre Benjamin is excellent as Eric as an artist/teacher who watches over the kilns as he is a colleague of both Jo and Lizzy as he does what he can to help the latter while is more interested in the former. Maryann Plunkett is brilliant as Lizzy’s mother Jean as a top administrator at the college who is hoping to keep Lizzy busy while knowing that she has an exhibit to present that she wants to attend with the whole family. Hong Chau is amazing as Jo as this artist who is also Lizzy’s next door neighbor/landlord who is already on the verge of a breakthrough with her own exhibition yet is often distracted to help out Lizzy as it causes some tension and such. Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in a phenomenal performance as Lizzy as this artist who is set to have breakthrough moment as an artist yet is coping with dealing with things in her family life as well as work and other distractions where Williams captures a lot of the struggles and anguish an artist has while also coping with her own family issues as Williams brings a lot of restraint as well as realism to the character as it’s one of her finest performances to date.

Showing Up is an incredible film by Kelly Reichardt that features a great leading performance from Michelle Williams. Along with its supporting cast, realistic visuals, and its study of artists struggling to get a break. It is a film that follows a week in the life of an artist who is trying to get her moment but also deal with the many struggles that artists go through in trying to balance their lives with their art and the people around them. In the end, Showing Up is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.

Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass - Old Joy - Wendy & Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) - Certain Women - First Cow - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt

© thevoid99 2023

Wonderstruck

 

Directed by Todd Haynes and written by Brian Selznick that is based on his own novel, Wonderstruck is the story of a young deaf boy whose story parallels with the story of a deaf young girl from 50 years before as they try to find some mysterious connection that only they know. The film is a story about two kids who encounter something that only they can understand in a world that is complicated. Starring Oakes Fegley, Millicent Simmonds, James Urbaniak, Amy Hargreaves, Tom Noonan, Michelle Williams, and Julianne Moore. Wonderstruck is a majestic and ravishing film from Todd Haynes.

Set in both 1927 and 1977, the film follows two paralleling narratives involving two different kids who both embark on a journey of self-discovery as it relates to their own families but also a place where they can belong despite their deafness. It’s a film that is about not just loss but also the need to find some idea of family and a sense of belonging where the centerpiece of this journey relates to an exhibit in a museum. Brian Selznick’s screenplay does follow this paralleling narrative that takes place both in 1927 for this young girl named Rose (Millicent Simmonds) and in 1977 for this boy named Ben (Oakes Fegley) who are both connected in some way though the latter became deaf in a strange freak accident. The former is a young girl who lives at her father’s house in New Jersey who collects clipping of pictures of this famous silent film actress in Lillian Mayhew (Julianne Moore) just before the emergence of sound would come into cinema.

The latter is a boy who just lost his mother Elaine (Michelle Williams) in an accident as he lives with his aunt and cousins where he finds one of his mother’s belongings believing that’s where his long-lost father is. Rose is someone who is fascinated by this actress as well as create paper sculptures that would annoy her father prompting her to run away from home as it would be a similar situation for Ben as he decides to leave Minnesota to find his father as the destination for both Rose and Ben is New York City. Both of them are in the search for someone yet they also encounter an exhibit at a museum as the stories parallel one another with some surprising revelations that connects them both.

Todd Haynes’ direction is definitely stylish yet also magical in the fact it takes place in two different time periods with the 1927 portion shot in black-and-white and the 1977 portion shot in color. Shot on location in New York City for both settings but also in Peekskill, New York as some of the scenes in the older parts of the city as well as parts of Minnesota. Haynes employs a lot of paralleling imagery in some of the wide and medium shots in some of the locations that both Rose and Ben would venture into as well as some of the intimate moments as Rose often comes into conflict with her father while Ben is just trying to get to his old cabin that he lived with his mother unaware that it’s going to be sold. There are also some close-ups as it often play into the plight that Rose and Ben have with Rose being someone who was born deaf and is just eager to be loved while Ben is just confused as he can hear very little but has a hard time with his newfound deafness where Haynes’ camera is often playing up this sense of anguish and confusion.

Haynes’ presentation in some of the silent films that Lillian Mayhew stars in is a homage to the silent films of the past but also this emergence of change that is to emerge as there’s a lightness to the camera movements as it include a lot of scenes without sound to show the idea of being deaf. There are also scenes during the third act as it play into revelations that both Rose and Ben endure into their own destination but also their fascination into the world themselves when they both visit the Metropolitan Museum of Arts as it relates to a book about a certain exhibit that Rose encountered. A book that Ben believes belonged to his father with a bookmark from a store that maybe the key to the whereabouts of his father. What Haynes does is parallel these events which would represent an air of salvation for not just Rose and Ben but also in how they’re connected. Overall, Haynes craft an intoxicating and touching film about two deaf kids from different periods of time trying to find themselves and to be loved.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of stylish lighting textures and schemes for many of the scenes set in 1977 to play up the look of the films of the 70s while the scenes in 1927 are shot in black-and-white to play into the world that Rose encounters. Editor Affonso Goncalves does amazing work with the editing in creating some stylish yet seamless cuts to create transitions for the two narratives and find a way to match them that include a few stylish montages. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with set decorator Debra Schutt plus art directors Ryan Heck and Kim Jennings, does brilliant work with the look of the cabin Ben and his mom used to stay in as well as the house Rose lived in with her father as well as some of the panoramas and such the two protagonists would encounter. Costume designer Sandy Powell does excellent work with the costumes from the dress that Mayhew wears for a play rehearsal and some of the clothes of 1927 to the stylish yet colorful clothing of the 70s.

Special effects makeup artists Adam Bailey and Michael Maddi do fantastic work with the look of a few characters including an old woman that Ben sees whom he would meet later on. Visual effects supervisor Louis Morin does nice work with the visual effects as it largely feature some set-dressing for some scenes in New York City in both 1927 and 1977 along with some other visuals in the panoramas that both kids encounter. Sound mixer Drew Kunin does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of some of the locations but also the little bits of sound that Ben would hear in his growing deafness along with the lack of actual sounds to play into Rose’s perspective. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is incredible for its somber orchestral score that appears mainly in the Rose sequences with its string arrangement flourishes but also in some playful organ music for Mayhew’s film as well as some stylish ambient-style pieces while music supervisor Randall Poster cultivate this wondrous music soundtrack that features pieces by Robert Fripp & Brian Eno, Little Esther Phillips, Rose Royce, Gene Austin, Sweet, Eumir Deodato, and David Bowie including a performance of Space Oddity by the Langley Schools Music Project.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Lauren Ridloff as a maid at Rose’s home in Pearl, Amy Hargreaves as Ben’s Aunt Jenny, Murphy Guyver as a security officer who catches Rose, Morgan Turner as one of Ben’s cousins in Janet who goes to his cabin to smoke and wear her aunt Elaine’s clothes, Raul Torres as a museum worker in 1977, James Urbaniak as Rose’s father Dr. Kincaid, Jaden Michael as a kid named Jamie that Ben meets who helps him out as his father works at the museum, Corey Michael Smith as a museum worker that Rose meets in Walter, and Tom Noonan as a bookstore owner. Michelle Williams is brilliant in her small role as Ben’s mother Elaine as she is seen in flashbacks as someone who doesn’t tell Ben about his father while is trying to maintain her own life not knowing what is going to happen.

Julianne Moore is incredible in a dual role as the silent film actress Lilian Mayhew and an old woman that Ben sees at the museum as the latter is someone that is a frequent visitor as Ben would see her again later while the former is this luminous presence as an actress on the screen while is also someone else off-screen upon her meeting with Rose. Oakes Fegley is remarkable as Ben as a young kid in the 1970s who becomes deaf in a freak accident as he deals with his newfound deafness but also the loss of his mother as well as the need to find his father. Finally, there’s Millicent Simmonds in a phenomenal performance as Rose as a deaf girl who is enamored with this silent film star while dealing with the cruelty she gets from her father. Though it is a largely silent performance, Simmonds conveys a lot of angst and emotion into her performance as she is a true discovery.

Wonderstruck is a sensational film from Todd Haynes that feature two great leading performances from Oakes Fegley and Millicent Simmonds. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, study of identity and family, a mesmerizing music score and soundtrack, and its study of living with deafness. The film is an enchanting film that doesn’t just explore two kids dealing with their deafness and place in the world as it is a film about the desire to connect as it is one of Haynes’ more accessible films. In the end, Wonderstruck is a spectacular film from Todd Haynes.

Todd Haynes Films: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story - Poison - Dottie Gets Spanked - Safe (1995 film) - Velvet Goldmine - Far from Heaven - I'm Not There - Mildred Pierce (2011 TV Miniseries) - Carol (2015 film) - Dark Waters (2019 film) – The Velvet Underground – The Auteurs #3: Todd Haynes

© thevoid99 2022

All the Money in the World

Based on the non-fiction novel Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty, All the Money in the World is about the real-life story of the abduction of John Paul Getty III by an Italian Mafia group who hold him from ransom where his grandfather J. Paul Getty refuses to cooperate and give the group no money. Directed by Ridley Scott and screenplay by David Scarpa, the film is a dramatization about the real-life abduction of John Paul Getty III as his mother and a former CIA operative try to save him despite his grandfather’s refusal to pay anything for the boy’s safety. Starring Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Stacy Martin, Andrew Buchan, and Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty. All the Money in the World is a gripping yet chilling film from Ridley Scott.

In July of 1973, 16-year old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) was kidnapped by a mysterious Mafia group in Rome as they hold him for a ransom of $17 million which his grandfather in J. Paul Getty responds with no deal. That is the film’s premise as a whole as it play into this real-life event relating to a large ransom that is to be paid by the richest man in the world yet he refuses believing it is a hoax. David Scarpa’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it begins with Paul’s kidnapping and stories about his grandfather’s wealth and how he got extremely wealthy but also a family life with his mother Abigail (Michelle Williams) and his father J. Paul Getty Jr. (Andrew Buchan) that was quaint and simple until the latter was given a big job from his father that eventually lead him to drug and alcohol abuse and Abigail divorcing him with a desire of wanting full custody of their children including Paul.

Getty would hire his Getty Oil negotiator Fletcher Chace (Mark Wahlberg) to see if Paul is really lying as well as to help Abigail through his previous work in the CIA. Chace initially works with Abigail just to help Getty but eventually realizes the seriousness of Abigail’s search as he would start to help her more. The script also play into Paul’s time as a hostage as his kidnapper Cinquanta (Romain Duris) becomes sympathetic while knows that Paul is just a good kid that is an unfortunate situation that is made worse following a mistake by a kidnapper and later be treated far more cruelly by Cinquanta’s boss Mammoliti (Marco Leonardi) raising the stakes. With Getty even considering paying the ransom, it would come with some conditions that add more furor to Abigail’s problems with the family with Chace in the middle over whom he should be loyal to as well as wanting get Paul back home to safety.

Ridley Scott’s direction is definitely vast in terms of its setting and the world that Getty lives in which is quite huge for someone who has amassed a great deal of wealth that he built himself. Shot on various locations in Italy, Great Britain, and parts of Jordan, the film does play into this world that has made Getty legendary for what he’s done such as a deal he made with Bedouin sheikhs in getting their oil to the world. While there are some wide shots of the locations where Getty and his family live in including the quaint world that his son, Abigail, and their kids were living in the mid-1960s in San Francisco. The usage of close-up and medium shots as it play into the relationships of the family and the dramatic tension that occur. Notably as the wide shots also play into the disconnect between Getty and his family as the former is surrounded by artifacts, stock reports, and all things that makes him comfortable yet he is aware of how cruel the world can be and doesn’t really trust anyone including his own family. Scott’s direction definitely play into this man’s need for control as well as wanting more money such as a scene of him inspecting this rare painting as he considers not buying it due to its condition not being suitable to him.

The scenes involving Paul’s kidnapping does have this air of intensity as it relates to Paul’s attempts to escape his captors as well as some of the brutal moments he endure. The dramatic intensity also occur with Abigail desperately trying to get her son back with Chace’s help as it include phone calls with Cinquanta and other officials. Even as Abigail tries to find ways to get the money herself without Getty’s help where Scott definitely know when to play up the drama as well as find some semblance of hope in the film. Scott’s direction definitely shows someone who can bring wonders to a story as simple as this but also show how professional and skillful he can do in re-creating scenes that were shot before with Kevin Spacey in the role of Getty only for Spacey’s personal life to nearly ruin things prompting Scott to do re-shoots with Christopher Plummer in the role for a nine-day shoot as if Spacey never existed. Overall, Scott creates a thrilling and captivating film about the real-life kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III and the ransom that his grandfather refused to pay.

Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of black-and-white for a few scenes including a flashback scene of Getty in his rise to great wealth as well as some colorful looks for some parts of the film such as bluish tints for the scenes at Getty’s home in Britain to the usage of low-key and desaturated colors for the scenes in Italy. Editor Claire Simpson does excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts as well as letting shots linger for a bit to play into the suspense and dramatic tension. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorators Richard Roberts, Letizia Santucci, and Nasser Zoubi plus supervising art directors Andrew Munro and Cristina Onori, does amazing work with the look of the Getty estate and his buildings and such that is surrounded by valuable and priceless artifacts that is a sharp contrast to the home of Paul’s captors who live in decayed farms in the middle of desolate farmland. Costume designer Janty Yates does fantastic work with the look of the clothes that Paul wears that was a style of the 1970s as well as the look of Abigail from the 1960s.

Makeup designer Tina Earnshaw and hair designer Ferdinando Merolla do terrific work with the hairstyles of the time in the 1960s and 1970s for Getty’s family along with some gory makeup for a key scene in the film’s third act. Special effects supervisors Simon Cockren and Maurizio Corridori, with visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich, do nice work with the visual effects as it feature bits of set dressing including one key shot of Getty in Saudi Arabia. Sound editor Oliver Tarney does superb work with the sound as it play into the tense atmosphere that Paul endures in his capture as well as the sparse sounds of stock machines at Getty’s home. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that help play into the suspense and drama while its music soundtrack feature an array of music from rock, pop, classical, and opera from the Zombies, Gianni Morandi, the Rolling Stones, Fred Buscaglione, Domenica Arlotta and Giuseppe Buieti, and Camaleonti.

The casting by Carmen Cuba is great as it feature some notable small roles from Clive Wood as Getty’s butler Bullimore, Kit Cranston and Maya Kelly in their respective roles as the younger versions of Paul’s siblings in Mark and Aileen, Charlie Shotwell as the younger version of John Paul Getty III, Ghassan Massoud as an Arab sheikh who does business with Getty, Nicolas Vaporidis as an abductor who unfortunately reveals his identity, Giuseppe Bonifati as Gail’s attorney Giovanni Iacovoni, Marco Leonardi as Cinquanta’s boss Mammoliti who doesn’t care for Paul’s well-being, Stacy Martin as Getty’s secretary, Timothy Hutton as Getty’s attorney Oswald Hinge, and Andrew Buchan as Paul’s father John Paul Getty Jr. as alcoholic/drug-addicted father who is more concerned with getting high than being a father.

Romain Duris is fantastic as Cinquanta as the lead abductor who holds Paul for ransom while he gets to know the boy as he realizes he’s just a good kid that is put in a bad situation as he is aware of what his boss would do after things got bad where he would be the one to contact Gail about the ransom and ensure the boy’s safety. Charlie Plummer is excellent as John Paul Getty III as a sixteen-year old kid who is the grandson of the richest man in the world who is just a teenage boy that becomes the victim of a ransom that becomes troubling and as he deals with the physical, emotional, and mental torture he endures. Mark Wahlberg is brilliant as Fletcher Chace as an adviser for Getty who also used to work for the CIA as he is hired to find out if Paul is really creating a hoax only to help Gail in getting Paul back while questioning his own loyalty for Getty.

Michelle Williams is amazing as Gail Harris as Paul’s mother who is trying to get her son back any way she can as she also is aware of her former father-in-law’s refusal to help out as well as to try and control her life as it’s a fierce and gripping performance from Williams. Finally, there’s Christopher Plummer in an incredible performance as J. Paul Getty as the then-richest man in the world who is willing to find ways to make money and have the most priceless artifacts out there as he believes that his grandson is faking his abduction while there is this sense of warmth in the performance that shows the complexity of Getty as it’s another of Plummer’s masterful performances.

All the Money in the World is a remarkable film from Ridley Scott that features great performances from Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, and Mark Wahlberg. Along with its ensemble cast, stylish visuals, and intense approach to suspense and drama. It’s a film that showcases a real-life event and what some will do to get a person back as well as how one person is trying to protect his own world believing that there is no price for anything. In the end, All the Money in the World is a sensational film from Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott Films: (The Duellists) – Alien - Blade Runner - (Legend) – (Someone to Watch Over Me) – (Black Rain) – (Thelma & Louise) – (1492: Conquest of Paradise) – (White Squall) – (G.I. Jane) – (Gladiator) – (Hannibal) – (Black Hawk Down) – (Matchstick Men) – (Kingdom of Heaven) – (A Good Year) – (American Gangster) – (Body of Lies) – (Robin Hood (2010 film)) – Prometheus - (The Counselor) – (Exodus: Gods and Kings) – The Martian - (Alien: Covenant)

© thevoid99 2019

Certain Women

Based on the short stories by Maile Meloy, Certain Women is a collection of three different stories involving women dealing with trials and tribulations in their lives. Written for the screen, directed, and edited by Kelly Reichardt, the film follows the lives of different women set in Montana as they deal with their place in the world as well as what they want. Starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James LeGros, Jared Harris, John Getz, Sara Rodier, and Rene Auberjonois. Certain Women is an engrossing yet evocative film from Kelly Reichardt.

Set in small parts of Montana, the film follows the lives of women in three different stories where they deal with something out of ordinary in their day-to-day lives. It all play into this location that is quaint yet it also has something that does feel extraordinary where it revolves around the lives of these three women. Rather than employ a cross-cutting narrative that can be confusing, Kelly Reichardt chose to go for something that is straightforward though its main characters are connected in some way despite rarely interacting with one another. The first story involves a lawyer named Laura Wells (Laura Dern) who is dealing with a client who has become disabled due to what happened at work. It would lead to a moment where he would hold a security guard hostage forcing her to deal with the situation and help him find some justice.

The second story revolves around a couple who want to build their dream home as they’ve set up camp at the site of the house as they want to buy stones from an old man. Yet, Gina Lewis (Michelle Williams) is also dealing with tension with her teenage daughter over the home she wants to build. The third story involves a lonely ranch hand named Jamie (Lily Gladstone) living outside of the small town where the characters live at as she unknowingly attends night school for a class on law where she falls for its young teacher in Beth Travis (Kristen Stewart). For Jamie, this sudden attraction has her wanting to break away from the monotonous life where she tries to find ways to woo Beth as they would go to a diner though Beth has to travel four hours from her town to go and teach in the smaller town and then drive four hours back. It all play into these events that the women had to endure as well as deal with something that can impact their lives.

Reichardt’s direction is actually very simple where doesn’t go into any kind of visual style nor does the film contain a lot of close-ups to emphasize more on the characters and their surroundings. Shot on location in the state of Montana with the town of Livingston being where much of the film is shot as well as other locations in the state. Reichardt would shoot the film during the winter period where it feels true for the location while she would use a lot of wide shots to play into this world that is sort of isolated from much of America in terms of its big cities and high-octane culture for something simpler. Reichardt’s approach to medium shots has more to do with the way characters interact with each other in situations or in how they deal with the typical aspects of their day-to-day life. Also serving as the film’s editor, Reichardt would emphasize a lot on long shots though knows when not to cut as she would infuse some jump-cuts for parts of the film as well as bits of suspense for the story involving Laura and her client. Reichardt would also maintain a sense of low-key melodrama for Gina’s story in her interaction with the old man while the story about Jamie and Beth is more light-hearted but also with a sense of restraint as the film would end with realistic conclusions for these characters who are all dealing with a sense of loneliness in their stark surrounding. Overall, Reichardt creates a riveting yet intoxicating about the extraordinary lives of women in Montana.

Cinematographer Christopher Blauvet does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely natural and low-key to play into the realistic yet gorgeous look of the daytime exteriors set in the winter to some low-key lighting for some of the scenes at night. Production designer Anthony Gasparro, with set decorator Pamela Day and art director Kat Ulmansiek, does fantastic work with the look of the tent Gina lives in as well as the classroom where Beth teaches. Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual since it is set in the winter with its big coats, sweaters, and winter boots. Sound designer Kent Sparling does superb work with the sound as it is largely low-key to play into the locations that the characters are in as well as the scenes that play into the drama and suspense. The film’s music by Jeff Grace is wonderful as it’s largely low-key as it only appears sparingly in its mixture of folk and ambient music setting.

The casting by Mark Bennett and Gayle Keller is great as it feature some notable small roles from John Getz as the local sheriff in Livingston, Sara Rodier as Gina and Ryan’s teenage daughter Guthrie who doesn’t like her mother, James LeGros as Gina’s husband Ryan who is trying to keep the peace between mother and daughter, and Rene Auberjonois as the old man Albert whom Gina wants to buy some stones from in the hopes to build her dream house. Jared Harris is superb as Fuller as Laura’s client who is dealing with an injury that has kept him from working as he tries to get some money for the injury that happened to him where he becomes very desperate. Lily Gladstone is excellent as Jamie as a ranch hand who deals with her lonely and monotonous existence where she stumbles into a night school class where she befriends and falls for a lawyer teaching the class about the ideas of the law.

Kristen Stewart is fantastic as Beth as a lawyer who takes the teaching job four hours from where she lives as she copes with her own lonely existence and lack of stability where she finds a friend in Jamie whom she’s intrigued by. Michelle Williams is amazing as Gina as a woman that is eager to build her dream home as she also deals with the sense of disconnect with her daughter as well as some of the immorality she takes part in getting what she wants for her home unaware of Albert’s emotional attachment to the stones. Finally, there’s Laura Dern in a brilliant performance as Laura Wells as a lawyer who is trying to help her disabled client Fuller as well as deal with her own life that doesn’t have much excitement where a crisis would give her that bit of excitement.

Certain Women is a phenomenal film from Kelly Reichardt. Featuring a great cast, compelling stories on loneliness and the need to connect in a rural existence, gorgeous visuals, and a minimalist approach to its storytelling. It’s a film that explores a world that simple yet with characters that want more as they contend with their surroundings and need to either get out or make something of it. In the end, Certain Women is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.

Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass – Old Joy - Wendy and Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) – First Cow - Showing Up - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt

© thevoid99 2018

Manchester by the Sea

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea is the story of a lonely janitor who is asked to raise his nephew following the death of his brother as he copes with his own faults in his life. It’s a film where a man reluctantly steps up to do what is right as well as deal with the demons in his own life. Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol, and Kyle Chandler. Manchester by the Sea is a mesmerizing yet engrossing film from Kenneth Lonergan.

The film is a simple story of a man who learned that his brother died of a heart attack while learning his brother wants him to become his nephew’s guardian. It’s a film that follows this lonely janitor who isn’t just forced to return home and be given the responsibility to watch over his teenage nephew but also cope with the past as he remains troubled by family tragedy. Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay has narrative that sort of moves back and forth in the life of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) as he reflects on what he had when he was married to a woman named Randi (Michelle Williams) as they had a family. At the same time, he had a good relationship with his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) and nephew Patrick (Luca Hedges). Yet, something tragic happened that led to Lee and Randi splitting up and Lee moving away from the small town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts into a town near Boston where he works as a janitor.

The script doesn’t just follow Lee’s reluctance to raise Patrick but also Patrick’s own growing pains as he tries to distract himself from the reality over his father’s death. Especially as he is taken aback by his uncle who appears to not really wanting to be involved with him as he considers the option of reaching out to his estranged mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) whom Lee doesn’t like at all as she was an alcoholic and drug addict that Joe had to separate from. It adds to Lee’s struggle in wanting to do right to his late brother but also contend with the demons in his own life. Even as Lee’s attempt to connect with others has him wanting to be alone and not be reminded of the past where he continuously struggles with loss and wanting to do what is right.

Lonergan’s direction is definitely majestic in terms of the imagery that he creates as well as being shot almost entirely on location in Manchester-by-the-Sea which is a major character in the film as well as other small towns in Massachusetts. Though Lonergan doesn’t really go for anything that is visually-striking, he does present that is still simple in its composition but also has something more in terms of his observation of what is going on. Much of the film is shot during the wintertime as it adds a lot to not just the visuals but also in some of the situations the characters have to cope with. While Lonergan would use wide shots to play into the location and the beauty of wintertime in Massachusetts, he would more favor something intimate with the medium shots and close-ups. Especially in the former as it play into some of the awkward moments Lee would have in his attempts to connect with people such as the mother of one of Patrick’s girlfriends.

Lonergan’s direction is also quite loose as it has bits of humor but also a sense of something real into the world that Patrick is in as he plays hockey and is also in a garage band with friends and one of his girlfriends. The flashbacks of Lee’s life with Randi and their family is also quite loose as it play into the good times as well as what happened that would destroy everything for Lee. There is also something striking about how Lee presents himself in his isolation as it has some truth into that sense of loss where Lonergan’s framing is quite entrancing. Even in moments where he attempts to connect showcase someone that is quite damaged and still trying to get himself back on track. Its conclusion isn’t just about the reality of what Lee has to do for Patrick but also for himself as well as get help from the people who can be relied on in an often complicated world. Overall, Lonergan creates a ravishing yet somber film about a man dealing with the responsibility to taking care of his nephew following the death of his brother.

Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from some of the sunny exteriors of the locations along with more gray and snowy look as well as the way some of the nighttime interior/exteriors are shot and lit. Editor Jennifer Lame does excellent work with the editing as it play into some of the drama and presentation of the flashbacks with the usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts. Production designer Ruth De Jong, with set decorator Florencia Martin and art director Jourdan Henderson, does fantastic work with the look of the single room that Lee lives in Quincy to the home of his brother and the boat they have.

Costume designer Melissa Toth does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual to play into the look of the wintertime. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff does superb work with the sound as it play into not just the atmosphere of some of the locations but also in the way it is mixed to play into how music is heard on location or things that play into the drama. The film’s music by Lesley Barber is brilliant for its somber yet orchestral-based score that play into melancholic tone of the film while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a soundtrack that features a lot of opera music as well as a mixture of rock and soul music to play into the locations or what is heard on the radio.

The casting by Douglas Aibel is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Ben O’Brien as the young Patrick, Stephen Henderson as Lee’s boss early in the film, Tom Kemp as Lee and Joe’s father in the flashback scenes, Chloe Dixon and Ellie Teeves as Lee and Randi’s daughters from the flashbacks, Josh Hamilton as Joe’s lawyer Wes, Erica McDermott as a boat yard boss who doesn’t want to give Lee a job for some unknown reasons, Kara Hayward and Anna Baryshnikov in their respective roles as two of Patrick’s girlfriends in Silvie and Sandy, Liam McNeil as Randi’s new husband, and Tate Donovan as Patrick’s hockey coach. C.J. Wilson is fantastic as longtime family friend George who helps out Lee and Patrick while being someone who knows about the family boat and how it works. Heather Burns is wonderful as Sandy’s mother Jill who is wondering what Sandy and Patrick are doing while trying to flirt with Lee as their lone meeting ends up being awkward. Matthew Broderick is superb as Rodney as Elsie’s new fiancée who is a devout Christian that Patrick tries to get to know as it ends up being very awkward. Gretchen Mol is excellent as Elsie as Patrick’s estranged mother who is infamous for her substance abuse where she responds to Patrick’s email as she invites to a lunch with Rodney that is just very uncomfortable.

Kyle Chandler is brilliant as Joe Chandler as a man that is the embodiment of responsibility and care as he does whatever to help Lee as well as be a good man until he is stricken by a rare heart disease. Lucas Hedges is amazing as Patrick as Joe’s son who doesn’t try to cope with the sudden death of his father but also wanting to stay home to be with friends and his father’s boat as well as wonder why his uncle is reluctant to look after him. Michelle Williams is incredible as Randi as Lee’s ex-wife who was a woman that Lee loved and cared for until tragedy happened as she becomes estranged until she hears about Joe’s death as Williams is just devastatingly radiant in a key scene she has late in the film. Finally, there’s Casey Affleck in a phenomenal performance as Lee Chandler as a man that had everything and lost it all as he tries to cope with the loss of his brother as well as the responsibility he has to bear for his nephew where Affleck displays that air of restraint and anguish into a man trying to isolate himself from the world as well as struggle to do what is right for his family.

Manchester by the Sea is a magnificent film from Kenneth Lonergan that features great performances from Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, and Lucas Hedges. Along with a brilliant supporting cast, an effective screenplay, gorgeous visuals, and a mesmerizing music soundtrack, it’s a film that explores not just grief but also a man coping with responsibility and the need to do right for his family. In the end, Manchester by the Sea is a rapturous film from Kenneth Lonergan.

Kenneth Lonergan Films: You Can Count on Me - Margaret (2011 film)

© thevoid99 2016

Dick (1999 film)

Directed by Andrew Fleming and written by Fleming and Sheryl Longin, Dick is the story of two teenage girls who meet Richard Nixon as they become secret youth advisors only to reveal his secrets to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as the mysterious Deep Throat. A fictional take on the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation, the film is a comedic story about the ideas of who Deep Throat in the form of two sweet-natured but dim-witted girls. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Ana Gasteyer, Will Ferrell, Bruce McCullough, Jim Breuer, Saul Rubinek, Teri Garr, Dave Foley, Harry Shearer, and Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon. Dick is a truly hilarious and entertaining film from Andrew Fleming.

The film is a fictional take on the Watergate scandal that destroyed the political career of President Richard Nixon who would resign in disgrace in August of 1974 after some revelations over what happened at the Watergate Hotel two years earlier by people in his administration. All of it revolves around two teenage girls where one of them was living in the Watergate hotel as they were mailing a letter to win a contest to meet Bobby Sherman where they run into G. Gordon Liddy (Harry Shearer) and led to the arrest of several men connected to the Nixon administration. Upon meeting Nixon during a school field trip by befriending his dog Checkers, they become secret youth advisors where they would influence Nixon to connect with the American public until they learn who he really is where they would reveal their information to Bob Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Carl Bernstein (Bruce McCullough).

The film’s screenplay definitely focuses on the antics of Betsy Jobs (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene Lorenzo (Michelle Williams) as they’re just a couple of American teenage girls who love everything that was around in the 1970s. Yet, their encounter with Nixon is one of many accidents that occur as they would be involved in some of Nixon’s great achievements during his second term while be responsible for things such as the 18 ½ minute gap that was missing from one of the tapes Nixon recorded. Many of the people that are involved with the Watergate story are portrayed for laughs such as Nixon’s attorney John Dean (Jim Breuer) as a very innocent man who feels guilty while G. Gordon Liddy is seen as a buffoon. Woodward and Bernstein are also portrayed for laughs with Bernstein as this smallish ladies man while Woodward is seen as the desperate straight man. Even some of the dialogue maintains the sense of humor such as a scene where Arlene asks Betsy about the meaning of Deep Throat which Betsy whispers into Arlene’s ear as it shows how innocent they are.

Andrew Fleming’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of the world that is the 1970s in Washington D.C. as it plays into the lives of these two young girls. Some of which involves antics that are quite funny as it plays to how dim-witted the girls are at times yet they mean well. Even as it includes a very hilarious subplot where Arlene falls for Nixon as she would be the cause that would have Nixon erase 18 ½ minutes from tapes he had recorded. There’s also some dramatic liberties that Fleming takes advantage in order to keep things funny such as the Nixon-Leonid Brezhnev peace accord. Much of the compositions are simple in order to create something that feels naturalistic as well as in scenes to re-create important moments in history. Especially in the idea that a couple of young girls would be the one that would be the one to take Nixon down. Overall, Fleming creates a very witty and fun film about two girls taking down Richard Nixon.

Cinematographer Alex Gruszynski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s very colorful to play into much of the sunny look of Washington D.C. as well as some of the interiors and lighting such as the Watergate break-in. Editor Mia Goldman does terrific work with the editing as it‘s straightforward with some stylish jump-cuts and montages to play into the film‘s humor. Production designer Barbara Dunphy, with set decorator Donald Elmblad and art director Lucinda Zak, does brilliant work with the look of the Oval Office and some parts of the White House as well as Arlene‘s room and her wall that featured Bobby Sherman at one point only to be replaced by Nixon. Costume designer Deborah Everton does fantastic work with the costumes from the youthful clothes that the girls wear that expresses their love of fashion.

Visual effects supervisors Michael Lennick and Ray McMillan do nice work with some of the few visual effects such as backdrops for some scenes set in the White House exteriors. Sound editor Steve D. Williams does superb work with the sound from the way some of the police sirens sound to some of the things that occur inside the White House including the sound of the tape recordings. The film’s music by John Debney is pretty as it‘s mostly low-key which is just orchestral music to play into the suspense and humor while music supervisor Ralph Sall creates an absolutely delightful soundtrack that features music from the Jackson 5, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, Elton John, ABBA, LaBelle, George McCrae, Harry Nilsson, Bread, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Redbone, David Essex, Carly Simon, and a couple of covers by Michelle Williams and Sixpence None the Richer.

The casting by Pam Dixon is incredible as it features one hell of an ensemble that includes small roles from Ryan Reynolds as a boy Betsy flirts with at Bob Haldeman’s house, Devon Gummersall as Betsy’s stoner brother Larry, French Stewart as a TV interviewer at the beginning of the film, G.D. Spradlin in one of his final performances as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, Ana Gasteyer as the President’s secretary Rose Mary Woods, Ted McGinley as Arlene’s mother’s new boyfriend, Karl Pruner and Shannon Lawson as Betsy’s parents, Len Doncheff as Leonid Brezhnev, and Teri Garr as Arlene’s lonely mother. Harry Shearer is terrific as the very threatening but buffoonish G. Gordon Liddy while Dave Foley is excellent as the White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman who is depicted as a total asshole. Jim Breuer is fantastic as Nixon’s lawyer John Dean who would feel guilty for working with Nixon while Saul Rubinek is wonderful as Henry Kissinger who often feels left out by Nixon while having a great duet of Hello Dolly with Brezhnev.

Will Ferrell and Bruce McCullough are hilarious in their respective roles as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with Ferrell as the straight man who is trying to maintain his serious reputation while McCullough brings a more comical approach to the role of Bernstein in his attempt to be very good-looking. Dan Hedaya is phenomenal as the titular character as he brings a lot of humor to the role of Nixon while being a mean man who kicks his dog and is very prejudice as Hedaya puts a lot of gravitas as Richard Nixon. Finally, there’s Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams in sensational performances in their respective roles as Betsy and Arlene. Dunst is the more ditzy of the two as she has this charm that makes her so delightful to watch while Williams is the more introverted as she falls for Nixon. The two together have great chemistry together in the way they play out each other as well as admit the fact that they are dumb girls.

Dick is a remarkable film from Andrew Fleming that features amazing performances from Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, and Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon. It’s a film that manages to take a unique premise and make it very enjoyable while it is also oddly compelling for the fact that it does play with American history. Even to the point of subverting some facts and things that really happened and get away with it. In the end, Dick is an incredible film from Andrew Fleming.

© thevoid99 2014

Take This Waltz

Written and directed by Sarah Polley, Take This Waltz is the story of a married freelance writer who meets a rickshaw driver/artist as she falls for him while dealing with the fact that she’s also in love with her husband. The film is an exploration into a woman trying to find herself in love as she struggles with the possibility of having relationship with this man she just met or be with the man who’s been devoted to her for five years. Starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, and Sarah Silverman. Take This Waltz is an extraordinary film from Sarah Polley.

The film is about a woman named Margot (Michelle Williams) who meets this artist named Daniel (Luke Kirby) during a trip to Nova Scotia where they meet again at the airport on their way back to Toronto where they realize they’re neighbors. Yet, Margot is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen) for five years as she finds herself attracted to Daniel where the two have some chemistry together where Margot becomes torn between the man she’s falling for and the man that she loves. What Sarah Polley creates in the story is this conflict in a woman who is in love with two different men that each have something to offer. While Lou is sort of a goofball, he’s someone that is very kind and devoted to Margot. Daniel is a more mysterious individual who is a rickshaw driver but also an artist who has this sense of unpredictability around him. For Margot, there’s this sense of confusion and conflict that she’s dealing with where she has no idea what to do as well as the outcome where she knows that one of these men will be hurt.

Polley’s direction is definitely filled with some gorgeous imagery and unique compositions where she keeps things simple while making the city of Toronto a character in the film. Yet, Polley also employs some stylish shots to play up the sense of wonderment that Margot is going through while infusing it with some humor in some scenes. There are also shots do play into Margot’s relationship with Lou and how they interact with one another while there’s also that sense of uncertainty and fantasy that plays into Margot’s attraction towards Daniel. There’s also moments where Polley isn’t afraid to shoot things like a shower scene with naked women that is a mixture of young and old to establish the idea something new will be old again. Even as the decision that Margot would eventually make would have some repercussions about what she’s doing. Overall, Polley creates a very compelling yet mesmerizing film about love and womanhood.

Cinematographer Luc Montpellier does amazing work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the use of natural lights some of the film‘s daytime exteriors and interior scenes to more stylish uses of yellow for some scenes at night and some scenes at Daniel‘s home. Editor Christopher Donaldson does fantastic work with the editing where he utilizes a few jump-cuts for some key dramatic scenes as well as some montages in a sequence in the third act while a lot of it is very straightforward. Production designer Matthew Davies, with set decorator Steve Shewchuk and art director Aleksandra Marinkovich, does wonderful work with the sets from the more simpler look of Margot and Lou‘s home to the more arty look of Daniel‘s home.

Costume designer Lea Carlson does nice work with the costumes where it‘s mostly straightforward for the men though the clothes that Margot wear are very colorful to play up the different moods she‘s in. Sound editor Jane Tattersall does terrific work with the sound where it‘s mostly low-key in some intimate moments as well as more layered in some of the more livelier moments. The film’s music by Jonathan Goldsmith is superb for its low-key score that is mostly a mixture of ambient music with some folk arrangements while music supervisor Jody Colero creates a soundtrack that consists of folk and indie music that includes pieces from Feist, Charles Spearin, Jason Collett, the Buggles, and Leonard Cohen whose title song is the inspiration for the film’s title.

The casting by John Buchan and Jason Knight is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Graham Abbey as Lou’s brother-in-law, Vanessa Coelho as Lou and Margot’s niece, and Jennifer Podemski as the family friend Karen. Sarah Silverman is excellent as Lou’s recovering alcoholic sister Geraldine who is also Margot’s best friend as she is intrigued by Margot’s attraction towards Daniel. Luke Kirby is amazing as Daniel as an artist who has this quirky sensibility and charm that fascinates Margot as they have this strange chemistry that is unique. Seth Rogen is fantastic as Margot’s chef husband Lou as a man who is absolutely devoted to her while being a goofball as Rogen also displays some dramatic range in the film’s third act to reveal that there’s a lot to him which adds a sense of heartbreak to his role.

Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in a dazzling performance as Margot. Williams brings a complexity to a woman in deep conflict over the two men in her life while bringing something very different in those relationships. Williams is quite playful and comedic in her scenes with Rogen while more low-key and serious in her scenes with Kirby. Williams makes Margot a unique woman where she is bound to make a decision where she’s not afraid to be judged but also admit that it could be the wrong decision that makes her character far more engrossing to watch as it’s definitely one of Williams’ finest performances of her career.

Take This Waltz is a remarkable film from Sarah Polley that features a phenomenal performance from Michelle Williams. Along with top-notch supporting work from Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, and Sarah Silverman. It’s a film that explores the idea of love and its complications where it’s told from the perspective of a woman without being too sappy or complicated. In the end, Take This Waltz is a riveting film from Sarah Polley.

Sarah Polley Films: Away from Her - Stories We Tell - Women Talking

© thevoid99 2013

Meek's Cutoff

Directed by Kelly Reichardt and written by Jonathan Raymond, Meek’s Cutoff is the story a group of settlers in 1845 traveling across the Oregon trail where they become lost due to their eccentric guide. The film is based on a historical incident that occurred where power struggles become involved its small band of settlers as they try to go through the treacherous trail. Starring Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Tommy Nelson, Rod Rondeaux, and Will Patton. Meek’s Cutoff is an entrancing film from Kelly Reichardt.

A group of settlers are walking on the Oregon trail to reach towards an unknown destination as they’re led by the eccentric Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood). With Meek taking them to a shortcut near the Cascade Mountains, the trail goes much longer than it seems raising suspicions in its settlers including Emily Tethrow (Michelle Williams). While her husband Solomon (Will Patton) would often confer with the other men in William White (Neal Huff) and Thomas Gately (Paul Dano) about where Meek could be leading. Emily remains suspicious bringing worry to William’s wife Glory (Shirley Henderson) and Thomas’ wife Millie (Zoe Kazan) along with William and Glory’s son Jimmy (Tommy Nelson).

While sees a lone Indian (Rod Rondeaux) walking around, he’s eventually captured by Meek and Solomon as Emily thinks he can get them to a place where there’s water. Still, troubling encounters with the treacherous land along with suspicions about the Indian lead to more uncertainty about what is ahead.

While the film is loosely based about an incident that revolves around a group of settlers, an eccentric guide, and an Indian who would become part of this journey. It’s all about a journey into the unknown where mistrust and confusion would occur as these settlers find themselves lost. During this journey, an Indian would pop up as he’s captured where one of them starts to trust this Indian instead of this guide who is very ambiguous. Does Stephen Meek really know where good land is or is he just this ignoramus who has no idea what he’s doing?

That’s what screenwriter Jonathan Raymond is trying to figure out as he creates a script that is very unconventional. There’s not much plot to the story as it’s all about these people going walking along into unknown land as they search for water and a place to start somewhere. Yet, Raymond does delve into these themes of anxiety, fear, resentment, and power struggle as it focuses on this group of people dealing with being lost in a land they’re not familiar with. Tension does arise but it’s notable between Meek and Emily where the latter believes that Meek has no idea where he’s going as she starts to trust the one person Meek claims not to trust.

The lack of a conventional script allows director Kelly Reichardt to create a very minimalist yet evocative film that doesn’t need to rely on dialogue. Instead, Reichardt goes for a more methodical yet entrancing approach to the filmmaking to explore this key incident in the history of Oregon. Shooting the film in a 1:37:1 full-frame aspect ratio, Reichardt does allow that format to capture great scenery that is often filled with wonderful wide shots and beautiful locations that is set in Oregon. Since there aren’t a lot of dialogue or any set pieces other than covered wagons with horses, mules, and cows in order to re-create this period. Reichardt gets a chance to improvise and create these scenes where it’s all about a daily routine or moment that occurs where the men and women each have a role to play.

While there’s a lot of long shots of wandering images of these hilly locations with bits of deserts, Reichardt’s approach to the direction is to emphasize on this very tight yet methodical approach to the film. This unconventional approach would allow the film to be paced in a very slow manner as there isn’t a lot of dialogue. It would give Reichardt the chance to play up the uncertainty that these characters face as the drama intensifies in the course of the film while she frames them to see how they interact or how they would hold small meetings. With Reichardt also serving as the film’s editor where she maintains that slow rhythm to play up the suspense and drama that occurs. She creates a film that explores the people in this journey where they would face the unknown as the overall result is a mesmerizing yet harrowing film about a legendary trail.

Cinematographer Chris Blauvet does a brilliant job with the film‘s gorgeous cinematography that features lots of beautiful daytime scenes of the Oregon skylines and locations while a lot of the nighttime scenes are very dark with only available light used to maintain the naturalist tone of the film. Production designer David Doernberg and art director Kat Uhlmansiek do great work in the design of the covered wagons along with various props to create a feel of that period.

Costume designer Victoria Farrell does excellent work with the costumes to create the clothes that men wear along with colorful dresses the women as it would match up with the look of the film‘s different locations. Sound designer Leslie Shatz and sound editor Javier Bennassar do amazing work with the sound to play up the intimate sound of clanging objects and wagon creaks along with the atmosphere that surrounds the different locations in Oregon. Music composer Jeff Grace does a superb job with the music creating an eerie score led by smooth yet screeching strings to play up the ominous tone of the film.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal is outstanding for the ensemble that is created for the film. Notable small roles include Tommy Nelson as the young boy Jimmy, Rod Rondeaux as the mysterious Indian, and Neal Huff as Jimmy’s father/Glory’s husband William. Zoe Kazan is very good as the worried Millie while Paul Dano is terrific as the more determined Thomas. Shirley Henderson is wonderful as the maternal Glory while Will Patton is excellent as Emily’s resourceful yet organized husband Solomon. Bruce Greenwood is great as the eccentric Stephen Meek as Greenwood sports a huge beard and wear strange clothes as he’s a man that is certainly odd while always jabbering about everything he’s encountered. Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in a phenomenal performance as the grounded Emily Tetherow who tries to deal with the uncertainty while proving to be someone who won’t be pushed around as it’s Williams at her best.

Meek’s Cutoff is a ravishing yet engrossing western-drama from Kelly Reichardt that features an incredible performance from Michelle Williams. While it’s a film that will have fans of the western genre be baffled by its unconventional premise and slow pacing. It’s definitely a truly creative film that relies more on minimalist techniques, compelling characters, and beautiful settings. Notably as it provides a very intriguing idea about a very tiny moment in American history. In the end, Meek’s Cutoff is a haunting yet enrapturing film from Kelly Reichardt.

Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass - Old Joy - Wendy & Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) - Certain Women - First Cow - Showing Up - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt

© thevoid99 2012

Synecdoche, New York

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/6/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York tells the story of a playwright who tries to work on a play that goes on 40 years as he questions his own mortality and the women in his life as he struggles to create his most ambitious play yet. Inspired by Kaufman's own work in the theater, the film explores Kaufman's themes of surrealism and the creative process in this complex, high-art story. With an all-star cast that includes Kaufman regular Catherine Keener along with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Emily Watson, Tom Noonan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, and Dianne Wiest. Synecdoche, New York is a high-concept, complex, and provocative directorial debut from Charlie Kaufman.

Playwright Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has just mounted a play of Death of a Salesman that features a young actress named Claire Keen (Michelle Williams). While Cotard has a nice home life with wife/painter Adele (Catherine Keener) and their 4-year old daughter Olive (Sadie Goldstein), an incident involving a sink has him going to doctor where he's ill with numerous diseases. After attending couples counseling with therapist Madeline Gravis (Hope Davis), Adele leaves Cotard as she and her friend Maria (Jennifer Jason Leigh) take Olive to Berlin to venture into the city's art world. Caden befriends box office holder Hazel (Samantha Morton) as he deals with sudden success and own personal issues. While he and Hazel have a brief affair, Caden finds companionship with Claire as he receives a prestigious grant where he would stage a grand play based on his own life.

Claire joins Caden in the development of the play, Caden decides to stage it in an old factory where the staging of the play would become bigger for several years as he later marries Claire. After a trip to Berlin to meet Olive only to discover that she's grown under Maria's influence into a dark world. Caden's relationship with Claire falters as Hazel returns to his life as a married woman where she would assist Caden in the play's development. After casting an unknown named Sammy Barnathan (Tom Noonan) to play Caden, things become confusing prompting Claire to leave with their daughter Ariel while Sammy starts to put his own ideas about the play. When a British actress named Tammy (Emily Watson) comes in to play Hazel, things eventually become confusing as reality and fiction blurs for the overwhelmed Caden.

With Hazel hung up on Sammy, Caden tries to deal with Adele's success in the art world where he would sneak into her apartment and clean her place in the guise of a maid named Ellen. The character would eventually be played by Millicent Weems (Dianne Wiest) where things would unravel due to Sammy's presence as he becomes too much like Caden. With his own health failing and learning about what Olive had become, many around Caden wonder if the play will ever open.

If Charlie Kaufman has a theme that's prominent with some of work, it's about the artist and how the artist struggles to create that great work. While scripts like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., Human Nature, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind explore the mind of the creators in a humorous way. Synecdoche, New York is far different as the film explores an artist's mind as he creates something from his own life as it's continuing where reality and fiction blur. The film also explores death as this man is aware that he's sick and not feeling well realizing he's about to die. Yet, it becomes this long, 40 year period where he's trying to keep himself alive while seeing everything around him evaporate as well as his world between reality and fiction.

Kaufman's screenplay is definitely complex in this story about a man dealing with his own mortality and life with women as he creates a play about his life. Filled with funny dialogue, heartbreaking stories, and such. There's also something loose about the way Kaufman is telling the story as he has the characters make things up as they go along. While there's time where the idea of reality and fiction blur, Kaufman as a storyteller is trying to challenge the audience in the world of the creative process. The result isn't perfect depending on what type of audience Kaufman is aiming for as the pacing of the film and story drags at times. Notably its ending where people wonder how it's going to end as it's definitely drawn out. Still, Kaufman creates something with his screenplay that is definitely provocative and intelligent.

Kaufman's direction is definitely surprising as he uses some unconventional styles of coverage in creating the film. Taking his background in theater, he definitely uses many of the film's rehearsal scenes where the actors in the background are acting while whoever is in that scene are acting. Yet, Kaufman doesn't go for conventional styles of coverage as he sticks to where the emotion of the performances are as he's capturing it as he's just filming it and knowing when not to cut. Kaufman definitely has learned from people like Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry where as a director. He's definitely creating a style of his own. While there's flaws in the direction due to its pacing, drawn-out ending, and his unconventional approach to telling the story. Kaufman overall creates a film that is truly original and mesmerizing.

Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does an amazing with the film's stylish photography with some moody interior shots of the smoky-fire house with soft lens in those scenes. In some of the hospital and hallway scenes, it's in a blue-green style that's effective with the mood of its protagonist. Elmes' work in the exterior is great as he keeps the camera on the protagonist as it moves constantly and stopping at times to see where everything is taking place. Elmes work is truly magnificent in its photography and camera work as he reveals a wide scope into the world of theater and its ambitions. Editor Robert Frazen does fine work with the film's rhythmic cutting and transitional cuts that work in keeping the story moving despite its slow, turgid pacing.

Production designer Mark Friedberg, along with set decorator Lydia Marks and art director Adam Stockhausen, does spectacular work with the film's set designs. Notably in the big play scene where they create numerous replicas of the warehouse inside of the warehouse and another inside. With the look of the town and everything else, it's truly amazing as Friedberg's design is definitely brilliant in its staging and look. Other scenes shot in the homes are done wonderfully to reveal the contrasting world between Adele's posh lifestyle and the drab world that Caden lives in. Costume designer Melissa Toth does fantastic work with the evolving style of the female characters as the film goes on where the character of Hazel had this look, frizzy look to something more sophisticated as it progresses. The clothes that the women wear are superb while the look of Caden in all of its blandness is excellent for the way his character is.

Visual effects supervisor Mark Russell does excellent work with the recreation of the buildings as well as the zeppelin that flies around in the city. Makeup designer head Judy Chin does brilliant work with the aging look of the characters with the use of wigs and such along with the tattoo designs by Tim Kern for the adult Olive character. Sound designer Eugene Gearty and editor Philip Stockton do terrific work in the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the theater as well as other sounds to convey the troubled mind of Caden. Music composer Jon Brion creates a melancholic, heavy score filled with somber notes and jazz touches to help create the mood of Caden's mind along with original songs co-written with Kaufman done in a jazz style. With vocals by Sadie Goldstein on one track and Deanna Storey on three other songs. It's definitely a noteworthy yet haunting soundtrack from Jon Brion.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is phenomenal for its array of actors that she assembled. Small performances from Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen as Caden's parents, Peter Friedman as a doctor, Josh Pais as an opthamologist, Amy Wright as the burning house realtor, Rosemary Murphy as the woman at the hallway Caden meets, Christopher Evan Welch as a pastor, Robin Weigert as the adult Olive, Deidre O'Connell as Ellen's mother, Kat Peters as the young Ellen, Daisy Tahan as Caden and Claire's daughter Ariel, and Paul Sparks as Derek are all memorable in their individual scenes. Sadie Goldstein is wonderful as the young Olive with some funny lines and some great scenes with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Jennifer Jason Leigh is good in her small role as Maria, Adele's friend who manipulates Olive into becoming a tattoo model while later sporting a German accent to be an enemy of Caden.

Hope Davis is funny as a manipulative, sexy therapist who helps Caden with his problems but only for her own gain. Tom Noonan is great as Sammy, a doppelganger of Caden who plays the part of Caden so well that he ends up charming Hazel. Emily Watson is wonderfully funny as Hazel's doppelganger as she mimics everything Hazel does on character but as herself, she's a dreary Briton who threatens to change things for the play. Dianne Wiest is amazing as a dual role of Adele's maid Ellen with her dreary life and the actress Millicent who ends up becoming a driving force to the play late in the film as Weist's performance is phenomenal. Catherine Keener is excellent as Adele, Caden's sympathetic first wife who couldn't deal with the fact that her marriage to Caden is going to work as she leaves to become the person that shadows Caden for the rest of his life.

Michelle Williams is brilliant as Claire, Caden's second wife and then-leading actress who becomes supportive only to later be frustrated by the prolonging of the play as she seeks other ventures. Samantha Morton is great as Hazel, the woman who longed to be with Caden only to be rejected at first and move on, then become his creative partner and later, equal. Morton's performance is just wonderful as she and Hoffman have amazing chemistry that is touching and funny. Finally, there's Philip Seymour Hoffman in a tour-de-force performance as Caden Cotard. Hoffman's performance is just great in revealing the anguished and tortured soul of a man who loses himself into his own creation while his own life falls apart. Yet, Hoffman carries the film with such pain and humor that it's definitely his best performance to date as an actor.

Synecdoche, New York is a brilliant, provocative, and highly-original film from Charlie Kaufman. Fans of Kaufman's view of surrealism, the artistic process, and the tortured soul will enjoy the film for its high-concept and intense exploration into the world of theater and art. Mainstream audiences though, might be baffled by the film's concept and story along with its slow pacing and unconventional humor. It's definitely a film for an art-house film-going audience as they often wanted to be challenged by something like this. The average movie-goer might not understand the film in its concept though the performances by the ensemble cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Samantha Morton do bring something accessible. It might not be for the average movie-goer but this isn't something they shouldn't entirely dismiss. In the end, Synecdoche, New York is a wild, imaginative, and innovative film from Charlie Kaufman.

Related: Anomalisa

© thevoid99 2012