Little Women (2019 film)

Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women is the story about the lives of four sisters who embark on different lives as one of them aspires to be a writer as well as trying to find herself during and after the American Civil War. Written for the screen and directed by Greta Gerwig, the film is a coming-of-age drama that explore four young women trying to find themselves as well as their roles in lives as well as rely on each other. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Louis Garrel, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, and Meryl Streep. Little Women is a ravishing and vivacious film from Greta Gerwig.

The film revolves around four sisters living in Concord, Massachusetts during the American Civil War as their father is away as they all have different ambitions and dreams that they want to do while eventually finding their own identities in the years after the war. It’s a film that play into a world where women are expected to have certain roles for the world yet one of them wants to write while another wants to be an artist while another sister wants to belong and be part of society and another sister just wants to simply play piano. Greta Gerwig’s screenplay doesn’t aim for a traditional narrative but rather a somewhat non-linear narrative that is more deconstructive in order to explore the four March sisters in Margaret “Meg” (Emma Watson), Josephine “Jo” (Saoirse Ronan), Elizabeth “Beth” (Eliza Scanlen), and the youngest Amy (Florence Pugh).

The narrative opens with Jo trying to sell her stories and hoping to get published yet she chooses to remain anonymous as a writer and have her work be re-edited for money that she uses to help her family back in Concord while she’s in New York teaching at a boarding house. Much of the narrative have the sisters often looking back at certain moments of their lives during the final years of the American Civil War where their father (Bob Odenkirk) is serving for the Union as they live with their mother Marmee (Laura Dern) and family maid Hannah (Jayne Houdyshell) whom they consider family than a servant. Gerwig’s script does focus largely on Jo yet she does give a lot of considerable attention to the bratty but artistic Amy, the proper Meg, and the shy Beth. While Amy and Meg are given arcs that play into their development, Beth’s role is more at the center as she represents the best of the sisters while being a source of comfort to the elderly neighbor Mr. Laurence (Chris Cooper) through her piano playing while his grandson Theodore “Laurie” (Timothee Chamalet) becomes a friend of the sisters.

Gerwig’s direction is definitely rapturous in not just its presentation but also in some of the choices she makes in the way she presents the characters and their arcs. Shot largely on location in Boston as well as Concord, Massachusetts and parts of Harvard including the Arnold Arboretum as Paris, Gerwig recreates the world of mid-19th Century Massachusetts as there’s some wide shots of the locations while Gerwig would also use medium shots to get a look into Concord in the mid-19th Century and how it would change when Jo was living in the town to her return years later to help the ailing Beth. The usage of dolly tracking shots for a scene where Jo dances with Laurie outside of a party that Meg is attending as there is this air of energy and looseness that makes it so compelling as it play into Jo’s friendship with Laurie. Gerwig also creates matching compositions in the way to create shifting transitions where it would focus on a character from a certain moment in time to then where that person is years later as they reflect on the past.

Gerwig’s direction also has this atmosphere to the period while emphasizing on different seasons to help play into the mood of a scene as well as the journey that a character takes. Amy would be in Paris trying to learn how to paint like the greats while dealing with Laurie’s presence who is trying to woo her while Meg is in Concord trying to be a good wife but also wanting to fit in with the other women in Concord. The scenes of Jo with Beth play into their relationship but also how important Beth was to the family as someone who really did a lot more behind the scenes as well as encourage Jo to not stop writing. Gerwig would also find a way to wrap things up as it relate to Jo eventually finding herself as well as what she wants as a writer and as a woman along with her sisters finding their own identities with the people they care about around them. Overall, Gerwig crafts an evocative and intoxicating film about four sisters trying to find themselves in mid-19th Century America.

Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural blue lighting for some of the scenes in the winter as well as to create a mood along with some naturalistic photography in some of the daytime interiors and usage of candles at night. Editor Nick Houy does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, montages, and slow-motion as it help play into the drama and some of the humor. Production designer Jess Gonchor, with set decorator Claire Kaufman and supervising art director Chris Farmer, does excellent work with the look of the March home as well as the Laurence estate as well as the home of Aunt March (Meryl Streep) as there’s a lot of great detail that play into the homes and how it reflect those characters. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran is amazing for its costumes in the design of the dresses that the women wear as it so much detail that play into the personalities of the characters with the clothes that the men wear throughout the film.

Visual effects supervisor Blake Goedde does terrific work with the visual effects as it is largely set dressing to help create the look of some of the places the characters go to in its exterior. Sound editors Skip Lievsay and Paul Urmsom do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the parties as well as the scenes on the beach and the pub scenes in New York. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is phenomenal for its rich and lush orchestral score that help play into the drama and some of its livelier moments as it is a highlight of the film as the music soundtrack also feature some classical pieces and traditional music pieces of the time.

The casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Maryanne Plunkett as the boarding house landlord Mrs. Kirke, Abby Quinn as a young society woman in Annie Moffat, Dash Barber as Amy’s beau Fred Vaughn, Sasha Frovola as the ailing German immigrant Mrs. Hummel, Jayne Houdyshell as the March’s longtime maid Hannah whom the girls treat as family, Bob Odenkirk as Father March, and Tracy Letts as the newspaper publisher Mr. Dashwood who is baffled by Jo’s stories as he reluctantly publishes them. James Norton is terrific as Laurie’s tutor John Brooke who would become Meg’s husband as he is concerned with her desire to fit in despite their lack of finances while Louis Garrel is superb as Friedrich Bhaer as a European literature professor who befriends Jo in New York while gives her some serious criticism about her work.

Chris Cooper is fantastic as Mr. Laurence as Laurie’s grandfather who laments over the loss of his daughter many years ago as he sees Beth as someone close to his daughter due to her love for the piano. Timothee Chalamet is excellent as Theodore “Laurie” Laurence as the grandson of Mr. Laurence who befriends Jo and the March sisters as he helps them be part of their plays as well as observe everything else while later falling for Amy in Paris. Meryl Streep is brilliant as Aunt March as Father March’s older sister who is rich while always offering the March girls advice about life and such as she often brings a lot of humor to her role. Laura Dern is amazing as Marmee as the March family matriarch who is always trying to bring some guidance and warmth to her daughters as well as someone who is also willing to help no matter how little her family have.

Eliza Scanlen is incredible as Elizabeth “Beth” March as the third older sister of the family who is shy as she prefers to play the piano to entertain others while is also the most observant as she would fall ill twice through scarlet fever where she would give Jo the motivation to keep on writing. Emma Watson is remarkable as Margaret “Meg” March as the eldest of the four sisters who wants to fit in and wear the finest clothes as she also acts in Jo’s plays but wants to have a family as she later deals with the desires to conform as well as be a good wife and mother to her children. Florence Pugh is phenomenal as Amy March as the youngest of the four sisters who is wild and bratty but also manages to be caring as she later goes to France to learn to be an artist as she copes with her work as well as her love life as she becomes unsure about Laurie. Finally, there’s Saoirse Ronan in a sensational performance as Josephine “Jo” March as the second oldest of the four sisters that wants to write and create stories while trying to stand out on her own as Ronan radiates with charisma as well as restraint to convey her own setbacks as it is a career-defining performance for Ronan.

Little Women is a tremendous film from Greta Gerwig that features top-notch performances from Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Timothee Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, Alexandre Desplat’s rapturous score, amazing set and costume design, and an inventive and compelling script. The film is definitely an adaptation that manages to be not just a fascinating character study and coming-of-age drama but also so much more in its take on identity, womanhood, and the dreams of these four sisters. In the end, Little Women is a magnificent film from Greta Gerwig.

Related: (Little Women (1917 film)) – (Little Women (1918 film)) – (Little Women (1933 film)) – (Little Women (1949 film)) – (Little Women (1994 film)) – (Little Women (2018 film))

Greta Gerwig Films: (Nights and Weekends) – Lady Bird - Barbie

© thevoid99 2019

Lady Bird

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird is the story of a Catholic high school senior dealing with growing pains and her troubled relationship with her mother. Set in 2002 Sacramento, the film is a look into the life of a young woman as she tries to find herself as well as dealing with all of the challenges in becoming a woman. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Timothee Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith. Lady Bird is a delightful yet witty film from Greta Gerwig.

The film follows a year in the life of a young woman as she is about to become a senior where she deals with her identity, her surroundings, and her family including her mother. It plays into the world of growing pains for this 17-year old woman in Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) who wants to go to a college in the East Coast and away from her old life of Sacramento. Having to go to a Catholic high school since her older brother had been stabbed at a public school, Lady Bird also deals with that situation though she has company in her best friend Julianne “Julie” Steffans (Beanie Feldstein) only to become infatuated with a musician in Kyle Scheible (Timothee Chalamet) where she tries to fit in with the popular crowd. Greta Gerwig’s screenplay follows Lady Bird’s own search for an identity as well as doing things that upset her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf) who is struggling with all sorts of things as her husband Larry (Tracy Letts) had just been laid off.

The script opens with Lady Bird and Marion driving around in the middle of California looking for colleges as it showcases the turbulent relationship they have as the former wants something more while the latter feels like Lady Bird should settle for less and accept the realities of her situation. Lady Bird is moody as she also feels like her mother hates her as she can turn to her easy-going father who is encouraging her despite some of the financial difficulties at home. Yet, Lady Bird also struggles to find love as she would befriend a classmate in Danny O’Neill (Lucas Hedges) who would act in the play she and Julie take part in. Still, Lady Bird becomes attracted to Kyle during Thanksgiving night with Danny, Julie, and a friend as it would lead to trouble with Lady Bird spending time with Kyle and a popular girl in Jenna Walton (Odeya Rush). It adds to Lady Bird’s growing confusion and desire to leave Sacramento but revelations about Kyle as well as dealing with her ambition knowing it would cause some pain between her and her mother.

Gerwig’s direction is very simple as she doesn’t go for a lot of stylistic shots to capture a moment in time in an environment that is quaint and interesting in a city like Sacramento. The city itself is a major character in the film while Gerwig would also shoot on location in Los Angeles and New York City for small bits with the latter is a place that Lady Bird wants to go. While there are some wide shots of the locations including certain places that is key to Sacramento, Gerwig would emphasize more on intimate and simpler compositions in using medium shots and close-ups. Even in the way she captures the interaction between Lady Bird and Marion such as the opening scene of the two listening to a reading of The Grapes of Wrath as it starts off as quaint until they start to argue. It’s among these offbeat moments that add to the humor including Lady Bird’s audition scene for a play and her own campaign posters that she created for class president. Gerwig would also showcase Lady Bird’s need to fit in as she claimed to live in this house that she and Julie would walk pass every once in a while.

Gerwig would also maintain something low-key in the drama to play into the relationship between Lady Bird and Marion in how they react toward one another. Notably in the third act as it relates to Lady Bird’s audition and where she wants to go as Marion’s response is one that is surprising in its restraint. It would showcase that sense of difference in the two women but also how similar they are with Lady Bird forcing to think about the essay she wrote as it relates to her hometown. Especially as the film’s ending has Lady Bird make a decision that would show the sense of maturity that she needs into becoming a young woman but also hold on to the bond between mother and daughter. Overall, Gerwig crafts a compelling and intoxicating film about a young woman dealing with growing pains and her tumultuous relationship with her mother.

Cinematographer Sam Levy does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for many of the scenes set in the day including the daytime exteriors with some low-key lighting for the scenes set at night. Editor Nick Houy does terrific work with the editing as it is very straightforward without delving into a lot of style but does provide some nice rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s humor. Production designer Chris Jones and set decorator Traci Spadorcia do fantastic work with the look of Lady Bird’s room at her house as well as the classrooms and some of the places she goes to.

Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the school uniforms the kid wears as well as the Goth clothing Lady Bird’s brother and his girlfriend wears. Sound editor Paul Hsu does terrific work with the sound as it play into the way music is heard on location as well as some of the sounds that happen at Lady Bird’s home. The film’s music by Jon Brion is brilliant for its low-key score with elements of jazz and pop to play into the humor and drama while music supervisor Michael Hill and Brian Ross provide a fun soundtrack of the kind of music that was being played in the early 2000s such as Bone Thugs N Harmony, Justin Timberlake, and Dave Matthews Band along with a mixture of classical, indie, and folk music that is played throughout the film.

The casting by Heidi Griffiths, Allison Jones, and Jordan Thaler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Kristen Cloke as Julie’s mother, Kathryn Newton as Lady Bird’s classmate Darlene, Laura Marano as a theater performer/classmate in Diana, Marielle Scott as Miguel’s girlfriend Shelly, Jake McDorman as the school’s math teacher Mr. Bruno whom Julie has a crush on, Odeya Rush as a popular girl in Jenna Walton that Lady Bird befriends, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as the school’s drama teacher in Father Leviatch as a man that is still dealing with loss as he tries to teach the kids drama. Jordan Rodrigues is terrific as Lady Bird’s older half-brother Miguel who is trying to find his own path in life after college where he also deals with his sister’s attitude. Lois Smith is fantastic as Sister Sarah Joan as this teacher at the Catholic school who understands Lady Bird’s rebellion as she is this unconventional authority figure that is offbeat but also very funny. Lucas Hedges is superb as Danny O’Neill as a classmate who joins drama as he is someone Lady Bird has feelings for only to see that he is dealing with some personal issues.

Beanie Feldstein is excellent as Julie as Lady Bird’s best friend who feels left out when Lady Bird hangs out with Jenna as she is just trying to deal with high school and finding herself as it’s a funny and heartfelt performance from Feldstein. Timothee Chalamet is brilliant as Kyle as this kid who is also a musician that Lady Bird falls for as he is her idea of what is cool as he is someone that is intriguing although very flawed. Tracy Letts is amazing as Lady Bird’s father Larry as a man dealing with depression over losing his job as he does whatever it takes to encourage Lady Bird and make her feel good. Laurie Metcalf is remarkable as Lady Bird’s mother Marion as a woman that is dealing with her daughter as well as not wanting her to go far away as she also cope with the financial issues as it add to the tension between mother and daughter. Finally, there’s Saoirse Ronan in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as a young woman trying to figure out her identity and desire for culture where Ronan displays that air of humor and humility as a young woman just trying to figure things out as it is a career-defining performance for the actress.

Lady Bird is a sensational film from Greta Gerwig that features incredible performances from Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. Along with its supporting cast, engaging story, sumptuous music soundtrack, and its themes on growing up and trying to find an identity at a young age. It’s a film that showcases life of a young woman dealing with many issues as well as turbulent relationship with her mother who doesn’t want her to deal with disappointment. In the end, Lady Bird is a spectacular film from Greta Gerwig.

Greta Gerwig Films: (Nights and Weekends) - Little Women (2019 film) - Barbie

© thevoid99 2017

Brooklyn (2015 film)

Based on the novel by Colm Toibin, Brooklyn is the story of a young Irish woman who travels to America in the early 1950s where she falls in love with an Italian-American while being pulled back to her homeland. Directed by John Crowley and screenplay by Nick Hornby, the film is an exploration of a young woman trying to find herself in a new world while carrying elements of the old world with her. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters. Brooklyn is a ravishing and evocative film from John Crowley.

Set in 1951, the film is the story of a young Irish woman who is given the chance to go to America with the help of a kindly priest as she encounters her new surrounding where she eventually falls for an Italian-American plumber until she is pulled back to her home. It’s a film that is about this young woman not only trying to find herself in a new world but also carry something of her own homeland where she is often given reminders as the borough of Brooklyn is filled with a lot of Irish immigrants. While the character of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) would endure homesickness and trying to fit in, she would eventually find herself loving her new world as well as being in a relationship with this Italian-American named Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen) who is very different from the men she’s met in her life.

Nick Hornby’s screenplay definitely explores the sense of loneliness and uncertainty Eilis deals with as she would correspond with her old sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) during her stay in Brooklyn where Eilis also has to cope with the expectations of how to present herself in America. While there is that air of culture shock, Eilis does at least get the support of Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), her landlord Madge Kehoe (Julie Walters), and fellow lodgers who are also Irish immigrant to understand the way things work. Even in meeting Tony in a social outing would give Eilis a chance to see America and how diverse it is. The film’s third act would have Eilis return to Ireland because of family where she is drawn to not just changes in her hometown but also the presence of a new man in Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson) who is kind and can offer Eilis a life in Ireland but it would play into the dramatic conflict that she faces.

John Crowley’s direction is truly mesmerizing not just for its look but also in re-creating the look of early 1950s Brooklyn and Ireland. With the locations in Ireland actually shot in areas near Dublin and the small town of Enniscorthy while the scenes set in Brooklyn were mainly shot in Montreal. Crowley creates a distinctive look for each setting as it play into the world that Eilis encounters where he utilizes some close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimacy of her world where she would work at a clothing store in Brooklyn. The scenes shot in Brooklyn have this more dream-like look to play into Eilis’ own growing love for the place as well as for Tony. Crowley’s usage of the wide shots would come into play for the second and third act where the latter would be once again set in Ireland as it plays into a world that is changing but also bear elements that Eilis would remember. Especially as it play into the dramatic conflict that Eilis would endure about whether to stay home in Ireland or return to life she was starting in Brooklyn. Overall, Crowley creates a rapturous yet intoxicating film about an Irish woman’s time in a new world.

Cinematographer Yves Belanger does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of blue-green looks for some of the scenes set in Ireland to the usage of soft colors and lighting schemes for some of the interiors set in Brooklyn. Editor Jake Roberts does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward to play into the drama as well as bits of humor. Production designer Francois Seguin, with art directors Irene O’Brien and Robert Parle and set decorators Suzanne Cloutier, Jenny Oman, and Louise Tremblay, does amazing work with the look of 1950s Brooklyn from the recreation of Coney Island to the look of the clothing shop that Eilis would work at. Costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux does brilliant work with the costumes from the different kind of clothes that Eilis would wear throughout the film as it play into her evolution as a person.

Hair designer Lorraine Glynn and makeup designer Morna Ferguson do nice work with the look of the characters in the hairstyles the women had at the time as well as the kind of makeup they used. Visual effects supervisor Andy Clarke does terrific work with the visual effects as it is mainly set dressing for some of the exteriors set in Brooklyn to recreate its look in the early 1950s. Sound designer Glenn Freemantle does superb work with the sound to play into the dancehalls in both Ireland and Brooklyn as well as some of the raucous sounds that happen in some of the locations in Brooklyn. The film’s music by Michael Brook is wonderful for its somber yet soaring orchestral score that play into the drama without overwhelming it while music supervisor Kle Savidge provides a soundtrack that mixes traditional Irish music with some of the contemporary music of the times.

The casting by Fiona Weir is great as it feature some notable small roles from Eileen O’Higgins as Eilis’ friend Nancy, Peter Campion as Nancy’s boyfriend George, Jenn Murray as an Irish immigrant who comes in during the film’s second half, Paulino Nunes and Ellen David as Tony’s parents, James DiaGiacomo as Tony’s youngest brother Frankie, Mella Caron as a young woman Eilis meets late in the film, and Eva Birthistle as a woman named Georgina who would give Eilis guidance on what to do when arriving in America. Emily Bett Rickards and Nora-Jane Noone are fantastic in their roles as Eilis’ housemates who are also Irish immigrants who are troublesome but fun while Jessica Pare` is terrific as Eilis’ boss Miss Fortini who shows Eilis how to present herself at work as well as give her tips on fashion.

Jane Brennan is wonderful as Eilis’ mother who copes with being alone as well as knowing that Eilis is far away while Fiona Glascott is excellent as Eilis’ older sister Rose who would be the one to get Eilis to America as she would correspond with her during Eilis’ time in America. Brid Brennan is brilliant as Miss Kelly as Eilis’ former employer back in Ireland who is quite cruel as she would have this great moment late in the film as she is a reminder of what Eilis doesn’t like about her home. Julie Walters is amazing as Madge Kehoe as a woman who runs a boarding house for Irish immigrant women to live in as she is this mixture of maternal warmth with a strict demeanor. Jim Broadbent is marvelous as Father Flood as this kind priest who would help Eilis find a place to stay as well as a job as he is this warm figure that is like a father of sorts for Eilis. Domhnall Gleeson is remarkable as Jim Farrell as this kind Irishman who is part of the rugby team as he is this gentleman that fascinates Eilis.

Emory Cohen is phenomenal as Tony Fiorello as this Italian-American who doesn’t play into traditional stereotypes of most Italians as he is someone that has simple ambitions while being very kind and gentlemanly towards Eilis. Finally, there’s Saoirse Ronan in a sensational performance as Eilis Lacey as this young Irish woman who travels to America where she copes with being homesick as well as culture shock where finally comes into her own and find a life in Brooklyn while displaying the anguish and internal conflict of returning to her homeland and the new life she has grown accustom to as it’s a career-defining performance for Ronan.

Brooklyn is a spectacular film from John Crowley that features a radiant performance from Saoirse Ronan. Along with Nick Hornby’s compelling script, gorgeous visuals, and a phenomenal supporting cast, it’s a film that isn’t just this touching story of a young woman in a new world and experiencing love but it is also a story of a woman finding her identity. In the end, Brooklyn is a tremendous film from John Crowley.

John Crowley Films: (Intermission) - Boy A - (Is Anybody There?) - (Closed Circuit)

© thevoid99 2016

2016 Cannes Marathon: Lost River

(Played at the Un Certain Regarde Section at 2014 Cannes Film Festival)

Written and directed by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is the story of a single mother who tries to save her home by taking a mysterious job while her son would try to help where he learns about a mysterious underwater city. The film is a mixture of fantasy with elements of film noir that plays into a world that doesn’t make sense as many characters deal with this strange world they’re in. Starring Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Ben Mendelsohn, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Barbara Steele, and Eva Mendes. Lost River is an evocative yet rapturous film from Ryan Gosling.

Set in Detroit, the film revolves around a single mother trying to raise her two sons as one of them is a teenager and the other is an infant where she takes a mysterious job to save her home while the teenage son deals with a local gangster as he tries to find ways to help his mother. It’s a film that does have a simple story but it also has these elements of surrealism as well as the idea of innocence lost. Even as this small town Billy (Christina Hendricks) is living with her sons Bones (Iain De Caestecker) and the infant Franky (Landyn Stewart) is a place that is just in ruins while it’s nearby this reservoir that is covering a city that used to be there. Ryan Gosling’s script doesn’t just play into this idea of survival but what Billy and Bones have to do as the former has to work for a bank manager who also moonlights as the manager of a strange vaudeville club that emphasizes a lot on macabre imagery.

In the latter, he befriends his neighbor Rat (Saoirse Ronan) who tells him about this mysterious underwater city that used to be there as she believes that this little town could be saved if someone retrieve a piece of the city underwater. Though Bones doesn’t believe that, he still has to deal with the fact that his encounter with the local gangster Bully (Matt Smith) has him become a target where he has to hide as what he does to his enemies are quite gruesome. Even as Rat becomes targeted where Bones realizes what he has to do as does Billy who realizes where the real money is made at this club she is working for. All of which play into a world that has become corrupt and repressive where a mother and son are forced to take action.

Gosling’s direction is definitely very stylized in not just its imagery but also in mood where it a film that feels very dream-like yet rooted in reality. Shot on location in Detroit and areas nearby, the film has this strange mixture of the harsh realities of urban life with its empty and ruined houses that is joined with a world that is very surreal as it relates to the reservoir that Bones encounters and the club that Billy would work at. Gosling’s approach to compositions in his usage of wide and medium shots not only capture a world that is very unique but also one that has a sense of beauty despite its sense of decay. The way he would film certain images or create scenes that play into that mix of ugliness and beauty showcase Gosling’s gift to find that delicate balance as it relates to some scenes between Bones and Rat. The elements of surrealism that is in this club where women pretend to be killed for everyone’s pleasure is quite offbeat in its humor yet it also has something that is dream-like.

Even with Gosling’s approach to close-ups as well as these scenes that are quite strange and comical as it adds to a world that doesn’t make sense for its lead characters. The element of dream-like images mixed in with these strange and harsh surroundings would add to the film’s climax which is quite emotional where both Billy and Bones would make a decision as it relates to the reality they live in. A reality that both know they have to face where it’s no longer about a house they’re trying to save but really themselves and Franky. Overall, Gosling creates a ravishing yet eerie film about a mother and son trying to survive in a decaying environment filled with strange secrets.

Cinematographer Benoit Debie does phenomenal work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic and dream-like images for scenes set in the day along with some of the interiors with its stylish usage of neon lights including some of the scenes set at the club where Billy would work at. Editors Nico Leunen and Valdis Oskarsdottir do excellent work with the editing as they use some stylish jump-cuts to play into some of the drama and action along with some of the offbeat moments in the film where much of the editing is stylized yet adds a lot to what is shown. Production designer Beth Mickle, with set decorator Lisa K. Sessions and art director Erick Donaldson, does amazing work with the look of the club that Billy would work including the secret room as well as the room and home where Rat lives in.

Costume designer Erin Benach does fantastic work with the costumes from the lavish clothes of the women at the club to the look of Bully. Special makeup effects artist Michael Fontaine and prosthetics designer Michael Marino do brilliant work with the look of the macabre, gory makeup Billy and several other women would sport into their stage performances at the club as well as the look of Bully‘s henchman. Visual effects supervisor Janelle Croshaw does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects in the macabre performances at the club as well as a few set-dressing scenes such as the old pathway to an old town that is now underwater.

Sound designer Lon Bender does a superb job with the sound to play into the world of the clubs and some of the locations as well as some of the eerie moments at the home base of Bully. The film’s music by Johnny Jewel is great as it is this mixture of electronic music and ambient to play into some of the drama and surreal moments in the film while music supervisor Richard Walters provides a soundtrack that features some of Jewel’s original music from his Italians Do It Better label from acts like the Chromatics, Desire, Symmetry, Glass Candy, and other songs sung by Saoirse Ronan and Ben Mendelsohn as well as a standard called Deep Purple.

The casting by Kathy Mooney and Jennifer Venditti is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Torrey Wigfield as Bully’s henchman Face, Rob Zabrecky as the club’s MC, Landyn Stewart as Billy’s infant son Franky, Reda Kateb as a kind cab driver who would drive Billy to the club, and Eva Mendes in a superb performance as the club performer Cat who would show Billy the ropes to performing and working at the club including the room where the real money is made. Barbara Steele is terrific in a largely silent role as Rat’s catatonic grandmother who watches old movies based on happier days. Matt Smith is fantastic as the local gangster Bully as a man who instills fear in everyone while being horrific in the way he handles people as it’s a role full of charm and energy. Ben Mendelsohn is excellent as Dave as a bank manager who also moonlights as a club owner where he offers Billy a chance to keep her house but also do things that are very intense.

Saoirse Ronan is brilliant as Rat as this young girl who is a neighbor of Bones as she befriends him while telling him the legend about this underwater city as it’s a performance full of restraint but also charm. Iain De Caestecker is amazing as Bones as a teenager who spends his time stripping down houses where his encounter with Bully nearly gets him in trouble until he encounters what could be the lost city as he realizes it might be the key to get him out of this small town. Finally, there’s Christina Hendricks in a remarkable performance as Billy as this single mother that is trying to save her home from debt where she goes into a world that is very strange only to realize that she is entering a world that is just very dark and complicated.

Lost River is a phenomenal film from Ryan Gosling. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and an intoxicating soundtrack. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules while not being afraid to be weird as well as delve into elements of surrealism and fantasy. In the end, Lost River is a spectacular film from Ryan Gosling.

© thevoid99 2016

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story by Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel is the story of a concierge who asks for the help of a young lobby boy to prove his innocence following the death of an old woman as the woman’s son and his associates try to kill him. Inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, the film is set between two world wars in a fictional European country where the story involves theft, love, mischief, and all sorts of things that is expected in a Wes Anderson film. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Matheiu Almaric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Lea Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, and Bob Balaban. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a rapturous yet exquisite film from Wes Anderson.

Read by a young girl who visit’s the fictional European country of Zubrowka, the film is multi-layered story about the recollections of a young lobby boy who worked for a prestigious hotel in the country that is run by a charming concierge who takes the young boy named Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) as his protégé. After the death of an old lady (Tilda Swinton) whom the concierge Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) had romanced, Gustave is inherited a prized painting much to the dismay of the old lady’s son Dmitri (Adrien Brody) who would have Gustave sent to prison over claims that Gustave killed his mother. With the help of Zero and a young baker named Agatha (Saoirse Ronan), Gustave would do whatever to prove his innocence as the older Zero (F. Murray Abraham) tells this story to a young author (Jude Law) at the hotel his mentor had cherished where the author (Tom Wilkinson) would turn it into a book many years later that the young girl is reading.

Wes Anderson’s screenplay delves into not just themes of nostalgia but also set it into a place in time where things were simpler and had a certain amount of respect where it is largely set in a hotel that was once a place of prestige and elegance where the film is set in three different time periods in 1932, 1968, and 1985 where the ‘68 and ‘85 portions involve the young author reflecting on the story he has created. Much of the narrative is set in 1932 where old Moustafa tells the young author his story where the Grand Budapest Hotel was his home and how he became a part of the world that Gustave has cherished until the death of an old lady would change everything. Especially as her son Dmitri would do whatever to get what he feels he’s supposed to inherit as he would send his henchman J.G. Jopling (Willem Dafoe) to take care of things.

It’s not just the story that makes the film so engaging but also the characters as Gustave is a man who likes to sleep with old ladies and give them the time of their lives while his greatest love is for the Grand Budapest Hotel in which he ensures that it maintains that sense of respect as the hotel of Zubrowska. It would be something that Gustave would have Zero do as it would be the role that Zero would play where this unique friendship between the two starts to form. Especially as Gustave would help Zero woo Agatha into a romantic relationship where the two would help Gustave get out of jail and evade the authorities and Dmitri where the third act would have the trio not only go back to the hotel but also deal with the sense of a world that is changing that would greatly affect the reputation of the hotel.

Anderson’s direction is definitely what is expected from him in terms of his approach to stylish compositions and attention to detail. Yet, he also manages to take some risks with his direction in not just the compositions he creates but also in the framing devices he goes into. Much of the scenes shot in 1932 is presented in a full-frame 1:33:1 aspect ratio to play into that period of time. Anderson’s direction is definitely controlled with that aspect ratio while adding a sense of looseness into the direction in the way he approaches humor. There’s also moments where Anderson utilizes that framing device to create some dazzling medium shots and wide shots where he creates scenes that is a mixture of stop-motion animation, miniature set designs, and some visual effects to play into that world that is Zubrowka.

The scenes between Mr. Moustafa and the young writer are shot in a 1:85:1 widescreen aspect ratio while the scenes involving the old author and the girl reading the book at present time is shot at a 2:35:1 aspect ratio. The 1968 sequence is once again filled with a lot of spectacular wide shots but also present a world that is filled with a sense of loss and sentimentality where the young writer looks into the history of this once great hotel. Anderson’s mixture of humor, drama, action, and adventure adds to many of the aspects of the film’s visual style not matter what aspect ratio is in where he maintains something that is visually-enriching but also captivating in the way he presents the story and the characters in the film. Overall, Anderson creates a very extravagant yet touching film about a concierge and his protégé trying to prove the former’s innocence in a strange murder plot.

Cinematographer Robert Yeomen does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the vibrant interior lights for the scenes at the hotel to some of the exterior settings in day and night to play up the rich look of the country as it‘s shot on location in Germany. Editor Barney Pilling does excellent work with the editing in creating some stylish cuts for some of the film‘s action and humor while also to help structure the story with its different timelines. Production designer Adam Stockhausen, with art directors Stephen O. Gessler, Gerald Sullivan, and Steve Summergill and set decorator Anna Pinnock, does phenomenal work with the set pieces from the look of the hotel itself as well as the design of the bakery boxes that Agatha works for and other decorative pieces as the art direction is a highlight of the film.

Costume designer Milena Canonero does dazzling work with the costumes from the uniforms of the people at the hotel to the lavish clothes of the guests as well as the dark look of Dmitri and his family/associates. Hair and makeup supervisor Heike Merker does brilliant work with the look of the Madame D. character in the way she looks as well as in some of the prosthetic makeup some of the other characters wear including the Mexico birthmark on Agatha‘s face. Visual effects supervisors Andrea Block, Christian Haas, and Gabriel Sanchez do fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects while getting additional help from miniatures designer Frank Schegel and stop-motion animator Andy Biddle to play into the look of the hotel and some of its features.

Sound editor Wayne Lemmer does superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the hotel as well as the prison and other locations in the film. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is just awesome for its mixture of Eastern European-based string music that is dominated by the balalaika that is mixed with some orchestral flourishes as it‘s definitely of Desplat‘s best scores while music supervisor Randall Poster brings in a few pieces of the times to add to the tone of the film.

The casting by Douglas Aibel and Jina Jay is just incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Larry Pine as the Grand Budapest Hotel manager, Jella Niemann as the girl reading the book the author write, Giselda Voldi as Serge’s sister, and as members of a secret society of concierges that Gustave is in, Bob Balaban, Wallace Wolodarsky, Fisher Stevens, and Waris Ahluwalia. Other notable small roles include Lea Seydoux as a housemaid of Madame D., Mathieu Almaric as a servant of Madame D. who would provide crucial information for Gustave, Tom Wilkinson as the older author in the 1980s scene, Owen Wilson as a concierge who fills in for Gustave, Jason Schwartzman as the hotel concierge in the 1968 sequence, and Bill Murray in a very funny performance as a fellow concierge in M. Ivan who is also a member of the secret society of concierges.

Tilda Swinton is wonderful as the aging Madame D. who has cherished Gustave’s kindness as she would leave him a prestigious painting. Harvey Keitel is terrific as the prisoner Ludwig that Gustave would meet as they help each other break out of prison. Jeff Goldblum is superb as the hotel overseer Deputy Kovacs who is also Madame D.’s executor while Edward Norton is excellent as the army inspector Henckels who tries to do what is right while being a friend of Gustave. F. Murray Abraham is amazing as the older Zero Moustafa as a man who displays such grace in his role as a man reflecting on his past while Jude Law is great as the young author who listens to Zero’s story and reflects on a lost place in time.

Adrien Brody is fantastic as the very devilish son of Madame D. in Dmitri who is angry over what Gustave is getting while Willem Dafoe is brilliant as the very chilling J.G. Jopling who seems to have no problem in killing people as it’s definitely a role fitting for Dafoe. Saoirse Ronan is remarkable as the very brave Agatha whose talent for designing elaborate sweets is matched by her ability to do dangerous things in order to help Gustave and Zero. Tony Revolori is marvelous as the young Zero Moustafa as a young man trying to find his place in this hotel while helping Gustave to prove his innocence as it’s a major breakthrough for the young actor who manages to have some great moments with Fiennes. Finally, there’s Ralph Fiennes in a performance for the ages as Gustave as it’s one that is so full of charm where Fiennes really showcases his sense of wit where he is always funny from start to finish while proving to be a man who will fight for the people he cares for.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a magnificent film from Wes Anderson. Armed with a glorious ensemble cast led by Ralph Fiennes as well as dazzling technical work and a fun score by Alexandre Desplat. The film is definitely one of Anderson’s finest in terms of its technical brilliance as well as an engaging story about friendship and finding a home in a troubled world. In the end, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a spectacular film from Wes Anderson.

Wes Anderson Films: Bottle Rocket - Rushmore - The Royal Tenenbaums - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Hotel Chevalier - The Darjeeling Limited - Fantastic Mr. Fox - Moonrise Kingdom - Castello Cavalcanti - Isle of Dogs - The French Dispatch - Asteroid City - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - The Swan - The Rat Catcher - Poison - The Phoenician Scheme - The Auteurs #8: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson Soundtracks: Bottle Rocket - Rushmore - The Royal Tenenbaums - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Seu Jorge-The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions - The Darjeeling Limited - Fantastic Mr. Fox - (Moonrise Kingdom) - (The Grand Budapest Hotel) - (Isle of Dogs)

© thevoid99 2014

Hanna

While 2005’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice and 2007’s Atonement made Joe Wright one of the hottest rising British directors. He went to America in 2008 to helm The Soloist with Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. The film was delayed and pushed to an early 2009 release. Disappointing box office and lukewarm reviews hurt the film as it was also Wright’s most expensive at $60 million only drawing half of its budget through its worldwide box office gross. After some time off, Wright returns to Europe as he also decides to take on a different genre for a cat-and-mouse revenge thriller simply called Hanna.

Directed by Joe Wright with a story by Seth Lochhead and screenplay by Lochhead and David Farr. Hanna tells the story of a young girl who lives alone in the forest with her father as he trains her to be an assassin. When he takes a leave to Berlin, she is finally captured by the CIA where a corrupt agent goes after her following an escape. A change of pace from Wright’s previous period-drama films, Wright reunites with his Atonement co-star Saoirse Ronan who plays the title character as they go for a different kind of action film. Also starring Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, Jessica Barden, and Wright regular Tom Hollander. Hanna is a thrilling yet exciting action-suspense film from Joe Wright and company.

Living alone in a forest, Hanna has been taught by her father Erik Heller (Eric Bana) to kill and fight for her own survival. Erik also teaches his 16-year old daughter different languages though she is still curious about who she is and the world outside as she has no idea about what music is and such rather in their definitions. On a particular day, Erik brings a transmitter as it would reveal their location to the woman who killed Hanna’s mother (Vicky Krieps) named Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). Hanna turns on the transmitter while Erik leaves to go to Berlin as he hopes to meet her later.

Hanna is eventually captured by Wiegler’s associates as she is interrogated by a decoy (Michelle Dockery). Instead, Hanna deposes the decoy and other soldiers as she escapes the high-tech prison as she learns she is in Morocco after being found by a young girl named Sophie (Jessica Barden) who is traveling with her family. Hanna eventually catches up with Sophie and her family as she hides in their van as she finds herself introduced to a world that is very different from what she knows. Marissa meanwhile, goes on the hunt for Erik Heller as she also hires a mercenary named Issacs (Tom Hollander) to find Hanna.

With Hanna traveling with Sophie, her little brother Miles (Aldo Maland), and their parents (Jason Flemyng and Olivia Williams). Hanna finds herself drawn to them as she finds her first real friend in Sophie but wondering about the mysterious presence of Issacs. With Hanna wanting to go to Berlin as Sophie’s parents help her, Hanna sees Issacs as she tries to get them away from Sophie and her family. After evading Issacs, she travels to Berlin to find her father as the address that Erik has given her leads her to a home owned by a man named Mr. Grimm. While Hanna wonders about her own identity based on a DNA sheet that she took from the prison, she learns who she is as she confronts her father and eventually, Marissa.

The film is about this young girl who for all of her life has been trained to be an assassin of sorts while living with her father somewhere in the middle of a forest. She’s trained to become a super-soldier while every word she’s taught is only by its actual definition. The only idea of love that she has is in a picture of her mother and a book of fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers. Upon her capture and escape, Hanna is introduced to the real world where it’s different from everything she’s known. When she meets Sophie and her family, she gets a look of what family life is along with what music is and what it’s like to kiss someone.

There is something very innocent in a girl like Hanna who is just curious about this new world she’s in and when she’s confronted by people who want to get rid of her. She finds a reason to protect this new family she finds herself being accustomed to and learns to care for them. Even as she tries to find something about herself while wondering why this woman named Marissa is going after her and her father.

Eventually, there is a reason why Marissa is going after Hanna and Erik as she is a woman that is a corrupt CIA agent has a very sick demeanor. From the way she brushes her teeth to the shoes she wants to wear as she is kind of a traditional fairy tale villain. Then there’s Erik Heller who is a guy that is just wanting to protect Hanna from Marissa and her henchmen. Yet, he is also someone carrying a secret about Hanna and who she is.

Screenwriters David Farr and Seth Lochhead do a great job with character study on Hanna and Erik though the character of Marissa isn’t as developed. Yet, there isn’t a need since she is a slimy villain. Even as they use flashback for what Marissa did the night Hanna’s mother died. The screenplay definitely does an excellent job in mixing character study, action, drama, and also comedy. Even as it features moments that is very natural with the humor being strange but natural to who Hanna is.

Joe Wright’s direction is definitely marvelous as he definitely goes for a stylistic approach to the action where he does go into convention but also play along with it. Notably a great tracking shot that follows Erik from a bus to a subway where he’s followed and surrounded by men into a fight scene that is all in one take. Even as he has the action play to rhythms and such while creating great compositions to the confrontation scenes and action sequences. For the rest of the film including for the dramatic scenes in Morocco and Spain, it’s straightforward but also engaging since it’s shown from Hanna’s perspective.

Even as she is hiding in the van where she watches Sophie and her family singing David Bowie’s Kooks from Hunky Dory. There’s also some great humor to the film as includes a scene where Hanna and Sophie are hanging around with boys as a boy is trying to get closer to Hanna hoping to kiss her. It’s a very simple, comedic approach that recalls the era of silent films it plays off natural to the awkwardness of it. While all of the action stuff that happens mixed in with the more character-driven study does make the film a bit uneven. Still, Joe Wright does step up his game in terms of presentation and composition as he creates what is definitely a fun action-thriller.

Cinematographer Alwin H. Kuchler does a superb job with the film‘s photography from the snowy scenes in Finland to the varied locations in Morocco, Spain, and Berlin. Kuchler’s photography definitely captures a vibrancy to each location along with interiors including a scene of Hanna in her hotel room to dark lights of the Spanish docking bay where she’s being chased by Issacs and his men. Kuchler’s work is definitely the film’s big technical highlight.

Editor Paul Tothill does an excellent job with the film’s editing from the kinetic rhythm of the action scenes while maintaining a leisured pace for the more dramatic moments. Tothill’s cutting is straightforward while doesn’t lag in its pacing while continuing to keep up with the suspenseful tone of the film.

Production designer Sarah Greenwood, along with set decorator Katie Spencer and art director Niall Moroney, does a wonderful job with the set designs that includes the cabin home that Erik and Hanna lives to the slick world that Marissa lives in. Even as the real highlight of the art direction is Mr. Grimm’s home that is filled with lights and such as it’s definitely plays up to Hanna’s childlike fascination. Costume designer Lucie Bates does a very good job with the costumes from the rugged clothes that Erik and Hanna wear early to the slick, business-like suits that Marissa wears. Even to the bohemian-like clothes that Sophie’s parents wear as the costumes play up to Hanna’s growing curiosity with the world.

Sound designers Craig Berkey and Christopher Scarabosio do a phenomenal job with the sound work from the sparse world of the cold forest to the chaos in the cities and places that Hanna encounters. Particularly with the technology that Marissa surrounds herself with to communicate with other officials along with the intimacy in her world which is very cold.

The film’s score by the Chemical Brothers is a hypnotic yet frenetic score with its array of electronic textures and intense beats. Featuring some great themes that plays up to Hanna’s innocence as well as Marissa’s demeanor, the Chemical Brothers’ score is definitely a real highlight of the film. Even as the soundtrack includes pieces of flamenco, Eastern music, and pop music including David Bowie’s Kooks.

The casting by Jina Jay is amazing for its array of memorable appearances from actors (whose names can’t be found) for roles such as Hanna’s grandmother and the whimsical Mr. Grimm. Other notable small roles include John MacMillan as Marissa’s colleague Lewis, Michelle Dockery as the fake Marissa, Mohamed Majd as a hotel owner in Morocco, and Vicky Krieps in flashback scenes as Hanna’s mother. Aldo Maland is very good as Sophie’s little brother Miles while Jason Flemyng is also good as Sophie’s dad. Olivia Williams is excellent as Sophie’s mother who helps Hanna while being a bit of the lost maternal figure that Hanna never had.

Jessica Barden is superb as Sophie, a teenage girl who befriends Hanna as she helps introduce to a new world while being a bit snotty towards her parents over their bohemian lifestyle. Tom Hollander is great as Issacs, a slimy mercenary who can be a badass but also play it cool from the clothes he wears to his slick blond hair. Eric Bana is brilliant as Erik Heller, Hanna’s father who tries to prepare for a world where she’s chased as he is also a man that can kick ass but also has a warm side to him. While it’s a mostly serious role from Bana, he also allows him to be funny through subtle moments as it’s a fantastic role for the actor.

Cate Blanchett is phenomenal as Marissa Wiegler, a devilish CIA official hell-bent on capturing Erik and Hanna while doing anything she can to get the job done. With Blanchett sporting a Southern accent of sorts, it’s a very stylish yet fun role that Blanchett plays as she also makes her character cool and also, kind of likeable despite how bad she is. Finally, there’s Saoirse Ronan in a magnificent performance in her role as the titular character. Ronan truly sells the idea that a little 16-year old can be a supreme badass from the stunts she does along with her combat skills. Yet, Ronan manages to balance that dangerous side with someone who has a childlike fascination with things that are new to her while showing some subtle humor to how she does things. It’s a very remarkable performance for the young actress who is definitely becoming an actress to watch out for in the years to come.

Hanna is a fun, smart, and hypnotic action-thriller from Joe Wright that features a great cast led by Saoirse Ronan along with some amazing technical work and a brilliant score by the Chemical Brothers. Audiences wanting a different kind of action film that has some conventional ideas but something more will definitely want to see this. Fans of Joe Wright will be relieved to see the young British director refining his tricks while taking on something different as he broadens his range as a storyteller. In the end, Hanna is an excellent yet entertaining film from Joe Wright.

Joe Wright Films: Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Atonement - The Soloist - Anna Karenina

© thevoid99 2011

Atonement

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com at 1/20/08.

In 2005, an unknown director named Joe Wright brought another film adaptation of the beloved Jane Austen novel Pride & Prejudice to the big screen. With an all-star cast led by Keira Knightley, the film became an unexpected hit for the young director as Knightley herself received an Oscar nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennett. Following the film's success, Wright's next plan was to adapt the beloved Ian McEwan about a love affair torn apart by a lie from a young girl who is trying to figure out her sins. The novel known as Atonement was a hit with critics and book readers as Wright chose to expand his ambitions into a huge film adaptation of McEwan's beloved novel.

Directed by Joe Wright with an adapted script by Christopher Hampton, Atonement tells the story of a young rich girl and the son of a housekeeper who fall in love only to be torn apart by a misinterpreted accusation of the girl's young sister. Following this supposed crime, the lovers try to come together during World War II while the young girl is trying to figure out her sins and the truth itself. Reuniting with Keira Knightley, Joe Wright takes a huge leap in making a film that is grander and more harrowing than his previous film. Also starring James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Harriet Waller, Juno Temple, Patrick Kennedy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny Mays, with film director Anthony Minghella, and in the role of Briony, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. Atonement is a rich, powerful study of sin and its effects from director Joe Wright.

It's the late 1930s as a young girl named Briony Tallis (Saorise Ronan) is completing a play she hopes to show when her eldest brother Leon (Patrick Kennedy) is set to return. Meanwhile, everyone is getting prepared as Briony wants to rehearse the play with her young cousins including Lola (Juno Temple) and twins Jackson and Pierrette (Charlie & Felix von Simson). Later that day, Briony talks to her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) about the housekeeper's son Robbie (James McAvoy) who is set to go to medical school with help from Cecilia's father. During a botched rehearsal for Briony's play, Briony sees a moment between Cecilia and Robbie that led to Cecilia jumping into a garden-infested fountain.

Later that day, Leon arrives with a friend named Paul Marshall (Benedict Cumberbatch) who wows Cecilia's cousins with chocolates. With Robbie invited to the dinner by Leon, Robbie's mother Grace (Brenda Blethyn) is amazed at how he’s starting to have a great future as he tries to write a letter to Cecilia about his feelings. Yet, when he sees Briony playing in the garden, he asks her to give the letter to Cecilia but then realizes he makes a mistake when Briony reads the letter that she gave to Cecilia. The night starts to become troubling when Briony catches Cecilia and Robbie having sex. Things become more complicated when Briony's behavior towards Robbie is aggressive when she is asked by her mother (Harriet Waller) to fetch the twins. When the twins aren't in their rooms, everyone goes for a search where Briony sees an incident involving Lola that changes everything.

Four years later in the beginning stages of World War II, Robbie is a soldier in Northern France as he is joined by Tommy Nettle (Danny Mays) and Frank Mays (Nonso Anozie) during a mission in France. Robbie accepted to become a soldier to avoid further jail time for a crime he didn't commit due to Briony's testimony years ago. Robbie thinks about a meeting he had with Cecilia six months before as she has become a nurse with a promise to her that he will return to her. Walking to the north beach of France with Tommy and Frank, the ill Robbie finally reaches the beaches of Dunkirk hoping to be evacuated with the rest of wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, Briony (Romola Garai) has become a nurse in training. Trying to figure out what she saw those years ago, she is trying to write a story while hoping to have contact with Cecilia through unsuccessful attempts. Briony finally understands the horrors of war where at one moment, she tries to comfort a dying French soldier named Luc (Jeremie Renier) as she tries to come to terms with her own misinterpretations.

When she finally finds Cecilia's address where three weeks before Robbie is sent to France, she meets her older sister and Robbie as she reveals what she really saw and everything. Yet, with so much bitterness towards her, Briony remains haunted until by the time she becomes 77-year olds and as a writer, Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) reveals what she wrote and the result of everything that had happened as she comes to terms of these events in her final days.

While Ian McEwan's story of sin and its effects, the film is a study of morality and how simple mistakes and misinterpretations can ruin the lives of people and such. Screenwriter Christopher Hampton and director Joe Wright creates a film about perspectives in the style of what happened and such. The first example is the broken vase scene where Cecilia dives into the fountain to retrieve a broken piece. The first scene is from Briony's young perspective and then the second is from Robbie and Cecilia's. This is a style of storytelling that is made famous by the Akira Kurosawa 1950 classic film Rashomon about a rape & murder told from four different perspectives. It's really a psychological film where Hampton and Wright are trying to get the audience to think about what they've seen and such.

The film is also a character study of sorts from the mind of Briony. Here's a young girl who saw a few things she didn't understand and then, when a crime that she witnesses turns out to go wrong. The motions in event happen as everything falls apart where this girl turned into a young woman is trying to figure out what she really saw and how she can atone herself from these incidents that she caused. Hampton's study of character and sin is really engrossing as the sadness and frustrations in both Robbie and Cecilia for their love together and how these events are forcing them to be apart. While there's an abrupt shift in that moment from Briony's life in World War II to her present time. It conveys the sense of Briony's state of mind from the previous event she just saw as she begins to think about as a 77-year old woman. The script is definitely faithful to Ian McEwan's novel in some respects while it really serves as a film that is part romance and part mystery.

Director Joe Wright whose lush, stylized approach to directing that made his feature-film debut Pride & Prejudice such a delight to watch now takes a huge step forward into crafting his style. The presentations, the compositions he creates as well as the atmosphere from the dream-like world of the Tallis estate with its gardens and ponds to the harsh, desolate world of Dunkirk beach that included an unbroken tracking shot from a steadicam that conveys the sense of horror and sadness. What is clear is that Wright is becoming more confident as a director as he takes the audience back in time to a period where things are tense and such that included such moments of horror during the war. Even Wright's dramatic presentation is more intimate as directs the actor in a theatrical approach, particularly in the Tallis estate scenes and the sequence involving Cecilia, Robbie, and the 18-year old Briony. Overall, Wright has now become a director who is on his way to fulfill his potential.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does some wonderful work with his lush presentation of the Tallis exterior daytime scenes with some intimate lighting in some of the darker, interior scenes in the estate. The nighttime sequences are wonderfully colorful as it conveys the sense of emotion while the war-time scenes are wonderfully shot to convey its horror. Notably a scene where Robbie with his fellow soldiers walk into the woods to see an act of horror that has McGarvey doing some amazing work. Editor Paul Tothill does some great cutting from the use of backwards movement to the perspective cutting. Tothill's editing is truly superb to convey the sense of emotion and action that goes on. Even through the very emotional scene of Briony, Cecilia, and Robbie that has a rhythm to confirm every moment of drama that goes on.

Production designer Sarah Greenwood with art director Ian Bailie and set decorator Katie Spencer do amazing work in the posh look of the Tallis estate with all of its period look in the furniture, antiques, and such while the war-time scenes are great to convey the dirty, working-class look. Even in the ruins of the Dunkirk scenes are wonderfully built to convey the sense of horror and tragedy. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran does great work in the period-style costumes from the swimsuits Knightley and Ronan wears to the dresses that Knightley wears at night and in the wartime scenes. Durran's costumes are wonderfully exquisite to the times as even the men whether in tuxedos or in army gear are great. The sound work of Catherine Hodgson, recordist Danny Hambrook, and mixer Paul Hamblin is wonderful in capturing the atmosphere of war in the arrival of the Dunkirk scene while it's in greater use to the Tallis estate scenes in some of young Briony's writing in mix with Robbie's writing a letter to Cecilia.

The film's music consists of operatic and classical pieces by Claude Debussy and Giacomo Puccini plus wartime music by Walter Kent & Nat Burton and the prayer piece Dear Lord & Father Of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier and Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry are featured. Yet, the music that dominates the film is the sweeping score of Dario Marianelli. Marianelli's score is truly one of 2007's best film scores with its huge arrangements and rhythmic orchestration that includes themes of Briony that is accompanied by a typewriter-rhythm while the more romantic score is very dramatic with flourishing arrangements. The music of the Dunkirk is also sweeping and dramatic with its sense of horror and tragedy as Marianelli creates a score that truly amazing in its own.

The casting by Jina Jay is superb with wonderful small performances from Belgium actor Jeremie Renier as a wounded French soldier, Nonso Anozie as Frank Mays who walks with Robbie in the woods of Northern France, Gina McKee as Briony's head nurse Sister Drummond, Alfie Allen as servant Danny Hardman, film director Anthony Mingella as the interviewer who interviews the 77-year old Briony, Charlie & Felix von Simson as Briony's twin cousins Jackson and Pierrette, and Pride & Prejudice co-stars Peter Wight as a police inspector, and Brenda Blethyn in a great performance as Robbie's caring mother. Harriet Waller is also good as Cecilia and Briony's mother who adores Briony's talents while in shock over Robbie's actions in the crime.

Patrick Kennedy is good as Cecilia's eldest brother Leon while Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent as the charming Paul Marshall. Juno Temple is also excellent as Briony's cousin Lola who manages to become a key player in an incident as she acts a precocious young teenager. One of the film's best supporting performances is Danny Mays as Robbie's fellow soldier Tommy Nettle who brings some humor with some comments but becomes the companion who tries to comfort Robbie in the dire of times.

Keira Knightley delivers a fine performance as Cecilia, a young woman who is deeply in love with Robbie though she couldn't show her feelings publicly. When the love is gone, she is a woman desperate for him as she refuses to have contact with her sister. While it's not as good as her previous collaboration with Wright in Pride & Prejudice, Knightley is at least proving that she's more than a pretty face. James McAvoy delivers an amazing performance as Robbie, a man with ambitions to become a doctor and Cecilia's lover who is good, kind man. When he’s accused of a crime he didn't commit and becomes a soldier, McAvoy's performance is just amazing for his observation and weariness as he sells the sense of frustrations and tragedy of his character. McAvoy and Knightley display amazing chemistry in the scenes they’re in as McAvoy has the look and presence of traditional leading men that came before him.

In the roles of Briony, the trio of actresses for the role are all superb in their performances. Newcomer Saorise Ronan is amazing as the 13-year old Briony, a young girl who has a crush on Robbie and has aspirations to be a writer as she conveys the misguided innocence of a young girl. Ronan's performances in the more dramatic scenes are great for her quick-wit reaction and angst that is displayed as her performance is just unforgettable. Equally as great as well as impressive is Romola Garai as the 18-year old Briony. Garai's performance is astonishing for her sense of restraint in how she tries to come to terms with her actions while not having contact with a lot of people.

Her scene in her attempt to atone for her actions is more surprising as she completely restrains herself from the more dramatic Knightley and forceful McAvoy. It's in that scene that Garai steals the show as she is proving to be one of Britain's finest actresses. Vanessa Redgrave is brilliant in her brief role as the 77-year old Briony who is still trying to find forgiveness in her final days as Redgrave's performance is just powerful for her look and weariness.

Atonement is a rich, powerful, and haunting masterpiece from Joe Wright and company helmed by fantastic performances from Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and the trio of Saorise Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. While fans of the book might have some issues with the adaptation, they will at least enjoy Wright's interpretation of the book. Those who loved Pride & Prejudice will be amazed in what Wright did as a director as his next film will definitely be one to anticipate for. In the end, for a rich film that questions sin and its consequences, Atonement is the film to go see.

Joe Wright Films: Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) - The Soloist - Hanna - Anna Karenina

(C) thevoid99 2011

The Way Back

2003’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was a film that garnered lots of acclaim from critics as it also received several Oscar nominations. Despite the acclaim, the film was a modest hit in the U.S. while its overall grosses worldwide did help cover the film’s massive budget. For its director Peter Weir, it was another of his great films as he would spend the next seven years taking on various projects. Among them was an adaptations of Pattern Recognition by William Gibson and Gregory David Roberts’ Shantaram. Other projects included War Magician and Shadow Divers as none of them got past the development stage. Weir finally got a project going based on the true story about a group of prisoners escaping the Siberian Gulag during World War II based on The Long Walk by Slawomir Rawicz that would be entitled The Way Back.

Directed by Peter Weir with an adapted script by Weir and Keith Clarke. The Way Back tells the story of a young Polish POW who is sent to the cold Siberian prison where he meets fellow prisoners from around the world. The young man along with other prisoners decides to escape the prison as they go into a treacherous journey through the cold mountains of Siberia and into the desert where they‘re later joined by an orphaned teenaged girl from Poland. Starring Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Gustaf Skarsgard, Dracos Bucur, and Ed Harris. The Way Back is an exhilarating and adventurous film from Peter Weir.

It’s 1939 as Janusz (Jim Sturgess) is being interrogated for possible crimes in being a spy which he denies. When his wife (Sally Edwards) reveals, under torture, that he did commit crime, he is sent to the Gulag in Siberia for twenty years. Entering the Gulag in 1941, Janusz meets an actor named Khabarov (Mark Strong) who claims to know a way to escape the Gulag. Yet, Janusz learns from an American prisoner named Smith (Ed Harris) that Khabarov is just trying to make his own way out as Janusz refuses to give up. When a brutish, tattooed prisoner named Valka (Colin Farrell) overhears a conversation with Janusz and Khabarov, he decides to join in Janusz’s plan to escape.

Joining Janusz, Smith, and Valka for the escape are four other men that consists of a Lativan priest named Voss (Gustaf Skarsgard), a Yugoslav accountant named Zoran (Dracos Bucur), an artist named Tomasz (Alexandru Potocean), and a 17-year old Polish boy named Kazik (Sebastian Urzendowsky). During a snowstorm and a blackout in the prison, the men escape as they trek through the cold forest of Siberia as they make their way South in hopes of reaching Mongolia. Along the way, they go further into the mountains hoping to reach a lake while they wear wooden masks during the heavy snowstorm. During the long journey, Janusz finally finds the lake as everyone goes to the lake.

Along the way, they learned that a young Polish girl named Irena (Saoirse Ronan) has been following them as Smith isn’t sure in taking another person to the journey. Still, she follows them as they reluctantly let her join the trek to Mongolia. Encountering everything from mosquitoes to icy waters, they finally reach the Russian-Mongolian border only to learn that Mongolia is a Communist state. Realizing that the only place to go to is India for freedom, the group goes on a trek through the Gobi desert where they have to deal with all sorts of challenges to get across to their destination.

The film’s plot about a group of men and a young girl trekking through Siberia to India seems like the kind of film that doesn’t really do much in terms of plotting. In the hands of Peter Weir, it becomes an extraordinary experience about endurance and survival. Though the film’s opening dedication does spoil the ending which is the only big mistake the film makes. Weir and co-screenwriter Keith Clarke decides that the film shouldn’t just be about the journey but also the characters.

Janusz is the character who drives the film as he knows he’s innocent and hopes to return to his wife whom he loves and knows that she is carrying a lot of guilt for putting him in prison. He is then joined by several characters who would help him escape and take part in this journey. While there are a couple of minor characters like the shady Khabarov and the young Kazik that do get a chance to shine. They’re just minor players who would help everyone else. Smith is an American who came to Russia to find work only to be suspected as spy. Smith is the old man who would be Janusz’s right hand man as he’s also someone not very sentimental as he tells Janusz about his kindness which he perceives as a weakness.

Yet, the arrival of Irena would become the person that the men in the journey would feel protective for. She becomes their angel of sorts as at one point during an encounter with Mongolians in the desert. Smith would say that Irena is his daughter as their relationship becomes somewhat of a father-daughter relationship as the rest of the men are her brothers. The character of Valka is a brutish man who is an admitted thief and is willing to do anything to survive. Yet, he becomes someone who would help everyone for their survival while maintaining his belief as a man who loves Stalin despite everyone else’s opinions.

It’s not just Weir’s ability for audience to get to know these characters which include other supporting characters like Tomasz, Voss, and Zoran as they would bring their own personalities to the journey. Even as the film would have bits of humor through the dialogue as some of it is in Russian and Polish. The screenplay also has a great structure in how to tell the story despite not having a lot of plot-points or conventional story ideas. Though it would lag in a few places, the overall work in the script is superb.

Weir’s direction for the film is definitely top of the line in what is expected from a cinematic master. Shooting on location in places like Bulgaria for the scenes in Siberia plus other locations such as Morocco, Pakistan, and India for the rest of the film. Weir takes audiences into a journey as if they’re part of this long walk from Siberia to India as he always has the camera following the group or have long shots of them walking together. Part of Weir’s brilliance as a director is him always having a wide depth of field where he allows the audience to soak the vast locations they’re walking on.

Whether its coldness of the snow and heavy storms in Bulgaria as Siberia or the big sandstorms the group encounters in the desert. Weir allows the audience to get a feeling of the location with close-ups of the ground or vast long shots. There is always something that Weir is interested in and he’ll shoot it. Even if with actors interacting with nature while taking a chance to even get in touch with where they’re at. It’s definitely directing at its finest as Weir secures another film that goes up there with his vast filmography.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does an amazing job with the film’s vast, sprawling camera work as he creates naturalistic images that are truly dazzling on film. From the snowy regions near the Himalayas and other mountains to the wondrous deserts. Boyd’s photography is truly exquisite not just for its realistic look at the locations but also in playing to the emotional tone of the film as creates dream-like images for scenes at night as well as a mirage-like sequence. Boyd’s work is definitely top-notch in what is expected for a film like this.

Editor Lee Smith does an excellent job with the film’s editing which is mostly straightforward as it moves quite well for a film with a near two-and-a-half hour running time. Smith also manages to keep the film going with rhythmic cuts for some intense, fast-paced scenes while a lot of the scenes of walking is slow but in a leisured pace.

Production designer John Stoddart and art director Kes Bonnet do a fine job with the few set pieces made for the film such as the prison where the prisoners were staying early on to the Soviet Union-Mongolia border arc they encounter. Costume designer Wendy Stites does a very good job with the ragged costumes the characters wear including the dress that Irena wears and the pants and boots the men wear in their journey. Sound editor Richard King does a spectacular job with the film’s sound in capturing the broad atmosphere of the locations the characters encounter whether it’s the snowstorms or a sandstorm. King’s work is definitely one of the film’s technical highlights

Music composer Burkhard von Dallwitz brings a wonderful epic, soaring score that plays to the journey of the characters. Filled with sweeping string arrangements and a huge orchestra, von Dallwitz’s score is definitely one of the film’s highlights as it helps play up to the film’s vast presentation.

The casting by Lina Todd is wonderful for what is definitely inspired casting not just for its well-known actors but also lesser-known ones. Smaller performances such as Sally Edwards as Janusz’s wife, Zahary Baharov as the interrogator in the opening scene, Stanislav Pishtalov as the prison superintendent, and Sebastian Urzendowsky as Kazik, the young prisoner suffering from night blindness. Alexandru Potocean is excellent as Tomasz, an artist who makes drawings as he keeps the morale of the group high while being a dreamer with high hopes. Gustav Skarsgard is amazing as Voss, a former priest hoping to find a home to maintain some kind of spirituality for those seeking something to believe in as he has a great scene where he and Saoirse Ronan are inside a decayed Buddhist temple.

Dracos Bucur is superb as Zoran, a Yugoslav accountant who brings some much needed humor to the film whether is the desire for salt or maintaining some kind of hope needed once they reach their destination. Mark Strong is very good in a small role as Khabarov, an actor who has the idea to escape prison but doesn’t believe anything will happen. Colin Farrell is phenomenal as Valka, a thug who is very pro-Stalin as he is an admitted thief but a person who cares about freedom as he helps his friends to their journey. Saoirse Ronan is just spectacular in her role as Irena, a young Polish girl who forges an unlikely bond with the prisoners. Even in her scenes with the more cynical Smith where the chemistry between Ronan and Ed Harris is one of the film’s touching yet low-key moments.

Jim Sturgess gives what is definitely his best performance yet as Janusz. A young man desperate to return home as his willingness to escape and go home becomes one of the key moments into why the film is so captivating to watch. Even as tries to maintain hope for his group as Sturgess proves himself to be a capable lead when he’s armed with a great cast. Finally, there’s Ed Harris in one of his best roles as Mr. Smith. A cynical American who came to the Soviet Union for work only to be in prison as he tries to maintain a realist approach to the journey. Even in being an unlikely father figure for both Janusz and Irena as he also some great scenes with the rest of the cast as Harris solidifies his position as one of the finest actors working today.

The Way Back is an amazing film from Peter Weir and company. Featuring a great ensemble cast led by Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, and Colin Farrell along with new discovers in Dracos Bucur, Gustav Skarsgard, and Alexandru Potocean. It’s a film that is a great testament of courage and survival as its captured through masterful filmmaking. Fans of Weir will no doubt enjoy the film for its adventurous vision and large canvas as it’s something that should be seen more. In the end, The Way Back is a stunning yet engrossing film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) - Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) - The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - The Year of Living Dangerously - (Witness) - (Mosquito Coast) - Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) - (Fearless) - (The Truman Show) - Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

© thevoid99 2011