Set from 1947 to 1963 with an epilogue set in 1980, the film is about a Hungarian-Jewish architect who arrives in America where a wealthy man later asks him to create something in tribute to his mother only for things to get complicated and troublesome. It is a film that is an exploration of ambition and art with this man being at the center of wanting to create something big, but he is forced to answer to the wills of this industrialist who would undermine everything. The film’s screenplay by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold is set into two different parts given the scale of the story of this man who is known for creating architecture that is unique in its brutalist style. The first scenes does not show its main character but rather his niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) as she is being interrogated by Soviet officials in the aftermath of World War II where her uncle Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) is on a ship to America where he arrives in New York City.
The film then goes into its first part, entitled The Enigma of Arrival in which Laszlo arrives in Philadelphia where his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) meets and tells him the news that Laszlo’s wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and Zsofia are alive through a letter as Laszlo would correspond with her as they continue to be stuck in Europe. In Philadelphia, Laszlo would work for Attila and his wife Audrey (Emma Laird) as the latter takes a disliking towards Laszlo as they sell furniture while also do renovation work where Attila is approached by a man in Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) about renovating a library for his father in the industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) as a surprise. Aiding Laszlo is the African single father Gordon (Isaach de Bankole) whom Laszlo befriended during a food line where they share a love for heroin which Laszlo uses for pain in his body only to become addicts. The first half of the film is set in the span of five years from 1947 to 1952 where Laszlo would later meet Harrison, who is impressed with what Laszlo has done as he wants him to create an ambitious project in tribute to his late mother.
The second half of the film entitled The Hardcore of Beauty is set from 1953 to 1960 when Erzsebet and Zsofia finally arrive in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where Laszlo lives and works, yet Laszlo is shocked that Erzsebet suffers from osteoporosis while Zsofia has become temporarily mute because of war. The second half would have Laszlo deal with Van Buren’s consultants who try to undermine what Laszlo wants with Erzsebet observing everything around her, including Van Buren, whom she sees as charming but does not find him to be trusting. Even as an accident would force Van Buren to scrap the project temporarily until a few years later where he asks Toth to travel to Italy to meet with a colleague of Toth in Orazio (Salvatore Sansone) who introduces him to a special kind of marble but things between Toth and Van Buren becomes troublesome. The script plays into the plight that immigrants go through in America with Erzsebet realizing that her husband is unraveling as she learns things about what happened to him while is also dealing with her own physical pain.
Corbet’s direction is immense in its overall presentation as it is shot in the VistaVision widescreen presentation for 35mm film and on various locations such as Venice, Italy for its epilogue with much of the film shot on location in Budapest along with other locations in Hungary and Italy with additional shots in New York City. The film plays into this air of post-war uncertainty as Corbet uses long tracking shots to play into Toth’s encounter with his surroundings as one of the first big shots of the film is Toth seeing the Statue of Liberty upside down. The shot symbolizes what Toth would expect throughout the film as he arrives in New York City as part of its prologue where the body of the film’s first half is set in Doylestown where he meets his cousin Attila. Corbet’s usage of wide and medium shots do help bring in the sense of space that plays into the world that Toth encounters whether it is at the Van Buren mansion or the building that Toth is creating for Van Buren. The wide shots also play into the landscape of Pennsylvania as it includes these exhilarating shots of cars, buses, and trains speeding in a long take. The last of which would be a key moment in the film’s second half where Toth’s relationship with Van Buren begins to falter.
Corbet would also play with aspect ratios as it plays into the creation of this building that Van Buren wants as well as scenes set in Italy where they meet Orazio for some marble as well as meeting people who were part of an anarchist group during World War II. It is a sequence that plays into many revelations about Van Buren who would also discover Toth’s own issues as it relates to his heroin addiction that would lead to a traumatic event for Toth. The second half when Erzsebet arrives as she is a woman that is defiant where Corbet uses some close-ups to play into a woman that has been through a lot of her own trauma while is also dealing with pain that Zsofia can sooth with some medication. The scenes where Erzsebet meeting with Van Buren are filled with ambiguity, including a shot of Harry walking behind Zsofia as it raises some questions that Erzsebet has about Van Buren. The film’s epilogue set in 1980 at Venice with Zsofia as an adult (Ariane Labed) as she talks about the journey that her uncle has taken into his work as it plays into the myths and misconceptions of the American dream with Toth being confronted with these truths. Even as he deals with things that are traumatic and what this building that he created really means to him. Overall, Corbet crafts as grand and evocative film about a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant’s desire for the American dream only to realize that is a myth.
Cinematographer Lol Crawley does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of the VistaVision format allows him to emphasize unique shots in the natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior shots as well as some unique low-key and colorful lighting for the interior scenes at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor David Janco does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of montages that includes stock footage as well as some jump-cuts for some scenes as well as knowing when to cut for some of the long shots. Production designer Judy Becker, along with supervising art director Csaba Lodi plus set decorators Patricia Cuccia and Mercedesz Nagyvaradi, does tremendous work with the look of the Van Buren estate as well as the shop that Attila and Audrey run as well as the design of the building that Toth is building for Van Buren as it is another highlight of the film. Costume designer Kate Forbes does excellent work with the costumes from the expensive clothing that Van Buren and his family wear to the ragged clothes that Toth would wear during his time after being kicked out by Attila.
Hair/makeup designer Gemma Hoff does terrific work with the look of Toth in the bearded look he would have briefly to the hairstyles of the women including Maggie Van Buren with her hairstyle. Special effects supervisor Endre Korda and visual effects supervisor Artem Isaakyan do fantastic work with the visual effects for scenes that are set dressing such as a scene involving a train as well as the look of the building as it is getting built from afar. Sound designer Andy Neil and sound editor Steve Single do superb work with the sound in the way small things sound up close or from afar as well as the way construction machines sound from afar as it is among one of the highlights of the film.
The film’s music by Daniel Blumberg is phenomenal for its grand and sweeping music score with bombastic horn arrangements, discordant string arrangements, somber woodwinds, and themes that play into the sense of yearning and horror that includes an electronic piece for its epilogue with additional contributions by Vince Clarke. Music supervisor James A. Taylor does wonderful work cultivating a music soundtrack that features music from the 1950s and 1960s ranging from jazz music to pop music from the likes of Paul Anka and an electro-pop piece from the 80s by La Bionda.
The casting by Kristina Ederly and Cassandra Kulukundis is great as it feature some notable small roles from the duo of Charlie Esoko and Zephan Hanson Amissah as the younger and teenage version of Gordon’s son William, Benett Vilmanyi as Zsofia’s lover Binyamin in the film’s third act, Salvatore Sansone as Toth’s Italian friend Orazio who would show him the marble that he creates in Italy, Peter Polycarpou as Van Buren’s Jewish lawyer Michael Hoffman who would help get Erzsebet and Zsofia out of Europe, Maria Sand as Hoffman’s wife who is one of the few that is kind to Toth and his family, Michael Epp as an architectural consultant that Toth spars with, Jonathan Hyde as Van Buren’s contractor Leslie Woodrow who is baffled by what Toth wants in the construction of Van Buren’s building, and Ariane Labed as the older Zsofia in the 1980 epilogue where she makes a speech about her uncle’s work. Emma Laird is terrific as Attila’s wife Audrey who takes a disliking towards Toth believing that he is a nuisance as she makes a false accusation about him to Attila. Alessandro Nivola is superb as Toth’s cousin Attila who has assimilated into Catholicism as he helps Toth get a job only to kick him out due to the lie that Audrey made.
Isaach de Bankole is brilliant as Gordon as an African immigrant that Toth befriends as he would work closely with Toth where he also grounds him despite their heroin addiction which Gordon would later wean away from as he later becomes troubled by Toth’s erratic behavior late in the film. Stacy Martin is fantastic as Maggie Van Buren as Van Buren’s adult daughter who is the kindest of the Van Buren family as she is someone who manages the home while also doing whatever she can to help the Toths including a scene in the film involving Erzsebet. Joe Alwyn is excellent as Maggie’s twin brother Harry Lee, who is a slimy and entitled person that is hoping to win his father’s approval while also does a lot to make Toth uncomfortable as he also tries to seduce Zsofia into one scene that is filled with ambiguity. Raffey Cassidy is amazing in a dual role as Toth’s niece Zsofia who spends part of the film mute because of the war as a young woman that observes everything around her while she later regains her voice as she wants to move to Israel. Cassidy’s other role in the film is Zsofia’s daughter in the 1980 epilogue.
Guy Pearce is great as Harrison Lee Van Buren as a wealthy industrialist who is a powerful figure that hires Toth to create a community center in tribute to his mother where he deals with all sorts of things while wanting to own Toth in some way. Pearce has a sense of charm in his performance that is a cover for something sinister as a man that wants it all including Toth himself in the worst ways. Felicity Jones is tremendous as Erzsebet Toth as a Dachau Holocaust survivor who suffers from osteoporosis where Jones brings a subtle quality to a woman ravaged by a disease while she is also an observer into who Van Buren is and what he is doing to her husband. Jones also plays into this sense of restrained physicality as a woman that is suffering from a terrible disease yet her resilience to smell bullshit a mile away as her last scene in the film is one of terror and ferocity. Finally, there’s Adrien Brody in a spectacular performance as Laszlo Toth as a Holocaust survivor who goes to America hoping to reach the American Dream where Brody brings this gravitas of a man that has been through a lot yet is also hopeful until he endures a lot of obstacles and tribulations that would put him in dark places. Brody also maintains this sense of weariness in the many tribulations he endures as there is an anguish in what he brings as it is a career-defining performance from Brody.
The Brutalist is an outstanding film by Brady Corbet that features a sensational leading performance from Adrien Brody as well as top-notch supporting performances from Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce. Along with its ensemble cast, grand visual presentation, its study of ambition and the mythos of the American dream, and Daniel Blumberg’s evocative music score. It is a film that harkens back to legendary American epics as well as being this study of a man’s desire to reach the American Dream only to realize that it is a myth. In the end, The Brutalist is a magnificent film by Brady Corbet.
Brady Corbet Films: (The Childhood of a Leader) – Vox Lux
© thevoid99 2025
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
Written and directed by Brady Corbet from a story by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, Vox Lux is the story of a pop singer trying to get her career back on track while dealing her past that included her response to a school shooting that prompted her and her sister to write a song. The film is a study of a woman dealing with stardom and the craziness of it while trying to be a mother to a teenage daughter. Starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Jennifer Ehle, Christopher Abbott, and narration by Willem Dafoe. Vox Lux is a riveting yet haunting film from Brady Corbet.
After surviving a school shooting that left her nearly paralyzed and force her to wear a neck brace for the rest of her life, a young girl writes a song with her sister in response to what happened as it would later make her into a pop star where she later struggles with the demands of stardom and motherhood as an adult. It’s a film that is essentially a character study of sorts that showcases this young woman who has been affected by tragedy as she tries to comprehend what had happened. Brady Corbet’s screenplay has an unusual structure in its study of Celeste Montgomery (Natalie Portman) from the time she was a teenage girl (Raffey Cassidy) who created a song with her older sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin) and then becoming a young pop star to being a major pop star who has become full of herself.
The film’s narration by Willem Dafoe provide some context into what Celeste would deal with but also events that would cause trouble in making Celeste lose touch with aspects of reality. Even in the film’s second act where she’s an adult with a teenage daughter in Albertine (Raffey Cassidy) just as she’s about to release a new album and launch a new tour. Yet, there’s still a lot of issues that Celeste is dealing with while is becoming more problematic while being estranged towards her older sister who has been taking care of Albertine. All of the drama as well as chaos that surrounds Celeste forces her to say things through her music although scandals and her own actions are starting to overshadow the music at a time when branding and image becomes more important.
Corbet’s direction is entrancing for his approach into telling the story of a young pop star’s life and her emergence into adulthood as it is shot on various locations with much of the film’s second half shot in New York City and nearby areas. While there are some wide shots of the locations and the film’s climatic concert sequence, much of Corbet’s direction emphasizes on medium shots and close-ups along with home movie video footage. The home movie footage that include Dafoe’s narration play into the innocence that the young Celeste and Eleanor endured where the former is to be signed with Eleanor on board as not just as a songwriter but also someone who is watching over the young Celeste. There’s a looseness to those moments in the home movie footage where the sisters travel to New York City and later Stockholm and London to make Celeste’s debut album with their manager (Jude Law) as it would later devolve into craziness. There are a lot of tracking shots and long-takes such as an early scene of the school shooting where it’s sudden and visceral in its execution.
When the film shifts towards the second half as it is set more than 15 years after the events where the young Celeste is making her first album. The film does have a different tone where does feel more polished in its camera movements and compositions. Most notably a diner scene between Celeste and Albertine as they talk where the former goes off on the diner’s manager all because he politely asked for a picture. The climatic concert scene that includes choreography by Benjamin Millipied is definitely extravagant yet it also play into this persona that Celeste has created as a way to escape from the horrors of the world despite the fact that she is indirectly connected to a recent event of violence. Still, it does reinforce the role of the pop singer and how they use music to heal despite their own flaws and artificial world they live in. Overall, Corbet crafts an evocative yet harrowing film about the tumultuous life of a pop singer.
Cinematographer Lol Crawley does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward in terms of the visuals with some unique lighting for some of the interiors as well as the film’s climatic concert scene. Editor Matthew Hannam does fantastic work with the editing as it utilizes a few jump-cuts and montages with the latter for the home movie footage. Production designer Sam Lisenco, with set decorators Kendall Anderson and Olivia Peebles plus art director Julia Heymans, does brilliant work with the look of Celeste’s stage set as well as the scenes in the school and at Stockholm such as the recording studio and hotel rooms. Costume designer Keri Langerman does amazing work with the look of the clothes that the adult Celeste would wear that would play into this larger-than-life persona as well as be this idea of cool while everyone else looks a bit casual with Albertine sort of dressed up as a Goth.
Visual effects supervisor Asaf Yeger does nice work with some of the visual effects as it’s mainly set-dressing for some parts of the film including exteriors of 2000-2001 NYC. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does superb work with the sound in creating some effective sound mixes such as the sounds of gunshots as well as how music sounds in a venue or the atmosphere of a hotel room. The film’s music by Scott Walker is wonderful for its usage of ambient and classical-based pieces that help play into the drama while the original songs by Sia are effective and catchy as its approach to electro-pop have something that is engaging with the rest of the music soundtrack by music supervisor Margaret Yen include a couple of tracks by Sunrise in the Desert.
The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Matt Servitto and Meg Gibson as Celeste and Eleanor’s parents, Maria Dizzia as Celeste’s music teacher early in the film, Daniel London as a preacher early in the film, Leslie Silva as Celeste’s stylist, Micheal Richardson as a musician the young Celeste meets in Europe, and Christopher Abbott as a journalist who interviews the older Celeste and eventually piss her off. Jennifer Ehle is fantastic as Celeste’s publicist Josie who is trying to ensure Celeste’s career is going well as well as being realistic to the point that she is also protective of her during the latter parts of Celeste’s career. Jude Law is excellent as Celeste’s manager as a man who would handle the business aspects of Celeste’s career but also try and get her to be reasonable later on while he would unknowingly help cause the rift between Celeste and Eleanor.
Stacy Martin is brilliant as Eleanor as Celeste’s older sister who would be her collaborator in writing the songs they create as well as introduce her to all sorts of things that would later play into their rift with Martin displaying a restraint as someone who feels mistreated by the person she’s caring for. Raffey Cassidy is great in a dual role as the young Celeste and Celeste’s daughter Albertine where Cassidy displays an innocence and charm as the younger Celeste who is also aware of what happened to her and the need to connect which would be something Cassidy would delve into as Albertine as a young girl trying to understand her mother’s state of mind. Finally, there’s Natalie Portman in a spectacular performance as the older Celeste Montgomery as a pop star that is trying to make a comeback with a new album and tour where Portman is unleashed in displaying someone who can really bitchy and mean but also someone who is quite fragile as she needs to escape from the realities of celebrity by just singing as it’s a tour-de-force performance from Portman.
Vox Lux is a sensational film from Brady Corbet that features tremendous performances from Natalie Portman and Raffey Cassidy. Along with its supporting cast, study of trauma and escape, and an incredible music soundtrack from Scott Walker and Sia. It’s a film that explore the mind-set of a pop star who has been affected by tragedy forcing her to create a bubble that disconnects itself with reality with music being her saving grace. In the end, Vox Lux is a phenomenal film from Brady Corbet.
Brady Corbet Films: (The Childhood of a Leader) - The Brutalist
© thevoid99 2018
(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on the collection of tales Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile, Tale of Tales is a collection of stories that would become the basis for many different fairy tales that are told in a surrealistic presentation. Directed by Matteo Garrone and screenplay by Garone, Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, and Massimo Guadioso, the film follows three different stories that mixes elements of realism and surrealism. Starring Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, Kathryn Hunter, Shirley Henderson, Stacy Martin, Hayley Carmichael, Alba Rohrwacher, Jessie Cave, and Vincent Cassel. Tale of Tales is a rich yet offbeat film from Matteo Garrone.
Based on three different stories by Giambattista Basile, the film revolves around the fate of three different kingdoms and their encounter with something mysterious and unique. The first of which involves a barren queen whose husband sacrifices himself to get the heart of a sea monster for a virgin to prepare where both women would give birth to an albino boy who become friends much to the queen’s dismay. The second story involves a king who becomes fascinated by a flea in his hand during a performance from his daughter as he keeps it as a pet until its passing where an ogre identifies its skin and takes the princess. The third and final story involve two old women who enchant a womanizing king with an operatic voice as one of them tries her best to look young as she later meets a witch who would do that leaving the other sister behind wanting to be young.
The film’s screenplay would crisscross through each different story though the characters from all three different stories would rarely meet as it play into a world where these character all want something. Each narrative would build up into something such as the Queen of Longtrellis (Salma Hayek) is keen on winning the affection of her son Elias (Christian Lees) but he’s more concerned in maintaining his close friendship with the peasant boy Jonah (Jonah Lees). The story of the King of Highhills (Toby Jones) and his love for the flea would be a story about neglect as it relates to his daughter in the Princess Violet (Bebe Cave) whom he unknowingly gives her away to an ogre (Guillaume Delauanay) because he correctly guessed the skin of the king’s dead pet. The story about the King of Strongcliff (Vincent Cassel) and the two old women in Dora (Hayley Carmichael) and Imma (Shirley Henderson) relates to Dora’s desire to be young and become the object of desire for this lustful king. All of these stories share the common theme of selfishness as well as neglect and sin.
Matteo Garrone’s direction is definitely very stylish as it has elements of surrealism as well as references to classic fairytales. Shot on various locations in Italy, the film does play into that world of medieval times as it is the right setting for where these fairytales were created as it also borders into the world of the absurd. Garrone would use a lot of wide shots to capture not just the scope of the locations including the different kingdoms but also in the castles themselves as they all display a different personality into the people who rule them. There are also usages of close-ups and medium shots to establish the characters and their situation as Garrone would infuse moments that are very dark but also have this odd sense of surrealism where it is obvious that Garrone is taking some of his ideas from the works of Federico Fellini. Still, Garrone would provide his own ideas of style as it relates to some of the violence that Elias and Jonah would encounter as would Princess Violet and Imma in their own stories. Overall, Garrone creates a chilling yet whimsical film about three royal leaders and their selfishness.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of unique lighting schemes for some of the interiors including the scenes at night as well as the naturalistic look for some of the daytime exteriors. Editor Marco Spoletini does nice work with the editing as it is quite straightforward with some stylish cuts to play into some of the offbeat humor and drama as well as in some of the transitions. Production designer Dimitri Capuani, with set decorator Alessia Anfuso and supervising art director Gianpaolo Rifino, does amazing work with the look of the castle interiors as well as some of the look of the caves and places the characters encounter. Costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini does incredible work with the costumes from the lavish gowns some of the women wear to the clothes of the man including the ragged look of some of the characters including Imma and Dora.
Hair designer Francesco Pegoretti and makeup designer Gino Tamagnini, with special makeup effects and creature supervisor Luigi D’Andrea, do fantastic work with the look of Imma and Dora as old women as well as the wigs of some of the characters as well as the look of the sea monster. Special effects supervisor Leonardo Cruciano, along with visual effects supervisors Bruno Albi Marini and Nicola Sganga, does terrific work with the visual effects as it’s mainly some set dressing as well as in the design of the flea and its movements. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does superb work with the sound in creating some sound effects as well as capture much of the atmosphere in the recorded sounds at the different locations in the film. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is great as it is one of the film’s major highlights with its rich orchestral-based score as well as in the string and piano arrangements.
The casting by Jina Jay is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Kathryn Hunter as a witch that Dora meets, Franco Pistoni as a necromancer who gives the Queen of Longtrellis instructions on what she has to do to get a baby, Guillaume Delaunay as the ogre who takes Princess Violet as his bride, Massimo Ceccherini as a circus performer who would save Princess Violet, Alba Rohrwacher as a circus performer who would see Princess Violet and plan her rescue, Jessie Cave as a sweetheart of Jonah, and John C. Reilly in a small but superb performance as the King of Longtrellis as the man who would hunt down the sea monster and get his heart for his wife. Christian and Jonah Lees are terrific in their respective roles as Elias and Jonah as two albino young men who have a strange connection to each other as if they’re brothers as they try to hold on to their friendship against the demands of Elias’ mother. Hayley Carmichael is wonderful as the older Dora as a woman with an angelic voice who craves to be with the lustful King of Strongcliff while Stacy Martin is fantastic as the young yet more vain version of Dora.
Shirley Henderson is excellent as Dora’s sister Imma as an old woman who would help her sister woo the King of Strongcliff as she would be left behind as she is desperate to try and find a way to become young again. Bebe Cave is brilliant as Princess Violet as a young woman eager to get the attention of her father as she is suddenly put into a situation that she didn’t want to be in forcing her to deal with matters by herself. Toby Jones is amazing as the King of Highhills as a king who becomes attentive towards a flea he would keep as a pet as he would put his daughter into a contest unwilling to go against his word as king. Vincent Cassel is remarkable as the King of Strongcliff as a man who lusts over beautiful women as he is someone that is quite vain as well as eager to fulfill his own desires. Finally, there’s Salma Hayek in a phenomenal performance as the Queen of Longtrellis as a woman eager to have a child and hold on to it as it’s a performance filled with anguish but also a determination of someone who is selfish in her love for her son and refusing to think what is best for him.
Tale of Tales is a sensational film from Matteo Garrone. Featuring a great ensemble cast, an inventive screenplay with very compelling themes, dazzling visuals, and a sumptuous score by Alexandre Desplat. The film is definitely a strange yet intriguing film that explores the fallacies of desires and power in the hands of people who are consumed with their own bullshit. In the end, Tale of Tales is an enchanting and exhilarating film from Matteo Garrone.
Matteo Garrone Films: (Terra di mezzo) - (Guests) - (Roman Summer) - (The Embalmer (2002 film)) - (First Love (2004 film)) - (Gomorrah) - (Reality (2012 film))
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Nymphomaniac is a two-part, five-and-a-half hour film (in its director’s cut) that explores the life of a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who has endured an illustrious yet trouble sexual history as she tells her story to a man who analyzes her story. The third and final part of Lars von Trier’s Depression trilogy, the film is an exploration into the life of a woman who copes with her sexual desires which leads to dangerous territories as her attempts to find normalcy leads to depression and loss as the character of Joe is played by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stacy Martin in two different ages. Also starring Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier, Connie Nielsen, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Bell, and Jesper Christensen. Nymphomaniac is a sprawling, provocative, and eerie film from Lars von Trier.
While it may be a film of a simple story involving the life of a nymphomaniac, it’s a film that explores not just the idea of sexuality and love but also how a woman tries to find fulfillment through sex in a life that is very turbulent. Told largely in a narrative where Joe tells her story to this man named Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), it plays into Joe’s life with Seligman analyzing these events through eight chapters. Through the course of the story, Seligman becomes fascinated by her story with some curiosity and disgust while he brings in a lot of strange theories and ideas into the mix that intrigues Joe. There is a unique interplay between the two as Joe is telling her story as it would have this rise-and-fall scenario where the first half of the film is about Joe using her sex drive as a tool and feels liberated by it. Yet, her encounters with the idea of love, loss, and that liberation would eventually play into her downfall as she is desperate to regain her sexual drive only to go into great extremes which would cost her greatly.
Since it’s a two-part film, it plays into many ideas of what Joe would go through as she tell Seligman her story. The first volume plays into the first five chapters as it relates to Joe’s growing awareness of her sexuality and its power while trying to rebel against the concepts of love. Yet, her encounter with love through the man she lost her virginity to in Jerome (Shia LaBeouf) would complicate things as her attempts to maintain her lifestyle would cause trouble such as the disintegration of a couple’s marriage. The loss of her father (Christian Slater) would start the beginning of Joe’s own descent into depression where a reunion with Jerome would have some repercussions on her sex drive. The second volume plays into that further descent where Joe tries to regain that drive to great extremes as an encounter with a sadist named K (Jamie Bell) would destroy aspects of her personal life. Especially as she tries to conform to society to find fulfillment only to realize who she is as she delves into a darker world.
The script would maintain a back-and-forth scenario where Seligman would give his analysis on this as he is someone that is this intellectual that has read many books on all things in the world such as religion, art, and sex. Yet, he is this observer for the audience as he’s baffled by some of Joe’s antics while Joe would refute some of his analysis while being respectful into his views no matter how overly-analytical they are. That’s where many questions into Seligman come into play where many of Joe’s own hypotheses about him prove to be correct. Though there’s moments where Seligman questions Joe’s views and her behavior in the story, he never judges her while also playing to questions about the people in her own life.
Lars von Trier’s direction is definitely stylish as he goes all-out in terms of visual presentation as well as impact in the way he presents sex at its most graphic. While it’s a film that explores the world of sex and a woman’s sexuality, von Trier definitely aims to create something that is intimate in some parts as it relates to the scenes between Joe and Seligman. Yet, he would also create compositions and images that are very entrancing from his usage of computers to drive the camera movements in some scenes such as the moment Seligman finds the beaten Joe. The direction also includes a lot of hand-held shots and some stylized shots where von Trier would also play with aspect ratios in order to convey some of the drama that occurs. Particularly in the sequence in the film’s third chapter where the young Joe deals with a very distraught wife (Uma Thurman) of one of her lovers.
The direction also has von Trier use different film stocks and visual motifs to play into the film where some of the images are grainy while the fourth chapter sequence of Joe meeting her father for the last time is in black-and-white. The use of wide shots and close-ups are quite evident in the way von Trier plays with the idea of loss and despair where some of the images he uses definitely serves as a homage to the films of Andrei Tarkovsky. Some of that sense of beauty plays into von Trier’s portrayal towards sex where some of it is quaint while other moments are confrontational. Notably in the presentation of the sex as it’s very no-hold-barred where anal sex, oral, and all sorts of sexual ideas do come into play yet von Trier uses some very crafty visual effects, with the help of body doubles, into presenting the images of penetration and other graphic sexual scenes. Some of it is shocking as it does get quite intriguing in the first volume yet things do meander during the sixth chapter in the second volume due to some of the dramatic elements in the film while some aspects do get ridiculous. Especially where Seligman would question into the validity of Joe’s story.
The extended cut of von Trier’s version of the film definitely showcases more graphic scenes as it involves close-ups of genitalia and other shocking moments. Most notably a sequence in the film’s seventh chapter that will definitely test people in terms of its mixture of sexual and violent content as the result will either disgust people or bring unintentional laughter. The film does definitely go full circle towards the end as it ends in some respects to the beginning as it’s followed by Seligman trying to comprehend Joe’s story. Especially as it raises questions into the ideas of sex as well as what would happen if a man was in Joe’s position to be a nymphomaniac. Overall, von Trier creates a very disturbing yet evocative film about a woman’s chaotic sexual life.
Cinematographer Manuel Albert Claro does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylized cinematography from the usage of digital polish in the film‘s fourth chapter segment to the use of grainy camera footage for some scenes in the final chapter as well as some unique lighting shade and schemes that add an entrancing look to the film. Editors Molly Marlene Stensgaard, Jacob Secher Schulsinger, and Volume I editor Morten Hojbjerg do amazing work with the editing with its inspiring usage of montages to play into some of Seligman‘s own analyses as well as some stylish jump-cuts to play into the dramatic tone of the film. Production designer Simone Grau, with set decorator Thorsten Sabel and art director Alexander Scherer, does fantastic work with the different sets created such as the apartment that Seligman lives where Joe would tell her story to the different homes she would live in throughout the journey in her life.
Costume designer Manon Rasmussen does excellent work with the costumes from the array of stylish clothes the young Joe wear to the more conservative look she would wear as she gets older. Hair/makeup designer Dennis Knudsen does terrific work with the look of Joe in her assaulted state as well as the hairstyles the younger version would wear along with the deformed right ear of a character Joe would meet late in the film. Visual effects supervisors Peter Hjorth and Yoel Godo do great work with the visual effects from the realistic look of the sexual content and body doubles that is superimposed on the main actors in the graphic scenes of sex plus a few moments to play into the sense of loss that surrounds Joe.
Sound designer Kristian Eidnes Andersen does superb work with the sound to convey some of the darker moments in the film as well as some of the intimate moments in the drama to play into Joe‘s despair. Music supervisor Mikkel Maltha does wonderful work in assembling the film’s soundtrack as it features a diverse array of music from classical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Camille Saint-Saens, George Frederic Handel, and Richard Wagner plus music by Steppenwolf, Rammstein, Talking Heads, and Charlotte Gainsbourg doing a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe.
The casting by Des Hamilton is incredible as it is a massive ensemble as it features appearances from noted von Trier regulars Udo Kier as a waiter in the sixth chapter, Jean-Marc Barr as debtor in the film’s final chapter, Jesper Christensen as Jerome’s uncle in the second chapter, and Jens Albinus as a train passenger the young Joe gives head to in the film’s first chapter. Other noteworthy small roles include Kate Ashfield and Caroline Goodall as two different therapists Joe meets in the seventh chapter, Tania Carlin as a sex addict Joe meets in the seventh chapter, Shanti Roney as an interpreter in the sixth chapter Joe hires to make a meeting involving two African brothers, Michael Pas as an older version of Jerome, Saskia Reeves as a nurse in the film’s fourth chapter, Felicity Gilbert as a secretary the young Joe worked with in the second chapter, and Hugo Speer as a married lover of Joe whom she tries to push away only to cause a lot of trouble into his marriage.
In the roles of the younger versions of Joe, Maja Arsovic and Ananya Berger are wonderful in their roles to display the sense of innocence and curiosity for the young women. Connie Nielsen is terrific as Joe’s very cold mother who is often very distant yet manages to be quite intriguing as she would shape elements of Joe’s growth. Sophie Kennedy Clark is superb as the young Joe’s friend B who shares her love of sex as she would compete with Joe in a game of who can fuck more men while alienating Joe with talks about love. Mia Goth is fantastic as Joe’s apprentice P in the film’s final chapter whom she takes in as she would show her the ropes of her job late in the film. Uma Thurman is remarkable as the wife of one of Joe’s lover who arrives to her apartment as she is terrifying in displaying a woman coming apart as her family is being destroyed.
Willem Dafoe is brilliant as a crime boss named L who hires her in the final chapter as well as introducing her to P. Jamie Bell is amazing as the very disturbing sadomasochist K who would help Joe regain elements of her sexuality but at a great price as it’s a very troubling yet exhilarating performance from Bell. Shia LaBeouf is excellent as Jerome Morris as the man whom Joe would lose her virginity to as she would encounter him numerous times as she would eventually marry him only for their marriage to disintegrate as LaBeouf displays some restraint into his performance. Christian Slater is great as Joe’s father as a man who loves tree as she is someone whom Joe adores as she copes badly with his death as there’s a sensitivity and warmth to Slater’s performance that is entrancing to watch.
Stellan Skarsgard is phenomenal as Seligman as a book-smart intellectual who listens and analyzes Joe’s story as he displays some humor and humility to his performance as it’s also full of charm as it’s one of Skarsgard’s best performances. Stacy Martin is sensational as the young Joe as this woman who is quite wild and full of energy as she seeks to find fulfillment in her sexuality as she later copes with the aspects of loss and growing up into adulthood. Finally, there’s Charlotte Gainsbourg in a tremendous performance as the older Joe as a woman desperate to regain her sexual drive only to deal with depression and loneliness as Gainsbourg does great work in her narration as well as play into Joe’s sense of indifference and viewpoints about the ways of the world with such coldness as it’s one of her finest performances.
Nymphomaniac is an astonishing yet harrowing film from Lars von Trier that features great performances from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stacy Martin, and Stellan Skarsgard. While it’s definitely a bold and ambitious that is flawed at times, it is still very compelling for the way it explores a woman and her sexuality as well as her descent into depression. It’s also a film that is willing to ask some very big questions about women and their idea of sexuality where it will definitely raise discussions about the concept of nymphomania. In the end, Nymphomaniac is a rapturous and spectacular film from Lars von Trier.
The Element of Crime - Epidemic - Medea - Europa - The Kingdom I - Breaking the Waves - The Kingdom II - Dogme #2-Idioterne - Dancer in the Dark - The Five Obstructions - Dogville - Manderlay - The Boss of It All - Antichrist - Dimension (2010 short) - Melancholia - The House That Jack Built - The Kingdom: Exodus - (Etudes)
Related: The Auteurs #7: Lars von Trier
© thevoid99 2014
