Set in a desert town near the California-Nevada border in the 1950s, the film revolves around a group of people attending a three-day convention for Junior Stargazers where five of its cadets are to receive awards as well as a special scholarship when an alien arrives and everything goes wrong. It is a film that explores a group of people that includes a grieving photographer with a family of four, his cantankerous father-in-law, a film star with her daughter, a school teacher with a group of young students, parents with their kids attending the event, and a singing cowboy as they all are part of this convention held by a war general and an astronomer. Yet, the story is essentially being told by a TV host (Bryan Cranston) who reveals that the story is being created a troubled playwright who goes through many difficulties in creating the play with a womanizing play director and other actors.
Wes Anderson’s screenplay that is based on a story he created with Roman Coppola as it explores a man trying to create this story of loss and uncertainty in a desert town where its visitors end up staying in due to their encounter with the alien as it serves as an allegory of the events of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019-2021. The story is interspersed with playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) trying to create his play as he has issues with some of his actors while dealing with its director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody) who is going through his own issues. The script plays into Earp’s trying to stage this play and find meaning while the story within the story showcase many characters not only deal with being in quarantine by the government following their encounter with the alien with the war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) dealing with grief over the death of his wife but also in trying to tell his kids about it as he finds companionship in the film star Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) who is also going through her own issues as well as continuously playing troubled and abused women when her gift is comedy.
Anderson’s direction definitely bears a lot of the visual styles he’s known for with his unique approach to tracking shots, camera movements, striking compositions, and other things that he’s known for. Yet, there is also this theatrical element he brings to play into this idea of theater as it plays into the Earp storyline as it also include some unique camera angles as many of those scenes are shot in black-and-white and in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio while much of the film is shot in color in a 2:39:1 aspect ratio. Shot on location in Spain with the town of Chinchon being its nearby location, Anderson creates a world that is quite offbeat where the locations are reminiscent of the American westerns by John Ford yet they’re infused with bits of sci-fi as it play into the inventions the five young kids have created as well as the encounter with the alien as some of the visual effects are a combination of stop-motion animation, miniatures, and other practical effects including a roadrunner that Steenbeck’s three daughters keep meeting.
For a film that blends a lot of genres, Anderson was able to balance it while maintaining a sense of humor where he also manages to make fun of his own visual style in his approach to wide and medium shots. Even in the tight close-ups he’s created that play into some of the emotional moments of the characters as well as medium shots in the way Anderson captures conversations between Steenbeck and Campbell in their respective homes. Anderson would also maintain a different approach in his direction that is looser for the scenes involving Earp and his world as it has this sense of theatricality in the way scenes are presented as well as the usage of wide shots as it all plays into Earp trying to find meaning in his story and what he wanted to say despite frustrating his actors in the project. Especially as the ending plays into Steenbeck’s journey through loss and his own issues where realizes what he must do for his family. In the end, Anderson crafts an intoxicating and riveting film about a troubled playwright who creates a story about a Junior Stargazers convention being disrupted by a visiting alien.
Cinematographer Robert Yeoman does incredible work with the black-and-white look of the Earp scenes that has some unique lighting approaches to the rooms while the scenes on the city are shown with vibrant colors to play into the look of the 1950s. Editor Barney Pilling, with additional editing by Andrew Weisblum, does brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of style as it play into the film’s comedic tone with some rhythmic cuts but also with some cuts that add to the drama and suspense without deviating into conventional methods like fast-cuts. Production designer Adam Stockhausen with supervising art director Stephane Cressend plus set decorators Kris Moran, Sonia Nolla, and Gabriel Picola, does amazing work with the look of the city with its houses, its diner, the science observatory, other buildings and a partially-built highway ramp that remains unfinished along with the look of Earp’s home and the stage sets around him. Costume designer Milena Canonero does excellent work with the costumes in the stylish clothes many of the people at Asteroid City wear that are colorful to the more refined look for the scenes from Earp’s perspective.
Hair/makeup designer Julie Dartnell does fantastic work with the look of Midge in her black hairdo as well as Steenbeck’s beard and other facial props that he wears as his acting persona. Special effects supervisor Pau Costa and special effects designer Carlos Laguna, along with visual effects supervisor Tim Ledbury, do terrific work with the visual effects in the design of the alien and the little road runner that has this element of stop-motion animation, practical effects, and miniatures as it is a highlight of the film. Sound editors Wayne Lemmer and Christopher Scarabosio do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects created for the scenes at Asteroid City as well as the sounds of atomic bomb sites far from the city as well as the sparse sounds in the Earp scenes.
The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is phenomenal for its melodic-based orchestral score that has this element of sci-fi and drama with its rich string arrangements, piano riffs, woodwinds, and other instrumentation that adds to the film’s charm. Music supervisor Randall Poster creates a fun soundtrack that largely consists of country/western music from the 1950s with music from Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys, Slim Whitman, Les Baxter, Bob Willis and His Texas Playboys, Tex Ritter, Bill Monroe, Burl Ives, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Eddy Arnold, Bing Crosby, Les Paul and Mary Ford, The Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group with Nancy Whiskey, a classical piece from Johann Pachelbel, and a couple of original songs from Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley as the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal.
The casting by Douglas Aibel is tremendous as it is a large ensemble that includes appearances from Rita Wilson as the mother of one of the Junior Stargazer’s friends, Seu Jorge and Jarvis Cocker as a couple of cowboy musicians, Bob Balaban as an executive for a corporation, Fisher Stevens as a detective investigating the alien encounter, the trio of Ella Faris, Grace Faris, and Willan Farris as Steenbeck’s daughters, and Tony Revolori as General Gibson’s aide-de-camp for the scenes set in Asteroid City. Other notable small roles for the scenes set in the stage and rehearsals include Hong Chau as Schubert’s estranged wife Polly Green who is divorcing him, Willem Dafoe as the revered acting teacher Saltzburg Keitel who holds a seminar with Earp and Schubert, Jeff Goldblum as an actor playing the alien for the play, and Margot Robbie in a small yet crucial dual role as the picture of Steenbeck’s late wife and the actress who was supposed to play her as she appears late in the film in a memorable scene.
The quintet of Aristou Meehan, Ethan Josh Lee, Sophia Lillis, Grace Edwards, and Jake Ryan are superb in their respective roles as the Junior Stargazer awardees in Clifford Kellogg, Ricky Cho, Shelly Borden, Dinah Campbell, and Woodrow Steenbeck as the young kids who all invent something with Kellogg is eager to do dares to the annoyance of his father while Cho is a young kid who has issues with the authority following their encounter with the alien. Lillis’ performance as Borden showcases a young girl who has humor but is also someone that wants to unify everyone while Edwards’ performance as Campbell is more subdued as someone who copes in being in her mother’s shadow though she knows her mother cares about her. Ryan’s performance as Steenbeck and as an understudy in the Earp sequences who tries to get an actress back in the show, is terrific in showcasing a young man coping with loss but also the encounter with the alien where he deals with a lot of questions while has fallen for Dinah.
Hope Davis, Liev Schreiber, and Stephen Park are fantastic in their respective roles as Sandy Borden, J.J. Kellogg, and Roger Cho as the parents who deal with not just being quarantined in the town as well as raising genius kids while Steve Carell is excellent as the motel manager of Asteroid City who finds ways to make some money as well as hoping to sell land for anyone that is interested. Rupert Friend and Maya Hawke are brilliant in their respective roles as the singing cowboy Montana and the schoolteacher June Douglas as two people who become interested in one another while they both play actors in the Earp sequences where the former sports a British accent. Tilda Swinton, Matt Dillon, and Jeffrey Wright are amazing in their respective roles as the scientist Dr. Hickenlooper, the mechanic, and General Grif Gibson with Swinton being a scientist trying to make sense of things while she finds hope in Steenbeck and the Junior Stargazers.
Dillon’s performance as the mechanic is low-key yet memorable as someone who does what he can to fix things but also make art through cars while Wright’s performance as General Gibson is restrained as someone that is trying to maintain order despite the chaos he’s dealing with. The trio of Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, and Edward Norton are incredible in their respective roles as the TV announcer, play director Schubert Green, and the playwright Conrad Earp with Cranston being this humorous TV announcer who sort of serves as the film’s narrator while Brody brings a lot of charisma as Green as this director trying to make sense of the play while dealing with his own personal issues. Norton’s performance as Earp is a real standout as someone who is trying to create a great play while also having issues with actors and others over its content as he also deals with his own reputation.
Finally, there’s the trio of Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, and Scarlett Johansson in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Augie’s father-in-law Stanley Zak, the widowed war photographer Augie Steenbeck/actor Jones Hall, and the film star Midge Campbell/actress Mercedes Ford. Hanks brings a lot of wit to his character as a man who hates Augie as well as dealing with loss and being quarantined in Asteroid City. Schwartzman’s performance as Augie is restrained in showcasing a man coping with loss while his performance as the actor Hall shows a man who is frustrated with Earp’s writing as well as trying to figure out what his character needs to do. Johansson’s performance as Campbell as this movie star who often plays abused women where she often wears makeup to get in character as she is someone who feels stifled as she wants to do comedy while Johansson’s performance as Ford as this actress who has issues with Earp until an understudy convinces her to return to the show as it is one of Johansson’s finest performances.
Asteroid City is a sensational film from Wes Anderson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, its offbeat narrative that explores art and loss in a unique world, and a witty music soundtrack. The film has a lot of things expected from Anderson but also showcases him dealing with a world where they have no control in its situation with an artist struggling to find ideas in an ever-changing world. In the end, Asteroid City 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 - The Grand Budapest Hotel - Isle of Dogs - The French Dispatch - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - The Swan - The Rat Catcher - Poison - The Phoenician Scheme - The Auteurs #8: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson Film 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) – (The French Dispatch) – (Asteroid City)
© thevoid99 2023
Two decades after the death of son during World War I, the film follows a man who drunkenly creates a wooden boy to cope with his loss as it comes to life where the boy struggles with not just winning his father’s approval but also what it means to live. It is a film that takes the premise of the story of a man who creates a puppet who turns into a boy as it is set in Fascist Italy at a time when conformity and playing to certain rules are in tow which is something that a puppet with no strings is trying to deal with as well as the idea of love and what it means to exist. The film’s screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale is told largely by a cricket in Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) about the titular character (Gregory Mann) and how he had been created by this lonely carpenter in Geppetto (David Bradley) after having lost his son Carlo (Gregory Mann) during an aerial bombing in World War I as he had been ravaged by grief until he cuts down a tree where Cricket was living and turned it into a puppet. It is then where a fairy in the Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) would cast a spell for the puppet to come to life while asking Cricket to watch over and guide him.
While Geppetto’s initial encounter with Pinocchio has him confused and frightened as does Pinocchio’s appearance at the town’s local church. Geppetto does what he can to steer Pinocchio the right way but also him wanting to be like Carlo yet there is also pressure from the Podesta (Ron Perlman) who wants Geppetto to ensure that Pinocchio becomes part of the Italian Royal Army upon a major discovery they would have much to Geppetto’s horror. Even as Pinocchio would encounter the failing circus ringmaster Volpe (Christoph Waltz) who would get Pinocchio to sign a contract that would keep him out of the eye of the Podesta but also keep Pinocchio performing in order to keep Geppetto out of debt. It all plays into Pinocchio’s development and his conversations with Cricket as it has him thinking about not just wanting to live but also to find his own voice as he watches the abuse that Volpe has on his longtime assistant monkey Spazzatura (Cate Blanchett) as well as a closer look into the world of Fascist Italy upon being watched by the Podesta at youth training camp.
The direction of del Toro and Mark Gustafson is astonishing in its overall presentation due to the attention to detail that both men put into its look as it is created on studio locations in Portland, Oregon and Guadalajara, Mexico. With Gustafson and his team of animators doing much of the stop-motion work with production designers Guy Davis and Curt Enderle, with set decorators Jesse Gregg, Gillian Hunt, Samantha Levy, Molly Light, Laura Savage, and Zach Sheehan plus art directors Andy Berry, Karla Castaneda, Robert DeSue, and Juan J. Medina, helping to create much of the backdrops in the look of the forests and woods in such grand detail. Even with Davis also creating some of the creatures including Cricket, Spazzatura, and the sea monster for the film’s climax, there is a look that is del Toro in terms of its approach to death as well as horror with the former involving a sequence in which Pinocchio meets a death fairy (Tilda Swinton) in a surrealistic presentation of the afterlife. Since the film is also based on the illustrations of Gris Grimly, del Toro and Gustafson maintain this look that quite wobbly in its presentation as there is a realism to the animation as well as a physicality in how they take this story and set it into a world where there are elements of politics and existentialism in the mix.
Even in a scene where Pinocchio asks his father why people don’t like him but love this model of the crucifixion as it is among these things that Pinocchio would go into. The compositions that del Toro and Gustafson create add to the drama that Pinocchio goes through in the wide and medium shots in a location or in one of Pinocchio’s stage performances as well as close-ups that play into the characters as they cope with whatever situation they’re in. Notably in the climax as it plays into Pinocchio and Geppetto dealing with a sea monster as all of the lessons that Pinocchio would learn allows him to deal with the situations as well as an understanding of both life and death. Overall, del Toro and Gustafson craft an exquisitely moving and ravishing film about a wooden boy who comes to life and learns about existence and identity during the era of Fascist Italy.
Cinematographer Frank Passingham does incredible work with the cinematography as it helps the look of the film give it a sense of physicality in the lighting while helping to set mood to help bring more texture to the production design. Editors Ken Schretzmann and Holly Klein do amazing work with the editing as it is largely straightforward to play into some of the musical numbers but also in some of the dramatic and terrifying moments with its rhythmic cuts. Visual effects supervisors Cameron Carson and Aaron Weintraub do excellent work with the visual effects as it is mainly set dressing for some scenes involving war and fire as it help broaden the visuals. Sound designer Scott Martin Gershin does brilliant work with the sound in the way certain objects sound as well as the way an instrument sounds on a location or how bombs sound from afar. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is phenomenal with its rich orchestral score that has elements of lush strings and orchestral pianos themes along with some offbeat percussive-based themes while the soundtrack also feature original songs written by Desplat along with lyrics by del Toro, McHale, and Roeben Katz that add to the drama and humorous moments in the film that are sung by its cast.
The casting by Mary Hidalgo is great as it feature some notable small voice roles from Tom Kenny in a trio of voice performances as a sea captain, a right-hand for Mussolini, and the Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini as well as Tim Blake Nelson as a quartet of black rabbits, John Turturro as a doctor in the small town Geppetto lives in, Burn Gorman as the local priest, Finn Wolfhard as the son of the Podesta in Candlewick who at first bullies Pinocchio only to befriend him late in the film, and Cate Blanchett in a superb voice cameo as Volpe’s monkey assistant Spazzatura who talks through puppets where Blanchett brings unique voices as a monkey who is jealous of Pinocchio only to realize the good in Pinocchio. Tilda Swinton is fantastic in a dual voice role as the magical fairy known as the Wood Sprite and her sister known as Death where Swinton brings different tones to the two characters as they lament on the ideas of both life and death. Ron Perlman is excellent as the Podesta as a Fascist government official who sees Pinocchio at first as a freak only to see that he could become a symbol for the government in their rise while trying to raise his son as a perfect soldier for Fascist Italy.
Christoph Waltz is brilliant as Volpe as a former aristocrat-turned circus ringmaster who sees Pinocchio as a way to get him back into aristocracy as well as a chance to get in the good graces of Mussolini as he brings a charm to this evil character. Ewan McGregor is amazing as Sebastian J. Cricket as the film’s narrator and conscience-of-sorts who tries to steer Pinocchio onto the right path while dealing with being squished and such as well as trying to do what he can where he laments over his role. David Bradley is incredible as Geppetto as a woodcarver/carpenter who laments over the loss of his son as well as dealing with Pinocchio as he is someone ravaged by grief while trying to understand the many flaws of Pinocchio while trying to go on a search for him when Pinocchio joins the circus. Finally, there’s Gregory Mann in a sensational voice performance in the dual role of Carlo and the titular character as he brings an exuberance and innocence to the former as well as an energy into the latter as well as this vulnerability of someone who is just trying to understand the ideas of life and death where Mann brings a lot of life into both of these roles.
Pinocchio is a tremendous film from Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, ravishing art direction, its story of existentialism and identity, amazing character/creature designs, and Alexandre Desplat’s enchanting music score. It is a film that takes a tale told many times but bring something new to it and set it during a tumultuous time in world history as it help play into a wooden boy trying to find himself as well as a physicality that gives the film an edge in its stop-motion animation presentation. In the end, Pinocchio is a magnificent film from Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson.
Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film)
Related: (Pinocchio (1940 film)) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro
© thevoid99 2023
The film is the story of an aristocratic family whose lives begin to change through some changing times relating to their textile business while its Russian-born wife falls for her son’s new friend in a chef. It is a film that play into this life of a family in Milan as they deal with their patriarch’s decision to retire and his choices for his successors as they deal with a new business world with his grandson introducing his family to a new friend whom his mother falls in love with. The film’s screenplay isn’t just this exploration of desire for one person but also the desire of a family just trying to find themselves as they embark on a new chapter. Notably as the film opens with a birthday dinner during the Christmas holidays for its patriarch in Edoardo Recchi Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti) who announces his retirement from the textile business where he names his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti) as his successors as the latter brought in his new girlfriend Eva (Diane Fleri) while a man he lost to in a race in Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) is a chef who came late to the party with a present for Edoardo Sr. where he is seen by Edoardo Jr.’s mother Emma (Tilda Swinton).
The film’s first act is about the dinner and Edoardo Jr. wanting to help Antonio create his own restaurant in his home near San Remo while there is family drama where Edoardo Jr.’s sister Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher) goes to London to study as she also has fallen in love with another woman and wanting to break-up with her boyfriend as it was discovered by Emma. The film’s second act that takes place months later where Emma goes to the restaurant run by Antonio’s father with Eva and her mother-in-law in Rori (Marisa Berenson) as Emma eats a plate by Antonio that she loves as she becomes fascinated with him where she later runs into him in San Remo where they begin their affair. The third act doesn’t just play into Emma and Antonio’s affair intensifying but with Edoardo Jr. dealing with the world of business as he becomes overwhelmed with his father’s decision and other things as it lead to some revelations for the family.
Guadagnino’s direction definitely has some stylistic compositions and such yet keeps the film grounded in its exploration of aristocracy in this family. Shot largely on location in Milan as well as San Remo and parts of London for a few scenes in the film’s third act. Guadagnino’s usage of tracking shots for the way characters walk into a room through the Recchi estate as well as close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimate moments in a room as Guadanino also uses wide shots to get a scope of the dining hall or the front lobby at the estate. The film also play into this struggle of tradition with the modern ethics of business as the former is something Edoardo Jr. wants to do as he learned a lot from his grandfather in understanding the business but also the workers so that they can maintain a sense of trust. Edoardo Jr. also wants to help out Antonio knowing how good he is as a chef but also as a way for Edoardo Jr. to make his own mark and prove that he can be a good businessman.
The scenes in the second act that include these sequences of Emma and Antonio longing for one another has this element of fantasy until they actually meet again as Guadagnino use the locations of San Remo as a character as this place that reminds Emma of her old life in Russia where she recounts how she met Tancredi. The film’s third act is about Edoardo Jr.’s resistance on what his father wants to do with the family business as it culminates with this dinner that has Antonio as the cook who creates a special dish that is a favorite of Edoardo Jr. as it leads to some revelations and chaos. Notably as it relates to these ideas of change in the whole family and their lifestyle with Emma also coming to terms with who she is and what she wants. Overall, Guadanino crafts a rapturous and entrancing film about a woman whose affair with a young chef would unknowingly create chaos within the world of her aristocratic family.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does brilliant work with the film’s luscious cinematography with its naturalistic photography from the look of the snowy exterior in the film’s first scenes as well as what Milan looks like on a summer day to the usage of low-key and stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of transitional dissolves, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the drama and this mixture of fantasy and reality. Production designer Francesca di Mottola and set decorator Monica Sironi do amazing work with the look of the Recchi family estate in its many rooms and interiors as well as Antonio’s own home and some of the exteriors at the estate which is actually the Villa Necchi Campiglio that is at the center of Milan. Costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothing that Emma and many of the women in the family wear including some of the casual look of Elisabetta in London as well as some of the designer suits the men wear.
Visual effects supervisor Stefano Marinoni does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it play into a few bits of fantasy including a brief flashback of Emma as a child. Sound editor/mixer Francesco Liotard does superb work with the sound as it does play into natural elements along with a few bits that play into the elements of fantasy. Music supervisor Jen Moss does incredible work in cultivating the music’s soundtrack that largely consists of classical pieces by John Adams that feature some unique orchestral piano bits as well as other lush music pieces while other contributions include a piece from Gustav Mahler as well as original pieces from editor/co-writer Walter Fasano with Nathalie Tanner, Elliot Smith, Tony Esposito, Arto Lindsay, and Marco Armani.
The casting by Jorgelina Depetris Pochintesta and Francesco Vedovati is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Honor Swinton Byrne in a brief bit as Emma as a child, Waris Ahluwalia as an Indian-American businessman who wants to by the Recchi family business, Maria Paiato as the Recchi family’s main housekeeper Ida whom the kids see as a second mother while is also someone very loyal to Emma, Diane Fleri as Edoardo Jr.’s new girlfriend Eva whom much of the family seem to neglect despite Edoardo Jr. and Emma welcoming her, Mattia Zaccaro as the youngest of the Recchi children in Gianluca who doesn’t do much with his family business as he’s still a student, Emanuele Cito Filomarino as Elisabetta’s boyfriend Gregorio whom she dumps for another woman, Marisa Berenson as the Recchi matriarch Allegra aka Rori who loves her lifestyle but also tries to distract herself from some of the chaotic elements of her family, and Gabriele Ferzetti in a superb small role as the Recchi matriarch Edoardo Sr. as an old man who is celebrating his birthday as well as make announcements for his retirement and the people who will succeed him.
Pippo Delbono is excellent as Tancredi Recchi as Edoardo Sr.’s son who is given the chance to succeed his father as he becomes concerned with the future while also having an idea of doing things that he knows his father and son wouldn’t approve. Alba Rohrwacher is fantastic as Elisabetta “Betta” Recchi as Emma’s daughter who is known for her drawing but is switching to photography where she studies in London and falls in love with another woman where she would guide her mother to follow her heart. Edoardo Gabbriellini is amazing as Antonio as a chef whom Edoardo Jr. befriended following a race that wants to create his own restaurant while he falls for Emma unaware of the chaos they create as he is a man that brings an air of simplicity that Emma had forgotten. Flavio Parenti is brilliant as Edoardo Jr. as Emma and Tancredi’s son who is also named as his grandfather’s successor where he tries to instill ideas into the business while wanting to maintain its integrity as he also deals with new things in his life such as a new friend and a new lover but also contends with the ways of a new world that overwhelms him.
Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in a phenomenal performance as Emma Recchi as the Russian-born wife of Tancredi who falls for her son’s new friend as she becomes the centerpiece of this conflict between doing what she feels and doing what she needs to do for her family. It is a performance that has Swinton speaking Italian for the entirety of the film with a bit of Russian as she brings an air of radiance into her performance as someone that is in love with not just Antonio’s cooking but also what he offers in life instead of this aristocratic world that she’s in where she has to play a certain role that doesn’t really allow her to express herself only to find inspiration through two of her children instead of her husband.
Io sono l’amore is a magnificent film from Luca Guadagnino that features a tremendous leading performance from Tilda Swinton. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, luscious locations, its theme of tradition vs. feeling and tradition vs. modernism, and its incredible music soundtrack. It is a film that doesn’t play into the conventions of a romantic drama as it is a study of a woman and her role in an aristocratic family. In the end, Io sono l’amore is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl – (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2022
Set in 1975 in the small town of Ennui, France, the film revolves a French foreign bureau newspaper whose editor had just died prompting its staff of American writers to finish its final issue that consists of three different stories. It is a film that explore the world of this magazine and the stories they tell as it all takes place in this small town in France that include three different stories plus a prologue, a small story about the town from a cycling reporter named Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), and an epilogue. Wes Anderson’s screenplay is definitely inspired by the stories and the works of writers from The New Yorker as he play into this world of culture, politics, and adventure through the recollection of these writers. Sazerac’s story is just about the town this magazine is based on as it explore the many changes the town went through though its editor in Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray) wonders why Sazerac also talks about some of the seedier aspects of the town as it sets the tone for the entire film.
The first story entitled The Concrete Masterpiece from the writer J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton) who hosts a lecture about the works of the artist Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro) and his own views on art including his relationship with his muse/prison guard in Simone (Lea Seydoux). It is a story that explore a man whose art is strange and abstract as a fellow prisoner in the art dealer Julien Cadazio (Adrien Brody) wants to show it to the world including Berensen’s old boss Upshur “Maw” Clampette (Lois Smith) while hoping Rosenthaler would make a grand masterpiece. The second story entitled Revisions to a Manifesto by Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) explore a student protest revolution lead by Zeffirelli (Timothee Chalamet) whom Krementz gets close with yet finds herself having to deal with its complexities as well as vying for Zeffirelli’s affections with another student in Juliette (Lyna Khoudri). The third and final story entitled The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner by Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) was supposed to be about a dinner with Ennui’s police commissioner (Mathieu Almaric), that includes a revered chef/detective in Nescaffier (Stephen Park), where the commissioner’s son Gigi (Winston Ait Hellal) is kidnapped by a criminal syndicate over the arrest of an underworld accountant known as the Abacus (Willem Dafoe).
Anderson’s direction definitely bear a lot of the trademarks that he’s known for in his attention to detail in his framing, dolly-tracking shot camera movements, and other aspects that do play into his visual style. Shot largely on studios and locations in Angoulme in southwestern France, Anderson creates a world that is unique as the town of Ennui is this character where so much had happened as the first story by Sazerac as he’s riding on a bike revealed the town’s evolution as it is filled with these grand compare/contrast of what it looked like back in the first half of the 20th Century and what it would like in 1975. Shot largely on the 1:37:1 aspect ratio with some shots on different widescreen formats as well as some split-screens, Anderson uses the ratio to play into this world that is unique for this small town while much of the presentation is also shot in black-and-white except for much of the scenes at the magazine period and other bits in the three stories.
Anderson also draws upon some of the visual elements of the French New Wave in some of the compositions he creates in the medium and wide shots as he often captures so much detail into a room or in an entire setting. There are also some close-ups that Anderson uses to play into some of the drama and humor throughout the film as there is a lot of detail he brings that include moments of fantasy or reality. One of the stories also involve some comic-style animation supervised by Gwenn Germain in the style of The Adventures of Tintin for a key scene late in the film. The magazine itself that is illustrated by Javi Aznarez definitely owe a lot to the visuals of The New Yorker as it play into this idea of how a magazine can present stories for people to read with these interesting stories. While the narrative is straightforward though it is messy in some parts of the stories that are told as there’s small subplots and such in these stories. Anderson does play into the world of journalism in how they see things while the film is dedicated to many of those writers who did write for The New Yorker which some of the characters are based on. Overall, Anderson crafts a whimsical and exhilarating film about a French magazine run by Americans and the stories they tell in a small French town.
Cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of black-and-white film stock and its approach to lighting for some scenes as well as some of the colorful and vibrant lighting for the scenes in color including the scenes at night. Editor Andrew Weisblum does excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts help play into the humor and action as well as straightforward cuts to help play into the drama. Production designer Adam Stockhausen, with set decorator Rene DeAngelo and supervising art director Stephanne Cressend, does phenomenal work with the sets from the home of Zeffirelli and the place he hung out to the prison asylum that Rosenthaler does his work as well as the office at the magazine. Costume designer Milena Canonero does amazing work with the costumes from the look of the journalists as well as the many characters they encounter as it play into a lot of style with so much detail that include the motorcycle helmet that Juliette wears.
Hair/makeup designer Frances Hannon and hair/makeup supervisor Fabienne Robineau do brilliant work with the look of the characters as they each have a distinctive personality as it adds to the film’s whimsical charm. Special effects supervisor Jean-Christophe Magnaud and visual effects supervisor Keith Devlin do terrific work with some of the film’s practical effects in some of the action as well as the design for some set pieces involving miniatures. Sound editor Christopher Scarabosio does superb work with the sound in the sound effects used for some of the objects and such including the sparse atmosphere for some scenes inside a room. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is tremendous for its rich and intricate music score filled with unique brass and string arrangements with elements of melodic string pieces and usage of harmoniums as well as piano solos performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet while music supervisor Randall Poster cultivates a soundtrack that features score pieces by Georges Delerue and Ennio Morricone as well as music from Grace Jones, Charles Aznavour, the Swingle Sisters, Chantal Goya, Gene Austin with Candy and Coco, Gus Viseur, and Jarvis Cocker as a French singer named Tip-Top.
The casting by Douglas Aibel, Antoinette Boulat, and Jina Jay is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances in the different sections of the film. In the roles of the film’s magazine staff, there’s Anjelica Bette Fellini as a proofreader for the magazine, Wally Wolodarsky as a writer for the magazine who has finished an article, Pablo Pauly as a waiter at a café in the same building as the magazine is at, Griffin Dunne as the magazine’s legal advisor, Fisher Stevens as the magazine story editor, Jason Schwartzman as the magazine cartoonist Hermes Jones, and Elisabeth Moss as the magazine’s copy editor Alumna. From The Concrete Masterpiece, the small performances from Morgane Polanski as a girlfriend of the young Rosenthaler, Felix Moati as the head caterer at the big event, Denis Menochet as a prison guard, Henry Winkler and Bob Balaban in their respective roles as Cadazio’s uncles in Joe and Nick, and Tony Revolori as the young Rosenthaler are a joy to watch.
From Revisions to a Manifesto, the performances of Rupert Friend, Alex Lawther, Toheeb Jimoh, and Tom Hudson as stage actors in a play, Guillaume Gallienne and Cecile de France as Zeffirelli’s parents, Mohamed Belhadjine as a student named Mitch-Mitch, and Christoph Waltz as a family friend of Zeffirelli in Paul Duval are fun to watch with Waltz being the stand-out. From The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner, the performances from Mauricette Coudivat as Gigi’s mother, Hippolyte Girardot as the commissioner’s friend who used to work for the police, Saoirse Ronan as a drug-addicted showgirl who befriends Gigi, and Edward Norton as a kidnapper who is also a chauffeur for the underworld. In the roles of the journalists who tell these respective stories, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Jeffrey Wright are brilliant in their respective roles as Herbsaint Sazerac, J.K.L. Berensen, Lucinda Kremetz, and Roebuck Wright as they’re all based on real writers from The New Yorker with Wilson providing a calm persona to his character while Swinton and McDormand both provide low-key humor to their roles and Wright brings a charisma a gay writer.
Bill Murray is fantastic as the magazine editor-in-chief Arthur Howitzer Jr. who is based on The New Yorker co-founder Harold Ross as a man who doesn’t like anyone crying in his office while is also wondering about all of the things his writers does but is also someone that knows talent. The quartet of Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Lea Seydoux, and Lois Smith are amazing in their respective roles as the artist Moses Rosenthaler, the art dealer Julien Cadazio, the prison guard/muse Simone, and the art collector Upshur “Maw” Clampette with del Toro providing a gruff persona to his role while Brody is this comical man determined to get rich. Seydoux’s performance is definitely the best in the segment as someone who is the embodiment of discipline including the way she poses nude in certain ways as well as being Rosenthaler’s greatest motivator. Smith’s small performance as Clampette is full of humor but also someone who understands great art.
Timothee Chalamet and Lyna Khoudri are excellent in their respective roles as student activists Zeffirelli and Juliette with the former being the leader of a revolutionary who would befriend Kremetz who gives him ideas while the latter is a woman who is suspicious over Kremetz yet has feelings for Zeffirelli. The incredible performances of Liev Schreiber, Mathieu Almaric, Stephen Park, Willem Dafoe and Winston Ait Hellal in their respective roles as the TV talk show host, the police commissioner, the chef Nescaffier, the underworld accountant Abacus, and the commissioner’s son Gigi with Schreiber providing some wit in a role inspired by Dick Cavett while Almaric and Park both provide some humor in their respective roles with Park being the most restrained as a cook who makes great recipes. Dafoe provides humor as this accountant who is aware he’s in deep shit but is also hungry for food while Hellal brings a restraint to a kid who is quite intelligent but also knows Morse code.
The French Dispatch is a marvelous film from Wes Anderson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, incredible art direction, and an exhilarating music soundtrack. It is a film that explores the world of journalism as a magazine publishes its final issues that is filled with wonderful stories set in a small town in France. In the end, The French Dispatch is a remarkable 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 - The Grand Budapest Hotel - Isle of Dogs - Asteroid City – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - The Swan - The Rat Catcher - Poison - The Phoenician Scheme - The Auteurs #8: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson Film 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) – (The French Dispatch) - (Asteroid City) - (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar)
© thevoid99 2022
(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film revolves around an environmentalist who becomes the new CEO of a beef manufacturing company as she announces the breeding of a new super-pig where 26 specimens are sent to various places all over the world and to see what would be the outcome of those pigs in 10 years in the hope to end world hunger. Yet, the film is more about the bond between a young girl and a pig living in the mountains in South Korea as the pig Okja is discovered by this corporation hoping to use it for a special presentation and then kill it for profit. It is a film that explores not just animal rights but also a corporate CEO wanting to do something right despite the fact that she’s doing the wrong thing in covering up lies with the aid of a zoologist/TV show host who has become emotionally and mentally unstable. Add a group of animal activists and other corporate interests as this young girl is pulled in different directions over her beloved Okja.
The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-ho and Jon Ronson explore the many complexities of the cattle industry and its war with animal rights activists with this pig in the middle and a young girl in Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) just trying to save it and bring it back home. Still, the characters that Joon-Ho and Ronson create aren’t typical of what is expected as the CEO of the Mirando corporation in Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) is trying to clean up the company’s image and to make it do good despite the fact that she’s covering up lies and remove the troubled legacy that her father and twin sister Nancy have created. The corporate face of the company in zoologist/TV host in Dr. Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a wacky eccentric who has become troubled as well as guilt-ridden for the role he’s playing when Mirando makes some drastic decisions. The animal rights activist group known as ALF lead by Jay (Paul Dano) is trying to maintain some dignity in helping Mija but also doesn’t want to lie to her even though one of his fellow activist in K (Steven Yeun) lies in order to get the mission to save Okja when the pig is sent to New York City for this presentation with Mija also being an unwilling participant from the Mirando corporation.
Joon-ho’s direction is quite grand in the way he presents this world of corporate interests and their need to exploit an animal for profit as it is set in New York City and nearby areas as well as Seoul, South Korea and mountains near the city though much of the film is shot in parts of Seoul and Vancouver. The film opens with a scene in a factory where Lucy Mirando is trying to get people to see that her family’s past is going to be removed for a new future as it is presented in grand fashion with wide and medium shots. Still, Joon-ho maintains a simplicity in the scenes set in the mountains with its small ponds, waterfalls, and forests that Mija and Okja like to play in as it is this world of peace while they live with Mija’s grandfather in this simple home though they have access to TV and internet. When Okja is given to the corporation with Mija’s grandfather given a big payout for raising the super-pig, Joon-ho showcases Mija’s determination to retrieve Okja in Seoul as it has these unique tracking shots in some elaborate chase scenes inside a building, an underground mall next to a subway, and in a highway are among these moments where Joon-ho infuses action, suspense, and humor.
With the character of Okja being a major sense of importance to the film thanks in part to work of one of the film’s visual effects supervisors in Erik de Boer, who did the character design, where the actors not only get to interact with this creature but also play into the stakes of the film. Notably where Joon-ho brings the character to New York City as there’s a chilling scene with Okja and Dr. Wilcox at a lab that is disturbing with ALF watching in another location as it play into Dr. Wilcox’s guilt in the corporate role he plays but also in how disturbed he is in doing his job. There is also this sense of disconnect that Joon-ho showcases as it relates to Lucy Mirando about how she approaches business and how her sister Nancy did thinks as the latter is all about money and getting shit done while the former is about image. The sense of humanity also comes into play into its third act with Okja and Mija in the middle as it play into Lucy’s own desire for hope despite the lies she’s hidden yet is followed by a much darker reality that is closer to Nancy’s vision. Yet, there is something hopeful through Mija’s own simple actions but also her own understand about how the world works. Overall, Joon-ho crafts a witty yet heartfelt film about a farm girl trying to save her super-pig from a corporation that wants to kill it for profit.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic lighting and lush colors for the scenes in the mountain with low-key lights for the scenes at night while aiming for something a little bit more stylish for the scenes set in New York City in terms of its lighting including the scenes at the factory at night. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique fast-cuts for some of the chase and action scenes while also being straightforward in its approach to drama and suspense. Production designers Ha-jun Lee and Kevin Thompson, with art directors Jung-yoon Bae, Deborah Jensen, and Gwendolyn Margetson plus set decorators Susan Bode, Won-Woo Cho, Louise Roper, Yeonghee Seo, and Suk-ki Song, do amazing work with the look of the places in New York City including the Mirando logo and the factory where the super-pigs are forced to stay in the third act as well as the little home Mija and her grandfather live in. Costume designers Se-yeon Choi and Catherine George do fantastic work with the stylish clothes that Lucy Mirando wears as well as the wacky clothing of Dr. Wilcox, the guerilla-inspired gear of ALF, and the simplistic look of Mija.
Hair/makeup designers Hyunkyu Hwang and Sharon Martin do nice work with the look of Lucy Mirando in her quirky presentation from the braces on her teeth in the first scene to her hairstyle that is different from the look of her sister. Special effects supervisor Kyung-soo Park, along with visual effects supervisors Erik de Boer, Angela Ji, Jun Hyoung Kim, and Jeon Hyoung Lee, do terrific work with not just the design of Okja but also some set-dressing for some scenes in the film as well as the presentation of the chase sequence. Sound editor Tae-young Choi and sound designer Dave Whitehead do superb work with the sound in the way Okja sounds, with voice work from Lee Jeong-eun, as well as how certain objects sound including the cattle prod. The film’s music by Jaeil Jung is incredible for its unique mixture of flamenco, classical, and electronic pieces as it adds to the suspense and drama while music supervisor Jemma Burns cultivates a fun soundtrack that features music from the Isley Brothers, John Denver, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Osvaldo Pugliese.
The casting by Jenny Jue is phenomenal as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Lee Jeong-eun as the voice of Okja and a woman in a wheelchair, Lee Bong-ryun as a Mirando receptionist at the Seoul office building, Choi Woo-shik as an indifferent Mirando driver in Seoul, Yoon Je-moon as a Mirando representative who checks on Okja’s health, Byun Hee-bong as Mija’s well-meaning grandfather who is reluctant to give Okja away, Devon Bostick and Daniel Henshall as two activists for ALF in their respective names in Silver and Blond, and Shirley Henderson in a funny performance as Lucy’s assistant Jennifer who oversees some of the publicity detail involving Mija and Lucy for the big event. Giancarlo Esposito is superb as a Mirando executive in Frank Dawson who keeps an eye on Lucy for Nancy while trying to understand what she’s trying to do as well as see if she can succeed. Steven Yeun and Lily Collins are fantastic in their respective roles as ALF activists K and Red with the former being a tech genius who is also Korean as he helps translate for Mija while the latter is a weapon experts of sorts though she has no intentions in harming anyone while also having some funny things to say.
Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as the wacky Dr. Johnny Wilcox as a zoologist/TV host who is the face of Mirando as someone who speaks in a somewhat high-pitched voice as he is also disturbed in his love for animals to the point that he becomes consumed with guilt and troubling behavior. Paul Dano is brilliant as Jay as a leader of ALF who is trying to do things the right way and help Mija while not wanting to make her uncomfortable as he’s a well-meaning activist that is aware of the compromises that he has to make. Tilda Swinton is amazing in a dual role as twin sisters Lucy and Nancy Mirando as she provides a lot of quirks and upbeat energy into the former as someone trying to reinvent the company’s image while the latter is only seen briefly as someone that is more of a pessimist and a better understanding of business. Finally, there’s Ahn Seo-hyun in an incredible performance as Mija as a young farm girl who cares for this massive super-pig as she deals with Mirando’s intentions for the pig as she does what she can to save him as it is this understated and somber performance from Seo-hyun who provides a lot of the heart in the film.
Okja is a phenomenal film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, themes of activism and animal rights, dazzling visuals, a sumptuous music score, and mixture of genres. The film is definitely a witty and compelling film that explores a young girl trying to retrieve her pet and her understanding about a world that is just trying to clean itself up despite their dirty methods. In the end, Okja is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the 1977 film by Dario Argento that was written by Argento and Daria Nicolodi that partially based on Thomas de Quincey’s essay Suspiria de Profundis (Sighs from the Depths), Suspiria is the story of an American ballet student who travels 1977 West Berlin to enroll at a prestigious dance academy unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by David Kajganich, the film is a homage to Argento’s film while exploring the many mysteries a young woman encounters at this dance academy. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia Goth, Angela Winkler, Ingrid Craven, Sylvie Testud, Fabrizia Sacchi, Malgosia Bela, with special appearances from Jessica Harper, Lutz Ebersdorf, and Tilda Swinton. Suspiria is an enthralling and horrifying film from Luca Guadagnino.
Set in the fall of 1977 in Berlin during one of the city’s most tumultuous events relating to the German Autumn involving the kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns Martin Schyleyer as well as the Lufthansa Flight 181 hijacking. The film is about an American ballet student who is accepted at a prestigious dance school unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches as mysterious disappearances and events occur during the school. While the film is similar to its original film by Dario Argento in 1977, it’s told in a different take as it is set during a moment in time where a generation of young Germans cope with the sins of World War II and the guilt they have over the events of the past. Even as this coven believe they have something that can bring them back to prominence following a period of seclusion following World War II.
David Kajganich’s screenplay is told through six acts plus an epilogue as it explore the life of a dance studio in 1977 Berlin where it’s divided by the Berlin Wall as the studio is set in West Berlin just close to the wall. The main protagonist in Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is a newcomer to the studio as she is revealed to come from a Mennonite community in Ohio where she is dealing with the her ailing mother (Malgosia Bela). Bannion’s arrival comes in at the right moment when a dancer in Patricia Hingle (Chloe Grace Moretz) had left the school mysteriously where lead choreographer Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) takes great notice of Bannion’s gift as a dancer believing she has something special to offer for a special dance piece she wants to direct. While Bannion would adjust to her new living situation and befriend fellow dancer Sara Simms (Mia Goth), she would notice that something is up as would Simms who becomes concerned with another disappearance of a dancer.
Hingle would play a key element to the plot early in the film as she drops off a diary and notes to psychotherapist Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf) who is dismissive of her claims until he notices that she has disappeared where he believes something isn’t right as he would later turn to Simms for help. During the course of the film, there is a discussion among those who run the school about who should become the coven’s new leader as many prefer the mysterious Mother Markos (Tilda Swinton) instead of Madame Blanc who is concerned with this venture just as many in the coven believe that Bannion is the one to bring the coven back to prominence with Madame Blanc watching closely. Even as the eventual performance would play into everything Madame Blanc has been preparing for, it also has these elements that prove that it’s something much bigger in what is to come for Bannion to discover.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is definitely riveting in terms of the setting, the time period, and the sense of intrigue that is happening in and out of the dance academy along with bits of scenes at Ohio which Bannion would think about from time to time. Shot on various locations in Varese, Italy and parts of Berlin, the film does play into this moment in time where it is chaotic with protests over what is happening in Germany in relation to the events of the times. Guadagnino’s direction would emphasize on stylistic shots that do bear elements of what Dario Argento did with the original film but it’s more restrained in the compositions with an emphasis on the physicality of the dancing. With the aid of choreographer Damien Jalet, the dancing and ballet has an intensity in the movements where it helps tell the story as well as play into something much bigger relating to the world of the witches as well as the mysteries that is happening inside the dance studio. Guadagnino would use wide and medium shots for some of the dancing to get a scope of the performances as well as some terrifying moments in Bannion’s performance in close-ups that would be inter-cut with something else happening that play into what the coven wants.
Guadagnino would also emphasize on atmosphere since the film is set during the autumn and winter of 1977 where there is a more realistic look rather than the more heightened usage of colors that Argento did in the original. Particularly as it help play into the sense of terror that is coming relating to this ceremony where Bannion is at the center of the ceremony unaware of what her role is. There is not just this idea of surrealism but also horror of the most extreme with revelations about a world that proves to be no different from what is happening in 1977 Germany with the political and social turmoil that is happening. Even as it emphasizes this element of guilt of past actions that a future generation has to cope with as well as the idea of motherhood in what one expects to teach a younger generation right from wrong. Overall, Guadagnino crafts an evocative yet visceral film about a young American woman being accepted at a prestigious dance academy run by a mysterious coven of witches in 1977 Berlin.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors and lighting that help play into the eerie tone of the film without being overly stylized as well as using light for the interiors as well as the big dance number in the film. Editor Walter Fasano does amazing work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic and jump-cuts help play into the energy of the dance and suspense as well as in some of the film’s dramatic moments. Production designer Inbal Weinberg, with set decorators Christin Busse and Merissa Lombardo plus art directors Merlin Ortner and Monica Sallustio, does excellent work with the look of the dance studio as well as some of the rooms and secret places including the room of mirrors and the homes of Dr. Klemperer in both East and West Berlin. Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish late 1970s dresses the women wore when they go out to the costume they wear for the dance scene.
Prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier does incredible work with the makeup for some eerie sequences that include elements of the third act in the unveiling of Mother Markos as well as other things including a horrendous scene early in the film. Special effects supervisor Franco Ragusa and visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti do superb work with the special effects that include some of the moments of horror as well as bits of set-dressing in some parts of the film. Sound designer Frank Kruse does marvelous work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations and dance numbers to showcase how sparse the sound of movements are as it is one of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Thom Yorke is phenomenal for its mixture of low-key piano-based orchestral music, ambient, and Krautrock-inspired cuts as it help play into the suspense and drama while music supervisor Robin Urdang provides a soundtrack that features bits of classical music pieces and some of the music that was popular in Germany at the time.
The casting by Stella Savino is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Fred Keleman and Mikael Olsson as a couple of police investigators who try to investigate the academy following claims from Dr. Klemperer, Malgosia Bela as Bannion’s ailing mother, Alek Wek as one of the dance teachers in Miss Millius, Vanda Capriolo as a dancer in Alberta who shows Bannion how to jump high for the dance, Sylvie Testud as the big glasses-wearing yet mysterious Miss Griffith who never says anything, Renee Soutendijk as a teacher in Miss Huller, Ingrid Caven as another teacher who kind of runs the place in Miss Vendegast, and Jessica Harper in a brief yet terrific one-scene cameo as Dr. Klemperer’s wife Anke. Elena Fokina is superb as a Soviet dancer in Olga Ivanova who is despondent over Patricia’s disappearance as she suspects the school staff while Angela Winkler is wonderful as Miss Tanner as a teacher who is Madame Blanc’s most trusted confidant as she knows something doesn’t feel right. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Patricia Hingle as it’s a small yet crucial performance of a dancer who is on the run as she’s made some discoveries about the dance academy.
Mia Goth is excellent as Sara Simms as a dancer who befriends Bannion and becomes her closest confidant while being aware that something isn’t right as it relates to the disappearances where she would help out Dr. Klemperer. Dakota Johnson is brilliant as Susie Bannion as a young American dancer who travels to Berlin from a sheltered environment as she deals with her gifts as a dancer as well as her own sexual awakening through the dance and coping with the mysteries surrounding the academy. Lutz Ebersdorf is amazing as Dr. Josef Klemperer as a psychotherapist still pondering about the whereabouts of his wife as he deals with what Hingle has discovered believing that some form of evil is emerging. Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in an incredible dual performance as Mother Marko and Madame Blanc as she only appears briefly as the former due to its look while provides a straightforward yet maternal approach in the latter as someone who is trying to run a school and do things for the coven while being aware that something is off just as she is becoming concerned for Bannion’s physical and mental state of mind.
Suspiria is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino. Featuring a phenomenal ensemble cast, eerie visuals, Thom Yorke’s intoxicating score, brooding sound design, and a provocative story that touches upon many themes of guilt, identity, and motherhood. It’s a film that is confrontational in its themes but also play into the idea of a world that a young woman is about to venture into that is just as terrifying as the real world that is happening around her. In the end, Suspiria is an outstanding film from Luca Guadagnino.
Related: Suspiria (1977 film) - (Goblin-Suspiria OST) - (Thom Yorke-Suspiria OST)
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me by Your Name - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Wes Anderson and screenplay by Anderson from a story by Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Kunichi Nomura, Isle of Dogs is the story of a young boy in a futuristic, dystopian-Japan who travels to an island where dogs are living in exile due to an illness outbreak. The film is Anderson’s second stop-motion animated feature as it plays into a boy’s search for his dog where a group of dogs decide to help the boy as well as deal with being in exile because of a leader who hates dogs as the story is narrated by Courtney B. Vance. Featuring the voice cast of Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Koyu Rankin, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Ken Watanabe, Fisher Stevens, Yoko Ono, Harvey Keitel, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton, Frank Wood, and F. Murray Abraham. Isle of Dogs is a majestic and adventurous film from Wes Anderson.
Following a mandate to ban dogs from a Japanese by its mayor claiming that dogs are spreading diseases as they’re consumed by a mysterious illness, the film revolves around a young boy who travels to an island of trash to find his dog. It’s a film with a simple story as it explores conspiracy theories and paranoia from the perspective of humans while the dogs are dealing with hunger, an on-going flu, and the horrific environment they live in. Wes Anderson’s screenplay opens with a prologue of a legend about the arrival of dogs in Japan and how it lead to this conflict between man vs. dog until a boy came to the aid of dogs and would make them man’s best friend. It’s a story that would be replayed in this futuristic version of Japan where a mayor who hates dogs decides to create something to get the public to have dogs banned as it is told in four parts by an unseen narrator. Yet, the main narrative involves the mayor’s nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) wanting to retrieve his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber) whom he got just after Atari had been injured in a train crash that killed his parents.
The need to retrieve Spots would have Atari land on this island filled with trash that was also the former site of a factory and amusement park where he would meet five dogs in Chief (Bryan Cranston), Boss (Bill Murray), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) where four of the dogs would help Atari find Spots but Chief is reluctant as he’s a stray dog that hasn’t known any loyalty to a master as he’s known to bite. Yet, the dogs would deal with a rescue team that has robotic dogs to attack where Chief decides to help Atari as it would play into this development between dog and boy, respectively, as it would also lead to some revelations to the former while giving the latter a sense of hope. The film also has subplots as it relates to students wanting to go against the mayor led by American foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) who believes there’s a conspiracy happening involving the mayor and his cohorts where they are also attempting to shut down a scientist in Professor Watanabe (Akira Ito) from creating a cure for the dogs.
Anderson’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the way he uses Japanese art and its architecture to create a world that is futuristic in some ways but also harkens to the tradition of the past. With the help of animation director Mark Waring, Anderson creates a film that does play into his visual sensibilities in terms of his precise compositions, camera movements, and offbeat humor. Yet, he would also utilize broad visuals to play into this world as the island of trash is desolate but also wild with rumors of cannibalistic dogs who eat other dogs. There are also these elements where Anderson uses satire as it relates to the rule and rhetoric of Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) that has similarities to current events in the world in how dogs are being treated as they’re sent to this island of trash with more plans to get rid of them altogether. Especially as Kobayashi has a henchman in Major Domo (Akira Takayama) who is trying to create more chaos where a lot of the visuals play into elements of suspense and drama.
Anderson’s direction also has these tender moments as it relates to the developing relationship between Chief and Atari as it has bits of humor and drama with Chief carrying a secret of his own about his life as a stray dog when the subject of favorite foods emerge during a conversation with the other dogs. Many of the dialogue between the dogs are in English while the humans, with the exception of Tracy and a few translators, are in Japanese. It allows audience to see a world that is unique while unsettling at times as it plays into this growing tension for truth with the people in this Japanese city being told false things while Tracy is trying to reveal the truth with Atari making plans to return to the city with the dogs in the hope that the truth will come out. Overall, Anderson crafts a mesmerizing and exhilarating film about a boy who travels to an island of trash to find his dog.
Cinematographer Tristan Oliver does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in the way many of the backgrounds are lit as well as the presentation of some of the interior settings in day and night in terms of the lighting. Editors Andrew Weisblum, Ralph Foster, and Edward Busch do brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of jump cuts and other stylish cut to play into the action and suspense as well as some of the drama. Production designers Paul Harrod and Adam Stockhausen, with art director Curt Enderle, do incredible work with the look of the city in all of its grand detail as it is a major highlight of the film as well as how it would look in the day and night as is the island of trash with its decayed buildings and other places in the island.
Visual effects supervisors Lev Kolobov and Tim Ledbury do fantastic work with the visual effects as it is mainly bits of set dressing including scenes shown on a TV screen for the characters to watch as it help play into the stop-motion animated look. Sound editors Wayne Lemmer and Christopher Scarabosio do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects involving the drones and robotic dogs as well as in some of the locations the characters are in. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is amazing for its usage of Japanese percussion and string music to help play into the drama and suspense as it’s another major highlight of the film while music supervisor Randall Poster provides a soundtrack that include a few score pieces of films by Akira Kurosawa and a song by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band that play for some of the adventure scenes.
The casting by Douglas Aibel and Kunichi Nomura is incredible as it features some small yet notable voice roles from co-writer Nomura as Mayor Kobayashi in all of his grandiose persona as well as Yoko Ono as Professor Watanabe’s assistant, Ken Watanabe as a head surgeon who helped Atari following the train crash, Fisher Stevens as a dog named Scraps whom Spots meet as he would tell him about cannibal dogs, Kara Hayward as a female dog named Peppermint, Anjelica Huston as a mute dog, Frank Wood as translator machine, Yojiro Noda as a news anchor, Nijiro Murakami as a school newspaper editor, Akira Ito as Professor Watanabe as a scientist who wants to disprove Kobayashi’s claims while wanting to create a cure for the dogs, and Akira Takayama as Kobayashi’s right-hand man Major Domo who would help Kobayashi in creating the anti-dog propaganda.
Liev Schreiber is terrific as Atari’s dog Spots who had been assigned to look after Atari following a near-fatal train crash while Harvey Keitel is superb as Gondo as a dog who leads a group of his own. F. Murray Abraham and Tilda Swinton are fantastic in their respective roles as Jupiter and Oracle as the former is a dog that helps the other dogs in finding Spots by showing them the way while the latter is a dog that claims to see the future as he’s really more into TV. Frances McDormand is excellent as Interpreter Nelson who would reveal the things that Kobayashi is saying while Greta Gerwig is wonderful as Tracy Walker as an American foreign exchange student who helps lead a student revolt against Kobayashi. Scarlett Johansson is brilliant as Nutmeg as a show-dog that convinces Chief to help Atari as she sees Atari as someone that can find the goodness in Chief.
The quartet of Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton in their respective roles as King, Duke, Boss, and Rex are brilliant as the four dogs who have been treated well by their masters as they’re willing to help Atari find Spots while dealing with Chief’s reluctance. Koyu Rankin is remarkable as Atari as Kobayashi’s nephew who is eager to find his dog as he endures injuries and heartache as he is determined to get his dog back while befriending the other dogs including Chief. Finally, there’s Bryan Cranston in a phenomenal performance as Chief as a stray dog who has endured being captured and in a lot of fights who is reluctant to help Atari due to his own mistrusts towards humans where he later finds a sense of trust as well as a role that is far more important than himself.
Isle of Dogs is a tremendous film from Wes Anderson. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, top-notch stop-motion animation, amazing set designs, and a thrilling score by Alexandre Desplat. The film is an exciting yet compelling adventure film that takes a simple concept and inject some real-life allegories about the world as it all plays for a boy’s love for his dog. In the end, Isle of Dogs 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 - The Grand Budapest Hotel - 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 Film 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)
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