The Auteurs #58: Jeff Nichols

Among a small group of filmmakers to make a name for himself in the past decade, Jeff Nichols is someone who has only made a handful of films so far in his career. However, he’s managed to attain loads of critical support as well as gain a growing audience interested in his stories about regular people dealing with the world and their surroundings as they’re mostly set in the American South. While many of his stories that are often set in his home state of Arkansas as well as rural places with people dealing with something that is either real or otherworldly. Nichols has crafted a body of work that is compelling as well as grounded in that air of realism and tenderness that many of today’s mainstream filmmakers aren’t making these days.

Born on December 7, 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jeff Nichols was born into a place that didn’t have much of a film culture yet would find some form of escape through books and films. Notably the work of Mark Twain who Nichols would consider to be a major influence in his writing while he was also interested in the world of cinema. Notably with the films of the New Hollywood era of 1970s American cinema and some of the films that was emerging during the 1980s. Through his interest in cinema, Nichols would attend the prestigious University of North Carolina School of Arts where it had become a starting point for emerging filmmakers such as David Gordon Green and Jody Hill who also made films set in the South. Nichols’ time at the school would prove to be a fruitful experience as he would meet those who would be part of his team of collaborators including cinematographer Adam Stone.

Shotgun Stories

Following his tenure at the University of North Carolina School of Arts, Nichols met another alumni in David Gordon Green who had been making critically-acclaimed films in the early 2000s as they were all set in the South. Green decided to produce Nichols’ first feature film as he would gather money to help get Nichols funding as well as offer him one of his editors in Steven Gonzales to edit the film for Nichols. For the casting, Nichols decided to cast several unknowns as well as actors that not many people knew. For the lead role of Son Hayes, Nichols cast Michael Shannon in the role as it would serve as a breakthrough for Shannon.

Shooting on location in small towns near Little Rock, Arkansas, Nichols’ film revolved around a family feud involving two sets of half-brothers who both share the same father but both endured different relationships and lives with their father. The film follows three men who live very simple but troubled lives who still bear the scars of abuse of their father as they learn that he’s died as they crash the funeral to say insults towards him only to set a firestorm against their half-brothers. The feud wouldn’t just lead to tragedy but also a sense of unease where it is clear that it has come to the realization that this family is beyond damaged as three of these men who are just trying to make something in their lives are doing what they can while also trying not to carry the sins of their parents. Much of the film was shot in 2004 yet it took years and more funding for the post-production as Green was involved with other projects during that time which led to the film’s delay. It was around that time that Nichols brought in his brother Ben who was in the alt-country band Lucero to provide some score music as he would become an occasional collaborator for Nichols.

After some delay, the film made its premiere in February of 2007 at the Berlin Film Festival where it was well received as it led to a run of festival appearances that brought a lot of word of mouth for the film. Following a limited release in March of 2008 where it only made more than $168,000 against its $250,000 budget. The film was still a favorite with the critics as it made it into some top-ten lists for the year of 2008 including from the famed Roger Ebert who named the film one of the year’s best.

Take Shelter

Despite the critical support he’s received for his first film, Nichols knew that being an independent filmmaker wasn’t going to be easy as he still took the time to develop his next project. That project eventually fell apart yet he did get the attention of independent film producer Sophia Lin who did accept another script that Nichols was working that would be his next film. The film would be about a man having a strange premonition about a storm coming to his home as he is consumed by fear and paranoia to protect his family while wondering if it’s all true. The film would be a more ambitious project than his first film as Lin would team up with Tyler Davidson to produce it as they gained nearly $5 million for the budget.

With Michael Shannon playing the lead role of Curtis LaForche, Nichols would also cast veteran actors such as Ray McKinnon as Curtis’ older brother and Kathy Baker as their mother while noted characters Katy Mixon and Shea Whigham would play supporting parts. For the role of Curtis’ wife, Jessica Chastain was cast as she was about to make waves for her work in Terrence Malick’s 2011 film The Tree of Life. The film would be mostly shot and set in Lagrange, Ohio with some additional shooting near Austin, Texas and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with regular cinematographer Adam Stone in 2010. While Nichols wasn’t able to get his brother Ben to create music, he was given the chance to work with composer David Wingo who had been scoring music for David Gordon Green and Jody Hill.

The film made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2011 where it was a big hit at the festival where it would receive a festival run for much of the year and then picked up by Sony Pictures Classic for a limited release in late September that year. The film would be a modest commercial success making back its budget yet it was a major hit with critics as the film was praised for its story as well as Shannon’s performance. Its success also gave Nichols some major clout as he was already embarking on his next project.

Mud

Since the premiere of Take Shelter at Sundance in early 2011, Nichols had been approached to make more films as he got the attention of producer Sarah Green who had also worked with Jessica Chastain on The Tree of Life. Inspired by the works of Mark Twain, Nichols’ third film would be about two boys who meet a mysterious drifter in an island in the middle of Arkansas River. The film would be a coming-of-age tale where a young boy not only learns about first love but also help a man try to reach out to a former flame. The project was fascinating as it got the attention of Matthew McConaughey who agreed to play the role of the titular character. Green provided Nichols the services of casting director Francine Maisler who would bring in Tye Sheridan from The Tree of Life to play Ellis while Jacob Lofland would play Ellis’ friend Neckbone. The cast would also include Reese Witherspoon as Mud’s old flame Juniper as well as small roles from Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Joe Don Baker, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, and Sam Shepard.

Retaining the services of cinematographer Adam Stone, composer David Wingo, and Nichols’ brother Ben providing additional music. The crew would also include production designer Richard A. Wright and editor Julie Monroe as the latter would become part of Nichols’ stable of recurring collaborators. Production began in September of 2011 in Arkansas as Nichols was given a $10 million budget as well as complete access to shooting around various locations in his home state. Especially in its river where Nichols and Wright helped create a boat that would be placed on a tree as it was integral for the plot. Nichols didn’t just want an air of realism but also that air of suspense as it relates to old enemies of Mud who want him dead.

The film made its premiere in May of 2012 at the Cannes Film Festival playing in competition for the Palme d’Or. While it didn’t win any prizes at the festival, the film was a major hit as it helped raise Nichols’ profile as a filmmaker as well as give Matthew McConaughey more acclaim where many believed he was in the midst of a career resurrection. Following its limited release in the U.S. in April of 2013, the film would be a hit not just critically but also commercially as it made more than $21 million in the U.S. box office and $11 million more worldwide. Though the film got overlooked during the awards season, the film would receive the Robert Altman Award for its ensemble at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards.

Midnight Special

Following a break between films where Nichols had become a father, his time becoming a father would lead to a new project that would be about a father trying to protect his son from the government and a mysterious cult with the help of his estranged wife and a friend of theirs as they go on the road and on the run. The film was partially-inspired by Nichols’ love of sci-fi films including John Carpenter’s 1984 film Starman. Nichols took some time to write the script as he would get the support of producer Sarah Green as well as retain many of collaborators from his last film to be on board for the project while Michael Shannon was cast as the lead role of Roy Tomlin with recurring collaborators Sam Shepard and Paul Sparks playing small supporting roles. The cast would also include Joel Edgerton as Roy’s friend Lucas, Kirsten Dunst as Roy’s estranged wife Sarah, Adam Driver as government agent Paul Sevier, and Jaeden Lieberher as Roy’s son Alton.

Production began in January of 2014 with a $18 million budget in New Orleans where much of the film was shot there. The film would be Nichols’ most ambitious as it would rely partially on visual effects as Nichols wanted to maintain something that is real. Especially as it is about that relationship between father and son as they both try to escape the cult leader who is Roy’s father and wants Alton for something that he believes would send him to some kind of world. Nichols also wanted that air of suspense and action to be used but in a minimal sense so that it doesn’t deter from the heart of the story as some of the sci-fi elements didn’t just have some real-life stakes but also would be presented in a climax that is otherworldly.

Though the film was slated for a late 2015 release, it took some time for some of the post-production to be finished as well as the fact that Nichols was already working on another project at the same time. The film made its premiere at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival that May where it drew rave reviews as it led to a spring theatrical release in the U.S. While it would make $6.2 million in the U.S. box office despite the film being Nichols’ first film on a wide release scale. The film still managed to be a favorite with the critics as it helped give Nichols some mainstream visibility while maintaining his status as an independent filmmaker.

Loving

Nichols’ newest feature film is a dramatization over the real-life marriage between Richard and Mildred Loving as it was seen as illegal since the former was white and the latter was black. Starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga in their respective roles as Richard and Mildred Loving with supporting parts from Michael Shannon, Nick Kroll, Bill Camp, and Marton Csokas. Featuring the same collaborators that Nichols worked with in his previous work, the film marks as Nichols’ first period film as well as it wasn’t a film Nichols wanted to do but was convinced by his wife to do it. The film made its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival that May where it was a major hit as it would get its theatrical release in November.

While he’s only made five feature films so far, Jeff Nichols is already creating a body of work that most filmmakers wish they could have as he is already on a roll. In an age where Hollywood wants to make films based on gimmicks, franchises, and such, Nichols is a filmmaker that American cinema needs as he creates stories about real people dealing with some type of situation whether it’s mysterious or real. Even as they’re set in places that is more homegrown rather than be set in cities or places that are often seen in Hollywood. If there’s any filmmaker that deserves a place to be called the best American filmmaker working today, it’s Jeff Nichols.

© thevoid99 2016

Trances (1981 film)

Written, shot, and directed by Ahmed El Maanoui, Trances is a documentary film about the Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane who creates music that express the social and political world of Morocco. The film follows a band trying to make music for a country that isn’t known for making modern music as they try to make a dent into the world outside of Morocco. The result is a fascinating and exhilarating film from Ahmed El Maanoui.

The band Nass El Ghiwane that consists of percussionist Labri Batma, percussionist Omar Sayed, banjoist Allal Yaala, and bassist Abderrahman Paco had become a popular sensation in their native country of Morocco as they sing folk-inspired songs about the country around them. It’s a film that isn’t just about this band but also the world of Morocco and its culture as well as some of the political and social turmoil in the country. At the same time, there is an element of history about Morocco’s music culture as well as the songs the band perform as it relates to a few folk heroes and things around them. Still, some of the band members have day-to-day jobs they do to get by but also play shows not really for money but to entertain the people.

Told through a mixture of live performances, interviews, and profiles on the band and its individual members with some stock footage of the world of Moroccan theatre in the 1960s. Even as some of the music that was made during those times were controversial as Sayed’s brother was a popular folk singer in his time until his death in the early 1970s. The band Nass El Ghiwane plays only all acoustic, organic, and traditional instruments of their homeland not because it’s what they have but it’s also to maintain that sense of identity in a world where everyone has to keep up with the times.

Ahmed El Maanoui’s direction is very simple as it play into the excitement of the audience reacting to the music as well as capture a world that is quite lively despite not having many of the things expected in modern-day Western society. With the aid of editor Jean-Claude Bonfanti in compiling some of the stock footage and sound recordist Ricardo Castro in capturing the music played on film. El Maanoui would create something that is vibrant as it showcases how much the music so much to the people who feel removed from the modern world.

Trances is a phenomenal film from Ahmed El Maanoui that explores the music of Nass El Ghiwane. It’s a film that manages to showcase a culture that is very unique as well as enthralling while maintaining its sense of identity in an ever-changing world. In the end, Trances is a sensational film from Ahmed El Maanoui.

© thevoid99 2016

La Cravate

Based on the novella The Transposed Heads by Thomas Mann, Les tetes interverties (also known as La Cravate) is the story of a merchant who helps a young man find love through some very strange means. Written for the screen, directed, and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, the twenty-minute short film is a surrealist take on Mann’s story told largely through mime. Also starring Raymond Devos, Saul Gilbert, Marthe Mercury, and Margot Loyola. Les tetes interverties is a whimsical and delightful short film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.

The film is a simple story of a young man trying to woo a woman yet he is unsuccessful until he meets a merchant who will help but through means that are very controversial as it relates to severed heads. It’s a film that knows what it is as well as not be afraid to be silly as Alejandro Jodorowsky takes a story that is odd and macabre but make it enjoyable. Jodorowsky’s script doesn’t have any dialogue but it does play into this young man wanting to impress a woman but is continuously unsuccessful as he tries to put on different heads to win her over. Jodorowsky’s direction definitely emphasizes a lot of mime performance where the actors, including Jodorowsky as the lead role, express themselves physically while being playful in their performance.

Many of the compositions are simple where Jodorowsky’s usage of close-ups and medium shots play into whimsy nature of the film as well as the elements of surrealism. With the aid of editor Saul Gilbert in providing some straightforward cutting and some playful rhythms as it add to the visual presentation. Even the costumes by Ruth Michelly add to the film’s very low-budget but offbeat look as well as Edgar Bischoff’s music score that help maintain that sense of whimsy and charm. Overall, Jodorowsky creates a quirky yet enjoyable short film about a man trying to win over a girl.

Les tetes interverties is an excellent short film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film is a strange yet enjoyable film that play into Jodorowsky’s approach to surrealism as it marks as an early achievement for the famed cult filmmaker. In the end, Les tetes interverties is a brilliant film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.


Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Tusk (1980 film) - Santa Sangre - The Rainbow Thief - The Dance of Reality - Endless Poetry - Psychomagic: a Healing Art

Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky

© thevoid99 2016

Straw Dogs (1971 film)

Based on the novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm by Gordon M. Williams, Straw Dogs is the story of an American mathematician who moves to a small English town with his wife where they’re later terrorized by locals that includes a former flame of his wife as it leads to trouble. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman, the film is a study of a man trying to live a peaceful life only to be confronted by the darkest aspects of humanity in a world he has very little clue about. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. Straw Dogs is a harrowing yet visceral film from Sam Peckinpah.

Set in this small town in England, the film revolves around a couple who move into the place where it’s the hometown of the wife as she and her American husband become terrorized by some of its locals that would include a former flame of hers. It’s a film that isn’t just about a home invasion but a man being tested to do whatever it takes to protect himself and his wife as the former is seen as an outsider who has managed to rub the locals the wrong way without intending to. Especially as he’s just this mild-mannered mathematician that is more concerned with living a quiet life and writing a book. Yet, his attempts to socialize and befriend these locals only cause troubles in his marriage as the reappearance of his wife’s old flame would be the catalyst for chaos. The screenplay by Sam Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman isn’t just an exploration of what a man will do to fight back but also deal with being a total outsider in this strange world. The protagonist David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) is this intellect that is trying to escape from the world of conventional society for something that is simple and with very little distraction.

By going to the hometown of his wife Amy (Susan George), Sumner thinks he’s made the right choice but a series of small incidents would come into play as the men he’s hired to build his garage and do things around his home would be troubling as one of them is Amy’s former boyfriend Charlie Venner (Del Henney). While Sumner would gain a few friends in a former officer and a mentally-handicapped villager in Henry Niles (David Warner). His encounters with some of the locals that include the local drunkard Tom Hedden (Peter Vaughan) is suspicious about Sumner because he’s an outsider. The Sumner character is also someone that isn’t keen on being confrontational while he does get frustrated with what is happening around him as he and Amy start to bicker. Even as things start to happen towards the course of the story where it is clear Amy is hiding something from him that eventually leads to this home invasion led by Venner and Hedden over an incident that doesn‘t relate to the Sumners.

Peckinpah’s direction is restrained at first for the most part though it does have shots of blatant sexuality as it relates to Amy’s beauty and the fact that she often never wears a bra. Peckinpah makes no qualms in how he would present women as sexual beings even though he doesn’t see Amy as just that but a full-fledge character who is just attractive and manages to get men to look at her. Still, Peckinpah is more about that sense of this outsider arriving into a world that he has very little clue about where he uses some wide and medium shots to play into that sense of disconnect as well as Sumner’s attempt to be part of it no matter how awkwardly he tries to socialize with the locals. Peckinpah’s approach to the drama is very simple while he also would play into the suspense as it relates to a series of small events that would shake up the Sumners. One notable sequence in the film’s second act that involves an encounter between Amy and Venner as well as a friend of Venner while Sumner is at the countryside for a hunt. It’s a moment that marks a major plot-point for the film where a lot has changed as the tone of the film would get darker.

Notably in this harrowing climax as it relates to the home invasion that the Sumners would endure as well as what Sumner would learn about what happened to his wife that would eventually drive him to the edge. It is definitely one of the scariest and most violent climaxes Peckinpah has created with its array of camera angles and compositions that play into that sense of terror. Overall, Peckinpah creates a riveting and terrifying film about a mild-mannered man being forced to the edge to protect his wife.

Cinematographer John Coquillon does brilliant work with the film‘s low-key yet hazy cinematography with its usage of the fog for some of the scenes at night as well as the grayness in some of the locations set in England as it help sets the eerie tone of the film in its interior/exterior settings. Editors Paul Davies, Tony Lawson, and Roger Spottiswoode do amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, superimposed dissolves, and montages to play into the sense of memory and violence that the Sumners would encounter. Production Ray Simm and art director Ken Bridgeman do excellent work with the look of the Sumners home as well as the pub where many of the locals socialize at.

Sound editors Garth Craven and Norman Savage do superb work with the sound from the quieter moments in the film as well as some of the tense moments involving guns and breaking glass. The film’s music by Jerry Fielding is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that play into the drama and suspenseful moments while some of the music is mainly traditional as well as a Scottish record that Sumner owns.

The casting by Miriam Brickman is fantastic as it include some small roles from Colin Welland as the local bishop, Peter Arne as Niles’ brother John, Cherina Schaer as the bishop’s wife, Len Jones as Hedden’s son Bobby, Sally Thomsett as Hedden’s daughter in the flirtatious Janice, T.P. McKenna as Major John Scott who befriends Sumner, and David Warner in an un-credited performance as Henry Niles as a mentally-handicapped man whom Sumner befriends and would later try to protect. Ken Hutchison, Donald Webster, and Jim Norton are terrific in their roles as three men who would work for Sumner only to do some very bad things as they would later try and terrorize the Sumner home as one of them is a friend of Venner. Del Henney is excellent as Charlie Venner as an old flame of Amy who wants to rekindle their love only to cause some trouble and later take part in the home invasion.

Peter Vaughan is brilliant as Tom Hedden as a local drunkard who doesn’t really like Sumner as he thinks Sumner is better than everyone while also have some disdain towards Henry Niles because he’s different. Susan George is amazing as Amy Sumner as this woman who is trying to make sense of what her husband wants as well as do things to antagonize some of the locals where she would eventually put herself in serious trouble. Finally, there’s Dustin Hoffman in an incredible performance as David Sumner as this mild-mannered mathematician that isn’t keen on confrontation as he tries to conduct his life without bothering anyone until he is being pushed to the edge where he is forced to act and defend himself and his wife anyway he can.

Straw Dogs is a phenomenal film from Sam Peckinpah that features a great performance from Dustin Hoffman. Along with a great supporting cast, eerie visuals, and some intense moments that isn’t for everyone. It’s a film that explores not just some of the dark aspects of humanity but also what it would take for a man to venture into that world. In the end, Straw Dogs is a spectacular film from Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah

© thevoid99 2016

Touki Bouki

Written and directed by Djibril Diop Mambety, Touki Bouki (The Journey of the Hyena) is the story of two lovers who try to leave Dakar, Senegal for France as they embark into a journey filled with trials and tribulations. The film is a look into the world that is Africa and two lovers’ desire for a better life. Starring Magaye Niang and Marame Niang. Touki Bouki is a whimsical and entrancing film from Dijbril Diop Mambety.

Set in the port city of Dakar and nearby rural areas, the film follows the life of a couple who want to escape the poverty of their home and do whatever it takes to go to Paris for a better life. It’s a film that has a simple story yet it is told in a very whimsical and surreal fashion as it play into a couple trying to find a better life amidst the chaos of their homeland. The film’s screenplay doesn’t really have much of a plot as it mainly follows these two people who are trying to live their life but don’t really live by the rule of conventional society in their rural environment. They do whatever they can to get money and leave Senegal as there is this element in the third act that does play into a sense of surrealism but also that blur of fantasy and reality. Especially as it play into what these two want and what would they do if they do reach that dream.

Djibril Diop Mambety’s direction is very ravishing for the way he presents Dakar and its rural environment as if it is set in a world that is foreign but also kind of modern. Presented in this cinema verite style that definitely owes a lot to the aesthetics of the French New Wave, Mambety’s direction has this sense of energy and looseness. The usage of handheld cameras as well as creating that sense of repetition as it play into what is real and what is fantasy. Mambety’s compositions in its usage of close-ups as well as these gorgeous wide and medium shots of the location play into the beauty of Dakar as it is this intoxicating and vibrant world that exciting. Even in its rural area that is based on a more traditional idea of Africa as it crosses into something that is modern as it play into a clash of ideals and roots of what these two characters want. Notably in the third act as it is quite surreal into what happens when these two characters are given the things they want and that chance to leave Senegal but there is also that conflict of identity of who they are and what they’re going to leave. Overall, Mambety creates a rapturous film about a couple trying to leave Senegal for Paris.

Cinematographer George Bracher does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and gorgeous cinematography as it has this vibrancy to the look of the locations with its beautiful colors as well as the way the sun shines on a shot or in a location. Editor Siro Asteni does amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts that play into its energy as well as its air of surrealism. Set/costume designer Aziz Diop Mambety does excellent work with the look of some of the places the characters go to including the home of a rich man as well as the clothes they would wear in the third act. The film’s music consists of songs sung by Josephine Baker, Mado Robin, and Aminata Fall as it play into that air of fantasy but also reality as it has songs that are upbeat but also melancholic about what these characters go through.

The film’s fantastic cast include a couple of notable small roles from the famed African singer Aminata Fall as the aunt of the young woman and Ousseynou Diop as a rich friend of theirs named Charlie. The phenomenal performances of Magaye and Mareme Niang in their respective roles as Mory and Anta as this young couple who are dealing with their need to escape poverty with the former already running a major debt with the latter feeling ostracized for not wanting to play by the rules as both of them want something to live for but later become conflicted in their journey of escape.

Touki Bouki is a phenomenal film from Djibril Diop Mambety. Featuring a great cast, amazing music, and loads of style in its visual presentation, it’s a film that isn’t just one of the quintessential films of African cinema but also world cinema as it showcases a world that is just ravishing to watch. In the end, Touki Bouki is a spectacular film from Djibril Diop Mambety.

Djibril Diop Mambety Films: (Contras’city) - (Badou Boy) - (Parlons Grand-mere) - (Hyenes) - (Le Franc) - (La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil)

© thevoid99 2016

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One

Written, edited, directed, and co-starring William Greaves, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One is an avant-garde documentary film about the making of a film involving a couple having a break-up. The film is an exploration into the world of acting as well as the attempts to try and make a film just as everything is being shot on the fly. Also starring Patricia Ree Gilbert, Don Fellows, Jonathan Gordon, and Bob Rosen. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One is a strange yet intriguing film from William Greaves.

The film is a documentary about the making of romantic film about a couple breaking-up where cast and crew become frustrated by their director’s ideas over the story. It’s a film that explores the process of making a film as a crew becomes unsure of what is happening as well as the fact that the filmmaker William Greaves is being a sexist dick to some of the women as well as wanting to shoot a scene in many different ways. Even as it plays this strange mix of documentary and fiction as it feature these moments of the crew led by production manager Bob Rosen speaking out about what the fuck is going on. Much of the direction is shot in a cinema verite style which employs a lot of hand-held cameras and movements that play to that feel of a documentary.

With the aid of cinematographers Terry Filgate and Stevan Larner, the film does have this grainy look in its photography while the film-within-a-film maintains that look while it tries to look like something that is more polished. Also serving as editor, Greaves would utilize multiple split-screens to showcase the many different takes and angles of what Greaves in his filmmaker role is trying to create. It does add to that sense of wonderment as well as some of the quirks that goes on in making a film while Greaves as the filmmaker would also get the actors to find their characters. Some of which are baffling where Patricia Ree Gilbert and Don Fellows are trying to see what they can do in playing this couple breaking up while saying all of these mean things to each other. Adding to the film’s offbeat tone is its music score by Miles Davis that is definitely based on jazz and jazz-fusion as it plays to its energy and Greaves‘ strange demands. Overall, Greaves create an odd yet provocative film about what it takes to make a film.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One is a remarkable film from William Greaves. It’s a film that explores not just the world of filmmaking but also blurring the lines into what is real and what is fiction. In the end, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One is a riveting film from William Greaves.

© thevoid99 2016

Straight Outta Compton

Directed by F. Gary Gray and screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff and story by Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, and Alan Wenkus, Straight Outta Compton is the story about the formation and rise of the legendary hardcore hip-hop group N.W.A. (Niggaz with Attitude) who created controversy through their music as it spoke about life in the ghettos of Compton near Los Angeles, California. The film is a dramatic take on the group’s story from their early years to the death of one of their founders in Eric “Eazy-E” Wright of AIDS in 1995. Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown Jr., and Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller. Straight Outta Compton is a gritty yet intense film from F. Gary Gray.

In the late 1980s, N.W.A. emerged from the Los Angeles-based ghettos of Compton where they released their breakthrough album Straight Outta Compton that featured no-holds-barred lyrics on life in the ghetto, violence, racial tension, and run-ins with the LAPD whom they have a very testy relationship with. The group that featured Andre “Dr. Dre” Young (Corey Hawkins) O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) Eric “Eazy-E” Wright (Jason Mitchell), Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson (Aldis Hodge), and Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby (Neil Brown Jr.) weren’t afraid to be controversial while also took criticism where they were accused of being misogynistic which wasn’t entirely true. Despite their success, the group would fall apart not just due to mismanagement but also other things that led to Ice Cube and Dr. Dre to eventually have very successful solo careers while Eazy-E would run Ruthless Records until his death in 1995 of AIDS.

The film’s screenplay does play into some dramatic liberties and does play with some of the timeline as much of the film is told in the span of an entire decade from 1986 to Dr. Dre‘s departure from Death Row Records in 1996. It does help tell the story of the group’s formation as well as what lead to them falling apart just as they were becoming very successful. Eazy-E is first seen as a crack dealer trying to survive as well as living in the ghetto where houses are often being destroyed by the LAPD while Dr. Dre and DJ Yella are part of a group known as the World Class Wreckin’ Cru where they’re frustrated by playing music they don’t like. One of Dre’s friends in Ice Cube would get a chance to rap where it would give Eazy and his friend MC Ren some ideas about forming a group and make a song that would become Boyz-n-the-Hood that led to them being discovered by music industry veteran Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) to manage them and help Eazy for the label Ruthless Records.

Heller would be the man to not only make N.W.A. successful but would also cause the seeds of its dissolution once Ice Cube begins to raise questions about money and contracts that led to his departure in late 1989 and Dre‘s own departure in 1991 with the aid of a former bodyguard in Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor). While the script doesn’t give members like MC Ren and DJ Yella much to do other than be supporting players as it’s more focused on Dre, Cube, and Eazy. It does also play into the diverging directions the three would endure in the course of the story as well as the controversy they had to carry in their lives. The third act isn’t just about post-N.W.A. life for the three but also the attempt to reform the group just as everyone is growing up.

F. Gary Gray’s direction does have some air of style in the way the film opens as it establishes not just life in Compton but also this world where the LAPD will do things to establish their authority regardless if anyone did anything wrong. It is an inventive opener as it play into the world of the ghettos where Gray shot the film on location in Compton as well as parts of Los Angeles and other cities in California. It’s a world that is quite chaotic but also exciting where Gray would use some wide and medium shots to play into the look of the town as well as some of the other areas in Los Angeles. Yet, Gray maintains an intimacy as it play into these characters trying to deal with the police as well as trying to survive all of the things in the world as well as touring and all of the things that come into the world of success.

The direction doesn’t shy away from the fact that it has women not just acting like groupies and be naked in pool parties as it was part of the world and success N.W.A. had encounter while there would be some female characters that are positive figures for some of the characters. Especially in the third act where Dre, Cube, and Eazy would grow up and go into different directions while they would also endure some of the controversy they encounter as it relate to their music. There is a sequence that is a recreation of 1992 L.A. riots as it play into everything that N.W.A. would foretell in their music as well as Gray plays up that sense of reality as well as some of the struggle that Dre, Cube, and Eazy would go through after N.W.A. that would lead to its attempted reunion. Overall, Gray creates an exhilarating and provocative film about the world’s most dangerous group in popular music.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of different colored lights and schemes for many of the interior scenes at the clubs as well as some of the lighting at night while going for something very natural in the daytime exterior scenes. Editors Billy Fox and Michael Tronick do excellent work with the editing as it has some bits of style while creating some unique rhythms for the intense moments such as the opening sequence. Production designer Shane Valentino, with art director Christopher Brown and set decorators Christopher Carlson and Jeffrey Kushon, does fantastic work with the look of the homes in Compton with its steel bars in the windows as well as the mansions the guys would live in later on as well as the look of the clubs and recording studios. Costume designer Kelli Jones does nice work with the costumes from the clothes that the group wear onstage as well as what they would wear offstage as it‘s mostly casual.

Makeup designer Debra Denson does terrific work with some of the makeup as it relates to the tattoos of some of the characters such as the look of Suge Knight‘s entourage. Visual effects supervisor Bernhard Kimbacher does superb work with some of the visual effects as it‘s mainly bits of set-dressing as well as in some of the recreation of the 1992 LA riots. Sound editors Greg Hedgepath and Mark P. Stoeckinger do brilliant work with the sound to capture the way music is sound in the recording studio and in the clubs as well as the sound of gunfire and such to play into some of the darker moments in the film. The film’s music by Joseph Trapanese is wonderful for its mixture of hip-hop and ambient music to play into culture of the LA ghettos while music supervisors Angela Leus and Jojo Villanueva create a fun soundtrack that features a lot of music from N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Parliament-Funkadelic, Roy Ayers, and several other music in the world of hip-hop and R&B.

The casting by Victoria Thomas and Cindy Tolan is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Marcc Rose as Tupac Shakur (voiced by Darris Love), Keith Stansfield as Snoop Dogg, Sheldon A. Smith as Dre’s stepbrother/rapper Warren G., Keith Powers as Dre’s younger brother Tyree, Lisa Renee Pitts as Dre’s mother, Angela Elayne Gibbs and Bruce Beatty as Cube’s parents, Cleavon McLeadon as early Cube collaborator Sir Jinx, Mark Sherman as Interscope co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Elena Goode as Dre’s future wife Nicole, Tate Ellington as Priority Records executive Bryan Turner, and Corey Reynolds as World Class Wreckin’ Cru leader Alonzo Williams. Other noteworthy small roles include Marlon Yates Jr. as N.W.A. collaborator/lyricist The D.O.C., Alexandra Shipp as Cube’s future wife Kimberly Woodruff, and Carra Patterson as Eazy-E’s wife Tomica Woods-Wright who would make a major discovery about the business dealings in Ruthless.

R. Marcos Taylor is superb as Suge Knight as a former bodyguard who would co-found Death Row Records with Dr. Dre as he is this intimidating and dangerous figure that handled business in a brutal way as he would eventually alienate Dre. Paul Giamatti is fantastic as Jerry Heller as a music industry veteran who would manage N.W.A. and create Ruthless Records with Eazy as he would give the group success but also dissension once money and contracts come into play. Neil Brown Jr. is terrific as DJ Yella as the group’s DJ who would help mix and record much of the music as well as be someone who just loves the ladies. Aldis Hodge is excellent as MC Ren as an emcee who can spit rhymes while being Eazy’s loyal friend before and after N.W.A.

Corey Hawkins is amazing as Dr. Dre as the group’s DJ/emcee who is the musical talent of the group as he would create the music as he would later felt taken advantage by Heller forcing him to leave the group and form an alliance with Knight which he would later regret. Jason Mitchell is brilliant as Eazy-E as the group’s leader who would be a character of sorts for the group as well as the most outgoing as he would also be in charge of their destiny unaware of the chaos he’s causing in the group. Finally, there’s O’Shea Jackson Jr. in an incredible performance as his real-life father Ice Cube as he displays someone who has a lot of talent as a lyricist and as an emcee as he is also suspicious of Heller where he would go solo while dealing with the dark aspects of the music business.

Straight Outta Compton is a remarkable film from F. Gary Gray. Featuring a great cast, a compelling story, and a cool soundtrack, it’s a film that manages to be a fascinating bio-pic despite some of the dramatic liberties it took to tell the story of the world’s most dangerous group. In the end, Straight Outta Compton is a marvelous film from F. Gary Gray.

F. Gary Gray Films: (Friday (1995 film)) - (Set It Off) - (The Negotiator (1998 film)) - (A Man Apart) - (The Italian Job (2003 film)) - (Be Cool) - (Law Abiding Citizen) - (Fast 8)

© thevoid99 2016

Broadcast News

Written and directed by James L. Brooks, Broadcast News is the story of a neurotic TV news producer who finds herself torn between her loyalty to a cynical reporter and a charismatic but dim anchorman. The film is an exploration of the world of news media where three people try to help bring news to the world in an ever-changing world. Starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, William Hurt, Joan Cusack, Lois Chiles, Robert Prosky, Peter Hackes, and Jack Nicholson. Broadcast News is a witty yet captivating film from James L. Brooks.

The film revolves around a love triangle between a TV news producer, a veteran reporter, and a new anchorman for a Washington D.C. news station as they all try to report the news and sell it to the public. It’s a film that isn’t just an exploration of the world of news but also the lives of three people who are part of this world as they struggle to find their roles in it. Especially as their professional ideals and lives begin to clash with their own personal lives in this complicated love triangle where they’re all trying to do the same thing despite their different takes on the news. James L. Brooks’ script doesn’t just the explore the conflict about how the news should be presented and sold to the public but also in the ideals of these three characters.

The TV producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is someone that believes that the news should be told and not embellished as it’s something the reporter Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) also believes though he is more cynical about the way news is being told and commercialized for a mass audience. Coming into their lives is Tom Grunick (William Hurt) who has the looks and charm of a news anchor but isn’t very smart as he knows that where he wants to help as he met Craig during a convention about the ethics of news. Grunick is someone that has the look to report and tell the news to the public as he is everything Altman isn’t as he is nice and not trying to offend anyone. Altman is a prick because he is passionate about wanting to get the facts straight and be true to the news. While Craig doesn’t think highly of Grunick at first, she eventually realizes his potential as well as the fact that he is actually presentable and can do his job.

It’s not just in the development of the story and the characters where Brooks succeeds at but it’s also in the many quirks of the characters such as Craig who is quite neurotic and often cries daily. She is also not in a relationship or involved with anyone other than Altman until Grunick appears as he is a very interesting person despite his lack of intelligence. Altman is baffled by how Grunick would get work so easily yet when Altman is given the chance to cover the news. Grunick gives him a few pointers on how to present himself as it would be a turning point for him but also with some realizations that he must face. The film also features a subplot that comes in its second half as it relates to a dangerous layoff due to budget cuts as it plays into the reality of the TV news world where it’s not just about ratings but also money.

Brooks’ direction is very simple in terms of the compositions he creates yet does manage to infuse some style into the way the newsroom and what goes on behind the scenes are shown. The film opens with a trio of prologues that relates to the main characters as children as it shows exactly who they are and what they would become as adults. Shot largely in Washington D.C. with some parts shot in Maryland and Virginia, the film does play into a world that is very energetic and demanding where Brooks doesn’t use a lot of wide shots as he favors something more intimate in the medium shots and close-ups. There are moments where Brooks’ direction does have some style such as this shot of Grunick in the foreground shot from behind while Craig is in the background very far in a wide shot as it play into what goes on in news reporting.

One notable sequence involving trying to get tape and such for a news report is among one of the most inventive and exciting moments in the film where it does have this air of realism in what Brooks is showing. Even as it shows an editor trying to cut something to the last second and get it to be aired for the evening news. Brooks’ direction is also very light-hearted in scenes where there’s a gathering or moments that are quite comical but not overtly. It’s told with a sense of restraint while not being totally forced as well as some of the drama though it does get quite heavy towards the third act as it relates to the love triangle between Craig, Altman, and Grunick. Especially as it reveals a lot about who they are and what they want for the world of TV news reporting. Overall, Brooks creates an insightful yet riveting film about three people in a love triangle while trying to report the news to the world.

Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s mostly straightforward to play into the look of the locations in its daytime/nighttime exteriors as well as some unique lighting for the interior scenes. Editor Richard Marks does brilliant work with the editing as it play into the frenzy of what goes on in the newsroom and behind the scenes along with some straightforward cutting for the dramatic and comedic moments outside of the newsroom. Production designer Charles Rosen and set decorator Jane Bogart does fantastic work with the look of the editing room in the news room and the homes of some of the characters.

Costume designer Molly Maginnis does nice work with the costumes as it is kind of casual with bits of style as well as some of the infamous clothing of the 1980s with fake shoulder pads. Sound editor Robert Grieve does terrific work with the sound from the way the chaos of trying to get a story displayed on television to the sound of the gatherings the characters go to. The film’s music by Bill Conti is wonderful for its score that is mainly a mixture of low-key piano-based music with some electronic keyboards to play into the world of the TV news.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great as it features some notable small roles from Kimber Shoop as the young Grunick, Dwayne Markee as the young Altman, Gennie James as the young Craig, Stephen Mendillo as Grunick’s father, Ed Wheeler as an anchorman in George Wein, Glen Roven and Marc Shaiman as a couple of music composers trying to create a new theme for the news channel, Christian Clemenson as the TV editor Bobby, Leo Burmester as Craig’s father, Marita Geraghty as a date-rape woman that Grunick interviews, and a low-key cameo appearance from a faceless John Cusack as an angry messenger. In another notable small role that is a cameo of sorts, Jack Nicholson is superb as the evening news anchorman Bill Rorish as this legendary reporter that tells the news to the world as he carries some seniority as well as being the one guy everyone has to make sure he looks good. Peter Hackes is excellent as the news station boss Paul Moore who tries to keep things going while dealing with the financial chaos of the station. Joan Cusack is fantastic as Blair Litton as a staff member who is also Craig’s best friend of sorts who has an amazing scene running around the office to bring a tape in and evade all sorts of obstacles.

Lois Chiles is wonderful as anchorwoman Jennifer Mack who takes a liking towards Grunick as she would briefly go out with him. Robert Prosky is brilliant as Ernie Merriman as the station’s manager who tries to keep things afloat while being aware of the layoffs that might emerge. Albert Brooks is phenomenal as Aaron Altman as this very intelligent and idealistic reporter who has always been behind the scenes or covering events around him as he copes with Grunick’s presence as well as his attempts to bring some substance to the world of news. William Hurt is remarkable as Tom Grunick as this dim but kind-hearted reporter that has the looks and charms to be an anchorman as it’s a very complex character as he represents someone that wants to make the news more accessible. Finally, there’s Holly Hunter in an incredible performance as Jane Craig as a TV news producer who is torn between two men while often crying for some odd reason as it’s a very fiery and energetic performance that play into a woman trying to maintain the idea of what TV news should be.

Broadcast News is a marvelous film from James L. Brooks that features great performances from Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks. It’s a film that is very smart as well as being very funny thanks in part to its witty script as well as a superb supporting cast. In the end, Broadcast News is a sensational film from James L. Brooks.

James L. Brooks Films: (Terms of Endearment) - (I’ll Do Anything) - (As Good as It Gets) - (Spanglish) - (How Do You Know)

© thevoid99 2016

Breaking Away

Directed by Peter Yates and written by Steven Tesich, Breaking Away is the story of four young men trying to figure out what to do before they go to college as one of them wants to race against a visiting group of Italian pro bicycle riders in a race. The film is a coming-of-age tale where a young man tries to find himself as he gets help from his friends while wanting to do something that matters. Starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Robyn Douglass, and Paul Dooley. Breaking Away is a lively and touching film from Peter Yates.

Set in the small town of Bloomington, Indiana, the film revolves around four young men spending their summer bumming around unsure of what to do as one of them has adopted an Italian accent as he is excited about a group of Italian pro bicycle riders coming to Indiana for a local race. It’s a film that revolves around this young man trying to become the best bicyclist he can be yet he would also woo a college girl much to the chagrin of college preppies who have a disdain for the working-class boys as they call them cutters. Along the way, the rest of the guys cope with not just the idea of failure but also wonder if they can ever get out of Bloomington. Steven Tesich’s screenplay isn’t just a sports movie but also this compelling coming-of-age film about four guys trying to figure out themselves as a couple of them were athletes, one of them wants to marry his girlfriend, and another thinks he’s got it figured out by pretending to be Italian only to face some harsh realities.

The film’s protagonist Dave Stoller (Dennis Christopher) is in love with the Italian riders as well as culture where he would speak Italian much to the annoyance of his father Ray (Paul Dooley) while his mother Evelyn (Barbara Barrie) tries to be supportive. Dave’s friends in Mike (Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) are also supportive of Stoller’s ambition but also wonder if he will try and become like these college preppies they despise because they have money and think they’re better than everyone. Tesich’s screenplay also has humor in the way Ray reacts to the antics of his son but it also has moments that are quite touching as it play into Ray’s own previous life cutting stones to create buildings as well as some of the things Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher encounter. Even as Dave would encounter reality of his own as it relates to the Italian racers who would force Dave to realize more about who he is.

Peter Yates’ direction is quite simple as it doesn’t really go for any visual tricks yet it does capture a sense of energy and realism of small town life. Shot on location in Bloomington, Indiana as well as the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. Yates’ direction utilizes that sense of a world that is quite small but also vast where it has this world of the working class who are just living day-by-day as the four guys would swim at this old limestone quarry to pass the time while miles away would be this campus where the rich preppie college kids are. Yates’ usage of wide and medium shots play into the look of the locations as well as some of the biking scenes where it plays into the scale of the roads as well as the challenge that Stoller has to encounter in the race with the Italians. Yates also uses close-ups and some medium shots to play into the life of Stoller with his parents as well as create moments that are quite comical as it is told very naturally. There is also these somber moments between Stoller and his father late in the film as it play into the ways of the world but it also has these very important life lessons. All of which would lead to this climatic race between Stoller and his friends and a bunch of teams from college including the preps. Overall, Yates creates a witty yet exhilarating film about a young man trying to find himself with the aid of his friends and family as well as cycling.

Cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the sunny and colorful look of the scenes set in Bloomington as well as the Indiana University campus as well as some low-key lights for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Cynthia Scheider does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with some stylish cutting for a few montages and in the racing scenes. Art director Patrizia von Brandenstein and set decorator Lee Poll do terrific work with the look of the home that the Stoller family live in as well as the limestone quarry watering hole the guys hang out at.

Costume designer Betsy Cox does wonderful work with the costumes as it is mostly casual from the look of Stoller and his friends to the more stylish look of the college preps. Sound editors Michael Moyse and Dan Sable do superb work with the sound in capturing the raucous sound of the town as well as the locations in Indiana University as well as the sparse sounds of how bikes sound in a race. The film’s music largely features an array of Italian opera music that is adapted by Patrick Williams as it plays into Stoller’s obsession with Italian culture as it’s mainly used for humor as well as a romantic scene where Stoller serenades a young woman.

The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton is great as it include some notable small roles from John Ashton as Mike’s police officer brother, Amy Wright as Moocher’s girlfriend Nancy, P.J. Soles as a sorority girl who would try to get Stoller and Cyril in trouble, and Hart Bochner as a college preppie who hates the cutters as he tries to show off and such. Robyn Douglass is wonderful as Katherine as a college student that Stoller tries to woo as he pretends to be Italian to impress her. Barbara Barrie is superb as Stoller’s mother Evelyn as this woman that is supportive of her son while trying to get her husband to eat healthy. Paul Dooley is fantastic as Stoller’s father Ray as a used-car salesman who is annoyed by his son’s Italian fascination and accent as he is just so fun to watch as well as be this sense of warmth as a man that has done a lot in his life despite his lack of any real success.

Jackie Earle Haley is excellent as Moocher as a guy who wants to commit to his girlfriend while struggling to find work as also hates being given insults relating to his height. Daniel Stern is brilliant as Cyril as a former football player struggling to find himself while being very laid-back about his approach to life where he thinks about going to college. Dennis Quaid is amazing as Mike as another former football player who is convinced that he’s never going to succeed but doesn’t want to give up as it’s a very commanding performance from Quaid. Finally, there’s Dennis Christopher in an incredible performance as Dave Stoller as a young man whose love of cycling and Italian culture has him excited for the arrival of the Italians as he then copes with realities of the world as well as his own identity as a man.

Breaking Away is a phenomenal film from Peter Yates. Featuring a great cast, a heartfelt screenplay by Steven Tesich, and some very entertaining moments. It’s a film that isn’t just this compelling sports film but also a coming-of-age film that manages to do a lot as well as create characters that audiences can root for. In the end, Breaking Away is a spectacular film from Peter Yates.

Peter Yates Films: (Summer Holiday) – (One Way Pendelum) – (Robbery) – Bullitt - (John and Mary) – (Murphy’s War) – (The Hot Rock) – (The Friends of Eddie Coyle) – (For Pete’s Sake) – (Mother, Jugs & Speed) – (The Deep) – (Eyewitness) – (Krull) – (The Dresser) – (Eleni) – (Suspect) – (The House on Carroll Street) – (An Innocent Man) – (Year of the Comet) – (Roommates) – (The Run of the Country) – (Curtain Call) – (Don Quixote (2000 film))

© thevoid99 2016

Like Someone in Love

Written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami, Like Someone in Love is the story of a sociology student who works as a part-time prostitute where she befriends an elderly client who is more interested in helping her rather than have sex with her. The film is a simple tale of a growing bond between a young woman and an old man as they deal with life as well as the choices they make. Starring Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, and Ryo Kase. Like Someone in Love is a rapturous and entrancing film from Abbas Kiarostami.

Told in the span of nearly a day in Tokyo, the film revolves around a student who works part-time as a call girl where she visits an elderly client who would treat her kindly as she is going through personal issues relating to her fiance`. It’s a film that is a very simple story about a young woman meeting with an old man as she is reluctant to do a job as she is also dealing with a lot of things yet is amazed by this old man’s kindness and generosity. Abbas Kiarostami’s screenplay doesn’t rely very much on plot but rather the development of a growing friendship between this old professor and this young woman as they spend a day together. Especially as the old man Takashi (Tadashi Okuno) is helping out the young woman Akiko (Rin Takanashi) who is a sociology student and hasn’t told her fiance Noriaki that she works as a call girl as he is jealous as well as very possessive.

Kiarostami’s direction is very ravishing for not just its simplicity but also in creating something that is just filled with so much in the frame. The opening sequence inside a restaurant has Kiarostami having Akiko talking but she’s not in the frame as if it’s someone else there and then it cuts to a reverse shot of her talking to a friend. Much of it has Kiarostami employ not just long takes but also compositions that are simple with its medium shots and close-ups as well as these gorgeous shots of a car moving as its windows reflect everything it shows. The scenes between Takashi and Akiko such as their first meeting is one that is very light-hearted as well as some of the scenes in the car as it would include this intimate yet fascinating conversation between Takashi and Noriaki.

Kiarostami’s approach to framing does have this air of beauty in the image as well as how he positions the camera into the exterior of Takashi’s home and how it is shot in the inside. Even as it help create that restrained sense of drama as it helps build this fascinating relationship between Takashi and Akiko. The direction also maintains that sense of quietness where it just captures that air of realism but also something unexpected which does play into the drama. Overall, Kiarostami creates a touching yet riveting film about a call-girl befriending an elderly professor.

Cinematographer Katsumi Yanagijima does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the nighttime beauty of the exteriors in Tokyo as well as some of the scenes set in the day as it maintains something that is natural. Editor Barman Kiarostami does excellent work with the film‘s editing as it is very straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into some of the drama. Sound editor Nobuyuki Kikuchi and sound designer Mohamadreza Delpak do fantastic work with the sound in capturing the air of realism in the way cars sound as well as what goes on in and out of a room or in a location.

The casting by Tsuyoshi Sugino is great as it features some notable small roles from Kaneko Kubota as Akiko’s grandmother, Koichi Ohori as the cab driver, Mihiko Suzuki as Takashi’s neighbor, Reiko Mori as a friend/fellow call-girl of Akiko, Hiroyuki Kishi as a former student of Takashi, and Denden as an old friend of Takashi who is also a pimp of sorts for Akiko. Ryo Kase is amazing as Akiko’s fiance Noriaki as this very obsessive man who wonders what is Akiko is doing as he continuously confronts her while getting some advice from Takashi thinking he’s Akiko’s grandfather. Tadashi Okuno is incredible as Takashi as a former college professor who is intrigued by Akiko as well as being someone that is willing to help her as he displays that great sense of kindness. Finally, there’s Rin Takanashi in a remarkable performance as Akiko as this young sociology student who is trying to make money to cover her student debts while lamenting over her grandmother and issues with Noriaki.

The 2014 Region 1/Region A dual-format DVD/Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in its original 1:66:1 aspect ratio 3.0 surround DTS-HD master audio soundtrack for the Blu-Ray release as it’s all supervised by Abbas Kiarostami. The special features on both discs feature the film’s theatrical trailer as well as a forty-seven minute making-of documentary on the film. The documentary showcases Kiarostami’s approach to filmmaking and his views on storytelling as well as emphasizing more on rehearsal rather than shoot in the moment. The film also features interviews with Kiarostami and some crew members as well as how Kiarostami is able to direct the actors despite the fact that he doesn’t speak Japanese as he is aided by a translator. It’s a fascinating documentary short that explores what Kiarostami was doing as well as why he prefers digital over 35mm film.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set also features a booklet that includes an essay by film professor Nico Baumbach (brother of filmmaker Noah Baumbach) entitled On Likeness. The essay discusses several of Kiarostami’s motifs as a filmmaker as well as some of themes he had explored with his other films. Baumbach also talks about some of the plot elements in the film as well as some of the moral themes that Kiarostami would explore. Baumbach also suggests a lot of interpretations into the story as well as it’s ending as it is one of the most shocking. It’s a fascinating read that serves as a great accompaniment to the DVD/Blu-Ray set.

Like Someone in Love is an incredible film from Abbas Kiarostami. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous images, and a restrained yet intoxicating exploration of love and kindness. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules while managing to be a whole lot more than what it’s simple plot suggests making it a fitting penultimate film from Kiarostami. In the end, Like Someone in Love is a phenomenal film from Abbas Kiarostami.

Abbas Kiarostami Films: (The Experience) - The Traveler (1974 film) - (A Wedding Suit) - Report (1977 film) - (First Case, Second Case) - (Fellow Citizens) - (First Graders) - Where is the Friend’s House? - Homework (1989 film) - Close-Up - Life and Nothing More… - Through the Olive Trees - Taste of Cherry - (The Wind Will Carry Us) - (ABC Africa) - (Ten) - (Five) - (10 on Ten) - (Shirin) - Certified Copy - 24 Frames

© thevoid99 2016