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Amour
Dir: Michael Haneke |
95/100 |
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Every so often a film comes along that everyone can relate to. Its themes are universal, the incidents portrayed are ones that most people, even if they don't have first-hand experience of, are familiar with because they will surely know of someone who has. Michael Haneke's Amour is one such film. It stars Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges and Anne - a highly educated and cultured couple in their twilight years. Initially Anne has a small stroke, and for the rest of the film we follow her slow descent from bright-eyed independant and strong-willed woman, to a hollow shell of a person, practically mute and paralysed. The bulk of the film focuses on the terrible burden - both emotional and physical - that Anne's ill health places on Georges, who in addition to having to cope with his wife's decline also has to deal with her mostly absent and emotionally demanding daughter. |
This is a film that looks at the fragility of life and uncomfortable truths about death, its inevitibility and how both the dying and their loved ones cope with this banal and unavoidable evil that will come to us all sooner or later. A lot of scenes in this film are uncomfortable to watch, but through it all the relationship between Georges and Anne is quite touching. A film like this can't really succeed without believable performances from the two leads and Trintignant and Riva certainly deliver here. Riva has the showier part and is an absolute wonder, but Trintignant is the focus for much of the film and he gives a really nuanced and powerful portrayal of a man struggling to deal with the cruellest blows life has to offer.
As for Haneke, he's a master at striking just the right tone, focussing on just the right detail and holding the camera for just the right amount of time in every scene. He directs in a subtle yet precise way that cleverly magnifies the emotions the viewer feels, and adds an essential authenticity by directing our attention to the small details - details that most films of this type don't seem to understand the need for.Some complain of Haneke's precision as being cold and calculated, but the job of a film like this - indeed the job of any film - is to illicit an emotional or intellectual response from the viewer, hopefully with some finesse or imagination, and the fact that Haneke succeeds so well in doing this really shouldn't be held against him. |
Django Unchained
Dir: Quentin Tarantino |
90/100 |
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Another solid entry into the Tarantino canon, and it's exactly what his fans have come to expect. There's no deviation from his winning formula with this film, which will please many more people than it will frustrate, because the fact is that Tarantino on autopilot is miles above the bulk of what's produced in Hollywood, so it's hard to argue for a change in direction from him. However, as talented as he is it's a little disappointing to note that he isn't growing artistically or showing any signs of maturity. His exploitation roots and genre inspirations have been plainly exposed over the years and he doesn't seem to be interested in dealing with anything in a way that doesn't come off as 'cool'. Taken on that level - and it's clear that's the level it should be taken on - Django Unchained is just as cool, assured, and ultimately highly enjoyable as his other films, and any attempt at serious criticism seems like an exercise in futility at this point. |
Tarantino has carved a unique niche for himself inside the Hollywood machine. He recruits the finest talent around, and tells his story with lashings of style, and a heavy reliance on genre tropes. But the key to his success has always been the quality of his scripts. That's where his true strength lies, and is why the top actors are queuing up to be in his films. Because while other films have their action set-pieces Tarantino gives us verbal set-pieces, and there's nothing an actor loves more than a juicy monologue. Oddly enough the title role here is the least interesting in that regard. Jamie Foxx is merely functional in a role that for the most part doesn't require much more than mild bewilderment and the odd vexxed glare. The showier parts are given over to Leonardo DiCaprio, who's having a blast sinking his teeth into the part of Calvin Candy - the over the top villain of the piece, and the magnificent Christoph Waltz, who delivers Tarantino's monologues with his usual panache. These clever monologues at key points in the film serve the dual purpose of letting the actors shine, while increasing the tension of crucial scenes. This has become something of a trademark of Tarantino's and it's very effective.
As for historical accuracy, it should be apparent to anyone who's seen the rest of Tarantino's filmography that that's not really what he's about. The film does address some important issues concerning slavery - the despicable practice of mandingo fighting for instance - that many will have been unaware of, but for the most part these issues are in the service of entertainment rather than education. Still, it's not completely without historical merit, regardless of intent. In the end though this is another revenge film - the most common theme that runs through every Tarantino film, and one of the easiest - some would say laziest - themes to base a film around, but the whole enterprise is so polished - from the deft script and delicious performances to the lush cinematography that it's hard not to be impressed by this film, or at least thoroughly entertained. |
The Hunt
Dir: Thomas Vinterberg |
95/100 |
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Far from the noise and hype of mainstream cinema Danish director Thomas Vinterberg has crafted a searing indictment of reactionary groupthink and political correctness that, amidst the numerous high profile sex offence cases swarming the media today, asks the question, 'what if they're innocent?' Mads Mikkelsen stars as Lucas - a mild mannered and thoughtful teacher at a pre-school in a small rural village where everyone knows everyone else, and secrets are hard to keep. Through a somewhat random series of small coincidences Lucas gradually finds himself the target of the villagers' wrath, due as it turns out to accusations of sexual molestation by one of the tots from his class. Or rather the inference of sexual molestation concocted by the fearful adults charged with protecting the childrens' welfare. Unable to piece together what triggered these accusations or even by whom Lucas must weather the storm of disgust and eventual violence by an outraged community, while trying to retain some sort of perspective in the face of increasing opposition from people he thought he knew and who knew him. |
Vinterberg sets the scene brilliantly here with a quiet introduction to the village and its people. The characters are all realistically written, with a degree of emotional complexity - of Lucas in particular - that's refreshingly authentic. The screenplay is meticulously constructed and perfectly paced so that the events as they unfold don't feel rushed or contrived, and although the behaviour of some of the villages residents is reprehensible (because we the audience know Lucas is completely innocent), the suspicion and outrage they feel is at least understandable given the position they find themselves in. This is the kind of motivational complexity that's entirely absent from the vast majority of mainstream films these days, and Vinterberg - who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tobias Lindholm - should be applauded for his efforts in this regard. Mikkelsen too deserves much praise for another insightful and powerful performance. The Hunt is a devastatingly effective and provocative rumination on the power of suggestion, and the importance of personal integrity, and is the best example this year of vital and confident filmmaking of the highest order. It's an uncomfortable watch to be sure, but film of the year nonetheless. |
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