|
12 Years A Slave
Dir: Steve McQueen |
80/100 |
 |
Although this does contain every cliche from most similar films before it it is a little more interesting in that Solomon Northup - whose autobiography this is an adaptation of - was a free man and was lured into slavery by trickery from a fairly affluent life. This fact also makes it much easier for the average modern day viewer to identify with Solomon and his plight. He's an educated and talented man, who for most of the film is treated no better than an animal - and a beast of burden at that; some of the scenes dealing with his mistreatment are hard to watch, as McQueen makes a point of filming these scenes in a very unflinching manner, but any film dealing directly with slavery is duty-bound to portray some pretty gruesome practices and ugly behaviour - it's just the nature of the beast. However, the more human everyone is portrayed as being the more of an emotional punch a film should elicit, because it's more rooted in a reality the average person is familiar with, so 12 Years A Slave suffers in this respect, choosing to pack an emotional gut-punch over being more identifiably realistic and thought provoking.
|
Most of the blacks in the film are slaves, so have little room for maneouvre as far as characterisation goes, especially as this is exclusively Solomon's story. However, Lupita Nyong'o's Patsey and Alfre Woodard's Mistress Shaw are more complex characters than the usual supporting players in these affairs, and give more dimension to what it means to be a slave, and the hierarchy that existed even within their own community.
There's not much about this film to legitimately take issue with on a technical level, as McQueen has an exquisite eye for composition and mise-en-scene, and the cinematography and direction are assured. The script is fine if unimaginative and certainly not subtle, and most of the performances are also good. Fassbender has thrown himself full tilt into the evil plantation boss Epps. His performance is teetering on the brink of the classic teeth gnashing arch villain which again hits hard on first viewing, but I suspect will become tiresome on repeat viewings. Lupita Nyongo is the real star of the film, giving a much more nuanced performance. So it's not a subtle affair, and the failure to convincingly convey the passage of time is irksome too - it seems as if we're witnessing a lot less than twelve years of Solomon's life, but all things considered, and especially on first watch, this is an engrossing film. |
Nymphomaniac
Dir: Lars von Trier
|
80/100 |
 |
Leave it to Lars von Trier to make a film that deals with sex in a defiantly uncompromising and provocative way. (Technically it's two films, but it's actually one really long film split into two for commercial reasons). In fact, given von Trier's track record one should expect nothing less of him. Nymphomaniac features full frontal nudity, erect penises, full penetration, sado-masochism - you name it. However, If you're entering into this just for the sex then you're probably in for a huge disappointment, because for every full-on sex scene there are liberal doses of philosophy, self-loathing, cruelty, betrayal, misery and death. And a few laughs. In short, it's a Lars von Trier film. Proceedings kick off with our protagonist Joe, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, lying bleeding in a dank alleyway. Seligman, a passerby offers her tea and sympathy in his nearby flat, and the rest of the film is an account by Joe of her formative years, sexual awakening and burgeoning nymphomania as told to Seligman - another fine performance by von Trier regular Stellan Skarsgård as a lonely, cerebral and seemingly asexual man who finds Joe's story more psychologically fascinating than erotic or titillating.
|
For the most part this is a pretty fascinating film, if a little clunky at times; Von Trier's literary aspirations here exceed his grasp in terms of subtlety and nuance but the writing is good for the most part, with flashes of brilliance here and there. Aside from the impressively cinematic opening scene in the alleyway both films are shot in a very direct, unfussy way, which compliments Charlotte Gainsbourg's distinctively muted style of acting particularly well. Stacy Martin is a bit of a weak link as the younger Joe, but Shia LaBeouf is surprisingly effective playing her frustrated lover. Uma Thurman steals the first film though, with an incendiary five minute burst of frenzied jealousy that kicks things into a higher gear, and sets the scene for the second film which is more intriguing as we delve deeper into Joe's psyche.
The second film is more narrative driven and introduces a sub-plot about extortion and robbery which falls flat, but it also contains some of the most powerful scenes from either film, including Joe's introduction to S&M - which features a terrifically on form Jamie Bell.
The total running time of these two films is just over four and a half hours, and taken as a whole it's a bit of a mixed bag. I can't help thinking that this current running time would benefit from the excision of sixty minutes, rather than an additional sixty, as was apparently von Trier's original intention. Time will tell, as in all likelihood the full five and a half hour cut will be available at a later date. |
|
