Friday, October 30, 2009

Skin

This movie has all the elements for a potentially riveting film: a disheartening story that deals with racial injustice, a protagonist who faces personal dissension beyond her control, and a historical setting that confronts the political transitions of an entire country. Television director Anthony Fabian makes his feature film debut here with good intentions but obvious inexperience. There are many gaps in the storyline that are caused by mere inconsistency with the overall flow of the film. Skin opens with Sandra Laing (played by Sophie Okonedo) on the day of the First Free Election in South Africa in 1994 and quickly flashes back to her childhood days, some three decades earlier. This is very similar to the approach that James Mangold took with his biopic Walk the Line; where you are introduced to the main character, taken back in time to their youth, and observe their development up to the opening sequence. Fabian, however, does not demonstrate the same kind of genius as Mangold and instead the film merely displays a series of misfortunate events rather than witnessing the growth of its characters. This is not entirely the fault of the director, the script probably was not character driven, but it still ultimately sells the real life story of Sandra Laing short.

Sandra was a “black” woman who was born to and raised by two white Afrikaner parents during South Africa’s Apartheid. Because of some sort of genetic irregularity, she has physical features such as dark skin and nappy hair that make her look black. Her white parents, Abraham and Sannie Laing (played by Sam Neill & Alice Krige) are modest yet successful shopkeepers in Transvaal, a rural region of eastern South Africa. No one in their hometown seems to care about the differences between Sandra and her parents because of their situation among the townspeople. But when the couple enrolls Sandra at a prominent boarding school where her elder white brother is already enrolled, for white citizens only, it becomes very apparent that she is “different”.

Young Sandra (played by Ella Ramangwane) adamantly proclaims “I'm not black!” to an open-minded dormmate of hers who conveys that she has many black friends back home in Swaziland. While Sandra realizes that she is a spectacle there, she does not find any fault in her appearance, yet. This is a major plot point in the film because it demonstrates how the innocence of a child can relate major injustices, in this case racial discrimination, to an otherwise ignorant society. As Sandra continues to attend classes and live there, the discrimination becomes more and more apparent. It quickly becomes an issue for many other students, their parents, and the staff, which ultimately leads to the legal proceedings to determine Sandra’s race and origin. Ramangwane adorns as the child Sandra, notably in a scene where she attempts to change her skin color by applying a lightening cream to herself that is not intended for human application.

Academy Award-nominee Sophie Okonedo portrays Sandra during her adolescent and adult years. She executes steadfastly as both a naïve schoolgirl and later on as an oppressed wife and mother. Such versatility is not surprising from Okonedo, as we have seen her discourse in such films as The Secret Life of Bees and of course Hotel Rwanda. Although Okonedo conveys a visceral presence on screen, her character does not really grow throughout the film. Her situations may change, but Sandra herself seemingly does not evolve as a character. The conflicts she faces are not enough to force the audience into an emotional state where they can sympathize with her. And while I may not know the complete story of Sandra Laing, this is the biggest downfall of the movie. How can viewers appreciate the film, if they are unable to identify with either the character’s situation or the circumstances surrounding her at the time?

Sam Neil turns in a decent performance as Sandra’s father Abraham. His efforts to fight the system and redeem his family are admirable. We watch his struggles to get Sandra reclassified as white, all the way up to the Supreme Court. There, a geneticist argues convincingly that, as a result of South Africa's long colonialist history, most Afrikaners probably have some “colored” blood in them. Abraham's relentless, angry pursuit of such justice unfortunately has little impact on the prejudices of others, and really only ensures that Sandra herself remains unacceptable in Afrikaner society. And while his stubbornness and convictions seem praiseworthy at first, it only results in his personal demise.

There seems to be a plethora of movies coming out this season set against the Apartheid. The word Apartheid literally means “separateness” in Afrikaans. The era known as the Apartheid was a system of racial segregation that was legally introduced and enforced by the ruling power of South Africa, the National Party, between 1948 and 1994. The historical background of this film plays a significant role in the story. I do not believe that the general public knows much about the Apartheid of South Africa. Because the film itself does not provide an extensive insight into the circumstances of the country at the time, the situation that surrounds Sandra Laing and her family become evanescent. This is a major oversight on the filmmaker’s part. It is clear why Skin has been so well received at the Pan African Film Festival and at the British Independent Film Awards. But audiences without background knowledge of the Apartheid may not yield as much empathy because of its overall lack of deliverance.

Rating: ★ ★
Bottom Line: A copiously done film about racial injustice that lacks cohesion and emotional appetite. At most, add it to your Netflix list.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Eastwood's Invictus Unveiled

After many weeks of anticipation, Warner Brothers Pictures has finally released the trailer for Cilnt Eastwood's new film Invictus. It tells the inspiring true story of how then President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the Captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country.



This is a glimps into how former South African President Nelson Mandela united his country after decades of racial segregation and oppression under the Afrikaner-dominated National Party. The film seemingly begins on Robben Island Prison where Mandela served eighteen years, the greater part of his twenty-seven years imprisoned. Upon his release in 1990, Mandela knew that his battles with the Apartheid were not yet over, for him or his country. He continued to lead the African National Congress towards a peaceful resolution among the black majority of South Africa and eventually grant equal voting rights in both national and local elections. And on April 27th, 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as the country's first black president in South Africa's first multi-racial election. Eastwood's film seemingly picks up there.

Invictus is based on the book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation" by John Carlin. He had sold the rights to Freeman, who quickly signed Eastwood on to direct. Anthony Peckham was commissioned to write the adaptation and he closely collaborated with Carlin on how to best translate his book onto the screen. “In terms of stature and stars, this certainly is one of the biggest films ever to be made in South Africa,” states the head of the Cape Town Film Commission, Laurence Mitchell.

Matt Damon was also signed onto the project very early to play the main supporting role of Francois Pienaar, the Captain of the Team. Damon began intensive training under the guidance of Chester Williams, who himself was a member of the 1995 South African Team. Scott Eastwood, Clint's son, was cast as flyhalf Joel Stransky whose paramount drop goal provided them the 3 points they needed to beat New Zealand and win the 1995 Rugby Union World Cup in a post-apartheid South Africa. That was the last time amateur teams would compete in the World Cup; two months after South Africa's monumental victory, the International Rugby Board opened the event to professional players.

Despite its limited exposure thus far, Invictus has already prompted much buzz in the film community as being a major Oscar contender this year for Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actor categories, among various others. Warner Brothers has held up promotions until just today, but I am certain this tardiness will not hinder Academy voters in any way whatsoever. Can Eastwood add to the already 5 Academy Awards on his mantle? Although I have yet to see the movie for myself, I would definitely say so. Invictus has the stuff that Oscars are made of.

In the film, Mandela poses the questions to Pienaar, "How do we inspire ourselves to greatness, when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?" Pienaar and the rest of the South African Springboks National Rugby Union Team answered Mandela's question by bringing their divided nation together through their sport. Living in New York City on the eve our first World Series since the Subway Series against the Mets in 2000, there is a feeling of illustriousness in the air. You can sense it when you walk down the streets, ride the subways, and talk to anyone here, whether they are Yankees Fans or not. Imagine how that World Cup effected the people of South Africa in the midst of such a revolutionary change as the fall of the Apartheid. With the release of Eastwood's Invictus, we won't have to just imagine; we can see it and revel in it for ourselves.

Release Date: December 11, 2009
More Images from the film:

Friday, October 16, 2009

An Education

An Education is a coming of age tale about a sixteen-year-old girl who falls in love with a man twice her age. Relatively unknown Danish director Lone Scherfig has created a film that truly captures the innocence of youth. The script itself is based upon the memoirs of British journalist Lynn Barber who didn’t originally publish her story until this year. There was an essay written in the "Granta", a student publication at Cambridge University, which featured Barber’s personal story. Screenwriter Nick Hornby read this and immediately was draw to the story. He states that what appealed to him most was this “suburban girl who's frightened that she's going to get cut out of everything good that happens in the city. That, to me, is a big story in popular culture. It's the story of pretty much every rock 'n' roll band.” Hornby, a novelist himself, also wrote the screen adaptation for such popular films as High Fidelity and About a Boy, and applies his usual shrewd understanding of pop palatability again here.

Production designer Andrew McAlpine masterfully constructs a somber setting of post-World War II London. A feeling of repression lingers in each scene which so eloquently demonstrate what the city was like before the huge artistic counterculture of the 1960s. The period itself plays into the characters a great deal, because it is the foundation for so much of who they are and how they approach the circumstances before them. There is a vast contrast of moods created by the littlest things like a rainstorm or a costume change. Scherfig keeps the visual angels on screen low and close to the actors throughout the entire film. For such a character driven piece, this is a brilliant tactic by the director because it creates an intimacy where empathy otherwise might not readily lend to the audience. But ultimately, it is the performances that truly bring this story and this film to the limelight.

Carey Mulligan as Jenny
Young British actress Carey Mulligan astutely portrays the main character of Jenny. Up until now, she has been widely under the radar, appearing mainly on British television and in supporting roles in such films as Pride & Prejudice and Public Enemies. Scherfig had auditioned many girls for the part, but something about Mulligan captivated her. “Carey was always the one I liked best,” she says. “We adjusted the part a little bit to her.” She is attractive without being too glamorous and captures the essence of Jenny by fostering an intelligent yet idealistic adolescent. The way Mulligan interacts with her costars conveys an actress well beyond her years. Many have justfully compared her to screen legend Audrey Hepburn. But will Mulligan have the same kind of golden appeal to excite an Academy Award? Most critics have already deemed her as a lock for a nomination, if not the current front-runner, and I am most certainly in agreement. Mulligan’s performance clearly registers as one of the best of the year. You can see the determination and ambition in her eyes, while still maintaining a demonstrative sense of naiveté.

Matthew Beard as Graham, with Mulligan
“Carey has a sweetness to her that suits the film. If we had written it that way, I would worry the film was overly cute. But she is really like that, it comes to her naturally. I chose to risk a little more of that rather than focus on Jenny's lippiness and fighting with her father.” proclaims Scherfig. Jenny is the victim of her parent’s expectations. They seek to mold her into being an accomplished student and ultimately gain acceptance into the prestigious Oxford University. This is obviously more of her father’s notion than her own. Jenny herself fantasizes of a cigarette-smoking, music embellishing, French culture driven world that she has only read about. As naturally expected of most all suppressed individuals, Jenny seeks to rebel, but only subtly at first. She sneaks around with her girlfriends, smoking and gossiping, as any normal teenage girl might. She even has captured the fancy of a young boy, played by Matthew Beard, who courts Jenny early in the film under the surveillance of her parents. Until this point, it seems like Jenny’s life is pretty atypical. This all changes once she meets David.

Peter Sarsgaard as David
Peter Sarsgaard plays the part of David Goldman, an eccentric thirty-something year old who divides his time between extravagant outings and his so-called business endeavors. Sarsgaard reminds me a great deal of a friend of mine (Benji K.) who not only looks a lot like him, but has the same kind of restless ambition that is easily alluring. David not only manages to charm Jenny with his debonair style and whirlwind ideals of romance, but everyone else he encounters as well. David inadvertently stumbles upon Jenny in a chance meeting while he is driving by in his maroon colored Bristol, amidst a torrential downpour outside the studio where she has cello rehearsals. He implores her to save her instrument from water damage by allowing him to chauffer it to her destination. He assures her that he’s merely interested in rescuing her cello and suggests that she just walks along side the car as he drives. Jenny succumbs and soon enough, she too is being driven home by this perfectly charming stranger. So begins Jenny’s relationship with David, and the heart of the story.

Mulligan with Dominic Cooper as Danny
By today's standards, it would be easy to dismiss this courtship as immoral and inappropriate, considering their age difference. But that instinctive reaction is easily dismissed after it becomes very apparent that Jenny is courting David just as much. The encounters she has as a direct result of dating David force a sophistication upon her that she questionably may not be ready to coop with. Sarsgaard is both appealing and devious all at once. He certainly knows that Jenny is far younger than him, but asks her out just the same, “Do you go to concerts?” Jenny responds, “No, we don't believe in concerts.” “Oh, I assure you, they're real.” She accepts his invitation under the condition that he is able to gain her parent's permission. No easy feat considering just how controlling her they are, particularly her father Jack, played by Alfred Molina. But his suave tactics prevail, as David showers Jenny’s mother Marjorie (Cara Seymour) with compliments and manages to relate to Jack on his level. All of a sudden, Jenny is catapulted into a world where she no longer is just imagining this extravagant lifestyle; she is actually living in it.

Alfred Molina as Jack Mellor
Molina’s performance as Jenny’s overbearing yet sincere father is nothing short of brilliant. He adds depth and persona to an otherwise annoying character, by conveying true sincerity while still communal. His yelling and commanding tone reaches beyond just maintaining control of his household. Jack seeks to guide his only child to a path of certainty and security. And even though his constant bellowing may seem like him just being an overprotective father, Molina reveals himself to be much more, as a genuinely concerned guardian. Himself, a vastly underrated actor, Molina has finally garnished the kind of praise that may grant him an Oscar nomination next February. I think he deserved more attention for his turn as Diego Rivera in Frida, but it is better late than never.

Olivia Williams as Miss Stubbs, with Mulligan
Jenny can be categorized as the classic overachiever. She is studious, yet still popular among her peers. She romanticizes about exploring worlds beyond the realm of London and goes to great extent to study neighboring cultures, particularly French. There are a few key figures in her life, outside of her parents, who have the most influence on her. Well at least until David comes along. First, there is her Literature teacher Miss Stubbs, played by Olivia Williams. She regards Jenny as her prized pupil, one who she holds to the highest expectations. She imposes this ideal upon Jenny that students like her are “the reason” why she is teacher. And that concept is what weighs on Jenny’s mind throughout all of her explorations. Emma Thompson also bears some significance on her as the Headmistress of Jenny’s school. She often is tasked with grounding Jenny’s whims and continuously reminds her of the importance of being an accomplished, educated young woman. It is these educators who serve Jenny in the most practical of ways, and remind us all of how underrated and unappreciated teachers often are.

Emma Thompson as the Headmistress, with Mulligan
There are a number of things that come to mind when you think about coming of age stories. And while this may fall under such a story category, it most certainly is not stereotypical. There is so much simplistic beauty in An Education, but the film is nonetheless palletized with complex situations and characters. As we watch Jenny grow before our eyes, our appreciation for our own life trials is heightened. Most everyone can remember what it was like to be sixteen. For some, it was a time for exploration, and for others, a time for establishment. But not many of us truly experience such a worldly erudition as Jenny does at that age. The lessons that she finds herself engulfed in cannot be found in any book or taught in any classroom. Both Scherfig and Hornby must have carefully considered this in their creative processes. Carey Mulligan’s turn as this impressionable and bewildered girl with this undeniable thirst for culture and knowledge is nothing short of remarkable. She absolutely blossoms on the screen. Mulligan embraces an image of innocence while flourishing in the circumstances of her new found “education”. And as we watch Jenny out on the town, attending concerts and going to fine restaurants rather than merely dreaming of it all from her bedroom floor whilst listening to Juliette Greco records, we too are educated. Cependant “Si tu t’imagines”—life doesn't always turn out as you imagine it.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A remarkably distinguished coming of age story that truly embodies the angst and emotional trauma of life's many lessons.


"You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger" performed by Beth Rowley

Friday, October 2, 2009

A Serious Man

There are two groups of people who should go see this movie: 1. anyone who is Jewish and 2. anyone who knows someone who is Jewish. Writers/directors Joel and Ethan Coen have done it again with their latest parody on American-Jewish culture in the sixties. The public has come to know their style of film making to be intricately elaborate and situationally extremist, and A Serious Man is most certainly both. Personally, I wish I had gone to see this with one of my Jewish friends, but only so that I would have had an on-hand expert to immediately clue me in on some of the scenarios depicted in the film. There were several scenes where the audience bursted out into laughter without any real premise to do so; it dawned on me that these must have been some sort of Jewish inside jokes, if you will. Despite my lack of cognition, the movie was highly entertaining and not just in a Coen Brothers sort of way. We have seen this approach from them before in such films as Raising Arizona and Fargo that embrace a known ethnology that we may not all know personally, but certainly know of. This pre-establishes a level of endearance to audiences because most can certainly relate to the idea of what these characters are going through. So even if you're not of any kind of Jewish decent, the predicaments are so intriguing that it arouses a curiosity to want to know about being Jewish. Or at the very least, want to know about these characters. This is what makes this such a great film.

Joel and Ethan Coen on set
The opening scene is a sort of flashback to another time and probably another country, where two married Jewish peasants find themselves entertaining an alleged neighbor who has just aided the husband outside. The couple debate aimlessly (entirely in Yiddish) as to whether this guest is actually their rabbi neighbor or a demon in disguise. Because there is a severe snow storm, it is inevitable that they invite him in. Amidst their conversation with this rabbi/demon, the wife finds the courage to confront their visitor in the most unlikely of methods and he finally leaves their home. The scene ends violently but enigmatically with the line, "Good riddance to evil." This sets an unnerving tone for the rest of the film that bad things do happen to good people.

Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnick
The central character is a middle-aged physics professor named Larry Gopnick, played by Michael Stuhlbarg. Larry finds himself hurled into a series of events that have little to do with his own actions and everything to do with everyone else. Stuhlbarg is relatively unknown beyond Broadway circles, so audiences do not likely have a prerequisite for his performance. This was probably a wise decision for the Coens. Stuhlbarg creates a spectacle for a character that isn't very interesting at all, but that in itself is the premise for the entire movie. On the surface, Larry has the seemingly ideal suburban life: a steady job, a home, wife and family whom he loves. But his ignorance towards understanding the depths of the people in his life, erupt into a downward spiral of events that leave him questioning his very existence and his faith. It's not so much that audience's will sympathize with Larry Gopnick, as much as they will be dumbstruck by his passivity. The Coens brilliantly intertwine various predicaments with Larry to create the perfect plight of sins of omission.

Stuhlbarg with Sari Lennick as his wife Judith
Larry's woes seemingly begin when his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) initiates a conversation about them getting a divorce. He is in a state of complete shock by this and questions why and how it has come to this between them. Although she insists that it is not because of another man, she admits to being romantically "involved" with one of their recently widowed friends Sy Ableman, played by Fred Melamed. To Judith, Sy is essentially everything that Larry is not. In reality, Sy is overbearing, presumptuous, and self-indulgent. He takes it upon himself to console Larry about him loosing his wife to him and even goes as far as trying to nurture him by hugging him, despite the obvious awkwardness Larry has around him. This is just one example of many characters in this story who force themselves upon our protagonist, altering his life as he knows it.

Stuhlbarg with Richard Kind as Uncle Arthur
On Sy's recommendation, Judith ardently implores Larry to move out of their home. Being the push over that he is, Larry concedes to them and takes residence at a local motel called "The Jolly Roger". He also takes with him his unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) who had been sleeping on their couch and imposing upon their hospitality. Although directly inconsequential to Larry's predicament, he obviously cares about his brother very much and is willing to endure the burden of looking after him despite Arthur's apathy and listless behavior. Kind is on point here with his portrayal of Larry's imposing mooch of a sibling who struggles with self-assurance and self-worth. There is a climactic scene where Arthur has an emotional break down, pleading to Larry his envy of his ideal life while his own is mediocre. The irony of this is bewildering because Larry believes the exact same thing about himself, and sees his life as anything but ideal. This is the kind of play upon situations that the Coen Brothers craft so extremely well.

Lennick with Jessica McManus as Sarah
Back in the late 80's, an offended moviegoer contacted the Coen Brothers about their film Raising Arizona. Apparently the use of so many Polish jokes and cultural parodies were so vexing, this man and his mother had abruptly left the theater in the middle of the film. He beseeched them to "Next time, why don't you make a film about Jews?" And although it is over twenty years later, this film is their response to that complaint. Ethan has dubbed this their "Jew film". As with most all of their movies, the Coen Brothers have already endured much negative criticism, this time from the Jewish Community. One reaction accused them of "turning on their own people". There are scenes that incorporate some very blatant caricatures on Jewish culture: kids falling asleep out of boredom in Hebrew school, rabbis who are depicted as puerile and incompetent, and a shallow daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) who aims to have a nose job done. This is the same kind of generalized reactions that have come against Larry David citing his "offensive nature (to) his own self hatred and selfishness". David responded, "I hate myself, but it's not because I'm Jewish." Jewish viewers should not to take this film so personally. It is after all a movie; we are talking about a work of art, of fiction, not about some real-life "shandah for the goyim” like Bernie Madoff. Besides, the Coens present a disclaimer in the credits that "No Jews were hurt in the filming of this movie."

Aaron Wolff as Danny
While Joel and Ethan Coen did grow up in suburban Minnesota and their own father was a college professor, this is clearly not entirely an autobiography. The scene where Larry is bribed by a South Korean student (David Kang) who has failed his class and is at threat of losing his scholarship did actually happen to their father at the University of Minnesota. However, not quite as it is depicted in the film. He had given the money back and reported the student to the dean without any moral dilemma, unlike Larry. The Coen Brothers do implore a father-son theme throughout the story; we learn more and more about Larry's son Danny (Aaron Wolff) and how he inadvertently manages to put his father's life into perspective through his own naivete. Many have incorrectly assumed that A Serious Man is directly about their own lives simply because they are Jewish. While I believe it to be drawn from many of their own experiences (what good story isn't), it shouldn't be seen as their life story, as much as a story about life's predicaments.

Stuhlbarg with Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman
My old film professor Louis Giannetti would be proud to know that his theories on visual style and overall tone were among the first things I noticed about A Serious Man. The Coen Brothers have fostered an elaborate Mise-en-scène once again, while maintaining a pragmatic approach to their comic stylization. Much like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, they implore the use of popular period music to cleverly envoke a distinct mood in the film; here, they recurrently use the song "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane as if it is scripture--which may very well be to the Coen Brothers. And as always, their attention to detail both with the scripted dialogue and visuals on the screen are sharp and vigilant. The movie opens with a Rashi-attributed quote, "Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you," which epitomizes exactly how Larry Gopnick copes with life.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A must see! Especially if you can appreciate the dark farcical style of the Coen Brothers.


Jefferson Air Plane: "Don't You Want Somebody to Love"