FINALLY, AN ARTISTIC FILM FOR MY CONSCIENCE : "THE SISTERS"

Ok so my new internship has virtually nothing to do with films actually. Which feels weird. Not bad, don’t get me wrong. But still strange. So I’m kind of glad I actually have part time work with films. Oh the time may well come where I give those up but at least I’m letting go of the film work slowly. You know, no withdrawal symptoms. The Sisters initially appeared in front of me in the guise of work. But I enjoyed it a little too much for it to be just work. Plus, as films go, it’s a pretty serious film. So see, I’m making a slow return to “grown up” films. Very, very slowly that is.

The Sisters is loosely based on the story of the same name by great Russian writer Chekhov. It was first a play –you can feel this very clearly in some places – and it is now a film. I mean, it has been for a while. But we’re actually getting round to it now.

So, The Sisters is basically about families. There’s a minefield for you if there ever was one. There is usually one patriarch / matriarch etc that holds the family together in one form or another. Appearances are kept up and everyone knows / and keeps to their own places. This may be good, this may be bad, the point is it keeps things going somehow. But then, the “glue” dies. As does the father of the Prior family. Their mother had died some time ago, hence the four siblings are left alone in the world to come up with their own coping mechanisms. These mechanisms will work for a time but then it happens. One dreaded family occasion brings a particularly old strain of feelings and emotions boiling to the surface. And once it is tapped into, it is absolutely unstoppable. Old hurts, ancient grudges and dark secrets all come bubbling to the surface at once. How and where will the night end? Will family ties – not to mention the individual family members - survive this battering built up from the angst of so many years of problems being swept under the carpet?

Well, I reckon you can pretty much imagine the structure of this film. Like I said in the beginning its roots as a theatre play show themselves very clearly. There is a lot of talking. And when I say a lot... Yeah. However, what we are talking about right here is really intelligent quick-fire stuff. Psychology comes into play quite a lot and you have to make a dual effort – not only to follow what is said but the reasons behind it. I kid you not gentle reader, this is not one to watch on a Friday night when you are tired and want to unwind.

But don’t let that dishearten you. The overall group performance here is so good that I honestly defy you to not get involved in the storyline, take sides with and sympathise with the characters and generally get very hot under the collar about the whole affair. The story is not a new one, perhaps. But at the same time, it is a story that resonates very true. If not the exact secrets being kept, the dynamic, the emotions on various different scales. I have a feeling you will find a lot of yourself and your family in this story. Do check it out. 

AND LAST OF ALL, THE HUMAN MIND : "KNIFE IN THE WATER"

You will have noticed I have a bit of a soft spot for Roman Polanski. As a director I mean. He is one of the most successful directors I know in portraying human psychology. Well, the common wisdom goes that there is nothing as queer as folk, and this is undoubtedly true. In fact, why venture into fantasy lands (don’t get me wrong I am absolutely hooked on fantasy as a genre) when some of the most unbelievable things are going on right inside our own heads? This first film by Polanski returns to a theme he takes up in Carnage (reviewed a couple of weeks back), his latest film. Power struggles. Andrzrej and Kristina are a couple. He is a sports reporter, a rather vain man who needs to be right at absolutely everything. She is his pretty young wife. They are headed out for a day’s sailing on their boat one Sunday morning when they run into (almost literally) a hitchhiker. One thing leads to another and although Andrzej is clearly rather annoyed with the young man, they decide to take him along, not only in the car, but also in the boat, to sail. With the three people crammed in this rather limited space a power struggle begins between the two men. At first it is purely psychological but more and more it begins to border on the physical. The young hitchhiker is seemingly obsessed with his knife but the older man has some tricks up his sleeve too. How will the struggle end? Who will get the upper hand and more to the point, what will become of the looser? I have small criticism of the DVD I watched. It is the school copy so there is really very little I could do about the choice but still. The subtitles. There were holes. Many holes. Which is a problem if you don’t speak Polish. Which I don’t. However the good thing is that, from what I was able to grasp, the bits missing weren’t exactly the vital bits. And you could, from the context, guess what’s going on. I mean, it didn’t affect my grasp of the story but you know what I mean. As to the story, it is another exercise in suspense and subtlety by Polanski. At first you might find the film a bit boring. Mundane. No big action, not much dramatic dialogue. But if you continue watching it, you see the tension building between the two men. You slowly become involved. Without realising how, you’re taking sides, getting annoyed with one character or the other. And then of course, the film’s climax. Again, Polanski is a master of surprise endings and he seems to have started off as he meant to continue, if you feel a bit confused and mind blown at the end of it, trust me, the characters feel much worse. Plus, add to all this, the fact that the film has a total cast of three. Shot mostly on an actual boat. That is a whole barrage of technical difficulties if there ever was one and yet out of it emerges an Oscar ®nominated masterpiece. I know, it is an acquired taste. But do give it a whirl. Or a paddle.

AND THE DESCENT INTO THE HUMAN MIND: "EQUUS"

Ok, gentle reader, be warned. This film is most definitely NOT for the faint of heart or stomach. And yes, there are some – truly very few – gory scenes in it but I do not mean you need to be strong of stomach. Although that does help. It is strong of mind, able to well handle deep psychological stuff and a serious interest in this kind of film that you need. If you feel you tick the boxes read on. Have I got a treat for you. Now if the name seems familiar to you, it is because this film was actually adapted by a Tony award winning play of the same name. It is the story of Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist (played rather superbly by Richard Burton). One day a rather unusual patient is brought to him. His specialty is troubled adolescents but this young man has blinded six horses in a rather horrendous way and Dr. Dysart needs to figure out why he has done that and if the boy can be cured. There are, however, some dark truths that are altogether better off staying in the dark. Dr. Dysart is indeed able to delve into the young man’s psyche and come face to face with his demons but will he be able to safeguard his own sanity in the process? A couple of things about this film. Firstly it is more suited for a mature audience in all senses of the word. Sex and sexuality come into it, as does religion and very dark obsessions. None of these are, of course, easy topics, this coupled with the darkness of madness makes for something strictly suited to adults. But when you get over the difficulties of the subject-matter the film does make for fascinating viewing, especially if, like me, you are interested in human psychology. Think of it like some sort of crime drama. Only it is not the who but the motive, the real story that we are trying to piece together. And in the process we delve deep into the human mind and uncover its rather terrible potentials… An interesting idea to ponder is the whole matter of Dr. Dysart’s own sanity, what is happening to him and why – it was one point in one of my essays funnily enough - as you can probably deduce it is almost as if Allan’s (the name of the young man who I seem to have omitted before for some reason) particular form of madness is almost “catching”. But is it that simple? Is there some underlying message there? I know a lot of people do not dissecting their films to death but every once in a while you are hit with a movie that responds so well to this kind of thing you cannot resist. If you study film studies you kinda do it automatically anyway. “Enjoy” may not be quite the right word for this one. But the film was incredibly exciting, you become wrapped up in it very, very quickly and watch it breathless until the end. I mean ok, it has the potential to give you nightmares but still… I reckon its worth the risk if only to enjoy the award winning acting.

HONORING ACADEMY NOMINATIONS PAST - PARADISE NOW

Well speaking of Oscars ®, I think it’s an opportune moment to honor past nominees… Paradise Now was among these past nominees, infact it made history – the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Oscar® (for Best Foreign Picture in 2005). Infact, while we’re on the subject let’s look at Paradise Now’s credentials: The film actually took the 2005 – 2006 awards scene by storm. Apart from the Oscar ® nomination, Official Selection for the Toronto Film Festival and in New York, Blue Angel Award and Golden Bear nomination in the Berlin Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Picture… All these prestigious accolades, could it all be “political”?
Well, it could, but the fact is it isn’t. The Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad has accomplished quite a feat. He has made a completely objective film, about an explosive subject. Oh yeah, you guys will be looking for a synopsis…
Meet Said and Khaled. They are childhood friends and they grew up together in the Gaza strip and they are about to embark on their next project together : becoming suicide bombers… One day they are contacted – they have been selected and they are being sent on the same mission, together, just like they had imagined. They will go to Tel Aviv and blow themselves up, the very next day… But when unexpected developments put the mission off, Said and Khaled get something no one imagined they would get – time to think things over…
When I first read the reviews on this film and saw how everyone said it was “completely objective”, honestly I had a job believing it, for obvious reasons. I was surprised to find out this was actually true. The film is in fact purely psychological and although politics do graze it, it’s marginal at best. And think about it, there are a plethora of emotions to explore. First there is the shock of finding out you are going to die tomorrow (our two friends are “sleeper cells” leading perfectly normal-looking lives). There is the mental preparation for death. Then the shock of finding out you aren’t dying after all. Then there is the moment you stop and ask yourself what on earth you are doing, and why…
Like a lot of my choices, Paradise Now isn’t easy viewing. But it is a completely non-political and objective stare into the depths of the human psyche. Give it a spin – if you don’t mind being stared at that is…