SOME MURDER MYSTERY WITH : "THE BLACK DAHLIA"

Ok, back to civilian life now. Well, in fact, not quite. Anyone vaguely familiar with the work of Brian De Palma will know that he is mighty fond of his cops and robbers. Now the robbers we are all very much aware of, Scarface, Carlito, they have all gone down in history as the biggies of their time. So let us turn our attention to the cops for a second. If only because none of them has even come close to achieving the notoriety that Al Pacino has given the bad guys mentioned above. Los Angeles, 1940’s. Two ex-boxers Bucky (Josh Hartnett) and Lee (Aaron Eckhart) are partners in the police force. But they have quite a bit more than their careers tying them together. They are known as Mr. Fire and Mr. Ice; Lee; Mr. Fire is the emotional, out-going and gregarious one of the two, also a heavy-weight boxer and the one with more of a “glistening” career. Mr. Ice, Bucky, is calmer, quieter a lightweight (literally) and the more junior cop of the two. But all their differences don’t stop them forming a bizarre ménage a trois with Lee’s girlfriend Kay (the enigmatic Scarlett Johansson). Their private arrangements are a little strange (I will let you discover them precisely as the film goes along) but they are good at what they do and have quite average lives until the “Black Dahlia” murder. Lee becomes slowly obsessed by the murder, ignoring duty and Ray and devoting all his time to obsessing about it. All Bucky can do is follow in his wake, the thing is, he must be very, very careful as he navigates his way; both Lee’s past and the Black Dahlia murder contains more dark secrets than he can possibly imagine. The end credits inform us that the murder that takes place in the film really happened but the film itself is a concoction of this and a novel by James Ellroy named The Black Dahlia. This is one of the things I like the most about Brian De Palma. A lot of his film tell a story that is – or at least contains an element of – true life. I’m not quite sure why this is such an important thing for me, but I truly feel that life is often much stranger than fiction and it enriches me to find out the most I can about it. The Black Dahlia is a true – blue nail biter. Stylistically it is brilliant. And even though it is a full two hours long, the minutes will, I promise you, fly by. The only thing is, the story does get a tad convoluted here and there.De Palma does give clear explanations and reminders but if, for example, you watch the film when you’re feeling rather tired and preoccupied (as I did) you will have a few “Wait, what?? Well who was… Oh… Right.” Moments. And again, the ending. *Sigh*. I mean, it’s ok. It is Hollywood I guess. You know what, in fact I need to say this, the film is so close to perfect I shouldn’t nit-pick. There. Enjoy.

A LITTLE BIT OF SADNESS : "RABBIT HOLE"

“I don’t think I’ll be able to watch this” said one of my ex-colleagues known for her sensitivity, “My boy’s about the same age, I just…” “Oh poo…” I thought to myself as I settled down to the film. “Motherhood hormones eh? Guess I won’t get it ‘till I am one too!” I had been, however, slightly too dismissive of Rabbit Hole. After having watched it I can tell you with a clear conscience that it comes with a serious, SERIOUS disclaimer: “This film will seriously upset you. Watch on a sunny day.” Something like this. And this without even particularly liking Nicole Kidman...
It’s all in the subject you see. It’s the story of Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckheart). A loving couple going through one of the toughest patches a couple can go through. Their four year old son chased his dog out into the road a few months ago and the unfortunate driver of a passing car was unable to stop, hitting and killing the little boy. Ever since, their world has been turned on its head. The members of the help group they attend try their best – there are veterans who have been attending for a VERY long time there after all – so does the family; Becca’s brother has also passed away, that’s why her mother has plenty of advice to give as she suffers from the same pain. However life goes on – painful but true – and Becca’s sister is actually pregnant now and is settling down with her new and rather eccentric boy friend. Friends are around but understandably awkward, and though Howie tries to deal with the pain as best he can, Becca seems to have simply lost the will to live… Will she be able to “rejoin the world” or is she lost for good?
Losing a child is undoubtedly one of the greatest pains one can experience in this world… And this film gives us a sense-numbingly realistic portrait of the tragic event’s effects on the parents but also on the unfortunate driver as well… I am not a massive fan of Nicole Kidman – as I have mentioned at the beginning of this post – and I generally find her rather cold and unable to convey feeling. Of course, this sentiment comes into its own in this film – Becca is, in effect, completely numb. Unable to connect, unable to experience anything except her pain. You would have to not have a heart (emotionally speaking) not to be touched (hence, she was nominated for an Oscar with her performance and good for her!). Aaron Eckheart portrays a completely different way of coping; he tries to get on somehow, maybe the healthier outlook. This is not necessarily because he cares less or feels less pain but because he feels the need to join the world somehow to avoid the pain inside… Will their relationship survive this ordeal and their two very different coping mechanisms? Will they themselves survive this grave trial? You will have to watch and see…
Rabbit Hole is a brave film that takes on a difficult topic that is “not on the beaten trail” so to speak, if only because of its grave nature… It is a film about tragedy, and also about how life goes on… And that this not necessarily always a bad thing…