A STORY OF SAVAGE GRACE CUT SHORT...

Regular readers of this blog will have noticed at some point that I do a lot of viewing on BBC Iplayer. I would strongly recommend it to the uninitiated; it is often brimming with interesting if rather under advertised propositions. I only clicked on Savage Grace because I thought I recognized Julianne Moore in the thumbnail and only then realized what a relevant film it was to this Oscar season as it co-stars this seasons other favorite, Eddie Redmayne. Savage Grace is a disturbing true story and a true acting masterclass by the two stars. And with controversial director Tom Kalin (of Swoon fame) at the helm, we would not be wrong to expect big things from this one. Which is why I was profoundly disappointed when it ended up not quite coming together in the end…

This is the story of the American actress and socialite Barbara Daly Bakeland (Julianne Moore) and her murder at the hands of her son Anthony ( Eddie Redmayne). Barbara is the epitome of the histrionic actress, driving her husband away relatively early in the marriage and being left to raise their son Anthony alone, with the help of various family friends and relatives. Barbara being obsessed with getting her old position with society back, Anthony is pretty much left to his own devices to experiment and find his own way in life. And his mother’s reaction to these experiments is, shall we say, not exactly conventional… Thus swimming through a strange, fluid atmosphere quite devoid of boundaries, the pair arrives at the ultimate tragedy that will end Barbara’s life.

The film has one heck of a lot of potential. But what looks like has happened is that Kalin has tried to take a formula that worked incredibly well for him in the early nineties with Swoon – namely a murder with sexual motivations laced with madness and a strange sort of folie a deux and re-adapt it. The problem is, while this works well for Swoon, it falls strangely flat for Savage Grace. The acting was superb and the direction very atmospheric if in places a little old fashioned but throughout, I felt as if there was something missing. The last half-hour or so came together a lot better, with Anthony finally making it quite clear that the – something is not quite right – feeling we had been harboring for a while now was bona fide insanity and having a magnificent breakdown on screen. In fact I finished the film wishing that there had been more of the last half hour and less of the first hour – if that makes sense as a sentence. Then I went online to see what I could find out about the story and promptly discovered what was missing. Basically it was a whole chunk of the real story

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WARNING.THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IS BASICALLY SPOILER CITY. BUT THE MURDER IS IN THE Public DOMAIN SO… EHM. YEAH. Don’t get me wrong I am ALL for artistic license and – within reason – playing around with real life stories a tiny bit to suit a vision. And I also see that cinematically speaking what Kalin was trying to do was have a tense but understated first two thirds with subtle hints at the underlying incest with a dramatic reveal and “descent into madness” type finale. The problem for me was that the hinting was a little too subtle and didn’t quite get one on the same emotional level. In real life, it transpires, Anthony had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia years before the murder had occurred (in the film there is no mention of it) but his father wouldn’t allow him to be treated by psychiatrists. The incestuous relationship with his mother had also been going on for years (in the film this is hinted at but never elaborated – I got the impression the scene in the final half hour is the culmination, not one in many if you get what I mean). The incest had its roots in the fact that Barbara could never quite accept Anthony being gay and was “trying to fix him”. In this attempt he had also been coerced to have sex with prostitutes. Again, none of this had been mentioned. In fact Anthony and Barbara had had numerous violent quarrels involving knives and a previous attempted murder, all of which is overlooked in the film.

But then again, there is no great dramatic reveal in a young man with previous mental health issues tipping over the edge I suppose, so all of that is abandoned in lieu of a dramatic reveal at the end that leaves us gagging for more. Grand reveals are all very well and good in their place. But especially when it comes to mental illness the slow and steady descent into madness can be just as dramatic, not least because it usually corresponds more to the real experience people have of mental illness. And I mean it is not as if there weren’t plenty of dramatic events for this to lead off from – not least since the concept of “fixing” gay people is sadly still an actual topic today. Between that and the incest – the fact that technically his mother raped him – just sticking to the facts and doing much less in the way of editing and contributing would have made a completely sensational story. Especially with actors as brilliant as Moore and Redmayne.

 I would, in short, class Savage Grace as a missed opportunity more than anything else. It has some wonderfully dramatic glimmers but it never quite opens its wings and soars. Still it is well worth the watch if only for the wonderful performances and one of the most terrifying depictions of madness I have seen on screen for a while.

THE END OF THE WORLD WEEK FOR THE CHILDREN OF MEN

I have to admit, there was a lot of hype about this particular dystopia. I mean, it was praised to the skies, nominated for three Oscars ® and miscellaneous awards, over half the people I know watched and said it was one of the best films they ever watched. So I thought it would be only fitting to put it in here. It is, after all, the most recent dystopia out of the three and has the added bonus of being, in my mind, the most realistic. That is partly due to the fact of it being so recent, so we can draw clear ties with the problems we have today. The film presents what could (unfortunately) logically be “worst outcome” scenarios involving things that happen today. I mean, yes I grant you, given the vagueness in “Time Of The Wolf”, we can’t really say that isn’t realistic either, but the difference between this film and Time of The Wolf is that Time of The Wolf has the people and the effects of the disaster on the people in the foreground; it is a psychological dystopia if you will. Children of Men is all about the disaster and, in true Hollywood style (it is a British film but all the same), “fixing” the disaster. Of course in Time of the Wolf people aren’t trying to fix anything just trying to survive, and that is what makes the film so tough to watch; it’s bleak, there is no end in sight. Children of Men, however, does provide “a cure”. And unfortunately, for that reason, a film that starts out with one heck of a lot of promise and originality, spirals down into something quite cliché – with a few Biblical references thrown in for good measure. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let me give you a lowdown of the story first…
The year is 2027 and we are in London. The world has, basically, gone to pot. An “infertility” pandemic has taken over; no human beings have been born for the last 18 years. All the doctors in all the lands are powerless; the human race is, for all intents and purposes, dying out. Chaos, in the meanwhile, has taken over. Governments like Britain crack down on illegal immigrants, refugee camps have sprung up all over the country where the “fugees” live in ghettos and are shipped out of the country. Anti-government activism is rife, bombings and raids a day to day occurrence, pollution is everywhere, you get the general picture… Theo is separated from his wife Julia. Julia has gone underground and has joined the anti-government fight. Theo has lost faith and just gets on with his life. Until, that is, Julia contacts him and asks for his help. A girl needs to be escorted to meet the mysterious “Human Project” and he is the only one she trusts to obtain the necessary papers to travel through the country. Theo is dubious at first but it becomes obvious that bigger things are at stake, because this girl may well be the key to the salvation of humanity… The problem is, she is a refugee and must be kept safe from the government. But it will not take Theo long to understand that the government aren’t the only ones trying to get their hands on this woman… The future of humanity is, for all intents and purposes, in their hands…
You may have, on reading the plotline, wondered what was so “original” about the film. I mean, you don’t have to be a genius to guess why the woman holds the key to human survival, right? Yes, yes, she’s pregnant (you still don’t know whether they get her to safety or not though, so I technically didn’t tell you the end). But there are lovely little touches about the possible future world that are given out within the first 15 “introduction” minutes of the film that draws one straight in. For example, now the government distributes “suicide kits” for people in depression, allowing you to take your own life in the comfort of your own home, with no mess. What else? In the first 10 minutes again, we learn the youngest person in the world, an 18 year-old, has just died. The entire world is in mourning (don’t worry, this is not integral to the storyline AT ALL J ) Remember when Lady Diana died? Heck, any celebrity? Nice dystopic poke at the phenomenon there, Theo uses the excuse to get off work early because “he is distraught” J Oh and there are these funny little “rickshaws” made up with motorbikes all over the roads. There still are cars and busses but obviously they have been stopped at some point, the cars are quite old. And the whole theme itself is also good, I mean, we are responsible for entire species dying out, why not humans? Especially with this “aging population” all around Europe and the developed world, it isn’t unthinkable at all, scary but true.
But the clichés bleed through straight away. The anti-government stance of the film is a given of course. There is the unavoidable old hippy acquaintance of Theo’s that gets them out of a scrape or two (the inimitable Michael Cane, the only possible excuse for this characters existence is the fact that he is played by such a great actor). And of course the reason why Theo and his ex-wife went their separate ways (yes, yes again you got me; their son died). And then, completely out of the blue, there are the Biblical references. I mean, putting aside the obvious one of a baby whose very existence is a miracle bringing hope and salvation to the human race (note here that the reference is made obvious by the mother herself joking about it, teasing Theo who asks who the father was by saying “there is no father I was a virgin” and then bursting out laughing). There is the activist that helps Theo and Kee (oh yes, the mother’s name is Kee. As in key. Get it?) to escape Miriam (Miriam is the name of the sister of Moses and leader of the Hebrew women during the Exodus) who just so happens to be a midwife. She is leading her out of an oppressive and scary state (Egypt reconstructed as Great Britain) to, wait for it, the Human Project that will pick her up on a… Boat. (Moses in the reeds anyone?) And then there is one scene, right at the end, where the crowds admire and “adore” the baby. Now, I have seen this being interpreted as a throwback to Rosemary’s Baby, but I am not too darn sure about that. And of course the very name of the film. (Children of Man / Children Of Israel – there is the second connection with the children two of course, but such things are rarely coincidental in this business). Unfortunately, that is where the philosophical “similes” end. I do wish the director had gone deeper with the theme, I mean why not, but if there was any further depth to the film I missed it. And yet the presence of the previous parallels are so obvious that their presence without any further basis is confusing – they confused me at any rate… The director then mixes in various parallels with the Iraq war (some parallels with the infamous Abu Ghraib prison cannot escape even the most undiscerning viewer). And of course these make sense seeing as this is an anti-government film but… I don’t know, too many themes spoil the broth if you ask me…
In short, I admire what director Alfonso Cuaron Has set out to do. Unfortunately, I feel he hasn’t quite finished the job. I do understand that there is a lot to say on these things but why, oh why did he feel he needed to say the whole lot at once? Fewer “messages” would have salvaged the original themes that are present in the beginning of the film, making it a whole lot better than it is. Wasted potential. Watch it. You will like it. I’m just saying you could like it one heck of a lot more…

NOT AN AVERAGE FLOWER - MAGNOLIA

Magnolia is just “one of those films”. It has to be actually seen to be understood. “You have to have been there.” I watched it – and loved it - which was good, because I sat down to it with high hopes of adding it to my blog. (It’s so disappointing when you sit down to a film and go “Oooh, now, I wonder if this will make it to the blog?” and then fall asleep half way through…) I have decided long ago that I will only add the films I myself enjoyed – that was the point of the website. There are of course a lot of films I watch and get bored witless – I do watch films for a living you know – but this was never the point. I seem, however, to be getting a little off topic. Let’s get back to Magnolia and the critique thereof…

Now, what of the story? This is a story about choices and life, and how we are all a lot more connected than we might first think… Earl Partrdige (Jason Robards) is dying of cancer. His young wife Claudia (Julianne Moore) and Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are caring for him. Earl’s dying wish is to make contact with his estranged son, Jack (Tom Cruise). Jack however, is now a self-help guru and wants nothing to do with his father… Jimmy Gator – a TV host - is also dying of cancer… He has not led a model life and wants to reconcile with his daughter before it’s too late. His daughter is a depressed cocaine addict and wants nothing to do with her father. In the meanwhile, the current and past child prodigies of Gator’s TV show are both facing battles of their own…

If that sounds complicated it is a bit. But unconnected ? No. This is a supremely intelligent film about life, the choices we make and how much the “little” things count… There are many scenes that will move you to the marrow of your bones and many that will fascinate you – but the whole story is so cleverly woven I couldn’t possibly “take a piece out” to show to you without “knocking the rest over”…Technically speaking it’s a very fast paced film. The story goes quickly from time to time and so does the editing. I’m kinda used to this kind of thing and it was ok but you might find it a touch difficult to follow at first, so choose a calm day for it. Another thing : The cast. I mean, who isn’t in the film?! Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Julianne Moore, double Oscar®winner Jason Robards, William H. Macey… And the film is an Oscar ® nominee to boot – Best Original Screenplay, Best Muisc and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Tom Cruise. Lastly, please don’t let the fact that the film is three hours long “upset” you. I would like to remind you at this point that “The Godfather” is just as long and an absolute and utter cult classic ;)