ESSIE SPEAKS OF A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : PEDRO ALMODOVAR

Soo, what do we have on the menu this week?

Well, I thought it might be nice to focus on a single master this week. Themes are well and good but nothing beats a good old retrospective. I have for you a man whose films have at times created scandal. There is every chance you might be prejudiced against him for any number of reasons. I sincerely hope that the reviews will push you to overcome at least a few of these and at least give watching his work a go before deciding. Colorful, saucy, inimitable, I give you Pedro Almodovar.

I hope you enjoy - I know I did!
Essie

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "ATAME"

The name “Pedro Almodovar” goes hand in hand with the term “controversial” - even the most novice cinephile, I suspect, knows this already. Even so, as I start this week’s work on this rather unusual (to say the least) director, I feel the need to add a disclaimer. None of this guy’s work is for the faint of heart… And nothing, I mean nothing is sacred. Nevertheless, Almodovar starts small in this film. Atame is a psychological thriller, no doubt whatsoever on that count. But, when looked at up close, it is also a stinging criticism of the institution of marriage, or rather some marriages. Let’s take a look at the storyline first, shall we?
Ricky (a young and VERY dishy Antonio Banderas) has spent most of his life in homes and institutions, the latest and longest stretch being in a mental institution. However, years later the authorities are convinced that he is now cured, and turn him loose on society to build his own life. Ricky is quite clear in his mind what he must do: get married, find a job, have kids. He even knows who he’s going to marry; Marina, a porn actress with known drug connections who he idolizes. This may seem like a pipe-dream to most people, but for Ricky it is as real as the nose on his face. On his very first day out of the institution, he heads off to the studio, follows Marina home, steals a set of her house-keys, abducts her and explains that he has only done this so they could get to know each other better, after this, they will obviously get married. Marina struggles against this captivity as best she can but if Ricky is a very disturbed young man, stupid he most definitely is not. And then something funny begins to happen… The more time Marina spends with him, strangely and inexplicably, the more loveable Ricky begins to seem… Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship?
Ok, so, we all actually know marriages like this. One side may well be completely miserable with her lot on level, and yet it is as if they have been bound hand and foot; they cannot seem to be able to leave… Many excuses are found for the phenomenon, I am staying for the children’s sake, he/she loves me really… And yet the marriage may be closing in on one of the parties like a noose around their necks… Or, if love does actually exist in the relationship on some level, it could well be some kind of “Stockholm Syndrome”, born of spending so much time with your “captor”. This is a tough one to explain to the western world, but the further east you go, the commoner this way of thinking becomes. In all “macho” societies the woman is expected to marry. She is expected to take care of her husband and children. Socially speaking, there is no other way round it; living on your own, not marrying at all or just living together with someone is considered quite… Well… And so, women go into the marriages often “gagged and bound”.
Almodovar gives the feeling of slow suffocation with such great success that I personally had great trouble watching the film to the end. Every attempt at escape on Marina’s part is foreseen and blocked by Ricky; he is everywhere there really seems no escape from the man. And if you had any doubt at all about the true aim of the film, one iconic scene where the couple (for reasons you can watch the film and find out if you’re curious) have to change apartments and Ricky picks Marina, tied hand and foot and gagged too, up in his arms and carries her as if over the threshold, with the long ropes binding her trailing behind them like a bridal train, says it all… I think you should really grit your teeth and watch this one, even though you may have to pause and “catch your breath” a few times. It is a very, very intelligent film and very well done.

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "CARNE TREMULA"

Ok, confession time. I did not start viewing Mr. Almodovar’s works in an as prejudice-free a manner as I usually do. In fact, from the outset I was quite prepared to hate them. Why? Well, first and foremost I somehow got the impression that they were in fact mostly about sex. In fact, don’t ask me why, that they bordered on pornography. One thing has to be made clear of course, sex features greatly – and openly – in all of his works, but it is not as “seedy” – for lack of a better word – as I thought it would be. Far, far from it. It is there as a normal continuation of passion, it is well placed. And of course it isn’t the only “thing” in the story. And the films themselves are generally so good, so deeply emotional and just such good quality that it really doesn’t matter. I had previously watched two films by Almodovar. One was “All about my mother” – that one I liked – but the other one was Habla Con Ella which I distinctly disliked and I discarded the director’s entire body of work until “a later date”. Well, that date seems to have come and never before have I been more pleasantly surprised to be wrong… Well, how can one be when discovering one’s mistake opens up such wonderful worlds for one?
Victor is a young man in love. He has fallen in love with Elena, a young woman he has met (and, we learn made love to) in a nightclub. They make a date to meet again, Elena – who was completely drunk at the time – doesn’t even remember him, the “confusion” turns into a passionate argument, the neighbors call the police, a gun goes off wounding a police officer. Victor goes to jail, David, the wounded police officer (played by the ever excellent Javier Bardem)is left paralyzed from the waist down. However, the whole thing isn’t such a dismal tragedy as one may think, as Elena and David then fall in love and get married. Victor, in the meanwhile, gets out of jail and is not best pleased to hear how Elena’s story ended. Someone needs to pay for the six years of his life he lost… So starts the path to revenge… At least, that’s what the path starts out as. Where it will end however, is another story all together…
Carne Tremula – Live Flesh doesn’t exactly invoke feelings of “artistry” in one at the offset it is true. The name alone carries a sense of what to expect, the cover of the DVD or the poster of the film depending on where you’re viewing the film depicts naked bodies… And yet the film speaks of love, passion, obsession, jealousy all human emotions and the whole thing is done in a very human way, without “overdoing” anything. The story, full of curveballs and surprises as it may be is still believable. True, there are a few coincidences, and we all jump down the throats of coincidences don’t we, but really, even they are not out of place.
In this film, we see two things that a lot – if not all – Almodovar’s films seem to be about or at least contain on some level. First of all, as I said before, sex. Seasoned viewers will know that male nudity is to Almodovar what women’s feet are to Tarantino. And it is so tastefully done (and OK, the “subjects” are so well chosen =) ) that I really am not complaining. But the love-making scenes in Carne Tremula deserve to be mentioned if only for their sheer beauty. I mean, it is what it is, and it is passionate sex; however, Almodovar has also very successfully captured the sheer physical beauty of the act itself. And believe me although I appreciate a nude male body when I see one, I am not so easily impressed by sex scenes. Secondly, there is the matter of male obsession. Of course the parallelism between Atame and this film is as obvious as the nose on my face. But although they start out as looking similar, Ricky and Victor are two very different characters. While Ricky goes “straight for the jugular” as it were, Victor is more patient. He still loves Elena, resents her marriage and wants revenge enough to be able to work at it slowly, step by step. And Almodovar successfully keeps every step up his sleeve until the last minute, keeping us on edge right until the end… Leave your prejudices at the door and prepare for a rollercoaster of good art…

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "LA MALA EDUCATION"

By the time I got to Mala Education, thanks to the positive effects of Carne Tremula and Atame (see above) I was already very, VERY positively inclined towards Mr. Almodovar. After La Mala Education, I actually became a fan. This film has soared into my top ten of favorite films of all times, I was so bowled over by bits of it, I am very much afraid this humble review will not be able to do it justice. Be it the actual structure of the story, be it the beauty of the shots, be it the sheer level of emotion so successfully portrayed in the film, no matter which way you look at it I guarantee that you will find something to bowl you over in this one… (Good Heavens I haven’t gushed like this about a film in AGES!! I must be becoming jaded! :S )
Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) is a young and successful director. He is suffering from mild writers block and is searching, along with his production manager, for their next project. The search is proving unusually fruitless until an actor looking for work barges into the studio. Enrique is prepared to chuck him out but the young man (Gael Garcia Bernal) tells him his name. He is Ignacio Rodriguez, Enrique’s first love from back when they were in boarding school when they were very young. He is looking for work, but he has also brought Enrique an idea for a film; it is a story based on their childhood experiences. They are not all very happy memories. The whole experience bowls Enrique over, although it was many years ago, he has never quite forgotten Ignacio, the boarding school or the things that happened there. The trip down memory lane however, will lead to dark places and the revelation of secrets Enrique couldn’t have even dreamt of in his wildest imaginings…
I am chomping on the bit to tell you what happens next. Believe me. But the surprise factor is the whole point of this film, and it is the way the surprises slowly come to light, hinting at their existence first, then slowly unfurling that make this film such a beautiful work of art. Having a good story, we have often said, is the crux of making a good film. The way one actually tells the story however, is also important. And if one has a brilliant story that one is capable of telling in a beautiful way, well… One becomes as famous a director as Almodovar.
Male obsession is again at the forefront of this film. However, the consequences of the obsession are under the microscope for this performance. And the obsession is not quite the same as the one in the first two films we looked at. Ok, I think you all probably heard at some point that this film speaks of child-abuse. Putting two and two together you have probably figured out that the abuse took place in Ignacio and Enrique’s boarding school. However, the obsession of Father Manolo (the perpetrator of the abuse) has results that are longer lasting than any of us can imagine – and I don’t just mean to the abused, I’m talking about the people around the abused, the “outer ripples” of the pebble thrown in the water if you will. But it isn’t only negative feelings that live on. The young love between Enrique and Ignacio, we find, has lived on despite not being together for years. And while they are never able to actually speak of their love face to face again (I’ll let you watch the film and figure out what that means) they still communicate, and the way this emotion lives on is simply beautiful. The third thing Mr. Almodovar explores in this film is the lengths to which human beings are prepared to travel to get their desire. Some people will give up anything, change completely, do absolutely anything and stoop to any depth to get their heart’s desire, be it success or revenge. And even though they may seem monstrous in a way, if we look at them objectively, we can’t help but pity them. Especially if we see where and how this driving ambition was born.
I am sure you are as aware as I am of the parallel themes in Almodovar’s films. The truly astounding thing is that although similar themes exist, they are never “the same”. Each one is a variation, a beautiful variation on the same theme and a masterpiece in its own right. This film is a brilliant look into the human soul, warts and all. Don’t let the subject matter (child abuse) put you off watching it. It is harrowing and very much a part of the film but the whole thing is tasteful. And the consequences of such an act… Well that at least is something we owe the victims to open our eyes and look at, no?

ESSIE SPEAKS OF WAR

I want to get one thing clear from the start : I think war is horrifying. I am a pacifist in every sense of the word you can think of and therefore it may seem odd that I have chosen to do a slot on war films.
Well, first and foremost, one mustn't forget that although some war films are all about the action, blood and gore, many speak of the tragedy of war and make us think about the deeper stuff as well. I have tried to reflect this in my choice of films for the week, be it political, ethical or simply personal tales of war...

happy viewing!
Essie

UNFORGETTABLE TALES FROM THE PAST : "PLATOON"

Now, as you know, I am on a mission to watch as many of the big classic movies as fast as possible. I am, generally speaking, quite “hungry” for movies, planning ahead what I will watch the next day, constantly failing to decide… But boy oh boy did I drag my feet when it came to watching Platoon… I had never watched it before like so many of the greats but I just knew it was going to hit me like a freight train… There is, however, no earthly point in putting off the inevitable so I went for it this morning. It did not disappoint in more ways than one : It was a brilliant movie AND it hit me like a freight train…
The year is 1968 and Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a college student. Or rather he was a college student. He “wasn’t learning anything” so he actually dropped out of college and volunteered to go and fight in Vietnam. He arrives at the base camp, as green as you please and stuffed to the gills with ideals. He is full of hope and thinks that by fighting the war and doing his bit he will become a man. The constant danger, sleepless nights filled with violence and the in-fighting in his own platoon split down the middle by two rival commanders will definitely make a man of him… The question is, however, what kind of man he will end up becoming…
One of the main reasons I gave this film a wide birth was the fact that I assumed, being a war film, that it would be all blood guts and gore. First of all, let me reassure you, it isn’t. I mean, it’s the Vietnam War for Christ’s sake, naturally there is blood and guts but they do not take such prominence on the screen. What the film is mainly interested in, and what is profoundly more frightening than any amount of blood and guts, is the changes that take place in the minds and spirits of the men themselves, from the foot soldiers right up the chain the lieutenant. The film questions mankind’s seemingly endless capacity to harm one another and be cruel, and violent. It also wonders whether or not this potential is actually latent within all of us… You may point out – and rightly too – that there have been a LOT of films who have tried to capture this change in their heroes and heroines and point out the cruelty and pointlessness of war. You would, however, be hard put to find a film that captures this waste of human life, be it the fallen on the battlefield or the survivors, so deeply scarred that they can never be the same again, so well. It may have something to do with the fact that it is partly based on director Oliver Stone’s actual experiences as well… Partly, it is the outstanding cast of the film, starring veterans such as Tom Berenger, Willem Defoe and Forrest Whitaker (and as a bonus a VERY young Johnny Depp!) In any case there is definitely a reason for this film to be awarded all the Oscars® and awards it got. In view of what is going on in the world these days, I am also rather sorry to add that the sentiment it portrays is still very, VERY relevant today. Watch it. It will give you a lot to think about. Oh, and have some tissues handy, unless you are actually made of stone you will be needing them…

CURRENT AFFAIRS : "GREEN ZONE"

Anyone who has so much as glanced at world events over the last couple of years can make an educated guess as to what the “green zone” refers to. And where exactly it is. The backdrop for our last war film this week is one of the most recent wars, the war in Iraq. The film has many advantages, a director experienced in the action / thriller genre, Paul Greenglass who can proudly add the direction of The Bourne Ultimatum and the Bourne Supremacy to his list of achievements. The lead actor of the film is also a familiar name, Matt Damon, whose performance in the Bourne Trilogy has gone down in action movie history. Plus of course, there is the marked advantage of it being a recent film about a recent war; emotions concerning the war run high making the audience (potentially anyway) that much more involved in the film and of course there aren’t that many films about it yet; the Second World War and the Vietnam War, although the backdrops of some of the best films in history are now generally considered “hackneyed subjects”. The Iraq war is “fresh” so to speak. In short, the film seems to promise a lot. I am happy to tell you, it delivers.
Chief Warrant Officer Miller (Matt Damon) has been in Iraq for a while now, and he has begun to smell a rat. He and his team are on an important mission; finding the weapons of mass destruction Saddam Hussein is said to have hidden around the country. They receive intelligence report after intelligence report, hit location after location, but they come up with nothing. Miller doesn’t believe in coincidences of such great size and begins to question the sources of the intelligence they are given. After all, the weapons are the reason the army is in Iraq, Miller considers it his duty to sort out what is going on. And the more he digs the bigger the mystery seems to become, Miller will finally be pushed to go rogue to discover the truth… Such discoveries can however, be dangerous. Even fatal.
Another advantage this film has is, without a doubt, is the fact that a lot of us have seen quite a bit of coverage of the war. Greenglass has made a clever choice as far as filming is concerned, favoring a style very close to documentary or news report coverage to show the actual fighting. The pictures are not necessarily clean-cut, they are definitely shaky, in short they are not the squeaky – clean typical action film shots. They do however; give us the eerie impression of watching something that is actually happening. Thus, at the point of getting into the story the adrenalin is pumping already. Then of course the second “layer” of action comes along, namely the discovery and attempt to unmask the conspiracy that is going on. The film is actually based on a book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone")by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Now I haven’t read the book, but the story told on the screen was 24 karat gold. And the suspense doesn’t let up for one minute; although we have all seen our fair share of “conspiracy theory movies” (the afore mentioned Bourne Trilogy being one of them), Green Zone has enough curveballs in store to throw the oldest of film veterans off track. I can understand why one might have a general aversion to war films as a rule. In some examples, there tends to be an over-reliance on action and explosions to the detriment of the story, especially in modern times. Not so this little beauty. It shows us the horrors of war realistically and without getting over-dramatic, it presents a clever plot without getting convoluted and over-doing itself. A good ‘un, no doubt.