What’s Going On?

Unusual scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter creates a “Frankenstein’s Monster” type creature in Bella, bringing in Max as his assistant to help chronicle her development. At first, Bella knows only a handful of words and can barely walk but makes huge progress each and every day, becoming a fascinated and fascinating person.

In Front Of the Camera

Emma Stone is cast as Bella in what is surely one of the greatest performances in an already incredibly impressive career. Mark Ruffalo is having a fantastic time as all-round unpleasant cad Duncan Wedderburn who falls for Bella, getting her interest with the opportunity of exploring the world. The wild swings of mood and attitude of Wedderburn are a wonder to behold. Willem Defoe is brilliant, as one would expect, the doctor who has suffered so much, including from those who should have loved him, and brings new life into the world. Godwin constantly battles with his paternal feelings for Bella, chastising any emotional influence as unworthy of science. Finally the main cast is Max McCandles played by Ramy Youssef, perhaps the most normal person of the characters, who goes through the film appalled by Godwin, Wedderburn and more for their lack of morality. There is a great deal of high philosophical discussions on morality in this movie but McCandles is the most obviously kind.

Behind The Scenes

Yorgos Lanthimos has had a string of critical triumphs, The Favourite, The Lobster, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and going back to his earlier, edgier work like Dogtooth. Lanthimos’ films have a reputation for being weird – and even The Favourite which could have been a more typical period drama-comedy is distinctly odd.

The film is based on a book by Alasdair Gray, a noted Scottish writer, with Tony McNamara credited as a writer of the screenplay. McNamara has worked with Lanthimos before on The Favourite and created the comedy-drama TV show The Great.

Does It Work?

Poor Things is a wonderful, beautiful, filthy, depressing, uplifting riot of a film. There are few films where the utterance of the line “I am going to punch that baby” are middling amongst its outrages. It is hard to imagine what more there is to ask from Emma Stone who in this film displays the joy of mere existence, the turmoil and contradictions of love – both romantic and familial, the grief of losing those close to you, of never knowing those who could have been close to you. Stone goes through experiences of food, sex, pain, and pleasure, discovering these things and understanding them.

Bella Baxter does not ask for or demand freedom but simply states it, she will do as she will, it is an inevitability that she will be free. Freedom is a strong feeling in so many characters, Godwin for so long protected Bella from the outside world and cannot argue against a person saying they want to leave and exert that right. Freedom for oneself and freedom from society are strong themes in the film, with “polite society” constantly being run down. Bella considers herself free to leave, to travel, to love, to have sex, to not have sex and her run-ins with people who feel differently are eventful to say the least.

The film looks beautiful with exquisite buildings and interiors and at times resembles what Wes Anderson would come up with if he got more into urban fantasy. There are not enough words to convey how amazing Bella’s outfits are, and the costumes of others are not terribly far behind. The world they exist in, with London and Lisbon etc is our world but with a bit more magic and colour in it.

It would be fair to say this film is not going to be for everyone. It is exceedingly weird, deals with any number of traumatic and difficult issues, features frequent graphic sex and as already mentioned Bella threatens to punch a baby. But for those who have enjoyed Lanthimos’ previous films or like weird cinema, this is a fabulous film. It is two hours of frantic joyful madness mixed with heartbreaking sadness.

Rating: (4.5 / 5)

Also Read: Review: The Favourite

The post Review: Poor Things appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

A mind-bending story

Where do we begin? Not quite sure but let’s give it a shot anyway. The movie starts in Siberia (what a surprise, right?) and Clint (Willem Dafoe) is the owner of a decayed and remote bar. Not many people, but at least he gets a few customers. They’re the only people that make sense in this movie cause apart from that, everything seems to be surreal. What follows is a cacophony of events. A pregnant woman making Clint’s life even stranger, men being beaten up and Clint hearing and seeing his dead dad. Do you want to know where this disturbing journey is taking us? Then that’s for you to discover by watching this movie.

Peculiar to say the least

During an interview with Sundance, ahead of the shooting of Siberia, Ferrara mentioned that he wanted to “see if we can film dreams—our fears, our regrets, our nostalgia.”. Well, we have to applaud the director for achieving that because having to deal with fear, regrets and our dreams is precisely what Siberia is about. We all know that our dreams can be very disorientated especially if you wake up in the middle of one. When it comes to that element, Siberia feels exactly like a dream because of all the different worlds and events and no explanation whatsoever.

If you have a perplexing story like this, you have to make sure that it’s still a captivating one; otherwise, the audience might drop out before the movie even becomes interesting. Luckily for Ferrara, he can count on cinematographer Stefano Falivene, who already brought stunning films to life such as Aspromonte: Land of the Forgotten and All You Ever Wished For. Falivene succeeds in putting every dream on the screen in a beautiful way. Whether it’s the quiet and white Siberia or the heated and sandy desert, it all looks gorgeous, vibrant and intriguing. It’s just a shame that this movie includes too many dreams and because of that, we can’t enjoy every dream and the whole cinematography to the fullest.

Enormous credit to Dafoe

If you have a twisted story like this, then you know that you need an actor who put on an even crazier performance. It’s understandable why Ferrara went for Dafoe. Not only because both men got together many times but also because, as we all know from The Lighthouse, Dafoe is a master in portraying unusual and broken figures. This time is no different. Whether it’s as the lost man longing to see his deceased father, the lifeless guy who’s looking for his soul, the passionate lover or the very amusing dancer, Dafoe gets the chance again to show his wide range of capabilities.

Why so serious?

Apart from the magnificent cinematography and the excellent performance by Dafoe, there’s one more element that might make you enjoy Siberia a bit more and that’s the seriousness of this movie. We should actually say ‘the lack of seriousness’ as it’s clear the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are many cliches, moments that don’t make sense at all and scenes that are too unoriginal.

Where’s your head at?

We have absolutely no clue in which state of mind Ferrara and co-writer Christ Zois (Jersey Guy) were when they wrote the script of this movie and not sure if we want to go there. It’s certainly not a mindset we’ve experienced. While the cinematography is a breath-taking one and the acting performance from Dafoe is impressive, the storyline is just a bit too much all over the place to make from Siberia a delightful and enjoyable movie.

Rating: (2.5 / 5)

Also Read: Lighthouse (Review)

The post Review: Siberia [London Film Festival] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Follow the light

Thomas Wake (Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson) are two lighthouse keepers who are being sent to a remote island. They will live there for only a few weeks but that will be much harder than they think. While both of them are lighthouse keepers, it’s Wake who’s clearly in charge of the lighthouse. Instead of being Wake’s prodigy, Winslow seems to be his slave. He needs to get the food in the pouring rain and heavy wind and needs to clean up the mess. At first, he’s fine with doing all these chores but it doesn’t take long before that feeling changes.

Living together 24/7 in a very small place is putting pressure on both men. Winslow is getting more agitated about his work, wants to operate the lighthouse and wants a woman he can love instead of living with an “old man”. Wake, on the other hand, is getting more annoyed by Winslow his behaviour and finds him very ungrateful. Deep down he wants someone who takes care of him and who appreciates the things he does. How long will it be before the men are getting at each other throats?

Perfectly crafted film

Since winning the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival where the film got its world premiere, The Lighthouse is creating an Oscar buzz. One or multiple Academy Awards would be well-deserved as this movie is an outstanding one for many reasons.

This film was shot on 35mm and in the Academy ratio and it’s so liberating to see a modern film like that. These days we get to see revivals from more older films shot 33mm and so it’s great to see that director Eggers decided to honour that unique way of shooting in a more recent movie. If this would have been shot in colour, it would certainly have not the same effect. The Lighthouse is visually perfect and it fits the story impeccably well.

A big part of the movie is without a doubt the sound, especially at the beginning when there are not a lot of conversations. Whether the loud honks are imitating the sound of the boats passing by or just to create the right atmosphere of this film, they do the trick. It gives The Lighthouse a very special horror vibe but at the same time, the film also becomes a drama and psychological thriller. It transcends genres, that’s for sure.  

The writing process for this film must have a very interesting one. There’s not much dialogue going on in this movie. Most of the conversations are either monologues of the two men following each other up or some drunk debates. Sometimes they don’t make any sense, especially when they come from Wake who’s suffering from loneliness, but they will leave you breathless.

Dafoe and Pattinson outdo themselves

These are monologues that are being brought perfectly by both Dafoe and Pattinson. What Pattinson (High Life, The Lost City of Z) didn’t have in The King, he has now in bucket loads in The Lighthouse. Charisma, the power to drawn people to the screen and to the ability to put on a spot-on performance. From someone who shows respect and loyalty at first to a broken man who doesn’t let someone walking over him. Pattinson allows us to sympathise with his character who has to endure a hard time. His performance reminds us of the one he put on in Good Time.

What about Dafoe (The Florida Project, At Eternity’s Gate)? Well, he’s just superb as the drunken, unstable and confused lighthouse keeper who has lost the grip on reality. The hangover scenes between the two men are just gold and bring a fun element to this film.

The Lighthouse guides you to the cinema

If there’s a movie you have to see on the big screen, it’s this one. After making the brilliant The Witch, director Eggers pulls it off again. The incredibly dark and hypnotic The Lighthouse will blow you away with its smashing cinematography and intense score and is an impressive two men act from Pattinson and Dafoe. Catch it while you can during the BFI Film Festival on Friday the 11th of October or Sunday the 13th. If you can’t make it, then you’re going to have to wait until the beginning of next year. Not sure if you want to wait that long… 

Rating: (4.5 / 5)

(This review was written as part of Big Picture Film Club’s coverage of the BFI London Film Festival 2019)

Also Read: The Unlikely Success of A24

The post Review: The Lighthouse [London Film Festival] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.