register_register2002 Reviews

In Bloom (2013)

Exquisitely written, directed and acted picture in the minimalist vein of Romanian New Wave cinema

[8/10 · 5 October 2017]

Nana Ekvtimishvili's "In Bloom" is the story of steadfast friendship, of familial strife, of young love and premature commitment, of jealousy and intended revenge, of economic hardship set in the backdrop of civil war and of a precocious maturity which surpasses the misfortune.

Fourteen year-old Eka (portrayed by the mesmerizing Lika Babluani), who resides in Tbilisi, labors in line with her neighbors to buy a couple loaves of the meagre stock of bread, at school with her boisterous classmates whom her teacher cannot seem to control, at home where her father is away, her mother seems detached and her sister patronizes her, and at times with her bosom friend, Natia, who makes a decision to escape her own strife which has dire consequences.

It is this adolescent bond, between Eka and Natia, about which the story principally revolves, the comfort and support they are able to give each other as the one or the other faces a drunken or screaming family member, tormenting peers, pressure from and violation by willful men and verbal abuse from nearly everyone. Eka is the stalwart, principled character who seems to be able to see beyond the chaos.

Exquisitely directed and acted, the viewer senses not one false note among any of the characters or their actions. Emotions are heightened and several times brought to a head, and they are so well played that the sense is that it all could have happened, exactly as portrayed.

In several scenes the camera stays on minor characters, shooting from behind or over a protagonist as she addresses them or engages in some action which holds their attention, to play out the scene through capturing the reactions of the minor cast instead of training eyes on the principal character herself: the supporting cast project their characters so impeccably, this occasional perspective works seamlessly.

On other occasions, scenes are not concluded, such as during the circumstance of a kidnapping or the consequences for the perpetrators of a mortal act or a meeting which closes the film. But the characters, all of them, and the scenes, in the short space of 100 minutes, are so finely developed by writer Ekvtimishvili and portrayed by the actors, that it is unnecessary, there is nothing wanting, the imagination easily completes the picture.

The able editing, post-processing and spare soundtrack all complement and amplify the superior direction. Stand-out cinematography, pace of the film and color grading are reminiscent of Romanian New Wave cinema, such as those of "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," "The Way I Spent the End of the World," "California Dreamin'," or "12:08 East of Bucharest."

If a viewer were pressed to find fault, he might say that "In Bloom" relates a story which lacks transcendent or inspirational moments, grand epiphanies, heroic characters or poetic dialogue. But it is the totality of poignant story and evenly-skilled effort from those behind and in front of camera to convey that story which makes the indelible mark.

This viewer was reminded several nights back in starting a commercial film (a film in which everything is spelled out, for the densest audience, nothing left to interpretation) and in having completely forgotten a recent viewing of it: the vast majority of movies are forgettable. "In Bloom" stays with you.

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Rating: 7.5+/10 (rounded up for IMDb)

Viewing: DVD, distributed in the USA by Big World Pictures (widescreen presentation; English subtitles; Dolby Digital 2.0; trailer aside, no special features relevant to picture)

A Summer's Tale (1996)

Superbly acted coming-of-age romance

[7/10 · 18 September 2017]

Oh, how the ease of immediate communication, whenever, wherever, has changed in the 20 years since the setting of this film. And yet, some things remain the same...

In Éric Rohmer's "A Summer's Tale," Gaspard has just completed a graduate degree in mathematics and during the short end-of-summer weeks before he is to start his new job, he heads to a small village on the northern coast of Brittany with a mutually-agreed but vague plan to meet the object of his infatuation, Léna. The timing of her arrival is uncertain and she has left no way for him to be in contact.

And so he passes the days idly looking for her as he goes to the beach, walks, and dines at a local restaurant--where he catches the eye of the waitress, Margot. Later Margot spots Gaspard on the beach and flirtatiously engages him in conversation, which is the start of a series of get-togethers during which the two talk about past, current and unrequited loves. A third woman, Solène, enters the picture when Gaspard catches her eye at a party and she later invites him to visit with her family.

Léna finally arrives, and, when she and Gaspard meet by chance, she apologizes for her inability to announce the arrival, while dismissively adding that they found each other. It is apparent that Gaspard's interest is not reciprocated by Léna and thus begins a merry-go-round of meetings with each of the women, to further discuss love and plans to spend time together which lead nowhere.

Gaspard is handsome but nearly feckless in persuading any of the women in getting what he wants, and so he broods. And he caves to the various demands and flighty changes of plans by the women, to the end, when he makes a final decision of his own choosing which does not accede to any of the women's.

The circumstances of chance, planned and thwarted meetings and the way they play out is free of any false notes. The demands, the manipulations, the vacillations, Gaspard's palpable desperation are all artfully projected and utterly convincing. You feel at one time or other you have experienced some of the same confusion, frustration or angst, and you probably have.

The film is dialogue- and situation-driven. While some of the depicted Breton coastline is picturesque, there are no sweeping vistas captured. There is little in the setting to seduce the eye, the film feels low budget, and in fact, it likely could have been filmed anywhere scenic to similar effect, a credit to the script and acting.

The principal shortcoming is that the moping Gaspard is an uncompelling figure and so too are the women, two of whom are self-centered and manipulative. Only the infectious Margot displays redeeming qualities. It is a struggle to care what happens to any of the characters or how the story resolves itself.

Also, there are brief moments in two or three scenes in which direction of the actors seems apparent--one, for example, when Léna meets Gaspard on the beach before she castigates him and her body is nearly fully turned toward camera versus more partly to him, never mind the nonverbal language of dismissive rejection, and another during the all close-up footage of her and Gaspard playing volleyball.

In sum, a well-acted, well-scripted film, recommended for those who might have liked Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" and its two sequels.

The Age of Shadows (2016)

Engaging denouement, contrived preamble

[7/10 · 18 September 2017]

Set in 1920s Japanese-occupied Korea, "The Age Of Shadows" depicts the story of a band of motley resistance fighters staging an act of defiance through navigating the hurdles of acquiring resources, of fending off turncoat pursuers, and of exposing a mole infiltration. The storyline employs the oft-used wartime device of a greatly outnumbered, improbable challenger bucking the overwhelming presence of an oppressor by sheer wit and grit, and, in parts of the telling, exploits the device to great effect.

Able acting by the principal players and a well-sequenced cat-and-mouse confrontation aboard a rolling train help to deliver a compelling tale in the latter half of the film. Set, costuming, color grading and grand cinematography further effectively transport the viewer's eye. Production value is high.

The picture falters in the opening half through a pieced series of scenes or bits of dialogue which recurrently feel contrived and leave the viewer questioning, for example, how this character or that one transported himself or a proxy with such ease to the doorstep of another. The slower first-hour pace, with which some other reviewers take issue, is not a concern, it builds the suspense. Rather it is that the scenes feel too pat. Perhaps through the large number of location transitions, footage which would have better supported the development of a scene was cut, and through inadept editing, several which should have gone to cutting room floor were left in--the extra ending, for one, which clarifies destination of the other half of the explosives, seems unnecessary and adds nothing to the story's impact. The white-curtained strangling and stabbing of the preening man upstairs at the cocktail target, to name just another, also does not advance the story and seems extraneous.

Other distractions, some minor, include some of the lighting at night which feels artificial and staged, head hair which does not appear to grow or even become mussed after weeks in jail, rolling stock which, from the views inside, feels few in number (that is, the train seems short) relative to the prolonged time after which antagonists finally identify protagonists, and mediocre performances by some of the supporting players.

The film is at its best when focused at length on a particular scene and when there is action. Better editing and richer dialogue, even pregnant quiet, in place of the frequently changing and, for example, unconvincing and daft drinking scenes, could have sent this otherwise engaging story over the top.

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Postscript:

To help me determine whether to pass two-plus hours watching Shadows, I skimmed three or four of the IMDb viewer-submitted write-ups before my viewing, and they were fully informative. After the viewing, I recalled, among other comments, a reference to sepia in regards to the processing, but this description did not seem entirely accurate to me, and so after I wrote, revised and closed my thoughts above to any further edits, but before posting my review, I Googled these terms all together: the age of shadows Jee-woon Kim color grading. And seven hits down the list, this link was returned: "Foreign Contenders: Cloak-And-Dagger Thriller The Age of Shadows Has Kim Jee-woon Channeling His Inner Patriot," by Carlos Aguilar, December 12, 2016.

It is a superbly concise and insightful interview from a resource unknown to me, MovieMaker, with the director, Kim Jee-woon. In it he addresses the aforementioned color grading and the nighttime lighting I criticized (the set-up the director describes is precisely what I was picturing, and my recollection of it centered in particular around a sustained nighttime dolly close-up of the profile of lead Lee Jung-chool walking in the street: the flat light on his face did not change one iota under any passing street lamps or light from nearby homes, it was as if there was a large soft box held some feet in front of and above his head and moved in sync with the tracking shot). He also discusses aspects of the financing and some of the equipment and logistics specifics, makes a curious offhand comment about Park Chan-wook's stand-out "The Handmaiden," and adds about himself this perceptive comment, "Conversation scenes are the most challenging to me, because it's about relaying your thoughts or your mind to the audience."

If you enjoyed the film, the interview is a highly recommended, short read.

Wonderful Town (2007)

Beautifully shot, well-scored film which stretches credulity through an inexplicable story-ending twist

[7/10 · 18 September 2010]

Set on the Andaman coast just north of Phuket, southern Thailand, and in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, "Wonderful Town" begins as a slow-paced romance between a man sent by his company to oversee the construction of a beachside resort and the innkeeper of a nearly deserted, inland hotel at which the man stays. Shortly after the man's arrival, it becomes apparent that a mutual spark of interest develops between the two and a gentle courtship ensues. Through the spare dialogue we learn care of the inn has passed from an aging mother and deceased father to the innkeeper and her brother who is part of a gang and has shirked all responsibility for the inn. The visitor has volunteered at his company to a do-nothing supervision of the construction project he says to escape congested Bangkok for a couple months but which the audience learns at the end may or may not be for another reason. The relationship grows over the several weeks from flirtation to physical intimacy, disturbed only by the antagonizing from several boys on scooters, the "gang" led by the innkeeper's brother, who seem to take some unwelcome interest in the visitor--at one point his car is broken into.

The film is beautifully shot, the tempo of desolate town life ably captured, and the complementary soundtrack superbly scored, but several of the overlong edits bring the pace to a needless crawl. Further, though the simplicity of the dialogue and seeming innocence of the couple's actions give the movie a realness, both characters are uncompelling, perhaps in part because the acting is just fair.

The story's main undoing though comes at the end over a puzzling act perpetrated by the innkeeper's brother and his gang. The audience is left questioning why they would conspire to take the visitor's life. Jealousy? Territoriality? Punishment? Even the depiction of the ambush and subsequent disposal of the body, though violent acts, seem unreal and unconvincing.

The antagonists' (including the brother's) characters are all underdeveloped and so too are their motivations.

Just before the ambush, the visitor is seen having a private and mysterious, emotionally charged conversation by telephone. The audience hears only his end of the talk and I thought at first the other party might be his father who was earlier described as someone from whom the visitor had grown estranged. A Thai friend though thought it was an ex-wife and that on learning this, the innkeeper's brother exacts the ultimate punishment for the visitor's misrepresenting his heart and intentions. If so, where and how was this revelation to the brother conveyed? Was something lost in subtitled translation? (And were this the case, my friend claims such an unsolicited act by an absent brother for his sister stretches credulity.)

Or is the inexplicability of the killing a forced metaphor for the devastation of the tsunami? This appears unlikely, as even natural disasters have causation, and moreover drawing parallels between the seeming unpredictability of an earthquake and the premeditated deliberation of a murder is a stretch.

On one thing both my Thai friend (though her review is harsher than mine) and I agree: "Wonderful Town" in its summation misses the mark.

For people with an interest in or familiarity with the area or culture, the cinematography alone may be worth a viewing. Others may want to pass.

Rate: 6.5 out of 10 (rounded to 7 for IMDb).

Chicago (2002)

Well-directed, well-acted, well-shot but ultimately not memorable

[7/10 · 16 May 2004]

I'm a fan of the musical form, "My Fair Lady," "Les Miserables" numbering among favorites, but of the few screen adaptations I've viewed I've yet to see one I enjoyed even half as much as the stage version. I've not seen "Chicago" on stage but I'm sure it would be no exception.

For me the true mark of a fine musical is the music, melodies that stick with you long after the storyline has faded, such as the half dozen each from "My Fair Lady," "Oklahoma," or "South Pacific." But the music of Fosse's "Chicago" (pleasant but forgettable outside of "All That Jazz" and "Mr. Cellophane") is not the standout, it's the dance--in this direction well-choreographed and well-shot but diminished in grandeur through the lens of the camera. Had I been audience to the dance and spectacle on stage, I may have dismissed the slow-moving, semi-compelling storyline, the mediocre music.

After the cinematography and direction, the set and costuming seemed seamless and fully transported me back to the era of flappers and the cabaret. Gere, Zellweger and Zeta-Jones all turned in fine acting jobs though were clearly cast first for their star power rather than their able but unexceptional singing and dancing skills.

Rate: 7 out of 10.