BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE (2019)

A 63-year-old woman walks out on a loveless marriage and takes a job in a run-down town, coaching a rag-tag children's soccer team.

Everybody enjoys a simple feelgood film; to watch a film that makes you gently smile. Rather than being shocked awake by explosions, gunfire, and shaky cam footage, Britt-Marie Was Here is perhaps one of the most understated films of the year. A film that was adapted from a best-selling novel by Tuva Novotny (who recently had an earlier book adapted), what is most intriguing about the film, is its choice in casting.

Now, I haven't read the book, so I can't comment on the accuracy of the range of ethnicities in the film compared to the source material. It may, however, be a point of contention. The story takes place Borg, Sweden, which is put forward as a poor backwater, and apart from the policeman, councilman, and ex-professional footballer, all of the characters are minorities, with no development or arcs beyond pushing our main character's story forward. To some, it may come across as demeaning or even derogatory to have all of the poor characters be minorities. If, however, you can look past the colour of their skin and judge the film purely on the story, there is a surprisingly stoic gem to be seen.

Because not all of the casting is bad. Our protagonist, Britt-Marie (played by Pernilla August) is a 63-year-old woman that has just had her life turned upside down; now homeless, jobless, and without any real-world skills. It is refreshing to have a protagonist at such an age, having to restart and rediscover herself. She is neither charismatic nor talented at the task that she has to do and has the emotional range of a brick wall, and yet the down-to-earth honesty and modesty creates a sense of grounded realism that makes you want her to succeed regardless.  

What makes Britt-Marie Was Here a surprising story is, the near-complete lack of conflict throughout. Issues are raised, but Britt-Marie responds to everything with planning and gets to work on a solution. The initial conflict that begins the film does not elicit a single tear or scream from our lead. She simply packs up and walks away. Her temperament rubs off on the viewer creating an almost zen-like experience, as she approaches supposed obstacles and just goes on her merry way, nothing to ever come of it. While in one sense, you could consider the narrative overly basic in the way that it approaches conflict, on the other side of the coin, the story works really hard to not overdramatize the situation or leave the audience feeling concerned.

Rambunctious kids are easily won over, "insubordinate" teens are not actually insubordinate, vandalized areas that look like gang havens provide no such conflict, directions that are not followed have no consequences. Borg is a location that appears full of dark plots and difficult obstacles, but that is not the case. Managing her struggles through cleaning, Britt-Marie Was Here is a warm feelgood flick with a dry humour that works spectacularly well.

Mature self-discovery and reinvention through sporting achievement. A basic premise that is not difficult to predict the general direction of the film, but is so even-tempered throughout that you never truly know on what side of a decision Britt-Marie will eventually fall. For the most part, she manages to keep her emotions hidden from the viewer, and it creates an oddly mysterious layer to this stoic pensioner that relies on housework to prove her worth.

It does exactly what you expect, with less conflict than usual, but as all underdog films do, you will end up with a smile on your face, despite very little actually occurring. It's nothing spectacular, but you will still remember that Britt-Marie was here.

Britt-Marie was here is in cinemas from July 30, 2020

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8666

ROMANTIC ROAD (2017)

A leading London lawyer and his wife redefine later life by motoring across rural India in their battered 1936 Rolls Royce.

As a reviewer, I don’t simply watch the movies I think I will like. I love to discover new things, and by saying yes to any title that is hitting screens in New Zealand, I have unwittingly learned that I love dramas more than I like action films, and that strong character development is much better than a well-choreographed action sequence. In fact, some of the films that would have garnered the highest praises from me were some of the more independent films with no big stars in the cast.

I mention this, because in all honesty the title of this film told me nothing, and the synopsis failed to sell me on the idea that this would be a great film. I didn’t even realise it was a documentary until I started watching it. I do, however, love to be pleasantly surprised by things, and Romantic Road was definitely something that provided me with much more pleasure than I was expecting.

A couple driving a luxury vehicle across India. It sounds rather unexciting until you meet the people and see the car. This is not your typical adventuring couple, neither was this a tip-top condition car. This was an elderly couple that consisted of Rupert and Jan, the former being an excitable hands-on people person, the latter a more grounded and realistic person who nevertheless is supportive, if not a little overwhelmed. Combine these two with a car that was luxurious in the 1930s but has since been run-down and used as a donkey vehicle on a farm for decades. Suddenly, there is an element of danger and obstacles in the path of our domineering couple.

Romantic Road has a surprising amount of charm to it, something that no doubt emanates from Rupert’s personality. Persistent and positive, Rupert overcomes obstacles through careful consideration and his ability to get the best out of every social interaction. 

India has had a troubled past with the English, of course originating from the years of occupation, colonization, and persecution. While India may have won its independence there are behaviours that remain, a reminder of how things used to be; the contrast of an English couple using a luxury car to haul hay is telling in itself. That they decide to drive it through the slums of India and Bangladesh for no reason beyond the fact that they could. There is an expected level of respect from the Indian people consistently aimed towards this English couple, despite them having done nothing to deserve such a positive response. Treated nearly like royalty or celebrities, suddenly a straightforward drive is full of diversions and events.

It is motivating to see the spirit of adventure alive and well in this retiring couple, and thanks to some solid setup and development of their personalities beforehand, the viewer cannot help but want to experience this journey vicariously through and enjoy the differences in reactions from extroverted Rupert and introverted Jan.

Because that is what the documentary is about. Not the road trip in itself, but what the road trip represents in terms of Rupert and Jan’s longstanding relationship. That essence of pushing boundaries and constantly learning new things and having new experiences together, no matter how long the relationship goes; never settling for comfort or complacency, nor compromise.

Romantic Road has a brilliant blending of cultures and a surprisingly well-directed narrative from Oliver McGarvey. Rupert has a magnetic personality, and this old dog is certainly up for learning new tricks. 

Romantic Road is in theatres from August 13, 2020

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8678

RETURN TO GANDHI ROAD (2020)

Kangyur Rinpoche became one of the first Buddhist masters to accept Western students. One of those was New Zealander Kim Hegan, who had ended up in Darjeeling in the 1960’s almost by accident, coincidentally arriving at Kangyur Rinpoche’s front door. 35 years after Kim is persuaded to return to India to tell the story of Kangyur Rinpoche’s life, with Kim’s daughter, Yeshe, in the director’s chair.

The directorial debut of Yeshe Hegan, Return to Gandhi Road is a documentary with a simple goal; for Aucklander, Kim Hegan, to return to India and find the Buddhist Monastery that he went to 50 years earlier. The journey itself is largely uneventful and straightforward, so the documentary instead fills the gaps with the life story Kangyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Monk that has been widely claimed as the origin of Buddhist teachings into the wider western world, and a number of interviews with other people that Kangyur Rinpoche has directly affected with his life’s work.

With a collection of exquisitely intricate photography and filmed footage of the gorgeous lush Tibetan landscapes that greatly contrast the overcrowded slums of India’s ghettos, the visual topography will no doubt be adding locations to the audiences’ bucket list of places to visit. What Return to Gandhi Road fails to do, however, is come together is a cohesive vision.

From a narrative standpoint, Return to Gandhi Road is a simultaneously vague and convoluted mess of half-baked story threads. What does Hegan want the documentary to accomplish? There are attempts within the 90-minute feature to teach us about the life of Kangyur Rinpoche from a variety of sources, the movement of thousands of sacred Tibetan script from Tibet to India, how Kangyur Rinpoche taught the first westerners, or how westerners have since gutted and commercialised Buddhist teachings for profit. None of the ideas are properly realised, and despite nuggets of interesting anecdotes, the way in which all of the elements are stitched together prevents the audience from being able to properly follow the sequence of events.

Hegan has simply bitten off more than he could chew, in this case. In a documentary that is based all around the life’s work of Kangyur Rinpoche to experience, collect, copy, transport, protect, disseminate, and transmit Tibetan script, less than five minutes of the feature is dedicated to the actual content of the script. With a religion that aims not for conversion, but for the transmission of their message, Hegan has missed an opportunity to engage the audience and provide an opportunity to truly learn about the original teachings that eventually transformed into yoga and “live laugh love” ornaments. 

Like watching the Harry Potter movies if the Voldemort scenes had been removed, Return to Gandhi Road lacks substance about the topic it is attempting to promote, with a frustratingly limited amount of time spent discussing topics such as non-duality and impermanence, enlightenment is constantly discussed but never delved into, in a documentary led by a man that never completed his journey, had no commitment to return, and only did so to connect with his daughter.

Lacking passion and a strong narrative direction, Return to Gandhi Road disrespects the achievements of Kangyur Rinpoche by constantly interrupting his biography with unnecessary interviews with white westerners, diverting attention away from Buddha, and towards the westerners and the western world. 

There is a brilliant story of a families’ strength and determination to learn, catalogue, transmit, and later to physically transport and protect the Tibetan scripts as they flee from a country under siege by China. Whether it is worth sitting through the rest of the documentary to get to that chapter of Kangyur Rinpoche’s life, will come down to the patience of the viewer. Personally, unless you have a love for Buddhism and a wealth of background knowledge on the subject, I would wait until the title is available to stream online or for purchase in a physical copy.

CALM WITH HORSES (2019)

In dark rural Ireland, ex-boxer Arm has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm’s loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

The directorial debut of Nick Rowland, Calm With Horses (otherwise known as The Shadow Of Violence) is an adaptation of a short story of the same name from the collection Young Skins by Irish author Colin Barrett. The story is concise and succinct but still manages to keep the audience firmly hooked in throughout its 101-minute runtime. 

The film is a low-budget flick with a minimal cast, that executes the development of its characters exceptionally well. Basing a story around rural Irish degenerates and low-lifes trapped in the drug game, Rowland has brought a darker, grounded portrayal to an ethnicity that is so often portrayed for nothing more than the comedic effect in Hollywood films (especially if you are Guy Ritchie). There is such a depth to the characterization that despite a very minimal plot, you are fully aware of their struggles and feel genuine fear for their well-being.

As I have not read the source material, so cannot rightfully determine whether the depth of character comes from the mind of the original author or from screenwriter Joseph Murtagh during the adaptation, but there is plenty of joy to be found from watching as a one-dimensional character gets built upon and developed. Arm (played by Cosmo Jarvis) is exceptionally done. His name alone a juxtaposition or the friendly relationship that he has with the Devers Family and the harsh reality of his role to maintain that position with the family. Arm is a man that was pushed into a life of crime despite his better judgement, who wants nothing more than to be a loving partner and father, but he lacks the means; whether it be financially, mentally, or emotionally.

Every action made puts Arm in a more precarious position as he sits at the final turn-off, having to make the difficult choice of family over "family". Loyalties tested, with coercion and manipulation from both sides, this straightforward enforcer is given multi-layered ethical dilemmas. 

The cinematography and direction are stunning and are a great example of solid world-building. Minimal cast, but every character stands out as unique; not just in appearance, but personality and backstory, without resorting to caricatures and buffoonery. The film consists of very few locations and yet they all feel interconnected and part of something larger. Never does it feel a part of a set, or fictional landscape. Cinematographer Piers McGrail does a more than competent job with lighting and grading to form a dark and gritty environment that still shows signs of hope and light and makes use of close-ups to convey a sense of claustrophobia for characters when things start to go off-kilter and options start to disappear.

Calm With Horses is a delightfully insightful piece, that makes the viewer question their own preconceptions and reevaluate how we judge others. A simple story with brilliant acting performances all around. Good intentions shall not go unpunished, and you will no doubt find yourself increasingly inching closer to the screen as the film progresses. Rowlands debut feels fresh, and it certainly deserves some attention.

Calm With Horses is in selected cinemas from July 23, 2020

BEL CANTO (2018)

A famous American soprano becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she's invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America.

There are certain actresses that I look out for, for their ability to continually perform to a high standard and create emotionally engaging films throughout their career. Julianne Moore is one of those actors. Her appeal goes far beyond the small "sex appeal" window that most actresses get caught in and struggle to be respected coming out of. With such films as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Hannibal, Crazy Stupid Love, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2, Carrie, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and the brilliantly warming Gloria Bell under her belt, Moore has been involved in over 70 films in the last 30 years.   

It is all the more reason why Bel Canto was disappointing. I had hoped against all hopes that this would have been another A24 film (a studio that has been proving itself in its ability to fund and create exceptional films). Bel Canto is, however, is produced by a collection of companies (A-Line Pictures, Depth of Field, Bloom, and Priority Pictures), and perhaps due to having too many chefs calling the shots, this Michelin-star meal is as bland as boiled tofu.

It boggles the mind that this film was even adapted for the big screen. Based upon the novel of the same name by Ann Patchett, Bel Canto revolves around an opera singer; something that Julianne Moore is not. While Moore has been able to convince millions of audience members of many things across her illustrious career, opera is not one of them. All operatic notes in the film are actually sung by Renée Lynn Fleming an American operatic soprano, which was very well cast for the role, unfortunately, Moore was unable to properly emulate the proper body language and mouth shapes, nor convey the physical effort required to sing like an operatic soprano. Any time that Moore was required to "sing" an awe-inspiring piece, the audience was slapped in the face with an unconvincing mime-job for several minutes at a time.

The story itself had potential under the basis of a hostage situation, as it allows the audience to spend a lot of time with the "antagonists" of the film, and to understand their point of view. there is room to go in-depth into why they have taken hostages, who they are fighting against, and who they are trying to save. It is not a direction that screenwriters Paul Weitz and Anthony Weintraub take, instead simply telling the audience who we are meant to dislike, with no context to back anything up. It leaves the entire scenario feeling one-dimensional and makes it very difficult to empathise with any of the characters.

Perhaps it is irrelevant as the hostage-scenario is not the primary focus of the film. The primary focus of the film is the burgeoning love interests that emerge; these Stockholm syndrome-induced romance arcs that occur between the unlikeliest of characters simply because they have been forced into close proximity for an extended period of time. The idea that someone with a fanatical obsession would succeed in making the object of their affections fall for them, or the hostage wanting to "jump the bones" of the hostage-taker that has been pointing a gun at them every day, well, it all seems laughable. 

The whole love story element of the film destroys the pacing of the film. Encapsulated with a high-energy first and third act, everything caught within the middle blurs together as nothing of note occurs. The stakes are not adequately communicated to the audience, and time that passes is difficult to determine, beyond occasionally seeing someone mark tallies on the wall. The second act does a reasonable job at humanizing the captors, but none of their characterizations have any depth to them. 

The first and third act will certainly capture your attention, but it does not make up for a completely unengaging middle section. Overall, Bel Canto comes across very mediocre. Weak characters with minimal setup or development, in a film where very little happens. The premise manages to hold your curiosity throughout the film, but Bel Canto will not leave you feeling overwhelmingly satisfied at its conclusion. Julianne Moore looks stunning, but one can't help but think that the film would have felt more genuine with an actual opera singer cast in the film

Bel Canto is in cinemas from July 23, 2020

THE SOMMERDAHL MURDERS (2020)

DCI Dan Sommerdahl investigates murders in a lovely Danish coastal town with his best friend, Detective Flemming Torp, and his wife, Marianne, a criminal technician. But Dan's years of devotion to the job have hurt his marriage, and with Marianne wanting a divorce, Dan discovers his rival for her affections is none other than his best friend. And they all must still work together to solve crimes.

Exclusive to the AcornTV subscribers in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand is the Danish cop procedural, The Sommerdahl Murders, otherwise simply known as Sommerdahl. While there is a certain novelty to watching a foreign-language procedural show, Sommerdahl adds little to the oversaturated market of cop dramas.

Where there is a semblance of difference, is in the structure of the programming. This debut season consists of four cases, each comprising of two episodes, making up an eight-episode run. Each two-episode case is effectively its own standalone story, with a minor subplot that runs across the whole season. In a manner of speaking, this structure gives Sommerdahl a simultaneously episodic and serialised feel; our main characters gain development as the series progresses, but in general, it has very little effect on the actual cases, that could be viewed in any order.

Sommerdahl operates with a very limited cast, which sits it more in the Midsomer Murders area of the genre, more so than the CSI or NCIS area, with a stronger focus on motives and behavioural clues than an over-reliance on forensics and empirical evidence. It's an aspect of the show that will either feel delightfully casual and fun or frustratingly blasé and down to luck more than good detective-work. 

The two-episode length to each case is great as it does allow a greater depth to be given to each story. With nearly two hours for each case, more characters can be introduced, man red herrings can be inserted without being overly obvious, and the show is set up in a way that does show the audience the clues at the same time as the detectives, allowing the viewers to try and solve the case before the reveal.

Whereas a lot of the American cop procedurals are full of stern and stoic characters that simply tell you how and what they are feeling through the dialogue, Sommerdahl actually has some really good acting in it, especially when it comes to Detective Flemming Torp (played by André Babikian) and Marianne (played by Laura Drasbæk). Within the first few minutes of the first episode, Marianne's facial expressions let on to a history of neglect that is slowly revealed as the series progresses. It feeds into the subplot of character development that runs throughout the season, as the foundation of the protagonists' marriage starts to crumble; a plot that which oddly enough has yet to be resolved by the end of the season. 

The only real let-down of the show is its main protagonist. Dan Sommerdahl (played by Peter Mygind. He is the traditional stoic and stern character, with that level of toxic masculinity that causes him to bottle things up until he lashes out unpredictably. It gives his character a childish and immature demeanour, despite possibly being the oldest person in the cast. It creates a layer of unpredictability to the show as his behaviour becomes more and more erratic and his judgement becomes clouded, but it makes his character rather unlikeable, which is less than ideal for a series.

Nevertheless, The Sommerdahl Murders is a fun police procedural set in a coastal area, with medium-level stakes and some light-hearted banter and camaraderie on display. 

The Sommerdahl Murders is available to stream on AcornTV from July 13, 2020

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8677

THE VIGIL (2019)

A young man agrees to fulfil the duties of a "shomer," the ritualistic practice of looking after a dead body over the course of one night.

Christianity has no doubt been a great source of supernatural subjects in the horror genre; whether it be antichrists, demons, the devil, hell, purgatory, or exorcisms, the mythology and lore certainly have a lot of depth to it. What is often overlooked, is the supernatural phenomena from other religions. The Vigil attempts to fill a niche by introducing mainstream audiences to facets of Judaism. This niche of Jewish-faith-based horror has generally been filled with nothing but a variety of films about the "golem". With his feature film directorial debut, Keith Thomas tries something new.

That is to say that the development of the main character Yakov (portrayed by Dave Davis) explores elements of the Jewish religion through the eyes of a secular Jew, recently separated from the orthodox population. Allowing consideration to the triangle of relationships between orthodox, secular, and non-Jewish, there is a rich seam of conflict that Thomas would be able to delve into.

Ultimately, this is not the direction that Thomas chooses to take The Vigil, instead, sticking to the traditional "haunted house" horror tropes from a slightly different perspective. Davis does an amazing job in the film as Yakov, and as the only person on screen for the majority of the film, he does a brilliant job at conveying the torment, trauma, and anxiety that his character is riddled with. Adding a psychological level to the film is the only thing that keeps the intrigue going as the usual culprits of the haunted houses are again and again brought into play. There is only so much shadowplay and loud noises that one can take before you start to become desensitized to it.

The psychological side manages to build intrigue as the immediate events start having less of a role as the character's own past comes back to haunt him. Combine this with some imaginative cinematography from Zach Kuperstein, and The Vigil starts to look like two separate and conflicting films. There are plenty of interesting ingredients to the plot, but few are properly delved into or developed, and it leads to a visually exciting final act that has no impact at all. The significance and power of the scene are all but absent as the context, build-up, and correlation between past and present events are not well-defined.

The Vigil is packed full of intriguing concepts that are visually well-executed, but from a narrative standpoint, there is no reasoning nor explanation to anything that occurs. Three are no boundaries set, nor capabilities explained, and it leaves the audience watching a film that is only able to create scares by preying on the human instinct to jump when presented with an excessively loud noise. And excessively is not an understatement. Caution is to be heeded if you have sensitive hearing as the soundtrack from Michael Yezerski is much more jarring than the usual musical compositions.

Dave Davis absolutely shines in this minimalist haunted house-style horror, with well-placed support from Lynn Cohen as Mrs Litvak. There is a certain novelty to seeing a horror from a Jewish perspective; to see a different boogie monster, and expand knowledge of others belief systems. The Vigil, however, exhibits much of the same visual entities that we have seen many times before; simply with a different name, and fewer restrictions. Nonetheless, it is entertaining and, in the end, that is all that really matters. While there is plenty of room for improvement in the writing, I certainly don't feel like my time was wasted.

The Vigil will be in cinemas from July 16, 2020

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8667

ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS (2019)

A 30-something woman navigating through love and heartbreak over the course of one year. During that time, she will unlock the secrets to her life in a sudden turn of events and in the most surprising of places.

It's safe to say that the biggest drawcard for Endings, Beginnings is the cast. With Shailene Woodley (The Fault In Our Stars, Adrift), Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl, Black Swan), and Jamie Dornan (the Fifty Shades Franchise, Untogether). Written, produced, and directed by Drake Doremus, Endings, Beginnings is a clear example of a Doremus film, with a well-grounded story that focuses on a lead character having trouble finding meaningful relationships. A basic premise, that creates a plethora of content with strong emotional ties, despite a complete lack of narrative direction.

Shailene Woodley stars as Daphne, a young artistic woman that goes through a tumultuous time in life, and while trying to get a clean break from relationships and vices, ends up emotionally caught between two best friends, Frank (Sebastian Stan) and Jack (Jamie Dornan). While slow to start and deliberately sparse with details of any inciting incidents, it doesn't take long for Doremus start developing his characters into three-dimensional constructs; realistic portrayals of people--neither inherently good nor bad--simply grounded characters with shades of grey in their personalities.

Endings, Beginnings is as listless as its primary protagonist, Daphne. Without a strong narrative driving force within the film, Daphne is almost a passive protagonist, at the mercy of her irrational and inconsistent decisions. While the reasoning for the poor judgement is explained somewhat as the film progresses, it hits a sour note, with the inciting event proving to be an unnecessary shock-value choice to achieve the final results. The strength in the film lies purely in the powerfully charismatic chemistry between Shailene Woodley and Sebastian Stan's characters. 

Stan and Dornan's portrayals of Frank and Jack (respectively) could not be more different. Jack is the intelligent, quiet but confident, and highly successful character. Someone who has a sense of normalcy and consistency, with albeit lesser emotional heights. Frank, on the other hand, is widely inconsistent, with dark cynical and sarcastic traits that will vibe well with the millennial audience. An all-or-nothing personality, he is passionate and impulsive, leading to emotional highs, but ultimately insecure and unreliable, with his passion quickly draining away. 

From a visual standpoint, Marianne Bakke's cinematography choices are interesting. A lot of the film has up-close framing to increase emotional awareness, with a lot of off-centre framing to highlight the unbalanced nature of the character and highlight the emptiness that our protagonist is feeling. Through a unique choice in editing, many similar repeated shots are sharply cut together to show time passing and a visual display of uncertainty, indecision, and consternation. This is still a romantic comedy though, and Doremus uses the lighting and colour palette as a constant reminder, forming a gorgeously soft and dreamy atmosphere, through the use of out-of-focus bokeh lighting shots, and a layer of haze added to most scenes.

A slow burn with no real destination for the film--beyond an attempt to change daphne from a passive character to an active one--it takes a while to warm up to the characters, but the realistic characterization and powerful chemistry between Daphne and Frank keep you hooked until the end. Also, it is probably a good idea to note that there is a very raunchy scene, that feels incredibly real. No stunt doubles here. 

Endings, Beginnings is in cinemas from July 9, 2020

Originally posted to: http://djin.nz/Kr8643