20,000 DAYS ON EARTH: ND/NF Closing Night Review

Photo courtesy of Drafthouse Films

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH

2014, 95 minutes

Not Rated

Review by Joshua Handler

Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollards' 20,000 Days on Earth is guaranteed to be one of the most unusual and hypnotizing films that you'll have ever seen.  The film is a hybrid of documentary and narrative (more documentary though) and follows a day in the life of Renaissance Man Nick Cave who is a singer, composer, and screenwriter, among many other things.  Winner of the Directing and Editing Prizes at Sundance 2014, this film is truly something different.

Nick Cave is a fascinating person and watching his life through Forsyth and Pollard's hyper-stylized lens makes this film hypnotic.  Entire sequences played on-screen and I was completely entranced.  This happened most memorably during a sequence in which Cave is in psychoanalysis and when he is singing a beautiful song on his piano.  These sequences are so hypnotic because they are so full of life, so full of soul and introspection that it is impossible to look away.

We are now in an age where the lines between documentary and fictional narrative are being blurred.  With films like The Act of Killing, Stories We Tell, and now 20,000 Days on Earth, our conception of what documentary is is being changed, and it is a sight to behold.  These films are as inventive as they come and add some spice to a genre frequently associated with boring voiceover and talking head interviews.

Reviewing a film like 20,000 Days On Earth is almost pointless, as it is simply a movie that should be seen and not read about.  In many ways, there has never been a film like it.  While it is a documentary, many sequences are staged.  However, while sequences have been staged for the film, such as the scene in the psychoanalyst's office, what happens in those scenes is real.  In other words, it is a real psychotherapy session staged for the film.

Overall, this is, without exaggeration, one of the greatest documentaries of all time.  I don't want to say much more about this so as not to spoil any of the film's surprises.  This is an amazing piece of filmmaking that will move, electrify, educate, and hypnotize you as you view it.  20,000 Days On Earth was an excellent way to close New Directors/New Films.

4/4

DOM HEMINGWAY Review

Jude Law as "Dom" in Richard Shepard's DOM HEMINGWAYPhoto courtesy of Fox Searchlight

DOM HEMINGWAY

2014, 93 minutes

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, some violence and drug use

Review by Joshua Handler

Crass, foul, outrageous, hilarious, and oddly charming are all descriptors for the eponymous character of Dom Hemingway.  Starting with a profane, sexually-charged opening monologue that sets the tone for the rest of the film, Dom Hemingway will be a love-it-or-hate it experience because it's completely relentless and breaks a key rule of the traditional "hero's journey" (you'll see what I mean).  Jude Law gives one of his best performances as Dom Hemingway, a safe-cracker who went to jail for 12 years for "keeping his mouth shut" and is now out to reclaim what he's due.

Jude Law is in every scene of the movie and lets you know it.  His performance as a man lacking any form of morals is so unique because even though nearly everything the character does is horrible, I still liked watching him and somewhat cared for him.  Even though Dom is cocky and arrogant, Law has a magnetic presence that kept me wanting to watch - I awaited each and every outrageous irreverent outburst.  Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I) gives a dryly funny performance as Dickie, Dom's best friend, and Demian Bichir (Oscar-nominated for A Better Life) also gives a standout performance. Writer/director Richard Shepard's clever dialogue also helps.

Behind every outburst and line of delighfully dirty dialogue, I could hear Shepard high-fiving himself and snickering (in a good way).  When Dom starts to rant or spew insults, there's no stopping him.  Getting him started is like blowing up a dam and watching all of the water pour out.  Needless to say, listening to Law shout these rants is a blast.  However, the profane dialogue and rants are not the only reason that Dom Hemingway's screenplay is so strong.  Shepard's smartest decision was to not conclude the film in the sentimental way that we expect.  Instead he chooses realism, which was a very nice surprise.

Overall, Dom Hemingway is a treat.  It's full of humor, some sharp editing and cinematography, and of course, Jude Law's insane performance at its center.  Polarizing as this film may be, I was entertained start to finish.  It's rare to find a film centered around such an unlikeable (yet still likable) character, but when done as well as it is here, it's a pleasure to watch.

3.5/4

An Interview with Edgar Barens, Oscar-Nominated Director of "Prison Terminal"

Private Jack Hall
Photo courtesy of HBO

An Interview with Edgar Barens, 

Oscar-Nominated Director of 

"Prison Terminal"

By Joshua Handler

Oscar-nominee Edgar Barens' career as a documentarian has focused largely on prison hospice systems.  As his first film, Barens made a "nuts and bolts on about how to set up a prison hospice program," which started many prison hospice systems around the country.  "I always wanted to do something much more in depth...and I wanted to really dedicate more time to the subject matter, but also to the inmates, the prisoners who are volunteering, as well as the prisoner who is going through the dying process.  So, ten years later, I find this hospice program at the Iowa State Penitentiary, they had just started about a year earlier and it was a perfect opportunity to go there and not only show how a program of this type begins, but also I could spend time in this prison, and I was flabbergasted as an independent filmmaker to be given 24/7 access to this maximum security prison, and the reason I think they did this, unbeknownst to me, they were using my earlier film as a teaching tool, so they knew my work and they knew they could trust me, so they allowed me to stay in this prison for up to a year."

Barens lived there for six months.  Technically, he lived across the street where the doctors lived, but spent 12-15 hours per day in the prison.  "The first month of my stay at the Iowa State Penitentiary, I did not use the camera.  I just showed up every day and stayed in the infirmary [for]...12-15 hrs a day, getting to know the inmates who were...prison hospice volunteers, as well as all of the patients that were in there...and the correctional officers had to get used to me and the nursing staff and the doctors also.  

"The first month was basically [to] get acquainted with everybody and build the trust with them because I knew if I was going to be there for the long haul, I needed everybody to be on my side and eventually won over pretty much everybody.  Most of the prisoners...embraced the fact that I was there making a film about their hospice program because they had seen my earlier work and they knew that I was going to something of good quality and something that was beneficial to them in the long run.  As a filmmaker I had to pitch myself."

Barens didn't judge the men whom he met in prison: "As humans we have to...pull away from the reality...so we can deal with these people on a day-to-day basis...I always have that in the back of my head, never asking the guys exactly what they did."

And while Barens was in that prison, he met Private Jack Hall.  At the time, Hall had been in the infirmary for 10 years due to his inability to defend himself.  Two months into Barens' stay, it looked like Hall would be the next hospice patient.  Then, Hall seemed to bounce back, so he wasn't a candidate for hospice.

Private Jack Hall had trained as a ranger, the precursor to the Green Berets according to Barens, and was trained to kill using hand-to-hand combat.  During his days at war, he killed hundreds of enemy soldiers.  When Hall came back, "[t]hey gave him some cigarettes and a $50 bill and told [him] to forget what he did for the past three years, and he didn't, he couldn't, and he was plagued, even until the last day of his life, he was plagued with...nightmares...of his time in WWII, and he would wake up constantly in a cold sweat, and that was not because he was feverish, he was just damaged and he was 83 years old already so he was going through that for... 50 years," explained Barens.  "I don't want to necessarily say he's a criminal because of his PTSD, but it definitely played a large part in him dealing with life in general..." Hall eventually had children, one of whom became "hooked on dope" because of a local drug dealer.  Hall's son committed suicide, and Hall heard the dealer "bragging about how he made his money.  He didn't make any more," says Hall in the film.  That caused Hall to be put in a maximum security prison for life.

Because Hall was the next hospice patient, he became Barens' main subject.  "It shows that just by happenstance, Jack kind of fell into my lap...and really it's such a random thing, and I think it goes to show...everyone's kind of a gem when you're given the time to really explore their life," said Barens.  And that's exactly what Barens did - he explored Hall's life until the second that Hall drew his last breath.

Barens took a humane approach to his subject, and through experiencing life in prison, he developed an optimistic view of the men living there.  "To be in a prison that long is just soul-sucking, and I can't imagine surviving a life sentence there," he said.  "What I realized while I was at the Iowa State Penitentiary making friends with these guys, and...let's face it, some of them were in for horrible crimes...obviously they made bad decisions and they're paying for their bad decisions by their loss of freedom, but I think we have to start realizing a society that we cant further punish these guys or these women behind bars.  

"Their punishment is their loss of freedom, and after that, they deserve to live life with some type of dignity and also leave this life with some kind of dignity, and that's really not happening across the board throughout the correctional system.  I came to learn that these inmates, these prisoners, are people, and if given the chance, they can show compassion, and they can redeem themselves, and if it's going to happen behind walls, then so be it.  If they have no chance of doing that on the outside world, okay, but there's so much potential behind those walls.  So I think we as a society need to look at those prisoners and not throw away the key, but realize that they're damaged and there's still fantastically positive things that can happen behind the walls.

"Because we see Jack die and we get to know him before he dies...by humanizing him, I think people realize that death is like The Great Equalizer and this man is somebody's father, this man is somebody's grandfather, uncle, and that despite his crimes and his flaws...he can die with dignity surrounded by friends and family, then at least we kind of stop the pain.  [W]e stop more pain from going out."

After Barens was done filming, he had 300 hours of footage and had to wait years to receive the funds to finish editing the film.  Finally, HBO picked the movie up for distribution, which allowed Barens to finish the film.  With the film clocking in at just under 40 minutes, Barens was finished, and he went on to received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary (Short Subject).  According to Barens, it "[c]osts compassion and an ability...to...open your mind a little bit" to fully appreciate "Prison Terminal".  What Barens suggests we do when watching his film is exactly what he was required to do in order to make this film in as non-judjmental a manner as possible.  "Prison Terminal" is a wrenching, humane, and raw look at a part of the population we frequently forget about and sheds light on a beautiful program being run in the darkest of corners.

"Prison Terminal" premiered on HBO this past Monday and is now on On Demand and HBO Go in addition to many more airings on HBO.

A Conversation with Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou

A CONVERSATION WITH 

ANG LEE AND ZHANG YIMOU

By Joshua Handler

Last Thursday, March 27, was a night to remember at Cooper Union.  NYU's Tisch School of the Arts partnered with Beijing-based Le-TV to host a private screening of Zhang Yimou's newest film, Coming Home (the screening was not open for media), along with a conversation between Yimou and director Ang Lee, moderated by Tisch professor Christine Choy, herself an Oscar-nominated documentarian.

Zhang Yimou is best known for his tragic stories and rich visual style, having directed a number of acclaimed films (many of which have gone on to Oscar nominations) including Raise the Red Lantern, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers.  He also gained recognition for being the lead director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Ang Lee is a two-time Oscar-winner for Best Director and is known for having one of the most diverse filmographies around.  His films are notable for their humanity, grace, and exploration of the relationships that we form with family and lovers.  Lee is best-known for having directed the gay western romance Brokeback Mountain, the British period piece Sense and Sensibility, the young adult fantasy book adaptation Life of Pi, and the record-breaking martial arts romance Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, all of which were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.  Two of his earlier films, The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman were nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The conversation between the two men was in Mandarin and was translated for the English-speakers using an interpreter.  Lee opened the discussion with heavy words of praise for Yimou's Coming Home and the two then continued to discuss a number of topics, the most interesting being how they believe that we are in a golden age of Chinese cinema.  According to them, this is the prime time for young directors in China.  As China becomes increasingly powerful, so does its film industry.

Christine Choy's few comments in between discussion topics were quite funny and lightened the mood.  The tone of the conversation between the two men was one that made evident their mutual respect for each other.  Watching Lee on the stage made it evident why his films are as humane and intelligent as they are...because they are exactly like him.  Lee is soft-spoken and gracious.  Yimou is very similar.

This event was one of celebration, contemplation, and admiration.  Since I was young, I've been watching the films of Yimou and Lee, so being able to see them in conversation was an experience I won't soon forget.

OBVIOUS CHILD: ND/NF Centerpiece Review

Courtesy of A24 Films

OBVIOUS CHILD

2014, 83 minutes

Rated R for language and sexual content

Review by Joshua Handler

Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child is a gutsy, sharp, and warm-hearted debut film with outstanding performances from Jenny Slate, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, Jake Lacy, and Polly Draper, among many others (the entire cast is great).  Described as an "abortion comedy" by many, the film is indeed a film centered around abortion that is funny.

The film follows a stand-up comedienne, Donna Stern (Slate), who sleeps with Max (Lacy), after breaking up with her boyfriend.  She then ends up pregnant and decides that she wants an abortion.

The standout aspect of the film is Jenny Slate who gives a genuine, relatable, and hugely funny performance as Donna.  Slate has a natural charm that carries the film.  I was with Donna every step of the way.  Donna is like so many people that we all know, which makes watching her incredibly amusing.  Slate nails the stand-up sequences, in particular.  They are the highlight of the film, as they're brutally honest, laugh-out-loud funny, and again, relatable.  Gaby Hoffmann (Crystal Fairy) gives a sweet, racy, and heartfelt performance as Nellie, Donna's best friend.  Like in Crystal Fairy, her unusual presence brightens every scene, and her chemistry with Slate is very strong.  Polly Draper's supporting performance as Donna's mom is unexpectedly moving.

While I wish the screenplay had played around a bit more with the typical Brooklyn twenty-something storyline and I wish some of the jokes (outside of the stand-up) had landed harder, this is a screenplay that should be praised for its honesty, smart characterizations, and the simple fact that it made a story centered around abortion funny.  During the post-screening Q&A with Robespierre, Slate, Liedman, and Elisabeth Holm, the film's producer (who also has story credit), the crew discussed how they wanted to see a movie where a woman wants to have an abortion and actually go through with it with conviction.  As they mentioned, one in every three women has had an abortion, so this is obviously a topic that many can relate to.  I give the filmmakers an immense amount of credit for telling the story of a strong woman who has an abortion and then moves on with life.

In Obvious Child, I cared for Donna and Max.  I frequently couldn't care less about central romances in romantic comedies, but in Obvious Child, I actually wanted the two to end up together.  Donna and Max's relationship is treated with respect and realism, so I cared.

Overall, while it has some flaws, Obvious Child is a smart, original piece of work that was very enjoyable to watch.  When A24 releases on June 6, you'll want to see this to say that you saw the film that announced Gillian Robespierre to the world and the film that turned Slate into a movie star.

3.5/4

THE RAID 2 Review

Julie Estelle as Hammer Girl

Photo by Akhirwan Nurhaidir and Gumilar Triyoga

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

THE RAID 2

2014, 148 minutes

Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence throughout, sexuality and language

Review by Joshua Handler

Gareth Evans' The Raid: Redemption was a balls-to-the-wall action film featuring extreme violence in a contained setting.  This time, Evans opens the action up to the entirety of the city and ups both the violence, ambition, insanity, and fun, along with the running time to create an action film unlike any other.

Taking place two hours after The Raid: Redemption ended, The Raid 2 finds Rama (Iko Uwais) going undercover to infiltrate crime lords' rings and bring down corruption in the police force.

Like The Raid: Redemption, this film is about the action.  However, with The Raid 2, Evans gives the film an ambitious crime drama storyline that fuels the action.  The plot is occasionally too convoluted for its own good, but is engaging, clever, and features just enough twists and turns.  However, as mentioned, the action is key here.  Like The Raid: Redemption, Evans uses everything and the kitchen sink in his kinetic action sequences.  This time, as mentioned, the action largely takes place outdoors and is not limited to hand-to-hand combat or gunplay.  The centerpiece of the film is an extended car chase sequence that, without exaggeration, is one of the greatest in cinema history.  Using a long take that spans two moving cars as its most impressive shot, this sequence is rough, violent, and pulse-poundingly brilliant.

What distinguishes the action scenes in the two Raid films, The Raid 2 in particular, is the athleticism of the cinematography, the precision of the editing, and the brutal beauty of the choreography.  Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Sumhono's cinematography is ambitious in its use of long takes and their willingness to follow the action anywhere and from any angle.  Through an extensive and effective use of close-ups, they manage to keep the action simultaneously intimate and epic in scale with an unmatched intensity.  The choreography, much of which is crafted by star Iko Uwais, is graceful, yet incredibly brutal.  The brutality is furthered by Gareth Evans' editing (yes, he edits his own movies too).  The action scenes are occasionally too long for their own good, but he keeps each one moving fast.  I felt the impact of every impalement and beat-down, which leads us to the violence.

I've seen few films as eye-meltingly violent as The Raid 2.  No descriptions can do it justice.  For many, that will be an attraction and for an equal number of people, that will be a deterrent.  In Evans' insistence that we feel every bone break and every slice, he uses an unparalleled amount of explicit gore, particularly in the multi-part climax which is thrilling, satisfying, and again, perfectly choreographed.  The violence is all in the service of realism.

Iko Uwais leads the committed, athletic cast and gives the film a heart.  His excellence during the action and dramatic sequences is quite impressive.  As a martial artist, he is lightning fast, performing sequences that move so fast that it becomes near insanity.  The performances of the supporting cast are also solid.

Overall, The Raid 2 is a superb action film, flaws and all.  While the hand-to-hand action scenes become a bit repetitive after a while (until Evans changes them up, at least), The Raid 2 is thrilling, it pushes the envelope, and it has some of the most spectacularly brutal action scenes ever.  Gareth Evans has topped the first film in every sense of the word, and I cannot wait to see what violent mayhem he dreams up for The Raid 3.

4/4

THE DOUBLE: ND/NF Review

Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska in THE DOUBLE, a Magnolia Pictures release.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Photo credit: Dean Rodgers

THE DOUBLE 

2014, 93 minutes

Rated R for language

Review by Joshua Handler

The Double is screening as part of New Directors/New Films tomorrow evening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Richard Ayoade's The Double is best described as the perfect mix between Brazil and Fight Club.  Based on a work by Dostoyevsky, The Double tells the story of a man, Simon (Jesse Eisenberg), who lives his life as an invisible bureaucrat.  Simon lives alone and falls for Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), a woman who lives in the building across the way, whom he spies upon using a telescope in his window.  One day, Simon meets James, a man who looks exactly like him, yet personality-wise, is the polar opposite.  As James becomes more of a presence in Simon's life, he starts to drive Simon insane.

The Double is a heavily stylized film with noirish lighting and surrealism galore.  However, as dark and weird as this movie is, Ayoade imbues it with a healthy sense of humor that makes the movie extremely enjoyable.  Erik Winton's energetic cinematography adds to the film's surreal atmosphere and uniqueness.

Richard Ayoade and Avi Korine's wickedly funny screenplay features some sharp dialogue and a story that's always compelling with twists and turns.  It's exhilarating to watch The Double barrel along.  Ayoade keeps the pace extremely fast, never allowing the film to drag.

Jesse Eisenberg gives what might be his best performance(s) yet as Simon and James.  As Simon, Eisenberg portrays his usual kind of character - the shy, nervous man.  It's his scenes as James where he really gets to shine.  James is outgoing, sharp, witty, and a ladies man.  Eisenberg gives James a cocky, nasty edge with an outgoingness that I've never seen from him before.  These opposing characters are beautifully realized by Eisenberg and it is a pleasure to see him expand his range as an actor.

Overall, The Double is a funny, dark, twisted piece of work that was immensely entertaining to watch.  Richard Ayoade seems to have nearly perfected a tone and style with The Double.  Ayoade showed serious directorial promise with his directorial debut feature, Submarine, but Submarine was too heavy on style and too light on story.  With The Double, Ayoade strikes the perfect balance between style and substance, making me very excited to see what he comes up with next.

4/4

Words of Wisdom from Benedikt Erlingsson, Director of OF HORSES AND MEN

A still from OF HORSES AND MEN

Words of Wisdom From 

BENEDIKT ERLINGSSON, 

Director of OF HORSES AND MEN

By Joshua Handler

Director Benedikt Erlingsson's feature film directorial debut, Of Horses and Men, is a darkly comedic film full of love, death, violence, and comedy.  I reviewed it this week.  Erlingsson has been a stage director for the past ten years and also an actor in many films including Lars von Trier's The Boss of It All.  Of Horse and Men has won awards all over the world and was Iceland's official selection to the 2013 Academy Awards.  The film tells interconnecting stories about the animal in every human and the human in every animal.  Of Horses and Men recently showed at New Directors/New Films and I sat down with Erlingsson to discuss the film.

Erlingsson, like his film, has a dry sense of humor.  He's confident, but humble and down to earth, also like his film.  "I'm a storyteller.  The last 10 years I've been directing in theater," he says.  "This has been...kind of a long film school for me.  When I become big, I want to be a film driector.  I think I'm coming of age now."

This wasn't just Erlingsson's first film - it was his editor's too.  "[David Alexander Corso] was...putting the film together.  It was his first film.  We were sitting there together for eight months.  And I think it was a beautiful cooperation.  [H]e said something to me that was very precious.  [I was insecure and started thinking] 'maybe I should prolong this [sequence].'  And then [David] start[ed] doing it.  And I said, 'What are you doing?'  'I'm doing what you are thinking.'  'But I am not sure.'  'We have to follow your impulses.'  And it was so freeing that he wanted to follow my impulses.  So then...I followed his impulses [and] he followed my impulses.  We supported each other's impulses...and it was like a...university for us."

Erlingsson describes his directorial style on Horses as "tyrannical."  "This film is very much like that.  It's a [screenplay] that I've been working on for a long time...and then everybody has to obey me.  But that's not always like this in the creative process."  Benedikt directs in this way because he thinks very much like a painter and tells "dramatical stories without any text."  By doing this, "you...get into a very deep condition of concentration...and then you try to put that on paper.  And then you have to trust that.  When somebody comes to me on the set, and says, 'Hey why is he [a character] in pants?  Can we not change this?'...I have no idea why he is in pants, but I know there is a good reason there, I just can't remember it...  So then the [script] is the [tyrant], is the king, is the god...well I don't understand it now, but it was written by the great author...and we have to obey him...and then in the editing room I understand it again..."

Erlingsson's roots as an actor have heavily informed his directing.  "I come through the acting," he says. "As a director I'm an actor first.  And in a way I became [a] better actor when I started directing.  I was a problematic actor with my own ideas and attitude against the director - they were always stupid.  When I started directing, I understood something new about my role as an actor, that I was producing material, and I have [produce it]...honorably and with sincerity and humbleness.  I had to humbly produce.  [Theatre acting] is more building the house with the director, but with film, the actor is just producing material, he's just producing stones for somebody else to build the house."

In Erlingsson's short film, "The Nail" and in Of Horses and Men, there isn't a large amount of dialogue.  Much of this is due to Erlingsson's background as a stage director.  "[Movement is] stronger.  In the theater, I learned that movement...is...stronger...than words, so if somebody is saying something on the right side of the stage and somebody moves on the left side, the focus of the audience goes to the movement.  [Miming] gives more space to the audience.  I create a universe inside of you, you try to fill it up, but if I tell you...in words, it becomes a little bit smaller.  That's the beauty with film and theater - that is the extra thing that they have."

Despite his dark sense of humor and self-described tyrannical direction, Erlingsson has a humane side and a deep respect for the animals that so often get killed in Of Horses and Men.  "I think of these two animals that are co-oexisting together there on this island in this world.  I think the human beings are the more dangerous ones, and in a way, you can learn a lot about the old slave societies while watching the relationship between man and horse because though it's very lovely...'we love our horses, they are our family, we adopt the horses' and so on...you can sell...a horse that you don't like...In other families...they are not so much into this family horse thing.  They just buy good horses and [if] it's not good enough, they sell it...while other families are taking care.  [A]t the same time, they maybe...eat the horse also.  I think in the slave societies [it] happens like this, 'I love my old slave, she brought me up, and I would like [her] to bring my children up, but her youngest daughter I will sell away...I don't like her.'  There's a paradox in the love and the brutality."

On the joys of unenjoyable art: "The most fantastic thing in the learning process...if you are a film director or a theater director, is the bad stuff.  When you are forced to sit there for two hours in a bad theater play...you get stuff to get ideas.  It's a very creative spot sitting in the middle of a group of 200, 500 people and we are doomed to sit here together...and then you have to go to a happy place...and that's [a] very educating and fertile situation."

And some final thoughts on his screenplay and the stories he likes to tell: "The essence of this [screenplay] is like from the oral culture.  It's like stories that you tell each other, and they take form.  When I make a mosaic picture of this, I think the shock of it [catches] attention.  I love films...where you don't know where they are headed. It's like, 'What? You killed the main character?  What happens now?'  And I think the ears and eyes...open up.  You go out of the cliché.  We are so unconsciously bored of the three-act, classical dramaturgy of films...[I]n a sense this helps me...[put the audience] into the third dimension.  It's like Berthold Brecht...he wanted to distance [the audience] to make them think.  Film is so good to hypnotize us, suck us in...we totally forget ourselves into the psychology of this character and then we come out full of popcorn and Coca-Cola and we feel clarified...because somebody has gone through changes...we don't have to change...somebody has met obstacles in his life...and we feel catharsis, full of sugar and salt.  But this effect is like to press us to say, 'What is this?  Why are we doing this?'  And I love this kind of storytelling.  Life is dangerous and people are dying...[E]ven accidents in drama, dramatic things, when we make a story about it, we tend to make it comical.  If something terrible happens to me on the beach - I go to swim...and I lose my swimming suit and so I have to run naked onto the beach and everybody laugh[s] at me - this is a drama for me...but when I tell this story, it is a...funny story...so that's human beings and in that sense, when we talk about death and drama...it's my kind of storytelling - we...put a smile on in a way."

Of Horses and Men played New Directors/New Films this week and currently does not have a U.S. distributor.

THE BABADOOK: ND/NF Review

Essie Davis (top) and Noah Wiseman (bottom) in Jennifer Kent's THE BABADOOK
Courtesy of IFC Midnight

THE BABADOOK

2014, 92 minutes

Not Rated

Review by Joshua Handler

Jennifer Kent's The Babadook is, no exaggeration, the scariest movie in years.  It makes The Conjuring look like Bambi.  Scary isn't even an apt word to describe The Babadook.  Terrifying is more accurate.  Using little violence and no gore, Kent crafts a haunting, dramatically potent film that will haunt you in more ways than one long after it has ended.

Essie Davis plays Amelia, a single mother whose husband died immediately before their son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), was born.  Amelia is still grieving years later and the resulting depression has affected Samuel.  One day, Samuel finds a pop-up book, Mister Babadook, on his shelf and he and Amelia read it before bed, only to find that its contents are extremely disturbing.  Samuel begins to see Mister Babadook, the entity from the story, around the house and The Babadook begins to haunt Samuel and Amelia.

The tension increases slowly and Kent simultaneously increases the drama until the horror storyline and dramatic storyline are mixed.  In terms of horror, there are no new tactics used in The Babadook, but Kent sets up the Babadook story so well through the pop-up book that we dread what's coming next.  The dim, atmospheric lighting and Radoslaw Ladczuk's clever cinematography bring the terror to the next level.  Very few horror movies phase me, but The Babadook had me sweating through my clothes.

The dramatic storyline of The Babadook strengthens the horror storyline.  Kent's depiction of grief is realistic and (without spoiling anything), the way that she combines that with the main storyline about The Babadook is unpredictable and, quite frankly, ingenious.  Few films have the emotional punch or the poignancy that this movie has.  The Babadook and J.A. Bayona's wonderful The Orphanage are very much alike in that they are as disturbing and horrifying as they are subtle and moving.

Much of The Babadook's success rests on the shoulders of Davis and Wiseman who both give powerful performances.  Horror movies aren't usually known for their superb acting, so to find one that is largely based around the performances is a huge surprise.  Davis has appeared in a number of well-known films, but The Babadook really gives her a chance to shine.  Her performance shows the slow mental decline of Amelia in heartbreaking, nerve-wracking detail and drives the movie.  The very young Wiseman matches Davis with his remarkable performance as a disturbed child.  The Babadook is Wiseman's feature film debut and this will no doubt be the start of the career of an actor to watch.

Overall, The Babadook is already one of the highlights of my movie-going year and marks one of the strongest debuts I've seen since Benh Zeitlin burst out with Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2012.  I cannot praise The Babadook enough, as it has a seemingly generic and silly premise that literally smashes every expectation and then some.  Kent has the directorial control and mastery of the horror and drama genres that most filmmakers wish they had.  Go see this at New Directors/New Films now.  It will be released later this year by IFC Midnight who snatched up the rights out of its critically-acclaimed debut at Sundance.

4/4

OF HORSES AND MEN: ND/NF Review

OF HORSES AND MEN

2014, 77 minutes

Not Rated

Review by Joshua Handler

Of Horses and Men shows tonight at MoMA at 6:15 PM as part of New Directors/New Films and will show on Monday at 6:30 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater.  I will be interviewing writer/director Benedikt Erlingsson on Monday and will publish the interview afterward.

Benedikt Erlingsson's dark comedy/drama Of Horses and Men careens from flat-out hilarious to dramatic and disturbing.  The film was the Icelandic submission to the Academy Awards and tells interconnecting stories about people and their relationship to horses.  I've never quite seen anything like Of Horses and Men.  It's deadpan (and sometimes racy) humor mixed with grisly violence make this a potent treat.  Erlingsson's use of humor and grisly violence isn't like Martin McDonagh or Quentin Tarantino's use of this mixture because the violence here is against animals and hits hard.

Utilizing the natural beauty of Iceland to ironic effect, Erlingsson frequently sets shocking scenes against this serene backdrop, making the matters at hand much more horrifying.  Erlingsson's control over the contrasting tones of the film is very impressive, especially when considering that this is his feature film debut.  In a lesser filmmaker's hands, the film would be tonally uneven and the humor would simply be too dark.  Erlingsson seems to know when to pull back on the darkness so as not to make it overwhelming.

There's not a lot more to say about this movie other than I really enjoyed it.  Of Horses and Men is a highly unusual experience, but again, if you have an offbeat, dark sense of humor, this movie will definitely be for you - life, love, and death are intermixed, sometimes to bizarre effect.  However, what shines through above the inhumanity is the humanity that Erlingsson shows his characters.  Erlingsson treats the horses as he does the humans - with respect and love.  He also pokes fun at all of his characters because he realizes their ridiculousness.  Of Horses and Men is a film of contrasting styles and tones, but that's what makes it such an impressive piece of work.

3.5/4