The Red Chapel

In the centre: Simon Jul Jørgensen and Jacob Nossell

The first film up in the 2011 program is highly original Danish Documentary, The Red Chapel. Filmmaker Mads Brügger’s gonzo project won the World Cinema Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Taking two Danish-Korean comedians to one of the world’s most restrictive dictatorships, Brügger’s aim was to expose the true nature of North Korea’s oppressive and ruthless regime. Brügger travels with Simon Jul Jørgensen and Jacob Nossell, both of whom were adopted from Korea as infants, to North Korea posing as a small, socialist Danish theatre group named The Red Chapel. The group and accompanying camera crew are given permission to enter the usually closed off country under the pretext that they will give a performance encouraging cultural exchange.

The documentary follows the group developing a comedy show in ‘collaboration’ with their minders and assigned Korean theatre director, whilst being given the ‘official’ sightseeing tour of Pyongyang. As pressure increases to please the state-appointed guides, the moral ambiguity of the director Brügger comes into question as he increasingly ignores the protests of his companions.

Jacob, who was 18 at the time of filming is handicapped with spastic paralysis, is both the victim and hero of the film. Choosing to travel to a country that is accused of killing disabled children at birth, Jacob wanted to use the film to prove that he was as capable as anyone else. However both the official regime and Brügger had other ideas and want to use him for their own propaganda.

Jacob and director Mads Brügger with their minders at a peace rally

Funny, curious and outrageous in equal measures, The Red Chapel is much more than simply an exploration of a totalitarian regime, it is an exercise in the ethics of filmmaking.While this film is an example of incredibly brave documentary-making it is also a study in manipulation. The North Korean regime wants to manipulate the filmmaker, the filmmaker in turn manipulates his subjects. Brügger recognises his single-mindedness but does nothing to correct it, asserting that showing the truth behind the dictatorship’s façade is more important than the feelings of both Simon and Jacob. You also have to wonder whether anybody considered the potential consequences for the local people who they duped?

Brügger’s cunning coupled with unparalleled bravado sees him, Simon and Jacob undermining and mocking the regime in ways that are both outlandishly hilarious and insightful. This documentary is bold and brash and at times touches on the absurd as it explores North Korea.

It is one thing to assert that humour can subvert political oppression, it is quite another thing to prove it. This truly is a film that has to be seen to be believed.

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First published on Trespass

No Strings Attached

From out of the romcom wilderness comes No Strings Attached, an inoffensive, oft entertaining and even occasionally funny addition to the genre. Whilst the Brits have Richard Curtis’ multi-storied outings like Love Actually (2003) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), it is Hollywood and its usual cast of actresses who have come to dominant the field. Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Katherine Heigl seem to work on rotation opposite male leads like Matthew McConaughey and the menfolk that make up the cast of Grey’s Anatomy.

Romcoms frequently set up unrealistic ideals about love and relationships, as more often than not the genre revolves around a seemingly unsuitable couple getting it together. And No Strings Attached is no different, but it does stands out from the condescending/nauseating masses thanks to its strong female cast. Natalie Portman, Greta Gerwig (Greenberg), Olivia Thrilby (Juno) and Lake Bell (It’s Complicated) give the audience more to chew on with their performances. Yes they still fit into the archetypal romcom female roles, but there are glimpses where the characters play against convention, and this adds some colour to a generally formulaic film.

Emma (Natalie Portman) and Patrice (Greta Gerwig)

Portman stars as Emma, a doctor in-residence whose 80-hour working week doesn’t leave time for romance and who nullifies the potential for heartbreak by avoiding commitment. When Emma bumps into an old acquaintance, Adam (Ashton Kutcher) the pair develop a ‘no strings attached’ sexual arrangement, revolving around booty calls. It isn’t hard to guess where the story will go from there, but even though the storyline is predictable there is still some fun to be had in its telling.

No Strings Attached is definitely not without its weak points and the movie completely runs out of steam towards the end. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) turns up as a respected doctor, but his role goes absolutely nowhere. Adam’s subplot with his aging TV star father, Alvin (Kevin Klein) is also pretty limited, and while British actress Ophelia Lovibond (Nowhere Boy) is fun as Alvin’s much younger girlfriend Vanessa, these characters take away more than they add to the major plot.

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman)

Director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop) certainly hasn’t done anything ground-breaking or original with this film, but he gets points for dealing with the topic of sex in an unusually adult way for a comedy. Lacking raunch (and foreplay) the film’s sex scenes are light-hearted, but they also depict sex as healthy and normal, something rarely seen in comedies or, in fact, mainstream films.

The film’s male cast is weak and it is definitely the females who do the heavy lifting in this film. Portman’s recent attention for her fantastic performance in the much lauded Black Swan is undoubtedly giving No Strings Attached a massive push in the publicity stakes. As romcoms go this is a cut above average and makes for easy, pleasant but quickly forgettable viewing.

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First published on Trespass

Down Terrace

Down Terrace is a low budget British crime film from first-time director, Ben Wheatley. Set in the coastal city of Brighton, the film follows a criminal family, headed by patriarch and ex-hippie Bill (Robert Hill) who runs clubs and drugs for his bosses in London. His henchmen include his troubled son Karl (Robin Hill), his brother-in-law Eric (David Schaal, The Office and The In-Betweeners) and the hapless Garvey (Tony Way). The film begins with father and son leaving court after being cleared, of exactly what charges we are never told, and returning to their small terrace home where seemingly devoted mother and wife Maggie (Julia Deakin, Spaced) is waiting. However all is not well with this criminal unit. There is an informant in their midst. Betrayal and murder sees the family implode as the offender is sought out.

Wheatley co-wrote the script with Robin Hill. They have been writing and shooting shorts together for a number of years, often filming at Robin’s parent’s house on Down Terrace and starring his father, Robert. The writing pair decided they wanted to shoot a full-length film. As it needed to be something they could make on a small budget it had to feature Robert and Robin and be able to be filmed at the house on Down Terrace. And that’s how the idea for the film began.

Karl (Robin Hill)

The end result is a gangster film, but unlike anything you’ve come to expect. This is a film completely devoid of the glamour that often accompanies movies about professional criminals. Taking elements of the crime genre the film’s real focus is on the corrosive nature of a dysfunctional family. This darkly comical piece is populated by characters whose danger derives from how emotionally-stunted they are. Karl, a man in his thirties, lives like an overgrown teenager in his parent’s home, smothered by manipulative parents. Maggie is perhaps the most disturbed (giving Jackie Weaver’s matriarch in Animal Kingdom a good run for her money), as she at first appears to be a reasonably caring mother and wife, but when her true nature is revealed she is terrifying.

Down Terrace is a great example of clever filmmaking working within tight parameters but creating something exciting and fresh. The script highlights the productions natural strengths, the strong bond between real-life father and son Robert and Robin; the limited locations help exaggerate the claustrophobic and paranoid nature of the crumbling family.

Maggie (Julia Deakin) and Bill (Robert Hill)

Down Terrace is a surprising film, fitting in more to the kitchen sink drama mould of British filmmaking than the thumping soundtrack and bravado of Guy Richie’s criminal visions. No doubt this is an off-kilter gangster film, but somehow the occasionally shocking violence and the comedic elements combine to make something charmingly original.

Images provided by Madman

First Published on Trespass

Another Year

British director Mike Leigh is known for making kitchen sink dramas and over the years has had great critical success with Secrets & Lies (1996), Vera Drake (2004) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008). Known for his improvisational style of filmmaking, Leigh rehearses with a group of actors (usually long-time collaborators) over a number of months creating story from his outlined scripts, before filming begins. Not one to shy away from tackling tough themes, Leigh’s work tends to approach topics with subtlety and restraint, never taking the drama over-the-top or to melodramatic extremes. But it is in this gentle teasing of theme that Leigh makes his best observations about life, and Another Year is a fantastic example of the director working at his best.

Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and Tom (Jim Broadbent)

Following a middle-aged couple Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) over four seasons, the film looks at their relationship with friends, colleagues and family. A birth, a death and a new love are all events in the film, but this slow-paced character study is really about happiness and loneliness. The film’s gentleness is deceptive as it draws you into the seemingly mundane lives of the characters. Another Year is divided between the happy; Tom, Gerri and their adult son Joe (Oliver Maltman) and the sad; Gerri’s work colleague, Mary (Lesley Manville), Tom’s friend Ken (Peter Wight) and Tom’s brother Ronnie (David Bradley).

Joe (Oliver Maltman), Mary (Lesley Manville) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen)

Leigh’s film, Happy-Go-Lucky explored similar themes and Poppy (Sally Hawkins) the eternally optimistic central character in that film was dismissed by some viewers as being annoyingly happy. Watching Another Year the same charge could be laid at the feet of the film’s happy characters, and there are moments when their cheerfulness feels smug. But then you have to wonder what that says about you, the viewer, that you find genuinely contented characters grating. It is this mirror that the film holds up to its audience which makes it so clever. Watching the film and its characters’ outlook on life it is impossible not to meditate on your own. Mary’s (Manville) disappointments over the year are increasingly devastating, but at the same time you find yourself desperately hoping that you aren’t also one of life’s losers.

Ken (Peter Wight) and Mary (Lesley Manville)

While the ensemble cast are all impressive, Manville stands out and it is unsurprising that she has been nominated for a best supporting actress BAFTA. She allows Mary to be a character you are both sympathetic towards, but also infuriated by.

Another Year is definitely one of Leigh’s best films, with the apparently ordinary proving to be quietly and subtlety moving.

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First published on Trespass

Review: Black Swan

From its many striking and beautiful poster designs to its tantalising trailer, Darren Aronofsky’s retelling of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has promised something cinematically special. With an audacious director and excellent cast, hype and anticipation has been very high. Thankfully Black Swan is one of those rare films where the build-up translates and all the potential pays off on screen.

Black Swan tells the story of Nina (Natalie Portman) a perfectionist ballerina at a prestigious New York ballet company. Nina’s hard work looks set to pay off when the director (Vincent Cassel, Eastern Promises) announces that he is casting a new lead in the production ofSwan Lake. While Nina is perfect for the white swan role, the lead is required to play both the white and black swan and a new dancer to the company, Lily (Mila Kunis, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who is a more sensual and free-spirited performer, becomes her rival. Adding to Nina’s professional stress, she also has to cope with the stage-mum from hell (Barbara Hershey, Lantana) who infantilizes her.

Those expecting some sort of high art may be surprised by Black Swan’s melodrama. Dark and tense, this film is on one hand a psychological drama and on the other a pulse-racing thriller. The ballet world makes a great home for this genre, with its intensity, professional rivalries and the abundance of mirrored rooms. But Black Swan isn’t really about ballet at all. That isn’t to say that this aspect of the film is slapdash; Portman and Kunis spent months in preparation for their roles, finely tuning their bodies so they could resemble the real thing. British newspaper The Guardian recently ran an article where professional dancers gave their verdict on the film’s authenticity. Someone really missed the point here- if you want reality watch the beautiful documentary La Danse. Black Swan is exaggeration, fantasy and most of all make believe at its most exciting- it is not an exercise to see whether a Hollywood actress can be turned into a professional ballerina in nine months.

Much had been made of Portman’s exceptional performance, however there are three very strong female performances that guide this film. Kunis’ rebel ballerina and Hershey’s overbearing mother are just as vital to the film’s success. French actor Cassel is sadly allowed to completely overact his part as the game playing ballet director. While his villainous isn’t out of place in this film, an actor of his calibre could have probably taken the role to a more interesting and original place.

With more than touches of early Polanski and Cronenberg films, Black Swan explores the the darker recesses of ambition and narcissism, using the conventions of thriller and horror films. The film is beautiful and lyrical at times before switching to the full power of the melodrama, this duality is definitely something to be appreciated.

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First published on Trespass

Review: Burlesque

Burlesque is a form of performance art that mixes parody with adult entertainment. Saucy and fun, burlesque traditionally involves singing, mime, dancing and comedy, as well as striptease. Bearing this in mind, Burlesque is perhaps the most inappropriately titled film of recent times. Lacking humour and titillation this musical bears more resemblance to a Pussy Cat Dolls music video than to a Dita von Teese performance.

Audiences expecting a cinema experience akin to Paul Verhoeven’s, so bad it’s good masterpiece, Showgirls are going to be disappointed. Where Verhoeven went overboard on the kitsch, Burlesque’s writer/director Steven Antin (who incidentally is the brother of Pussy Cat Dolls’ creator, and has directed several PCD music videos) has pulled back completely on the ‘adult’ themes. The film’s M rating is probably unnecessary, under-15s will have seen more risqué content watching Video Hits on Saturday mornings as they tuck into their cornflakes.

Burlesque’s storyline sees small-town waitress, Ali (Christina Aguilera), head to the big smoke (LA) to try and make her dreams of becoming a singer a reality. In LA Ali comes across The Burlesque Lounge, which is owned by Tess (Cher). Enchanted by this strange and glamorous club and its staff and entertainers, Ali talks her way into a job as a cocktail waitress. Befriended by the club’s bartender and struggling musician Jack (Cam Gigandet), Ali is determined to make it on the stage.

Big voiced songstress, Aguilera makes a perfectly adequate actress, but she lacks the natural charisma needed to drive a film. Cher as the ‘mentor’ figure has a certain amount of charm, but not enough to sell the awful dialogue she’s been lumped with. Alan Cummings and Stanley Tucci phone-in their performances as club host and stage manager, and still prove to be the highlights of the film.

The real problem with this movie- aside from its tone and avoidance of burlesque content- is the ‘musical’ aspect. You can excuse a weak storyline, it is almost expected in a film like this, but it is unforgiveable to have a completely forgettable soundtrack. The musical numbers, over-produced Bob Fosse knock-offs, are actually quite boring and leaving the cinema you’ll be hard-pressed to remember a single song.

What should have been a camp triumph of singing, dancing and suggestive humour has sadly been over-sanitized and completely dumbed down. It’s hard to see how Burlesque will please any of its intended audiences.

1.5/5

First published in The Brag 10/01/11

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Blue Valentine

It took twelve years for co-writer and director Derek Cianfrance to get his film from page to screen. Emotionally raw, heartbreakingly beautiful and superbly acted Blue Valentine was definitely worth the wait.

Switching between past and present the film tells the story of a couple’s relationship. In the present Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) are married with one young daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka). But this is a relationship on a downward spiral, with individual expectations dividing the couple. In the past sequences we witness the beginning of the relationship, and the passionate love between dreamer Dean and university student Cindy.

Asking if love is enough, Blue Valentine certainly isn’t a feel-good film (perhaps reconsider this as a date night film, unless you want to face some rather tough ‘relationship’ conversations afterwards). Told with brutal honesty the story unfolds over 48 hours in Dean and Cindy’s marriage, which ultimately proves to be exquisitely sad.

The film’s emotional core is fuelled by the experiences of both Cami Delavigne (writer) and Cianfrance who have cited their parent’s divorce as their inspiration. This film is undoubtedly a project where all the right elements have come into place (eventually) to create something special. The performances, the look and the sound enhance one another creating more and more layers to the story.

Cinematographer Andrij Parekh (Half-Nelson, Cold Souls) works his magic with the film’s visuals. With the past sequences shot on handheld super 16mm film and the present shot on red cameras, the sections are as equally divided by look as tone. While the past sequences seem open, bright and free, the present sequences with their extreme close-ups and more rigid structure seem constricting and claustrophobic, reflecting perfectly the atmosphere in the couple’s relationship.

Williams and Gosling are both Oscar nominated actors (Brokeback Mountain and Half-Nelson) and the high calibre of acting is evident throughout the film as they run a gamut of emotions. Williams and Gosling give themselves over to the script and at no time does it feel like you are watching ‘acting’, they feel natural and at times very raw. And it is only fair that their brave performances have been rewarded with Golden Globe nominations.

Toping off the impressive performances and evocative visuals, the sublime soundtrack comes from Brooklyn-band Grizzly Bear, with songs taken from their albums, Yellow House (2008) and Veckatimest (2009). The folky undertones of the band beautifully charts the film’s moods adding sumptuous texture. However perhaps the film is best summed up by a musical performance by Gosling’s character, Dean in a scene where he serenades Cindy (Williams) with “You Always Hurt the One you Love”.

First Published on Trespass 20/12/2010

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