Wendy & Lucy
There are films with nothing but narrative- 2-hour-long "and then and then" movies that entertain through distraction. All Bollywood films and most of Almodovar's movies fall into this category. (Not complaining, btw, I love these films; they are always the easiest to digest, no matter what mood I'm in).
Then there are other films, ones that say virtually nothing, offer scant dialogue and long looks; where nothing moves but each still moment is thoughtfully milked. Wendy and Lucy is one of those films.
Nothing happens. A drifter (Wendy) and her dog (Lucy) are trying to get to Alaska on a shoestring budget and encounter a snowballing set of problems enroute. That's pretty much it. The barebones story is told in pregnant pauses, using nothing but the rawest of materials- its tiny cast and the keen eye of its director- to make it move.
Michelle Williams (who has, by the way, done some awesome stuff since Dawson's Creek) is brilliant in this. She's pretty much a one-woman show, actually. There are cameos by Will Oldham and Larry Fessenden (who co-produced with Todd Haynes) but really, it's all Williams and director Kelly Reichardt. We are voyeurs sitting beyond the camera, watching Wendy struggle to hold it together, but only barely. The story is told through her concerned look as she carefully counts her money and rubs her cold feet; her head hung low in her lap after countless hours detained; the back of her head as lines of sunlight cast shadows on her back...
It's hard to describe in writing why films like this work. It's a little like slowly panning through a a series of very emotive photographs. Anyone who's ever spent any time drifting aimlessly on their own can probably relate to the long gaps of silence in the film, and anyone who hasn't might gain some insight into what it's like. It's quiet. It's lonely. It's full of horribly mundane events. You are left with nothing but your own muteness and the weight of your problems... and it can feel pretty damn stifling. It's a very real story, right down to the banality of Will Oldham's "drunk drifter" rant.
Granted, the story/non-story does run on a little too long, and by the end, my attention was starting to wane. If Wendy and Lucy had been a short film, it would have been an absolute work of genius, hands down. But as it was, it was still pretty damn good.
The Silence of Lorna
I really really like the Dardenne brothers. I've only seen 2 of their films, so if they are beginning to get formulaic, well, I haven't noticed, and whatever, I like the formula (which I would attempt to sum up as "trying to fold all the cruelty of the world neatly away into your wallet, only to have it leak and stain and get horribly messy").
Lorna is a professional "wife" involved in an elaborately organized marriage scheme. A native Albanian, Lorna married to obtain a Belgium citizenship, and plans to end the marriage (by murder or divorce) and swiftly marry a Russian, also looking for EU citizenship. The sham marriages are organized by goons, who are effectively Lorna's agents, or pimps if you will, though there is no sex or abuse involved- this is purely a business transaction.
This is perhaps the prevailing Dardenne theme- business as usual. All of the film's characters play this out; show no emotion. This was exactly the nerve-wracking part of watching L'enfant- I was so emotional and horrified by what the characters were doing and, at the same time, totally frustrated by their utter lack of conscience. Well, this time, the brothers let in a little crack of emotion and I felt like I got what I wanted. Just vindication that no one can go through these incredibly personal and emotional experiences without feeling something, or without having those feelings manifest into something else. Repression can bend emotions into a weird kind of... indigestion sometimes.
I'm not bored of the brothers yet. I do think watching their films is a bit of a test of character, like either you feel too much and it's hard to watch... or you don't, and you wonder what's wrong with you.
[Sidenote: The Silence of Lorna makes a really good counterpoint to Wendy and Lucy- both are voyeuristic character studies of a female protagonists who a) struggle to remain emotionally "sober" in the midst of a somewhat hostile environment; and b) are simultaneously held back and propelled forward by their economic situations. It's sort of like the micro and macro for me- W&L is a small, personal story told in a small confined space. You sort of come out feeling like an imploded silent ball. SofL is not really about Lorna, more about the attitude or politics that she stands for, or the societal norm or necessity that she must act out. and once the film has appalled us with this cold, blaise as-usual attitude, then it moves inwards, and we see what all this baggage does to one woman's psyche; how it all comes spilling out. The two films both push emotional buttons, but the method and the effect are very different- one feels very real; the other, very symbolic. It's pretty interesting.. to me, anyway.]
OM SHANTI OM
There's very little to say about this one, except that it was thoroughly entertaining, had a great cast, great songs (one was called "Pain of Disco"... awesome), great dancing, and a very awesomely ridiculous storyline that I absolutely loved. Even the credits were great.
I've never seen a Bollywood film I didn't like.
Wait, that's not true.. there was that ghetto futuristic sci-fi Bollywood flick I fast forwarded through once...
Ok, well all the other ones totally kicked ass.
I'm out of steam, I can't write about film anymore. I feel like I've just thrown up a big gurky puddle of trivial thought and I'll be walking around for the next few days just nodding and smiling out of fatigue. Good time to ask me for something special.
There are films with nothing but narrative- 2-hour-long "and then and then" movies that entertain through distraction. All Bollywood films and most of Almodovar's movies fall into this category. (Not complaining, btw, I love these films; they are always the easiest to digest, no matter what mood I'm in).
Then there are other films, ones that say virtually nothing, offer scant dialogue and long looks; where nothing moves but each still moment is thoughtfully milked. Wendy and Lucy is one of those films.
Nothing happens. A drifter (Wendy) and her dog (Lucy) are trying to get to Alaska on a shoestring budget and encounter a snowballing set of problems enroute. That's pretty much it. The barebones story is told in pregnant pauses, using nothing but the rawest of materials- its tiny cast and the keen eye of its director- to make it move.
Michelle Williams (who has, by the way, done some awesome stuff since Dawson's Creek) is brilliant in this. She's pretty much a one-woman show, actually. There are cameos by Will Oldham and Larry Fessenden (who co-produced with Todd Haynes) but really, it's all Williams and director Kelly Reichardt. We are voyeurs sitting beyond the camera, watching Wendy struggle to hold it together, but only barely. The story is told through her concerned look as she carefully counts her money and rubs her cold feet; her head hung low in her lap after countless hours detained; the back of her head as lines of sunlight cast shadows on her back...
It's hard to describe in writing why films like this work. It's a little like slowly panning through a a series of very emotive photographs. Anyone who's ever spent any time drifting aimlessly on their own can probably relate to the long gaps of silence in the film, and anyone who hasn't might gain some insight into what it's like. It's quiet. It's lonely. It's full of horribly mundane events. You are left with nothing but your own muteness and the weight of your problems... and it can feel pretty damn stifling. It's a very real story, right down to the banality of Will Oldham's "drunk drifter" rant.
Granted, the story/non-story does run on a little too long, and by the end, my attention was starting to wane. If Wendy and Lucy had been a short film, it would have been an absolute work of genius, hands down. But as it was, it was still pretty damn good.
The Silence of Lorna
I really really like the Dardenne brothers. I've only seen 2 of their films, so if they are beginning to get formulaic, well, I haven't noticed, and whatever, I like the formula (which I would attempt to sum up as "trying to fold all the cruelty of the world neatly away into your wallet, only to have it leak and stain and get horribly messy").
Lorna is a professional "wife" involved in an elaborately organized marriage scheme. A native Albanian, Lorna married to obtain a Belgium citizenship, and plans to end the marriage (by murder or divorce) and swiftly marry a Russian, also looking for EU citizenship. The sham marriages are organized by goons, who are effectively Lorna's agents, or pimps if you will, though there is no sex or abuse involved- this is purely a business transaction.
This is perhaps the prevailing Dardenne theme- business as usual. All of the film's characters play this out; show no emotion. This was exactly the nerve-wracking part of watching L'enfant- I was so emotional and horrified by what the characters were doing and, at the same time, totally frustrated by their utter lack of conscience. Well, this time, the brothers let in a little crack of emotion and I felt like I got what I wanted. Just vindication that no one can go through these incredibly personal and emotional experiences without feeling something, or without having those feelings manifest into something else. Repression can bend emotions into a weird kind of... indigestion sometimes.
I'm not bored of the brothers yet. I do think watching their films is a bit of a test of character, like either you feel too much and it's hard to watch... or you don't, and you wonder what's wrong with you.
[Sidenote: The Silence of Lorna makes a really good counterpoint to Wendy and Lucy- both are voyeuristic character studies of a female protagonists who a) struggle to remain emotionally "sober" in the midst of a somewhat hostile environment; and b) are simultaneously held back and propelled forward by their economic situations. It's sort of like the micro and macro for me- W&L is a small, personal story told in a small confined space. You sort of come out feeling like an imploded silent ball. SofL is not really about Lorna, more about the attitude or politics that she stands for, or the societal norm or necessity that she must act out. and once the film has appalled us with this cold, blaise as-usual attitude, then it moves inwards, and we see what all this baggage does to one woman's psyche; how it all comes spilling out. The two films both push emotional buttons, but the method and the effect are very different- one feels very real; the other, very symbolic. It's pretty interesting.. to me, anyway.]
OM SHANTI OM
There's very little to say about this one, except that it was thoroughly entertaining, had a great cast, great songs (one was called "Pain of Disco"... awesome), great dancing, and a very awesomely ridiculous storyline that I absolutely loved. Even the credits were great.
I've never seen a Bollywood film I didn't like.
Wait, that's not true.. there was that ghetto futuristic sci-fi Bollywood flick I fast forwarded through once...
Ok, well all the other ones totally kicked ass.
I'm out of steam, I can't write about film anymore. I feel like I've just thrown up a big gurky puddle of trivial thought and I'll be walking around for the next few days just nodding and smiling out of fatigue. Good time to ask me for something special.
