Tag: Drama

BLUE BAYOU – Review

(L to R) Sydney Kowalske as “Jessie”, Justin Chon as “Antonio” and Alicia Vikander as “Kathy” in BLUE BAYOU, a Focus Features release.
Photo credit: Focus Features. Courtesy of Focus Features

Is it fair that a small child, legally adopted from another nation, is responsible for paperwork errors about citizenship, which puts the now-grown child’s immigration status in jeopardy? It sounds ridiculous but, in fact, that legal loophole does exist for some adoptees. BLUE BAYOU is Justin Chon’s powerful, winning drama about this subject, in which writer/director/producer Chon both directs and plays the lead character, Antonio LeBlanc, a struggling New Orleans tattoo artist who was legally adopted at age 3 from South Korea but now faces deportation due to paperwork left incomplete by his adoptive parents. This powerful drama features nuanced, appealing and realistic performances by Chon and Alicia Vikander, as his pregnant wife, and a wonderful performance by Sydney Kowalske as her seven-year-old daughter Jesse. BLUE BAYOU mixes a warm, realistic portrait of a family, with a particularly close father-daughter bond, with searing emotion in scenes where Chon’s character faces the immigration legal system that could change his life.

Antonio (Justin Chon), now in his thirties, is trying hard to support his family and be a good husband to wife Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and father to stepdaughter Jesse, the only father she has ever known. Jesse’s biological father, a cop called Ace (Mark O’Brien), abandoned Jesse and her mother when Jesse was small, but now wants to be part of his daughter’s life. On the other hand, Antonio has always been there for both Kathy and her daughter, despite his own troubled childhood which included abuse and youthful criminal record for the theft of motorcycles. Although they struggle financially and Antonio worries about money once the new baby arrives, the family is solid, happy and enjoying life together. When an ordinary parental disagreement while shopping in a grocery store gets a bit loud, Kathy’s ex, a cop called Ace steps in, along with his racist partner Denny. There is a scuffle, and Antonio is arrested. While that charge is dropped, Antonio is taken into custody by ICE over his immigration status.

We do get that famous song in the title, sung by Vikander, a nice moment in the film. BLUE BAYOU is a real tour-de-force by Chon, handling both his roles as director and lead actor with impressive skill. Long before Antonio faces his immigration crisis, the family wins our hearts. Chon is charismatic on-screen and we can’t help but like Antonio and cheer on a young man trying so hard to do the right thing. Much of the film’s appeal is in its the relationships, and particularly Antonio’s relationship with his stepdaughter.

Although Antonio even has a friend who is an ICE officer, who tries to help, the law limits what he can do. It is a completely unfair situation but one that is not rare for international adopted children, and in fact Chon’s script was inspired by a real-life case of a Korean-born adoptee. Chon has dealt with issues faced by Asian immigrants before, including in his film GOOK. Being Asian makes it harder for internationally adopted children to quietly blend in, despite being culturally American, something Chon highlights in a telling opening scene. Antonio, interviewing for a better paying job, faces skepticism about his identity despite his Louisiana accent and politely answers racist questions about his name and where he is from. Once immigration steps into his life, Antonio’s settled life is imperiled particularly by his youthful criminal record for stealing motorcycles, a past he has been struggling to overcome as a upright family man.

The film does a nice job with the accents, which sound authentic for New Orleans but are never overdone and distracting. Before Chon’s Antonio faces his unfair legal situation, the character wins our hearts, as does the film’s little family. Much of the film’s appeal is in its characters. One of the joys of the film is how realistic relationship is between the couple is portrayed by Chon and Vikander, with all the back-and-forth of real life parents and daily disagreements between any couple but with the underlying love between them. It is a realism few films get so right. The chemistry between Chon and Vikander is strong, and Vikander turns in one of her best performances here.

Likewise, the relationship between seven-year-old Jesse and Antonio, the only father she has ever known, is realistic and charming, and completely wins our hearts. Young Sydney Kowalske is cute, sweet, and believable in her role as Jesse, and the appealing scenes between father and daughter are among the film’s best.

Chon does have a message he wants to get across, and the film is sometimes heavy-handed in how it does that, although by the film’s end, his pull-no-punches approach feels justified. In 2000, Congress passed a law granting citizenship to children adopted from overseas but, oddly, excluding those who turned 18 before the law was passed. It makes no real sense, and drawing attention to that legal flaw may correct it.

The film is a bit slow to start, with a few too many scenes where Antonio revisits the same memory of his birth mother, and there is a side plot about another Asian immigrant, a cancer patient who immigrated with her family from Vietnam, which seems to add little to the story, other than portraying a different Asian American experience.

However, the film kicks into a higher gear once Antonio gets entangled with the immigration system, and leads to some emotionally searing scenes, ones that might leave the audience emotionally moved and also angry at the film’s end, with a few real-life examples of this unfair system shown with the end credits.

But any flaws in this film are well counterbalanced by the warmth and charm BLUE BAYOU creates around this family. Chon sparkles with on-camera as Antonio, creating a lead character we can’t help but like and cheer for, as the dad and husband who is trying to do the right thing. The wonderful acting performances by Chon, Vikander, and young Kowalske especially, go a long way to support this worthy drama.

Supporting performances are also strong. Vondie Curtis-Hall plays as immigration lawyer Barry Boucher who tries to help the family and Mark O’Brien plays Jesse’s biological father Ace, who develops more layers than we expect as the man who now regrets abandoning his daughter. Linh Dan Pham is touching as Parker, the cancer patient Chon meets, who introduces him to her family and a represents a different Asian immigrate experience. Emory Cohen plays Ace’s racist partner Denny, an all-round jerk, the one character who is a bit too over the top.

Despite a few flaws, this is a strong film that blends an appealing family drama and charismatic lead character with a hard-hitting message about an absurd technicality with the potential to ruin lives. Overall, BLUE BAYOU is a powerful film, filled with strong performances and delivering an important message with a punch, a drama that warrants to trip to the theater and also might be one watch come awards season.

BLUE BAYOU opens Friday, Sept. 17, in theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

SMALL ENGINE REPAIR (2021) – Review

Although the sun’s squeezing the last drop of sweat from the Summer season, this week’s new release reminds us of the cooler temps and the upcoming Winter holidays when family and friends will be getting together for celebrations and more than a few homecomings. The latter is the main theme of this tale of a trio of best buds. And their relationship has its fair share of ups and downs, running hot and cold. But somehow, despite their often volatile history, a bond is formed. On a dark windy night, that bond is tested, perhaps stretched to its breaking point. And it all happens under a flickering sign that proclaims SMALL ENGINE REPAIR.

It all begins at that backyard garage shop in Manchester, New Hampshire as lifelong pals ‘Swaino’ (Jon Bernthal) and ‘Packie’ (Shea Whigham) greet the owner, Frank (John Pollono) upon his return from an “extended stay” in the “Greybar Hotel”. Ah, but it’s also a “father and child reunion” as the guys have brought along Frank’s toddler daughter Crystal, who’s more comfortable in the arms of Terry than her almost forgotten papa. The story springs ahead a dozen years or so as Frank, now the main parent of teenage Crystal (Ciara Bravo), hosts a pre-Christmas dinner for her and her former caretakers. The mood is elevated when Crystal finds out that she’s been accepted to a distant college. But the high spirits are somewhat deflated by the arrival of Frank’s ex, and Crystal’s mama, the abrasive Karen (Jordana Spiro). She’s just in from the West Coast and wants to whisk her gal away for a night of shopping. So, how do the guys restore their holiday spirits? They continue the party at a nearby “watering hole”, naturally. But the merriment is shattered when Swaino and Packie try to talk up some young lovelies. Which leads to a big barfight with some younger “townies”. As the sirens’ wail gets louder, the trio escapes into the night. We then fast forward a couple of months as Frank decides to repair the rift between his two “best buds”. He invites both (without each other knowing) to his garage shop for a day of booze, steaks, and a big “pay-per-view” fight on the big screen TV. After some trepidation, the two estranged “bros” reconnect. As the sun sets, things take a darker turn with the arrival of a local preppy college “dealer” named Chad (Spencer House), who Frank has befriended. Ah, but there’s more than “Molly” on the menu as the true purpose of the day is finally revealed. Will these “three amigos” do anything in the name of friendship?

The “alpha dog” in this motley pack of mutts is Bernthal as the boasting blustery Swaino. He’s pure confidence with little to back it up. We can almost hear the gears turning in Swaino’s brain as Bernthal squints his eyes and amplifies his tone as Swaino tries to con the ladies while also bluffing himself as his younger “pursuits’ scoff and roll their eyes. At the opposite end of the canine spectrum is Whigham’s Packie, who seems to always “bare his belly” in submission to his superiors. Whigham’s confused stare projects a child-like vulnerability as he tries to “keep up” but his socially awkward behavior puts him back in his “place”. The least “showy” of the three leads is Pollono’s Frank, whose quiet demeanor tries to hold his furious violent temper in check. In many scenes, he’s merely observing as he waits to unleash that inner beast. His two pals talk a “big game” but Pollono’s glare tells us that he will follow through on any threat. A big source of his anger is his toxic, belittling ex Karen, played with brassy bad-girl spunk by the energetic Spiro. She makes Karen a true tornado of chaos. It’s easy to see where Crystal gets much of her “tough chick” attitude. Bravo has the “stones” to spare, but she’s also the real glowing beacon of optimism for the group so battered by life. She’s got a chance to escape, and Bravo conveys that hunger for a brighter future. And as a flip on that, House’s Chad is the poster boy for pampered privilege as his smug smirk oozes with condescension while dealing with those out of his social status.

Oh, I didn’t mention that Frank…er..Mr. Pollono actually wrote and directed this, based on his stage play and short film? And he does a fairly decent job with the pacing, knowing when to focus on one of the principals and when to capture the big action set pieces. Unfortunately, some of the film’s stage roots are showing as many indoor exchanges are abruptly curtailed so that the camera can get some of the exterior scenery. Sometimes it helps to bust up the long conversational exchanges, but more often it makes us wonder why they want to “brave the chill”. And there are a couple of fantasy sequences inserted for more cinematic effect, though a nostalgic memory is given a bizarro slant when ten-year-old boys play young Frank and Terry while the adult Whigham is his “kid-self”. And some of the dialogue just doesn’t ring true, especially Chad’s snarky threats, or Packie’s “out of nowhere” “c#*%-blocking” of Terry (what guy would do that). It doesn’t help that these lines are smothered with thick dialects that seem somewhere between Seth Meyer’s “Boston Accent” movie trailer parody and SNL’s recent “Murdur Durdur” spoof. It all leads up to a convoluted crazy “slap-dash” conclusion that feels all too tidy. But mostly we’re just worn out by the macho “preening” which makes SMALL ENGINE REPAIR a big loud letdown.

1.5 Out of 4

SMALL ENGINE REPAIR opens in select theatres on Friday, September 10, 2021

TOGETHER – Review

(l-r) Sharon Horgan and James McAvoy in Stephen Daldry’s TOGETHER.
Photo credit: Peter Mountain / © Arty Films Ltd. 2021. Courtesy of Bleecker Street.

Pandemic lock-down was such a universal experience that it was inevitable there would be a film about it. James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star in TOGETHER, award-winning director Stephen Daldry’s (BILLY ELLIOT, THE HOURS) take on that. The film follows a British couple from the beginning of lock-down to the present, as they shelter in place with their young son, taking us through the many shared experiences of the pandemic and the particular personal struggles of this family. The problem is that the unnamed couple McAvoy and Horgan play are notably irritating people who hate each other and complain vehemently to us, the audience, about their mutual dislike. Daldry’s film is being billed as a comedy but it is more of the uncomfortable humor type in this lock-down tale with a couple who acknowledge they already hate each other even as the door slams shut.

There is a kind of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” vibe to this tale and it also quickly becomes clear we, the audience, are in for a bumpy night, or at least for the hour and a half of the film’s running time.

What makes this film worth watching are the sterling performances. McAvoy and Horgan are put through their actor’s paces, as they go through a year of pandemic, experiences that changes them individually and their relationship. Although McAvoy is the better known actor, he is well-matched with Horgan, who gives as good as she gets, balancing their fiery, snarky back-and-forth. At first the complaints are all about each other but slowly they turn their focus to the pandemic itself, brilliantly conveying the fears, the anger, the pressures, the anguish and the all the subtle changes wrought by lock-down and the pandemic. In the hands of lesser actors, this immersion in their toxic relationship would have been unbearable but McAvoy and Horgan create an appeal beyond the crusty surface.

Stylistically, TOGETHER startles us from the start. As almost as soon as McAvoy reaches the couple’s kitchen, he turns and addresses the camera, reeling off a list of things he hates about her. At first, we don’t know if this is an internal dialog we are hearing, as she ignores him, but soon Horgan turns to the camera with her list of reasons she hates him. They then alternate between complaining to each other about the other, or appealing to us for support of their viewpoint. They seem only to agree on how much they despise the other. It leaves the audience feeling like the friend listening to a couple he/she knows bickering, a couple who take turns appealing to the friend for validation. A decidedly squirm-inducing situation.

TOGETHER is a very dialog heavy film, basically a filmed play, but that seems appropriate for its subject. With that much dialog, good acting is critical but fortunately James McAvoy, using his little-heard natural Scottish accent, and Sharon Horgan are excellent. Although essentially a filmed play, clever photography and colorful set decoration and costuming help distract us from that, keeping the focus on the actors and the unfolding crisis or moment.

Why would you agree to lock-down with someone you hate? The unnamed couple claim that they are staying together for their son (Samuel Logan), who is called Arthur by his mother and Artie by his father, but that seems unconvincing. They are mismatched from the start. She is a liberal who works for a non-profit doing social aid work, the daughter of a dentist and a mother she describes as “old school communist.” He is a conservative, who came from the working classes but is now a successful entrepreneur, who brags about his Mercedes and wealth and disparages those who do not pull themselves up by their bootstraps as lazy. He accuses her of being “holier-than-thou” and she accuses him of being cold-hearted. Why they are together is a mystery but it quickly becomes clear that this couple has co-exited in this state of mutual loathing for some time, and we suspect they both get something out of this hostile relationship.

As the lock-down starts, the couple tell us they have made the decision not to include their son’s sole surviving grandparent, her mother, in their sheltering-in-place pod .They argue her mother, who has multiple health issues, she is better off with her visiting caregivers. They hope to move her to a nursing home, called a care home in Britain, where she “will be safe.”

Even though this film is set in Great Britain, the shared experiences of pandemic are much the same as here. We start with the rush to lock-down, toilet paper shortages and store shelves picked clean, The film then takes us through the unfolding pandemic chronologically, in periodic vignettes, each starting with a text showing the current number of COVID cases in Britain, and later vaccinations. At first all their venom is directed towards each other, along with shock at empty grocery shelves and similar shortages. They don’t know how long lock-down will last but seem to believe it can’t last that long, As the COVID horror unfolds and cases soar, they become more fearful, and more anger shift towards government’s poor response, the breakdown in supply chains, and then devastating decisions about nursing homes, as they are soon able to move her mother to one.

While the couple continue to complain about each other and over-share about their sex lives, eventually the sheer weight of all that is happening during the pandemic shifts their viewpoint, and they start to think more beyond themselves. James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan are excellent and riveting in this film, fiery and caustic to start, outraged at the situation and the lack of preparedness on the part of government, and heartbroken and helpless as the pandemic reaches into their lives. There is a heartbreaking scene where human touch would matter so much but the need to self-isolate prevents it. McAvoy subtly shifts his character from hard arrogance to a more human, emotional view, a moving and touching transformation. Horgan likewise softens her judgementalness, forced to face that not all is in her control and that she has flaws like anyone. There is a moment of elation as the vaccines are distributed, before frustration emerges when vaccine refusals stymies hopes to quickly get back to normal. The film ends with the characters feeling that the pandemic experience has changed things, although there is a lingering suspicion it hasn’t.

Stephen Daldry’s tale gives us a high-energy recap of our shared pandemic experience, spiked with incisive insights, through the evolving relationship of a sharp-tongued couple, an experience greatly enhanced by shining performances by James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan. TOGETHER opens Friday, August 27, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

NINE DAYS – Review

Left to Right: Winston Duke as Will, Zazie Beetz as Emma in NINE DAYS.
Photo by Michael Coles. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. © Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

In the Sundance hit NINE DAYS, a serious, melancholy man interviews candidates in a nine-day process to pick one to be born, in a supernatural drama. NINE DAYS takes a different, more existential approach to a concept that has long fascinated Hollywood, movies about reincarnation, rebirth and other worldly characters watching over people on earth. NINE DAYS leaves any theological or philosophical interpretation of who, what or where these characters are up to the audience, only providing some basic information, and focuses on questions of humanity and life itself, an exploration it grounds in a real-world, contemporary situation, as candidates are put though an extended job interview in which souls are put through a series of tests to determine who gets to be born.

Will’s (Winston Duke) job is to keep an eye on a group of people on Earth. He lives alone in a little house that is isolated in a desert-like expanse, and spends his days watching old-fashioned TVs with POV feeds of these people’s lives. Serious, reserved and slightly sad, Will meticulously takes notes on what he sees, makes VHS tapes of parts of their lives, and carefully files those tapes and notes in folders in steel filing cabinets. The buttoned-down Will has a frequent visitor, chatty Kyo (Benedict Wong), whose friendly demeanor contrasts starkly with Will’s quiet reserve. Kyo shows up with supplies and a request to watch Will’s TVs. They chat about the people on the TVs like they are characters in TV shows they enjoy, particularly anticipating upcoming highlights like one woman’s wedding and another’s concert, which they watch together.

When one of Will’s charges, a favorite named Amanda, suddenly dies in an auto accident, it hits him hard. It also creates an opening in Will’s charges, which he must fill with a new soul. Will gets to work quickly, selecting seven candidates, newly-born souls, to fill the slot.

This is writer/director Edson Oda’s first feature film and it is an impressive debut. The intriguing premise and the characters draw you in immediately, and Oda presents these diverse personalities in a kaleidoscope fashion framed by the interviews and Will’s discussions with Kyo. The Japanese Brazilian writer/director uses the extended job interview premise as a way for people to connect with the story and get to know the characters. The primary focus of the film is on the characters, especially Will, exploring human dreams and human differences, with gentle, indirect reflections on life and human nature in all its form.

Will selects seven candidates to interview and test over a maximum of nine days, new-born souls whose existence will end shortly if they are eliminated from consideration. Each is told he/she will be born into a loving family and a comfortable life, so these are prime life assignments. We later learn that others are doing work similar to Will’s, making their own selections from pool of souls, like picking from a group of job applicants.

The seven candidates, Emma (Zazie Beetz), Kane (Bill Skarsgård), Alexander (Tony Hale), Maria (Arianna Ortiz), Mike (David Rysdahl), Anne (Perry Smith) and Colleen (Geraldine Hughes), are a wide range of personalities, which director Oda uses as a kind of snap shot of humanity. The mix and their differing reactions are fascinating, as is how Will responses, while maintaining his poker-face demeanor.

Most of the invited candidates are on time but one, Emma (Zazie Beetz), shows up much later. Will does not even want to talk to her, but Kyo lets her in, forcing Will to consider her. She is so unique, always inquisitive and with an independent streak, that he adds her to his list anyway.

One of the few things we learn about Will is that he was once alive, a requirement for his job. Kyo, we learn, has never been alive but is Will’s supervisor, overseeing his work and advising occasionally but the decision is ultimately Will’s. The candidates, the souls, are a variety of types and most, but not all, present as younger adults.

The candidates are winnowed down over the nine days, though a series of tests and assignments. One big assignment is to watch the POV feeds of other lives and take notes, and share thoughts with Will. The candidates do not interact with each other, just Will and sometimes Kyo, until very late in the film. Will does not share with any of them what he is looking for, telling them only “there are no right or wrong answers” in the manner of psychologist, But his conversations with Kyo reveals he is looking for a certain resilience to face life and also perhaps uniqueness.

Will’s own existence is very circumscribed, limited to his house and the immediate surroundings. It is a comfortable little house with a sort-of 40s decor and a little white picket fenced yard, but it is isolated, with no other buildings in sight on the flat desert-like landscape. People walk to the house from unseen locations. The house seems to act like a protective shell for Will, as does his reserved demeanor and rigid routines, and there is a sense of mystery and melancholy around him. We learn little of Will’s previous life but the quizzical, curious Emma challenges and upends Will’s well-worn pattern, forcing him to reflect on his life and reveal a bit.

Oda draws on observations of life and humanity for his innovative, involving film, He edits it masterfully, cutting from candidate to candidate as Will goes through his interview questions and challenges, which gives us a glimpse of each person’s reaction to the problem. Some characters we get to know better than others, as the group is narrowed every day. As candidates are winnowed down, some just disappear but for others, we get to see a final experience drawn from what they have watched of life, a kindness provided by Will. These final thoughtful gestures reveal a deep sensitivity beneath Will’s reserved, formal manner.

Some are eliminated quickly, and we don’t really get to know them much. But Will offers each a chance to experience a little of the life they have observed on the POV feeds but will not have, a kindness that other interviewers don’t offer. We witness a few of those, some of the drama’s most poignant moments.

The acting is impressive to say the least, particularly Winston Duke as Will, but extending to all the cast. Duke slowly peels back layers of the closed-in Will, showing us hints of the reason for the pain and sadness we sense beneath his rigid veneer. Benedict Wong provides the perfect foil for Will’s reserve but it is the questioning Emma who really cracks his glassy surface.

While the whole story takes place in various rooms of Will’s house and the surrounding barren but bracing landscape, the film is opened up by beautiful, sweeping photography by cinematographer Wyatt Garfield which creates the perfect setting for Oda’s thoughtful, involving drama.

NINE DAYS offers an intriguing premise to explore human life, featuring impressive acting performance, skillful direction and striking photography, all woven into an affecting, thought provoking drama, in an impressive directorial debut. If you like good drama, good acting, and are intrigued by how differently people see the same thing, this excellent film should be on your list of ones to see.

NINE DAYS opens Friday, August 6, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

STILLWATER- Review

As the Summer dwindles down into its final weeks, many Americans are hoping to make that final yearly vacation trip to a foreign land (with a new covid surge, that may prove very difficult right now). That notion’s at the core of this week’s new film release as a stoic simple man from the “plains” travels to one of Europe’s centers of high culture, a fabled section of France. Oh, and he doesn’t speak the language. Sounds like a “fish-out-of-water” culture-clash comedy. Oh no, it’s just the opposite. He’s on a desperate quest to save his daughter’s life, as she faces what could turn into a “death sentence” in a prison thousands of miles from her hometown in Oklahoma called STILLWATER.

The story begins just a few miles outside of that city as “between jobs” oil rigger Bill Baker (Matt Damon) picks up a few bucks as part of a “clean up crew” helping to clear the debris left from a tornado strike in a rural community. From there, he’s off to an interview at a construction site. The next morning Bill meets with his former mother-in-law Sharon (Deanna Dunagan) before his overseas visit with his daughter. Bill scoops up some last-minute gifts (an “Aggies” sweatshirt is a must) at the airport before his long flight to Marseille, France. He checks into a modest international hotel chain and encounters a cute eight-year-old girl playing in the hallway outside his room. From there he’s off to see his twenty-something daughter…at the women’s prison. Alison (Abigal Breslin) is five years into her sentence, convicted for the murder of her college roommate/lover Lina. During their monitored visit, she slips him a note, written in French, for her local legal team. He takes it to the law offices, but Abigal’s lawyer insists that her request will not prompt a new trial and that she must accept her fate. Returning to his hotel, Bill spots that same little girl sitting on the floor near a room. After a few words and lots of pantomimes, he learns that Maya (Lilou Siavaud) has been locked out of her room. Bill takes her to the front desk and aids in getting a new key card. Later her grateful mother, an aspiring actress named Virginie (Camille Cottin) knocks on his door and thanks him. Bill takes her up on her offer of help and asks her to translate Abigail’s note. In it, she tells of a visit from a former teacher who passes on a story from another student who had a bar conversation with a young man named Akim who boasted that he had gotten away with murder. Though Abigal calls him “inept’ in the letter, Bill contacts several local private detectives. One is sympathetic, though his fees are very high. He tells of connections in the police force, who could help with a DNA match if Bill could provide one of the “accused”. Thus begins his extended stay, as Bill decides to somehow track down this “braggart’ and free his only daughter from life inside a foreign jail.

Damon adds another superb portrayal to his ever-growing list of unique screen performances. There’s nothing “flashy” about Bill Baker, who could completely blend in at any rural small town or village in the US. In France, he somewhat “sticks out” though he never calls attention to himself. He’s reserved and emotionally restrained, but, in a play on his hometown (and the film’s title), his “still waters” run very deep. As the story progresses, we get several insights into his past: he lashed out at the local press during Abigal’s trial, incurring an assault charge. Many years before that he retreated into a bottle, perhaps spurring the suicide of his wife, Abigail’s mom. But through Damon’s intense stare with those dark half-lidded eyes, we see a man lurching himself toward redemption. Perhaps helping to free Abby will clean his messy “slate”. Even his new role as “manny” to Maya is a chance for a “do-over”. Bill has an inner strength, but he’s not a country “riff” on Jason Bourne, as he can barely keep himself mobile, let alone taking on the shadowy figures that spy on him from the widows of the slums. Damon shows us his trepidations as he must suddenly make life-changing decisions without really thinking things through. He makes this weary “everyman’ worthy of our emotional investment. He’s truly riveting in the strained encounters with Breslin as the volatile and dark Abigail. She keeps her papa at a distance, going through the gestures of a family: an awkward hug and brief clasping of hands. Her issues with Bill may have hastened her decision to place an ocean between them, but he’s her last real lifeline now. Still, she’s short and impatient with him, perhaps to continue her rejection of his previous lifestyle. Her mixed emotions are in her body language as she delves into the twisted relationship with her late lover. Later she’s given a “day pass’, but a trip to the beach with Bill only adds to her despair. She haunts his thoughts, but his mind is eased by the new friendship (could it blossom into a bit more) with the intellectual Virginie played with warmth and empathy by Cottin. She knows this gruff “cowboy” is the opposite of her cultural roots, but she is moved by his desperation. And she’s touched by his tender, but firm, handling of her spirited child, played by the adorable Siauvard as Maya. If her cooing of “Beeel” doesn’t melt your heart, check for ice water in your veins.


Oh, and this drama marks the return of director Tom McCarthy, the Oscar-winning talent behind SPOTLIGHT. He goes for an emotional portrait of these flawed characters, rather than exploiting the real-life inspiration (the ups and downs of the Amanda Knox saga) for the tragedy at the story’s center. Perhaps it’s because he also contributed to the unpredictable screenplay, aiding Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain, and Noe Debre. There’s no white hats (or caps) and black hats as there’s plenty of grey in the moral decisions made and actions taken. McCarthy makes expert use of the French locales, exposing its beauty, but also its ugly “underbelly” (seems there’s a lot of immigrant intolerance overseas). And there are no clear-cut winners, as the conclusion leaves room for much regret and remorse. McCarthy has concocted a most nourishing meal with healthy dollops of drama, mirth, and gritty, nail-biting suspense. Moviegoers will enjoy the complex, riveting journey of these displaced lost souls hailing from STILLWATER.

3.5 Out of 4

STILLWATER opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, July 30, 2021

JOE BELL- Review

This time of year is often thought of as a perfect time for strengthening family bonds. And now this new Summer flick explores this, an “inspired by true events” tale of a father and son, who seem to have little in common aside from DNA. So, are they trying connect via a sport like baseball, or perhaps working on a house or on restoring an old car? No, they’re taking a trip across the USA…the long way…on foot. Of course, there’s more to this journey than leisurely taking in the site from ground level. No, it’s more of a mission to stand up to the forces of ignorance and intolerance, That’s the plan of this story’s weary patriarch, a simple small-town fella’ named JOE BELL.

As this story begins, we’re right alongside Joe (Mark Wahlberg) as he’s pulling a cart that holds his tent, water, and supplies, trudging down a winding road as cars and trucks whiz past. Luckily his eldest son Jadin (Reid Miller) is always “nearby”. The two joke and tease as Joe makes it to a nearby town and addresses another gathered group about the terrors of bullying. The walks and “the talks” are all in support of Jadin. As they hunker down for the night, Joe checks in with his wife Lola (Connie Britton) back in their small Oregon town. We then flashback to earlier in 2013, before the trek, when Jadin came out to Joe, Though he was a bit befuddled, Joe didn’t reject his gay son, reaffirming his love and support. Unfortunately, Jadin felt none of that at his high school, aside from his cheerleading sisters (he’s the only male). When the jeers and harassment escalate, Joe insists that Jadin fight back, but the odds are too great. He can’t “duke it out” with almost everybody. The school administration offers no help and even suggests that he transfer to another district. Then social media trolls attack, as do the “locker room’ thugs. Joe and Connie are there for him, but can’t protect him. Eventually, Joe decides to spread the word, so he enlists sponsors to fund his walking cross-country trek. But can one man stop, or even lessen, the hate?

In the title role, Wahlberg tones down his macho heroic persona to become a believable working-class “everyman”, one whose virtue and sincerity reflect his quieter “heroic’ attributes. Through his voice inflection and awkward stares, we see Joe’s inner conflict as he pushes down the small-town small-mindedness he absorbed growing up in order to try and nurture his son. He can’t quite understand him, or his needs, but truly wants to be a “solid rock’ for Jadin. As that offspring, Miller projects his own strength and vulnerability, never becoming a “symbolic martyr”. He refuses to “blend in” while knowing that his own sense of style etches a glowing target on him. Miller makes us feel his despair as Jadin is pulled under as friends and family flail about and fumble with that needed lifeline. As the family matriarch, Britton as Lola acts as the uniting glue for father and son. She’s more on Jadin’s “wavelength’ and works to expand Joe’s sensibilities and empathy. But Britton shows us her struggles as Joe’s journey leaves her at home to lull herself to sleep with wine and cigarettes. But there’s still another youngster at home to raise. Maxwell Jenkins plays Jadin’s kid brother Joseph, who must deal with the family forces beyond his young mind. It’s a subtle sensitive performance, as “little Joe” must assume a more active role in keeping the Bells unified. Oh, and there’s a lovely “late in the story” supporting work by Gary Sinise as an unlikely kindred soul Joe encounters on that long road.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green keeps the story moving at a brisk pace for most of its sparse 90 minutes, guiding his entire cast to good effect, and makes effective use of the varied landscapes and atmosphere, giving us a taste of all the seasons. The screenplay from Diana Ossana and Larry McMurty never hammers at the heartstrings, though the film almost sinks into melodramatic misery. With that modest runtime, a few more minutes could have been added to give us more insight. Just how does Joe convince his home area to fund his mission (though kudos for showing the ugly side of villages too often “sugar-coated” in the media, from Bedford Falls to Mayberry)? We get bits of Joe’s clunky speeches, but when he nearly gives up, we don’t get much of a listen to Joe’s “second wind” as he must face a packed school gym. Plus a silly mid-film “twist” borrowed from thrillers feels a bit tacky. The film overflows with good intentions but often comes off as a slightly grittier basic cable movie, though strengthened with Wahlberg’s star charisma (usually he saves his more serious work for the Fall). And it doesn’t help that another big “franchise” star is “dressing down” more successfully in an upcoming flick as a “working stiff” (and what does Joe do for a living). Still, the film’s message is delivered with heart and “shoe leather” by the quiet gentleman named JOE BELL.

2.5 Out of 5

JOE BELL opens in select theatres on Friday, July 23, 2021

SEKTA – TV Series Review

Marta Kessler as Kira and Svetlana Khodchenkova as Lilya in “Sekta.” Courtesy of MHZChoice.com

Good news, of a sort. The US is apparently not the only country having problems with cults. The Russian TV miniseries “Sekta” (“The Sect”) dramatizes the emotional and physical brutality of what cults can do to the gullible, and how hard it can be for others to rescue and de-program the victims. Powerful, if unpleasant, to witness, yet seemingly insightful and realistic about short and long-term effects on all touched by such situations.

The protagonist is a nurse, Lilya (Svetlana Khodchenkova), who helps a trio of parent-hired freelancers after they’ve managed to retrieve an unwilling Nika (Anastasiya Chistyakova) from her large, violent cult. The leader is a charismatic guy who claims the usual sort of insight beyond this lifetime, and a path to eternal bliss. They have no problem using any means to retake Nika, who supposedly is the key to their ritual ascension. They are also extremely well-funded, with clout in high places to keep the cops away. The proceedings are further complicated by Lily’s baggage from her previous trauma in another cult, and raising a young daughter, Kira (Marta Kessler), who may have some powers of her own. Lilya’s problems from that ordeal may not be completely behind her in several respects.

The early going is rather confusing, with numerous flashbacks delaying our understanding of what’s going on now, and what it all means. But patience will be rewarded, as the past and current story lines converge into an action-packed chain of events. Nika has been thoroughly brainwashed, and staunchly resists the process of returning to what we call a normal life. The “cure” often seems almost as bad as the indoctrination had been.

The sets are excellent for their bleakness that suits the subject matter. First-rate performances from the three women and Filipp Yankovski, as Berk the creepy, mesmerizing leader of Nika’s cult. He resembles a young Royal Dano, for those who recall that great character actor of yore. Gaunt and driven, one sees how his special brand of narcissistic psychopathy could reel in those who feel lost and adrift in their communities. Leaders of religious and political cults generally seem so certain of whatever they’re spewing, that the “Kool-Aid” seems plausible, and better than any other options they perceive.

Watching this is not a relaxing binge. But if you’re in the mood for something serious, with the bonus of the rare opportunity to see what Russians are viewing, it’s a good bet. “Sekta,” in Russian with English subtitles, is streaming now on MHZChoice.com

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

HERE WE ARE – Review

Shai Avivi as Aharon and Noam Imber as his son Uri, in Nir Bergman’s Israeli/Italian drama HERE WE ARE, one of the films at the 2021 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. Courtesy of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.

The soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s THE KID opens the father-son tale HERE WE ARE, award-winning Israeli director Nir Bergman’s heart-warming, insightful drama about a father’s devotion to his son, who is on the autism spectrum. Dad Aharon (Shai Avivi) willingly gave up his successful career as an artist to care for his son Uri (Noam Imber). The two are very close and have built a life of reassuring routine that involves Chaplin’s film about a father and son, trips on the train, bike rides, and pasta stars for lunch. But Uri is a young adult now and Aharon’s ex-wife, Uri’s mother, Tamara (Smadar Wolfman), thinks it is time for him to move to a group home with other young people with autism. Tamara supports father and son financially and, further, a judge agrees with her and there is a court-order that allows her to move her son to the nice facility she has picked out.

Aharon resists, insisting Uri is not ready, but eventually he is resigned to the move. The day of the move, Aharon and Uri take one of their train outings in the morning but when time comes to go home and get ready to move, Uri has a melt down and refuses to get on the train. Aharon makes a snap decision to go on the run with Uri, convinced his son is not ready for the change.

The journey takes them through several locations, a road trip that proves to be an eye-opening experience, revealing strengths and limitations of both father and son, aspects obscured before in their quiet routine. Bergman’s beautifully constructed film uncovers these details in masterful style but the power of the film finally rests on the two wonderful performances at the story’s center. Both Shai Avivi as Aharon and Noam Imber as Uri are outstanding, flawlessly portraying nuances of the characters and their close relationship. Bergman brilliantly uses the Chaplin film as a touchstone, another story of a close father and son fleeing the authorities, evoking it through the recurring music and clips and moments in the story.

The film gives a touching and realistic view of the challenges of autism and Noam Imber’s performance shows us a young man who is his own person, not just his diagnosis. Shai Avivi’s performance as the father is moving, touching, filled with love and commitment to his son, and doing what is best for him.

HERE WE ARE is a wonderful, moving film experience, one well worth seeking out. Director Nir Bergman, and actors Noam Imber and Shai Avivi all won Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscar, three of the four this Israeli-Italian drama won. This human drama touches our hearts, but also offers an honest portrait and true insights on their experience, until the story reaches its satisfying conclusion.

HERE WE ARE is part of the virtual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival 2021, which starts Sunday, June 6, and runs through Sunday, June 13. Tickets are $14 per film, or an All-Access Pass for all 13 festival films, plus a bonus short, is $95. Tickets and passes give viewing access to all members of a household. All films and discussions can be viewed anytime during the festival, except for BREAKING BREAD, which is only available June 6-8. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the festival website at stljewishfilmfestival.org.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

CRISIS – Review

Scene from the opioid crisis thriller CRISIS, starring Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly, and Armie Hammer. Photo: Philippe Bosse. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

The crisis at the center of writer/director Nicholas Jarecki’s thriller CRISIS is the opioid crisis. The fact-inspired thriller CRISIS runs on three lines – a whistle-blowing scientist, a woman recovering from addiction to prescription painkillers unraveling a tragic mystery,, and an undercover DEA agent trying to break up a drug ring running prescription painkillers across the US-Canadian border. The triple thriller has a lot of threads to keep track of but CRISIS features a sterling cast headed by Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly, and Armie Hammer.

Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly and Armie Hammer all head up separate narrative threads that represent different aspects of the vicious circle of the opioid crisis. Although the Covid pandemic has pushed all other crises off the headlines, this one has continued to grow and will quickly re-emerge in the public sphere. Jarecki tackles the whole of the opioid problem, from the over-prescribing of drugs deemed safe, often rushed to market by large drug companies more focused on profit than careful research, and then their transformation into street drugs.

The Canadian/Belgian production CRISIS tells its tale through three threads, with different individuals battling the tragic situation from perspectives, story lines that alternate throughout the film. Gary Oldman plays Dr. Tyrone Brower, a university biology professor who also does research for a drug company as a way to fund his lab’s other research, but runs into trouble when he uncovers a problem with the company’s latest painkiller, which is on the verge of FDA approval. Brower is under pressure from the drug company whose research he does but also Dean Talbot (Greg Kinnear) of the university where he works.

Armie Hammer plays Jake Kelly, an undercover DEA agent tracing the illegal movement of opioids across the US – Canadian border. Kelly has infiltrated a Montreal-based drug operation headed by gang boss known as Mother (Guy Nadon). At the same time, he is dealing with his own drug-addicted younger sister Emmie (Lily-Rose Depp). Nicholas Jarecki appears in his own film as Stanley Foster, Jake Kelly’s undercover partner, while Michelle Rodriguez plays Supervisor Garrett, Kelly’s boss at the DEA.

Evangeline Lilly plays Claire Reimann, a recovering opioid addiction, whose addiction started with a prescription after an accident, who is racked with doubts and guilt about that as he raises her son as a single parent, When her son goes missing, she is frantic but when the police suggest her son’s disappearance may be linked to illegal drug trafficking, she decides to uncover the truth.

Nicholas Jarecki’s dramatic thriller with alternating, overlapping stories will remind some of 2005’s CRASH and other overlapping-stories films, although not all of the threads come together so neatly in CRISIS. Still, opioid addiction is such a huge and growing problem that has been overshadowed, like everything else, by the pandemic, so the film takes on a worthy topic

The individuals are fictional but the crisis depicted is quite real. The plot explores the opioid crisis through the whole chain that drives it, including drug companies developing the prescription drugs that are later turned into street drugs, the law enforcement battle against powerful drug runners, and the struggles of those who become addicted through prescription and their families. It is a lot of territory to cover in a single film, and Jarecki does sometimes struggle to keep all the balls in the air, not always completely successfully. Still the film’s important topic, and the parts that do succeed, make the film worthwhile as well as involving entertainment, a good combination.

The film alternates between the three story lines in a balanced fashion, and develops into a thriller of sorts as the complications and twists unfold. Eventually, two of the three threads converge but the lack of integration of the third one, perhaps the most significant one, leaves the film feeling a bit less dramatically balanced than it might have been.

The production was shot in Canada and features some scenic dramatic sequences, particularly the opening one in the snowy mountains as law enforcement chase a young man smuggling drugs across the US-Canadian border. Generally the photography by Nicolas Bolduc is nicely done, and he does a fine job keeping the pace up as the drama moves into a thriller mode.

Acting is very good all around. Unsurprisingly, Gary Oldman is excellent as the scientist caught in a murky dilemma between his ethical standards and practical concerns about keeping his lab running. Under pressure between the drug company that funds his lab and the dean of his college, Oldman gives a moving performance and a man who must sort through his feelings, the facts and potential consequences. Evangeline Lilly is likewise effective as Claire Reinmann, a recovering addict who became hooked on opioids after an injury, whose fragile emotional state is shaken when her son suddenly disappears and the police suggest a link to drugs, a situation that Lilly explores with heartbreaking, nuanced sensitivity in her excellent performance. Even Armie Hammer, who is not in the same acting league as Oldman or Lilly, is well cast in his role as the iron-jawed undercover agent, and does well in the part. He handles both the action hero-type scenes and in the ones requiring more dramatic finesse well, including those with Lilly-Rose Depp, who plays his drug addicted sister.

THE CRISIS strikes the mark unerring accuracy in its exploration of the various elements that fuel the opioid crisis, and provides a timely reminder of this expanding crisis, which may have been pushed off the headlines by the pandemic but has by no means gone away. THE CRISIS is available on demand and on digital starting March 5.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

THE MAURITANIAN – Review

Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou Slahi, a Mauritanian detainee at Guantanamo, in the drama THE MAURITANIAN. Photo courtesy of STX Films.

Golden Globe nominations went to Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster for their excellent performances in the true-story Gitmo drama THE MAURITANIAN, in which Rahim plays a man detained for years at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba after being accused of being an Al Qaeda recruiter, and Foster plays the hard-nosed lawyer who insists that the Bush administration follow the rule of law, by charging either charging her client with a crime and giving him a trial or releasing him. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, best known for his film THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, another fact-inspired film led by a remarkable performance, and is based on “Guantanamo Diary,” the bestselling memoir of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the Mauritanian who was accused of recruiting for Al Qaeda and helping organize the 9/11 attack.

Tahar Rahim is the French-Algerian actor whose remarkable performance so riveted audiences in the international hit French crime thriller A PROPHET (“Un Prophete”). Rahim brings that same mix of crackling screen presence and charm to this role. Rahim gives a riveting performance that is perhaps better than the film itself, which sometimes strays into a stiff tone of self-aware significance, making it a less-sterling vehicle for Rahim’s sterling performance as the oddly charming, irrepressibly optimistic Mauritanian..

It is this surprising side of the real person – his likability and surprising positivity – in this fact-based story that drew producer Benedict Cumberbatch to the project. Cumberbatch also plays a role in the film, as the determined but morally-straight military prosecutor who is facing off against Jodie Foster’s courtroom argument for the defense. The real present-day Slahi is seen in a coda at the film’s end, singing along to a Bob Dylan song, in a not-to-be-missed extra.

Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) is arrested at a festive community celebration by authorities in his native North African country of Mauritanian, and then turned over to the U.S. government who believe he is a major recruiter for Al Qaeda. After being held in Gitmo for years without charge or trial, defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her assistant, a young lawyer named Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley), offer to represent him, as a way to legally challenge the Bush administration’s violation of the rule-of-law against indefinite imprisonment without charges. Opposing them in court will be a gifted military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), who lost a friend aboard on the planes hijacked in 9/11. As both sides research the case, they uncover shocking facts and a cover-up about what is happening to prisoners at Gitmo.

The legal question that Jodie Foster’s lawyer Nancy Hollander is arguing in not Slahi’s guilt or innocence, but only his right to be charged and have a trial, something the Bush administration was reluctant to do as they tried to straddle the line of rules for prisoners or war and criminal cases, trying to carve out some third way for detainees. To the film’s credit, it never paints Slahi as entirely innocence of all involvement with Al Qaeda, although perhaps more through a family member, and seems unlikely to be the major Al Qaeda recruiter or 9/11 mastermind his interrogators want to believe he is. Also to the film’s credit, the filmmakers brought in the real people involved in this case as consultants and fact-checkers.

Foster’s Nancy Holland is a tough as nails, flinty character who loves the law and in completely uninterested in her client’s guilt. By contrast, Woodley’s Teri, her young assistant, is all emotion, and even blurts out her belief in Slahi’s innocence at their first meeting. Despite her focus only on the legal issue at hand, Hollander also grows to like the charming, quirky Slahi, who poetic view of life is hard to resist. Their legal opponent, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch, is a brilliant attorney with a personal link to 9/11 but a deep faith and equally deep commitment to justice. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Couch with a passable Southern accent and brings out a dogged determination to uncover all the facts before bringing the case to the courtroom.

THE MAURITANIAN certainly has a worth premise, and seems to promise good courtroom drama too. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to get to that dramatic moment, which comes late in the film. That delay, and that the various groups are often seen in separate scenes, following their own trajectories: the lawyers researching the facts against a secretive administration the resists them both, and the prisoner enduring isolation, interrogation and then torture. The three separate story tracks makes it difficult for the drama to really catch fire, and the addition of a number of flashbacks also works against the drama really taking off. The film is at its best when it focuses on Rahim’s Slahi, coping with his isolation in heartbreaking scenes that recall prison dramas like PAPILLON, or scenes with the sharp-tongued, sharp-brained attorney Hollander, at work, or scenes with both Foster and Rahim together, of which there are too few. The scenes with Cumberbatch are also good, but we wish for more with him and Foster facing off.

THE MAURITANIAN is a good film, a sincere film with a worthy subject, and one that features a powerful central performance by Tahar Rahim but one that never fully catches fire dramatically. Still it is worth a look, for what it does have, particularly Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster.

THE MAURITANIAN opens Friday, Feb. 12, at several area theaters and will be available on-demand in March

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars