Change Your Image
AndreaBeaumont
Reviews
Coherence (2013)
movie we saw is just a single frame of the larger story
- and so would my rating, if possible, break out the limits of 1-10 What is most funny is that we cannot be sure of absolutely anything depicted, because it is likely this movie is only limited period of a story far beyond it's frame.
It is clearly shown that Laurie and Mike have no recollection of each other, as if they haven't met before. A director's clue is almost explicit in line "I guess it must be another girl that Kevin dated and Amir is hooking up with". Besides, it is stated the technology failures occurred during the day of the dinner party, the comet was affecting the world throughout some time.
The whole "original house" may not even be as original, because the group goes outside to watch the comet, and when they return in, one glass on the table is broken. It seems the have changed the entire setting (the house itself) as a unit.
Bonus clue for the never-ending ending debate: there are two rings after the comet falling apart. If material objects are preserved, so may be are people as well.. Especially if we consider another line told by Lee (or someone else), how the house is the box and they are the Schroedinger's cat. Therefore anyone in the house is not affected by outside turmoils. Original Emily has left her double in the bathtub, in the house. She simply.. cannot be dead or evaporated. Besides, if the strange effects started before the nighttime of previous day, why would they end with the sunrise? Another interesting phenomenon is the last house itself. It seems not to have been impacted at all, by the comet. No note, no one knocking, no interferences according to their behavior.
The other interesting phenomenon are the electric blackouts, happening for unknown reason. In one interview the director clued on following Emily at all times. However these blackouts are cutting us from her, and that may also be significant.
The last thing I'd like to mention is the scene by the car, where Emily and Kevin meet, and realize they're not from the same realities. This scene is one of the most eerie scenes I have ever seen.
Thank you for this movie, it is a treasure for humanity.
About Schmidt (2002)
about About Mr.Schmidt
About Schmidt is a story with a potential to become great drama, but was ruined by typical techniques for popular humor factors in movies. What I found exceptionally brave was allowing Schmidt's daughter to go through and marry a half-wit non comparable to her upbringing, intellectual level and general standards. It is obvious she let her rebellious attitude towards family history, to overcome common sense reasoning, which I find very natural and real life-like.
Her father, being emotionally detached from each others' lives, is unable to reach her - although he could have approached the subject in a better way. Her having little patience with him, and him trying to explain feelings in a non-productive way only left me a bit frustrated..
Another great component here is the ending, bitter-sweet, emotionally charging and rounding up the whole story; but leaving the viewer in a bit vague, incomplete situation. This was another genius and unconventional move, very natural to real life outcomes.
Same applies to the wedding speech, where a typical Hollywood viewer is expecting sh*t to break loose, but it never happens and instead we're absorbed in long, awkward scene - as it would be IRL.
Now, what is it that's dragging this movie down are tiny details in storytelling - especially non-creative depictions of groom's family. The jacuzzi scene is just plain trivial, and I cannot forgive it. This abiding to popular schemes of "humor does not weigh in favor to overall potential. Other occurrences (kissing a trailer-trash potential sect follower) could have been done better. Museum scenes, although reoccurring, do not offer meaning or a deeper significance, they seem to be here only to describe the trip.
Lastly, the main reason this movie will not get the recognition it deserves, is not going to extremes of intended's genre. It's very mild, slowpaced and natural (obviously my recontinuing word for describing it:)). It's not a full comedy, not a full drama, only a small homage to a life of one corporate wheel of the system and is acting accordingly. It definitely takes lots of involvement and imagination in reconstructing the full emotional display, and us Hollywood blinded faces are sure not used to it.
But don't worry Jack, this story is part of your legacy and some of us do appreciate it.
Dogville (2003)
good story, bad ending
It's pretty obvious that Grace's name represents something more than just a random name. In whole of the film her behavior, actions, reactions are not something that would be considered as "normal" human behavior in such circumstances.
She truly was the personified ideal, everything good that we all promote and imagine to accomplish in ourselves and in society. Her "arrogance" as her father defined it, is exactly it if viewed from humans' flawed perspective. But it is not arrogance! It is an ideal, and by calling it - no, by choosing to call it arrogance - we try to excuse our dishonorable behavior. That's why the ending is not logical nor justified. With choosing to step down on humans' level, get her revenge and condemn the people of Dogville to death, Grace actually negated herself and everything she was the whole time. Now, I would go even further and say, her gangster-family background is not relevant. It is shown throughout the story with her actions, and with her own saying "I've never stolen anything before. So now, now I have to punish myself. I was raised to be arrogant. So, I...I had to teach myself these things." It is clear here that no matter where she comes from, she is her own person, creates herself, is responsible to self only. There is one other sentence: "If she had acted like them she could not have defended a single one of her actions and could not have condemned them harshly enough". But it is only at the ending that Grace finds herself for the first time, at position of power - and she chooses to behave just like the flawed ones. By judging them to their own standards she actually goes against her own nature.
If the acting is right (and I don't doubt that) she watches the executions and cries, but as there is horror there is also some satisfaction in her - seems like a transformation of personality is taking place. This is interesting also from the gnosticism's point of view. If Grace is grace (Sophia), would the ending symbolize a gnostic phenomenon of "Sophia's fall from grace"?
Should they all be punished? Yes, definitely. By their own standards? Of course. But is it up to her to get down on their level as soon as she got the power and do the executioner work? In the ending, what becomes of Grace? And what is done to grace? Was there ever any, or is it the same as the writer who never wrote any.
Polisse (2011)
about dualities in this movie
This movie is not so much about children stories, nor about doing this specific police work. If it were about any of that, it would take more time and scenes to portray personalities of children abusers, the process of investigating, analyzing, preparing operations or doing treatment with victims.
It does not offer us any of that depth. It offers a couple of flashing scenes, brief stories that are just being used as everyday background and (police work) methodology - to take effect on small group of people that are of (!)seemingly random personalities.
In the movie you are being tossed right in the middle, with no character introduction. With time you will be provided with very subtle hints to reconstruct pieces (for example in some actions and some situations characters don't act according to their natural response) and that's the breaking point.
The way I saw it, personal histories and stories of police officers and of children they treat are connected. Some character insight hints are given throughout the movie, but almost every scene of child molestation story basically has - two - main protagonists to look at.
> Nora is of course connected to non-displayed daughter of a traditional Muslim father. Her reaction is so emotional it feels she shouts things she kept in for a long time
> Fred, who is constantly angered and on the outburst is connected with a homeless boy whose mother had to give him up. The boy is just so full of anger and sad and terrified; and only Fred was able to truly calm him down; and only then Fred is really showing his vulnerability.
> Nadine is connected to the girl who gave an extra push to get back her phone (it was a smart phone!) - in the whole scene she's in the background, laughing but a bit embarrassed and out of the center spot, laying low, not feeling or sharing the absurdity of the story (BTW, I just love the acting of the girl in that scene. You see in her eyes how she is slowly realizing, and how she is ashamed but also angry and deeply hurt by their laughter)
> And Iris - the last story, the closure. It has been winking at us for the entire time - her cold nature, detached; her disliking and even hatred of men; her bulimia and body-acceptance problems; identifying herself with a creature dead, gone, unwanted, sick, rotten. That happened when she was the same age as is Solal, I would guess. The contrast of her and Solal could be seen in two ways - are they opposites of character (one succumbs, the other overcomes), or is her ending also his future ending, no matter what he may accomplish in life? (she did have a very successful career after all) Can he escape his "destiny"? This is yours to conclude.
To conclude, all of this is not to represent or demonstrate police work or traumatic stories of real life. It's about past and present, about surviving, understanding, revealing the hidden. Outside of their jobs, would you make friends, hang out with these people? Or would you find Fred closed up and aggressive; Iris bitter cynic and passive aggressive; Nora a bitchy go-getter big-mouth. Outside in the real world these people are non-functioning; but when on their ground, which we all wouldn't even go near, they are heroes and experts.
To end, I would say the movie is very very emotional and even if I'm wrong with all this and over the top, I see it that way and like it that way.