La Promesse-DVD

La Promesse (1996), Dir. Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne

Someone I knew said this film was "difficult", so I hunkered down and prepared to concentrate for 93 consecutive minutes. And much to my surprise, this film was very easy to stick to. It wasn't one of those films that you struggle to get through and then pat yourself on the back for watching later. It wasn't one that seems boring during and good after.

A simple story; a promise. Set in an atmosphere of deceit and betrayal, a promise is a strange and exotic thing that no one seems to understand. However, through brilliant and human storytelling, there is never any hint as to what will happen next. What will the characters choose? Watch and find out. This story unfolds completely naturally, without the mechanisms that make for cheap theater in so many films these days.

I suppose the "difficult" part of this film comes from the humanism in it. Most of the characters are extremely complex, with good and evil in them, as well as truth and lies. Choices become suspenseful because the characters don't act like movie stars. They act like people. Also, the filmmakers opt for a spare pallette of shots, leaning towards medium and extreme close-ups for the majority of the film. Feeling trapped? Well, in case you aren't yet, they aren't going to give you any music to release the tension. Not even when they roll the credits.

As a result, I'm left with only a feeling of something I just saw. A taste in my mouth. There are no lines or melodies or wondrous shots with fancy camera movements. All that is left is a boiled down story and the promise.

Naked-VHS

Naked (1993), Dir. Mike Leigh

This is the fifth film I have seen by Mike Leigh, and by far the most difficult. This one leans more towards drama and tragedy than the others, (except Vera Drake, perhaps). The comic element is still present, but sprinkled in a much more harassing way that it is almost like a little cousin following you around everywhere. Plus, the dramatic elements are much more somber and charged than in the other films I have seen, so the amount of comedy that would be needed to offset it would be ridiculous and overbearing.

I can't say this is my favorite film by Leigh, but it still has his unmistakeable thumbprint etched into every frame. He creates a world of people with distinct personalities in distinct situations, and doesn't feel the need to explain or justify who and how they are. They just are. He doesn't ask you to like or even empathize with the characters. Not that you would anyway. The thing I like about Leigh's films, and this one in particular, is that it seems real. At the end, there is no "good guy" or "bad guy", just a bunch of people making their way. They go through things and do things with and to other people, but they don't necessarily learn or grow like they would in a Rob Reiner film. There is no lesson. There is no moral. There are only slices of lives being projected in front of you.

For that, I appreciate this film. It is definitely worth a go, as long as you have a strong stomach.

Melinda & Melinda-Theater

Melinda & Melinda (2005), Dir. Woody Allen

I have never been a fan of Woody Allen's films. I understand the neurotic nature of New York Jewish folk, I just don't think it's funny in his hands. He writes pedantic words and makes actors recite them so they'll sound elitist and smart, but they don't manage either.

That being said, I did like this film. Allen is restrained in his pontificating about the pointlessness of life, and instead riffs on the nuances that add up to make life what it is. Throw in a little commentary on perspective, and it's an entertaining (and smart) film about all the stuff of life. It also makes one wonder what perspective they aim for: tragic, or comic. I'm still not sure; they are so inextricably intertwined (a point very lightly touched on).

Allen's filmmaking abilities are just fine, although there are some awkward scenes that look as though they were framed by a high-schooler. I found myself trying to look around heads and pillars because Allen had them stacked up in a line. Irritating, but it lent a sense of 'realism' to the film, and I got used to it eventually.

The only other gripe I have about the film is Will Farrell. I'm sorry, I can't stand him. I always get the feeling that he's not natural, or that he doesn't remember what it's like to be a natural human being anymore. He ends up coming off as a ridiculous overactor constantly looking for a scene to steal. Oh well.

Anyway, I would recommend this film. It's funny, sad, interesting. And most dangerous of all, thought provoking.