As a child, how did you behave towards others? Were you nice? Were you polite? Or did you cause mayhem to everyone around you? In Vincent Rene-Lortie’s new film Invincible, it tackles some issues of nostalgia, coming-of-age and teenage angst that seem to be perfectly packaged into one short film.
The film follows a young teenager named Marc who is wrapped up in a juvenile detention center for teenage boys. His defiant attitude and desire to be free remains his driving force and motivation and further explains as to why he feels unfulfilled and stagnant in a state of emotional distress and turmoil.
The film proves to be a subtle and poignant outing for the director. Rene-Lortie proves to be a talent behind the camera as he showcases a vivid stage in all of our lives as teenagers where we all thought that we knew everything and got into more trouble than we needed to without thinking too long about the consequences of our actions.
The acting is also very impeccable with a raw, visceral and surreal look with some convincing performances from the cast. It almost feels like watching a case from the hit series “Beyond Scared Straight” with a sad ending that says more about our society as a whole than it ever will say about a troubled teenager.
Looking at these personal films has always been interesting to look at and provides a glimpse into the reality of someone else, as if the audience member were watching a documentary about the person.
In conclusion, this is a film that does so much with so little and creates such a pivotal landscape that’s based on the actual person Marc-Antoine Bernier.
Memory is the type of indie movie that follows a lot of stereotypes of broken people falling for each other subgenre. It checks a lot of the boxes like the main protagonists being broken or afflicting with some sort of ailment, relatives who are trying to either keep them apart or are completely sympathetic, substance or alcohol abuse, and then some sort of sexual abuse involved. What keeps the movie from falling apart in the face of the box checks is always how much the lead couple pulls you onto their side. Thankfully, Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard deliver spectacular, emotive performances that hold the movie together.
Jessica Chastain plays Sylvia, a former alcoholic who, while attending a school reunion at the suggestion of her sister, gets followed home by what looks like a homeless person, which perturbs her. Even as she suspects he is a former classmate who might have been involved in an incident of abuse in her high school, she helps him get back home as she realizes he has no memory of how he got there. Realizing she is a social worker, his family hires her to take care of him as he has early-onset dementia. This starts the tale of an unlikely and potentially disastrous relationship between two broken people. One can’t create fresh memories and the other cannot get past her haunting memories of what happened to her.
Despite the short running time, a lot of things happen in the movie in quick succession. Scenes that feel like they serve no purpose come back later, though not always in a convincing manner. Like, take the scene where Sylvia suspects Paul of having taken part in her abuse in an incident in school. It may seem to make no sense, but it eventually proves how sometimes memory can be truly splintered and colored by our notions and inherent biases. It is also highlighted in the confrontation scene near the climax, where denying what happened becomes necessary to forget any unpleasant incidents and live in denial.
Jessica Chastain may not seem to do anything revolutionary in the movie as it is a retread of many broken characters she has done in the past. But that is a disservice to her as an actress as she makes it look easy playing a complex character who can’t get beyond her past. It is also great that she lets Peter Sarsgaard (in a Volpi Cup best actor winning performance). He is just as splendid as the guy who has dementia. All the hints of his problems are more subtle and there is no hamminess in his performance, though there are ample chances to do so. That is the much-discussed scene involving him and his simple midnight search for the bathroom. Though the scene cuts away early, his confusion and desperation make the scene relatable.
The supporting cast ably supported them, including Jessica Harper, Josh Charles, and Merritt Wever. But the way these three people have been painted in broad strokes makes the check boxes mentioned earlier obvious. Josh Charles gets the most thankless role here as the brother of Paul. He seems designed someone there to keep them away from each other even though it makes reasonable sense to an outsider that they may cause potential harm to each other if left unchecked. Jessica Harper is the mother who is in denial of what repeatedly happened to her daughter, while Merritt Wever plays the supportive sister who has a genuine concern for her wellbeing despite both having splintered memories of what happened to her. The former’s colored by her denial and the latter’s by her age.
However, the lead characters undeniably win you over despite the many faults in the movie. As stated earlier, sometimes the characters and situations almost border on the stereotypes of the genre. The level of engagement you get from the movie would depend on how much you end up rooting for the central characters. Even if you end up rooting for them, it ends with a feeling that the cycle of separation and reunion could continue.
MEMORY is in UK and Irish cinemas from 23rd February memoryfilm.uk
Another addition to Prime’s ever-growing collection of romcoms, Upgraded is a delightful little romp through London and young love. At a time when many viewers have been lamenting the perceived decline in noughties-style romcoms, rising star Carlson Young brings us a most welcomed hit in Upgraded – eagle-eyed viewers may spot the director in a blink-and-you-miss it cameo during the opening credits. Starring in the lead role is Camila Mendes, fresh off the back of the long-running series Riverdale. After the fantastic 2022 Netflix revenge comedy Do Revenge, Mendes is clearly finding her stride in quirky youth comedies.
Not a million miles away from the life of Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada, Ana Santos (Mendes) is an ambitious intern for Erwins, a high-class New York art auction house. Helming the highly esteemed institution is Claire (Marisa Tomei), Ana’s comedically curt boss, and whose insufferably unpleasant assistant drones Suzette (Rachel Matthews, also of Do Revenge repute) and Renee (Fola Evans-Akingbola) seem determined to make Ana’s work life as uncomfortable as possible.
After being unexpectedly roped into a last-minute work trip to London, the eager-to-please Ana finds herself in the prime position to impress the intimidating Claire and earn herself a glowing reference so she’ll be able to open her own art gallery in future. At the airport, she learns that Claire’s callous assistants deliberately booked her in the most uncomfortable seat possible in a later flight. Having been witness to the way in which she was treated, the understanding airport ticket agent (Juliet Agnes) upgrades Ana to First Class for free.
As interesting twists of fate have a knack of carving romcom destinies, a spilt Bloody Mary in the First Class airport lounge leads Ana towards the effortlessly charming William (Archie Renaux), who also happens to be her seat neighbour for the trip across the pond – a coincidence only possible in a story like this. A small white lie about occupying Claire’s position as director of Erwins leads her into an inescapable pit, and after meeting Will’s eccentric actress mother Catherine (Lena Olin), owner of a small collection of startlingly notable paintings, Ana finds herself resigned to her lie. And as all good lies do, this white lie predictably snowballs away at breakneck pace.
The premise of Upgraded hardly brings a great deal of new material to the table, but it’s at least serviceable enough to squeeze out a charming and genuinely fun experience.
Though the romance between Ana and Will spreads its wings fairly early on, it noticeably takes a step back, being left on the back burner as Ana’s professional ambitions take precedence. For a romcom, this may raise some eyebrows, but it somehow feels right here; the biggest success of Upgraded resides not in its story, but in its characters and their interactions.
Upgraded isn’t necessarily the best comedy to come out in recent years, but what makes it so good is that the cast members are clearly having a great time, and it rubs off throughout the viewing experience. Mendes is currently flourishing when selecting roles as clever, cool characters, her understated comedic chops being ideal for such a project as this. Perhaps the star of the show, Tomei is excellent as Claire, channelling her inner Miranda Priestley and sprinkling sass into every glance, grimace, and glower. Though also incredible in hard-hitting pictures like The Wrestler, Tomei continues to thrill in her more unserious roles, and this is Exhibit A.
And yet again showing his proficiency in comedies, Anthony Head is fabulous as Catherine’s camp comrade Julian Marx, who has falsely convinced the art world that he’s long-dead. Dipping her toes more into film, Derry’s own Saoirse-Monica Jackson holds her own rather well throughout her scant appearances, and she unintentionally puts herself forward as a very promising future candidate for more central roles in romcoms. Matthews and Evans-Akingbola are infuriatingly superb in their performances, their passive-aggressiveness leaving you grinding your teeth.
For those seeking an endearing Valentine’s Day watch, Upgraded more than deserves consideration for the occasion. Though hardly reinventing the wheel, the movie’s story and interactions come together to provide 104 minutes of low-stakes, highly entertaining viewing pleasure. If this is to be taken as a glimpse into their creative capabilities, actress-turned-director Carlson Young should be enlisted to direct more, and Camila Mendes should be regarded as one to watch.
With the unexpected runaway success of 2023’s Anyone But You and the warm reception this is currently experiencing, studios ought to take note: audiences want romance, and they want comedy. There’s an audience salivating at the prospect of more romcoms, and I’m part of it. Frankly, all that’s missing from Upgraded is an outtakes section for the closing credits. If we’re in the midst of a new romcom renaissance, it’s high time we brought back the bloopers reel.
The 2023 film, Tyger, tells the story of Joe, a Scottish Veteran returning from Afghanistan only to end up in jail after struggling to rejoin civilian life. The film starts with Joe freshly released from prison as he makes his way to Scotland to reunite with his family. Joe’s rough exterior, wearing tattered clothing and a long ungroomed beard pushes people away, keeping him isolated.
Strangers view him as a ‘bum’ as the film follows his long struggle trying to find a home for himself. Throughout the film Joe hardly survives and meets people only to continue on within his journey, facing judgment based on his history, how he looks and the difficulty he has in conforming to society. The film exists as a statement on mental health and the way veterans are disregarded and unable to fully integrate within society.
Tyger showcases loneliness and isolation with wide shots emphasizing how Joe is a small fish in a big world, isolated by every aspect of society. Interior shots using the building’s architecture as framework showcase the claustrophobic confines of society that Joe experiences. The film overutilized static shots and well-framed close ups but the film holds on these shots a bit too long where it drags out the length instead of saying something about these characters.
The performances were fine but no one really stood out from the rest and it felt like they were trying to hit emotional beats rather than try for a more personal angle. Events felt like they happened as we quickly moved on to the next beat.. I would have loved a more stripped down movie with Shaun Dooley’s character as centering it on someone who has lost something and is in a further stage of recovery I felt could have helped the picture more than moving onto characters so quickly that neither really stands out.
Tyger lacks an emotional center despite its important topic. Tyger fails to immerse audiences within the story and as a result it is untethered and drags on. Artistic shots that represent Joe’s isolation are visually appealing but don’t help the viewers connect to Joe in a meaningful way. What drives Joe? How does his past affect his present? These among many other questions are left unanswered.
The film tells viewers how Joe suffers rather than showing his experiences navigating the world as a veteran. Joe’s only emotional outlet is his journal, no friends or family to confide in. As we the viewers do not see the life he had with his family, the absence of Joe’s wife and daughter don’t feel real, as this loneliness lacks emotional impact and is impersonal.
This lack of connection makes Joe a poor protagonist, after all how can you root for a stranger? Throughout Tyger, many characters come and go throughout Joe’s journey but instead of feeling authentic it feels as if the dialogue is trying to hit marks to make us feel something.
Tyger’s is a film about veterans being cast out and used when they’re convenient but unfortunately the film doesn’t have anything much to say other than life is tough. While not all stories are happy, this film’s message rang hollow and inauthentic, rather than invigorating the viewer to veteran plights.
Maybe if the film condensed the locations and the characters the impact would land harder as the viewer is constantly transported from place to place. Tyger is a solid film but like Joe, it is often aimless and wandering in search of something that it hasn’t found.
I Didn’t See You There: Review. By RichardSchertzer.
Reid Davenport unveils a personal and quite unique documentary. You might wonder how someone différent from you sees the world and how they interact with other people. This documentary may answer some of your questions.
The film sees disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport making a documentary so that people see what his view of the world truly is. He goes through his life with a disability and talks with friends and family, letting them in on his film as he goes from place to place and audiences look at his daily struggles with his current circumstances.
Davenport is able to use a simple space with his personal camera and say so much while doing and having so little with his limited equipment. While many documentaries are expected to have incredibly high budgets, landscapes and equipment, Davenport is a professional at the old DIY idea and has proven that you don’t need a lot of equipment to make a thought-provoking documentary.
Its themes of loneliness and disability are prevalent and Davenport uses the film as a platform to help other disabled people feel seen and heard in a world that takes them for granted all too often.
In all honesty, some of the scenes in the film might drag for far too long and may linger for more than what it’s worth, but that isn’t really much to complain about when you are doing something out of solidarity.
All in all, this film has spunk, heart and revolutionary charm. I recommend.
