Author: Gabriella Incalza Kaplanova

Olivier Dahan’s latest work, set in the early 60s, is a fictionalized account of Grace Kelly’s early years as Princess of Monaco; Grace (Nicole Kidman) is struggling to find her place and yearns to go back to Hollywood.

Following her fairy-tale wedding, things are not as good as she had hoped. Her husband Prince Rainier III (Tim Roth), preoccupied with a threatening dispute with France’s Charles de Gaulle over tax laws, pays little attention to her and tensions at court mean Grace doesn’t know who to trust. Her husband’s circle of friends and the aristocracy in general do not accept her, as she’s nothing but the daughter of a brick builder from Philadelphia.

So, when Alfred Hitchcock offers her $1 million to star in his new movie, Marnie, she simply can’t resist and accepts his offer. But Grace’s biggest role needs to be performed in her new homeland, and will see the Princess embarking on a journey that will change the course of history.

Starring Frank Langella, Paz Vega, Parkey Posey, Derek Jacobi, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Milo Ventimiglia, Grace of Monaco is not as bad as they say. In fact, it is a rather enjoyable and entertaining take on her life.

A parade of spectacular costumes and Nicole Kidman’s close-ups dominate the screen, her performance as Grace is credible and touching. And if you don’t know that part of the world, be prepared to be let into a visually stunning setting, made of breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the rich and romantic Riviera of Monaco.

Admittedly, the film is partly let down by some flat dialogue and a never-ending and excessively sugary, stereotypically Hollywoodesque speech, when Grace introduces the 1962 Red Cross Ball. And the real House of Rainier’s royals have dismissed the film as “historically inaccurate and needlessly glamorized”.

However, Grace of Monaco is not meant to be a biopic: “I am not a journalist or historian. I am an artist – explains director Olivier Dahan – I would find it boring to have to depict facts only focusing on a character’s story. As a filmmaker, I was interested in telling how a torn woman finds it impossible, or at least very hard, to find the right balance between her life as a wife, a mother, a woman and her career. In my opinion, Grace of Monaco reflects these contradictions.”

Give Grace of Monaco a chance. Forget the idea you have of the legendary Grace Kelly and give Dahan’s portrayal a go. You might actually like it.

Fruitvale Station is an astounding, award winning fictionalized account of Oscar Grant’s last 24 hours, a young black man killed by a white police officer in Oakland, California, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2009.

Oscar (Michael B Jordan) is an ordinary man who goes about his day trying to make a change in his life. We learn quickly that he is no saint as he is often in and out of prison and has been unfaithful to his baby mama and long-term girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz). Yet, when he wakes up on New Years Eve, he is determined to turn things around.

He spends the day running errands, takes his little girl to school, tries to get his job back and, despite his financial struggles, he even turns down a potentially lucrative drug deal. We fall in love with him because Michael B Jordan’s character portrayal is impeccable and tremendously realistic; we know he is a flawed human being but he is trying his best to be a better son, a loyal dad and a loving partner.

We sit on the edge of our seats because we know what is going to happen, we’ve seen it right at the beginning. The brutality and the injustice of the incident is a gut churning experience, the portrayal in the film is just as devastating. Fruitvale Station is a must see, an enraging, modern tragedy that has shaken the US to its core.

Writer and director Ryan Coogler chose to skirt away from the political side of the events that unfolded, the riots and the media attention of this case, because “during the trial, I saw how the situation became politicized: depending on which side of the political fence people stood on, Oscar was either cast as a saint who had never done anything wrong in his life, or he was painted as a monster who got what he deserved that night”. Coogler adds “I felt that, in that process, Oscar’s humanity was lost. I wanted audiences to know that he was a real person. He was a person with real struggles and personal conflicts, but also with real hopes, and real dreams, and goals”.

Coogler decided against a documentary style because he wanted to tell this story “sooner, rather than later, because events like this keep happening”. He was driven to make this film because “I wanted to do something to make a difference, and I thought that if I could bring the story to life through art, and give audiences the chance to spend time with a character like Oscar, it could maybe lower the chances of an incident like this happening again”.

Fruitvale Station will be in UK cinemas 6 June.

@gabryhella

With some pretty harsh reviews under its belt, Fading Gigolo’s debut in the US didn’t go down well. But don’t let this put you off, as John Turturro’s film is actually a lot of fun.

Woody Allen plays Murray, who manages to convince his middle-aged pal Fioravante (Turturro), a financially strapped part-time florist, to become a gigolo. Although doubtful at first, Fioravante ends up entertaining clients like dermatologist Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone) and her wealthy friend Selima (Sofía Vergara). As ‘business’ grows through word of mouth, the pair’s financial hardships are finally over.

When quiet Fioravante meets Hassidic widow Avigal (Vanessa Paradis) the film gains some depth, as it delves into their complex relationship. Meanwhile, Murray and Fioravante’s new found fortune does not go unnoticed within Brooklyn’s unforgiving Hassidic community. Dovi (Liev Schreiber), a volunteer neighborhood patrol, is hot on their heels to find out what they and the love of his life, Avigal, are up to.

Fading Gigolo is essentially an unlikely story about loneliness, needs and desire. A fun and light hearted movie, boasting beautiful autumn shots of New York, at times it feels a bit sketchy with one dimensional characters and irrelevant details. Vanessa Paradis and Wody Allen’s performances, though, make it all worthwhile.