Here are some lists of the 10 favourite films of 2021 from a few of writers of BRWC. A very heterogeneous selection, which partly draws the portrait of the cinema in 2021. Through musicals, dramas, horror, sci-fi etc… these lists presents the vision of cinema of many directors from all over the world.
“The Power of the Dog” is a return to feature films for Jane Campion, twelve years after “Bright Star” (2009) and after a detour through the series format with “Top of the Lake” (2013-2017). The New Zealand director has chosen Netflix to distribute her new film. Available since December 1, it will be the eighth film of her long and brilliant career.
As a reminder, before the arrival of Julia Ducournau with “Titane” this year, Jane Campion was the only woman to have won the Palme d’Or for her film “The Piano” (1993). “The Power of the Dog” won the Silver Lion for best director at the Venice Film Festival and Benedict Cumberbatch will be, for some film lovers and critics from twitter, one of the favorites for the “Best Actor” Oscar.
Jane Campion returns with an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The novel, published in 1967 had caused a scandal for having undermined the masculine and virile ideal inspired by the cowboy. It’s only in 1990 that the book will be recognized as a great success of American literature. Montana 1925, divided into five chapters, the film is based around a meeting. A meeting between two brothers Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Jesse Plemons), rich owners of land and cattle, with Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), a widow who runs a small inn and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), whose physical appearance and behavior make him ill-suited to this era and this universe where virility is a sign of strength.
Phil is a leader respected by all, nostalgic of his late mentor, whose virile behavior will take him away from empathy and emotion. Unfortunately, sometimes, the character of Phil falls into a cliché a bit crude. On the other hand, his brother George seems more thoughtful and sensitive, after twenty-five years spent with his brother taking care of the cattle, he can’t seem to stand his brother’s behavior anymore and aspires to change his life without falling into loneliness by getting married to Rose. The latter, is a woman who seems to have lost all her bearings following the loss of her husband, who allowed her to make a place for herself in this world ruled by men.
Each character will be developed in an interesting and complete way, this is one of the greatest strengths of this film. Thanks to these different developments, Jane Campion addresses several themes, the place of women at that time, the place of virilism, the defiance about homosexuality but also the fraternal and mother/son relationships. The most important meeting of the film will be the one between Phil and Peter. Phil, who does not hide the contempt he has for Peter and his puny appearance, will gradually identify himself through young Peter and will play for him the role of mentor. A strange relationship is established between them, this relationship gradually deconstructs the character of Phil until his true behavior appears.
The music of Jonny Greenwood, the cinematography of Ari Wegner, the greatness of the actors (especially Jesse Plemons) and the work of reenactment show us that Jane Campion knows how to surround herself and produces a mastered work in which we feel the strength of her experience.
The Power of the Dog is a successful film on many levels and a superbly realized adaptation. However, some viewers might criticize the film for some clichéd behaviors (especially Phil’s, but well compensated by Benedict Cumberbatch’s great performance) and the slowness of some shots (which I think is well controlled and therefore not annoying).
“Paris, 13th District” is the new film of Jacques Audiard, mainly known for “Dheepan” Palme d’or 2015, “A Prophet”, Oscar nominated in 2009 or “The Sisters Brothers” (2018) with Joaquin Phoenix and Jack Gyllenhaal which had won the Silver Lion of the Venice Film Festival and the César of the Best Director. Based on stories by the American graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, “Paris, 13th District” seems to be a new departure for the French director.
Accompanied by Céline Sciamma (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) and Léa Mysius as writers but also by Rone (Winner of Cannes Soundtrack Award) as a composer, Jacques Audiard portrays three thirty-year-old characters in a beautiful black and white photography.
In the Olympiades district of Paris, Émilie Wong (Lucie Zhang), a young woman with a degree who does some odd jobs seems to be caught between her family’s traditional Chinese culture and her liberated youth. Émilie is going to share a flat with a stranger, Camille Germain (Makita Samba), a cultured and cynical French professor who is preparing his agrégation in modern literature. On the other hand, Nora Ligier (Noémie Merlant), a real estate agent who has decided to resume her law studies.
Through these three characters (even if a fourth will appear progressively during the film), Paris 13th District tackles many social themes which, despite the close ages of the three characters, can speak to anyone over 20 years old.
The alternating editing of these stories that cut and overlap make the film dynamic. We easily get attached to the characters even if some behaviors seem sometimes a little too rooted in the cliché of the French auteur cinema. Mainly about the desire, its equivocal evocation and all the unspoken words. More than ever, the interpretation of the actors is one of the keys to success for this kind of film.
Indeed, if we look at the scenario in a global and rough way, it is not that far from some dingy TV movies that we can watch on Sunday afternoon on big TV channels. The spectator can easily be taken out of the film in case of some bad interpretation and mistakes from the actors.
But the writing and the interpretation of the actors, in particular Lucie Zhang (nominated for the Cesar for Most Promising Actress) and Makita Samba (nominated for the Cesar for Most Promising Actor), make this film deeply sensitive and touching. With great actors, beautiful black and white photography and masterful writing, Jacques Audiard’s “Paris 13th District” is a superb film in which we really feel like we are living a part of the lives of these different characters.
“Leylak” is the third short film by young American directors Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos. After “Bardo” (2016) and “The Untimely Gift” (2017), the two directors make a triumphant return with multiple nominations and the “Special Jury Mention” for a narrative short film at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“Leylak” is the story of Yusuf Çelik (Nadir Saribacak) and his daughter Renk Çelik (Isabella Haddock) and the loss they will face. The film opens with a 4 minute long shot, following Yusuf in his work as a grave digger, mask on the nose we quickly guess the context for which these graves are freshly dug, covid-19. In reality this scene looks more like a scene straight out of a war movie.
The main theme of Leylak is mourning. Yusuf, who seems so confident in his work, is totally helpless when it comes to deal with a personal and tragic situation. In front of his sister, he seems to face differents and quite contradictory emotions, the misplaced pride of a man who would like to be able to face the events, the fragility and the pain of a widower and also the guilt of a worker.
The interpretation of Nadir Saribacak is brilliant and is crucial in the success of the film, he transmits emotions with great accuracy and raw strength through his face, his voice and his gestures. With this film, Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos pay a beautiful tribute to the workers who put themselves in danger during the Covid 19 pandemic, in a particularly affected city like New York. The character of Yusuf is the indirect spokesman of these workers, presented as someone sensitive, respectful, he allows to humanize the people behind these jobs often unpleasant, ungrateful and recently become even more dangerous because of Covid19.
The place of silence is major in this film, the most touching and captivating moments are the moments of silence between a father and his daughter, facing a tragic situation. In only 17 minutes, the two American directors convey vivid and powerful emotions, without falling into the ease of miserabilism and unnecessary emotionality.
“Leylak” is a superb short film, combining sensitivity and strength, it highlights workers who are often forgotten by most and deals with the theme of family loss in a very interesting way.
“L’événement” is the second film of the French director Audrey Diwan, mainly known for her work as a screenwriter for Cédric Jimenez’s films such as “Bac Nord”, “HHhH” or “La French”. The film is based on the autobiographical novel published in 2000 of the same name by Annie Ernaux, whom the director had the chance to meet in order to clarify certain areas of shadow and misunderstanding to deliver her own interpretation and adaptation.
“L’événement” recently won the prestigious “Golden Lion” at the 2021 Venice Film Festival against directors such as Almodovar, Campion or Sorrentino. It was also in the list of the three films shortlisted by France for the Oscars (with “Titane” by Julia Ducournau and “Bac Nord” by Cedric Jimenez) which will take place on February 25. I had the chance to see the film in preview at the Silencio-des-près in Paris, followed by a discussion between the director Audrey Diwan and Camille Froidevaux-Metterie, author, researcher and professor of political science in Paris.
The film takes place in France in 1963, and follows the story of Anne (played by Anamaria Vartolomei), a brilliant student of literature who becomes pregnant against her will. In the hope of continuing her studies and becoming a writer, she decides without any hesitation to have an abortion and embarks on a race against time during which she comes up against a system that severely condemns this practice. This system will inevitably lead to the refusal of doctors, the rejection of her friends, the incomprehension of her father and will plunge Anne into total solitude.
As a reminder, the Veil law, which decriminalized abortion in France, was not promulgated until 12 years later, on January 17, 1975. For Audrey Diwan, the Veil law brought women into the modern world, taking them out of their maternal condition and giving them total control over their bodies. Through her film, the director hopes to break the silence and shame surrounding abortion.
In “L’événement”, the importance is given to the spectator, privileged and powerless witness of Anne’s journey, remarkably interpreted by Anamaria Vartolomei (who has just been nominated as best promising actress for the Césars 2022), who is a key to the success of the film. Through her performance, she allows to recreate the strength and the horrors of the sensations felt by her character. The film is built around the weeks of Anne’s pregnancies, as if they were chapters. The more the weeks go by, the more Anne seems alone, without hope. If she does nothing, the burden that develops within her will deprive her of a future that looks bright, that will allow her to rise socially through writing.
During the intervention that followed the film, Audrey Diwan told us that she wanted to tell the story of a woman but not only for women. She wished, through the character of Anne, greatly inspired by that of Annie Ernaux, to share a character going beyond time and gender. Through this desire, she really wants to integrate the man in the debate, an idea that seems very divisive and which was strongly discussed by Camille Froidevaux-Metterie during the post-film discussion.
To support this idea and this desire to integrate the man in the question, Audrey Diwan states the idea that the legal system which condemns abortion, involves a double prohibition which weighs on everyone. The director tells us that on the one hand there are women who have illegal abortions in dangerous and in some cases fatal conditions, and on the other hand there are men and women who are powerless to come to the aid of women or risk being condemned by the courts.
‘L’événément’ is a film treated in a rather classic way but which remains very effective, where we find a violence more psychological than visual which attacks the subject of abortion head on and which works well thanks to the performance of Anamaria Vartolomei. We can see that in some countries, the subject of abortion is frequently discussed, as for example recently in the United States with the state of Texas. This film has a real importance, it allows us to remember the nothing is ever really acquired and that the laws around this subject are relatively recent.
