film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Trent Neely

  • Drive All Night: Review

    Drive All Night: Review

    This film follows a cab driver named Dave (Yutaka Takeuchi). Dave is a quiet man who spends his nights taking fares and hanging out at a diner where he talks with Morgan (Sarah Dumont), the waitress who works the night shift. Dave and Morgan both seem to like each other but neither one is willing to truly pursue the other. Dave’s seemingly simple and peaceful life is disrupted when he picks up the mysterious Cara (Lexy Hammonds), a young woman who instructs Dave to simply “just drive” as she claims she does not know where she wants to go.

    The remainder of the film focuses on Dave and Cara as they get to know one another through various conversations as they drive around the city and make several stops during the night. It soon also becomes clear that Cara is not entirely directionless, but has an agenda that is not entirely clear. Complicating things is that a mysterious Boss (Von Scott Bair) has commissioned the stoic and intimidating Lenny (Johnny Gilligan) to find and stop Cara from accomplishing some unknown task. As if all this was not strange enough, there are indications that the world itself these characters inhabit is not what it appears to be.

    Writer and director Peter Hsieh weaves a tale that is wholly unique despite there being some memorable entries in the “drive all night” genre. Hsieh’s film stands out due to its carefully constructed ambiguity. While the film is beautifully designed on a visual and auditory level, and there are clear themes present such as the nature of fate as opposed to choice, sleep versus consciousness, and reality versus fantasy, Hsieh chooses for neither his script nor characters to give the audience any obvious or easy answers. This lack of a definitive interpretation of the story will likely deter and frustrate certain viewers, while other viewers may find the subjectivity and possibility of rewatches offering new meanings a huge positive. Due to all of these elements, this film has the potential of becoming a cult classic.

    As stated above, one of the most striking things about the film is how strong it is on every technical level. The cinematography by William Hellmuth contains a mix of wide and long shots. However, regardless of the depth of field, the focus is always on the main characters. This contrast of having elegantly composed frames but emphasis on character creates a paradoxical feeling that the setting is both incredibly defined but also confined.

    The coloring by Dan Edwards is also superb. Specifically, the film makes repeated use of the colors red and blue for different types of scenes throughout the film and it provides great contrast for character wardrobes and sets. Though, as with most things in the film, its exact meaning is unclear. Does it represent good vs evil? reality versus dreams? Regardless of the interpretation of its significance, the use of color in this film will most likely be one of the things viewers coming out of the film remember most.

    One of the most innovative ways the film informs viewers that what they are seeing is not as it seems is conspicuous editing by Guillermo Areizaga and Peter Hsieh. Throughout the film there are “glitches” where the film jumps to a different frame of something mid-action such as a character putting something in their pocket. Even when the film is streamed, it has an appearance of a film being played by projection, complete with reel changes. Is this a pure aesthetic choice? A nod by the filmmakers that the characters themselves know they are in a work of fiction? This another aspect of the jigsaw puzzle nature of the film.

    The synth heavy score by Robert Daniel Thomas is a perfect accompaniment to the visuals. At the start of the film the synth is used to set a general tone of mystery and tension. As the film enters into more surrealist territory in terms of story and visuals, the score in turn morphs into a more ethereal and psychedelic backdrop.

    In addition to the film’s subjective and daring use of image and sound, the performances are also unique in their own way. In a film marked by ambiguity, the characters are all enigmas themselves. In spite of this defining trait, all the performers do a great job in making sure there is emotion and depth present so that audiences will care about the characters till the very end, even if total understanding of the film and characters eludes them. This is especially true when it comes to Yutaka Takeuchi and Lexy Hammonds as Dave and Cara respectively.

    Takeuchi plays Dave as a man who likes to “play things close to his chest” this becomes especially apparent when viewers see Dave’s stoicness as Cara makes repeated attempts to get him to open up throughout the film. Despite this outward facade, Takeuchi imbues Dave with a genuine sense of heart and vulnerability, something that a supporting character in the film says directly at one point. For her part, Lexy Hammonds is a scene-stealer as Cara, playing a character who at various points is smart, sweet, vulnerable, sassy, confident, and scared. Yet, despite all these emotions, by the end of the film one gets the feeling they have barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding who this person is. In a lot of ways, the breath of emotional range that Hammonds brings to the character of Cara serves as a perfect metaphor for the movie itself; multi-faceted direct and yet inevitably inaccessible.

    If you are looking for a film with great performances, stunning visuals and sound design, and an experience that will leave you thinking and asking questions, watch this film if given the chance.     

  • Retaliation: Review

    Retaliation: Review

    This drama follows Malky (Orlando Bloom) a 37 year old working a job tearing down his old local church. From the start of the film, it is clear that Malky is a quiet man who is shown to have a propensity for introversion, yet there seems to be an undercurrent of anger under the surface. Malky spends his free time going to the local bar with his friends and looking after his Mum (Anne Reid) with whom Malky shares a tense relationship. Malky is also in an on again/off again relationship with Emma (Janet Montgomery), the bartender at his usual hangout. One night, Malky happens to run into his childhood Priest (James Smillie). Though no words are exchanged, it is evident that the encounter leaves Malky shaken. It soon becomes clear that Malky endured sexual abuse at the hands of this priest and he has unresolved issues due to this trauma. The film follows Malky as the effects of his past not only feed his anger and sadness and wear on him, but those around him as he searches for some sense of catharsis.

    While there have been many stories centered on child sexual abuse within the church, many of these stores deal with individuals or institutions uncovering the truth about the abuse for the first time and their subsequent quest to raise awareness and bring justice. While these stories are certainly compelling and worth telling, they can sometimes lead to a feeling that the victim’s story itself is forgotten or sidelined. In this film however, writer Geoff Thompson and directors Ludwig and Paul Shammasian weave a story that unflinchingly looks at the consequences that arise when a victim of this trauma has been forced to live with it for many years and has never properly addressed it. How these internalized emotions can lead to destructive behaviors not only for the survivors themselves, but those closest to them and cause them in some ways to feel more punished than the abuser. This is Malky’s story and journey through and through and the film never forgets that. If there is one weakness in the film’s story structure it is that it places so much emphasis on Malky’s journey that the film is not able to spend adequate time on a few plot threads it sets up with side characters by the end.

     Another striking way this story is told is that the Shammasian brothers allow so much of the emotional impact of scenes to be conveyed visually through Felix Wiedemann’s cinematography. Wiedemann frequently keeps his camera focused on actors in the foreground with the background world kept out of focus. This helps evoke the notion that these characters, especially Malky, are often stuck inside their heads, emotions, and memories, with the outside world being kept at a distance. Early on in the film, the audience has a clear understanding of Malky’s rage, sadness, fear and isolation purely from the power of these tight frames focused on Bloom’s facial expressions and body language. There is one scene early on in the film where Malky is talking down a replication of Christ on the cross at the old church, we see him struggling under the weight of it as he carries it down a ladder and outside. The visuals and Bloom’s acting perfectly capture the burden that Malky’s trauma has done and continues to do to him, while also using a symbol of both hope yet also the institution that failed him.

    The performances are what serves as the true anchor of the narrative, particularly Orlando Bloom’s powerhouse performance as Malky. Bloom shows how versatile he truly is throughout, conveying the sense of guilt, fear, anger, sadness, and shame that Malky and tragically many survivors of abuse feel. This is accomplished both in subtle uses of facial and body language as mentioned above, as well as some genuinely moving monologues performed throughout the film. Each choice in any given scene and moment feels true to the story and character and Bloom gives full earnesty and respect to every beat.

    The supporting cast are also very strong here. Janet Montgomery gives a truly layered performance as Emma, a woman who clearly loves Malky and senses there is deep pain in him, but is growing tired and angry with him constantly pushing her away without her knowing why as he has not  revealed his past to her. Anne Reid gives a very nuanced performance as Malky’s mother, both seemingly wishing to understand her son better, but at the same time seemingly unwilling to truly look deeply at why he is filled with such anger and pain. Charlie Creed-Miles gives a standout performance as Paul, a fellow worker tearing down the old church who seeks to help Malky come to terms with his past.

    Retaliation is an honest, sometimes brutal study of how trauma, guilt, and shame can wear down a person, and in turn affect the people they care about. Featuring engrossing cinematography, powerful performances, and centered on an important subject, viewers should watch this film if given the chance.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG1_g9AM07w
  • The Place That Makes Us: Review

    The Place That Makes Us: Review

    The Place That Makes Us: Review. At one point, Youngstown Ohio was a prominent force in the rustbelt, but that all changed after the closure of the steel mills that had once served as the lifeblood of the city. Because of the closures, the city struggled and many residents were forced to go elsewhere for work. Consequently, infrastructure and prosperity faltered. Specifically, the loss of the steel industry led to a rise in unemployment, an uptake in squatting and abandoned homes, an increase in crime, drug use, and economic strife in the city for those that remained. This documentary centers on the lives of several residents of Youngstown as they seek to rebuild and revitalize the city, overcoming challenges ranging from lack of awareness, bureaucracy, and limited resources.

    Director Karla Murthy finds a compelling approach when it comes to this kind of documentary. While there have been many documentary films that chronicle the rise and fall of blue-collar cities like Youngstown, these films tend to be focused on the testimonials of the workers who were there in the beginning. The successes and struggles they had, and a recounting of the timeline of the town’s history, from its early days, to the industry boom, leading up to the present day struggles.

    We see in this film that Murthy’s focus is on the next generation of residents. Murthy’s presence in the film feels very observational. Interviews for the most part do not feel overly edited or staged. One gets the feeling viewing the film that Murthy and the crew want to hear honestly from the interviewees when it comes to the challenges Youngstown faces and residents’ hopes for the city’s future. 

    Most of the people featured in The Place That Makes Us never worked in steel mills (although their relatives did) and grew up long after the city’s “boom” but are still willing to fight for it. Two residents followed, Ian Beniston and Tiffany Sokol work for an organization that focuses on renovating abandoned housing properties and selling them to new owners in the hopes of revitalizing neighborhoods and communities. Another resident, Julius T. Oliver by his own admission came from a difficult home life, but is now a business owner and city councilman actively striving to affect positive change in Youngstown, including putting together youth outreach initiatives. Finally, Bernadette  “Bernie” Elliott spends the film trying to find a new home, as her current one is being neglected by her landlord and its condition is worsening.

    Despite the varied backgrounds and challenges each of these people all face in Youngstown, it is evident that each person shown in the film shares the common trait that they care deeply about the city because they grew up there and they do not want to give up on the city itself and the lives they have built there. One of the most moving aspects of the film is that even though everyone featured recognizes the scope of Youngstown’s challenges and the need for large structural and fundamental change, each person still feels that it is their duty to do their best as a citizen to help change the city for the better.

    Interestingly, despite repeated albeit brief mentions by interviewees regarding the effects crime and drugs has had and continues to have on Youngstown, Murthy does not delve very deep on the subject apart from one brief scene where a police officer gives an interview presumably after a drug raid. While it is understandable to not want to come across as being exploitative about sensitive issues like drug abuse and addiction, it seems like too important  of a subject to only bring up occasionally and mostly in passing.

    That Place That Makes Us is a compelling documentary. A film that shows the challenges a city faces when it loses a core notion of its identity, but also a film that celebrates what can be accomplished when people work together to make a better life for themselves and for their neighbors. Viewers looking for a short, honest, uplifting documentary should seek this film out.

  • Crisis: Another Review

    Crisis: Another Review

    This drama/thriller features three stories centered around the opioid crisis. First, there is Jake Kelly (Armie Hammer), a DEA agent working undercover to disrupt a joint Canadian and Armenian fentanyl operation. We soon learn that Kelly’s fight against opioids is not purely professional. His sister Emmie Kelly (Lily-Rose Depp) struggles with opioid addiction. The second of the three follows Claire Reimann (Evangeline Lilly), a single mother and recovering addict who, when her son dies of an apparent opioid overdose according to the police, decides to begin her own investigation, as he had no known history of drug use.

    Finally, we follow Dr. Tyrone Brower (Gary Oldman), a professor and researcher doing contract work with a powerful pharmaceutical company on a reportedly non-addictive opioid. However, Dr. Bower soon becomes aware of data that suggests this product is not only addictive, but potentially more addictive than other opioids, Because of these findings, Dr. Bower wonders whether he should speak out, despite pressure from the pharmaceutical company and his university.

    The film follows each of the protagonists as they fall deeper into the world and complexity of opiates. Kelly grows to understand how advanced and dangerous the criminal enterprises surrounding these substances are, in addition to dealing with bureaucracy and his sister’s addiction. Claire learns how younger people are targeted and drawn into the world of opioids, while processing the loss of a loved one. Dr. Bower’s story focuses on the struggle someone finds themselves wrestling with when they feel the need to speak out on something potentially dangerous, but risk losing their job and reputation as whistleblowing on a large company would violate confidentiality agreements.

    Director and writer Nicholas Jarecki crafts a film that examines the opioid crisis from many of its numerous angles including: The criminal and law enforcement side, the effect it can have on users and their loved ones, and the business, politics, and corruption that can result from pharmaceutical companies dealing with these kinds of substances. This range of scope is impressive and keeps the film from glossing over any one aspect of the crisis. Jarecki also takes great care to make sure that all three protagonists feel fully formed. While watching the film, one feels that each of these characters has their unique strengths, regrets, pains, and histories even though these things are not all overtly spelled out for the audience.

    The emotional resonance of the characters is due in no small part to the strength of the performances given by the actors. This is especially true for Evangeline Lilly, who is utterly-convincing as a woman trying to understand how she could lose her son in this fashion without her knowing, and the grief, anger, and desire for understanding that accompanies that kind of loss. Oldman commands the screen, as usual, playing a man who realizes he may have grown complacent in his work due to the compensation he received. However, upon realization of the possible dangers of this drug, begins a thoughtful and introspective journey on what it means to do the right thing. This is an arc that Oldman brings completely to life. Hammer embodies the frustration of someone who sees the effect these drugs are having on people but knows the law-enforcement system is not able to have an impact proportionate to the amount of damage that these substances are causing.

    The cinematography by Nicolas Bolduc is also fantastic. Bolduc mostly keeps the camera wide and tracking. This has the effect of drawing the viewer’s eye constantly to the action on screen. This visual style also works thematically as this distant observing camera matches the characters mindsets as they get more involved in the dangerous world of opioids and begin to wonder who they can trust. We the audience share in the characters anxiety to constantly be looking over their shoulder and see what is going on around them.

     While a three-pronged narrative approach allows the film to examine this serious issue in a multitude of ways, the necessity for the film to cut between each of the stories labours the pacing and risks jaring viewers in and out of a viewing experience and disrupting the sense of momentum. For instance, when one story is reaching its climax, the film cuts to expositing action in another story. While Jarecki does somewhat address this by tying some plot threats from the different stories together, they never fully converge into one cohesive narrative. This is especially true when it comes to the story surrounding Oldman’s character, that at times feels like it is part of a different film.

    While the film’s narrative structure causes some unevenness in pacing, viewers interested in a film that features strong, layered characters and is unafraid to examine a complex and important issue in its many facets should seek Crisis out.

  • Foster Boy: The BRWC Review

    Foster Boy: The BRWC Review

    Foster Boy: The BRWC Review – This legal drama inspired by real events centers on Jamal Randolph (Shane Paul McGhie) a young teen in Chicago currently at the end of a prison sentence who is set to begin a civil trial against Bellcore Family Services, a private contractor that places kids into foster homes on behalf of the state. Jamal alleges that his case worker at Bellcore, Pamela Dupree (Julie Benz) knowingly placed another foster child who had a history of sexual violence in the same home as Jamal without informing him or his foster parents. This other foster child then proceeded to repeatedly sexually assault Jamal over a three year period and Ms. Dupree never intervened despite Jamal’s complaints. Seeing that he currently has no lawyer to represent him, Judge George Taylor (Louis Gossett Jr.) assigns corporate attorney Michael Trainer (Matthew Modine) to Jamal’s case pro bono. 

    Though initially reluctant to take on the case due to it not being corporate litigation as well as prejudice against Jamal’s background, Michael’s investment in the case deepens as he learns more about Jamal himself and his history, as well as witnessing Bellcore’s suspicious attempts to have the case settled quickly. Initially, Jamal finds himself reluctant to trust Michael as he views him as an elitist corporate lawyer who is part of the system that has failed him repeatedly. The film follows Jamal and Michael as they get to know and trust one another as they seek to have Jamal’s story told, while fighting against prejudice and Bellcore’s escalating attempts to both settle the case and intimidate and discredit them.

    Director Youssef Delara and writer Jay Paul Deratnay craft an engaging drama that touches on a variety of important issues such as racial prejudice, class inequity, the dangers of a for-profit foster care system, the presence of abuse in many foster homes, corporate corruption and the lingering effects of trauma. While all these issues clearly inform plot, character, and performance, the confines of a 100 minute runtime and the legal drama genre format limit how much depth can be mined from these ideas. A large portion of the film is spent on Michael Trainers’ arc of starting out resistant to take on the case, to accepting it as he learns more about Jamal and what Bellcore is willing to do to win the case. Including threatening him and his family. This emphasis on Michel results in a feeling that Jamal disappears from the narrative for a significant portion of the film, despite his journey of receiving justice and having the opportunity to tell his story being the core of the story.

    The performances by the two leads is what truly allows the film to have the weight and impact that it does. Matthew Modine as Michael Trainer effortlessly embodies a man who slowly realizes that he has been blind to his privilege and has harboured some level of prejudice and indifference to those around him. But when he is confronted with irrefutable proof of corruption, injustice and pain in Jamal’s case, he accepts the call to action. Shane Paul McGhie gives a standout performance as Jamal Randolph. McGhie has the difficult task of portraying a character who in some ways has had to harden himself in order to cope with the trauma of his past and the repeated failures of the system, while at the same time must also possess an undercurrent of vulnerability and sadness so the audience can both empathize with him and see the level of pain that abuse can inflict on someone. McGhie embraces this challenge and the result is a captivating performance. Particularly during one scene near the film’s end where Jamal is on the witness stand.

    The supporting players are also great in their roles here. Michael Beach and Michael Hyatt are outstanding as Bill and Shaina Randolph respectively, Jamal’s foster turned adoptive parents who never stop fighting for him and harbor natural guilt that Jamal’s abuse occurred under their own roof without them knowing it. Louis Gossett Jr. is stellar as Judge George Taylor, a character defined by his pursuit of justice and fairness throughout the whole film, A man who serves as both a firm disciplinarian and advocate for Jamal. Julie Benz is also very engaging as Pamela Dupree, a character that represents what callousness and profit-centric thinking can lead a person to do. Despite these attributes and a relatively limited amount of screentime. Benz’ performance hints at hidden depths and complexities within this character that will leave viewers thinking about her motivations after the credits roll.

    If you want to see a film with great performances that talks about important issues while incorporating them into a compelling drama, watch this film if given the chance.