film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Trent Neely

  • Undtagelsen (The Exception): Review

    Undtagelsen (The Exception): Review

    Undtagelsen (The Exception): Review. By Trent Neely.

    This Danish film, based on the Christian Jungersen novel of the same name follows four women working for the Danish Center for Information on Genocide: Iben (Danica Curcic), Malene (Amanda Collin), Anne-Lise (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Camilla (Lene Maria Christensen). Their focus lies in researching what influences humans to commit atrocities against other people in all its facets. While the group seems to have a relatively normal work relationship, Anne-Lise feels she does not share the same level of friendship that the other women do, particularly Iben and Malene.

    This feeling of exclusion intensifies when Iben and Malene receive anonymous emails containing threats against them. While at first they suspect it is a war criminal they are researching, their suspicions soon turn to Anne-Lise, creating further friction and suspicion among the group. The film follows these women as they navigate their relationships with one another, try to uncover who sent the emails, and deal with the worst parts of human nature including their own.

    Perhaps this film’s greatest strength is how thoroughly it examines what stress and trauma can do to an individual, and the nature of horrific actions themselves. Not only does our protagonist’s job offer a look at some of the darkest aspects of humanity and how humans have justified it throughout history. But, each of our protagonists wrestles with personal trauma as well. As stated before, Anne-Lise feels that she is being isolated from her co-workers and while it is not openly aggressive in nature, the group’s refusal to admit it bothers her.

    Once they accuse her of sending the threats, her anger increases to levels surprising even herself, causing to wonder if she had sent the threats and repressed her memories. For her part, Iben survived a hostage crisis in Kenya. Malene suffers from severe arthritis and as a result her relationship boyfriend Rasmus (Simon Sears) is deteriorating.  Camilla struggles to move past an unhealthy relationship from her past. All these stressors combine over the course of the film to drive the characters to take a variety of actions, consisting of varying degrees of intensity and morality.

    The cast and crew do a great job of making sure that each of these women are not shown as simple archetypes or cliches, but rather three-dimensional people. Director Jesper W. Nielsen and writer Christian Torpe take the time to unflinchingly show these women as they are, good qualities and bad, their motivations always understood. The cast also does a great job of bringing life into these characters, showing strong women, but with a lot of complexity and authenticity. Knudsen is a particular standout as Annie-Lise, perfectly portraying the mixture of rage and sadness of one who feels unfairly judged and isolated, and who grows to fear what she may be capable of.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPn3-1QZQE

    The cinematography by Erik Zappon always serves the story and character. At times the camera is uncomfortably close, almost entering a character’s head during a moment of reflection. At other times, distant and cold , taking on the presence of a stalking figure hanging over the characters, adding to their unease as well as the audience’s. Adding to this effect is great music by Henrik Lindstrand, whose string-based score while never overpowering, fills the audience with a sense of unease, and editing by Frederik Strunk that perfectly divides time among the leads and steadily increases the tension.

    If there is a weakness in the film it comes in the last twenty minutes. Until this point, the film serves as a thorough character study and meditation on the nature of evil and what can push people to make certain choices. The final twenty minutes takes the audience through a couple of tropes often done in thrillers that some audience members may find derivative and at times out of place.

    If you are looking for a thriller with strong performances, great music, cinematography, and a nuanced look at human nature, check out this film if given the chance.

  • Big Touch: Review

    Big Touch: Review

    Big Touch: Review. By Trent Neely.

    This short film follows a large African woman named Judy (Astra Marie Varando) who encounters a Mother (Carly Stewart) and Daughter (Arabella Frost) while riding  an elevator in a parking garage. Curious, the daughter reaches out to Judy but is stopped by the mother. Soon after Judy sees a Tiny Man (Raymond Ejiofor) experiencing a moment of distress though the cause is unknown. They share an embrace then go their separate ways. Although this shared moment is brief, the impact of this meeting is shown to be profound for both of them.

    What makes this film remarkable is how much impact it manages to achieve despite a complete lack of dialogue and a runtime that is less than three minutes including credits. The film proceeds almost like a ballet performance as the only sound present in the film comes from Pablo Casal’s arrangement of “Song of the Birds”. This piece serves as the foundation of the whole film. Director/writer/editor Christopher Tenzis finds a tempo to cut the film that somehow perfectly compliments the music yet  also perfectly stands as its own piece of work.

    Since the film’s audio landscape is so minimalist, the visual components of the film are on full display. Director of Photography Lim Teck Siang and Tenzis make sure each frame fully pops, using wide shots to establish space and orientation, but beautifully constructed close-ups for the emotional moments such as Judy and Tiny Man’s embrace. Helping bring these visuals to life are vibrant costumes which help highlight the performers and camera movement.

    The film’s emphasis on visuals also allows for a wide variety interpretation of the themes and the subtext in question. Is the film a statement on race in that the Mother character (who is white) stops her daughter from reaching out to Judy while the Tiny Man (who is of African decent) finds comfort in Judy? Or, is the film making a much broader statement that it is part of the social contract to reach out and positively impact our fellow man whenever possible, even in a parking garage? These suppositions and many more seem entirely possible.

    If you want to see a film that fully utilizes all filmmaking tools at one’s disposal, crafting beautiful and memorable images, striking visual performances, and posits interesting themes for viewers to meditate on, seek out this film.      

  • Body Of Water: Review

    Body Of Water: Review

    Body of Water Review. By Trent Neely.

    This film follows Stephanie (Siân Brooke), who has just finished a seven month stay at a treatment center for an ongoing struggle with an eating disorder. Her mother Susan (Amanda Burton) picks her up from the center and it is evident from their initial interactions that they have a long and complex history.

    Similarly, Stephanie’s daughter Pearl (Fabienne Piolini-Castle) is experiencing anger and resentment due to Stephanie’s absence, which in turn has caused her to rebel in the form of an unhealthy relationship with an older boy and even exhibiting some behaviors of having an eating disorder herself. Adding to all of this, Stephanie begins to develop feelings for Shaun (Nick Blood), the nurse supervising the progress of her recovery after leaving the treatment facility. The rest of the film centers on Stephanie striving to battle her illness in all its facets, as well as build healthy relationships with those around her.

    The film excels at rooting its story in character. Writer-director Lucy Brydon in conjunction with the performers make sure that each character feels fully fleshed-out with desires, weaknesses and intricacies. Brooke, Burton, and Piolini-Castle in particular do a great job of playing these three women as people who have a built-in love, history and conflict without having to rely on heavy amounts of exposition to help lend credence to the relationships.

    From their opening scene together, Burton portrays Susan as a woman whose heart breaks for what her daughter has been through, sadness, and even anger that she can not seem to help her more, and frustration that she does not fully understand how Stephanie can still be sick. For her part, Brooke does a superb job demonstrating how difficult fighting an illness can be. Not only does Stephanie wrestle with her eating disorder, but also depression and anger over how her illness and absence has wounded the people around her.

    While it would be tempting to play Pearl as simply just a rebellious angry teen, the script and Piolini-Castle’s performance ensures that more nuance shines through. While Pearl does start off as angry and aloof towards her mother, rejecting Stephanie’s initial attempts at reconciliation, As the film progresses, the viewer sees Pearl mature as she understands that her mother really is sick and did not simply abandon her as perhaps she once thought.

    The technical aspects of the film mostly serve mostly to highlight the character’s and performances. Director of Photography Darran Bragg’s camera mostly stays wide, allowing the actors to be the main force drawing the audience’s attention. There are a few scenes in the film where characters eat, and it unfolds in long, unbroken shots. This perfectly demonstrates not only the awkward tension for these characters as they reconnect, but also how stressful, even difficult sitting down for a meal can be for someone who is battling an eating disorder.

    Particularly one of the film’s final scenes where Stephanie gorges herself on food in an uncomfortably long shot as Rory Attwell’s score morphs into a piercing hum, giving voice to Stephanie’s stress.  When Bragg’s camera does close in, it is used to highlight a particular emotional moment, such as the few times we see Stephanie’s emaciated body. The more intimate framing of Stephanie’s figure allows the image to have a much greater impact than a wider setup would have.

    If one is looking for a film that features strong performances, layered writing, purposeful framing and an honest portrayal on how difficult battling illness can be and how it can affect many people, watch this film if given the chance.

    Body Of Water

    Body of Water – released on digital and DVD 11th January.

  • Crock Of Gold: Review

    Crock Of Gold: Review

    Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan – Review. By Trent Neely.

    This documentary details the life and career of Shane MacGowan, infamous Irish poet and lead singer of The Pogues. Spanning MacGowan’s early days growing up on a farm in Tipperary Ireland to the present day, the film serves both as an expose on what led to MacGowan becoming the influential figure he became, and a retrospective on what his lasting legacy for the genre of punk music and the Irish people has been.

    The film particularly shines in its first half, detailing Shane’s upbringing in Ireland to his emergence on the punk scene with The Pogues in England. With a combination of interviews, archival footage, dramatizations, and clever short animations, director Julien Temple, editor Caroline Richards, and the rest of the crew do a great job of making sure that the film remains engaging despite the heavy amount of exposition present. Especially considering that MacGowan himself is shown to be resistant to prompts from interviewers when asked direct questions.

    When he does answer, it is short, blunt and unashamed in its reveal of a man who has fully pushed life to the edge. Yet despite their simple delivery, most of MacGowan’s statements offer layered  insight into music, history, society and his own behavior. As we hear him talk about exploring the Irish countryside in his youth, enjoying his first drinks with family and hearing Irish poetry around town, MacGowan’s love for the Irish culture and its legacy is made perfectly clear. 

    MacGowan’s art is not entirely defined by romance and nostalgia however. Archival footage and interviewees illustrate how strong the conflict between the English and the Irish was during the 20th century. MacGowan himself talks about how he was isolated and bullied when his family came to England due to the fact that they were Irish. MacGowan is portrayed in the film as feeling almost duty bound to proudly proclaim his heritage, revitalize Irish music, and also use it to help bring awareness to the strife and complexity of the Irish people worldwide.

    These historical facets illustrate quite effectively that an artist and art itself is not only formed by talent, but the circumstances and times in which the artist and art are crafted. When considering this cultural context,  the audience comes to understand why his songs evocative of Irish music of the past were both so beloved by fans and so meaningful to MacGowan himself, he wasn’t just making music for himself, he was making it for Ireland.

    The second half of the film details MacGowan’s life as he battles addiction and wrestles with the increased commercial nature of his music, feeling pressure to write songs that top the charts and play well in various markets. While the first half’s foundation helps the audience understand why Macgowan became so frustrated and depressed by his lack of artistic creativity and integrity, MacGowan’s purpose was to revitalize a genre and celebrate a culture not to just make money after all.

    Audiences familiar with the stories surrounding artists damaged by addictive tendencies and embittered by the profit-centric mindset of the music industry may find that the second half of the film drags slightly and be somewhat derivative in format. Though it does serve to paint a full picture of who MacGowan is, celebrating him for all his idiosyncrasies and complexities.

    If you are looking for a film that shows how time, history, culture, and tradition can influence art and a story of how art can help someone find their voice and speak about what matters to them, watch this film if given a chance.    

  • La Leyenda Negra: Review

    La Leyenda Negra: Review

    La Leyenda Negra: Review. By Trent Neely.

    This film follows Latino teens in the city of Compton, CA. Specifically, Aleteia (Monica Betancourt) and Rosarito (Kailei Lopez). Aleteia is the new girl at her and Rosarito’s school and finds herself an outcast and the subject of bullying due to her introverted nature and body-shaming by her peers. Soon it is revealed that Aleteia has received a scholarship to attend UCLA. However, she becomes fearful of losing the scholarship due to the threat of termination of Temporary Protected Status under the Trump administration. In addition to political forces endangering her scholarship, Aleteia has been engaging with a protest group whose activities include spray painting and setting a fire in an empty school.

    For her part, Rosarito is shown as someone who is struggling with the fact that she may have outgrown her friends. Specifically her childhood best friend Monica (Irlanda Moreno) who is shown to be vain, manipulative and a bully, especially towards Aleteia. One day, Rosarito volunteers to be partners with Aleteia on a school project despite Monica’s objections. The rest of the film centers on Aleteia and Rosarito’s journeys, how they differ and parallel, and how each person influences the other.

    One of the greatest strengths of this film is how grounded and real it feels. At points in the film the camera seems virtually invisible. Allowing the film the ability to feel like it is capturing genuine conversations and moments in time. This is due in no small part to great directing and writing by Patricia Vidal Delgado. The fact that for a lot of the cast this is their only film credit may also explain why the film feels real, these are not a group of actors who have a large character persona attached, but people playing these specific roles. This speaks to Delgado’s abilities as a director to craft intimate, and poignant scenes and to get great performances from actors who do not have a ton of experience.

    Delgado also does a great job of balancing time between Aleteia and Rosarito. It is a common pitfall when telling a story of two prominent characters to have one outshine the other. By the film’s end, Delgado ensures that all the characters are fully dimensional with varied, wants, needs, virtues, and flaws. This is not to say the actors themselves are not outstanding in their own right. Betancourt and Lopez in particular have great chemistry and give great performances.

    While the performances are subtle in nature, one can see in their inflection and expression that there is great complexity in these characters. The choice to film in black and white also helps to accomplish this more realism-based approach. Matt Maio’s cinematography highlights the performance, focusing on movement, facial expressions, and allowing the sharp contrast to direct the audience’s eye. The camera never feels like it’s intention is to interfere or influence, only to observe and document.

    Another strength in this film is how it celebrates Latino culture and honestly depicts the migrant experience. There is one section of the film entirely devoted to the characters attending a quinceanera. Characters frequently alternate between talking in English and Spanish. Not only do these teens have to deal with common adolescent milestones such as teen romances, fights among friends, and bullying. But these kids also deal with balancing the American culture with their family’s heritage.

    Early on in the film, Aleteia gets in trouble for challenging a teacher’s instruction, arguing that a film shown in class romanticizes imperialism. The film also does a great job demonstrating that social media and podcasts have allowed and encouraged adolescents to participate in political conversations in ways that were never present before. We see Aleteia reading the news and listening to podcasts about the need for political action, which helps motivate a lot of her decisions over the course of the story.

    This film offers subtle yet powerful performances from mostly unknown actors, has striking cinematography, and a mature and thoughtful examination of how the migrant experience and political strife can add even more stress to the confounding experience of adolescence.