Bones and All (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Love and Cannibalism

Posted on December 5, 2022 by kaist455

Luca Guadagnino’s latest film “Bones and All” is an odd mix of two very different things which somehow work together fairy well despite lots of disparity between them. On one hand, we have a gory and disturbing coming-of-age tale associated with cannibalism. On the other hand, we have a tender and sensitive love story packed with a surprisingly amount of lyricism. Although the overall result is rather jarring as often swinging back and forth between these two contrasting parts, the movie is still interesting to watch thanks to its good mood, storytelling, and performance, and I admire how it manages to strike a right balance in the end.

In the beginning, the movie, which is supposedly set in US in the 1980s, introduces us to its adolescent heroine and her unspeakable nature. Like her mother who left a long time ago, Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) was born with a cannibalistic urge inside her, and her father Frank (André Holland) has tried his best for preventing his daughter from getting into any trouble because of that, but, alas, she inadvertently causes another trouble when she goes out to spend some time with other girls. As a result, Maren and Frank have no choice but to leave their latest residence as soon as possible, and then we see them settling in some other place far from there.

On one day, Frank is suddenly disappeared probably because he thinks he cannot possibly have his dear daughter and her horrible urge under control anymore, and he left two things for Maren before leaving her. One of them is an envelope containing some money and her birth certificate, which incidentally gives her a clue to where she may can find her mother. The other one is a cassette tape, on which he poured lots of personal thoughts and feelings on her and their difficult father and daughter relationship.

Because she is 18 now, Frank believes that his daughter can take care of herself as well as her cannibalistic urge, but Maren soon comes to realize how vulnerable she can be. It turns out that there are other people who are also inherently cannibals just like her, and she happens to come across one of such people in the middle of her journey to her mother’s hometown in Minnesota. That figure in question is an old man named Sully (Mark Rylance in his most unnerving mode), and he shows her some kindness and compassion as a fellow cannibal, but Maren cannot help but feel disturbed by how creepy he is in many aspects. He usually puts some chilling distance between himself and those unfortunate victims of his, and that bothers Maren a lot even though she cannot resist an offer to eat his latest victim along with him.

As Sully told her, cannibals can smell a lot from each other, and that is how Maren comes to sense a lad named Lee (Timothée Chalamet) not long after getting away from Sully. While he is not so willing to befriend her, Lee lets himself accompany Maren just because he has no particular direction in his ongoing wandering at present, and, of course, it does not take much time for them to develop certain mutual feelings between them as they share their common repulsion about their cannibalistic urge.

Nevertheless, they still find themselves driven by their cannibalistic urge, and the movie does not pull any punch when they follow that without any hesitation at one point. They feel guilty when they get to know a bit more about their victim later, and they become all the more remorseful as discerning how they cannot help themselves no matter how much they try.

In the meantime, the movie allows them to have some quiet peace as they drive by one wide landscape after another, and that may take you back to those lyrical moments of Terrence Malick’s “Badlands” (1973), which is also about one dangerous young couple wandering here and there among vast landscapes. Along with his cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan, Guadagnino, who is no stranger to visual lyricism as shown from his previous films “I Am Love” (2009) and “Call Me by Your Name” (2017), vividly presents a series of stunning landscape shots on the screen, and that further accentuates how desperately Maren and Lee hold each other in their isolated status.

The movie also depends a lot on the low-key chemistry between its two lead performers, and they show admirable commitment as their characters go back and forth between horror and romance. While Taylor Russell, who previously drew our attention for her wonderful supporting performance in Trey Edward Shults’s “Waves” (2019), is convincing in her character’s gradual growth along the story, Timothée Chalamet, who already collaborated with Guadagnino in “Call Me by Your Name”, humbly complements his co-star without overshadowing her, and their good performances support the film well even when it stumbles more than once during its last act.

Around Russell and Chalamet, a number of various notable performers come and go as having each own moment to shine. André Holland, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jessica Harper, Chloë Sevigny, and Mark Rylance are dependable as usual, and David Gordon Green, who is mainly known for his directorial works such as “George Washington” (2000) and “Joe” (2013), surprises us as holding his own place pretty well besides Stuhlbarg during their brief but undeniably insidious appearance.

Overall, “Bones and All” is certainly not something you can casually watch on Sunday afternoon, but it is another engaging film from Guadagnino at least, and I recommend it with some caution. As far as I remember, I winced more than once during my viewing, but I kept watching it with enough interest and care, and that says a lot about its effectiveness.

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She Said (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): How they exposed Weinstein

Posted on December 5, 2022 by kaist455

“She Said” presents a compelling real-life investigation journalism story which was one of the main starters of the #MeToo movement in 2017. While it is often chilling and infuriating to see how one very deplorable (and powerful) man had got away with his sex crimes for many years, the movie also shows how its two real-life heroines came to expose his sex crimes in public thanks to lots of support and solidarity, and we are surely reminded again that women will be not silent about abuse and mistreatment anymore.

That man in question is Harvey Weinstein, who was one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood for many years before being exposed by the New York Times investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, and Rebecca Corbett. As many of you know now, he sexually exploited numerous actresses and female employees and then ruined their careers for more than 20 years, but nobody dared to speak about that due to his considerable power and influence. To be frank with you, I was not so surprised because even I had often heard about his notoriously aggressive personality, but I was shocked nonetheless just like many of you as learning more of what an atrocious bastard he really was.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s screenplay, which is based on not only the New York Times investigation itself but also the subsequent nonfiction book of the same name by Kantor and Twohey, quickly sets the tone as depicting how things were quite depressing for Twohey, played by Carey Mulligan, in late 2016. Although she exposed more deplorable aspects of Donald J. Trump via her diligent investigation work, that did not stop that despicable fraud at all from being elected as the President of the United States, and she understandably became quite depressed in addition to struggling with her subsequent postpartum depression.

Anyway, Twohey eventually returns to the New York Times in the next year, and, as recommended by her editor Corbett, played by Patricia Clarkson, she begins to work along with Kantor, played by Zoe Kazan. As many women including Hollywood actress Ashley Judd start to speak out against sexual abuse and mistreatment much more than before, Corbett instructs Twohey and Kantor to delve more into how toxic the movie industry in Hollywood has been to women, and Twohey and Kantor soon come to focus on what has been said about Weinstein by Judd and a few other notable female figures such as Rose McGowan.

The movie calmly follows how Twohey and Kantor become more serious about their latest job as they come across one obstacle after another. For example, they try to contact with a number of women who once worked under Weinstein but then left with no apparent reason, but many of these women are not so willing to talk with them for good reasons. Weinstein and his company have already prevented these women from speaking out via several legal measures including non-disclosure agreement, and we later learn more about how unfair non-disclosure agreement is for these women in many aspects. Because nobody listened to them at all, they usually had no choice but to accept non-disclosure agreement, and that legally forced silence and compliance upon them.

Fortunately, Twohey and Kantor eventually come across a few other women willing to tell more besides Judd and McGowan. In case of Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton), this former Weinstein employee is ready to tell not only what she witnessed but also how she could not stop Weinstein, and she also leads Twohey and Kantor to another figure who may also tell a lot to them. In case of Laura Madden (Jennifer Ehle), she feels quite conflicted as coping with her recent serious illness, but she eventually agrees to reveal everything in public mainly because, unlike many survivors of Weinstein’s sex crimes, she is luckily not limited by non-disclosure agreement.

Meanwhile, Twohey and Kantor and many others in the New York Times become more aware of their powerful opponent, who is apparently ready to stop the investigation as much as possible. While often emphasizing how impertinent he was at that time, the movie wisely does not pay any attention to him even when he visits the New York Times not long before the article is eventually published, and the camera simply focuses on Twohey’s face from the distance as Twohey silently but resilently endures her very disagreeable meeting with Weinstein and his associates.

Although we already know how the story ends, the movie continues to hold our attention under the skillful direction of director Maria Schrader, who recently won an Emmy for her acclaimed German Netflix TV series “Unorthodox”. Like Tom McCarthy’s Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” (2015), it admirably steps aside for its story and characters to develop and advance without getting too dramatic at all, and Schrader also draws stellar performances from its main cast members. While Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan earnestly hold the center, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, and Samantha Morton are also solid in their respective key supporting roles, and Ashley Judd, who plays herself in the film, has a poignant moment when she comes to make a brave decision which helps Twohey and Kantor a lot at the last minute.

In conclusion, “She Said” is worthwhile to watch for its efficient storytelling and good performances, and I appreciate how it handles its important main subject with enough care and respect. Although it does not reach to the level of “Spotlight” or “All the President’s Men” (1976), the movie did an exemplary job on the whole, and you should check it out especially if you care about good journalism.

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Nobody’s Lover (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Messy and Lonely

Posted on December 4, 2022 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Nobody’s Lover” is about one adolescent girl who is often lonely and desperate in her messy private life. While you may shake your head more than once due to her several unwise choices along the story, you will also come to worry and care more about her as getting to know and understand the emotional needs behind her plain appearance, and that is why it is a little consoling to see a bit of hope around the end of her bumpy emotional journey.

At the beginning of the story, the movie observes how things have not been that good for Yoo-jin (Hwang Bo-un). Because her single mother has been mostly occupied with her current romantic relationship, this teenage girl is usually left alone in their shabby house, and we also come to gather that she does not have much social life outside the house. At one point, especially if you a Korean audience, you will notice a considerable dialect gap between her and several schoolmates who ostracize and ridicule her, and that always seems to remind her of her status as a social outsider among other students.

When she is not in the school, Yoo-jin does part-time jobs for earning a bit for herself, and her latest job turns out to be better than expected. She begins to work at a little local pizza restaurant, and its owner/manager is a kind and understanding man who even comes to Yoo-jin’s house for persuading her not to quit her job just because of one very unpleasant incident. In addition, there is a young delivery man around her age, and we can easily sense that this lad is attracted to her right from their first encounter.

However, Yoo-jin’s attention is drawn to someone else. When one college student who once worked in the pizza restaurant happens to drop by on one day, it does not take much time for Yoo-jin to become attracted to him, and he turns out to be willing to get closer to her although he is several years older than her. As they spend more time together, Yoo-jin comes to want more affection and attention from him, and he seems to have no problem with that for a while, but then, not so surprisingly, he is not so eager about presenting her to others around him.

This problematic situation of Yoo-jin is alternated with what is going on in her mother’s private relationship. After suddenly getting pregnant, Yoo-jin’s mother expects her lover to be more serious about their ongoing relationship, but her lover turns out to be much less reliable than he seems on the surface. She tries to be patient and understanding despite that, but she cannot even hide her problem from her daughter, who is not so shocked about her mother’s problem but becomes exasperated with her mother’s rather passive attitude.

Meanwhile, things also get pretty messy for Yoo-jin herself. When that college student lets her down a lot, she comes to lean on that delivery guy, and he cannot possibly say no to her due to his longtime crush on her. He eventually takes her to his house without being noticed by his parents, and she unwisely allows him to get much closer to her than before just because of her desperate emotional urge.

Of course, Yoo-jin cannot help but drawn again to that college student when he comes to her again later. As she struggles more with her increasingly complicated matter of heart, the movie sticks to its non-judgmental viewpoint while also showing some care and understanding toward her. She keeps making one wrong choice after another, but we understand why she is driven to such wrong choices, and we come to feel more compassion toward her when she comes to face the inevitable consequences of her unwise actions later in the story.

In addition, the movie is supported by the solid lead performance from its lead actress. While never making any excuse on her character’s human flaws, Hwang Bo-un steadily carries the film to the end via her unadorned but strong acting, and she is especially wonderful during a number of small intimate moments when the movie observes more of her character’s emotional vulnerability. Although this is her first film, she demonstrates here with considerable confidence that she is another new talented actress to watch, and I will not be surprised if she advances much more during next several years after this excellent breakthrough turn.

Around Hwang, director/writer Han In-mi assembles a bunch of good performers to notice. As Yoo-jin’s equally problematic mother, Seo Young-hee, whom you probably remember for “The Chaser” (2008) and “Bedevilled” (2010), is effective in her several key scenes with Hwang, and she is particularly touching when her character shows more care and affection to Hwang’s character in the end. As several substantial male figures in the story, Jun Suk-ho, Woo Ji-hyun, Hong Xa-bin, and Kim Min-chul are well-cast in their respective parts, and Park Jeong-yeon is also fine in her small but crucial supporting role.

Overall, “Nobody’s Lover”, whose Korean title is incidentally “Everybody’s Lover”, is a modest but engaging mix of character drama and coming-of-age tale, and Han In-mi makes a commendable feature film debut here after directing several acclaimed short films. This is certainly another notable South Korean film of this year, and I guess I can have some expectation on whatever will come next from her.

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Till (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The harrowing story of Emmett Till’s mother

Posted on December 1, 2022 by kaist455

“Till” is a very harrowing experience to say the least. As attempting to present one of the most atrocious cases of American racism during the late 20th century, this modest but undeniably powerful film does not look away from the horror and sadness of the case at all, and it also shows considerable restraint and thoughtfulness while strongly supported by one of the best movie performances of this year.

At the beginning, the movie establishes how things were fairly okay for Mamie Till (Danielle Deadwyler) and her 14-year-old son Emmett (Jalyn Hall) in Chicago, 1955. Although they sometimes experience racism for being African Americans as shown from one early scene in the film, that is relatively mild compared to those Southern states, and that is why Till cannot help but worry a lot when her son is about to visit his cousins in a small rural town of Mississippi. She often reminds him that he really needs to be careful down there, and her son assures that he will keep that in his mind, but she is still quite concerned day by day after his son leaves for Mississippi.

And then, alas, her worst fear comes true. As enjoying some free time along with his cousins, Emmett happens to drop by a local shop run by a Caucasian woman named Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett), and his innocuous words and gesture toward this despicable racist lady ultimately leads to his horrible death a few days later. Once he is kidnapped by two angry Caucasian guys, he is brutally tortured and beaten before his death, and the movie thankfully restrains itself without resorting to any sensationalism.

When she hears that her son is kidnapped, Till is certainly shocked a lot, and she becomes all the more devastated when her son’s dead body is eventually discovered in the Tallahatchie River. At least, she is supported by not only her family members and friends but also those activists from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NACCP), and that is how she can have her son’s mutilated body sent to Chicago as soon as possible.

As lots of public attention is drawn upon her son’s death, Till clearly discerns the opportunity to show the world more of the atrocity inflicted upon her son, and, while still coping with her immense grief and sadness, she makes a very bold choice for that. Rather than not showing her son’s mutilated body at all, she chooses to show that all to not only those reporters but also many people who come to the open funeral ceremony for Emmett, and that naturally draws a considerable amount of criticism.

During this part, the movie also does not look away just like its heroine, and that will certainly make you uneasy and uncomfortable for good reasons. As far as I can remember, the movie directly shows Emmetts’s mutilated body twice, and this is surely quite difficult to watch while on the verge of being rather exploitative, but the movie still sticks to its restrained attitude while making a very clear point to us. It is horrible indeed, but we should not look away nonetheless, and Till, who died in 2003, might have approved of this.

The second part of the movie revolves around the following trial on Emmett’s case, and the screenplay by director Chinonye Chukwu and her co-writers Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp wisely avoids any dramatic overkill as steadily maintaining its low-key tone as before. While never overlooking that Southern racist atmosphere, the movie also focuses a bit on how many local activists including Medgar Evans (Tosin Cole) and Dr. T.R.M. Howard (Roger Guenveur Smith) kept trying during that difficult and dangerous time, and there is a brief but touching scene where Evans’ wife Myrlie (Jayme Lawson) confides to Till on how often she worries about not only herself and her husband but also their children (As some of you know, her husband was assassinated right in front of his family and children several years later).

Right from the first day of the trial, it is quite evident to Till and her supporters that they will not get any justice for her dead son in the end, but she keeps going with dignity – up to a certain point where she decides that enough is enough. When she is later on the witness stand, she is virtually insulted and ridiculed by the lawyer representing those deplorable killers of her son, but she remains firm and dignified despite that, and the movie respects that as the camera never looks away from how she bravely holds herself.

There are many other moments where the movie depends a lot on its lead actress’ talent and presence, and Danielle Deadwyler, who deservedly received the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance a few days ago, is utterly magnificent as quietly but powerfully illustrating her character’s emotional journey along the story. She is also surrounded by a number of good performers including Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Roger Guenveur Smith, and the special mention goes to young actor Jalyn Hall, who holds his own small place well besides Deadwyler during the early part of the film.

On the whole, “Till” skillfully handles its important social/historical subject with enough respect and thoughtfulness, and it is surely another excellent work from Chukwu, who previously drew my attention for her overlooked gem “Clemency” (2019). Considering how the American society is still riddled with racism problems, the movie feels all the more relevant, and it will certainly make you reflect more on why there should be more changes even at this point.

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Tár (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A dry but complex character study from Field and Blanchett

Posted on November 29, 2022 by kaist455

Todd Field’s latest film “Tár” fascinated me a lot for how it is about. While this is basically another familiar tale about art, fame, and personality, the movie is deliberately dry and restrained as patiently doling out a number of interesting variations of conventional story elements during its 158-minute running time, and it ultimately works as a supremely compelling character study to be savored and admired for many reasons.

During the opening part featuring a public interview by Adam Gopnick, the movie succinctly establishes its heroine’s legendary status in her artistic field. As a world-famous female composer-conductor who is also the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at present, Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) has been simply peerless for her very distinguished professional career. As mentioned by Gopnick himself, she has garnered many various industry awards including Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, and she is now approaching to another highlight in her long and illustrious career as preparing for the live recording of one of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies along with her orchestra.

After observing how Lydia effortlessly captivates her interviewer and others with her wit and charisma, the movie alternates between her work and private life. She has lived with her wife Sharon Goodnow (Nina Hoss) and their little adopted daughter, and Sharon has also worked as the concertmaster for her. While Sharon takes care of Lydia’s private life, Lydia’s young assistant Francesca Lentini (Noémie Merlant) handles many things in Lydia’s busy schedule, and we come to gather that Sharon and Francesca have done more than merely providing help and assistance to Lydia for years.

One unadorned but undeniably impressive long-take scene shows what an unflappably confident lecturer Lydia is, while also provoking some thoughts on whether art can really be separated from artist. When one of the students attending her lecture says he does not like the works of J.S. Bach much due to Bach’s rather misogynistic life, Lydia promptly makes a series of counterarguments for why art should be regarded for art itself, and that makes an interesting contradiction. She is surely a pioneering female artist who reaches to the top of a male-dominant field, but she does not seem to regard herself as a feminist as shown from her interview with Gopnik, though she recognizes and respects all those famous female artists before her.

In the meantime, things slowly begin to fall apart in Lydia’s seemingly perfect life and career. At first, she just seems to be annoyed by some young woman who was involved with her some time ago, but it gradually turns out that the situation is much more serious than it looked at first. No matter how much Lydia gets things under control as before, her life and work keep disrupted by more discords to come, and we are not so surprised when there eventually comes a sort of breaking point.

Even at that narrative point, the movie remains distant and detached as before, and Field’s screenplay wisely avoids any unnecessary melodrama or gratuitous sympathy as further examining its heroine’s contradictory sides. Because of being a woman, she is probably criticized much more than many other famous real-life male artists who got exposed at last mainly thanks to the #MeToo movement, but it goes without saying that she has indeed wielded her fame and influence just like them, and that is evident especially when she finds herself attracted to one certain young female member in her orchestra later in the story.

Although the movie stumbles more than once during its rather choppy last act, everything is still held together well by another stunning performance from Cate Blanchett, who deservedly received the Best Actress award at the Venice International Film Festival a few months ago and will surely add another Oscar nomination to her tremendous movie acting career. The movie has numerous small and big scenes where Blanchett is supposed to support and then carry to the end, and she does not disappoint us at all without making any excuse or compromise for her complex human character. We understandably become more distant to her character along the story, but Blanchett continues to hold our attention via her sheer charismatic presence, and that is why the last scene works as a bitter mix of irony and humor.

Around Blanchett, Field assembles several notable performers who hold each own place well around her. While Julian Glover, Mark Strong, and Allan Corduner represent the male-dominant aspects of Lydia’s professional field, Nina Hoss and Noémie Merlant are effective in their respective supporting roles, and Hoss is particularly terrific when her character reveals how much she has put up with Lydia for many years.

In conclusion, “Tár” is another interesting work from Field, who previously directed two films during last 21 years. Despite making a stunning debut with “In the Bedroom” (2001), he has been quite dormant after his second film “Little Children” (2006), and it is certainly nice to see that he is still a talented filmmaker to watch. Although it is challenging to some degree because of its slow narrative pacing and long running time, this is one of the best films of this year in addition to having one of Blanchett’s best performances, and I sincerely recommend you to check it out as soon as possible.

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The Night Owl (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): He saw what he was not supposed to see…

Posted on November 28, 2022 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Night Owl” is a well-made period drama thriller which mixes fact and fiction a bit better than I expected. While its story and characters are inherently limited by the story from the beginning, the movie still engages us as its fictional hero desperately tries to do the right thing in front of increasing perils around him, and we come to care about not only him and but also a few other characters around him.

The story is mainly set in Korea, 1645, and the opening part of the movie introduces us to Kyeong-soo (Ryu Jun-yeol), a blind common lad who has distinguished himself well via his exceptional acupuncture skills. When he happens to get the attention of the palace doctor on one day, he is immediately employed, and he is certainly happy about that because this will improve the living condition of him and his sick younger brother, though his younger brother is not so pleased about not seeing Kyeong-soo during next several weeks.

Anyway, it does not take much time for Kyeong-soo to draw lots of attention in the palace thanks to his first-rate professional skills. When Crown Prince So-hyeon (Kim Sung-cheol), who was taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty of China at the end of the Second Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636, returns to the palace, Kyeong-soo quickly gains the trust of the crown prince as handling the sick body of the crown prince, and the crown prince subsequently shows some generosity after coming to learn more about Kyeong-soo at one point.

Meanwhile, the crown prince is determined to bring some change into his kingdom, but he frequently finds himself in conflict with his father King Injo (Yoo Hae-jin). Still reeling from his wounded pride around the end of the Second Manchu invasion, King Injo strongly objects to his son’s suggestion for more changes including how they should deal with the Qing Dynasty, but, to his disturbance and annoyance, his son gains more political support day by day, and it becomes more possible that his son will succeed him much earlier than expected.

However, as already told to us right from the beginning of the film, the crown prince does not live that long. At one night, his physical condition is suddenly deteriorated a lot, and Kyeong-soo is hurriedly brought along with the palace doctor, and that is when he comes to see something he is not supposed to see. While he cannot see at all during daytime, he can actually see in the dark for some unspecified medical reason, and, due to one small coincidence, he witnesses the crown prince being poisoned before his eventual death.

At first, Kyeong-soo considers keeping this horrible secret to himself because he may get himself killed for that, but he eventually decides to tell it to a few people in the palace he can trust. Once she comes to learn of the truth from Kyeong-soo later, the wife of the crown prince is surely willing to do anything for justice as well as her and her young son’s safety, and there are also a bunch of high-ranking officials who are ready to help her and her son once Kyeong-soo’s testimony is firmly confirmed.

However, things soon get quite more complicated as the palace is completely shut down from the outside world as ordered by the king. It seems that he will simply cover up everything for protecting his political position, and Kyeong-soo consequently finds himself running away from those palace soldiers. If he is not very lucky, he may not survive the night, and the truth will certainly be buried along with him in the end.

Steadily paying attention to what is being at stake for Kyeong-soo and several other main characters, the screenplay by director/writer Ahn Tae-jin keeps things rolling with enough tension and suspense. In case of a tense moment where Kyeong-soo must look absolutely blind in front of a certain kind of threat he can clearly see in the darkness, it feels rather clichéd, but it is still effective enough to make us brace for ourselves, and I also like a certain wordless moment between Kyeong-soo and the wife of the crown prince when both of them suddenly come to realize who is really behind the death of her husband.

If you know a bit about the history of King Injo and his son like me, you already know well how the story eventually ends, but the movie continues to hold our attention before arriving at its predestined finale because of the strong acting from Ryu Jun-yeol, who is sometimes poignant as his character is driven more by his conscience and loyalty. While there is really nothing much he can do in the end, Kyeong-soo keeps trying nonetheless to the end, and you may appreciate some fictional poetic justice in the epilogue part of the story.

Several performers surrounding Ryu in the film are also fine in their respective supporting parts. Choi Moo-sung, Cho Seong-ha, Park Myung-hoon, Kim Sung-cheol, Ahn Eun-jin, Jo Yoon-seo, and Yoo Hae-jin have each own moment to shine, and Yoo surely has some showy moments as his character, who has been regarded as one of the crummiest kings in the history of Joseon Dynasty, shows more ruthlessness and pettiness along the story.

In conclusion, “The Night Owl” is a standard period drama stuff in many aspects, but it works fairy enough to entertain us thanks to its efficient storytelling and several good performances. It did not surprise me much on the whole, but it accomplishes as much as intended despite the unavoidable limits in terms of story and characters, so I will not grumble for now.

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Seire (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Haunted by his ex-girlfriend

Posted on November 28, 2022 by kaist455

South Korean film “Seire” is a little disturbing psychological drama mainly driven by its flawed ordinary hero’s increasingly unstable mind. As his mind is burdened by more anxiety and guilty along the story, you may often wonder how reliable his disturbed viewpoint really is, but the movie keeps holding our attention mainly thanks to its moody atmosphere and a palpable sense of implosion behind its hero’s dull appearance.

The title of the movie refers to 21 days associated with a certain South Korean folk superstition. Once a baby is born, the baby’s family are supposed to take utmost care during this 3-week period, and they especially cannot allow any stranger into their home for protecting the baby from bad luck. I heard that some people still stick to this superstition even in these days, and I guess this is actually reasonable because newborn babies should be isolated from the outside for a while considering their fragile immune system.

In case of the wife of Woo-jin (Seo Hyun-woo), she and her family really believe this superstition, and that is why she is not so pleased as all when Woo-jin suddenly receives a text message on the last day of that 3-week period for their newborn baby. An old female friend of his recently died, and he is requested to attend her upcoming funeral, so he soon goes there without telling much to his wife, who incidentally does not want him to go there due to the possible potential of any bad luck.

At the funeral of that female friend of his, Woo-jin comes across her twin sister Se-young (Ryu Abel), who is mostly courteous to Woo-jin but seems to know about some old history between her dead sister and Woo-jin. As Woo-jin and his other old friends have a private conversation later, we come to gather that Woo-jin was once the boyfriend of Se-young’s dead sister – and that he eventually left her due to some unspecified reason not long before marrying his wife.

We sense something wrong after Woo-jin returns from the funeral. There is a little creepy moment involved with the light bulb of the front gate of his apartment building, and that is just the beginning of a series of eerie moments experienced by him. He keeps dreaming about Se-young’s sister, and he is so disturbed in his mind that he often finds himself confused and baffled between reality and dream. What really happened between him and his ex-girlfriend? Why does he keep dreaming about apples rotten to core? Is it actually possible that he inadvertently got himself attached with the ghost of his ex-girlfriend and then took the ghost to his home and his newborn baby?

Balancing itself well among growing questions and mysteries along the story, the movie patiently accumulates more creepiness around its hero instead of resorting to cheap scary moments. While the screen is constantly shrouded in a considerable amount of moodiness, we are served with several subtly tense scenes, and we come to sense more of emotional undercurrents beneath the surface even though we are not so sure about what is actually happening around Woo-jin.

Meanwhile, we can clearly see how Woo-jin’s disturbed state of mind gradually affects his daily life in one way or another. It does not take much time for his wife to discern that her husband does not tell everything from the beginning, and she becomes all the more furious after a close family member of hers, who is living with her husband right next to Woo-jin’s apartment, happens to have one very terrible day.

As his wife becomes much more anxious about whatever may happen to their baby, Woo-jin feels more distant to his wife with more confusion and helplessness. Later in the story, he is asked to be around Se-young during the last day of her sister’s funeral period, and he does not refuse to do that at all even though being more aware of the dark possibilities surrounding him. He eventually ends up spending the night along with Se-young without anyone around them, and we can only wonder how much of this sequence is actually imagined by his deeply troubled mind. Is Se-young really possessed by the ghost of her sister at one point? And how can we interpret a certain creepy moment between Woo-jin and the body of her sister?

All I can say for now is that I admire how director/writer Park Kang skillfully dials up and down the level of tension along the solid emotional narrative of his screenplay, and I also appreciate the good performances from his few main cast members. Without any unnecessary moment of overacting, Seo Hyun-woo ably conveys to us his character’s gradual mental conflict, and that is why a certain ambiguous key scene of his around the end of the story works well with enough emotional intensity. Around him, Shim Eun-woo and Ryu Abel are well-cast in their respective crucial supporting roles, and Ryu has some chilly fun with going back and forth between her dual part.

Overall, “Seire” is an effective genre piece which deserves some praise for mood, storytelling, and performance, and its several effective moments grow more on me as I am reflecting more on them at present. He thinks he is through with the past, but the past is not through with him at all, and he surely gets a hard lesson in the end.

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The Swimmers (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Swimmer sisters from Syria

Posted on November 26, 2022 by kaist455

“The Swimmers”, which was released on Netflix a few days ago, is a solid drama film which did its job a bit better than expected. Based on a real-life story of two Syrian swimmer sisters who had to leave their country just like many other refugees around the world, the movie diligently handles its story and characters with a considerable amount of sincerity and thoughtfulness, and it surely earns some feel-good moments in the end while never overlooking the harsh reality surrounding its two main characters and many others around them.

The opening part of the film shows how things were mostly all right for Yusra Mardini (Nathalie Issa) and her older sister Sara Mardini (Manal Issa) in 2011. Although their country was on the verge of being shaken up by the Arab Spring movement during that time, they and their family were not concerned much as continuing their mundane daily life in Damascus, and their father Ezzat (Ali Suliman), who has been their swimming coach, keeps training them as before, while hoping that his dear daughters will compete in the Olympics someday.

Four years later, Damascus still seems to be fairly safe despite the ongoing civil war, and both Yusra and Mardini does not mind having some exciting time out there along with their friends, but they and their family soon come to face that harsh reality which surrounds them and many others more and more as time goes by. At one point, Yusra’s latest swimming competition is suddenly disrupted by an unexpected airstrike, and this horrible incident makes Yusra and Mardini consider leaving their country for their athletic career.

Although they are reluctant to let their dear daughters leave the country, Yusra and Mardini’s parents eventually agree to allow that because they really care about their daughters’ future. They are understandably concerned because Yusra and Mardini are going to take lots of risk while trying to go to Europe just like many other refugees out there, but Yusra and Mardini are accompanied by their male cousin Nizar (Ahmed Malek), and Nizar promises to their parents that he will protect his dear cousins as much as possible, though he reluctantly joins them at the last minute.

Once they arrive in Istanbul, Turkey along with Nizar, Yusra and Mardini embark on searching for any possible way to go to Greece, and that is the beginning of their harrowing journey across the Europe continent. At one point, they and many other refugees have no choice but to use a very small motorboat for going to one certain island of Greece, and, not so surprisingly, the situation becomes quite dire when the motorboat suddenly stops in the middle of the sea due to some mechanical problem.

At least, they and the other refugees all manage to arrive in the island, and the movie often emphasize the considerable social gaps between them and those affluent tourists in the island. When they need to have a shower at one point, Yusra and Mardini decide to go to a beach for tourists, and the mood becomes a bit more cheerful as they put a bit of disguise on themselves for avoiding any suspicion.

Even after they and the other refugees put their feet on the Europe continent, the situation remains risky and desperate as before. They will have to cross several borderlines for going to Germany, and, of course, those local authorities are not going to allow that at all. In case of those seedy smugglers, some of them simply exploit refugees while others do help a bit, and there is one painful scene where Yusra has a very traumatic moment before eventually saved by her older sister.

Anyway, thanks to some good luck, Yusra and Mardini manage to arrive in Germany along with Nizar, but things still do not look good to them. They are allowed to stay in a facility for refugees in Berlin, but they remain stuck there as going through one bureaucratic step after another, and they are also quite frustrated when they belatedly come to realize that they may not be allowed to get their family out of Syria.

Nevertheless, Yusra and Mardini still stick to their professional aspiration. Although they have no one to help around them, they boldly approach to one local swimming club, and their talent and boldness certainly impress its coach, who generously lets them move into the dormitory building of his swimming club. Quite determined to compete in the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Yusra drives herself more and more, but her older sister becomes less passionate about swimming compared to her, and that certainly leads to some personal conflict between them.

Although what eventually follow next will not surprise you much, the screenplay by director Sally El Hosaini and her co-writer Jack Thorne seldom loses its focus on the story and characters, and the unadorned natural acting of Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa, who are actually sisters in real-life, carries to the film to the end. In addition, they are supported well by a number of good performers including Ahmed Malek, Matthias Schweighöfer, James Krishna Floyd, Kinda Alloush, and Ali Suliman, and Schweighöfer, who considerably dials down himself here compared to his showier supporting turn in “Army of the Dead” (2021), makes an interesting contrast to the more stoic appearance of Suliman, whom I still fondly remember for his unforgettable performance in Oscar-nominated Palestinian film “Paradise Now” (2005).

In conclusion, “The Swimmers”, which is El Hosaini’s second feature film after her debut feature film “My Brother the Devil” (2012), is conventional but engaging thanks to its good acting and storytelling, and I found myself more emotionally engaged than expected even though I knew exactly what I would get from the beginning. Like recent Disney+ movie “Rise” (2022), this is indeed a standard feel-good drama, but it is done well with enough care and respect, so I will not grumble for now.

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The Wonder (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): She cannot just observe….

Posted on November 26, 2022 by kaist455

Sebastián Lelio’s latest film “The Wonder”, which was released on Netflix a few weeks ago, is quietly tense as its heroine struggles to do her best under one situation which turns out to be more complicated than it seems at first. Although it steadily maintains its detached attitude, the movie patiently builds up its story and characters under its palpably dry but nervous mood, and it is also supported well by another solid performance from its very talented lead actress.

Florence Pugh, a British actress who has steadily advanced since her chilling breakthrough turn in “Lady Macbeth” (2016), plays Elizabeth Wright, a young 19th century British nurse who comes to a small rural Irish village for one certain job. In that village, there is a young girl who has manages to live even though she has supposedly not eaten anything during last several weeks, and several elders of the village including a doctor who examined her want Elizabeth to observe this young girl along with a nun. Although she is not so eager to do that job, Elizabeth follows the instructions from the village elders anyway, and she soon begins her latest job with some understandable skepticism.

All Elizabeth will have to do is just observing that girl in question while also ready for any moment when that girl shows an urge to eat, but she cannot help but feel pity as discerning how poor and desperate that girl’s family is. Like many other people in Ireland, the girl’s family have still been struggling to live and survive even after that devastating famine in the late 1840s, and her parents, who lost their only son during the famine, seem to want to believe that their daughter’s supposedly exceptional state is really a religious wonder to behold.

The girl’s case is a sort of closed room mystery. As far as Elizabeth can see, the girl does not have any opportunity to eat under Elizabeth’s watch, and the nun working with Elizabeth also does not seem to see anything suspicious at all, though her viewpoint may be affected by her religious believe to some degree. The girl claims that she has managed to sustain herself thanks to some kind of blessing, and both the doctor and Elizabeth confirm that the girl’s physical condition is fairy fine even though she has seemingly not eaten anything at all except drinking some water at times.

Quite determined to get to the truth behind the girl, Elizabeth decides to be a little more stringent for removing any reasonable doubt. For example, she checks out the girl’s condition more thoroughly than before, and she also prevents the girl from having any kind of contact with her parents, who are naturally not so pleased about this at all.

As the girl keeps refusing to step back and eat as usual, Elizabeth cannot help but feel more conflicted as time goes by. As a nurse, she is supposed to help her patient getting well, but what she is doing under the village elders’ permission seems to be hurting that girl, and she finds herself more haunted by the memories of someone she lost in the past.

In the meantime, Elizabeth is approached by a young newspaper reporter named William Byrne (Tom Burke). Although he looks more cynical and skeptical than Elizabeth, it subsequently turns out that he actually cares about the case more than he seems to be on the surface, and he becomes an unexpected ally for Elizabeth as she later discerns how complicated the situation surrounding the girl really is. Regardless of whether her wonder is false or not, the girl’s parents may suffer a considerable consequence once she agrees to eat, and Elizabeth becomes more conflicted about what she should do for the girl.

Not hurrying itself at all, the screenplay by Lelio and his co-writers Alice Birch and Emma Donoghue, which is based on Donoghue’s novel of the same name, makes some sharp points on the disadvantaged social position of women during the 19th century. No matter how much Elizabeth tries for the girl, she is disregarded and ignored by the village elders because, well, she is a woman, and they are more interested in protecting their reputation and interest. Even though they may drive the girl to death in the end, that is not the first thing they care about from the beginning, and that eventually prompts Elizabeth to make a rather risky decision later in the story.

Although the movie becomes less tense during its last act, it is still held together well by Pugh’s subtle but powerful acting. While usually unflappable on the surface, Pugh deftly conveys to us whatever is churning behind her character’s rigid façade, and she is also surrounded by a number of engaging performers including Tom Burke, Toby Jones, Niamh Algar, Ciarán Hinds, Elaine Cassidy, and young performer Kíla Lord Cassidy, who is incidentally Elaine Cassidy’s real-life daughter.

Overall, “The Wonder” is surely another interesting work from Lelio, and I think you should check it out especially if you admired his previous works such as “Gloria” (2013), “A Fantastic Woman” (2017), and “Disobedience” (2017). The movie will surely require some patience from you due to its slow narrative pacing and detached atmosphere, but it is still worthwhile to watch thanks to Pugh’s solid acting and several commendable technical aspects including the chilly cinematography by Ari Wegner, who was recently Oscar-nominated for Jane Campion’s great film “The Power of the Dog” (2021). In short, this is one of more interesting films from Netflix during this year, and you may have to give it a chance someday.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An enchanting animation film from Guillermo del Toro

Posted on November 24, 2022 by kaist455

It is said that great movie directors do not follow rules but illustrate them instead, and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”, an animation feature film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, surely exemplifies that. Yes, we are all familiar with that famous Italian fairy tale of the same name written by Carlo Collodi, but del Toro and his crew splendidly bring new life and personality into its very familiar story and characters, and the result is quite refreshing and poignant besides being another impressive masterwork to be added to del Toro’s long and illustrious career.

Like many of del Toro’s works, the film has considerable darkness at its center, and that aspect is evident during its prologue part set during the 1910s. After unfortunately losing his only son due to the World War I, an old rural woodcarver named Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) has been quite morose and depressed during next several years, and then he makes one impulsive decision when he becomes quite drunk at one night. Using a pine tree which has grown near his son’s tomb, he quickly makes a little wooden boy which vaguely resembles his dead son, and, what do you know, this little wooden boy soon comes alive thanks to a little intervention from a magical fairy voiced by Tilda Swinton.

Geppetto is certainly surprised to see his impulsive creation being very alive in the next morning, and the film has some naughty fun with how Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) causes lots of stir in Geppetto’s village. While many of villagers are understandably outraged, the fascist mayor of the village is willing to use Pinocchio for his political cause, and he is even ready to send him to a military training school for boys.

Despite all the troubles caused by Pinocchio, Geppetto comes to care a lot about Pinocchio, and so does Sebastian J. Cricket (voiced by Ewan McGregor), a little travelling cricket who initially resided in that pint tree. As he promised to the fairy, Sebastian tries as much as possible for guiding Pinocchio along with Geppetto, but then our little wooden boy gets himself associated with a seedy circus ringmaster who instantly sees a golden opportunity from Pinocchio, and that is just the beginning of many troubles (and adventures) to come to him.

While mostly staying true to Collodi’s fairy tale, the screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale, which is based on the story by del Toro and Matthew Robbins, tries a series of interesting variations along its narrative. As expected from its 20th century background, fascism functions as another kind of evil besides that circus ringmaster, and this aspect eventually culminates to when Pinocchio and many others are sent to a certain isolated place. No, they are not turned into donkeys here, but the film has its own dark moments to unnerve us while never losing its sense of fun and wonder.

Above all, Pinocchio’s bumpy journey toward being a real boy is handled with enough interest and gravitas to hold our attention. As he frequently encounters with the other fairy who is also voiced by Swinton, the story deftly handles those matters of life and death without overemphasizing them, and that resonates a lot with Pinocchio’s certain important choice around the end of the story.

Furthermore, the film is a visual joy to behold thanks to its top-notch stop-motion animation, which imbues extra fantasy qualities onto the story and characters. Pinocchio looks rather shabby and imperfect at first, but he gradually becomes more endearing as we observe small and big details on his wooden appearance, and we come to care more about him even when we rolls eyes for his irrepressible spirit and innocence. As he goes through one adventure after another, the film provides a number of impressive moments to behold, and you will not certainly be disappointed at all around the time when our little wooden boy happens to be stuck along with Geppetto in the stomach of one big hideous sea creature.

And there are also several wonderful musical numbers provided by composer Alexandre Desplat, who previously collaborated with del Toro with “The Shape of Water” (2017). Besides working pretty well in the context of the story, these musical numbers surely make the film relatively more cheerful than many of del Toro’s darker works, and I particularly enjoyed the one involved with Pinocchio’s little irreverent payback moment against the circus ringmaster.

Around Gregory Mann and David Bradley, the film assembles many different performers who have each own fun with their respective colorful supporting roles. While Ewan McGregor is surely the standout in the bunch, Christoph Waltz, Burn Gorman, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Black Nelson, and Finn Wolfhard are also solid in their voice acting, and you may be a little surprised by what Cate Blanchett did here in the film.

In conclusion, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”, which is currently being shown in South Korean theaters before being eventually released on Netflix early in the next month, is one of the better adaptations of Collodi’s fairy tale during recent years, and it is surely one of the best animation films of this year. Will it become a timeless classic just like the 1940 Walt Disney animation film? In my inconsequential opinion, that is quite possible, and I think you really should behold its enchanting qualities on big movie theater screen instead of watching it at your home.

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