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Film reviews

The Son Review

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Depression is a normal human emotion. Some people struggle with depression and others are better able to handle it. Director Florian Zeller puts us in a world of depression in The Son which is an honest and faithful film that is about a teenage boy’s emotional distress. The filmis realistic in its portrayal of life as it authentically illustrates how feeling down can be a challenge to accept. The melancholy is highly saturated throughout the story.

I had difficulty with The Son at various times. The concepts of sadness and anxiety were the two factors that made me feel especially emotional. The Son reminded me of what it can feel like to be down about aspects of life. Given all the downer moments in the film, I wasalso reminded of how important getting help is.  It is clear, however, that the ones we love most may have to make tough decisions sometimes and those who are suffering may take offense to those decisions. By making these difficult decisions, the hope is to help the people we love ultimately live a better life.

In The Son, audiences are introduced to Nicholas (played by Zen McGrath). He is a teenage boy with divorced parents in New York City. He ditches school and begins to show signs that concern his mother Kate (played by Laura Dern). Nicholas then begs to stay with his father Peter (played by Hugh Jackman). Peter is remarried, and his new wife is Beth (played by Vanessa Kirby). Nicholas changes schools, and his dad tries to help him out. Nicholas acts like he is improving, but he is not well and hides his emotions. Peter and Kate do not know how to help their son. Even Peter’s father (played by Anthony Hopkins) does not know how to give Peter advice. Unfortunately, Peter’s father is self-absorbed and fails to admit to his own mistakes during Peter’s childhood. With all the tensions, frustrations, and worrisome factors, The Son is psychologically disturbing. The level of Nicholas’ sadness causes confusion and many questions for Kate, Peter, and Beth.

The Son paints a vivid portrait of mental health challenges and displays Zeller’s vision of realism as a director. Zeller knows how to grease the wheel of stress and apprehension in The Son. In a few fragments, Nicholas is shown in an average mood. There are moments where it seems he has more confidence in himself, and his father becomes immediately impressed. The essential ingredients to Nicholas’ mental health tend to come to a halt due to shocking discoveries by his parents. These scenes are portrayed with honesty and are familiar to those familiar with depression.  People who fight depression tend to keep covering their tracks and hiding their real problems. Can Nicholas stop lying to himself?

The Son left me with mixed emotions. I liked it for its realism, but its focus on mental health was hard for me to handle. Nicholas’ parents simply want their son to be happy. Despite how concerning Nicholas’s feelings may appear, tough love may have to come into play to help him recover.

The film left me quite down, but it reinforced the importance of my life. It reminded me of who has helped me to get my life back on track when I’ve faced troubles.  It also reminded me of the fundamentals of family. In the end, it is all about what people can do to help those they care about pick themselves up. Three stars for The Son.

Film reviews

Women Talking Review

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This film about a bunch of ladies questioning faith is like a melancholy version of 12 Angry Men (1957). With five female roles it could have easily been titled 5 Angry Ladies instead of Women Talking. The movieis all about women being honest and accepting reality. From my perspective, its dramatic irony is a bit exaggerated. Women Talking explores a variety of problems, but in the end, it just feels like a long debate amongst the women involved.

The film takes place in 2010. The setting is in a deserted religious community. The ladies are Ona (played by Rooney Mara), Salome (played by Claire Foy), Mariche (played by Jessie Buckley), Scarface Janz (played by Frances McDormand), and Agata (played by Judith Ivey). Women Talking challenges the ladies to come to terms with reconciliation with their experiences of sexually assault. Some recall being assaulted, some question if they were assaulted, and some question their faith. As the ladies discuss their encounters, the film covers a complex landscape of right and wrong with religion as a backdrop.

I found myself suffering some boredom during Women Talking, but it subsided as the conversations became more deliberate. The film displays a willingness for truths to be revealed as the intensity builds. The revelations come to a halt, however, because of the mixed conversations and unwanted comparisons between the ladies.

What enthralled me the most with Women Talking is the in-depth dialogue. The film’s writing is emotionally eloquent. Writer and director Sarah Polley exhibits seriousness delivering this performance. Women Talking is a worthy film given the voices it gives to its characters played by amazing talent. In the film Mara’s character asks, “Why does love—the absence of love, the end of love, the need for love—result in so much violence?” That question is direct and carries a strong narrative throughout Women Talking. The topic of sexual assault is never an easy one and the subject matter may be hard for some to take in.  My appreciation for Women Talking stems from the opportunity to have the ladies be heard. The story is about them opening about their experiences while also using reconciliation as their savior. The film portrays the many wonders of personal evolution.

Women Talking requires attention at first. The initial approach is quite dry, but eventually it begins to captivate. Women Talking is pervasive in references to cultural and religious factors. When the more difficult topics came into the discussions, I began to find myself more hooked on the film and asked myself a lot of questions. Why are the ladies admitting to what they are guilty about? Why are they hiding the fact that some were assaulted? Do they truly feel their life is at risk due to religious beliefs? The conversations that were unsettling made my head spin, but those topics that are hardest to hear in Women Talking make the movie. Three stars.

Film reviews

The Pale Blue Eye Review

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This is the third time Christian Bale has starred in a film directed by Scott Cooper. The first time Bale played a steel mill worker trying to save his brother in Out of The Furnace (2013). The second had Bale playing an army captain in Hostiles (2017). Now, in The Pale Blue Eye, he plays a detective in the 1830s.

The premise of The Pale Blue Eye focuses on Detective Augustus Landor, played by Bale. The characters also include include West Point Cadet Edgar Allan Poe, played by Harry Melling, and Jean Pepe, played Robert Duvall. These three are the most important characters surrounding the film’s trembling terror of a crime spree.

In The Pale Blue Eye, Det. Landor is assigned to investigate a murder of a West Point cadet, and he recruits Poe to help him with the investigation. Many people assume the cadet died by suicide, but the evidence makes the case creepy for Landor and Poe, and time is of the essence in solving the case.

With Bale’s role as Det. Landor, expect a great amount of realism. Landor is a widower with alcohol issues, and the case grows to be more and more dangerous for him. I found myself wondering whether Landor could mentally handle the murder case. Duvall’s character, Pepe, is a philosopher who helps the detective understand the writing and symbolism clues tied into the murder case.

The twists and turns for Landor and Poe in The Pale Blue Eye are inevitable, and there are interesting political and religious aspects to the investigation. There may even be a cult involved in the cadet death, and that murder is just the beginning. The 1830s is an era where lanterns are flashlights, and there are of course no computers. The lack of technology means the case must be solved thorough calculations and logic.

The cinematography in The Pale Blue Eye gives the film a very eerie feel. The film is saturated with darkness, and it’s set in the fall and early winter with forest scenes and snow, which is unsettling. An interesting aspect of the era is that despite the lack of modern communication, whatever is said, seen, or heard is thrown right into the open; there is little confidentiality. So who can be trusted? Join the mystery and find out. Three stars for The Pale Blue Eye.