While Drive is a lot of things, one thing it isn’t is a testosterone fuelled thrill ride in the vein of The Fast and the Furious. The opening sequence sets the tone of the film far more accurately than its trailers, as we are made to understand that in Refns’ movie, action has been substituted by razor-wire atmosphere and magnetic visual panache. Gazing from a window over the lights of Los Angeles, clad in leather gloves and a white jacket emblazoned with a golden scorpion, our nameless antihero speaks into a phone words he has clearly spoken many times before. Parked in an empty street soon afterwards, he waits while two masked bandits burglarize a warehouse; what they are stealing is of little importance. The rhythm of Cliff Martinez’s electronic score creeps quietly along in the background, sending low reverberations pulsing through your chest; between Drive and Contagion, Martinez has been responsible for the two best sounding films of the year.

The minutes that follow are a high-minded, low-octane, intensely gripping cat and mouse game through the cities maze-like streets, as The Driver eludes police not with speed but with strategy. A sequence more heart-racing than any Vin Diesel vehicle, it also offers clear insight into our protagonist’s psychological makeup. With hardly any dialogue to speak of in this scene (or in any other), almost everything about the character is communicated non-verbally, through his face, his clothes, his barren apartment and the way he handles himself behind the wheel. He is a man methodical in his actions, unflinching in his focus and driven by a single overriding purpose. Gosling works marvels with sparse material, disseminating a cool, hard, robotic exterior that is cracked throughout the film only in the most fleeting of moments by nuanced flashes of tenderness, anger, vulnerability and regret.

The primary catalyst for any emotion Gosling’s character shows is his neighbour Irene, a single mother played with doe-eyed femininity by the immensely talented and classically beautiful Carey Mulligan (An Education). The uncertain romance that develops between them occurs almost entirely through glances and the slightest of smiles. Silence in this film speaks volumes, as do the words characters choose to avoid. Such is the case in the phenomenal scene of unspoken tension when Driver meets Standard (Oscar Isaac; Sucker Punch), Irene’s fresh out of prison husband, for the very first time. Standard’s return soon inadvertently puts his family in danger from a pair of mobsters played by a boorish Ron Perlman (Conan the Barbarian) and a marginally more agreeable but no less dangerous Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo). The gangsters also have business with Driver’s friend and occasional employer Shannon (the always excellent Bryan Cranston; TVs Breaking Bad). With the threat of violence imminent, our taciturn protagonist enters into the equation himself to protect the few people he truly cares about.

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, the man responsible for the critically acclaimed Pusher trilogy and the Tom Hardy vehicle Bronson, demonstrates an awe-inspiring grasp of cinematic craft and history. It’s no coincidence that the film is set in the movie capital of the work, which cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel (also responsible for the visually dynamic Three Kings) captures beautifully in both its sun soaked days and its glassy, neon nights. The film pays homage to motion picture styles and genres as eclectic as exploitation flicks, the Scandinavian avant-garde movement, 40s noir films, 90s crime thrillers and of course, 70s car movies — all set, bizarrely, to the tunes of a collection of campy 80s inspired synthetic pop songs that go right along with the lurid pink title font. The violence comes in short but sudden and extremely — extremely — graphic bursts that rattle the sense and prove that gore is most confronting when it’s used sparingly.

Drive may very well alienate mainstream audiences, especially those who — like the American woman who sued the film’s distributor — feel tricked by the action-packed marketing campaign that promises a very different kind of motion picture. This is not a gritty car chase film, although it has grit and at least one fantastic car chase. What it is, instead, is a deliberately paced hybrid of high and low art, one that burns ice-cold with meticulous steadicam shots and hypnotic slow-motion, effortless coolness and stylish intelligence. My question is: lady, why would you want it to be anything else?

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To reveal too much about the story would be a disservice to the film, one where the plot is progressively revealed over a series of sombre twists and turns. The film begins with Nadir and Simin (Peyman Moaadi and Leila Hatami), a married couple arguing furiously in the presence of a judge. The wife wishes to leave Iran and take their daughter (Sarina Farhadi) with her, while the husband, the only caretaker of his invalid father, feels morally obligated to stay. Once the judge grants them a divorce, the wife moves back in with her mother, forcing the husband a hire caretaker maid, a deeply religious woman named Razieh (Sareh Bayat) who is often at the mercy of her own angry, unemployed husband Hodjat (Shahab Hosseini). Soon afterward, a terrible misfortune strikes, embroiling all parties in a legal battle that threatens to drive both families further apart.

Every aspect of A Separation is perfectly handled by writer/director Asghar Farhadi, who creates family dynamics and scenarios that feel completely true to life. The dialogue rattles back and forth across living rooms and in the offices of over-worked judges, as victims and witnesses tell their own version of what exactly caused the catalysing tragedy. In between these rapid fire exchanges are scenes between husbands and wives, parents and daughters, which brim with restrained, believable emotion and never once push over into melodrama. The cinematography is likewise wonderfully controlled, never obtruding, slowly drawing audiences in to the gradually unfolding drama.

All of the performances in the film are subtle but memorable; each actor brings to life a character with their own personal motivations, hopes and reasons to be dishonest. Without a clear understanding as to the exact truth of the matter – if there even is such a thing as an objective truth – the audience is forced to draw their own assumptions as to where their sympathies lies; which people they believe and what consequences should befall them. Some viewers may side heavily with one family or the other, while others sill conclude that there are no criminals, only victims, in this heartbreaking and unlucky affair. For Western audiences, the film also documents – without overtly critiquing – the role of religion, and the power dynamics between men and women, in contemporary Iranian society.

Even when an answer and a judgement are eventually delivered, there is no definitive outcome to A Separation, as each character must live on with the guilt and justifications of what they did, did not or may not have done. For audiences, the film is an ethical and emotional drama that will stay with you for days. A masterpiece of intimate, dramatic filmmaking; an absolute must see.

—

Tom Clift is a web-based film journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Visit his website here: http://reviewsbytom.blogspot.com.

You can read all of Tom Clift’s coverage of MIFF 2011 here.

Route Irish (MIFF Review)

Give Up Tomorrow (MIFF Review)

MIFF 2011 Diary: Days 1-4

The Liverpool Goalie (MIFF Mini Review)

The Redemption of General Butt Naked (MIFF Review)

Don’t feel at all like you need to be familiar with the true-life events that took place in Balibo, a small village in East Timor  that sits 10km from the Indonesian border, to appreciate what Connolly’s film has to offer. I myself knew very little about the Balibo Five going in (having been born 14 years after the events occurred).  I knew even less about the sixth journalist, Roger East, who went to East Timor three weeks after the disappearance of the five journalists to investigate. Portrayed with great confliction Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace, The Bank), East is not immediately glorified as a journalistic hero in David Williamson and Robert Connolly’s screenplay. He’s introduced as a chain-smoking alcoholic, who appears to have given up his years of experience as a foreign correspondent to lead a simpler life.  This changes when future East Timor president Jose Ramos-Horta (a standout Oscar Issac), then a charismatic scholar desperate to save his country from the impending Indonesian occupation, offers him a job managing the ‘free’ press in Timor. Declining at first, East changes his mind when Ramos-Horta informs him of the five missing Australian journalists – Greg Shackleton (Damon Gameau), Tony Stewart (Mark Leonard Winter) and Gary Cunningham (Gyton Grantley) of Channel 7 news and Brian Peters (Thomas Wright) and Malcolm Rennie (Nathan Phillips) of Channel 9 – who went to Timor in the hope of filming the unsanctioned Indonesian invasion.  Since the Australian government has turned a blind eye to their disappearance, East decides to follow the trail of the young journalists, determined to discover their fate.

The narrative brilliance of Balibo derives from the way in which it frequently, yet seamlessly, cuts between Roger East’s investigation and extensive flashbacks of the five journalists as they traverse the same terrain four weeks prior. Authentically portrayed, we grow immensely fond of these people; on camera they are professional reporters, bravely acting as the spokespeople for the East Timorese and their plight. Off camera, they are genuinely relatable Aussie larrikins, lapping up the tropical sun and sharing stories with the children of local villages. It’s only as they draw closer to Balibo, where Indonesian battleships loom just off the coast, that the dangers of wartime journalism become all too real.

It’s at this moment that Balibo shifts well into gear and reveals itself as a gritty thriller. In what is by far the most tense and traumatic piece of cinema I have witnessed in years, the journalists find themselves caught on the frontline of the Indonesian invasion, forcing them into hiding as the ruthless militants occupy the village. Connolly skillfully utilises our invested interest in the these characters to gut wrenching effect, made all the more impacting due to Tristan Milani’s fluid handheld camerawork that centres us in the action. What transpires is now ingrained in history, despite the Australian government’s desperate attempt to have it buried as it would add further criticism towards their acquiescence of the Indonesian invasion.

As Connolly states himself, “Balibo is a story that demands to be told”. But it in the wrong hands, it could have been a disaster. It could have easily been another Pearl Harbor; a pretentious, overacted and unengaging film that’s more concerned with the box office than it is informing its audience. But aside from one oddly patriotic moment during the film’s affecting conclusion that almost sees LaPaglia break the forth wall, there’s not a pretentious bone in Balibo‘s body. It’s clear that Connolly went to great lengths to authentically bring this story to the screen, not only by adapting it from the book Cover Up, Jill Jolliffe’s in-depth case-study of the Balibo Five, but also by consulting with East Timor/Australian relations specialist Dr. Clinton Fernandes. Yet this is not simply a lesson of the past; Balibo‘s alarming observations of wartime journalism, as well as its critical look at the peacekeeping role of state governments and the United Nations, still greatly resonates today. But what makes Balibo essential viewing is that, on top of its past and present significance, it also happens to be one of the most captivating and thrilling films in years.

Verdict:

In what has already proven to be a stellar year for the Australian film industry, Robert Connolly’s Balibo – a truly haunting, edgy and enthralling political thriller -manages to raise the bar even further. This is Australian filmmaking at its most supreme.

Read our exclusive interview with Balibo director Robert Connolly and actor Damon Gameau (who plays Greg Shackleton) here.

- Originally posted July 16th, 2009.

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Brilliant performances from Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz, Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard absorb you into their character’s lives. Long time old buddies on the same playing field – George and David (Hopper and Kingsley) engage you in banter. Consuela (Cruz) creates a power shift over lothario David with her sexual history and sensuality and brings you to tears in her final heartbreaking revelation. Patricia Clarkson as David’s always on the road business woman/mistress, lets in glimpses of the real loneliness in their 20 years of “just sex”. David and Kenny Kepesh (Sarsgaard) as estranged father and son find themselves on common ground (adultery) and inch toward a poignant closure of their broken past.

With a great script by Nicolas Myer based upon a Philip Roth novel The Dying Animal, Elegy is a brilliant and subtly directed film by Spanish director Isabel Coixet. This romantic drama beautifully caresses to the surface themes of growth, love and finding a place in the world for us out of a selfish, self-centred and lonely… one.

- Review by Eddie Crismani

Elegy opens in select Australian cinemas April 9th.

Cinema Releases – April 9, 2009

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Disgrace (Review)

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Competition: Win preview tickets to CAIRO TIME in Adelaide!

The lights dim, the thematic music kicks in and the crowd applaud to signal the biggest moment of Jamal Malik’s (Dev Patel) life; he has reached the last question on India’s ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. But how has a boy from the slums of Mumbai made it further on the show than the brightest minds have in the past? It’s a question that leads to Jamal’s arrest, under the suspicion of cheating. To prove his innocence, Jamal is forced to reveal the sometimes joyous but often tragic events of his childhood living in the slums with his older brother Saliem (Madhur Mittal) and friend Latika (Freida Pinto) and how their journey of survival lead him to the answer of each question.

Based on the novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Simon Beaufory’s screen adaptation intertwines the past with the present, splendidly building in suspense as the million dollar question looms closer. However, it’s the fairytale journey of hope and humanity leading up to the final question that is most captivating. Told in three different time frames, we first meet an adolescent Jamal in the most confrontational matter; being tortured in a cell in a hope he will reveal how he cheated. “He’s a tough guy”, the guard proclaims after he can’t get Jamal to talk. No wonder; we soon learn that most of Jamal’s life has been torture. His mother was killed during a anti-Muslim raid when he was a child, leaving him and his brother to beg and steal for food before returning to the junkyard they called home. With an admirable sense of optimism and belief in destiny, a young Jamal finds happiness from his newfound friend Latika, forming the foundation for a future love.

With a character this endearing, it’s near impossible not to get fully absorbed in Jamal’s story. It helps that each portrayal of Jamal is as excellent as the next, credibly developing the complexities of Jamal’s character and his unsteady relationship with his brother; a troubled boy torn between survival, greed and the responsibilities of being an older brother. Frieda Pinto as Latika also makes for a convincing love interest, if not simply for her radiant beauty, making the romantic sub-plot of destined love one of the most cordial of the year. Expect to see a lot more from this young cast in the future.

It doesn’t matter what director Danny Boyle is depicting –be it unsettling scenes of child exploitation or moments of melodramatic joy – it’s infinitely entertaining. Boyle’s direction has a remarkable energy that manages to seamlessly and satisfyingly blend together each and every dramatic shift in chronology, locale and sentiment. With a lucrative career not bound to a specific genre, Boyle uses his knowledge from each of his previous films to craft a truly unique experience. Certain scenes, such as those taking place on the Millionaire game show, lend from the slick visual presentation of his underrated sci-fi thriller Sunshine. The sweeping long-shots of India’s terrible poverty and unsightly trash field plains relate back to unsettling emptiness of the city streets in Boyle’s Zombie flick 28 Days Later. Yet the chase sequences in Slumdog carry the humour and energy of the directors most celebrated film Trainspotting. Last but not least, Boyle injects the humanity and charm ever present in his family film Millions into Jamal’s character and the films satisfying conclusion. So satisfying a conclusion, might I add, that it had me completely overcome with tears of joy.

Collectively, this vibrant blend of cinematic techniques is somewhat reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann’s modern and stylistic take of Romeo + Juliet. Yet unlike Luhrmann deliberately did, Boyle doesn’t overdo the melodrama to the point where it glosses over the often unsettling reality of each situation and setting. Instead, he strikes a solid balance between the two, turning what could have been a hard-hitting, solemn film into a tasteful crowd pleaser.

Conclusion:

Captivatingly told, dynamically directed and superbly acted; Slumdog Millionaire is near unfaultable.
The million dollar question here is;

Q: Is this the year’s best film?

A: Absolutely.

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Oscar Lead Up Gets A Little Darker

This scene from the aptly titled The Dark Knight, the decidedly gloomy follow up to 2005’s relaunch of the Batman franchise, is indicative of the film on a whole. Let me clarify; with a spectacular array of action sequences alongside a star studded cast and crew, it’s not hard to see how such a grand project could be considered a gargantuan overindulgence even by Hollywood’s standards. Yet the man standing atop this mountain of money, the one responsible for igniting it, has made sure The Dark Knight is something much more than just an expensive summer blockbuster. In a film that is as breathtaking in its impeccable action as it is profound in its many societal observations, Christopher Nolan has made cinema goers everywhere realise that Hollywood deserves a better class of director. And by God, he’s given it to us.

Under Batman’s watch, the streets of Gotham are gradually being rid of the criminal underworld that once plagued the city. This does not occur without the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), whose unyielding determination to clean up the city has become a beacon of hope for the people. So much so that Police Lieutenant James Gordon,  Batman’s primary contact and trusted friend, asks Dent to help him perform a large operation to completely freeze the funds of the city’s mobsters. Dent also attracts the attention of billionaire Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), not in the least because of Wayne’s long standing friendship with his new girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), but also to see if he could be the long awaited replacement to his Batman alter ego; a hero with a face that the city needs. However, the mob aren’t going down without a fight, and in desperation turn to a mysterious madman known only as The Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers to help dispose of the D.A. and the “Bat problem”. Yet his lunacy quickly becomes boundless and the trail of chaos and destruction he leaves in his wake causes many to question: just how safe is a city that allows a caped man to take the law into his own hands?

Note: The hidden section below (and only this section) contains spoilers and should only be read if you have seen the film. Click “Show” below to reveal the section.

[spoiler] Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer have composed a story that perfectly underpins the importance of hope, leadership and honour in a post 9/11 world. The new depiction of Gotham City is not the otherworldly metropolis it has been in the past; it’s a city recognisable to us all. People live here, not comic book characters. People who look towards the modern superhero, the fearless few willing to face adversity front on and lead their people onward. In this sense, Harvey Dent is the Barack Obama of this story. The promise of a brighter future ensues hope; “the night is always darkest before the dawn”. Yet Nolan also explores the biggest threat to such a character: chaos and its power to corrupt, the binary opposite to order and honour. The Joker is the definitive terrorist of the story, a madman who commits acts of supreme destruction simply because he enjoys watching the world burn. Much like the unforeseen events of 9/11, The Joker comes out of nowhere. His lunacy is never truly explained nor does it need to be. He is a reminder that good only ceases to exist because evil does. However, more terrifying and disastrous than any act of a madman is the loss of hope in a time when it’s needed most. This is why The Dark Knight is film more about the fall of Harvey Dent, and his descent into madness at the hands of the Joker, than it is about the caped crusader.

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The screenplay itself, written by Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan, is excellent at bringing the story of order vs. chaos  to fruition. For some it might feel overlong and convoluted, certainly lacking the clear cut direction of 2005’s Batman Begins. Yet the narrative here is in its the message: without hope, chaos reigns as being the only justice. The shifting direction of the story still manages to feel natural by being indicative of the madness of the Joker, representing the anarchic society he is out to create.  Without sounding cheesy, the dialogue is a  bank of memorable quotes; from Harvey Dent’s foreshadowing adage, “You either die a hero, or see yourself become the villain”, to the disturbing truth behind the Joker’s own observation, “Madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push.”

Of course, the story succeeds only because of the impeccable cast, stellar production values and a director that continues to do no wrong. The return of Christian Bale’s more credible portrayal of Batman, despite not being the only focus of the film this time around, is as exciting and engaging as ever. Whether he’s billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne or the incorruptible Dark Knight himself, Bale completely inhabits his role. If any criticism can be made, it’s that Bale’s Batman is not as developed during the film as it was in the previous film. But if you want character development, go and re-watch Batman Begins; this film is more concerned with how the other characters of Gotham city interact with the masked hero.

Also returning from the 2005 franchise reboot is Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Gordon, excellently portraying the film’s most challenging character as the only reliable enforcer of justice in an equable role that doesn’t allow for caricatured extremes. Aaron Eckhart is perfectly cast as Harvey Dent, possessing the charisma and demeanor required to make his character’s inevitable decline believably tragic. Yet it goes without saying that the late Heath Ledger’s Joker is the undeniable star of the show.  If Bale inhabited the role of Batman, then The Joker inhabited Ledger; it’s difficult to believe there is someone  behind the cracked and disfigured face. His grotesque appearance, unnerving enunciation and menacing cackle will haunt you long after the credits have rolled. Whilst at first Ledger’s tragic death overshadowed my ability to be completely enthralled by his performance, a second viewing without the lingering reminder of the tragedy has left me unquestionably in awe of his ability that will be sorely missed.

Yet my highest accolades for the film will always be for its director; Christopher Nolan. I’m not shy of confessing my adoration for this man. My love for cinema was partially ignited by his modern noir masterpiece Memento, which I still regard as his best work. Without a bad film to his name, he continues his legacy here as Hollywood’s most reliable and exciting director. Whilst decidedly mastering the art of storytelling in his past works, The Dark Knight is Nolan’s declaration that he can do action, and do it very well. Every action sequence in the film somehow outdoes the last and leaves you completely breathless. Unlike most directors, he can make a scene infinitely exciting without the overuse of rapid editing or the shaky handheld camera trick. By following the action logically, he gives the audience the sense of being a part of the scene and allows for the brute rawness of events to captivate without resorting to cinematic trickery. It’s not as seamless as the amazing single camera sequences in Children of Men, but it’s certainly more exciting to watch than the over-edited action of Quantum of Solace or the painfully shaky camera that tainted the Bourne series.

Where possible, Nolan prefers not to resort to the use of CGI; explosions are actual explosions and crashes are actual crashes, and it’s all the more breathtaking for it. That hospital scene would not nearly be as remarkable to watch without the two distinctive elements of Nolan’s direction that I have stated above. Whilst the absence of a soundtrack in this scene works to heighten its impact, the tremendous score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard underpins every other memorable scene, seamlessly shifting between heart thumping orchestral compositions and harrowing siren-like string sections. All things considered, it’s safe to assume that blockbuster movies — heck, movies full stop –  don’t  get much better than this.

Verdict:

Christopher Nolan not only delivers the definitive Batman film, he delivers the definitive action film while he’s at it. He has reminded us that summer blockbusters don’t have to be mindless action films; they can also be intricately woven commentators on modern society.

Chances are you’ve seen it already, but I highly recommend seeing The Dark Knight again on High Definition Blu-ray to get the complete experience. [rating: 5/5]

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