Review: In the Fog (Sergei Loznitsa, 2012)

I first watched In the Fog at last year's Melbourne International Film Festival. This review first appeared in my diary coverage.


In the Fog, directed by Ukranian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, is a sparse, minimalist war drama that premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, winning the FIPRESCI Prize. Set on the German occupied western frontiers of the USSR in 1942. The extraordinary opening shot sets the tone for the rest of the film and establishes that three men have been hung by the Nazis as punishment for being saboteurs. A fourth member of the railroad unit, an innocent man named Sushenya (Vladimir Svirskiy), is mysteriously let go, but not before being offered a deal to collaborate with the Nazis.

Though he refuses, he is still let go, but once rumour spreads that he may have cut a deal with the Germans and betrayed his comrades, two partisans turn up at his house, prompt him to bring a shovel and escort him into the forest. A twist of fate leaves Sushenya alive and one of his escorts wounded, and faced with a moral dilemma he continues to save not only his own dignity, but also those in his company. We are privileged to flashbacks of the stories of each of the three central characters, and learn why Sushenya was hunted.

It is incredibly stark, grim and atmospheric, and comparable (though far less impacting) to Elem Klimov's 1985 masterpiece, Come and See, but it's a drawn-out slow burner which does begin to drain a viewer's attention. There are some very powerful scenes and the photography is absolutely sublime. The hypnotic, lengthy takes compel, and Sushenya's story - which includes him carrying death on his shoulders like his own cross - is the most haunting. Loznitsa's film is a powerful psychological study of murky moral decisions, being forced to come to terms with guilt and the decision on whether to maintain one's honour or simply give up. In the Fog is a film I will never ever revisit, because the narrative is so methodical and stretched out, but this is a language of filmmaking with plenty to admire.

My Rating: ★★★

Trailer: Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon)

Below is the trailer for Much Ado About Nothing, definitely my favourite trailer of 2013 so far. It is Joss Whedon's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It received positive reviews from TIFF last year, but no date for Australian release yet. My friend Tom Clift is quoted in the trailer. 

Check it out:

2013 Blind Spot Series: Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955)

The great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer (The Passion of Joan of Arc, Vampyr), regarded by many to be one of the greatest filmmakers to ever work, returned to filmmaking following Day of Wrath (1943) and Two People (1945, later disowned by Dreyer, having made it during Swedish exile) the decade prior, to make Ordet [The Word], his second-to-last feature (preceding Gertrude) and his only film in the 1950's. Adapted by Danish pastor Kaj Munk from his own play, Dreyer was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and Ordet is now regarded as one of the most powerful films ever made about the themes of love, faith, spirituality and the presence of miracles.

Ordet centers around the Borgen family in rural Denmark. The devout widower Morten (Henrik Malberg), patriarch of the family, prominent member of the community, and patron of the local parish church, has three sons. Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen), the eldest, has no faith, but is happily married to the pious Inger (Birgitte Federspiel), who is pregnant with their third child. Johannes (Preben Lerdoff Rye), who went insane studying Kiekegaard, believes himself to be Jesus Christ, and wanders the farm condemning the faith of those around him, including the new pastor of the village, who pays the family a visit on several occasions. The youngest son, Anders (Cay Kristiansen), is in love with Anne Petersen (Gerda Nielsen), the daughter of Peter (Ejner Federspiel), the local tailor and the leader of of a Christin sect. Following Anders' refused proposition by Peter, Morton - formerly against the marriage - protests the refusal, viewing it as a dishonour to his family. Their conflict, Johannes disillusionment and the approaching birth of Inger and Mikkel's child culminates in a stunning finale.

Having seen The Passion of Joan of Arc and Vampyr prior to this experience, my interest in Ordet was piqued when I was watching A Story of Film and saw Dreyer and this film feature heavily. What is extraordinary about Ordet is that for even a viewer with absolutely no religious beliefs, it presents the possibility that miracles can happen. The varying faiths, or lack of, present within these characters clash with one another, and it isn't until the conclusion where we see just how united a group of disparate people can become. I can't think of a film I have seen, perhaps with the exception of Ingmar Bergman's pair of Winter Light and Through a Glass Darkly, that deals with the power of spirituality and faith in such a profound way.

New Releases (07/03/13)

In what is not a particularly interesting week of films, we have six films hitting cinemas this Thursday - Oz: The Great and Powerful, 21 and Over, Broken City, Barbara, Great Expectations and Blinder. Barbara, which won a Silver Bear at last year's Berlin Film Festival, has been well received, while I quite enjoyed Sam Raimi's prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The rest remain unseen.

Oz: The Great and Powerful - Disney's fantastical adventure, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.
 
Barbara - Winner of the Best Director prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival, the latest film from Christian Petzold is a simmering, impeccably crafted Cold War thriller, starring the gifted Nina Hoss - in her fifth lead role for the director - as a Berlin doctor banished to a rural East German hospital as punishment for applying for an exit visa. As her lover from the West carefully plots her escape, Barbara waits patiently and avoids friendships with her colleagues, except for Andre (Ronald Zehrfeld) the hospital's head physician, who is warmly attentive to her. But even as she finds herself falling for him, Barbara still cannot be sure that Andre is not a spy. A film of glancing moments and dangerous secrets, BARBARA paints a haunting picture of a woman being slowly crushed between the irreconcilable needs of desire and survival. Germany's official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.

Review: Oz: The Great and Powerful (Sam Raimi, 2013)

Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spiderman Trilogy) makes a return to screens taking us back into the magical realm of Oz where a small time magician named Oscar Diggs (James Franco) plays a reluctant role in swaying a raging battle between good and evil. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this serves as a visually striking prequel to the events in Victor Fleming’s 1939 film, with Raimi successfully evoking giddy nostalgia while incorporating a winning collaboration of cutting edge CGI/3D technology while honouring ancient cinematic inventions and formats. It is not only colourful and inventive, but features some well-drawn characters and powerful performances and provides enough laughs to entertain the whole family.

Oz: The Great and Powerful opens in Kansas in stunning black and white imagery within the 4:3 ratio utilised during old Hollywood. We are introduced to Oscar as he prepares backstage for his magic show. He bullies his loyal technical assistant, Frank (Zach Braff), and flirts with a new female colleague. When his illusions impress the awe-struck crowd, a young girl requests he use his powers to cure her inability to walk. When he refuses, his goodwill is angrily challenged, leading to a hasty hot air balloon escape. Taken up in a destructive storm and tornado, he finds himself emerging into a fantasy realm – cue colour and format change to widescreen – later revealed to be Oz.

It is here that he learns about the Wizard prophecy and his foretold and expected arrival. Led along the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City by good witch Theadora (Mila Kunis), in the company of Finley (voiced by Braff), a flying monkey he rescues along the way, Oz is offered immense fame and riches by her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) if he destroys the wand of a banished wicked witch. When he meets Glinda (Michelle Williams) he learns that he has been the subject of manipulation and has to team up with the people of Oz and use every trick up his sleeve to stop the reign of evil.

Continue Reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

Review: Side Effects (Steven Soderbergh, 2013)

Believed to be the last Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike) directed film to have a theatrical release before his now-announced retirement, his compelling new thriller Side Effects features Soderbergh’s recognisably clinical stylistic qualities, with the prolific filmmaker once again teaming up again with writer Scott Z. Burns (Contagion).

Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has become clinically depressed during the four-year period her husband Martin (Channing Tatum, Magic Mike) has been imprisoned for insider trading. Seeming to struggle with Martin’s attempts to re-assimilate and start up a new business, Emily inexplicably drives her car into a wall in what is believed to be a suicide attempt. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law, Anna Karenina), a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical consultant, is assigned by the state to Emily’s case. His prescribed medication doesn’t work, and during their sessions he begins to realise that Emily is a very troubled young woman. On the advice of Emily’s former psychiatrist, Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta Jones, Chicago), Banks decides to prescribe her an experimental drug, Ablixa. When one of the unexpected side effects results in a violent incident it prompts a thorough investigation into all parties involved.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

Monthy Round-Up: February Viewing

 In February I watched a total of 32 films. A heap of French Film Festival screeners, and interestingly, a pair of John Hughes classics for the first time.  I also watched three Steven Soderbergh films - The Limey and his new thriller Side Effects for the first time, and Contagion for the second. Re-watching Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained were my top cinema experiences, along with West of Memphis and Cloud Atlas. The films I have written a feature review for have a link. For the others I have supplied brief thoughts (Tweet/Letterboxd reviews).

 
New-to-Me Films (In Order of Preference)

---------Essential Viewing---------

West of Memphis (Amy J. Berg, 2012)

Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer)

Cloud Atlas (Tom Tykwer, Lana and Andy Wachowski, 2012)

The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999) - Stylish, moody revenge/crime drama edited to economical effect. Great dialogue and an intense performance from Terrence Stamp.

The Breakfast Club (John Hughes, 1985) - Five teens from different social circles confront their insecurities and find unexpected friendship in 80's Hughes classic. Found it substantially more dramatic than expected, with the character's individual transformations endearing. Great performances.

Sixteen Candles (John Hughes, 1984) - A forgotten birthday results in a less than memorable day for Sam (Molly Ringwald), but while desiring the attention of popular hunk (Michael Schoeffling), she catches the eye of a geek (Anthony Michael Hall) and over the course of a night - and a wild post-dance house party - their plights influence one another in unexpected ways. Genuinely hilarious, and featuring some great characters and dialogue, this rambunctious coming-of-age comedy was a lot of fun.

We Own the Night (James Gray, 2007) - Crime drama as focused on character/family as drug war. Gray constructs impressive set pieces (including stunning car chase). Joaquin Phoenix is terrific.

 La Jetee (Chris Marker, 1962) - Trippy, contemplative sci-fi about memory and the mechanics of time has a terrific idea and unique, innovative execution.

---------Essential Viewing---------
 

2013 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival: Looking For Hortense (Pascal Bonitzer, 2012)

The curiously named Cherchez Hortense (Looking for Hortense), co-written (with Agathe de Sacy) and directed by Pascal Bonitzer, is breezy, humanistic, handsomely lensed, but ultimately an unspectacular French dramedy. With sprinkles of a mid-life existential crisis come redemption tale, a strained father-son relationship, the unraveling of a tired marriage and a semblance of a social commentary, Bonitzer incorporates too many strands in his narrative. It is neither dramatic nor funny enough to leave a lasting impression.

We are initially led to believe that the story will follow Kristen Scott-Thomas’ theatre-director Iva, but following the opening scene of her stressing about a scene in her new play, and acknowledging her handsome cast member’s attraction to her, the story then shifts to her lethargic husband Damien (Jean Pierre Bacri), whom we follow for the remainder of the film. He is a lecturer in Chinese customs at a business school, but is predominantly housebound taking care of the couple’s son Noe (Marin Orcand Tourres), with Iva working late, and suspiciously staying out later.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.