Open-ended Morality

 

Alps,  the 2011 Greek film, written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (director of Oscar-nominated Dogtooth), is an inquisitive film which makes audiences question their own sense of morals and reality. The film follows a small group of people who take on impersonation roles of the deceased, hired by their family or loved ones, to cope with grief and loss. The hired impersonators are not simply ordinary actors filling roles in the family, but take on all the aspects of the deceased, including their clothes, hobbies, and even relationships. This notion in itself is utterly absurd and bizarre, but sounds like an interesting synopsis that could take many different pathways, which it does.

 

While Alps deals with a rather morbid and bleak topic, it also has many elements of comedy throughout, lightening the tone of the film so it's not completely serious. It does also include aspects of very graphic, sudden bursts of violence, which are confronting yet breathtaking, but add a sense of realism to the film and the business these people are in. The sexual encounters in the film range from comic to near paedophilia, as the one of impersonators uses her sexuality to seduce her deceased person's teenage boyfriend, which makes for quite uncomfortable viewing.

 

At times throughout the film there is much warmth and elements of true human nature come out, which make audiences question whether their business is as bad as it first seems. One of the impersonators reads to an old blind lady and provides her with the companionship which she had lost. These moments evoke such a strong connection between the characters and the audience, and the empathy for the people who have lost loved ones forgives them for buying into such an outlandish and ludicrous business.

 

Alps, to me, was a very unexplained and open-ended film, leaving many questions from the viewer about what was real and what wasn't. I was left wondering which aspect of the protagonist's life was real, or whether the life she lived with her father was also an impersonation. Quite a lot of doubt is left in the minds of the viewers as it is left to them to produce their own understanding and interpretation of the film. This aspect of the film was rather frustrating to deal with, and can leave the viewer feeling unsatisfied, but it also adds an element of mystery and intrigue to the film.

 

Premiering at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, Alps won an Osella for Best Screenplay. At the 2012 Sydney Film Festival it won the Official Competition Prize for New Directions, and it was also screened at the 2012 Melbourne International Film Festival, which is where I viewed it. Alps is currently screening at the Palace Cinema Como on the corner of Chapel Street and Toorak Road and may be found at other international or independent cinemas.

 

 

Not So Despicable After All

 

 

Universal Pictures film, Despicable Me, written and directed by some of the same writers and directors as Dr. Seuss adaptations, Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax, boasts a star-studded cast of voices, comprised of many comedians.

 

Despicable Me follows Gru, the evil criminal genius, his right-hand-man Dr. Nefario and his Minions as they plot to shrink and steal the moon to become the greatest criminals in all the world. His scheme involves using orphans Margo, Edith and Agnes to infiltrate his new found arch nemesis Vector, but being a new dad to the orphans eventually tugs on his heart strings as he has to work to a deadline on his evil plan.

 

Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Kristin Wiig are among the well-known names providing their voices for the characters within the film. Interestingly, the two directors, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, also lend their voices to the film for many of the various Minion characters. When watching the film, however, I did not find myself instantly recognising the famous voices I have heard many times before, and therefore the star attraction to the film tends to lose its weight as a drawing card. Steve Carell would be the only voice I would have been able to eventually detect, however, with the accent he provides for his character it is not immediately noticed.

 

N.E.R.D star and music producer, Parrell Williams, provides original music for the film as a composer for the original songs and theme music. The music assists the film's youthful fun and playfulness adding its own smooth contemporary feel. The theme track adds a dangerous but cool element through the rap, which would prove popular with slightly older children watching the film. A great addition by Williams.

 

The multitude of Minions is what takes this family animation to greater heights. The Minions are cute, funny, and make the film more entertaining for a larger array of audience members. The storyline of the film is highly predictable, as most family animations are, but heartwarming and enjoyable nonetheless. Despicable Me is not as comical for adults as some other family animations produced by Universal or Pixar, but it is still one to entertain children on school holidays and its sweet ending will please the whole family.

A Killer With a Conscience?

Killing Them Softly, written and directed by Wellington-born, Melbourne-raised Andrew Dominik, explores the issues within America's capitalist society during the 2008 presidential elections. Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is called in to investigate and 'clean-up' after a heist of a mobster's poker night.

 

The script is wonderfully written, especially Pitt's daring last few lines which would surely offend many patriotic Americans fixated on the fantasy of the 'American dream'. Pitt plays his role impeccably, portraying Cogan as an assassin who dislikes "embarrassing" jobs where victims beg and plead for their lives, wet themselves, and lose their dignity. Cogan prefers to kill them from a distance, avoiding emotion tampering with his conscience.

 

Australian actor, Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom; The Dark Knight Rises) plays junkie, Russell, one of the characters partaking in the heist. Mendelsohn perfectly illustrates the sweaty, seedy character tripping after shooting up, as he is disorientated, slipping in and out of focus. The acting is beautifully accompanied with experimental audio and visuals altering focus, creating an enthralling sequence rife with emotions associated with drug use, poverty, capitalism and crime.

 

As mentioned, the film has elements of avant-garde, experimentalist tendencies to it, primarily through the use of audio. The opening sequence exemplifies this immediately, and the audience know this will be no ordinary film. The sound mixing throughout the whole film is astounding, using different levels to highlight certain sounds, such as glass breaking or blood splattering, to play with the audience's emotions. Many of the sounds give an uncomfortable feeling, adding to the overall discomfort of the themes and topics of the film.

 

The cinematography is no less impressive than the sound, using appropriate focus pulls and camera angles to highlight characters' traits and action taking place. Ray Liotta's character, Markie Trattman, endures brutal physical violence in which cinematographer, Greig Fraser, pulls and racks focus illustrating the confusion and pain suffered. Some people will find the film too violent or too realistic, but all the violence had it's own place within the film and was relevant for the storyline.

 

The one downside I experienced in the film was in the long-winded conversations between Cogan and his old friend and hit man, Mickey (James Gandolfini), in which Mickey would talk relentlessly and crudely about women. These conversations were needed for Mickey's character development, but I thought they could have been more succinct to keep the pacing of the film running smoothly, rather than slowing to an almost boring pace.

 

Besides all the technical elements, the actual substance of the film was interesting to view. The highly politically-charged time setting was the perfect backdrop for Dominik to extend his views on capitalism, the real America, and the America everyone wants to see. The frequent television broadcasts or radio announcements heard throughout the film were perhaps overkilled, however during this time in the United States it would have been difficult to escape the presidential campaign, and thus it is conveyed within Killing Them Softly.

 

An interesting point to the film was the use of only male actors, apart from one female role of a prostitute, who has a verbal altercation with Mickey and Cogan, showing her (and them) in an unflattering way. This may been seen as misogynistic by Dominik and his casting directors, however, his point would have been to illustrate the truth that a capitalist society is a man's world, it has been, and it will continue that way.

 

Overall, the film was one of the few masterpieces of today and should no doubt be on every body's lips during award season. Kirk Francis' sound mixing was beyond imperative to the film and stunning to listen to. The vast majority of the acting was top notch, Oscar-nomination worthy, and the cinematography, despite the often uncomfortable themes, was a pleasure to watch. Any lover of film should go out to see Killing Them Softly just to appreciate the fine craftsmanship and direction of Dominik as it provides much food for thought and inspiration.



Hailing Xala

The 1975 film of Senegal, Xala (pronounced Ha-la), written and directed by Ousmane Sembene, is a highly politically-charged film daring to voice an opinion.

Xala represents Senegal's post-colonial period, as the revolution is seen to come to an end in the opening sequence. Sembene believes that the French still have a ruling influence in Senegal, as the government officials speak French and wear tuxedos (as opposed to the opening sequence when they wear traditional clothing of Senegal as they overthrow the government). Sembene comments that the revolution has not had the outcomes that were promised to the civilians as they are seen to be physically removed and displaced.

The main plot of the film follows one government official, El Hadji, as he takes his third wife but fails to consumate his marriage. This is believed to be due to him refusing to a traditional part of the wedding ceremony, thinking it ridiculous and unnecessary.

The rest of the film follows El Hadji and the misfourtunes he endures.

Sembene uses El Hadji's wives to represent the different eras of Senegal. The first wife is traditional, older, and has learnt many life lessons. The second wife represents French-colonial rule and is fashion and money-focused, selfish and bossy. Lastly, the third wife is seldom seen in the film, but is representative of post-colonial Senegal and leaves the character and the era open to interpreation about how it will result.

Xala is a third-world cinema masterpiece as it deals with rife political issues through intelligent metaphors and interpretations. Many revolutions fail to bring about much change, only to redistribute the power to another group. This is the main social commentary Sembene makes throughout Xala, and as such it certainly makes for an interesting film.

Naughty Teddy

Seth MacFarlane's first feaure-length film, Ted, is not for the faint-hearted. It features Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett, a man in his mid-thirties, with Ted (voiced by MacFarlane), his real-life pot-smoking, beer-drinking teddy bear as his long-time best friend. The premise of the film revolves around John and his long-term relationship with girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis), and the struggles that are presented when having a talking Teddy as a flatmate.

Ted reflects MacFarlane's humour perfectly; it's rude, crude, and often racist, sexist, and homophobic. MacFarlane's Family Guy and American Dad have eased audiences into his bold and offensive gags making the crassness of Ted no surprise. This being said, I found myself laughing out loud at many stages throughout the film. As long as you don't take the racism or sexism too seriously, you too will find yourself in fits of giggles.

Wonderfully cast with Wahlberg and Kunis, they do well adapting to acting with 'Ted', a CGI. Honourable mentions to Giovanni Ribisi as Donny, a creepy father that tries to buy Ted from John, and to Joel McHale as Rex, Lori's sleazy boss. These supporting actors perfectly round-out the film and add to the multiple plot-lines.

The narration of the film ensures that the storybook feel of the film is kept intact, while also making the highly sexualized themes less confronting and vulgar. Take the exchange between Ted and his boss at the supermarket as an example:
Boss: You had sexual intercourse on top of the produce that we sell to people?
Ted: I did her with a parsnip. Then I sold that same parsnip to a family of four.

One fault that I did notice with the film was that I was left feeling like the best jokes or the funniest parts were all shown in the various teasers advertising the film. I understand that this is the best way to sell the film and attract audiences, but I felt underwhelmed at times as the jokes had lost their charm.

If you enjoy the toilet-humour of Family Guy, don't mind eyeballing Mila Kunis for an hour and a half, or are a sucker for a cliched love story, this film will more than satisfy as a reason to head to the pictures. Just make sure your date isn't an easily-offended frigid Jewish female.