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Reviews
Columbus (2017)
brilliantly beautiful
Columbus is a 2017 American film, written and directed by Kogonada in his directorial debut with the same skill and passion as someone with 20 films under their belt. Kogonada, alongside cinematographer Elisha Christian, has created a film of beauty and emotion; a passing moment in time that shows the beginning of a friendship between two people. This indie film follows a Korean-born man called Jin, played by John Cho, stuck in Columbus, Indiana whilst his father is in a coma. He meets a young woman called Cassandra, played by Haley Lu Richardson, an architecture enthusiast working in the local library. Together, they venture around the town visiting buildings that, even from the first shot, are indubitably essential to the film. These buildings are the creation of architects Eliel Saarinen and Eero Saarinen in the style of J Irwin Miller, birthed in the age of brutalism. The relatively small city is a unique place for noted Modern architecture and provides an authentic setting for Columbus. Every image is framed by the architecture using the 'one perspective shot', a technique common to the work of Kubrick. These static angles emphasise the stillness found in the town, helping to beautifully capture the thing that brought the two characters together.
Columbus is a mundane story; it is something that could happen to anyone which is why we can resonate with the events that happen to the two characters. Essentially, this film is a love story. Except, instead of falling madly in love and running through the streets screaming 'I LOVE YOU' while holding hands and falling, slow motion, into each other's arms onto a bed of freshly plumped grass, it is realistic and mature. Kogonada has brilliantly portrayed their love in a way that is honest and simple and, in the end, we are left with the exchange of 'Thanks. For everything' ... 'Thank you. For being here'. It leaves us feeling nostalgic and hopeful.
Le rayon vert (1986)
Outdated but aesthetically pleasing
The Green Ray (Le Rayon Vert) is a French film made in 1986 directed by Eric Rohmer and inspired by the book Green Ray by Jules Verne. It won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, receiving huge amounts of praise. The film follows a young woman called Delphine, played by Marie Riviere, during her summer holidays. She cannot decide what to do with her summer, drifting from place to place but always leaving unsatisfied. Throughout Green Ray, the character of Delphine appears melancholic and lonely, and this is beautifully portrayed by Riviere through her ability to capture frustration and solitude, displaying a captivating observation of the human psyche. Yet, while there is no question about Riviere's skill as an actress, the outdated portrayal of love in the film left me feeling discontented. Delphine's friends encourage her to find a man to cure her sadness which only enforces the idea that one's happiness is a direct correlation with having a partner. While this undoubtedly can happen in some situations, it would have been refreshing if Rohmer had displayed a woman finding happiness without relying on romantic love, breaking the typical mould.
The Green Ray is the fifth film in his series of Comedies and Proverbs and if you have watched any Eric Rohmer films prior to The Green Ray, you can see that it follows the same style through the aesthetic qualities of a French summer shot on 16mm, to familiar themes such as the agony of love. As always, they are strikingly simple and natural which creates a realistic structure that we can resonate with.
To summarise, while I liked the way this film addresses fundamental issues of boredom and solitude, I was disappointed with the final outcome in which Delphine is scooped up in the arms of a man. Let me for once watch a film where a woman doesn't have to rely on a man to find happiness.
Boy (2010)
Heartwarming and Humorous
As it is a film that I have wanted to watch for many months, I am frustrated that I did not watch the 2010 film, Boy, sooner. Written and directed by Taika Waititi, a New-Zealand filmmaker and actor who is most renowned for his work in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor Ragnorok, Boy is a clear example of the talent Waititi possesses as a creative. As only Waititi's second feature film, it became one of the top-grossing films in New Zealand when released, receiving enthusiastic reviews. The film follows the life of a young boy living in rural New Zealand, humorously named 'Boy'; on the cusp of adolescence, he is struggling to care for his family as well as simultaneously coming to terms with the reality of his life. It is centered around fabricated stories Boy creates to make sense of the absence of his father, played by Taika Waititi, which slowly break down as the film progresses when Boy begins to realise the true nature of his father.
Boy is a raw coming of age tale, a hilarious and heartfelt story about idols and magic powers while also recognizing the strength and resilience of kids. This film is a great example of the 'happy-sad' cinematic style that Waititi has mastered so perfectly and has remained a key theme of the films that followed Boy. 'I want to explore the painful comedy of growing up and interpreting the world'- through this, Waititi describes the reason his films become impactful for so many people, owing to his ability to create a connection between the viewers and his characters through the unpleasant and comedic experience of growing up that we all share. So, whilst I may be slightly biased in my judgement due to my unarguable love for Taika Waititi, I strongly recommend this watch.
Kona fer í stríð (2018)
The Mountain Woman
Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson and cowrote with Olafur Egilsson, Woman at War presents the story of Halla, a 50-year-old choir teacher living in Reykjavik who is secretly working towards dismantling the big corporate aluminium and electric companies that reside in Iceland; one woman trying to save the planet. It is powerful and striking but also humorous and warm with a Wes Anderson tint. Released in 2018, I found the film to portray the climate crisis most accurately in comparison to the majority of 'climate change films' that feel a little insincere and cliché.
The location of Iceland, as anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit will know, is incredible. Rolling hills, protruding mountains, mirror-like lakes etc. It is the perfect place to set a film examining the issue of the climate crisis as it evokes feelings of anger and sadness when we see telephone poles intruding on the land and huge factories completely out of place amongst the natural beauty. It makes a clear statement of the way the natural world is being taken over by humans, showing the evident contrast between the man made and the organic. Another clever feature was the portrayal of Halla's way of living at home. She rides a bike, recycles, grows her own vegetables etc. And it looks simple and easy. While this is not how some people can live due to certain restrictions, I found it refreshing to see this way of life seeming completely ordinary. On top of this, Woman at War explores the narrative of a single woman wishing to adopt a child. It is displayed beautifully, shown with love and care. Everything in this film is natural without being obvious in the statements it is making - it is simply just a woman living her life in accordance to herself.
On the technical side, I found the film great. The music score is brilliant; humorous and playful, it goes hand in hand with building tension or setting the mood. The composition of each shot displays the drama of the landscape and emphasising how small we actually are in this world. This film is a hidden gem and if you have not already watched, I would highly recommend.