Another odd double bill last night:
9.
The fall (2006)
This movie has featured quite frequently in lists of the most beautiful movies of all time. I can now see why. It is absolutely mind blowingly beautiful to watch it unfold. I have no idea what sort of timeframe it took Tarsem Singh to plan, develop and finalise this project but I read that it was filmed in 18 different countries, and I’m not surprised. The sweeping shots of sand dunes, mountains, temples, forests, islands and everything in between truly takes you to a magical mythical place which I’m sure is the intention. It’s a bout an injured, heartbroken stuntman and a girl in hospital recovering from a broken arm. Minor spoilers ahead:
The trouble is – It doesn’t really go anywhere. It feels like a living, breathing Ron Fricke documentary that just sort of fizzles out. There was one moment where I thought it might get interesting and we find out that the little girl is actually on her deathbed and is imagining everything as her real father comes to visit her by her bedside. But it’s far more linear than that and just seems to be a story of how 2 patients at a hospital are getting each other through tough times. (Unless I’ve completely been whooshed by a plot device somewhere along the line.) We see at the end that they are both still in recovery as they watch a moving picture film - and she probably idolises the stuntman in every film she’ll ever watch again. But it’s hardly a “pay off” or a resolution. I like ambiguous endings but this didn’t even provide an ending of any sort really. Inevitably, there will be accusations of “style over substance” as a consequence. Which in this case is quite fair.
That said, I can’t help but admire it for its’ ambitious nature, and I wouldn’t disagree with anybody that said it is one of the most visually striking movies of all time – and that alone is enough to ramp its’ score up a notch………..7/10
10.
‘Wendy and Lucy’ (2008)
This is why I love movieforums.com . Somebody reviewed this on the “Rate the last movie you watched” thread, and being a fan of Michelle Williams I had to give it a go. She really delivers. The girl can act, and the best part of it is that she knows when not to overact. Her mannerisms in this film are excellent because she spends half the movie it chaotic bewilderment as she tries to find her lost dog.
Yes it’s a minimalistic movie. Yes it’s quiet, subdued and downbeat. But you can’t ignore that part of life. And this film showed a side of struggling that a lot of movies don’t. It was like a slice of a drifter’s life, 3 days in time that we peek into and then forget about. Who cares we don’t find out what happens to her, that’s not the point.
So thank you to whoever brought this to my attention last week. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus it had Bonnie Prince Billy in it. Which was just weird.
I’m off to check out more of Kelly Reichardt’s films, probably starting with’ Meek’s Cutoff’. Meanwhile I’d give this a 7.5/10