Foxcatcher, 2014
Dir: Bennet Miller
A very cold and solemn film about the strange, twisted and detrimental relationship between three men involved in the world of wrestling. Mostly, I found it to be a movie about delusion. Delusion about the true nature of someone whose role is that of father, coach, friend and mentor. Delusion about the greatness of a country and nationalist glorification. Delusion about oneself and one's view of the world.
All three starring performances were solid, but it was Steve Carrell as John du Pont who stole the show. His performance was quiet but menacing, maintaining an aura of threat throughout the film. There was a sense of discomfort every time he appeared on screen, his character's mental illness and distortion are implied through every detail, building up until the climax towards the end of the film.
It was also very well-directed. Not all loose ends were tied in the story (I am still wondering what is it that really drove du Pont to madness, which, besides from a petty desire to both impress and prove his mother wrong goes largely unexplained) but the atmosphere of confinement was conveyed well despite the setting of a grand Philadelphia estate.
Whilst engrossed, I did not really
enjoy watching many parts of it in the conventional sense (the unfriendliness of it makes it difficult to enjoy as a form of entertainment), but it did provoke a lot of thoughts and created a disturbing impact, so it was quite a successful film in that sense.
7/10
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