biopic

lion

| nicole

✨ my rating: 0.5 of 5 stars ✨

Man, this film had potential but it fell flat. It started out good, especially with the talent of the child actor, Sunny Pawar! His acting and the plot up till then really conveyed the panic, anxiety and grief he was feeling at being separated, as well as the dangers of his situation. It roped me in.

Until the child grew up, twenty years later. Somehow, the acting by Dev Patel felt contrived from the start, and he just didn’t seem to fit the role well. The twenty year jump also left the character very two-dimensional, and made the story rather disjointed. It was as if he had zero cares for the family he had left behind, rejecting his identity as Indian and embracing his Australian side – until he, upon seeing a plate of jalebis, suddenly changes his mind. Moreover the romance totally blew it for me. Saroo’s romance with Lucy was excessive, unnecessary and draggy. The whole second half was just a tedious crawl to the end.

Lion; directed by Garth Davis

🌹date watched: 16 jan 2019 🌹

the pianist

| nicole

pianist_2002_original_film_art_2000x✨ my rating: 5 of 5 stars ✨

There are some films that are painful to watch, but all the more important for it. The Pianist is one such work. Set during Nazi Germany, the movie tells the true tale of a Polish Jewish musician, Władysław Szpilman, who struggles to survive amidst the persecution of Jews.

I found it so heart-wrenching because of its explicit portrayal of the brutality of war, and had to look away at some parts because I felt so sad about how cruel humans could be to each other. The subdued and reserved protagonist was played brilliantly by Adrian Brody, whose subtle actions and expressions really conveyed the internal pain and difficulties he was facing. The composition of various scenes – such as those where we see Jews being mercilessly killed and shot, followed by scenes of Szpilman desperately trying to keep alive – layered the story immensely, juxtaposing his tenacity to survive with the death all around him.

Yet, I think it simultaneously offers an inspiring and uplifting message of the redemptive qualities of art, in juxtaposition to the darkness of war – that art can give us a reason to keep living, and a reason to see beyond surface differences to realise we’re all ultimately just human. The classical music was beautiful and gentle, a symbol of humanity’s potential for good amidst the brutality and violence of gunshots and bombs dropping.

Ah, what can I say. WATCH IT, it’s a harrowing and stellar masterpiece.

The Pianist; directed by Roman Polanski

🌹date watched: 2 jan 2019 🌹

loving vincent

| nicole

loving_vincent✨ my rating: 4 of 5 stars ✨

I admire Vincent van Gogh’s art immensely, and so was instantly drawn to watch the film when I saw it screening at The Projector! The film was engaging; structured as a dramatic mystery in which Armand Roulin, the son of van Gogh’s close friend, the postman Joseph Roulin, seeks to discover the truth of truth behind van Gogh’s death.

Visually, it was stunning – “every frame of this film… was hand-painted over in oil paint in the style of van Gogh” – and the cinematography was gorgeous. The textures of the oil paint made the film really come alive, and some scenes were really dazzling. The character of Vincent himself was also played very well by Robert Gulaczyk, from his shy awkwardness to his struggles with mental health. It was heartbreaking to see how he was shunned and treated with cruelty by many, and for me, it hit me personally particularly because of the mental illness aspect. 

I really felt for him; van Gogh seemed gentle and able to see the beauty in life, yet was so plagued by inner demons.

While the visual and aesthetic appeal really stood out, plot-wise, it wasn’t fantastic. I felt that the motivations behind Roulin’s desire to find out what happened, and his character overall, was not adequately fleshed out. His sudden 360 from being indignant at his father’s admiration for Vincent swerves to being keen and empathetic, without sufficient explanation in my opinion, and made his quest seem less believable. Dr Gachet was also initially set up as a suspicious character with vested interests, yet Roulin really easily believes and trusts him by the end, which I felt was a really hasty and abrupt conclusion.

Overall, despite these gaps, I still really enjoyed the film. Not only was it a labour of love, taking around 7 years to make, it was also touching and it offers a poignant look into the life of the extraordinary Van Gogh. 😀

Loving Vincent; directed by Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman

🌹date watched: 30 dec 2018 🌹