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Reviews
Les salauds (2013)
'Bastards' is a moody, slow-burning noir with a surprising series of events that will leave a mark on you.
A man lies dead, a young woman walks the streets at night, dazed and naked. The opening scene of Claire Denis' new film 'Bastards' shows fragments of something terrible thats taken place, but we don't know what. The young womans name is Justine (Lola Créton), her mother Sandra (Julie Bataille) learns of her tragedy and the dead man who is her husband and Justine's father.
Sandra seems to have given up hope, or simply doesn't care. Its not until Sandra's brother Marco (Vincent Lindon) is called to return from his job as a captain of a ship, that things start to unravel. Marco seems to be the only one compelled to find out what happened to Justine and her father, who was Marco's best friend. Sandra is of little help, Marco doesn't quite trust her, and maybe never had. She tells him who she thinks is responsible, Marco drops everything to piece back together a disturbing picture of family life.
'Bastards' is a moody, slow-burning noir with a surprising series of events that will leave a mark on you. Marco's affair with Raphaelle (Chiara Mastroianni) provides the film with its emotional heart. But everyone is numb and lonely, seemingly unable to express themselves, or simply afraid to. 'Bastards' uses a strange emotional state, darkness pervades in everyone who are all closely shot but you still can't get close to them. Somethings holding them all back, and the protagonists of the crimes do not need to lift a finger.
'Bastards' isn't a bleak film, there's still enough tenderness and thoughtfulness in the characters to imbue the film with a humane presence. It still keeps you at a distance, the ending is a shocking conclusion to a fine film, perfectly pivoted by a wonderful song from the Tindersticks. You may not like the ending, but i think this was the point from Denis, in what is her finest film yet.
Yi dai zong shi (2013)
Whatever electricity existed in Ip Man, it stayed within him.
'The Grandmaster' is Wong Kar-Wai's lavish new film, chronicling the legendary Ip Man (Tony Leung), a Wing Chung martial-arts master who famously taught Bruce Lee.
Kar-Wai traces Ip Man's journey right back from when he had to prove himself as a martial artist in 1930′s Foshan, China. Ip Man's peaceful existence is threatened by the arrival of Gong Yutian, a Grandmaster from northern China who announced his retirement. Famed for the 64 Hands technique, he appoints Ma San (Zhang Jin) as his heir in the North, and feels the South should have an heir too. Discussions lead to fights from various masters attempting to challenge Gong, but Ma San dismisses everyone. Gong Yutian's daughter Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) tries to convince her father not to continue the fight, as she feels nobody is worthy, including Ip Man. Unhappy with his masters position, Ma San kills Gong Yutian. Gong Er seeks retribution, beginning a three-way tussle between herself, Ma San and Ip Man.
'The Grandmaster' places great emphasis on the philosophies of kung fu, specifically the stripped-down style of Wing Chun. Ip Man is its greatest exponent, and Kar-Wai unveils the isolation and loneliness in this dedicated hero. Time jumps forwards, back and forwards again to examine his unconsummated relationship with Gong Er. Leung and Ziyi play their parts well, but something is amiss in their great lost love. The fight scenes are exquisitely framed, but these too feel contrived and lack any imagination. The opening fight scene where Ip Man floors dozens of men in the rain at night is heavy on the close-up slo-mo action. I've never been too impressed with films which obscure the real beauty of fight movements. Parts of the story were incoherent, destroying any mystery the film had accumulated. And what happened to his wife and children? Too many characters were either underused or overdone.
As with most big budget Chinese films, 'The Grandmaster' looks phenomenal. Even with some cod kung fu philosophising ("In life, as in chess, when a move is played it stays on the board") and poetic observations, 'The Grandmaster' falls flat as a character study of a legendary martial artist and teacher. Inexplicably, by the end of the film its Gong Er who seems to be the Grandmaster. Whatever electricity existed in Ip Man, it stayed within him. Perhaps thats what Kar-Wai intended? I doubt it.
Le passé (2013)
Consummate acting, meticulous direction. Farhadi has a rare gift.
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi follows up his Oscar-winning drama 'A Separation' with 'The Past', a French film set in Paris where Marie (Bérénice Bejo) is going through a divorce with her estranged Iranian husband Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa).
After being absent for around 4 years, Ahmad eventually responds to Marie's many summons to sign the divorce papers. He learns that many things have changed, that Marie now has a new partner in Samir (Tahar Rahim). Samir has a young son called Fouad (Elyes Aguis), to add to Marie's two daughters Lea (Jeanne Jestin) and the teenage Lucie (Pauline Burlet) from her first marriage. This complicated family structure is further fractured by the fact that Samir is still married, whose wife Céline is in a coma. And its Celine's hospitalisation which triggers the emotional turmoil in everyone concerned.
Everyone seems to have dual existences, caught between the past and the current and unable to find a path to the future. Somehow, Marie has to decide what is best for herself and her family. She, and she alone needs to decide what the future holds for everyone. Farhadi's complex, intricate drama is a tragedy of good intentions and wrong decisions that seemed right at the time. Celine's situation is played like a murder-mystery, unravelled with consummate timing by Farhadi. It seems easier to cut your losses and move on, but nobody is capable of doing so. Paradoxically, Celine seems to have got off lightly.
Directing in a different language and culture, Farhadi has still managed to pull off another outstanding film. The acting, from the children to the adults, is quite extraordinary. As with 'A Separation' and 'About Elly', Farhadi manages to show a naturalistic humanity in all the characters. Even the children show a level of subtlety rare in film, especially in an extraordinary scene between Samir and Fouad in a Paris Metro station. Farhadi unravels the story meticulously, immersing you deeper and deeper into all these lives whose futures are at stake. The past is never shown, Farhadi's skill is in making the viewer piece together the past. The answers slowly come to the surface, but you couldn't say with any certainty of who was to blame. In the end, the final scene shows us what Samir doesn't see, which only adds to the uncertainty.
Farhadi tells simple stories that are intricately woven and deeply felt, raw and unsparingly emotive. You leave 'The Past' not just thinking about the film itself but question your own life and the mistakes you've made, but ultimately its where you are now that is important. Farhadi has a rare gift.