nymphomaniac – Smaller Pictures

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

One of the films I was dying to watch last year but not got round to watching was the stellar The Peanut Butter Falcon. A first time directorial effort by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz and featuring their close friend and aspiring actor Zack Gottsagen who dominates in his first performance as Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome who wants nothing more than to be a wrestler. Escaping the retirement home he has been forced to live at for the past two and a half years, Zak encounters local troublemaker Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) and the two embark on a journey to find a prestigious wrestling school so Zak can start his training. Also featuring Dakota Johnson as Zak’s carer and friend and Bruce Dern in a welcome cameo as Zak’s roommate Carl, The Peanut Butter Falcon is an outstanding debut that will make you laugh and cry as it explores the development of friendship and kinship between its characters.

The screenplay is also written by Nilson and Schwartz and it’s clear they took their time with it to make sure the tone was just right. The pacing is quick and constantly moving as all good road movies do and every minute adds more layers to the relationships between the characters. We learn about Tyler’s background through short flashbacks which are then paralleled with his new friendship with Zak and it’s enough to create that extra dimension for his character. Zak’s character on the other hand is the physical driving force of the movie as the literal journey is to visit the wrestling school that he wants to train at. The dialogue is tight and even the supporting characters are fleshed out enough despite the film’s short running time. It’s the type of screenplay that many spend years trying to craft but can never quite get the tone right.

Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are nothing short of spectacular and it is clear that their friendship goes beyond the silver screen. The rapport they have makes for one of the best duos I have seen in a film in quite some time. The contrast between the two is also important to consider when looking at this film. Gottsagen holds his own with ease against LaBeouf who has been acting since he was a child and has been showing real development in his film choices over recent years. I have always been a fan of LaBeouf’s acting since his early acting days in Holes (2003) and Even Stevens (2000-2003) to his more recent roles in Nymphomaniac (2013) and Fury (2014) showing his full transition from family films to more mature films. Compared to Gottasgen who is a complete newcomer, the casting could have caused serious unbalance but the two bounce off each other brilliantly. It’s obvious they are having fun with their roles and it makes it wonderful to watch from the audience perspective. Not to mention the groundbreaking inclusion of Gottsagen being an actor with Down Syndrome who is playing the lead in a film that celebrates talents and shows that dreams can come true without being overly sentimental. It’s a film that will be remembered and should be remembered thanks to its heart.

Dakota Johnson is also brilliant as retirement home nurse, Eleanor. Eleanor is naive and thinks she knows what is best for Zak but slowly comes to realise that he is capable of thinking for himself. I think Johnson really came into her own as the lead in Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 film Suspiria, a remake of the iconic 1977 Dario Argento film of the same name. She looks to be continuing her streak of good role choices as Eleanor presents a new challenge. Unlike her performance as ballet student Susie, Eleanor works tirelessly taking care of others while also dealing with her own loss having lost her husband. She refuses to be swayed by the consistent flirting by the men she encounters when finding Zak and has no problem putting them in their place.

Another aspect I enjoyed in the film is its soundtrack. The film takes place in North Carolina and this is reflected in the bluegrass tracks that provide the backing in the film. The music adds to the authenticity and rawness that Nilson and Schwartz were going for. The selection of songs are not too heavy and feel relaxed and stripped back, much like Zak and Tyler’s attitudes when they find comfort in their friendship.The Peanut Butter Falcon is a great film to watch with friends and family as well as being a film that can resonate with its audience really well. I am looking forward to seeing where Gottsagen career will go after this and see this film as a huge welcome to his career. I also hope that the studios act on the discussions of being more inclusive when casting.

What did you think of The Peanut Butter Falcon? Let me know in the comments below!

High Life (2018)

As part of an initiative to bring lesser-known films to Wrexham, 73 Cinema aim to show a variety of films that would otherwise have required a trip to bigger cities to view. Based in Ty Pawb, the second chosen feature was High Life (2018), Claire Denis’ first English-language project starring Robert Pattinson in the lead role as a death row inmate who is sent to space with other inmates in order to conduct experiments for those on Earth. Their major mission is to venture to the far ends of the Solar system and the minor mission is to attempt reproduction in space. Denis is a filmmaker who refuses to follow the rules and the brilliant use of non-linear structure reflects this. The film opens with remaining survivor, Monte (Pattinson) repairing the ship as his baby daughter, Willow, cries hysterically, causing him to lose a piece of equipment. There are moments of deep isolation in Monte’s eyes that are soon swept away when Willow starts to laugh and play. Willow becomes his driving force to survive.

Denis’ direction is outstanding and the film is beautifully still. The use of one major primary location is genius because it allows us to feel the claustrophobia. What is brilliant is how small the ship looks from the outside but it seems so big inside with each segment of the ship looking as though it is in an entirely different space. It’s difficult to believe that the same ship contains the garden that grows their food also contains the aptly-named “Fuck Box”, a room where the passengers go to obsessively masturbate. Monte is the only passenger who avoids the room, choosing to lead a celibate life and making him appear alien to the others. Pattinson knocks it out of the park with his performance. Monte is quiet and subdued, allowing the action of the film to be carried out by the more extroverted characters but he is also the most resilient of the bunch. Despite his crime, he has a strong moral compass and doesn’t lend himself to the violence easily. Pattinson carries this film and his performance as Monte appears natural. It’s a role that he was born to play.

The supporting cast are also strong with stellar performances from Juliette Binoche as the sinister Dibs, the ship doctor who is determined to complete the reproduction mission for her moment of glory and Mia Goth as troubled passenger, Boyse who is reluctant to participate in the experiment. Dibs is a character who can never be trusted and her presence onscreen immediately brings unease. She is unapologetic for her actions and what she does to Monte and Boyse is hugely upsetting and she shows no remorse. She is aware of her crimes and the monster she is but chooses not to linger on it with the exception of an emotional scene between her and Boyse in which she confronts her crime. It’s a moment in which Dibs becomes human and seems equal to the others. On the other hand, Goth is an actress who has shown much promise and fearlessness in her film choices since her debut in Lars von Trier’s sex-fuelled Nymphomaniac (2013). Her performance as Boyse shows a clear growth from her earlier work and I predict that she will have a long career. The scene in which she escapes in a ship to enter a blackhole is deeply disturbing and makes for one of the craziest death scenes I have ever seen in film.

As ever, the screenplay is what I pay attention to the most and the film has so many qualities that I admire. Written by Denis and Jean-Pol Fargeau, the film could be described as a sci-fi horror set in space and yet is one of the most human features I have seen. It’s a claustrophobic study of human nature and the strength to survive in unknown conditions. As discussed, it is hugely intense and the script relies heavily on the actions rather than the dialogue. A lot of the time, the physicality and expressions of the character take us through a scene rather than what they are actually saying. Like the mission, the script also takes us into the unknown with twists and turns at every scene and motives change or emerge. There are only a couple of scenes based in Earth to give us a contextual glimpse into the background of the mission and the ship is used a primary location.

It is important to note that High Life is not a film for everybody. It doesn’t hold back in its grittiness with excessive violence, explicit rape scenes and suicide but it’s also a film that creates an intricate study into the human mind when thrust into impossible situations, demonstrating just how far people will go to ensure their legacy. Even in the vacuum of the universe, there is an obsession throughout the film with the idea of legacy and being heroes but in the end, it doesn’t matter. It is Monte’s refusal to engage with such ideals that has meant he is the last survivor. The final scenes between him and teenage Willow (Jessie Ross) bring the film to its hopeful conclusion as they venture into a black hole.

What did you think of High Life? Let me know in the comments below!