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The French Dispatch (2021)

2021 saw a slew of star-studded films and one of these was Wes Anderson’s newest feature, The French Dispatch. The film follows the team at the titular magazine and the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé where the team is located. The cast is led by Bill Murray who plays the magazine’s editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr, based on The New Yorker’s founder Harold Ross with a starry cast including regular Anderson collaborators such as Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Frances McDormand, and Anjelica Huston, among many others. Unlike his other films, The French Dispatch is an anthology film and consists of a tour around Ennui-sur-Blasé followed by three stories from the magazine’s final issue and an obituary for Howitzer, who has passed away.

The film is written and directed by Wes Anderson and features all the weirdness and wackiness that you would expect from one of his films. The town of Ennui-sur-Blasé sits perfectly in Anderson’s cinematic universe, while Anderson plays with the structure of the film itself, structuring it like a visual magazine with a content’s page that gives an overall summary, some stories, and a final conclusion in its obituary. The French Dispatch may not have as strong a story like The Grand Budapest Hotel or as many memorable characters such as those in The Royal Tenenbaums, and this seems to have divided hardcore Anderson fans, but to see Anderson experiment with film structure and the way in which the magazine influences the actual film and vice versa makes it intriguing to watch.

The first segment of the film is called “The Concrete Masterpiece” and stars Benicio del Toro as incarcerated artist Moses Rosenthaler who delves into abstract art inspired by his muse, Simone (Léa Seydoux). When fellow prisoner and art dealer, Julien Cadazio (Adrien Brody) spots one of Rosenthaler’s works in the prison, he makes it his mission to ensure that the latter is the most famous artist in the world even though he remains in prison. This segment features the strongest characterisation as there are fewer leading characters meaning that there is more room for them to be explored. Seydoux is spectacular as Simone. When we first see her, she is completely naked as she poses for Rosenthaler, but the way in which she is portrayed is full of empowerment as her role as prison guard means that she has ultimate control over the situation. Leading this segment is del Toro, who has never worked with Anderson before but proves to be a natural fit within his vision, while Brody can always be relied upon to bring a strong performance.

The second chapter is titled “Revisions to a Manifesto”, which follows reporter Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) as she records a student revolution in which the male students, led by Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet) demand access to the female dormitory. This segment is probably the weakest of the three in that the other two have stories that are more compelling. This isn’t to say that it is a bad portion, but when compared to the other two, it’s clear that it doesn’t have the same level of magic. McDormand is perfect as always as the cynical Krementz, who is dead set in her ways and refuses to conform despite efforts from those around her, while Chalamet is absolutely charming as the young Zeffirelli.

The third segment, “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner”, is the best of the three sections and features the most captivating performance in the entire film thanks to Jeffrey Wright’s incredible performance as reporter Roebuck Wright, who is inspired by James Baldwin and A. J. Liebling. Roebuck is a character whose reporting incorporates food and this specific story recalls his private meal with the Commissaire (Mathieu Amalric) where the food is prepared by renowned chef/police officer, Nescaffier (Stephen Park). There are a lot of moving parts in this segment, so the other characters aren’t as well-developed, but Roebuck’s character and his own experiences as a homosexual in a foreign country are particularly poignant and provides a nuance to the film that grounds the wackiness going on.

The music is provided by none other than Oscar-winning composer, Alexandre Desplat, who won his first Oscar for his amazing work on Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. Desplat was originally slated to work on Guillermo del Toro’s latest film Nightmare Alley but chose to work on The French Dispatch in his fifth collaboration with Anderson and the score is incredible. The score is filled with classical French inspiration while the tracks alter in terms of tone and style to suit the stories that are being told. The track that plays while the shoot-out is taking place in the third segment is a particular highlight. On one hand, the score for The French Dispatch demonstrates Desplat’s affinity for capturing the world, and Anderson’s vision perfectly, but it is a shame that we didn’t get to hear his score for Nightmare Alley as it would have been incredible to see Desplat work with del Toro again and work with the noir and carnival aspects of the film.

The French Dispatch may not have the same level of magic as other Anderson features, but the way that he plays with the film’s structure allows it to stand out against other entries in his filmography. Relying on a slew of familiar faces that he has previously worked with, it’s great to see that the best performances came from those whom he hasn’t worked with before such as Jeffrey Wright and Benecio del Toro, who lead their segments with ease. Anderson proves yet again why he is one of the most creative minds that Hollywood has to offer thanks to his ability to create whimsy and mix it with deadpan comedy and points of drama, making a film that is filled with excellent balance.

What did you think of The French Dispatch. Let me know in the comments below!

The French Dispatch is now available to watch on Disney+!

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Top 5 Films of 2020

2020 has certainly been a whirlwind of a year for many reasons thanks due to global pandemic. Like many others within the film community, I have found solace in films during the difficult times and the closure of cinemas have resulted in the majority of new releases being released onto streaming services. My website has seen huge growth and I feel more confident in my writing now thanks to all of the support. This year also saw me review my first lot of film festivals with London Film Festival and Raindance Film Festival providing unforgettable experiences.

As a lot of people begin to post their Best of 2020, I thought I would do the same. Rather than do a top 10, I thought I would do a top 5 instead (it’ll become clear why when you see my choices). Bear in mind that I am counting films that were released after this year’s awards season so films like Parasite won’t be included (if I had included them, it would have to be a top 30 and I don’t have the time sorry!). I will be writing a mini review for each but my full reviews that be accessed by clicking the links.

Before I commence my top 5, I want to give an honourable mention goes to Pedro Almodóvar’s spectacular short film, The Human Voice. As my list consists of feature length films, I thought I would mention The Human Voice here. Featuring a stellar Tilda Swinton performance (as if she delivers anything less!), it’s a fantastic glimpse into the deterioration of a woman whose life slowly becomes to fall apart as she comes to terms with the end of her relationship. You can read my fuller review for The Human Voice here.

Without further ado, here are my top 5 films of the year:

5) Soul

Kicking off this list is the first of two animation choices. In a year of strong animation output, Pixar’s Soul was the most discussed, especially since their awards attention was going to be pushed onto this film more than Onward which was released just before lockdown. Just when you thought Pixar couldn’t get bigger with their imagination, they got Pixar legend Pete Docter in to direct yet another masterpiece. A film that delves deep into one man’s life and his purpose, Soul is mesmerising in both its animation and narrative. At times abstract and bizarre, it feels artistic at times thanks to the limitless minds at Pixar which is what makes the studio so exciting. Boasting an A list cast and a score to die for (pun intended), Soul kicks off this list with hugely high standard.

4) Small Axe

So my number 4 choice is a tad controversial as I have given it to Steve McQueen’s revolutionary anthology film series Small Axe rather than a specific film from the collection. Hear me out though! I initially had compiled a top 10 and unsurprisingly, it was overwhelmed with the films from Small Axe and so I wanted to acknowledge McQueen’s phenomenal cinematic achievement in one go. Spanning several decades and showing the discrimination faced by the West Indies community in London, Small Axe explores well known stories such as first installment Mangrove and lesser known issues as seen in the concluding installment Education. Each film as good as the last, McQueen is one of the most exciting directors working today (you can read my article on his films here). He is a fearless filmmaker who isn’t afraid to confront the racial issues head on, whether that is through the realistic brutality endured at the hands of the police sworn to protect or the vile discriminatory language used to belittle the community. Small Axe is an anthology series that has flipped the script on how filmmaking can be perceived as well as making that important statement that the issues explored haven’t completely gone away.

3) Da 5 Bloods

It couldn’t be a proper top 5 without the incredible Spike Lee. Following on the flawless Blackkklansman with the equally stellar Da 5 Bloods, Lee takes us through the African-American experience in Vietnam during the war and its aftermath. Following 4 men returning to Vietnam to locate their fellow soldier’s body, Da 5 Bloods is a film that makes it statement, showcasing the struggle of men who fought for a country that treats them unfairly. Mixing in different forms of film to provide a wider historical perspective, Lee is a true master of making his films into political statements that have plenty to say. His films are made to show the disturbance within a system that is sworn to protect its people. The racial discord is clearly one that is still evident today and those connections from the Vietnam War to now is evident in how Da Bloods are treated throughout the film. Disrespected wherever they go, the men can only find true solace in each other because no one else has had their experience both in the literal war and racial war.

2) I’m Thinking of Ending Things

My number 2 pick takes us deep into the wonderful world of writer-director-genius Charlie Kaufman with his adaptation of I’m Thinking of Ending Things. In true Kaufman style, what begins as a straightforward narrative in which an unnamed woman (Jessie Buckley) contemplates ending her relationship with partner, Jake (Jesse Plemons) soon turns into a winding labyrinth into the subconscious where reality and fiction and time and space become completely fluid to the point where nothing really makes sense. Eventually, the woman’s name is changed on a regularly basis and the tone shifts from drama and comedy to thriller and suspense. It’s a film that doesn’t allow you to glance away for a moment. Kaufman really is one of a kind but it is his mind and imagination that has drawn fans in again and again. His films are entirely up to interpretation so one person may take something from the film whereas the person next to them will take another. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a film you will either love or hate but the bottom line is you will feel strongly about it one way or other.

1) Wolfwalkers

Just as we begun the top 5 with an animation, we’ll end it with an animation as well. Easily my top pick for this year is the incredible Wolfwalkers. Cartoon Saloon’s latest offering is beautiful beyond words and becomes even more magical on every rewatch. Available now on Apple TV, not only does it deserve to sweep the animation categories, it fully deserves to be a contender among the Best Picture nominees when the time comes. I go into more detail on my review which you can access by clicking the film title but be assured that Wolfwalkers is a film that will impact you long after viewing it. From the contrasting artistic styles to showcase the conflicts within the film to the spellbinding music, Wolfwalkers is a film that provides escapism while also incorporating important life lessons and folklore in a way that is engaging to audiences of all ages.

While this year has been one full of challenges and sadness, film can always be a portal to escape those troubles for an hour or two. Despite the closure of cinemas, this has been an extremely strong year for film and the upcoming awards season has proved to show huge competition, particularly in the acting, directing and writing categories. A year of diversity across all mediums has shown the desire and importance to create films from cast and crew from varying background. Not only does this give something different to what the usually white mainstream cinema is accustomed to but the differing perspective makes way for revolutionary discussion and helps to break those barriers.

What were your favourite films this year? Let me know in the comments below!

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London Film Festival 2020: The Human Voice

One of the projects I was really excited to watch was this half an hour short film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar based on a play of the same name by Jean Cocteau. Premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, I was so excited to see that it was included in the London Film Festival line-up and knew I had to watch it. Starring the incredible Tilda Swinton as a nameless Woman whose mental health diminishes as her partner goes missing for three days. With the exception of a scene near the beginning in which Swinton’s character buys an axe from a hardware store, she is the only character onscreen. Primarily set in her luxurious apartment filled with glamorous clothes and modern art placed everywhere, it would seem that the character has a life worth dreaming but we soon learn that this is a mask for something much darker.

In true Almodóvar style, there is a heavy focus on the setting and a strong visual aesthetic that usually is more telling than the dialogue. The attic apartment the woman lives in is clearly a set within a warehouse. This highlights that like all the luxurious goods she owns that the materials are all fake. What Almodóvar does brilliantly is an analytical breakdown of a character that is shown little by little like a puzzle piece. Even when presenting a short film, it is filled with so much story and character analysis that a lot of features miss out. The script is action based in the first act before becoming dominated by what could be described as a monologue as the Woman talks to her estranged partner but we only hear her side. The way the camera follows the Woman from above and completely exposes the set is a fantastic artistic choice as well. It really plays into that feeling of the Woman being trapped inside a doll’s house and being stuck in her own little world.

Tilde Swinton is always a tour de force in whatever she does and this film is definitely a collaboration between her and Almodóvar. It makes perfect sense that they would work together. Her performance is, as expected, executed to perfection. Her magnetism draws you and you want to understand the character and get to know her. When she receives a call from her estranged partner, she plugs in her wireless earphones to talk to him. We don’t hear anything he says only her response. It is during this increasingly intense conversation that the mask begins to slip and cracks start to show. We understand her actions and why she has bought the axe and attacked the bed with it. The apartment clearly acts like a bird cage that the Woman cannot seem to escape from even though she knows that her relationship has come to an end. As she progresses in her conversation, she finds herself unwilling to dominate control over her partner and finds herself constantly apologising and submitting to his every whim. It is when he appears to hang up at a tender moment that breaks her and she is able to break away from his and regain her control. Although it may seem simple to be in a film by yourself, it is actually the opposite and Swinton knocks out a performance that I would argue is among her best.

The music composed by Alberto Iglesias is breathtaking and elevates the film to that dramatic and cinematic level. As the Woman lingers around the house and ventures to the hardware store, the score is what provides that ambience. The music allows the unspoken words to come through and is ever increasing in tension as the build up to the phone conversation takes place. It really assisted in heightening the drama and expressing the loneliness and mental fragility that the Woman feels.

Despite only being thirty minutes, this has proven to be one of the highlights of the festival for me. Almodóvar can always be relied on to deliver a project that is captivating and thrilling with a hint of horror without actually showing gore. His control as a filmmaker is superb and not everyone could pull off such a complex project in a way that feels so cinematic and artistic. The Human Voice is a reflection not only of what one can do with limited resources but that great cinema can be created with the pandemic restrictions.

The Human Voice is showing at BFI London Film Festival on the 17th October and will be released in the United Kingdom on the 6th November.

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You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here follows hitman Joe who specialises in retrieving young girls from the clutches of underground paedophiles and trafficking. He is tasked by a New York senator to retrieve his daughter, Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov), who has been kidnapped and to eliminate those who took her by the most violent means possible. The film premiered in the main competition at Cannes FIlm Festival in 2017 where it became one of the most widely discussed films and won two awards for Best Screenplay for Ramsay and Best Actor for Phoenix. It’s rare to see a film win more than one award at Cannes so the hype for the film was huge. From the offset, the film doesn’t hold back in its themes and violence.

The direction is executed with a cat and mouse feel. The camera trailing through Joe’s eyes as he hunts for the perpetrators and their accomplices. What Ramsay does so well is being able to use the protagonist’s perspective as the audience’s entry into the film. Even in scenes when Joe is doing menial tasks like cleaning or singing with his elderly mother, we get a glimpse into the two different lives he has. Ramsay’s screenplay is incredible and tight, managing to create a fully realised character in its 90 minute runtime. The screenplay is written around the character of Joe and the outside context such as politics is only touched on lightly when introduced to joe in an organic way. Despite using multiple locations, the film still has that claustophobic tone throughout. Like previous films by Ramsay, the film heavily relies on its imagery rather than dialogue to tell the story. This works particularly well for You Were Never Really Here as a lot of the scenes only contain Joe and so scenes filled with dialogue would result in an unnatural and jarring experience. 

Phoenix’s performance as anticipated is more than deserving of the praise received. Joe is unapologetically violent, trauamtised from childhood and yet he displays affection, especially towards his mother and Nina. Joe’s troubled state of mind is displayed from the beginning as we see him self-suffocating with a plastic bag in order to cope with the flashbacks and trauma in his life. Throughout the film, Ramsay gives us brief glimpses into Joe’s backstory but doesn’t overdo it in a way that the film is anchored down by it. Phoenix’s performance is subtly expressive and he allows himself to go to a place that is uncomfortable and disconcerting, resulting in a character that is highly unpredictable and yet so commanding of the audience’s attention. In my previous post where I discuss my top 5 performances by Phoenix (which you can read here), I have included You Were Never Really Here because I think it is one of the prime examples where the actor truly emcompasses everything about the character.For the score, Ramsay recruits Jonny Greenwood for the second time after her 2011 film We Need to Talk About Kevin. Like Joe’s character, the score flits between intense pieces with a strong and consistent beat which are usually played when he is on the job and more natural and flowing pieces which provide a backing track for scenes with Nina and his mother. The track, “Tree Strings”, which is played as Joe buries his mother is such a poignant moment and the music elevates the scene by assisting in his ephiphany to rescue Nina from her kidnappers. Greenwood is more widely known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson but his scores for both We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here assist in elevating and excuting Ramsay’s vision to perfection.

Ramsay is one of the best female directors working in the industry today. She consistently brings out performances that are career-defining such as Phoenix in You Were Never Really Here and Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin. She has a clear vision and isn’t afraid to delve into any topic, particularly those centred around children. The ending to You Were Never Really Here isn’t the all-rounded happy ending you would want from a film that explores child sex trafficking, but Ramsay’s choice to give it the ending that it does have highlights the reality that these children face. Ramsay’s ability to write strong characters is in another league. Her characters aren’t particularly likeable but that doesn’t matter. The characters are the driving force of the film and the fact that they aren’t completely relatable or likeable only serves to add another layer of depth. I think because of this that this makes You Were Never Really Here an outstanding inclusion in Ramsay’s filmography and why it was so successful upon release.

What do you think of You Were Never Really Here? Let me know in the comments below!

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Uncut Gems (2019)

I have said this once and I will say it again. When Adam Sandler puts his mind to it, he can turn out a star-studded performance that most dramatic actors can only dream of. He did it in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2003 Punch-Drunk Love and he’s done it again in the mind-warping Uncut Gems, directed by Josh and Benny Safdie (commonly referred to as the Safdie Brothers). Following Howard Ratner (Sandler), the owner of a luxurious jewellers in the Diamond District in New York and his inability to function as a normal human would. Crippled simultaneously by debt and a gambling addiction to boot, Howard is an awful human being and the Safdies make this no secret. The audience isn’t supposed to like him and yet we do because he is charismatic and pathetic at the same time. When a priceless gem is delivered to him and loaned to basketball star Kevin Garnett, Howard finds himself on the brink of self-destruction as he struggles to get the stone back and at the auction house where he expects to earn millions. Produced by powerhouse studio A24 and distributed on Netflix, Uncut Gems is the film equivalent of an anxiety attack thanks to the unrelenting actions of its protagonist who doesn’t know how to relax. Featuring a variety of celebrity cameos including The Week’nd, Tilda Swinton and Natasha Lyonne, there is also a strong supporting cast led by Lakeith Stanfield as Howard’s assistant, Demany and Julia Fox as Howard’s girlfriend, Julia.

The Safdie Brothers’ vision comes across brilliantly on the technical side. Known for their collaborations with Ronald Bronstein who cowrote the script with both Safdies and also co-edited the film with Benny Safdie. This is a film that needed more than one mind behind the vision and the result is crisp and sleek. The writing is sharp and to the point which is crucial as there are many characters and plenty of scenes in which lots of characters populate the screen. It’s a film that benefits from its direct nature meaning that there are few speeches and little emotion. When the film does delve deep into serious emotion, it feels almost disingenuous because the characters are so self-absorbed. It is the deeply flawed characters that gives the film its grit. What I love most about this film is how fantastical it feels in terms of the tone as Howard lives a luxurious life and yet the violence he is exposed to grounds the film. There is a disconnect between the life Howie should have and the life that he does have. Despite his wealth, he is constantly viewed as an outsider for a multitude of reasons. One such reason is his Jewish faith which is constantly remarked on by his clientele, friends and those he deals with when betting. Another such reason is his inability to maintain sustainable relationships. His paranoia overtakes his love for Julia because he cannot truly fathom that a woman like her could truly love a man like him. His insecurity is a constant throughout the film and is the main reason for his instability.

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Adam Sandler is nothing short of brilliant in this film and should have been nominated for all of the awards including the Oscar. His performance is manic and seems lucid but the amount of work Sandler put into this character is clear. Howard is deeply complex. He is fully aware of his issues and yet doesn’t do anything about them. The film is constantly moving up and down as Howard’s rollercoaster way of living reflects the wins and losses he experiences in gambling. This film has become instantly quotable with gifs and memes flooding the internet. Howard’s sleaziness only adds to his dark humour and helplessness. The film is from Howard’s perspective meaning Sandler is onscreen for the vast majority of the film’s 135 minute running time. What makes the character of Howard so hypnotic and engaging to watch is that he acts like an unreliable narrator at times. We hope he pulls through but at the same time his flaws often outweigh his strengths. The climactic scene in which Howard is watching the final basketball game that he has bet all of his earnings on is deeply intense and yet he seems relatively calm. His certainty that he will win when his first bet was reliant on a coin toss is unbelievable. If there was an award for the most frustrating character in film history, Howard would definitely be up there but that is exactly how he is meant to be. He is one of the most unlikeable likeable characters I have ever come across and I think it’s credit to Sandler’s skill that he manages to pull that off.

The score provided by Oneohtrix Point Never is a showstopper. The tone that the score gives is in a similar vein to Jóhann Jóhannsson’s brilliant score for the 2018 film, Mandy. Much like Jóhannsson’s score, Oneohtrix Point Never’s score has also proven divisive but I think that Uncut Gems is a film that doesn’t hold back in its performance, script and subject matter. The music is futuristically nostalgic, merging various genres and sounds to create a soundtrack that is unique. Much like the protagonist, the score doesn’t seem to settle and keeps crashing through, heightening the tension and making for an anxiety-ridden audience experience. The score category in awards season was very strong this year but I still think it was a shame that the Uncut Gems soundtrack wasn’t at least recognised. The fact that it clashes with what you see on the screen adds to the jarring effect that the film brought.

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Uncut Gems lives up to the hype and delivers brilliance in spades. It’s a shame that it wasn’t recognised this awards season but I believe that Sandler’s performance specifically will not go unnoticed. If anything, Uncut Gems has opened the door for Sandler to continue tackling challenging roles and it makes me excited to see what the Safdie Brothers have planned next. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to make light of the dark topics it explores such as addiction and violence. It’s reluctance to fit into a specific box of film makes it a stand out in the same way that Parasite is and I think it was stronger than a lot of contenders this awards season.

What did you think of Uncut Gems? Let me know in the comments below!