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Reviews
Relic (2020)
A Haunting Depiction of Mental Deterioration
Natalie Erika James has crafted a well made, purposeful, horror movie.
When Edna (Robin Nevin) has not been heard from for a few days, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) leave Melbourne to check on Enda at her house in the rural countryside. Edna is found only to see that her mental state is deteriorating as it starts to physically manifest itself within the house.
Relic depicts the deterioration of the mind of an elderly woman and asks what would this be like if this manifested physically outside ones psyche. This movie is similar to The Babadook as it takes a mental illness and depicts it physically in the confines of the created world. This works very well at times creating a very suspenseful atmosphere and an engaging story. Where this movie falters however, is it breaks it's own physical rules that it establishes. Edna's daughter and granddaughter begin to experience some of the similar things that she is experiencing. I get this is trying to depict that mental illnesses such as dementia are hereditary, but in some instances what happened in the movie does not work. In The Babadook, the creature is a manifestation of the main characters depression that only physically effects her and everyone else experiences the direct result or direct effects of that depression. In this movie, the mental deterioration physically effects everyone else as well.
This movie does create a very eerie atmosphere that carries the movie. This is complemented with good cinematography and a mostly haunting score that can sometimes be derogatory. The performances are mostly good but Robin Nevin, who plays the deteriorating old lady, gives a very creepy and dark performance. The movie is at its most interesting when exploring the effects of her mental state.
The best thing going for Relic is it's suspenseful atmosphere combined with its engaging story. Besides the plot details mentioned above and some strange editing choices, Relic is an enjoyable movie. This is not something that will remain with me but I had a great time watching it.
The Nightingale (2018)
An Important, Brave, Honest, and Difficult Film...
The new film by Jennifer Kent is an unfiltered look at 1825 Tasmania through the eyes of an Irish convict named Claire. A horrific act of violence happens against Claire and her family which prompts her on a journey to find the perpetrator. Along the way she slowly befriends an aboriginal tracker that helps her on her journey.
This is not an easy film to watch. It contains horrific acts of violence that are terrible to watch that are consistent throughout the entire film. However, these horrific acts are necessary to show because they depict the truth in what happened in 1825 Tasmania. Jennifer Kent is very careful as to not glorify violence in any way and depicts more of the emotional impact rather than the violence itself. Many filmmakers would shy away from from depicting these events and just leaving hints as to what is happening but writer/director Jennifer Kent is brutally honest and true to the subject matter.
The lead role played by Aisling Franciosi, who plays Claire, is a truly Academy award winning performance and makes you feel like you are witnessing a real person. Along side Aisling Franciosi, is Baykali Ganambarr in his feature debut who is nonetheless astounding who plays the aboriginal tracker. The antagonist, Hawkins, who is played by Sam Claflin, is a brave and daring performance. Claflin often has to do things that many actors would never do. If nothing else, watch this movie for it's terrific performances around the board with not one weak link.
This film is beautifully shot in the backwoods of Tasmania with fantastic night scenes and an overall dreary and washed out tones. This perfectly matches the depressing nature of the script and also does so with the beautiful and haunting score. The production design is also commendable leaving you immersed in the environment. Stylistically, the film does exactly what it needs. It's not leaving you in awe of the visuals but is is using the visuals to accentuate the emotions of the characters.
At 2 hours and 16 minutes, this is very hard to sit through because it is consistently brutal and emotionally draining throughout the runtime. I would not recommend this film to those who are very sensitive but if you can stomach this one, give it a watch. Jennifer Kent has proven herself to be a talent to see. It is important to shine a light on our past so we do not forget the atrocities that humanity has committed so we cannot repeat them. This film does not let you forget the horrific events that took place in Australia and Tasmania but it shows them to you in a way that does not let you forget. This is an important film to see and if you get the chance, go see this one in theaters.
Climax (2018)
An amazing psychedelic drug trip!!!
A film directed by Gaspar Noe with a bunch of dancers snowed into a dance academy whos sangria is spiked with LSD. What could go wrong???
Let me tell you that this film is not for everyone. Fans of Gaspar Noe will be very impressed! This is a very experimental film with no traditional narrative. If you give this film a chance and watch this with an open mind, you will be impressed with the amazing preformences and the amazing direction and cinematography. If you like films that do something different and experimental I think you will enjoy this film. If you want to watch a relaxing movie this is not for you.
There is many interesting character dynamics that the film sets up at the beginning that we get to see unfold throughout the entire film. The film contain a lot of uncut conversations between the dancers which is a very different approach. This film reveals its themes slowly and gradually as the film progresses and begins to become more insane and this film does not spoon feed you. The audience has to figure out what the film truly means and what is actually happening.
The never-ending soundtrack is the heart beat of the entire film It is very loud and intrusive that accentuates the very insane mood of the film. The cinematography mirrors the effect of the LSD that it is having on the dancers as it gets more interesting and insane before it reaches its climax at the end of the film. If nothing else, watch this film for the impressive visuals and choreography and because this is technically stunning!
This film was amazing!! I would see this film if you like experimental films and if not, stay far away from this film and from Gaspar Noe.