THE WORLD TO COME

Katherine Waterston     Vanessa Kirby     Christopher Abbott     Casey Affleck 

     An admirable feat of artistic production, The World to Come takes us on an unexpected journey through two marriages in the 19^thCentury full of grief and ineptitude lit up by an uncommon love.  The two couples live on isolated farms in New York.  We first meet Abigale (Waterston) and Dyer (Affleck) who live a seemingly ideal life on a mostly prosperous farm with their young daughter.  Well, it’s not really ideal; Abigale, a writer with keen sensitivities, finds her reticent, mechanically minded husband rather dull.  She is nurturing, and he values her care and tells her as best he can, but she clearly feels something missing, especially after the loss of their daughter.

     Then one day her closest neighbor Tallie (Kirby) visits unexpectedly, and the two strike up a friendship.  Their conversations are typical of housewives of the time, and inevitably touch on their husbands.  But there’s a spark, a spark that is felt not only just between the two women, but it reverberates outward through their small group.

     The writer Jim Shepard is known for his wide-ranging research of subjects he’s interested in as well as his fascination with difficult-to-explore emotions. Most striking in The World to Come are the number of times husbands and wives cannot seem to express what they’re feeling.  For the women, it’s circling around without committing too much; for the men, its terse monosyllabic utterances.  The way out in this story are the poetic musings of the women when they talk with each other when they’re alone.  And by the excitement the women feel when they meet contrasted with the pedantry characteristic of the men’s conversations when they converse and even when they talk with their wives.  Much of this production’s success lies in Shepard’s capturing the emotional valence among the characters, leaving the viewer in suspense.

     Director Mona Fastvold’s skillful assemblage of actors and crew for the production should earn her a place among the up-and-coming filmmakers, along with her sense of pace and sustaining suspense in the plot.  Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, and Casey Affleck are by now well known for their skill and attraction as leading actors, and they with Christopher Abbott deliver the kind of performance called for by the script. A significant contribution is lent by the musician Daniel Blumberg, with his dirge-like ominous tunes alternated with Andre Chemetoff’s  beautifully rendered pastoral sequences to capture the landscape and give us some relief

     This could have been a totally depressive film, but the lyrical—sometimes elegiac—dialog and cinematic crafts elevates it to something beyond, something more like a tonal poem.  It’s certainly not tied solely to a 19^thCentury story; it speaks to our wonderings and speculations about marriage today.

 

This is a film for lovers of art and poetic expression capturing psychological truths about human nature through the ages.

 

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE OLD MAN & THE GUN

Robert Redford     Casey Affleck     Sissy Spacek     Danny Glover

Tom Waits     Keith Carradine     Tika Sumpter     Elizabeth Moss

     Charming, but incorrigible, Forrest Tucker’s sociopathic personality comes through when he meets a woman in a diner, and quickly wins her trust.  The woman is Jewel (Spacek), a lover of the simple life, horses, and the rolling fields surrounding her property.  He is evasive when she asks his name and what he does for a living, and he gives her his real name, which, at this point, is not broadcast in the stories about him, and finally lets her know that instead of “makin’ a livin’”, he believes in “livin’”.  It’s obvious that he has an admirable way of blending together truth and fiction into a believable story.  And like many who encounter Forrest, many suspect he is lying, but it doesn’t seem to bother them…because he’s so nice!

     The truth is that Forrest is a bank robber who has been imprisoned and escaped 16 times, beginning when he was just a kid.  It’s noteworthy that all the tellers who get robbed describe him as “such a gentleman”, “very polite”, a “nice-enough fellow”, and “happy.” He’s always well dressed and charming, encouraging them, and thanking them for accommodating him.  He and his pals, Teddy (Glover) and Waller (Waits), manage to get away with thousands of dollars.  They’re in the news, and even the police shake their heads, finding it preposterous that these old men are so capable.  

     Detective John Hunt (Affleck) is the beleaguered policeman charged with apprehending Tucker.  Although he seems to be as obsessed with being a good policeman as Tucker is about being a good robber, he is different in his self-doubts and struggles with his occupation.  His wife and superiors give him room to quit the force, but he determinedly stays on.  Even when the FBI intrudes itself into the case and he has a chance to step back, he doesn’t. Then he gets a tip that tells him exactly who Forrest Tucker is.

     Robert Redford pulls off this role in his usual expert fashion; probably no one else would be up to his personal aptness and level of skill.  It’s rewarding to see Sissy Spacek again in a role that suits her to a T as well.  Finally, Casey Affleck likewise performs as the kind of brooding character he has done so well in other films.  Danny Glover and Tom Waits make great sidekicks for the Redford character.  I was a bit disappointed there is not one of Tom Waits’ songs in the music.  Elizabeth Moss has a wonderful cameo at the end.  In a way, this film reminded me of David Mackenzie and Taylor Sheridan’s Hell or High Water in the nobility of the robber, but it kept up a level of excitement and humor a little more than is the case for this film.

     The script for The Old Man & the Gunis based on a true story, which was written up for The New Yorker Magazine by David Grann, who subsequently penned the script for this film.  Grann has a way of capturing his audience’s interest and maintaining suspense in his writing, just as he did for The Lost City of Z, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, and Killers of the Flower Moon:  The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.  In Director David Lowery’s capable hands, the movie becomes worthy of Robert Redford’s distinguished reputation in filmmaking, and a fitting tribute if it is indeed his last acting role.  Daniel Hart’s lyrical, moving score puts finishing touches on this fine production.

Charm is the name of the game in this engaging, suspenseful story.

Grade:  B+                                              By Donna R. Copeland

A GHOST STORY

Casey Affleck     Rooney Mara

     This is truly a story about a ghost, it’s thoughts, reminiscences, and perhaps regrets.  It opens with a couple named C (Affleck) and M (Mara) saying a few words, the most meaningful of which is his saying he’s tired of talking about it, and her asking if they could discuss it tomorrow, and his response is “maybe.”  (The dialog has a Terence Malick touch to it.)  The film sets a mysterious tone right away, with noises in the night, misty smoky air (soft focus used to advantage by cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo), and a pervasive sense of agitated discomfort—not quite unhappiness.  They are clearly getting ready to move, with boxes everywhere and she hauling things out to the trash. 

      Suddenly, he’s slumped over after a car crash, and then we see her at the morgue, and still later on her own, with C in a white sheet with big eye holes standing over her.  She seems to go through with the planned move, after which a woman with two children moves into their house, but they don’t stay long, what with dishes flying off onto the floor and shattering.  Then we see a party in progress at the same house; it’s crowded, with buzzing conversations and couples slinking off to be alone.  One man pontificates at the table through swigs of beer about life and its uncertainties and disasters.  Next, we see the house abandoned, then a wrecker demolishing it, and an office building goes up in its place. 

     There are numerous indications that the ghost does not like what’s happened, and we next see him out in the country.  A covered wagon comes up, reminding us of the doomsday prognostications of the man at the table, and we think maybe we’re going back in time, or looping around to another world, another of the man’s speculative possibilities.  In the covered wagon is a man with a family, and he is starting preparations to build a house; however, we don’t get to see it finished.

      In the final scenes of the film, we’re back at the house of C and M, and their marriage is recapitulated, giving us more information about their conflicts.  She moved a lot as a child, expressing her dislike by leaving behind little notes hidden just in case if she ever wanted to go back, there would be a little piece of her there.  Did she ever go back to the places she left notes?  No.  Yet, something within her as an adult likes to move different places from time to time; C doesn’t because history of place is important to him.  With this, it makes sense that his ghost is still in the house.  The story resolves in a way that makes all this a little more understandable, but the viewer is likely to remain in puzzlement.

      As I thought about it, it did seem that the writer/director David Lowery (Ain’t them Bodies Saints, Pete’s Dragon) is depicting the sense of loss and the searches humans go through in trying to make sense of the world and stay connected with others, particularly after a loss.  When those issues are not satisfactorily resolved and hopelessness prevails, it’s something like “the end of the world.”  Lowery’s depiction of this experience in the two ghosts (yes, there is another ghost) is graphic and profound.

     I found this an intriguing film that is almost undone by the overly long scenes, such as the opening with C and M together, the pie scene, and the pontification that can’t be easily comprehended.  The near absence of humor also makes this a slog.  Neither Affleck nor Mara—both abundantly talented actors—have enough screen time to warrant their investment in this film.

This is a ghost story without a smidgen of fear, only poetic imaginings.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Casey Affleck     Kyle Chandler     Michelle Williams     Lucas Hedges     Gretchen Mol

          Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me) is a master of film, as so brilliantly displayed here by script and direction, acting (Affleck, Hedges, Williams), cinematography (Jody Lee Lipes), editing (Jennifer Lame), and a soundtrack perfectly apt for every scene (Lesley Barber).  The movie unfolds organically, tracing the history of the acutely sensitive but emotionally closed off Lee Chandler (Affleck).  It’s not clear in the beginning, but when we get the full story of this man’s adult life, we feel like we know him—not so much by what he says and doesn’t say as what we learn of what he has gone through and the reactions to  

him of those around him.

           The man is already carrying around a huge burden, and although the family has been warned, his brother’s death is naturally shocking.  More shocking to Lee is that he is to be his nephew’s guardian, a role for which he is completely unprepared emotionally, but there is another issue.  He left Manchester under a cloud and doesn’t want to return; but his nephew Patrick (Hedges) is still in high school and understandably doesn’t want to move away to Lee’s town.  How this dilemma is resolved attests to Lonergan’s skill in honing in on real people and how they react to and solve problems; this is not a fairy tale.

        The film is an exquisite portrayal of a traumatized man trying to connect with other people, whether they are strangers, current associates, or from his past.  The boisterous, demonstrative scenes of him with his wife and children before the trauma are in stark contrast to his current way of relating, e.g., it took days and days before he could give his nephew a hug.  We see the absolutely torturous condition of someone not being able to confide in anyone else.  Lonergan gives us a picture of a man not only traumatized, but filled with guilt.  Once we get this full picture, the way in which he resolves his dilemma is completely understandable.  Without this understanding, we might judge him differently.

        Casey Affleck is clearly in the news about his performance here, and it is well deserved.  He must inhabit a character who shows little or no emotion, but conveys so much nonverbally to show us the deep rivers of emotion rushing through him.  Lee has erected defenses so strong, that certain provocations will bring a torrent of action, yet others who are more gentle will leave him unmoved outwardly with a sea of turmoil beneath.  Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams give fine supporting performances opposite Affleck, both reacting explosively to him but in different ways.  I was struck by Hedges’ portrayal of a teenager who in some ways is more mature than the adult in charge of him.

            Barber and Lipes provide music and cinematography that pair together inspiringly to convey the mood and temper of every scene.  The opening views of a serene, picturesque seaside in the beginning contrasts with what we will see later in the, sometimes ugly, events that will ensue.  Barber’s music will enhance whatever the scene is. 

Understanding can be both a ravishing and a melancholy experience.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

THE FINEST HOURS

Chris Pine     Casey Affleck     Ben Foster     Eric Bana

          The rescue boat for a sinking ocean liner ends up without a compass during the mission, and most of the audience could use a similar guide in order to understand what is going on in The Finest Hours.  Perhaps those with a Boston/New England accent will comprehend more, but unless they are familiar with nautical terms and have sharp ears for dialog over the cacophony of special effects sounds, I think they too will be mystified at least part of the time. 

         We get acquainted right away with Bernie Webber (Pine) and his friend Richard Livesay (Foster) as members of the Coast Guard in Massachusetts.  They’re easygoing and likeable, and Bernie has a reputation for going by the book.  He finds it easy to be polite and respectful of his elders and his superior, Captain Daniel Cluff (Bana), a man not well respected by the Coast Guard crew, who doubt his judgment.

           This is exemplified by his order for Webber to put together at great risk a rescue team on a 36-foot boat when a brutal nor’easter strikes and oilers at sea are sinking, one in particular being the Pendleton.  Chief Engineer Ray Sybert (Affleck) is on that ship, and since all the commanding officers were on the part of the ship broken off by hurricane strength winds and stormy seas, his knowledge of sailing makes him the effective leader.

          The Finest Hours is based on a true story written down by Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman in a book with the same title.  Even a small sample of their clearly written prose pulls the reader in immediately and sustains his/her attention.  The movie, The Finest Hours suffers from the screenwriters (Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson) and Director Craig Gillespie not realizing that a naïve audience is not going to understand the technical terms that are indistinctly shouted out, even if they could hear them over the din of the rushing sea, howling winds, clanking of huge chains, and motor sounds.  We do get some of the heroics of the Webber and Sybert characters—remarkable with the Doubting Thomases surrounding them—but not to the extent that makes it clear what is happening in a scene.  Inserting some explanations along the way—perhaps voiced by other characters—would have been helpful.

          Instead, the script calls for the insertion of a rather silly love story with the female character clearly being drawn from male concepts of what a “strong” woman would do (e.g., propose to a man, think that she could cheekily appeal to a captain on an emotional basis, and then flounce off in a huff, leaving her coat and gloves behind during a winter storm!).  Of course, this character (unfortunately for the actress, Holliday Grainger) ends up being rather unlikeable. 

          The Finest Hours is in 3D, but I couldn’t see that it made that much of a difference.  Carter Burwell’s music and Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography do elevate the presentation of this film.

A film primarily for northeastern sea lovers; for the rest of us, it’s mainly continuous howling winds and stormy seas.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland