THE LITTLE STRANGER

Domhnall Gleeson     Ruth Wilson     Will Poulter     Charlotte Rampling

     Based on Sarah Waters’ gothic novel, The Little Stranger movie preserves the “creepiness” attendant on an old, crumbling house, mysterious sounds and goings on, periodic tragedies, and an eccentric family, once wealthy, trying to hang on as long as possible.  Whereas the young doctor who’s called for medical treatment now and then appears to be a sensible, dedicated physician (and narrator for the story), he becomes strangely attached to the family and the house, which actually dates back to the time when he was a child and his mother served as a maid at “Hundreds Hall.”

     All this is a perfect set-up for a horror movie, on which Lucinda Coxon has based her screenplay, and Lenny Abrahamson has directed.  But in addition to the mysteriousness, the author of the novel had social issues in mind, wanting to show a picture of what began to happen to the idea of class post WWI and the decline of wealthy estates.  We see, then, the brilliant descriptions of the narrator’s impressions of the mansion when he was the child of a maid visiting on a holiday.  As a grown-up physician attending to the inhabitants of the mansion years later, he develops a strange attraction to them.  Clearly, he is in touch with the young child’s aspirations to belong in such a place, but in his grandiosity, he is also convinced that he can help and protect them from any kind of threat, perhaps as assurance that he can belong.  He “over-identifies” with them.

     Probably also as a residue of the class system, the well-to-do family is ambivalent toward accepting Dr. Faraday wholeheartedly.  Some of his medical treatments are met with ambivalence, as are his attempts to woo the daughter of the matron.  Caroline (Wilson) is grateful for Dr. Faraday’s (Gleeson) attention and care, but going beyond the professional relationship is not a given for her.

     The author of the novel and the filmmakers have been clever in maintaining ambiguity and suspense, so that the reader/viewer has to observe, analyze, and guess what is going to transpire.  The haunting of the house is seductive—particularly if it’s related to the deceased child of the owner—but just as much is the pull toward a “psychological” explanation, as defined by Dr. Faraday and his colleagues.  If you find that the ending is ambiguous, you will not be alone.  So you get one character’s observation of “Something in this house hates us” and then, “This whole thing between us has never been real”, the former indicating a haunted house, and the latter being more of a psychological explanation.

     Domhnall Gleeson is up to his previous performance in Ex Machina in portraying a complex, somewhat naïve character.  Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, and Charlotte Rampling are excellent in their supporting roles. Wilson expertly exhibits an ambivalent person who is perpetually torn between two positions.  Will Poulter is skilled in showing a dark character with layers of anger and resentment.  Charlotte Rampling always has just the right balance between being threatening toward others and being playful.  

     Working against the film is the pace, which many found slow, although since much attention was given to character development, I didn’t mind it. What did bother me was the darkness of the picture, which may be attributed to a dim bulb on the projector.  At any rate, many scenes were so dark it was difficult to see the action.   Understanding Irish accents is also a problem for the viewer at times.  

     In its favor, are numerous horrific scenarios, some of which come as a surprise and make you jump in your seat.  As mentioned, the additional commentary on social change and upheaval of the time (post WWI) describe the characteristic viewpoints of the wealthy and the common.  

A film that does justice to its genre of horror, drama, and mystery.

Grade:  B-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

RED SPARROW

Jennifer Lawrence     Joel Edgerton     Matthias Schoenaerts     Charlotte Rampling

Mary-Louise Parker     Jeremy Irons

      A spy story can be a perfect thriller, especially when double-dealing is a part of it.  Red Sparrow refers to a Russian intelligence operation that trained young recruits how to extract information from targets by engaging them, giving them what they want, and gradually building trust. 

     The problem here is that young Dominika (Lawrence) a Bolshoi ballet dancer, has her career abruptly curtailed when her leg is injured permanently.  Dominika is desperate now, because the Boishoi pays for her rent and her mother’s medical care.  Forthwith, her Uncle Vanya (Schoenaerts) offers her a role in the Russian state security, where he has a high position.  “There are no accidents”, he declares ominously, making you wonder how Dominika’s leg injury came about.  He is frank about the kind of commitment it will take on her part, and reminds her that she doesn’t really have other prospects for taking care of herself and her mother.

     Vanya initially gives her a cryptic assignment, where she does very well; however, there is another agenda of which she is unaware.  She is very successful until…  Now, she has witnessed something that makes her dangerous, which gives Vanya additional leverage, which he uses by having her enroll in a special training program on the psychological manipulation of others.  Here, she is advised on principles such as to “forget sentimental morality”, given instruction about guns and shooting, and picking locks.  “Innure yourself to what you find repellant.”  “Learn to love on command.” Basically, the ends justify whatever means they need to use. 

     This is a time when the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia is still continuing.  On the American side, one of its CIA agents makes an error in judgment, and is sent home from Moscow.  Nash (Edgerton) is a dedicated operative who has spent years cultivating a source.  His burning desire to get back in the field is to hold onto this source, who won’t talk to anyone else. 

     One of the delightful intrigues in this film is to see how each side has more than an inkling as to what the other side is doing.  This means, of course, that Dominika and Nash will cross paths.  But I won’t give any spoilers as to how and how many times this comes about, but it is one of the most entertaining aspects of the film.

     Francis Lawrence has directed the Red Sparrow in an optimal way for this type of film, in which the viewer is challenged to figure out what is going on at every step, even to the ending of the story.  I think the standout actor is Schoenaerts, who has an uncanny resemblance to Vladimir Putin, which is enhanced by the actor’s skill in portraying Putin’s mannerisms and persuasive ways of reasoning.  He can be truly intimidating and terrifying.  Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton are skilled actors who always bring their characters to life, but in this instance, charisma between the two was slightly amiss.  Of course, Charlotte Rampling as the “Matron” is intimidating and precise in her dispassionate “teach by the book” approach to training in unorthodox(?) techniques.  Additional supporting actors who enhance the quality of the film include Jeremy Irons and Ciarán Hinds as Russian security agents, Joely Richardson as Dominika’s mother, and Mary-Louise Parker as an informer.

     This is a spy story that will not disappoint.  I have an objection to the level of violence and torture portrayed (from which everyone seems to recover miraculously), and wish that filmmakers would see that it is not really necessary.

A spy’s creed:  “Everyone is a puzzle of need.  Give him what he wants, and he will be yours.”

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ASSASSIN'S CREED

Michael Fassbender     Marion Cottiard     Jeremy Irons   

 Brendan Gleeson     Charlotte Rampling     Michael K. Williams     Ariane Labed   Michelle Lin 

         The original idea of the film came from the video game of the same name, but Director Justin Kurzel wanted writers to come up with a new story that would be less “game-ish” and more suited to cinema.  For this, he engaged writers Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper, and Bill Collage.  To see that action and game fans would not be disappointed in the visuals and special effects, he secured the help of Production Designer Andy Nicholson, Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, Musician Jed Kurzel, and a talented cast, as shown above.  In my view, he certainly succeeded in the visual and special effects and in the cast.

         The drawback of the production is a rather confusing story that jerks us around in time and space with a host of characters difficult to keep track of.  The first scenes are in 1492 in Andalucia, Spain, in which Aguilar de Nerha (Fassbender) is taking the oath of the Assassin’s Creed to protect an apple even unto death against the Templars, who had taken over Spain.  Switch to 1986 in Baja, California, where a young boy Cal is told by his father (Gleeson) to run and “keep in the shadows”, hiding from assassins out to kill him like they did his mother.  Thirty years later, we see the grown-up Cal (Fassbender) in prison for murder, being visited by a priest, and subsequently being executed and declared dead—when suddenly he is in Spain at Abstergo Industries associated with the Knights Templar Order. 

       He awakens to Dr. Sofia Rikkin (Cottiard) telling him that he will be participating in research with the aim of getting rid of his DNA associated with violence that passes through generations.  Yes, he is a descendant of Aguilar.  His charge is to go into “Animus” with virtual reality equipment designed to take him back in time (15^th Century) and space (Spain) to wrest the apple from the Templars, who now possess it.  The apple’s seeds will then be used to rid the world of violence.  We watch this happen, and it is truly amazing to see Cal/Aguilar with his partner Maria (Labed) miraculously fighting off hordes of people standing in their way.  (I understand Fassbender and Labed did 95% of the fights themselves).  And Cal takes more than one trip into Animus trying to retrieve the apple.

         Of course, dark forces are at work.  It seems that Sofia’s father Alan, CEO of Abstergo has his own plans, and we see him talking with Templar Ellen Kaye (Rampling).  The plot thickens as the differences in aims between father and daughter become more apparent.  This adds an unnecessary layer to the drama that I think would have been better off omitting. 

        The strength of this film is actually the video game aspects (and I’m not a video game fan), and less so with the story that becomes weighed down with too many layers and complications.  And I’m not even mentioning the layer of current prisoners at the Abstergo Company who play a role in insurrection.

        Fassbender, Cottiard, Irons, Gleeson, and Rampling give the film a haunting, mythical quality that keeps the viewer engaged.  It’s too bad the story becomes so convoluted they are hung out to dry.

Action and intrigue, but with substance minimized.

Grade:  C+                        By Donna R. Copeland

45 YEARS

Charlotte Rampling     Tom Courtenay

            45 years refers to a couple’s marriage when they’re approaching their 45^th wedding anniversary, which will be celebrated with a huge party.  The couple, Kate (Rampling) and Geoff (Courtenay), are elderly, but still active in their daily lives.  They have an easy-going relationship; Kate is nurturing when Geoff needs something like a thumb damaged from fixing a lavatory, and although Geoff is a bit absent-minded, he is attentive and responsive to Kate.
          One morning when Charlotte returns from walking the dog in the beautiful English countryside, Geoff is reading a letter written in German, but needs to dig up his German dictionary to understand it fully.  As the two go through their things in the storage room and attic, we get a hint that the past will be encroaching upon the couple and figuring into present experience, a favorite theme of David Constantine, the author of the short story (“In another Country”) on which the film is based.

       Indeed, the letter is to inform Geoff that the body of a woman he was very close to fifty years ago has been discovered preserved in the ice in a Swiss Alp after she fell into a crevasse by accident during a hiking trip.  Her body was never found until recently.  Geoff is informed by virtue of his being listed as “next of kin.” 

      Kate remembers hearing a bit about Katia, but Geoff hasn’t been completely open about this earlier relationship.  When she finds out how close they actually were, she becomes uneasy, even though this is something that happened years earlier before she even met Geoff.  She can’t let it go, and keeps quizzing him and even goes through old memorabilia to find out more.  This only makes her feel worse, but she feels compelled.

     Geoff has mulled over the possibility of going to Switzerland, but Kate is emphatically against it, so he dismisses the idea, and reassures her.  She is bothered enough, however, to make him promise that he will be present at their anniversary party.

      45 Years may seem like 45 years to those who love films with a lot of action.  But Kate and Geoff lead fairly conventional lives, and most of the film is showing us a picture of their lives and their personalities.  Much of the value is the way in which the two, especially Rampling, fill up the screen as powerful actors.  They are in sync the way couples who have lived together for years become, and that will be the appeal for viewers who enjoy observing people in their everyday lives. 

       Another highlight is Geoff’s toast to his wife at the dinner party; it is tender and says the things Kate would seldom hear from him.  They dance together lovingly, but the story doesn’t quite end there.  Constantine is a gifted storyteller who delights in last minute surprises.

A look at a marriage approaching its 45^th year.

Grade:  A-                      By Donna R. Copeland