THE LOST DAUGHTER

 Olivia Colman     Dakota Johnson     Peter Skarsgaard     Jessie Buckley

Paul Mescal     Ed Harris

            We meet Leda (Colman) as she is arriving in a small coastal town in southern Italy for a vacation.  We find out later that her two daughters have gone to live with their father, and as a writer and English professor, she is looking forward to some quiet time to write.  But she does not anticipate getting involved with other people on holiday and her own festering conflicts long unresolved.

            On the noisy beach, Leda begins to observe families.  Although a number of people approach her with friendliness—Will (Mescal) the resort attendant, Lyle (Harris), and various others—she responds warmly but seems to keep them at a distance.  She becomes intrigued in observing a mother (Nina, played by Johnson) and her daughter Bianca, being reminded of her own ambivalence in mothering her children.  And Bianca seems to be annoying to Leda at first, but when the child goes missing, it is Leda who finds her and returns her to her parents.

            There are many flashbacks to Leda’s younger years when she was married and a young mother.  A proven actress Jessie Buckley captures the personality of the younger Leda, and we see her in sometimes playful and always creative, sometimes trying, interludes where her ambivalence about the responsibilities of motherhood is obvious.  But these seemingly trifling moments become significant factors later on when she acts on her impulses to develop a relationship with a Professor Hardy (Skarsgaard) who praises her work in glowing terms.

            This is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut in directing a feature film, and she is likely to receive commendations for her work.  The story line is finely modulated, the cast well chosen, and the subject of the film in terms of women managing family and career is topical.   But the emphasis on the ambivalence of motherhood is rather unusual in films, especially one done with a sympathetic attitude.  As we come to know Leda and develop some understanding of why she does what she does, her actions become more understandable.

            The pairing of the younger Leda actress Jessie Buckley with the older Leda, Olivia Colman, is one of the strong points of the film.  Buckley shows herself able to be paired with the experienced and renowned actress Colman.  Also, the film touches on many issues affecting women—and specifically actresses—today. 

 

A slightly disturbing take on an outwardly successful woman’s past and present experiences that may or may not make her understandable in today’s light.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

Shia LeBeouf     Dakota Johnson     Zack Gottsagen

John Hawkes     Thomas Haden Church     Bruce Dern

     Tyler (LeBeouf) and Zak (Gottsagen) make a most unlikely pair—almost as implausible as peanut butter and falcon.  But all of it comes together in this charming tale of overcoming the odds and living in the moment—against the background of catchy folk music tunes.

     Local thief Tyler, holding a lot of anger and depression, is on the run when his path crosses that of Zak, an orphaned runaway from the nursing home, with Down’s Syndrome.  Zak has hidden away in Tyler’s boat, not realizing that Tyler is being chased by the men he stole from.  On Zak’s tail is his caretaker Carolyn (Johnson) from the home.  But after a touch-and-go start, Tyler and Zak have figured out a way to survive in the wild, and they’ve become bro’s with a special handshake.

     Having grown up with an older brother, now deceased, who was his mentor, Tyler is basically honorable and doesn’t have the heart to leave Zak behind. Instead, he becomes Zak’s mentor, something that Zak is sorely in need of after a life of being over-protected. His hunger for masculine influence is expressed by a burning desire to meet his idol, Salt Water Redneck (Church), and attend his wrestling school.  Tyler encourages him in this pursuit, promises to take him there, teaches him survival skills like swimming (after Zak had almost drowned), and even begins training him for wrestling by building up his strength. When Zak is indulging in peanut butter one evening, Tyler says he needs to pick out a wrestling name, an “alter ego.”  Zak thinks of a falcon, and somehow the peanut butter gets mixed in, and the name “Peanut Butter Falcon” is celebrated.

     Meanwhile, the dedicated Carolyn, who has become something of a mother figure to Zak, is canvassing the countryside with a picture of Zak and questioning whether anyone has seen him.  When she finally locates him and Tyler on the beach with their makeshift raft, she gets drawn into their adventure, and the duo becomes an even more unlikely threesome (a “family!” Zak proudly proclaims).

     Their journey to Salt Water Redneck will be filled with folksy adventures and danger in the form of Tyler’s determined pursuers.  These travels are entertaining and frequently amusing as we see them accommodate to one another, develop insights, and form a close bond.

     Peanut Butter Falcon is enjoyable as light entertainment with some soul and human truths that give it some substance, and a number of close calls that create excitement.  The cast is probably the most impressive quality it has. Applause is in order for Zack Gottsagen for his convincing portrayal of his character with a combination of pluckiness, determination, likeability, and sheer joy.  Tyler is a different role for Shia LeBeouf, one that is more intimate and emotional than his usual, and he pulls it off nicely.  John Hawkes, Thomas Hayden Church, and Bruce Dern all cinch the entertainment value of their distinctive cameos, for which they are perfectly cast.

Suspend disbelief and take in this fanciful, heartwarming film.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SUSPIRIA

Dakota Johnson     Tilda Swinton     Chloe Grace Moretz

Angela Winkler     Elena Fokina     Mia Goth     Jessica Harper

     Cumulative symbolism throughout this film overshadows the potentially interesting narrative.  Early on, we get scenes from 1977 Berlin when the Baader-Meinhof group is clashing with police in robberies, kidnapping, and assassinations; and Lufthansa flight 181 is highjacked to secure the release of Red Army Faction prisoners.  

     Soon after, we observe a young woman desperate to see her therapist banging on his door and incoherently reporting on strange events she has observed at her ballet academy.  He regards her as delusional, but later learns that she has been found missing, which is troubling to him, a man grieving for his wife, who has also disappeared during the political conflict.

     The connection between these events and the subsequent story about a coven of witches within the ballet academy will be puzzling to most viewers, although in broad terms, they all seem to relate to the film’s title, Suspiria, a Latin term meaning “sighs from the depths.”  Perhaps it all has to do with the suffering that occurs among lower figures in a hierarchy as a function of the struggles for power among leaders, something that can occur at state levels on down to performance academies. Importantly, sacrifice always seems to be involved.

     Within the ballet academy, the primary setting for the drama, lead dancers are getting freaked out by suspicious events occurring behind the rooms that are open to the dancers.  It’s surprising when a newcomer arrives for her audition and so impresses the academy staff, she is immediately awarded a lead role.  This is Susie (Johnson) who, despite being warned about dangers, maintains an air of self-assurance and aplomb.  The horror aspect of the film is gradually ramped up as it becomes more and more evident that the occult with violent manifestations is involved.

      The numerous dance scenes in general are very exciting (beautifully choreographed by Damien Jalet), the most artistic and dramatically successfully being when a soloist’s percussive, aggressive movements are cross-cut with scenes of another dancer being mutilated and killed by actions and movements that mirror the soloist’s.  On the other hand, as good as the final dance performance is, it is extended far too long in an agonizing way.

     Luca Guadagnino’s transition from last year’s romantic Call Me By Your Name to the political horror story of Suspiria is taking many by surprise.  It’s receiving mixed reviews and reactions, partly because of its artsy, intellectual nature, I think.  It would perhaps have been much better if Guadagnino had omitted the political references in the beginning, and focused only on the intrigues at the ballet academy.  That would also trim the film down from its lengthy 2½ hours. It’s much too long, especially as the final dance scene seems to go on forever.  

     This is probably Dakota Johnson’s best performance and biggest role in her career.  She is especially to be praised for executing all her dance scenes, using a double only about 10 percent of the time.  But beyond this, she captures the complex personality of Susie, a Mennonite from Ohio whose confidence in herself is up to that of a seasoned ballet student from New York, and yet she’s able to earn the goodwill and respect of her fellow dancers and teachers.  

     Tilda Swinton inevitably stuns with her ability to become any character in a drama, whether male or female, young or old.  Here, she is well suited for the role of the high-minded artistic director of the academy, the compassionate older male psychiatrist, and the hideously formed leader of the coven, Helena Markos.  

        Filmed by Guadagnino’s cinematographer for Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria is likewise a cinematic work of art.  

Heavy symbolism overshadows the plot about strange happenings in a ballet company.

Grade:  B-                               By Donna R. Copeland

FIFTY SHADES DARKER (2)

Jamie Dornan     Dakota Johnson     Eric Johnson     Marcia Gay Harden     Rita Ora     Kim Basinger     Bella Heathcote

     In Fifty Shades of Grey, Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) is wooed by Christian Grey (Dornan), but flees from him when he demonstrates—at her request—the limits of his taste for BDSM.  It’s too much for her.  Fifty Shades Darker opens with his begging her to come back to him, indicating that he has changed—or is at least trying to be better—and that he will do anything to get her back.  She has clearly moved on, including having a new job that she loves; but she finds that his pleas are irresistible.  She agrees to have dinner with him to talk about her concerns.

     Not much comes from this; she indicates that their reuniting must go slowly, and that there be “no rules, no punishments, and no secrets.”  He agrees to anything she requests, but it is clear from the outset that his underlying character is still the same.  He has high control needs, is bossy, and wants her to be submissive toward him outside the bedroom.  In the bedroom he pretty much defers to her.  But like many women, Anastasia finds it hard to assert herself and maintain boundaries. 

     And this is the biggest fault of the movie to me:  It completely departs from modern women’s goals of achieving self-confidence, an effective independent identity, and equal status with men.  The movie flirts with these ideas in showing Anastasia moving up in her profession and becoming the fiction editor at her publishing company.  But uh-oh, Christian has bought the company and fired her boss Jack (Eric Johnson), so she moves up to his place. Granted, it was after a sexual harassment incident, but still, it was Christian who enabled her promotion.  Moreover, the character of Anastasia is wimpy and self-effacing (“Who, me?”  “I can’t steer a boat.”  “I am nothing.”) in many different situations in the film.  So we have the stereotypical arrangement of a “man in charge” with a submissive woman. 

     Another fault of the Fifty Shades Darker is a hackneyed script with lines spoken as if they had deep meaning (“I know how difficult it is for you to open up to me, but it means the world to me” and “I thought I lost you forever”) (Niall Leonard, screenplay; E. L. James, novel).  Although the title of the film suggests something more, i.e., “Darker”, the plot adheres fairly closely with the previous film.  In fact, it’s a bit tamer.

     The acting is up to par, especially when Marcia Gay Harden and Kim Basinger are in scenes, but their characters should have been better fleshed out.  Director James Foley, whose experience has primarily been in television, will need to make the next film in the Fifty Shades series more movie-like than an episodic television show.  Danny Elfman’s music and John Schwartzman’s cinematography are probably the best parts of the film.

Rather than darker, I would say this is fifty shades worse than its predecessor.

Grade:  D By Donna R. Copeland