EMA

 Mariana Di Girolamo     Gael Garcia Bernal     Santiago Cabrera     Paola Giannini     Christian Saurez

            This is a completely different movie from Chilean Director Pablo Larrain as compared to his earlier success most Americans are familiar with—Jackie—about Jacqueline Kennedy.  But he is an award-nominated/winning filmmaker for films with wide-ranging subjects, most with a Chilean political subject (No, El Club, Neruda).  He is even directing eight episodes of the current running TV series of “Lisey’s Story”, a thriller based on Stephen King’s work.  I have always admired his work, but do not know quite what to make of this his latest film.

            Ema is primarily a story about a dancer (captivatingly played by De Girolamo) who is married to the choreographer of her company, Gaston (Bernal).  They adopt a child after finding that Gaston is infertile.  Although it’s not shown to any great extent in the movie, the child does something horrible that makes the couple decide to send him back to the adoption agency.  

            Thereafter, come the typical recriminations and accusations of the would-be parents toward each other.  It looks like they are going to split up because of it, and Ema proceeds to make her own way in the world, although she still dances in the company.  The story shows the varying ways people cope with tragedy, using others to guide and help them adjust.  The two characters sleep around—he a little—she, a lot.  She has a mesmerizing quality that attracts both men and women.  

            How she decides ultimately to resolve her problems will likely be a shocker to most.  Larrain and the other writers make her solution seem plausible by virtue of her appeal and her consistently kind actions toward others, which is directly the opposite of how she is initially portrayed—and hated—as a rejecting mother. 

            My conclusion about what the film is attempting—very artistically—to get across is an observation about the sense of “ownership” people develop toward those close to them, especially their children and spouses.  Ema presents another point of view, that we all belong to one another, and much peace and harmony could result if we could readjust the nature of our attachments.

            Mariana Di Girolamo delightfully holds her own in being the main attraction of the film.  She has a mystique about her that captures your attention, and her dances intensify the enchantment.  Gael Garcia Bernal is a perfect somewhat older mate for Ema, one whose ego is strong enough to tolerate the jabs about his fertility but still vital enough to stay in command of his work.

It’s unusual when behaviors that initially seem risky and foolhardy turn out to be caring and loving, as is shown here.  That is, if you buy the story; I’m sure there are many who would be vociferously offended by the film’s premises.  I found it to be intriguing, although must admit that I doubt most people, as I, are not yet ready to embrace its principles.  It is likely only someone as attractive as Di Girolamo as she is portrayed could “sell” the idea, but we’ll see in future years.  Time will tell.

 

Take a look at a different way of looking at human connections where, maybe, everyone is a winner.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

COCO

Voices of:  Anthony Gonzalez   Gael Garcia Bernal   Benjamin Bratt   Edward James Olmos

     Disney/Pixar’s colorful, entertaining animation will delight children and adults, which I inferred while watching the screening and hearing the applause at the end.  Production design by Harley Jessup is rich in detail and captures Mexican lore about the land of the dead.  The story by Lee Unkrich and his fellow writers has emotional depth that is understandable to children and is meaningful for adults, and carries a strong message:  “Never underestimate the power of music.”  Michael Giacchino’s score fits the mood and culture perfectly, employing both vocal and instrumental numbers.  The film is reminiscent of Jorge Gutierrez’s and Guillermo del Toro’s The Book of Life.

     The story is about young Miguel (Gonzalez) growing up in a multi-generation close-knit family that, for some reason, has forbidden music of any kind.  This presents a big problem for Miguel, in that music is “in his blood”, so to speak.  He feels a special kinship with Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt), reportedly the most famous musician of the town, and aspires to carry on his tradition.  His family is horrified, but don’t explain, except to say that great grandmother’s father abandoned his family to go on the road and perform his music.  To support herself and her children, his wife began a successful shoe business, which everyone is expected to work in after they are grown, and forbids even the mention of music ever after.

     In the meantime, on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Miguel is accidently transported into the Land of the Dead, where he encounters some of his ancestors, as well as de la Cruz himself (who was killed by a huge bell crashing down upon him).  By this time, Miguel is convinced the man is his great great grandfather, and seeks his help in becoming a musician.  In the process, and through Miguel’s acquaintance with a kindly dead man named Hector (Bernal), he discovers the source of his family’s age-old tradition of rejecting music.  In the process, he also transcends his antagonism toward family, and comes to see the inestimable value of it.

     This film is about staying connected with family in a positive way through photographs and by remembering and telling stories.  In the Mexican tradition, that is how the dead “stay alive” by living in the hearts and minds of the survivors.

This animation will transport you to the Land of the Dead and its mysterious, uplifting ways.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

DESIERTO

Gael Garcia Bernal     Jeffrey Dean Walker   Alondra Hidalgo

          Desierto depicts the arduous, dangerous trek undocumented workers from the south make, trying to reach the U.S. in hopes of a better life.  Jonás Cuarón co-wrote, directed and produced the film in collaboration with his renowned filmmaker father, Alfonso (Gravity, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men) as producer.  A previous joint effort by the father and son include the multiply award-winning blockbuster, Gravity. 

          When a truck carrying a group of 14 hopefuls breaks down in the middle of the desert, the driver tells them and his unwilling assistant they will have to go the rest of the way on foot.  Unfortunately for them, a self-appointed vigilante (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) with a high-powered rifle and a well-trained tracking dog is roaming around trying to find them after he sees their tracks.  From there on, the film is essentially following the group and their pursuer as they laboriously make their way, not knowing exactly which way to go.  It’s a mournful, discouraging story made all too real by similar accounts we read about in the newspapers.  In view of current attitudes toward immigrants, the Cuaróns hope to rouse some sympathy for those who are so desperate to get here they undergo uncommon horrors in addition to the blazing sun and thirst.

         Filmed in Baja California, Cinematographer Damian Garcia captures the beauty and desolation of the desert around the border, accompanied by the haunting music of Woodkid.  Bernal is a gifted and experienced actor, and he is up to his usual performance here; and it’s a good thing because he is the only admirable character in the film.  Jeffrey Dean Morgan, whom I see as a white-skinned Benecio del Toro, effectively plays a sinister, bitter guy whose favorite recreation seems to be tracking prey and getting his thrills from hitting the mark.

         Desierto does fill the viewer with suspense and dread as intended by Jonás Cuarón, but viewing does become tedious at times without much happening besides the tension-filled chase, except for a few dramatic episodes sprinkled in here and there.  Perhaps it would have helped if the back-stories of more of the characters were told.  We hear only a bit about two, so don’t have much of an investment in the others.  The most serious missing back-story is that of Sam (Morgan).  I would have loved to make sense of his character by having more details about his journey in life.  And by the way, why doesn’t he have a mobile phone?  I understand that even smugglers are using them nowadays to guide their charges through the desert.  But maybe this is set in an earlier time.

The exhausting, dangerous journey of undocumented workers trying to make it to the U.S.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland