MASS

Jason Isaacs     Martha Plimpton     Ann Dowd     Reed Birney 

            There are countless ways of dealing with grief, and Mass brilliantly gives us a window into a particular kind of grief dealt with by four people.  The film is set up so that it’s not clear exactly why two couples are meeting at a church none of them belongs to.  We only see a therapist-like woman visiting to make sure the room is OK, and the reverend’s wife trying to make sure everything is just right.  

            This part of the film is a bit tedious—the church woman is overly anxious, and the volunteer teenager has to hold his patience with her in check.  We also see one couple—Gail (Plimpton) and Jay (Isaacs)—arriving in their car, she being extremely ambivalent about proceeding.  Her husband is understanding, giving her an out if she wants it, but she finally relents. 

            They proceed to the church, and pretty soon another couple—Linda (Dowd) and Richard (Birney)—enters, and after awkward interchanges, they finally sit down together at a table.  Still, the filmmakers keep us in suspense as to exactly what has brought them together, although there are hints that they are there to work through something having to do with death.

            I think the filmmakers made a wise choice in keeping viewers wondering for such a long time, part of which is probably good filmmaking, but partly I think it’s to prepare us for a wrenching session.  What follows are graphic statements and coping defenses that give us an idea of each person’s personality.  One is all logic and reasoning, wishing to bring to light some “answer.”  Another is so pained she can hardly say anything, but both of them let slip many accusatory comments, dismissing whatever the other two might say.  

            The other couple seem mismatched, and it’s later implied that they are divorced—or at least don’t live together anymore, not uncommon after a tragedy.  She comes across a bit like a therapist, insightful, nondefensive, sympathetic, and more comfortable than any of them expressing her emotions.  He comes across as someone with more education than the others, but also less defensive toward the other couple.  He tries as best he can to explain his/their position.

            The four award-winning actors are superb in revealing all these aspects of their characters to the audience.  They merge with their characters so well, one can easily forget they’re acting.  

            Writer-director Fran Kranz is spot-on in depicting parents in their situation.  Accusations, guilt, stuttering while expressing one’s feelings, and a ton of ambivalence captures such a scene.  I admire Kranz’s choosing to depict this interchange, but perhaps it also shows insight gained from personal experience.

            The actors could not be better cast, and they play their roles with skill and honesty.

 

This is not a film to enjoy, but one to value for the heroic roles some parents are forced to play.

 

Grade:  B+                            By Donna R. Copeland

THE DEATH OF STALIN

Adrian McLoughlin     Steve Buscemi     Jeffrey Tambor     Michael Palin     Simon Russell Beale

Paddy Considine     Olga Kurylenko     Andrea Riseborough     Rupert Friend     Jason Isaccs

       This is a film that is likely to pass right over the heads of most Americans, whose knowledge of the history of Russia during the 1950’s is meager at best.  In my own case, I was unable to catch the satire and the rolling out of gags and slapstick that so many critics, by their reviews, have obviously enjoyed.   Curiously, instead, I was constantly reminded of the chaos reigning in our current U.S. government, which detracted majorly from the humor I might have enjoyed if I had seen the film three years ago.  (Another time; another place.  But not now!).

        The Death of Stalin deals with the death of a ruthless leader (played by McLoughlin) who tortured, had shot, and sent to Siberia millions of innocent people.  I guess it takes a special kind of British humor by co-writer/director Armando Iannucci to make it into a political satire that juxtaposes Stalin-era atrocities and comical bureaucratic dysfunction at his death. The production is originally based on a comic book, “The Death of Stalin”, by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin. 

         The filmmakers have chosen to allow the cast to speak in their usual accents, which range from regional British Isles to American (no feigning of Russian language), so the viewer unfamiliar with history and the characters has a lot to keep track of. 

     This is an outstanding cast, especially Steve Buscemi, who looks nothing like Kruschchev, yet is able to be convincing.  Jeffrey Tambor (Malenkov), Michael Palin (Molotov), Simon Russell Beale (Lavrenti Beria) as head of the Russian secret police, Jacon Isaacs (Field Marshal Zhukov), Andrew Riseborough (Svetlana Stalin), and Rupert Friend (Vasily Stalin) all play their roles exactly as prescribed and lend generous entertainment. 

British humor juxtaposes Stalin’s atrocities and comic dysfunction at his death among bureaucrats.

Grade:  B                                               By Donna R. Copeland

CURE FOR WELLNESS

Dane DeHaan     Jason Isaacs    Mia Goth

     For those who love horror thrillers, this will probably fit the bill.  Less enthusiastic fans, however, may find that although it is strong in the mystery that is set up in the first half with fine cinematography and sound, the last half-hour should have been cut, especially since the film is overly long at 146 minutes.  Director Gore Verbinski and the editors also missed a few inconsistencies, such as a car that has crashed way down into a ravine ends up by the side of the road a few scenes later.

     The story starts out well in setting up the mystery of a man dying suddenly of a heart attack after he reads the guilt-ridden letter of a dear friend/colleague who is CEO of his company and who has fled to a wellness center in Switzerland.  Up and coming, ambitious Lockhart (DeHaan), junior employee in this large U.S. investment firm, has been recognized by the board, which forces him by threat to go to Switzerland and retrieve CEO Roland Pembroke, who needs to take care of some paperwork before a merger with another company can take place.  Time is of the essence, because the company’s stock is falling.

     Lockhart hustles off to Switzerland, expecting to bring Pembroke back in 24 hours.  Then events begin to happen.  Despite his pleas for an expeditious departure, the director of the Center, Dr. Volmer (Isaacs), denies his request to see Pembroke.  Told to come back later, Lockhart leaves to get a hotel and return. However, on the way there, a deer lunges into the road in front of his car, which goes crashing down the hill.  Lockhart ends up with a broken leg and crutches, not waking up until three days later and finding he has been admitted as a patient to the wellness center.  Nevertheless, he is still persistent in trying to get Pembroke on the plane back to the U.S.

     Much happens to prevent this, including his being told by Dr. Volmer that he is not healthy and should be treated for all kinds of ailments, which gradually begin to appear.  He continues his sleuthing, finds Pembroke, and convinces him to fly to the U.S.  While the man is packing his bags, Lockhart meets mysterious Hannah (Goth), a young woman he had seen earlier standing on a ledge high up on the castle looking as if she will jump at any moment.  The film enhances fear by showing extreme threat, then bringing the viewer down to reality.

     A Cure for Wellness is good at keeping the viewer engaged in Lockhart’s investigation of the wellness center, how it keeps its residents there for so long (no one ever wants to leave), and the ultimate outcome for this bright, ambitious man and, eventually the whole story of Hannah.  Unfortunately, it evolves into unbelievable theatrics toward the end that become so implausible the viewer disengages with the main characters and leaves the theater feeling exasperated.  Moreover, an added concern is that the film is likely to increase unjustified suspicions toward research in medical settings, another exaggerated sub-plot.

If only filmmakers of horror movies could restrain themselves before entering the absurd.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland