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 HUNT

Hilary Swank     Betty Gilpin     Ike Barinholtz     Wayne Duvall     Amy Madigan     Reed Birney     Emma Roberts

     A perfect allegory for the times.  The Hunt is a 20^thcentury take on George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, in which the animals rebel against their masters.  Only in this rendition, it’s the “Elite Liberals” against “The Deplorables.”  Its plot is not a straightforward telling of a story.  It starts out with a group chat on the telephone, then goes backward and forward in time.  (So keep track of the names, even though it will still be confusing because identities are frequently shifting.)

     Before (almost) everything becomes clear, we witness characters being restrained on a plane and later hunted with guns, arrows, and hand grenades in an open field or roadside station.  These are people from different parts of the country who have been kidnapped, anesthetized, and brought to…they don’t know what state they’re in.  They only hear references to “Manorgate” (parallel to Orwell’s “Manor Farm”), and two pigs wearing human clothes appear from time to time—clues for those familiar with Orwell’s work.)

     That’s enough of the plot; it will be more entertaining and engrossing the less you know about it.  

     Writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof are to be congratulated for their creativity in adapting a novel published in 1945 about Russia and the Soviet Union and cleverly making it relevant to our country today.  Director Craig Zobel expertly films their script, making it come alive in ways that are simultaneously entertaining and appalling.  I always have a problem with movies shifting back and forth in time, and in this film, it’s especially challenging when characters disappear and reappear, and identities often shift (e.g., it is not always clear whether a character is one of the good guys or the bad guys)—all of which contributes to its formulation as an intriguing intellectual puzzle.  

     Betty Gilpin exquisitely plays a somewhat mysterious figure who seems at first to be a deadpan young woman from Mississippi.  But she is a formidable fighter and always seems two steps ahead of whomever she meets.  Gilpin deserves a nomination for this role.  She easily carries the story as a lead figure.  Hilary Swank is perfectly cast in her role, although she is not present in most scenes.  Supporting cast is likewise a talented group of actors who move the story forward with ease.

     My only criticisms are in too much shifting back and forth in time (a current fad in filmmakers’ trying to make their movie more exciting) and in the length of the final battle (as unbelievable as it is humorous).

     This is one of those films that come along every so often to remind us of the artistic, intellectual talent at filmmakers’ disposal.  When you see a work like this, you wonder again why this talent is not tapped more often, and we are offered remakes and sequels ad nauseam.  Oh, yeah…once again, it’s all about the money.

Prepare to be entertained (likely) while being appalled (almost certainly) in this well-informed allegory reckoning back to George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland