POPE FRANCIS: A MAN OF HIS WORD

     Wim Wenders, writer with David Rosier and director of the documentary, shows from his speeches all over the world how Pope Francis is a man of his word. He is the only pope taking the name of Francis, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi who took a vow of poverty and spent his life working for the common good.  Pope Francis models his life after the saint, eschewing a luxurious apartment in the Vatican, using a modest car, living frugally, and consistently advocating for principles that most religions embrace, but appear to have forgotten.  

     The film is very well executed; Wenders made a wise choice in making most of the film showing the Pope, who is an inspiring speaker, addressing multitudes or talking only to a few.  Cinematographer Lisa Rinzler artistically frames the locations, captures the expressions of hundreds of faces, sometimes tucking pictures of St. Francis into a modern-day scene.    Laurent Petitgand’s music likewise incorporates a range of musical genres, with religious themes more prominent, of course.  Wenders’ narration from time to time is excellent and succinct in commenting on scenes and summarizing the Pope’s aims and values.  

     The sheer number of weighty subjects in the forefront of the Pope’s mind is impressive, and they clearly reflect his religious beliefs and close connection and communication with people from all levels of society.  We see him with world leaders (Presidents of the U.S. and other countries), but mostly with people who have come to see him and touch him when he travels around the world.  He may single out a nun whom he knew long ago in Argentina; he has children take the microphone and ask him questions about why he wanted to become Pope and why he doesn’t live in a luxurious apartment and drive a fancy car (his answers are beautifully instructive and respectful of the questioners); he listens most attentively to all who speak with him and unhesitatingly reaches out to them with his hand or with a pontifical kiss; he practices what he preaches in terms of listening and responding empathically.  

     Pope Francis is keenly aware of the world’s problems, and addresses them repeatedly in his speeches.  Foremost is what we are doing to Mother Nature, and our indifference to the amount of poverty and joblessness that surround us and to the hordes of immigrants who are seeking a better life.  Diversity is something good that helps us grow (even though we become anxious when faced with differences); we need to build bridges instead of walls.  He also feels strongly about arms control, making children a priority, and zero tolerance for pedophilia.  

     One of the most moving sequences is when Pope Francis addresses both houses of the U.S. Congress and more than one legislator can be seen brushing a tear away.  This is a perfect illustration of his power in the sense of inspiring, educating, and hopefully motivating his listeners toward sound principles of living.  Francis has been an activist pope in certain ways, such as taking an ecumenical view in respecting all religions, preaching for equality (between men and women, rich and poor, and everyone), and refraining from condemning homosexuality.  He firmly believes that God gave us freedom to make choices, the most valuable of gifts.

A finely executed picture of perhaps the most inspiring, noble, but humble, leader of today.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

EVERY THING WILL BE FINE

James Franco   Rachel McAdams   Charlotte Gainsbourg   Marie-Josee Croze

       “How are you?”  “Fine”  “How was your day?”  “Fine.”  This is how Every Thing will be Fine begins.  And it moves at a slow pace, omitting critical information (like who the characters are) for most of the film.  It is only in the last 20 minutes or so the viewer knows who people are and the story starts fitting together.  It’s divided up into three segments separated by years of time, and in each section Tomas is with a different woman.  It’s up to you to figure out the connections, and we never learn how they take place, except for the second one.

        The story begins with a scene of Tomas (Franco), a writer, scribbling on a pad when he awakens.  He emerges from a hut on a landscape blanketed with snow, chats with a small group outside briefly, letting you know he is not entirely satisfied with his progress, bums a cigarette, gets in his car and takes off.  When Sara (McAdams) calls on the phone, he appears unsettled and lights his cigarette.  In a flash, a sled with two boys comes sliding down a hill in front of the car.  He realizes he has hit something, but reacts slowly, and this is another scene in which it’s difficult to figure out what has happened.  Nothing is shown of the boy under the car, and when Tomas comes around to the front, he sees a tiny figure sitting on the ground.

       Tomas talks gently with him, reassuring him that everything will be OK and carries him on his shoulders up to the house to his mother, Kate (Gainsbourg).  We don’t hear much of what is said, but she screams and runs to the car.  The police show up, question Tomas, and reassure him it was an accident and he need not feel guilty.

       Tomas cannot take that advice, apparently, because that and his dissolving relationship with Sara spirals him down into destructive behavior.  We get glimpses of that, his conflicted relationship with an aging father, and strange periodic meetings with Kate, to whom he apologizes over and over and says that if there is ever anything he can do to call on him.  Kate’s grief is better shown in the film.  She sobs, goes to church, and tends to her son Christopher.  Tomas, on the other hand, becomes even more reticent, not even telling Sara what happened at first. 

    Every Thing will be Fine, directed by Wim Wenders with a script written by Bjorn Olaf Johannessen, has a number of problems, some of which are mentioned above.  The segment on Tomas’ father seems like a needless digression.  And I find it hard to believe that a parent would allow her children to slide down a trail that ends up on the road.  But the main problem is the lack of explanatory transitions between the three women in Tomas’ life. 

       Perhaps they are really intended to mark the progress of Tomas’ psychological status.  In the first, with Sara, he is majorly depressed even before he hits the children because of writer’s bloc and his relationship being in trouble.  Sara is shown to be very attentive to him, so it’s not entirely clear why he leaves her (and we find out it was he who left).  In the time period with Kate, he is recovering from self-destructive behaviors, and is attentive to her when she calls him to come over late at night.  He feels awkward, but allows her to put a pillow on his lap and go to sleep, and then departs early in the morning.  (They wanted to make sure Christopher did not awaken and see him there.  It’s not clear why.)  It’s also unclear whether they develop a relationship or not.  Several years transpire, and suddenly Tomas is picking up a little girl from school, and they obviously have a close connection.  Turns out she is the daughter of his current love, Ann (Croze).  In this section, he has become successful in his writing, seems well put together and calm, and is clearly devoted to Mina.

       What the film does do well is its demonstration that grief and guilt following the death of a child have a radiating effect on the immediate family, on the one responsible and on his relationships.  Another interesting phenomenon is Christopher’s almost instant transference toward Tomas during the brief interval when he carries him to the house.  Subsequently, Christopher will draw a picture of that, will read all of Tomas’ published novels, and eventually want to connect with him.  We see no father around, which may also help explain his being drawn to Tomas.

       The scenes of how Tomas deals with Christopher’s attachment to him much later on are some of the best in the film.  It shows Tomas as having made significant progress psychologically. 

       I’m unsure about where to place the responsibility for the drawbacks of Every Thing will be Fine; certainly much of it has to do with the script, its obfuscation and excruciating pace.  But certainly these tasks are also under the purview of director Wenders and the editor (Toni Froschammer). 

       On the other hand, the actors live up to their reputations.  Franco pulls off the successful, made-it older man just as well as the troubled younger man.  McAdams is only on screen for brief segments, but she is also good at portraying a supportive, concerned partner as well as an enraged rejected one years later.  Gainsbourg’s forté is her ability to portray odd, mysterious characters whom the viewer always remembers. 

       Last but not least, Alexandre Desplat’s music enhances the film throughout, as you would expect it would.

Everyhing will be fine, but it’s a long slog getting there.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE SALT OF THE EARTH

--> Sebastiao Salgado     Wim Wenders     Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

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The Salt of the Earth title of this excellent documentary refers to the famed Brazilian photographer, Sabastiao Salgado, who photographed life, death, animals, and nature in over 100 countries from the time he was a young married man and began using his wife’s camera to the present.  He is now 71, and they live in Paris where they fled in 1969 after a military coup in Brazil. Although his education was in economics, when he was sent to Africa on assignment and observed the plight of people there, he switched to photography so he could make more people aware of some of the horrors taking place in our world all the time.

 

The film is divided into sections that reflect to some extent his psychological journey, from seeing the millions of deaths as the result of famine, disease, and political purges to environmental concerns, and how he finally resolved the emotional turmoil, expressing his hope that humanity will rediscover itself in nature.  In the 1990’s, Salgado and his wife Lelia restored acres of their land in Brazil that was destroyed by drought into its original state, making it a nature preserve managed by a group they founded, the Instituto Terra, which is dedicated to reforestation, conservation, and increased environmental awareness.  The first section of the film is entitled The Other Americas; the other sections mirror the titles of his books: Sahel, Workers, Migrations and Genesis.  He sees his work as “a love letter to the planet.”

 

Salgado’s son, Juliano, and the internationally acclaimed filmmaker, Wim Wenders, directed this breathtaking view of the world as seen and experienced by Sabastiao Salgado.  The story is told primarily through Salgado’s photographs and his commentary about humanity.  At the start, we hear him talking about the lives of workers’ in a Brazilian gold mine, Serra Pelada, and see his wonderfully sculptured pictures of them.  His empathy and compassion are immediately apparent as he relates what he saw and felt when he first visited the place. 

 

The film has been criticized for being too “beautiful” in showing the horrors of the world, but I disagree with this.  To me, the artistry makes even more vivid the plight of so much of humanity, I was more likely to be suffused with sadness and compassion after seeing the work and hearing the voice of Salgado than I would have been were it more like a newscast.

One aspect of the film that might be considered regretful is that Salgado’s wife Lelia—who has always been a strong force in the family and their projects—could have had more screen time.  It would have been enlightening to hear how she managed life at home while her husband was away so much.  Toward the end of the film when she is talking about their environmental project in the Amazon, it is clear that she is a bright woman with strong opinions. 

Captivating photography with humanitarian concerns

Grade:  A                   By Donna R. Copeland