THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Eddie Redmayne     Sacha Baron Cohen    Jeremy Strong    Yahha Abdul Mateen II     Mark Rylance

Joseph Gordon-Levitt     Frank Langella     Michael Keaton     John Carroll Lynch     Ben Shenkman     Alex Sharp

     With a stunning cast of actors, Aaron Sorkin (probably best known for The Social Network, The West Wing and Steve Jobs) has written and directed what is likely to be one of the most important films of this year.  It’s been a long time since the 1960’s, but anyone alive then will vividly recall the turmoil surrounding America’s involvement in the Viet Nam War and the heated, controversial trial of the protesters after the Democratic Convention in Chicago.  Sorkin vividly describes who were the major players in that drama, the events leading up to the trial, and a detailed description of the trial in 1969 that lasted for 151 days.

     The Government was at a disadvantage in bringing the case against the defendants. 1)  because it used the charge of conspiracy when the defendants had not made plans together; 2) one of the defendants was not acquainted with the others and had only been in the city four hours, 3) the judge who led the trial did so poorly he was later considered unqualified, and, finally, 4) politics got mixed in when Richard Nixon was elected President. Whereas the previous administration under Lyndon Johnson had concluded that the Chicago police actually incited the riot at the Convention, rather than the defendants, Nixon’s Attorney General, John Mitchell, was determined to find the protesters guilty.

      During the film, we are shown revealing defense meetings, the trial, and clips of the protests, all of which make for exciting drama.  It should be said that some of the defendants (Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin particularly) were colorful in their own right and were gleeful in their irreverence and playfulness with the authorities.  But others were respectful, like defense counsel William Kuntsler and defendant Tom Hayden, but who, at times, dropped decorum and stood firmly in their beliefs.  

     Along with the writing and direction, the cast comes through superbly in portraying their characters.  Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden repeats his past fine performances in depicting someone knowledgeable in the law, impulsive at times when his humanitarian buttons are pushed, but usually maintaining his composure.  Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong, respectively, are a hoot, just as the real men were; so shocking you get surprised at their intelligence. I completely forgot the actors during their performances, which is saying a lot, since each is so prominent in very different current and recent roles. 

     It was great fun to see Frank Langella, long-time nominee with few wins, play the disingenuous judge for whom the whole proceedings were overwhelming.  I think he captured his role just right, and hope he is nominated for an overdue award.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also one perfectly cast for his role as the lead prosecutor who is young enough to have maintained the strong principles he acquired from law school, but well brought up in American values and social skills. He maintains a perfect balance between knowing what will affect his career while still adhering to his basic ethics.  

     Michael Keaton is another actor who always comes through with just what is needed. And in this case, in portraying Ramsey Clark (Johnson’s attorney general), he shows a man without many pretensions but having basic human values about the difference between right and wrong.  He will take personal risks to see that justice is done.

     There are a dizzying number of characters thrown at the viewer right in the beginning, which requires good concentration.  Then, as the drama unfolds, you get caught up in it, both with your brain and your emotions.  It is an exceptional rendering of history that is reflective of real events as we experience them.  This is an informative as well as engrossing story to watch.  In light of today’s politics, it may be positive or sobering—we’ll see.  The film can be seen on Netflix.

 

Dip into a taste of history that can be seen as hyper-relevant today in this brief look back.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

YOUTH IN OREGON

Frank Langella   Mary Kay Place   Billy Crudup   Christina Applegate   Josh Lucas   Alex Shaffer   Nicola Peltz

          Ray Engersol (Langella) has received bad news from his doctor and as a retired physician and friend of his pals who have passed on, he knows what is ahead, and decides on his own to make the trip to Oregon where medical aid in dying is legal.  One of the film’s primary assets is the portrayal of family members’ reactions to his announcement, and how the crisis interplays with other disturbing life events going on at the time.  Ray’s daughter Kate (Applegate) is the one experiencing the strongest negative reaction, and she is hysterical in arguing against her father’s decision.  Ray’s wife Estelle (Place) reflects the weariness of a long-term caregiver (Ray has a history of heart disease) who has spent most of her life deferring to her husband.  Kate’s husband Brian (Crudup) is often caught in the middle between his wife and others in a conflict, and he does make the sensible decision to drive Ray from New York to Oregon for an appointment he has made.  Kate is at first bound and determined to do it herself, but her daughter has precipitated a crisis, so it’s best for her to stay home.

          It’s a relief for the viewer when en route to Oregon, Ray, Brian, and Estelle decide to stop and see the Engersols’ estranged son Danny (Lucas) and Brian’s college-age son Nick (Shaffer).  Both sons are loathe to see their family, but when they learn all the facts about the reason for the trip, they help mitigate conflicts and join the caravan.  A big mistake of Ray is his withholding medical information from his family that would help them understand and empathize with his position.  When he finally confides in Danny, it makes a huge difference in his attitude.  I hope families viewing Youth in Oregon will take note in case they’re ever in this situation.  Knowing about the seriousness of illness is essential to being able to accept such a momentous decision.

          This is Joel David Moore’s first time directing a feature-length film on his own, and the script is Andrew Eisen’s first screenplay, so the quality of the filmmaking is impressive, including Joel P. West’s mood-capturing music and Ross Riege’s inventive and beautifully colored cinematography.  The story and depiction of the characters are realistically presented with the complexities often found in modern-day families.   When I worked at a cancer center, I was often struck by the number of instances in which families have additional crises in their lives that they have to deal with—cancer is only one of other crises, such as alcoholism, drug dependency, house fires, and acting-out children.  The filmmakers here seem to know that well enough to include it.

          Frank Langella’s astute portrayal of an older man who has always been in control of his life and his dogged pursuit of his goals steers the movement of the story and keeps its focus in the face of tremendous emotional resistance.  Billy Crudup reflects well the miseries of his character torn by various pressures and trying to accommodate his wife’s frequent instruction to “Do something!”  Christina Applegate is adept in modulating her performance across different roles—nurturing, supportive mother and horrified, scolding mother; loving wife and goading wife and daughter.  Josh Lucas’ subtle portrait of an estranged son with long-standing conflicts with his father instantly moving to an understanding, supportive stance toward him is very well done.  The young actors Nicola Peltz and Alex Shaffer depict the essence of normal teenage efforts to separate from their parents.  Mary Kay Place’s character is one that seems beaten down and turning to crutches to help her along, and Place accomplishes that to a tee.

      The title of the film puzzled me, but I read that “Youth” is a play on the word ‘euthanasia’—rather lame, if that is true, especially since a knowledgeable friend of mine (Cindy Merrill, Co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity and local advocate for the Death with Dignity National Center) pointed out that euthanasia is illegal in every state.  Oregon and five other states allow what is termed 'medical aid dying' and 'physician assisted dying'.

       Youth in Oregon is especially helpful in demonstrating the steps in physician-assisted dying in a neutral setting with characters we haven’t become emotionally attached to—presumably to help us be more objective in confronting such a sensitive topic.  The filmmakers keep the viewer guessing as to exactly how the story will conclude until the very end. 

Youth in Oregon is a sensitive exploration of the controversial topic of physician-assisted suicide and one family’s variable reactions when confronted with it.

Grade:  B                           By Donna R. Copeland

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

Viggo Mortensen   George McKay   Samantha Isler   Annalise Basso   Nicholas Hamilton   Shree Crooks   Charlie Shotwell  

Kathryn Hahn   Steve Zahn   Frank Langella   Ann Dowd

            Get on board the bus.  This will probably be one of the more unusual rides you’ll make this year in the movies—along with Hunt for the Wilderpeople.  It’s basically about a father who wants to make everything right (perfect, perhaps) for his wife and children, so he takes them to live in the wilds of Washington State and carefully instructs them in survival skills such as:  Securing, growing, and preserving food; administering first aid; maintaining physical fitness; self-defense; education (and boy! do they learn philosophy, government, and politics!); and music.  I’m sure I left something out, but you get the point.  These are kids who would put the regular American student to shame.

            Everything is going well (although we don’t know the back-story until later), and then a tragedy occurs, which makes their world topsy-turvy.  In order to talk about the rest of the movie, I have to spoil what it is—the mother dies.  But she doesn’t die at home—that wouldn’t present any practical problems beyond heart-wrenching grief—she dies at a hospital near the home of her parents who are decidedly Christian and have no sympathy for the lifestyle she (who has become a Buddhist) and her husband have chosen.

            What follows is a resounding clash of cultures, which is used to comment about society today, at least in the U.S. and maybe in much of the western world.  The immediate dilemma for Ben is that the children desperately want to go to the funeral, which Leslie’s father has forbidden.  It’s also a dilemma because he has Leslie’s will which specifically states what is to happen after her death.

            For all Ben’s (Mortensen) sage planning and execution of the “ideal world”, he underestimates how much different the world he has created is from the real world.  We see the incredible training and education he and his wife have provided for their children, but perhaps it’s because of the absence of the feminine influence when his wife Leslie (Trin Miller) goes to the hospital for an extended stay, Ben begins taking more risks than he should, e.g., climbing steep mountains during a thunderstorm, and over-applying his socialist philosophy by teaching the kids how to rob a store.

            All of this comes to bear in the last part of the film, which entails a complex and near-disastrous resolution, but an excellent one, nevertheless.

            Having been a fan of TV’s “Silicon Valley”, I was shocked to see that one of the actors in that show wrote and directed this film, Matt Ross.  It’s especially humorous because the character he plays on TV is shallow, without many social/moral values.  Clearly, Ross does have social/moral values, and wants to caution us about our current society.  Do our children know what the Bill of Rights is?  Could our children survive in the wild?  Do we really have an appreciation and respect for nature?  This is basically what Captain Fantastic is about.

            I understand that when signing on to this project, Mortensen wanted to assure that the tone and message of the film was quality based, and there would be no "bad guys."  After his discussions with Ross, they made sure, for instance, that the child actors could actually slaughter a sheep for food and play musical instruments.  Mortensen himself maintains a garden at home.

            Important to acknowledge is the contribution of Alex Somers to the music of the film, which elevates and perfectly captures every scene. 

There are so many reasons to see Captain Fantastic.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland