Review: Son of Saul

There are plenty of films about the Holocaust, but it's hard to find art films that fit into this category. Fortunately, Hungarian director László Nemes' Oscar-nominated film, SON OF SAUL, breaks down that barrier.

Taking place in Auschwitz in 1944, the story follows Saul Ausländer (Géze Röhrig), a Sonderkommando (a prisoner whose death is delayed in order to do the dirty work in the concentration camps) who, having witnessed the death of his son whom he was not there for in life, now wants -- no, needs -- to give him a proper burial. His desperate plans are a direct conflict with the scheme of his fellow prisoners, who are organizing a revolt to escape the camp. He even puts his own life at risk to make amends with his past.

Ninety percent of the shots hold steady on Saul in shallow focus -- a fascinating decision, given the horrifying acts that occur in his background. Naked bodies are dragged past, and blood scrubbed from the floors, but the cinematography attempts to desensitize you -- just as the characters must desensitize themselves in order to push forward and survive -- leaving you with an uneasy feeling as your moral compass tries to ground itself.

There is never a moment where the action stops, where the characters sit down and feel sorry about themselves while sad music plays in the background -- no, every second of this film has an electricity to it, as the characters weave their way around each other, any thoughts of self-pity pushed to the side by their desperate will to survive. But Saul has a different motive. While he still very much wants to live, the guilt of his son and a desire to make things right gnaw at him.

SON OF SAUL is a moving film, heartbreaking and breathtaking in one fell swoop. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review: The Lady in the Van

There is nothing more alarming than sitting in a movie theater, waiting for a film to start that from the look of the trailer was a comedy -- only to find as the lights die that the first sound coming to your ears is the sound of a man screaming, and then a large crash.

Even more alarming is when the first image you see is Maggie Smith, completely shaken in her Berford van, a large red smear seeping into the fresh spiderweb crack on the windshield.

But I swear, THE LADY IN THE VAN is a comedy. Or, rather, dramedy, as the film's protagonist, Miss Shepherd (Smith), in all her chuckle-inducing eccentricity, will nevertheless tug on your heart strings on multiple occasions. The film, directed by Nicholas Hytner, announces itself as "A Mostly True Story", based on Alan Bennett's autobiographical memoir, and is forthright in its storytelling: everything is laid out on the table with the intent of examination. Alan (played by Alex Jennings) is even broken down into two characters: Alan the writer, and Alan the man living life. In a clever nod to the way a writer's mind works, these two cohabiting Alans find themselves in a new neighborhood (1970s Camden Town, London), with friendly neighbors and an encroaching pseudo-neighbor who keeps moving her home to the visitor's parking spot in front of various people's homes.

That's Miss Shepherd, by the way. Considerably older and more disheveled than in the opening scene, Miss Shepherd now lives in her van and makes a less-than-modest living "teaching" (writing on the pavement with chalk) and selling pencils. She wants nothing to do with music, though inklings of her past may indicate otherwise. Her odor and inconvenience causes the neighbors to pray for the day she moves on to the next parking spot, occasionally soliciting loaded comments from the neighbors ("That's Camden... people wash up here.").

But Alan finds himself intrigued by Miss Shepherd: part of him wants her to go away, yet the other part of him -- the writer, always on the lookout for good material -- wants to draw the story out of her. "Put yourself into what you write," he scoffs to himself; "How? We're both so fucking tame."

And so begins a ruffled yet charming relationship between the two, as Alan offers his begrudging hospitality in exchange for a slow, arm's-length investigation of the woman's troubled past. Intertwined with visits from Alan's mentally deteriorating mother, Miss Shepherd's stay in the neighborhood, which begins to morph from hopefully transient to unapologetically permanent, becomes more and more of a trouble for Alan, who is torn between charity, inspiration, and the desire to have a life.

The film is packed with humor, frustration, and the human spark of reality, creating characters with such life in them that by the end, it will feel like you were one of the neighbors. Smith, who never ceases to give a dazzling performance, makes no exception here: her stubborn vagabond charm will steal your heart, and she and Jennings are a delightful pair. THE LADY IN THE VAN is now playing at the Midtown Cinema - don't miss it!

Review: Where To Invade Next

Imagine a montage of mayhem flashing before your eyes: ideas of freedom keenly juxtaposed a video clip of Eric Garner crying, "I can't breathe", images of riots and other various examples of the American populace falling apart, debt climbing and people hurting; all ambitiously accompanied by the glaringly recognizable INCEPTION soundtrack -- a move which induces a chuckle, but in all its irony, still proves a point. So begins Michael Moore's new film, WHERE TO INVADE NEXT.

Moore has the uncanny ability to polarize an audience, whether it's with his political views or with the way he presents them. So when he decides to travel across Europe under the pretense of "invading" each country -- with American flag in hand, he searches for ideas to steal and bring back to America to claim as its own -- the fact that he is able to talk with so many presidents and heads of state is astounding.

This tongue-in-cheek European tour begins in Italy, claiming the Italian structure for paid leave as America's (fun fact: Italy gives everyone eight weeks of paid vacation a year, and women get five months of paid maternity leave). He then works his way through various countries, collecting other various ideas -- standards of health food, sex education, general education (and cost thereof), the criminal system, and accountability (of immediate and historical proportions) -- to bring back to the Mother Country. Sounds like a lot of issues to tackle in a two-hour film, and there is far too much truth in that -- Moore tends to focus on the surface, revealing the benefits but not the application. But while each claim that Moore makes could have a movie all to itself, at least the conversation is sparked with WHERE TO INVADE NEXT.

Overall, it is an informative film with many relatable moments (though not without their bias), and at least for this reviewer, makes picking up and moving a compelling idea. But with a film like this, you need to have action following after. For the sake of America, one can only hope. WHERE TO INVADE NEXT is now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review: 45 Years

Director Andrew Haigh's 45 YEARS may be a little long for a protagonist who seems to make up her mind about the stability of her marriage in so short a time.

We meet Kate and Geoff Mercer (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) in retirement, as they prepare for their 45th wedding anniversary party. Retired life has given them a restful, relaxed lifestyle: there is plenty of time to read, walk the dog on their spacious land, and go into town for a bit of shopping, should they choose. They have their own routine -- a routine that is knocked off kilter one morning with a letter.

When Geoff receives news that the body of Katya, a woman who died over 50 years ago -- his late wife, for all intents and purposes -- has finally been uncovered in the Swiss Mountains, Kate begins to sense him pulling away as he deals with his resurfaced memories. This is a red flag to Kate; the fact that the couple has saved no photographs of their relationship in the past 45 years, but Geoff still keeps a photograph of Katya in the attic is also a red flag. As Kate begins to examine the missed cues of intimacy and pockets of conversation that were left unsaid over the years, she begins to take her husband's preoccupation with this news personally, worrying that their marriage will fall to pieces.

The film's painfully slow pace would not be a problem if it presented a character whose obstinance didn't get in the way of character development; as is, Kate becomes an unbearable protagonist. Given the environment that the couple is placed in, Kate's inner turmoil dips into triviality on several occasions. This is not to say that the conflict isn't based on a relatable reality -- seeing your loved one suddenly focus so fiercely on the past can take its toll on anyone -- but for a relationship that has lasted for 45 years, dealing with the ghost of a relationship that was brought however harshly to an end over 50 years ago, the near teenage angst of Kate's predicament causes the conflict to feel a bit empty.

Rampling and Courtenay's acting is the shining light in this film -- the nuances of their performances create a feeling of empathy for the characters where the story falls short.

Though it is clear that I have lots of negative thoughts on the film, it is duly noted that the film certainly gives you something to talk about. 45 YEARS is now playing at the Midtown Cinema! Come watch and tell me what you think!

Review: Theeb

"Sing!" the men cry, sitting around the campfire. Though the Englishman refuses, the same cannot be said for director Naji Abu Nowar's Bedouin western, THEEB, as a whole -- its song is poignant and compelling; its story will touch your heart.

Theeb (Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat) is your typical young boy: curious, shrewd, and idolizing the closest father figure -- who happens to be his older brother, Hussein (Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen). The two live in a culture culture that has a very puzzling feature: it is hospitable, yet always on its guard. This tension is exemplified when, one night, Hussein hears someone just out of sight of the tribe's campfire, and the entire camp goes silent as he goes to investigate -- only to return with two others, simply saying, "We have guests," and fetching the fatted goat.

One of their guests is an English soldier, Edward (Jack Fox), who requires a guide to take him to the next watering hole so he can find his way back to his regiment. Hussein is the man for the job, and Theeb, as much as he wants to, is not allowed to go. But Theeb, curious about a box that the Englishman carries which is rumored to contain gold, follows them out to the middle of the desert the next morning; because Edward wants to push forward, they begrudgingly take Theeb along with them on their journey. But the desert is full of raiders, and Theeb's new traveling party is the perfect target; what follows is a grave story, shocking in its juxtaposed distrust and mutual understanding.

It is fascinating look at Jordanian culture, inhabited by genuine characters. Hwietat will win the heart of any audience with his quiet persistence. It is a fascinating coming-of-age story for a young boy shrouded in danger. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review: Mustang

When Lale and her four sisters take a detour while walking home from school one day, they do not expect such innocent play to be taken so seriously. A game of chicken fight in the ocean leads to a complete lockdown at the sisters' house when their grandmother learns of their "infidelities".

Director Denis Gamze Ergüven's MUSTANG follows these five sisters, orphaned when they were just babies, who find strength and respite in each other's company. Despite their grandmother's desire for them to be pure and ready for marriage, harshly punishing them for even the thought of infidelity, she still becomes their defender when it comes to their uncle, who now lives with them.

The sisters have little in the way of freedom, but bide their time together, Creating fun in their ever-adaptive hunt for freedom -- and the simple goal is to step outside their own front door. We see their story through the eyes of Lale (Günes Sensoy), the youngest, whose continuous attempts to drive the family car are more than just a symbol of a mustang trying to stretch her legs.

MUSTANG is not only a touching story of the strength that women draw from each other, but also a heartbreaking account of the way that they can be trapped within their own lives. There is not a second of this film that feels forced, or in which the cast feels like an assemblage of actors -- every moment on screen feels like real life. Beautifully shot and beautifully told, it is no wonder that the film was nominated for this year's Oscars. MUSTANG is now playing at the Midtown Cinema!