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shallownessIt almost looked as though I wouldn’t go to the cinema at all in May. There were a couple of films that I might have gone to see if they hadn’t been released in an inconvenient week, and I had intended to go see Dune part 2 again, but mistimed it.
But I sneaked in The Beast. And I don’t quite know what to say about it – it’s inspired by a Henry James story, but throws in AI, because it’s about two characters who keep reincarnating and meeting each other. And there’s a whole lot of other things going on – it has period drama, science fiction and thriller elements. It’s hard to be pithy about what ‘The Beast’ is. I’d suggest getting an idea about it from reviews or write-ups, as I did, unless if you hate getting spoiled, but nothing can convey all of this film except experiencing. It was both what I was expecting, and it worked on its own terms, while being a lot more and completely out there.
In one way, the near-future section didn’t work for me, but it wasn’t trying to be a realistic imagined future, and it was in a fascinating conversation with all the other sections. The 2014 section felt more vibrant or urgent, but perhaps that’s because it’s closer to now, and the use of a real-life incel’s words, with echoes involving dolls, psychics, male voices, jewellery pieces and unexpected cinematic techniques somehow worked. Oh, and it’s mainly in French. There are disturbing elements to this film, which is apt, because ‘the beast’ of the title is the fear of looming catastrophe. Lea Sedoux carries the movie as Gabrielle, so it’s a good job that she owns the screen. (I’ve only seen her in small parts in Hollywood blockbusters, most lately Dune part 2.) George MacKay matches her in intensity, although in one way he’s given less to do, but then he had to do a lot of it in French which is a second language that he’s less comfortable in than Sedoux is in English.
So, yeah, I saw The Beast in May.
In under 24 hours, I went to see Hit Man, a much more mainstream proposition from Richard Linklater. It’s not strictly necessary to see it on the big screen, but as I don’t have Netflix, where it’s now streaming, that was my only option and it is the kind of movie that there have been complaints about their not being made from even before the streamers were a thing. Now, they’re the ones paying for projects like this.
It was entertaining enough, amusing more than laugh out loud funny, but smarter than average with the theme of whether you can change your personality/identity. It’s a very loose adaptation of a true story. Glen Powell, who has been becoming quite the star over the past 12 months, has sizzling chemistry with Adria Arjona as the would-be client of his fake hit man. A few loose ends that you have to handwave (e.g. let’s assume Gary got contact lenses at some point offscreen.)
It took me a few more days to see Slow, which is a Lithuanian romantic drama about contemporary dancer Elena (Greta Grineviciute, who looked a bit like Eve Myles) and sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas). They meet, there’s something there, and then Dovydas tells Elena he’s asexual. How do they make it work?
It’s intimately shot, both characters are rounded. They’re clearly compatible in so many ways, but can it work without sex, especially when one of them is a dancer, who we see doing sensual partner work? It's never said explicitly that Davoyd has never been in a romantic relationship before, but it’s uncharted territory for him. The music is on point and the spoken dialogue is subtitled throughout. It’s mainly in Lithuanian, with some occasional snatches of English. (I don’t know if there’s a separate Lithuanian Sign Language, I know ASL and BSL are different.) Maybe the storyline didn’t always work, but it’s such an interesting, fresh look at a love story. I will look out for the director, Marija Kavtaradze, in future.
Should be noted that the three films (which I saw in a week) were all rated 15 and focused on a central male-female relationship. The audiences varied from four to about twenty, FWIW, given that there’s an anguished debate about cinema audience figures.
But I sneaked in The Beast. And I don’t quite know what to say about it – it’s inspired by a Henry James story, but throws in AI, because it’s about two characters who keep reincarnating and meeting each other. And there’s a whole lot of other things going on – it has period drama, science fiction and thriller elements. It’s hard to be pithy about what ‘The Beast’ is. I’d suggest getting an idea about it from reviews or write-ups, as I did, unless if you hate getting spoiled, but nothing can convey all of this film except experiencing. It was both what I was expecting, and it worked on its own terms, while being a lot more and completely out there.
In one way, the near-future section didn’t work for me, but it wasn’t trying to be a realistic imagined future, and it was in a fascinating conversation with all the other sections. The 2014 section felt more vibrant or urgent, but perhaps that’s because it’s closer to now, and the use of a real-life incel’s words, with echoes involving dolls, psychics, male voices, jewellery pieces and unexpected cinematic techniques somehow worked. Oh, and it’s mainly in French. There are disturbing elements to this film, which is apt, because ‘the beast’ of the title is the fear of looming catastrophe. Lea Sedoux carries the movie as Gabrielle, so it’s a good job that she owns the screen. (I’ve only seen her in small parts in Hollywood blockbusters, most lately Dune part 2.) George MacKay matches her in intensity, although in one way he’s given less to do, but then he had to do a lot of it in French which is a second language that he’s less comfortable in than Sedoux is in English.
So, yeah, I saw The Beast in May.
In under 24 hours, I went to see Hit Man, a much more mainstream proposition from Richard Linklater. It’s not strictly necessary to see it on the big screen, but as I don’t have Netflix, where it’s now streaming, that was my only option and it is the kind of movie that there have been complaints about their not being made from even before the streamers were a thing. Now, they’re the ones paying for projects like this.
It was entertaining enough, amusing more than laugh out loud funny, but smarter than average with the theme of whether you can change your personality/identity. It’s a very loose adaptation of a true story. Glen Powell, who has been becoming quite the star over the past 12 months, has sizzling chemistry with Adria Arjona as the would-be client of his fake hit man. A few loose ends that you have to handwave (e.g. let’s assume Gary got contact lenses at some point offscreen.)
It took me a few more days to see Slow, which is a Lithuanian romantic drama about contemporary dancer Elena (Greta Grineviciute, who looked a bit like Eve Myles) and sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas). They meet, there’s something there, and then Dovydas tells Elena he’s asexual. How do they make it work?
It’s intimately shot, both characters are rounded. They’re clearly compatible in so many ways, but can it work without sex, especially when one of them is a dancer, who we see doing sensual partner work? It's never said explicitly that Davoyd has never been in a romantic relationship before, but it’s uncharted territory for him. The music is on point and the spoken dialogue is subtitled throughout. It’s mainly in Lithuanian, with some occasional snatches of English. (I don’t know if there’s a separate Lithuanian Sign Language, I know ASL and BSL are different.) Maybe the storyline didn’t always work, but it’s such an interesting, fresh look at a love story. I will look out for the director, Marija Kavtaradze, in future.
Should be noted that the three films (which I saw in a week) were all rated 15 and focused on a central male-female relationship. The audiences varied from four to about twenty, FWIW, given that there’s an anguished debate about cinema audience figures.
