FILM: RE VIEWS
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE CARNAGE
Screaming, crying, vomiting… Roman Polanski’s latest cinematic offering definitely lives up to its determined title. Starring, not one, but three Oscar winners, Carnage is the Polish director’s first film since he was released from house arrest in Switzerland in 2010, and it finds him on typically tidy form. When their children get into a playground altercation, two sets of parents meet in
order to discuss how the situation should be handled. Convening in the plush apartment of the Longstreet’s (Jodie Foster and John C O’Reilly), the Cowans (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) at first accept the blame for their son’s unacceptable behaviour. But, as the day wears on and the two couples start to rub each other up the wrong way, all pretences of civility begins to crumble, until they’re all squabbling like the children they’ve met to discuss. Based on the Tony Award-winning play Le Dieu du Carnage by Yasmine Reza,
Carnage’s stage origins are evident in the film’s sole location – the Longstreet’s fancy New York apartment. With so much star wattage on display, though, any concerns that the single-location conceit might result in a static, patience-testing film are quickly eradicated. Much of the thrill in Carnage comes with watching so many A-listers working the
smartly-written material that positively crackles with subtext. Reilly in particular impresses, holding his own against more celebrated dramatic actors. Meanwhile, Winslet makes for a surprisingly convincing drunk, and gets some of the best lines. A claustrophobic, ticking time-bomb of a dramatic comedy, Carnage excels in depicting four individuals with their own unique neuroses. Shutting them in an apartment together, Polanski cranks up the heat and revels in watching them sweat out their prejudices and imperfections – the resultant carnage is nothing short of riveting. JW Out: 3 February
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
A stellar cast of much-loved British actors star in this golden-oldie adventure. Judi Dench, Billy Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and Celia Imrie are amongst the seven British retirees who find themselves tempted by glossy brochures advertising a new, luxury hotel and retirement home to uproot and relocate to India. Each have their own reason for relocating, but all are tempted by the dream of living out their remaining years in balmy, exotic comfort… except, that is, for Smith’s racist former housekeeper, Muriel, who is purely seeking a cheap and speedy hip-replacement operation. When they arrive to find a dilapidated hotel run by budding entrepreneur Sonny (Dev Patel), it falls far short of their
expectations. How they individually embrace the challenge of their new living conditions, and explore their own motivations for emigrating, makes up the rest of this bittersweet drama. There is much to enjoy in this latest offering from director John Madden’s (Mrs Brown, Shakespeare In Love), and it’s
refreshing to find a mainstream cinematic offering that explores some of the issues around ageing – whether it be loneliness, debt, or society’s attitude toward the elderly. All concerned turn in decent performances, particularly Dench, who is struggling to accept the penniless state in which her deceased husband has left her; or Wilkinson, a gay, retired barrister who is returning to India to track down a former lover. On the downside, the plot, on occasion, seems laboured, and tries too hard to alternate the humour and pathos. It suffers from some particularly choppy editing, and the script hurls in some very well-worn Indian clichés. One never doubts that the film’s heart is in the right place, but it somewhat clumsily stomps through its storyline. The end result is all rather One Foot In The Grave meets Slumdog Millionaire. Thankfully, there are enough laugh-out- loud moments to make the whole shebang worthwhile, with an ending that satisfyingly pulls together the loose ends. DH Out: 24 February
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Lucy (Sarah Paulson) hasn’t seen her sister, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) in two years – during which time her younger sibling has cut all contact. Unknown to Lucy, Martha has been drawn into joining a small, rural- based cult. When she flees the clutches of her fellow cult members, it’s Lucy to whom she turns. Lucy takes her in, pleased to be reunited with her sister, but it soon becomes apparent to both Lucy and her husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), that Martha has been scarred by her time away. Lucy – who begins to behave in an increasingly erratic manner – cannot bring herself to confess to her sister where she has been or what she has been doing, and it’s only through flashbacks that we begins to realise how she has been grossly abused and manipulated by the cult leader, Patrick (John Hawkes) and his followers. Martha Marcy May Marlene has earned itself critical plaudits and award nominations at a range of film festivals – primarily for writer and director Sean Durkin and female lead, Elizabeth Olsen – the younger sibling of the famed Olsen twins. This is her first major film role, and it’s as far removed as the anodyne, mainstream fluff that the sisters are better known for producing as it’s possible to be. It’s a moody, accomplished and atmospheric piece of American indie filmmaking. It makes for an impressive debut from Mr Durkin,
but it’s far from perfect. Although his depiction of the small, farm-based cult over which Patrick presides comes across as authentic, we are offered no back story to explain what drew Martha towards it, or why her life should have taken such a different path to her sister’s. In this sense, the characters lack depth, sometimes appearing as little more than pawns in a stylish docu-drama. An ambiguous ending is also likely to frustrate many. DH Out: 3 February
REVIEWS: JOSH WINNING AND DAVID HUDSON
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