Passengers (2009); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film Passengers.

Marital Mess by Linh

Making its Australian film premiere at the 2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival, Passengers is an original and innovative film from one of Australia's emerging talents. Passengers is the debut feature film from Australian director/writer Michael Bond, who achieves a sense of realism and immediacy in a film about lack of trust and suspicions weighing on the human psyche.

Passengers is a road movie with a difference that presents some unexpected moments between a married couple, and allows the audience to enter a personal space to become observers of an intense marriage breakdown. The film seems frustrating to watch as the audiences switch sides from sympathising and supporting one character to the other.

Passengers follows a married couple, Tom (Cameron Daddo) who is an aspiring screenwriter and Melony (Angie Milliken), a struggling actress, on a drive from Santa Monica to Hollywood for a dinner arrangement with Melony’s friend Kath.  Melony suspects Tom of cheating after she finds a name and number on a receipt. Along the way, they stop off to see Tom’s writing partner Roger (Bruce Davison) and his second wife Nina (Patty Yu), but Melony’s suspicions grow and their marriage deteriorates as they continue to their doomed dinner date.

Cameron Daddo stars as Tom and also produces for the first time, contributing to a film that highlights his acting prowess in a dramatic role. Daddo gives a subtle and understated performance that suggests his character may be hiding more than one would suspect.

Angie Milliken is superb as the neurotic, emotionally-fraught actress Melony who keeps the film’s pulse pumping as the long drive to Hollywood intensifies between the pair. Although Tom is in the driver’s seat, Melony appears to be the one driving the relationship towards its end, and her suspicions spill over in a melodramatic display of tears and tantrum.

Hungarian-born and Melbourne-based cinematographer László Baranyai captures all the subtle and idiosyncratic performances from both Cameron Daddo and Angie Milliken, as well as the conspicuous and enveloping traffic of night-time Los Angeles. His changing camera angles from close-ups to long shots assists in the depiction of a relationship breakdown as if witnessed in person.

The film's title could suggest that the viewer becomes a passenger in the car with Tom and Melony, who witness the conversations and interactions between the couple. The scenes are filmed in ways to give the audience a sense of sharing a confined space with people they hardly know and as the journey continues, they know even less and questions arise from their observations.

Director Michael Bond may have deliberately left the film open-ended with so much for the audience to decide and discuss about the couple, their friends and the journey itself. Passengers is beautifully filmed with strong and nuanced performances from the cast that gives a certain level of intrigue. It’s a character study of how two intelligent and talented people experience a communication breakdown as they each try to forge a career in the seemingly shallow world of Hollywood.

DIVIDED: Tom (Cameron Daddo) and Melony's (Angie Milliken) marriage is on the rocks in the film Passengers. Image: Quantum Releasing, Passengers LLC.

Director: Michael Bond

Writer: Michael Bond (screenplay)

Cast: Cameron Daddo, Angie Milliken, Bruce Davison, Patty Yu, Lotus Daddo, River Daddo, Oscar Williams, Christopher Mario Parker, John Rogers, Martie Ashworth

Producers: Michael Bond, Cameron Daddo, John ‘JJ’ Rogers, Jonathon Stretch,

Cinematographer: László Baranyai

Original Music Composer: Gerald Brunskill

Film Editor: Drew Thompson

Production Manager: Marvin Cheng

Art Director: Robert M. Bouffard

Costume Designer: Meredith Montano

Running Time: 1 hour and 24 minutes.

The Hurt Locker (2008); action drama film review

Poster artwork for the action drama film The Hurt Locker.

War Zone Warriors by Linh

After a successful round of film festival screenings and numerous awards for the film and its cast members, The Hurt Locker received nine Academy Award nominations, winning six of them including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. The film also earned director Kathryn Bigelow the Academy Award for Best Direction, which was the first time a woman has ever received an Oscar for directing a film. Bigelow also became the first woman to win the Best Director awards at the Critic’s Choice Awards and Director’s Guild Awards ceremonies.

ENCIRCLED: Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) discovers a cluster of connected bombs waiting to detonate in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

The Hurt Locker received rave reviews and initially screened on a limited release in the US, until it managed to slowly gain audience support and critics’ attention. The film is based on journalist Mark Boal's real experiences when he was embedded with US soldiers during the War in Iraq, and tells of the final thirty nine days of a mission for three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad stationed in Baghdad. The trio must attempt to defuse all bombs as they battle insurgents, suicide bombers and snipers to protect themselves and the civilians of Baghdad.

SNIPER SIGHTING: Sergeant James Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) prepare to target snipers in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

The Hurt Locker is definitely packed with heart-stopping and awe-filled intensity, as viewers become so engaged with the action and grow concerned for the characters that it seems more like watching live-to-air news footage or a documentary than a film.

Portions of the film were shot using hand-held cameras to particularly capture the drama and unpredictability of defusing bombs, with occasional fleeting shots of everyday Iraqis watching from all vantage points throughout the film.

WARTIME ALLIES: Contract Team Leader (Ralph Fiennes) joins the bomb squad on the defensive against the snipers in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

The performances from the lesser known lead actors are outstanding and cameo appearances from recognisable faces such as Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly provide added (emotional and physical) pressure to the dangerous task of bomb disposal. The close connections and trust among the characters are crucial in achieving their task but a rebellious newcomer such as Staff Sergeant William James instantly shakes up the entire squad. 

CARE AND CONCENTRATION: Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) takes great care to cut the wire in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner is excellent as the wild Staff Sergeant William James who is brought in to replace the deceased Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson (played by Australian actor Guy Pearce).  His unconventional and fearless recklessness puts his own life and the lives of his colleagues in danger, but his mind is always focussed on the job and he is protective of the local street urchins.

Anthony Mackie’s portrayal as Sergeant James Sanborn is intense and controlled as he demands protocol and co-operation from Staff Sergeant William James. Underneath the tough exterior lies fragility and vulnerability and James Sanborn is visibly affected by the death and destruction that comes with his job.

Brian Geraghty plays Specialist Owen Eldridge and he is mainly off the bomb field but his keen eye for spotting potential threats to the bomb squad’s safety while disarming bombs makes him a vital member of the team.

Director Kathryn Bigelow ensured realism and timeliness was achieved by filming as close to the real life action as possible. The film crew attempted to get into Iraq but their safety was not guaranteed, so they ended up filming in the much safer grounds of Jordan.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd has captured the beauty of the location from sweeping images of the desert regions to the authentic architecture along the streets.

RELIEVED: Staff Sergeant Willliam James (Jeremy Renner) relaxes after an intense defusing session while Sergeant Sanborn grows increasingly concerned for the team's safety in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

The Hurt Locker is one of the best independent releases concerning the topic of War In Iraq, and gives an insight into the dangers faced by the soldiers and army personnel stationed in a war-torn Middle Eastern country.

FAMILY MAN: Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) misses his partner Connie (Evangeline Lilly) and his baby son in the film The Hurt Locker. Image: Summit Entertainment, Voltage Pictures.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Writer: Mark Boal (screenplay)    

        

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly, Christopher Sayegh, Nabil Koni, Nibras Quassem, Suhail Aldabbach , Christian Camargo

        

Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Greg Shapiro, Nicolas Chartier, Tony Mark, Donall McCusker, Jenn Lee, Jack Schuster

Original Music Composers: Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders          

Cinematographer: Barry Ackroyd               

Film Editors: Chris Innis, Bob Murawski        

Production: Karl Juliusson (Production Designer), David Bryan (Art Director), Amin Charif El Masri (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: George L. Little

        

Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes

Sunshine Cleaning (2008); comedy drama film review

Poster artwork for the comedy drama film Sunshine Cleaning.

Bloody Business by Linh

Who ya gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters but rather the sanitising sisters of Sunshine Cleaning.

Sunshine Cleaning is the latest offering from the producers of hit independent film Little Miss Sunshine, and is based on a real life story about two best female friends in the Seattle suburbs of America, who started a bio-hazard removal/cleaning service.

The film follows the lives of two sisters from Albuquerque who set up a crime scene cleaning service, which involves cleaning and removing body parts and fluids; the cleaning becomes a metaphor for both of them in coping with their mother’s death. Funnily, the name Albuquerque almost sounds like ‘I’ll be quirky’ or ‘all be quirky’, and Sunshine Cleaning has exactly the style of quirkiness found in most independent films these days.

CHEMICAL QUEENS: Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) stock up on detergents and cleaning gear in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Oscar nominee for the film Doubt, Amy Adams, stars as the hardworking and persevering Rose Lorkowski, who is stuck in a thankless job as a cleaner and subconsciously hangs onto her happy high school years through naughty nights with her married ex-lover, Mac. Rose keeps herself in control of life’s setbacks by reciting words of encouragement to herself such as “You’re strong, you’re powerful, you can do anything”. When her young son is kicked out of school, she is forced to find funds to send him to a top-notch private school and avoid the “specialised schooling” the Principal suggested. After taking on the advice of her ex-lover, Rose starts up her new crime scene cleaning service with her younger sister Norah.

Amy Adams shows her versatility, ranging in roles from the fairytale princess in Enchanted to a god-fearing nun in Doubt. She gives a wonderful performance as a single mother who refuses to let life’s catastrophes (and Rose has many) get her down, and delivers every line with outward cheeriness juxtaposed with inner sadness. It’s her eyes that do much of the ‘acting’ in most scenes and Adams cleverly utilises her facial nuances to great effect.

CLEANING CREW: Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) spray and wipe in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Playing the role of Rose’s slack and laid-back younger sister, Norah Lorkowski, is the beautiful English actress Emily Blunt, who leaves behind any trace of Britishness to provide a highly convincing American accent. She even pimps up her Americanisms with hip Generation Y lingo such as “being a bastard is a free pass to cool” or “huge woodie”.

Norah was very young when her mother died, and it seems as though she is coping as well as Rose, but the loss of a parent leads her to rebel against conformity/authority and ends in lack of confidence in herself. She still lives with her father and has no direction in life, and feels stuck in the doldrums most of the time.

Emily Blunt plays the irresponsible Norah with both physical and verbal aplomb. She creates a believable slacker through her stooping as though she couldn’t care less and feet-dragging as if nothing is important for her to attend to. Blunt cleverly blends humour with her character’s grimness as it is likely Norah deals with grief through humour.

FAMILY FOOD: The close-knit Lorkowski family discuss the new cleaning business (Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack) in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Alan Arkin, who appeared in Little Miss Sunshine, is the positively charged Joe Lorkowski, father of Rose and Norah, who continues conjuring up new ideas to make money for his family. After each business scheme fails, he happily moves onto the next without dwelling on past failures or upsets. Arkin’s portrayal of Joe is superb and gives his character the upbeat optimistic fervour in the film. Arkin may be playing fatherly roles in most films, but he always manages to keep it fresh and entertaining.

The film’s theme is death, which is a bleak and almost taboo subject in many cultures and everyone deals with it differently. Sunshine Cleaning puts a positive and happy spin on a job that involves the aftermath of death and some blood-drenched scenes are quite gruesome and stomach-churning. Rose describes it as “we come into people’s lives when they have experienced something profound and sad and we help.”

Removing human body parts and bodily fluids sounds gross and looks awful, but it’s a metaphor for both Rose and Norah in different ways. Rose has been having an illicit affair with her married ex-lover from high school, Mac, and she cannot let go of the ‘popular and prettiest girl’ image of herself in those earlier years. When she finally finds the gumption in letting go of Mac and moving on, it is analogous with a cleansing of emotions and mental anguish which remained since her mother’s death.

In Norah’s case, she experiences an awakening of her repressed sexuality and seeks comfort in the company of new friend, Lynn, whom she found after ‘cleaning’ Lynn’s mother’s house. Norah finds a common bond with Lynn as both their mothers are dead and her meeting with Lynn represents a change in life direction and ‘removing’ herself from a current state of uncertainty and hidden sadness.

BLOOD BOND: Lynn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) suspects Norah (Emily Blunt) is following her in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

The appearance of blood is found in almost every scene that needs cleaning, and has strong significance in the characters’ development throughout the film.

Blood acts as a symbolic image for connection, life force and humanity in general.

In the film, Norah discovers Lynn works as a nurse at the blood donor centre and offers to donate blood. This act of giving blood represents not only a generous act on the surface, but deeper meaning is found when the blood and its components (such as plasma or platelets) are used to save lives; the irony being that Norah may again come across the blood when she ‘cleans’ for her Sunshine Cleaning business. Therefore, blood can be given and lost, which parallels life itself, that is given through birth and lost in death.

The supporting cast is fantastic, especially Jason Spevack as Rose’s young son Oscar whose cheekiness and curiosity lands him in plenty of trouble; Steve Zahn is charming as the ex-lover Mac; Mary Lynn Rajskub (co-star in hit TV programme 24 with Kiefer Sutherland) shines in her minor role as Norah’s potential lesbian lover, Lynn; and Clifton Collins Jr. shows how handy he can be with only one arm as the store owner Winston, and a possible future lover for Rose.

Sunshine Cleaning is an upbeat and enjoyable film, with quirky characters fleshed out through marvellous performances from the entire cast and a rocking musical soundtrack accompanies the film.

SUNSHINE SISTERS: Rose (Amy Adams) inspects the damage while Norah (Emily Blunt) holds back the vomit in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Director: Christine Jeffs

Writer: Megan Holley (screenplay)

Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr., Amy Redford

Producers: Jeb Brody, Bob Dohrmann, Dan Genetti, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Glenn Williamson

Cinematographer: John Toon (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Michael Penn

Film Editor: Heather Persons

Production: Joseph T. Garrity (Production Designer), Guy Barnes (Art Director), Wendy Ozols-Barnes (Set Decorater)

Costume Designer: Alix Friedberg

Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Closed For Winter (2009); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Hibernating Heart by Linh

Closed For Winter made its Australian premiere at the 2009 Adelaide Film Festival with songstress Natalie Imbruglia and director James Bogle as special guests.

It was originally titled Elise and filmed entirely in the beachside suburb of Semaphore in Adelaide, with a supporting cast featuring some of the state’s top talent.

Based on Georgia Blain's novel of the same name, Closed For Winter is the story of a young woman, Elise, haunted by the disappearance of her elder sister, Frances, who went missing twenty years ago from the beach.

The memories of Frances come to her in flashbacks of their time together, leading up to the day her sister disappears. As family secrets are revealled, Elise emerges from her darkness to start living her life again.

Closed For Winter moves at a slow and steady pace in the beginning, with Natalie Imbruglia in the lead role as Elise, wide-eyed and silent for most scenes. Elise still struggles with her sister’s mysterious disappearance two decades later and lets herself drift into emotional oblivion, hardly caring about her life and those in it. Imbruglia imbues enough compassion and inner-strength into her character that you symphasise with Elise’s loss, yet Imbruglia’s performance is overshadowed by the younger Elise (Tiahn Green).

Almost a spitting image of Natalie Imbruglia in her younger years, Tiahn Green makes her film debut as the eight year old Elise with an intuitiveness and strong composure that makes her a standout.

Other notable performances include stage and film actress Deborah Kennedy, in fine form as Dorothy, Elise’s mother, who obsessively collects and cuts out newspaper articles of missing people and keeps them in a scrapbook, in the hope of one day finding her daughter. Dorothy is also dealing with the loss in a way which seems as if punishing herself for not being able to keep watch over and protect her daughter.

Dorothy and Elise’s relationship becomes strained over the years and living with each other as well as the memory of Frances becomes a challenge for both.

Kennedy brings both humour and seriousness to a complex role of a mother who has lost a husband and a daughter.

SADNESS: Elise (Natalie Imbruglia) is at an emotional impasse over her sister's disappearance in the film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Tony Martin gives an excellent performance as John, the family doctor, who checks in on Dorothy on a regular basis, and holds a secret to Elise’s family past which involves her sister Frances.

John seems to be the one who gently stirs Elise from her ‘dark place’ and helps her awaken from the traumatic past to heal herself emotionally.

Some familiar faces which appear briefly in the film, and local audiences may recognise, include Danielle Catanzariti as Frances (Hey, Hey It’s Esther Blueburger), Carmel Johnson as Mrs Brownsord; Antje Guenther as the police woman who questions young Elise on the events at the beach; and Michelle Nightingale as the Police Officer who speaks with young Elise at the police station.

Closed For Winter is a story of the survival of the human spirit and how finding the missing pieces from your past helps in the healing process.

KINDRED SPIRIT: John (Tony Martin) is one of the very few people who understands Elise (Natalie Imbruglia) in the film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Director: James Bogle

Writers: James Bogle (screenplay), Georgia Blain (novel)

Cast: Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel Frederiksen,Deborah Kennedy, Tony Martin, Tiahn Green,Danielle Catanzariti, Sophie Ross, Geordie Taylor, Guy O'Donnell, Henri Phillips, Antje Guenther,

Raffaele Spano, Carmel Johnson, Michelle Nightingale, Lincoln Zomer, Duncan Graham, Patrick Graham

Producers: Ben Grant, Rosemary Blight, Kent Smith

Cinematographer: Kim Batterham (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Daniel Denholm

Film Editor: Denise Haratzis

Production Designer: Rita Zanchetta

Costume Designer: Anita Seiler

Running Time: 1 hour and 26 minutes

Last Ride (2009); drama film review

Poster artwork for the Australian drama film Last Ride.

 

Journey To The End by Linh

Young film-maker Glendyn Ivin makes his feature directorial debut with Last Ride, a film that is more compelling than the typical road movie. Last Ride is based on Denise Young’s novel about an ex-criminal recently released from prison, who takes his ten year old son with him, after committing a terrible crime.

Ivin collaborated with his producers Antonia Barnard and Nick Cole to create a film that goes beyond the ending of the novel and into darker and deadlier territory. Barnard and Cole added their own creative insights into Mac Gudgeon’s excellent script, and also allowed Ivin to include his own artistic fingerprints.

They are familiar markings, as they bear similar tones of family connections, coming of age and inspirational themes like his award winning short film Cracker Bag.

FINAL FAREWELL: Kev (Hugo Weaving) takes Chook (Tom Russell) to the cemetery in the film Last Ride. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Ivin also gathered his former colleagues from Cracker Bag to work on Last Ride, including film editor Jack Hutchings and cinematographer Greig Fraser.

As Greig Fraser boldly captured the spectacular views, sounds and characteristics of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges from all angles, Hutchings masterfully pieced together all the scenes and sequences into a seamless flow of cinematic imagery.

The superb cast is led by Hugo Weaving (Transformers, The Matrix Trilogy) with child-star-on-the-rise Tom Russell, who plays ten year old Chook.

DANGER: Kev (Hugo Weaving) keeps a close eye on his son Chook (Tom Russell) in the film Last Ride. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Hugo Weaving is perfectly cast as the gruff and quick-tempered former prisoner Kev, whose recent release from gaol reunites him with his son, Chook.

Weaving gives an exceptional performance as Kev, a character who’s scarred from within after years of living and growing up with an abusive father, yet outwardly he shows some tenderness towards his son.

Tom Russell plays Kev’s ten year old son Chook, who slowly becomes closer to his father until he discovers the reason behind their sudden departure.

Russell is able to convey the fear and trust Chook has for his father, while showing courage and tenacity in Chook’s coming of age.

ON THE RUN: Kev (Hugo Weaving) and his son Chook (Tom Russell) walking on Lake Gairdner in the film Last Ride. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Last Ride moves you to a different heart-space emotionally, while moving your gaze away from drab suburbia to the visually alluring outback of South Australia. The stunning Lake Gairdner, northwest of Adelaide and Port Augusta, is one of the few salt lakes you can drive on, and it is magnificently captured on film. The arid, dry and breath-taking panoramic views of the Flinders Ranges and the luscious greenery of the National Parks look enticing. The film showcased the regional beauty of South Australia in all its natural glory. Last Ride is a wonderful emotional and dramatic outback drive with some unexpected Australian humour connecting a desperate father and his impressionable son.

AMAZING: Chook (Tom Russell) is awe-struck by the beauty of The Flinders Rangers in the film Last Ride. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Director: Glendyn Ivin 

Writers: Mac Gudgeon (screenplay), Denise Young (novel)

Cast: Hugo Weaving, Tom Russell, John Brumpton, Sonya Suares, Anita Hegh, Adam Morgan, Kelton Pell, Chrissie Page, Chris Weir, Rachel Francis, Levine Ngatokorua, Mick Coulthard

Producers: Antonia Barnard, Nick Cole, Anthony Maras

 

Cinematographer: Greig Fraser   

 

Original Music Composer: Paul Charlier

Film Editor: Jack Hutchings   

Production Designer: Josephine Ford

Costume Designer: Jodie Fried

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Let The Right One In - Låt den rätte komma in (2008); romance horror drama film review

 

Poster artwork for the romance horror drama Swedish film Let The Right One In - Låt den rätte komma in.

Young Vampire Love by Linh

The Swedish romance drama horror Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) is brilliant and gives audiences a taste of gloriously gleeful gore. Thankfully, this film is all English-subbed (subtitled) and not English-dubbed.

My preference would be to see actors speaking in their natural voices and accents to add believability to the characters. Also, poor lip-synching is a minor gripe.

Let The Right One In is set in the 1980s and centres around the innocent romance between two teenagers who are social recluses finding comfort in each other’s company. Oskar is a twelve year old who is constantly bullied at school and imagines himself seeking revenge by murdering his attackers. He meets the new girl Eli (pronounced Ellie) who moves in next door with her ‘father’ and through showing each other moves on Oskar’s Rubik’s cube, their friendship strengthens. Oskar soon becomes aware of an increasing number of violent attacks and murders around town which began when Eli moved in, and he seeks the truth from Eli.

BLOOD THIRSTY: Eli (Lina Leandersson) lets the blood run free in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Let The Right One In, based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, is one of the most entertaining vampire films in recent years, due to its film production style, character portrayals and the dark humour is subtle which makes the gory scenes visually satisfying. The Morrissey hit single Let The Right One In, inspired the title of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel upon which the Swedish vampire film is based. Swedish director Tom Alfredson worked with Lindqvist to create an eerily bleak setting for the film which gives a sense of calm and serenity, until the viewer gets an eyeful of sudden gore.

The characters also seem dull and ordinary, going about their daily lives unperturbed by the horrors occurring in their community.

It is this mundane dreariness that makes the murder scenes surprising and horrific.

OUTCASTS: Eli (Lina Leandersson) and Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) find comfort in each other's company in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is simple and exquisite with the hypnotic scenes of snow falling, the subtle uncomplicated violent scenes and the cat attack scene are superbly orchestrated.

Kare Hedebrant gives an understated performance as the loner Oskar and he has a wonderful ability in conveying the emotional sensibilities that make his character convincing.

Lina Leandersson as the defiant and sweet-faced vampire child Eli (who is said to be over 200 years old in the novel) is alarmingly charming despite seeming aloof.

The most interesting character is Eli’s ‘father’ or ‘helper’ named Hakan. In the novel he is a paedophile who takes care of Eli and procures blood for her by any means possible. In the film, Hakan’s relationship with Eli is unclear but one assumes he is another one of her ‘lovers’ whom she has seduced in order to obtain blood for her. Per Ragnar is frightening and strange as Hakan, whose constant failure to bring blood for Eli results in his gruesome demise with a personal sacrifice. Ragnar gives Hakan a mysterious persona and a creepiness that is unsettling.

ALL FIRED UP: Virginia (Ika Nord) suddenly self-combusts as her friends watch in despair in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

The core of the film depicts human connection, how we change the people who enter our lives and how they change us. The two young characters identify themselves in each other and gain strength and trust through their love. Let The Right One In is brilliantly repulsive and un-nervingly compelling with some of the horrific murder scenes quite comical.

An American re-make (titled Let Me In) released in 2010 with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves at the helm and starred Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Grace Moretz in the lead roles, is entertaining but lacks the more subversive elements of the vampire girl seen in the Swedish version. The Swedish original is as close as one can get to a masterpiece and the American version fails to sustain the same atmospheric mood and intensity of the original Swedish version.

BULLIED: Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) endures another day of bullying by Conny (Patrik Rydmark) in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay and author of novel Låt den rätte komma in)

Cast: Kare Hedebrant , Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg, Ika Nord, Mikael Rahm, Karl-Robert Lindgren, Anders T. Peedu, Pale Olofsson, Patrik Rydmark, Johan Sömnes, Mikael Erhardsson, Rasmus Luthander

Producers: Frida Asp, Gunnar Carlsson, Ricard Constantinou, Suzanne Hamilton, Henric Larsson, Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Lena Rehnberg, Per-Erik Svensson

Original Music Composer: Johan Söderqvist

Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema

Film Editors: Tomas Alfredson, Daniel Jonsäter

Production Designer: Eva Noren

Costume Designer: Maria Strid

Languages: Swedish with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 54 minutes.

The Reader (2008); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film The Reader.

Generational Guilt Conflicts With Lasting Love by Linh

Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter David Hare have remained faithful to the book upon which his Oscar-nominated film The Reader is based. The Reader reflects the emotional depth and thought-provoking material of Bernhard Schlink’s acclaimed book Der Vorleser, however some alterations were made to seek sympathy for and understanding of the character Hanna Schmitz.

The Reader tells the story of a fifteen year old boy, Michael Berg, whose love affair with a mysterious woman twice his age, Hanna Schmitz, during post World War II in Berlin, has repercussions on him later in life. He discovers her secret a decade later when he sees her defending herself in a Nazi war crimes court, but is unwilling to divulge it, as he knows she never wants it revealled.

The film is told in flashbacks where the adult Michael tells how his past experiences may have influenced and affected him in later life.

WELL READ: Hanna (Kate Winslet) listens to Michael (David Kross) read aloud in the film The Reader. Image: The Weinstein Company.

The Reader has been praised and condemned.

Many have found the film to be a moving and provocative drama, while others have seen it as representing Nazi revisionism where the character Hanna Schmitz is a metaphor for the many Germans who’ve committed terrible war crimes and her ‘secret’ is a means of freeing her from the blame and accusations of mass murder.

The Reader has sparked much debate and even some protests against the film and its producers.

The characters in The Reader are superbly portrayed and Kate Winslet's leading actress Academy Award win for this film is well deserved. Winslet plays the tram conductor Hanna Schmitz who brings young Michael Berg to his sexual awakening in the Summer of 1958.

Hanna’s mysterious and abrupt nature intrigues Michael, and she enjoys having people reading aloud to her. She shows much affection towards Michael and is very blunt and straight-forward with him, yet she could never reveal her past or her secret illiteracy to him.

Winslet is disarmingly seductive yet hard-edged as the former Nazi guard, and her German accent is convincing enough. Winslet has conquered a very complex role in her portrayal of Hanna providing soul stirring moments and fascinating insights into a woman who is seemingly merciless and unrepentant.

BIKE TRIP: Michael (David Kross) and Hanna (Kate Winslet) take a day off to go biking in the film The Reader. Image: The Weinstein Company.

Young German actor David Kross had to learn English for the role of teenager Michael Berg and he is believable as Hanna’s lover who thought he was “not good at anything”. When Hanna praises him for his reading ability after hearing him read Emilia Galotti by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Michael continues to read aloud various literature to her including The Odyssey by Homer, D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, Anton Chekhov's The Lady with the Little Dog and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

Kross’s character Michael and Hanna’s love scenes were tastefully performed and filmed, and although Michael didn’t know it at the time, the intimate nature of the affair shapes the rest of their lives.

Kross brings intelligence, sensitivity and a maturity to Michael, also showing the deep internal conflict as he grapples with his love for Hanna and revealling her illiteracy. 

INTIMACY: Hanna (Kate Winslet)  is very fond of Michael (David Kross)  and enjoys his company in the film The Reader. Image: The Weinstein Company.

Ralph Fiennes gives a consummate performance as the adult Michael Berg, whose narration and flashbacks form the thrust of the film. Fiennes appears briefly in the beginning and the end, and seems moody, impatient and withdrawn, unlike the young Michael. The youthful exuberance has disappeared and in its place is a wreck whose marriage has failed, his daughter hardly knows him and even his legal work dissatisfies him.

The best scenes involve him recording audio tapes of all the books in his library for Hanna including Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, Jaws by Peter Benchley, Charles Dickens’s The Old Curiosity Shop and Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Fiennes brilliantly creates a character who is a moral conundrum and at conflict with his emotions and thoughts for Hanna.

CONUNDRUM: Adult Michael (Ralph Fiennes) is still feeling the effect of Hanna's love and her secret many years later in the film The Reader. Image: The Weinstein Company.

The supporting cast also deliver fine performances including Bruno Ganz (best known for his exceptional portrayal of Adolf Hitler in [I]Downfall[/I]) as Professor Rohl who challenges Michael to question his own morals on the war crimes trial; Lena Olin as the Nazi concentration camp survivor, Rose evokes sympathy and Burghart Klaußner as the Judge presiding over Hanna Schmitz’ trial is effectively commanding.

The film is compelling with enthralling performances, on the subject matter of Nazi guilt, shame, responsibility and the delicate balance of morality. The film also echoes aspects in Bernhardt Schlink’s novel where no-one is asking for forgiveness or seeking redemption. It’s not essentially about the Holocaust but more to do with the aftermath of Germany’s involvement in the Holocaust and its effect on future generations.

MORAL MESS: Michael (David Kross) and his law lecturer Professor Rohl (Bruno Ganz) at a war crimes trial in the film The Reader. Image: The Weinstein Company.

Director: Stephen Daldry

Writers: David Hare (screenplay), Bernhard Schlink (book Der Vorleser)

Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz, Burghart Klaußner, Jeanette Hain, Vijessna Ferkic, Karoline Herfurth

Producers: Jason Blum, Donna Gigliotti, Anthony Minghella, Henning Molfenter, Redmond Morris, Arno Neubauer, Sydney Pollack, Michael Simon de Normier, Nora Skinner, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Woebcken 

Cinematographer: Roger Deakins (Director of Photography), Chris Menges (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Nico Muhly

Film Editor: Claire Simpson  

Production: Brigette Broch (Production Designer), Christian M. Goldbeck, Stefan Hauck, Yesim Zolan, Erwin Prib (Art Directors), Karin Betzler, Eva Stiebler (Set Decorators)

Costume Designer: Donna Maloney, Ann Roth

Running Time: 2 hours and 4 minutes