ENEMY

Denis Villeneuve’s previous film, “Prisoners”, caught me off guard and absolutely blew me away with its intense look at two men pushed to the brink and forced to do extreme things after one of their daughters is kidnapped.  After watching this harrowing film, I made sure to search out any other projects directed by this talented French Canadian, and have so far caught up with his 2009 film “Polytechnique” and a short film he did entitled “Next Floor” (with my “Incendies” blu-ray currently in transit to me).  Everything I have watched by Villeneuve up until this point has impressed me, but the film that I was most looking forward to checking out, was his latest film “Enemy”.  Although the film has been released after “Prisoners”, it was actually shot before it, thus making “Enemy” the first collaboration between the director and its star, Jake Gyllenhaal.  The two films could not be more different, as “Enemy” is a mind bending mystery/thriller that seems to have been tailor made to my own obsessions within cinema.

The film is about a university teacher, Adam, who one day by chance, happens to notice his exact double in a movie he is watching on dvd.  This revelation seems to shake Adam up, and he becomes obsessed with meeting the actor, Anthony, at first on just a curiosity level.  When the two boys finally meet and realise that they are indeed exact doubles of one another (with matching scars to boot), it sets into motion a series of events that sees Adam and Anthony start to infiltrate the lives of the other, with their unsuspecting wife/girlfriend being pawns in their games of duplicity.

As I mentioned above “Enemy” is the type of cinema that I just adore.  I love movies that are open to interpretation, that feature characters who may or may not be suffering a mental breakdown, and the phenomenon of doppelgangers totally intrigues me.  What is so exciting about “Enemy” is working out just what is going on in the film.  Villeneuve has smartly chosen not to explain anything, leaving it totally up to interpretation, while littering the film with clues throughout.  Like pieces of a puzzle that could be put together in a number of different ways, there are a plethora of theories that could be concluded in regards to what is happening in “Enemy”.  The big question is whether or not both Adam and Anthony are real, and if not, just which one is a figment of whose imagination?  Are the events of the film happening concurrently, or do they represent moments of the past and present combined?  The fact that both characters seem to be going through very similar things in their lives, particularly from a sexual standpoint, is very interesting, to the point that the entire film could be based around the guilt of a sexual affair.  While I am not going to go into massive detail on my own interpretation I will mention that my personal belief is that the two guys are one person, and that the other is a representation of his guilt (or his temptation) from a past affair.  Who is who though, I will leave up to you.  To get to this conclusion, you need to look at the many clues in the film which include the wedding ring, the conversations with the mother, the wife’s suspicion, the key in the envelope, the blueberries, the car crash, the topic of history repeating itself, the photographs and of course, the big one, the spiders.  While I am not saying that my theory is the correct one, I do have my own theory mapped out in my mind, but knowing that there could be numerous more explanations is what makes a film like “Enemy” so exciting.

In regards to the visual representation of the world of “Enemy”, I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag.  Personally I was not a fan of the over-filtered look of the film, particularly the choice of using the dirty yellow/orange filter as the predominate colour.  While the film does look unique, to me it came across incredibly ugly and even made it hard to distinguish between some of the images.  What I did like however was the way Villeneuve chose to shoot Toronto.  This is Toronto as it has never looked before and he gives the place an appropriate “alien” feeling to it all.  There is a coldness to this world that just seems right, and it also has a level of decay to it that seems spot on.  In terms of set design, Adam and Anthony’s worlds are distinguished by their apartments with Adam’s being very empty and rundown, whilst Anthony’s is more lived in and polished.

From an acting standpoint, Jake Gyllenhaal does an amazing job of differentiating his two characters, but does so in such a subtle way.  Firstly he makes Adam less assertive and nervous and as such he holds his body much differently than his counterpart.  He is more slouched over, with his shoulders down, whilst Anthony appears more confident, standing straighter and more upright at all times.  Adam always seems more nervous in his speech, whilst Anthony has a sense of arrogance to him.  It is too simple to say that Adam is the good guy, and Anthony the bad, but aspects of their personalities deem this to be so.  After both “Prisoners” and “Enemy” I must say that I am becoming seriously impressed by Gyllenhaal’s ability to create a character particularly with the use of his body.  He is outstanding in “Enemy” and is the sole reason the film works as well as it does.  Saying that, the girls are no slouches either, with both Melanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon both impressing in their roles.  Gadon in particular is fantastic, as she plays the pregnant wife of Anthony who must deal with the suspicions that he is having an affair, or worse, losing his mind.  You can sense in her that she wants to forget the past, although trusting her husband outright, may be a luxury that she no longer can afford and that the man she once fell in love with, may not be the man he is now.  I also applaud the choice to use two actresses who look similar in nature, as it helps to blur just what is going on in the film.

A film like “Enemy” is extremely hard to talk about without imposing your own opinions on it, which in turn has the potential to colour someone else’s interpretation, and as such, I really do not want to say much more about it.  All you need to know is that “Enemy” is a mind-bender that is well worth your time; it is exciting and energetic cinema and I wish that there was more films like it.  The film is brilliantly acted by a superb Gyllenhaal, who creates two distinct characters out of Adam and Anthony, and Villeneuve backs him up in the directing department by creating a surreal world for him to inhabit.  The best thing about “Enemy” though is its repeat value, as this is a film you can see again and again, and get something different from each time.  This is highly recommended folks, if just for the final image in the film.  (Oh, and the poster for “Enemy” is the best I have seen for a very long time).

4 Stars.

STAGE FRIGHT

Proudly being marketed as a cross between “Glee” and “Scream”, “Stage Fright” is the (surprisingly) much hyped feature debut from director Jerome Sable.  Similar to this film, Sable’s short film “The Legend Of Beaver Dam” is a hybrid of the horror and musical genres and is loved by all that have seen it.  “Beaver Dam” was staged around a campfire ghost story that somehow awakens an evil spirit that terrifies the campers.  Having great success with the short film, it is perhaps no surprise that Sable has chosen another musical / horror film for his debut, this time a riff on 80’s slasher films.  Did Sable succeed in proving that lightning can indeed strike twice?

“Stage Fright” begins ten years prior to when the bulk of the film takes place, as we are witness to Kylie Swanson, mother of twins Camilla and Buddy, being brutally murdered just as she was on the brink of stardom.  Kylie is killed by a masked bandit; the same mask which happens to be worn by her co-star in the play she is acting in, “The Haunting Of The Opera”.  Leaving her kids orphaned, Roger McCall (the theatre’s artistic director and producer) takes up the position of guardian and raises and brings up Kylie’s children.  Cut to ten years later and McCall’s career is basically dead in the water with him now running a musical theatre camp where the twins work as both cook and cleaner.  McCall sees one final chance to revive his former glory by producing a new version of “The Haunting Of The Opera” (a play that has not been performed since the brutal murder) and impressing an important theatre critic.  Casting of the project begins immediately and surprisingly Camilla shows an interest in reprising the role that would have made her mother famous.  Against McCall’s better wishes, he agrees to let Camilla audition, who succeeds in being one of two actresses groomed for the main role.  However, while the girls compete with each other to get the coveted opening night performance, a much more serious issue is affecting the camp.  A serial killer who despises musical theatre is offing camp members at an alarming rate, but with all his hopes and dreams (not to mention money too) attached to this production, McCall is reticent to call the whole thing off.  However, by the time opening night comes around, will anyone be left to perform in the play?

The combination of comedy, horror and music must be a hard thing to get right and yet surprisingly there are a number of great examples of it coming together perfectly.  Films such as “Phantom Of The Paradise”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Repo! The Genetic Opera” are all examples of the horror musical working at the peak of its powers.  Sadly, “Stage Fright” is an example of the opposite.  The problem with the film is that Sable has failed to get the balance right between the horror and musical elements.  It is much more successful with the musical elements, with the scenes of horror falling very flat.  They are very bloody and I appreciate that the majority of the gore effects were practical, but there was no set up or build up for each gore gag.  With little or no suspense, it feels as if people just suddenly die.  Also there is a surprising number of off-screen killings where we only see the aftermath of the mayhem, which is a little disappointing.

Another big issue I had with “Stage Fright” was the decision by Sable to make the killer’s identity a mystery because it is anything but.  It is very easy to work out just who the killer is because it can really only be one person.  Once the mask is removed and we see who it is, it is like “Well, duh”.  Even the design of the “metal killer” has been handled poorly, with the dark variation of the kabuki mask looking rather ridiculous, and those lame songs that he randomly belts out………do not get me started.

As I mentioned though, as a musical “Stage Fright” is much more successful with a number of the songs (particularly early on) being very catchy and filled with some quite clever lyrics; in fact the opening half an hour of “Stage Fright” is when the film is at its most enjoyable, even though most of its comedy falls embarrassingly flat.  The film’s hyper-colourful style also seems most appropriate during these early scenes too.

In terms of acting, no one really impresses although I enjoyed seeing Minnie Driver on-screen again (what did happen to her career?), even though it was far too short, and I thought Meat Loaf did his best with his underwritten role (and at least he impressed lyrically).  In fact that is a problem with all of the characters; there is nothing to any of them and they are totally interchangeable, making it hard for us, the audience, to care for them and for an actor to inject any personality or emotional honesty in their roles.  The person who struggles the most though is poor Allie MacDonald who plays our lead Camilla.  She is just terrible, giving a flat and lifeless performance.  Even musically she sounds shocking, making it hard to believe she would ever legitimately get the type of role she does here.

So did I like anything about “Stage Fright”?  Sadly, the answer is not much, although I thought the casting couch antics of the director and his two stars were slightly amusing.  The other thing I liked was the film’s amazing retro poster that captures the 80’s spirit perfectly; something the film was unable to achieve.  Also while I initially liked the trailer for “Stage Fright”, after seeing the movie now, I can say it gives away too much of the film leaving no surprises.

Overall, I wanted to like “Stage Fright” so badly, but in the end I just couldn’t.  The film suffers due to a lack of balance between the horror and musical scenes and the mystery of who the killer is, is anything but.  Sadly my recommendation in regards to “Stage Fright” is don’t believe the hype; there is nothing special to see here.

1.5 Stars.

THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET

I have a soft spot in my heart for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and his films.  Due to the fact that I am a massive fan of his 1994 film “The City Of Lost Children”, I actually named my first daughter after the main character in that film; Miette.  However, recently his films just haven’t grabbed me like they once did.  I am first to admit that I miss his darker style that he shared with co-director Marc Caro in the early films they made together, but even though his newer films are more light-hearted I always look forward to the latest work from Jeunet.  “The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is just that, and judging from the promotional material for the film, it appears that this is yet another film of whimsy and charm from this talented Frenchman.

T.S. Spivet is a young ten year old boy who lives on a ranch with his mother, father and teenage sister in Montana.  He is a bright and intellectual boy with knowledge well beyond his young years, in fact his intelligence eclipses most of the adults he is in contact with.  He is a big fan of science and in his quest for scientistic discovery, he designs an invention that can illustrate the phenomenon known as “perpetual motion”.  His design ends up winning a prodigious award, where T.S has to collect his prize in Washington D.C in person.  Due to the fact he is so young in age, he is weary of revealing his true age and identity, in case it deems him ineligible to accept his prize.  The fact that he is also the black sheep of his family, he knows that no-one will understand the significance of such a prize, and as such T.S. decides to take the journey from Montana to Washington D.C by himself.  We follow the boy on his journey as he leaves his house in secret and attempts to make it to the nation’s capital.  However, if he ends up succeeding, he then has to work out how to explain how a ten year old boy came up with such an invention.

This is a strange movie; it is technically a very well made film, but from an emotional standpoint, the film is ultimately benign.  I really wanted to love this film, but I just didn’t feel anything for the characters in the film at all.  As is the norm for a Jeunet film, “The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is a stunning looking film with glorious visuals and an extreme use of colour.  Jeunet’s choice to use the colours of yellow, green and particularly red, is extremely bold and it works to great effect.  The film is very stylized because of these colours but because of this, never comes across as reality.  There were numerous times in the film that Jeunet’s camera moves reminded me of films from his past, particularly “Amelie”, but sadly this film had none of that film’s charm.

The problem with “The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is that the film never soars.  It is consistently one paced, which is never a good thing.  You always feel it is building to a grander moment and yet, it never does.  Also the whole tone of the film seems considerably off.  Although my synopsis above does not reveal as such, T.S used to have a twin brother, Layton, who sadly a year prior lost his life to an accidental gunshot wound.  Although Layton is barely in the film, the weight of his passing is felt throughout and is heavy on T.S’s shoulders who feels he is to blame for his brother’s death.  So we have a story filled with melancholy that has strangely been presented via the use of whimsy, and as such the two styles clash and actually cancel each other out.  Whilst I understand that the light and fun tone is needed to best present T.S’s boundless imagination, and this is where Jeunet shines his brightest, but it is the darker undercurrent that ends up getting neglected and thus the movie loses its heart.

When T.S finally does make it to Washington, the story takes a sudden and abrupt turn as T.S is sudden exploited by the adults around him for their own gain.  It just seems to come out of nowhere and is never convincing in its portrayal.  It is also never really explained what the adults want out of the boy and why they are exploiting him so.  Especially in a world like today, a scientific discovery is not something that would get the attention it deserves, so it seems strange that they treat the boy as they do.  Also the scene that takes place at the talk show, is cringe inducing, even though it does include the film’s best and most real emotional exchange between T.S and his mother.  While no doubt condemning these types of talk show hosts that we are inundating with these days, it is done in such an obvious and shallow way, with the talk show host being a total caricature.

In terms of acting, everyone is competent but that is it.  No one stands out with the exception of Judy Davis and sadly it is for the negative.  She is terrible in her role, and so over the top with she has a penchant of doing from time to time, and again her character is a total caricature, never once showing an honest emotion.  She is also at the centre of the film’s worst and most baffling moment when she fires an expletive towards the young boy she is in charge of.  It is such an odd moment that has no justification for being in the film.  In fact, I was stunned when it happened and couldn’t believe I had heard what I had heard.

For a road movie to succeed, the characters that our main character meets up with on his journey have to be interesting, and yet again, they are not here.  While it does give Jeunet the chance to cast his regular muse, Dominique Pinon, in the role of a drifter named “Two Clouds”, his scene with T.S just falls flat like most of the film.

Overall, while I thought the film looked amazing and had the imagination that only Jean-Pierre Jeunet could supply, ultimately “The Young And Prodigious T.S.Spivet” falls emotionally flat.  It is a film that has been expertly made but is ultimately anaemic in a dramatic sense and a tone that is all wrong for its melancholic story.  Its biggest crime is that the film should have been so touching and even heartbreaking but ends up meaning very little.  Sadly, “The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is a major disappointment.

3 Stars.