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Cultural Crossovers: 1on1 with Will Gluck (PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY)

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It’s no secret that the work of Beatrix Potter is beloved by her fans.

As the author of the Peter Rabbit franchise, Potter’s stories have been read to millions of children over the years around the world. Of course, these expectations also make translating these stories onscreen even more challenging, especially if you want to honour what has come before.

Directed by Will Gluck, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway takes us back to McGregor’s garden for the wedding of Bea and Thomas (Rose Byrne and Dohmnall Gleeson). Though they have no kids of their own, Bea and Thomas have developed a makeshift family with the rabbits and other animals and all seems well in their abode. Even so, despite the fact that he wants to be a good rabbit, Peter (James Corden) can’t seem to break free from his reputation of causing trouble. Then, when Bea gets a call from a publishing company about her book, the family hops into the truck and travels to the city. Suddenly out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where being a rascal is celebrated. After he meets Barnabas (Lenny James), an old friend of his father, Peter is invited into the criminal underworld (well, for bunnies that is) and must decide what type of rabbit he wants to be.

After having so much fun with the crew directing the first entry, Gluck was excited to return to the world once again. Admittedly though, one of the other major factors in his decision was the opportunity to share the experience with his family as well. 

“I had an idea for the second one,” he explains. “I didn’t want to walk away from something, but I also wanted to bring my family down to Australia. We all moved down there for more than half a year and gave them a new experience and that was a big part of it, to be honest.”

“[We shot in] Sydney and London. We all moved down to Sydney and then we went to London… and they went to school down there. They all fell in love with the country. I [also] loved the crew the first time. I had such a great time. As you go through life, you realize that, when you meet people that you like and work well with, why not try to replicate it with them? I think, when I was younger, I probably would’ve not done it. But as you get older and say, ‘Wow, these are these people that are amazing. Let’s keep going.’” 

Having directed mostly character-driven films early in his career, the move to a CGI-heavy franchise was a difficult transition. Even so, he and his team embraced the challenge of blending computer effects with live action and fought hard to give it the same authentic feel of traditional filmmaking.

“I didn’t know anything in the first film. I was completely blind then,” Gluck recalls. “They always say being a director is having the illusion of control, but being director of a live action/CGI movie is not even an illusion. You have to just kind of give yourself up and trust everybody. It was such a fun process to learn. So, the second time, since I knew more about it, we could play even more. I know it’s something that people don’t notice but, for a CGI/live action movie, this is so, so complicated. They always say that the simplest things are so complicated to pull off, but we never wanted to do a stationary shot. We never wanted to make it easy for ourselves. We never locked off. The camera’s always moving. It’s just like it’s a regular live action movie, which makes it really hard. But everyone was up for the challenge and it was challenging but fun, ultimately.” 

Certainly, taking on the Peter Rabbit franchise is not an easy task. Beloved for generations, the works of Beatrix Potter held in high regard for their classic sensibilities and innocence. While Gluck did everything he could to respect these memories, he also recognizes that these memories are also tainted by our own sense of nostalgia.

“It’s challenging for many reasons,” Gluck begins. “I want to honor Beatrix Potter, for all the reasons you can think of. I feel incredible responsibility to the British people and the people in the Commonwealth who loved and grew up with Peter Rabbit. I did too. But you also have to make a movie that people want to see. So, it’s a constant dance. Now, if I were to actually think all the time about how much pressure it is, I would be paralyzed. So, at some point, you just have to say, ‘we’re doing it this way, and this is the way it is.’ It’s tough [because] it’s Beatrix Potter. She’s so beloved as she should be. She’s so beloved.” 

“Everyone has their own memory of Beatrix Potter,” he continues. “But, really what their memory is… when they read the book or when they read the book to their kids, like me. It’s not necessarily the actual [material]. I’ve had so many people say, how could you kill Peter Rabbit’s father? I’m like, I didn’t kill Peter Rabbit’s father. Beatrix Potter put him in a pie. So, we took every inch of the source material we could and used it. So it’s more their fond memories of the grandmother, of their dishes, of their samplers. That’s a tough memory to mess around with. It’s dangerous.“

As he attempted to blend more modern humour with Potter’s fabled characters, Gluck did his best to bring them together in a healthy balance. Despite the franchise’s success, he’s still not entirely certain that he was able to fully accomplish his goal.

“I don’t know if we did [find the right balance],” admits Gluck. “A lot of people think we didn’t. The majority of people in the UK think we did, but there’s a lot of people who think we [didn’t]. Listen, there’s a line in the movie [where] Rose Byrne says ‘I’d be spinning in my grave if my pictures ever get turned into some puerile hip-fest.’ All those lines in that scene were taken directly verbatim from critics.”

Over the course of his career, Gluck has created a wide variety of film styles, ranging from more R-rated comedies such as Easy A and Friends with Benefits to the family-oriented, CGI-heavy Rabbit franchise. When he thinks about what types of stories he wants to tell, he believes that the best stories are more upbeat and stem from our common experiences.

“I’ve done all different types of movies [and] all different genres,” he says. “I don’t like seeing bummers of movies. I like seeing movies that have really bummer stuff in them, but ultimately are very optimistic and positive. That’s what I choose to watch. I understand the value of the other movies. I want to be on a happy, fun and a funny set. Whenever I have to do dramatic scenes… just a straight sex scene, or even an action scene. I’m bored out of my mind because it seems like math to me. I like kind of fun, upbeat, funny movies about the human condition.” 

For Gluck, the driving force behind his creative process remains his own life experiences, regardless of style.

“All the stuff I do for a living is informed by my life,” he contends. “It’s a hundred percent. So, it’s what I’m going through, what I enjoy and who I’m with. Friends with Benefits is a sex comedy because that was before you got married. Before that, [Easy A was] in high school. Then, guess what? I had kids, so now I want to do stuff for kids. It’s’s not calculated. It’s not that hard to figure out. My next movie is adult action comedy because my kids are now like, all right, we got that part. Dad give us something for us. So, my family is always so close to me and that’s what I’m inspired by.” 

As with any film, Gluck believes that the soul of the character matters most. With the latest entry into the franchise, he wanted to show Peter at a time in his life when he had to decide for himself what type of rabbit that he wants to be.

“In the first movie, in my head, Peter was 11 or 12 years old and figuring life out,” Gluck points out. “He thinks he knows better, as we all do, often wrong, never in doubt. Then, when he gets older, and in this movie he’s about 14, 15 years old, you go through different things. We wanted to kind of honor the time in your life when you are right at that crossroads and deciding who you are going to be in life, whether you’re going to be who people tell you to be, or whether you’re going to be who you really are. That really is kind of like an identity search for the soul of Peter. This is the moment in life so many people figuring out who they are, right. It’s in high school, [at the age of] 15, 16. That’s when they kind of take that path and it kind of imprints them forever. Some people change. My theory is that no one does, but some people change. So, this is kind of like the fight for Peter’s soul in this movie. Unlike other kids in life, you actually saw him dealing with it and talking about it and, ultimately, he makes the right choice, I think. This movie was kind of imprinting his soul.” 

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway is now available on demand and in theatres.

To see our complete conversation with Will Gluck on YouTube, click here.

Beans: Torn Between Peace and Protest

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It’s not necessarily a good sign to refer to a film as ‘timely’.

It’s not that the term is a description of a film’s poor quality. (Often, it’s the opposite, in fact.) However, the use of ‘timely’ usually refers to the fact that the issues of injustice raised within the film are still relevant in today’s culture, rightly or wrongly. In this way, the film at hand usually takes an additional meaning as a cry for help for a group who needs to be heard in a time of suffering.

Beans is one of these films.

Set against the drama of the Oka Crisis of 1990, Beans (Kiawentiio Tarbell) is a young girl who lives on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawa:ke, Quebec. Staying with her loving parents (Rainbow Dickerson and Joel Montgrand) and her little sister (Violah Beauvais), Beans lives a life of innocence and safety on the reserve. However, when a proposed expansion to a golf course threatens their burial ground, an armed stand-off develops between the Canadian government and Mohawk population, exposing the racist undercurrents of the local population against the Indigenous population. Unprepared for the hatred that she experiences, Beans must re-examine who she is and transform herself into her own kind of warrior.

Coming at a time when injustices against the Indigenous population lie at the forefront of Canadian conversations, Beansis a stunning and thought-provoking examination of history from an alternate perspective. While the coverage surrounding the Oka Crisis frequently portrayed the Mohawk people as villains, Beans tells the story through the eyes of the oppressed. (Incidentally, Deer highlights this false narrative by the media by using actual news coverage from the time.) In doing so, writer/director Tracey Deer offers an intimate story from the perspective of someone who lived through it herself as a youth. Though the characters are fictional, the story takes pages out of her experiences and reframes the incident through the eyes of innocence. 

Caught between her family and the terrifying events that swirl around her, Beans’ world is shaken by the unjust hatred thrust upon them. By choosing to tell the story through the eyes of young Beans, the events within the film become even more horrifying for the viewer at times. (This is especially true in one particular moment where her family is being harassed within their car, a scene which may be one of the most harrowing onscreen moments of the year.) 

A film this intense requires a lot from its young star but Deer has found an incredible talent in young Kiawentiio. As Beans, Kiawentiio absolutely shines. Despite being featured in almost every scene, she shows a maturity in her performance that grounds the film. Balancing both youthful innocence and justifiable rage behind her eyes, the actress feels present throughout the film which leans into its authenticity.

As she navigates the painful events that unravel before her, Beans’ journey is very much a battle for her soul. After bearing witness to the racist attacks at the hands of local citizens, Beans is left without answers. Though she has lived a relatively quiet life on the reserve, her experiences of the horrors of injustice force her to re-evaluate the way she sees the world. When she falls in with a group of young rebels who refuse to accept the behaviour that they’ve seen, they teach her how to hate her oppressors and take action against them. At the same time though, Beans is also told by her mother that she needs to be ‘better than they say she is’ by taking a more peaceful approach to insurrection. For her mother, the best response to these racist attacks is to demonstrate her integrity by the strength of her character as opposed to violence. 

In this way, Deer takes an interesting approach to the conversation surrounding the proper responses to injustice. Instead of advocating for either method as the correct one, Deer recognizes the need for both non-violence and force. Through Beans’ journey, she points out that, while the non-violent approach may be best, there are also times when other methods may be necessary in order to bring about change. As a result, Deer manages to hold both responses in tension with one another with grace and understanding.

Sharply written and executed, Beans is easily one of the best (and most important) Canadian films of the year. By sharing her experiences through the eyes of young Beans, writer/director Deer has created a story that’s both personal and poignant. Most importantly though, her emphasis on racial injustice against Canada’s  Indigenous population provides an added layer for a country seeking to chart a new path of healing for a nation torn apart by the pain of the past. 

In short, Beans provides a voice that is timely.

To hear our conversation with writer/director Tracey Deer, click here (YouTube) or here (audio).

Beans is available in theatres on Friday, July 23rd, 2021.

7.23 Living la Vida LUCA

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Set against the Italian Riviera, Pixar’s LUCA tells the story of a young merman as he steps into the surface world for the first time. With his friend Alberto, young Luca experiences a whole new world of adventure, pasta and endless Vespa rides. However, when the world discovers that sea monsters exist, so to does the pressure for the boys to remain hidden, out of fear for their lives. This week, ScreenFish’rs Heather Johnson and Alan Sharrer return to talk about Disney’s tendency to play it safe and the relationship between fear and knowledge.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, Google Play or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.23 LucaDownload

Pig: Nicolas Cage offers Humble Rage

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Who knew the culinary industry was so competitive?

Pig tells the story of Robin Feld (Nicolas Cage), a reclusive truffle hunter in the Oregonian wilderness. Living as somewhat of a hermit with his beloved pig, the mysterious Feld survives by selling truffles off the grid to Amir (Alex Wolff), an ambitious young culinary salesman. However, when a home invasion leads to the theft of his prized pig, Feld is infuriated. Hellbent on recovering his pet, Feld is forced to return to his former life and delve into Portland’s culinary underworld.

While the premise to Pig may sound ridiculous, the result is far from a joke. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, Pig is almost shocking in its silence. At a time when it feels like every middle-aged man needs to establish a revenge actioner, Pig uses all of those tropes to its benefit without throwing a punch. With franchises like John Wick, Nobody, and The Equalizer dominating the multiplex, Sarnoski creates a world that feels like it’s going to wow you with its set pieces but highlights its performances instead. (Admittedly, the biggest question mark to me remains the title. While the title works considering the story, it really feels like it should be the name for a gritty horror film instead of the character piece that it actually is.)

In many ways, the comparisons to John Wick are inevitable (and intentional). Whereas the first Wick film dealt with his vengeful attacks due to the death of his puppy, Pig takes a similar track with its narrative. Both Wick and Feld burn with wicked intensity and obsession over the loss of their animals. Both men’s quest for vengeance lead into the unknown seedy underbelly of their respective worlds. Even the names of both men strike fear into the heart of their former associates.

But, the films could not be more different. And that’s a great thing.

Unlike Wick’s eye for vengeance, Feld’s interest remains only retrieving his beloved pig. As he enters into the underworld, people freeze at the sight of him yet it’s more out of respect than fear. When he walks into an underground fight club, one expects vicious outbursts that will put the room in check but the result is far more powerful. Rather than unleash his anger upon the world for the loss of his pet, Feld has no interest in acts of violence. (Although, without giving any spoilers to the film’s finale, Feld turns out to be as lethal as Wick… without hurting a soul.) 

What’s more, credit must be given to Cage as well who is absolutely fascinating to watch work here. Without resorting to his trademark manic behaviour, Cage burns onscreen with an inner rage that bubbles hot below the surface. Although Cage’s career has intentionally veered into the realm of self-parody in the last decade or so, Pig is a reminder of how good he truly is when given material that harnesses his talent. (Seriously. I’d forgotten.)

In its soul, Pig is about far more than a lost animal. Featuring a solid script and performances, Pig plays out like a modern-day parable that highlights the power of identity. Although he’s been hiding in the woods for the last fifteen years, Feld’s name still rings in the ears of those who knew him. (In fact, his name carries such weight that he’s hesitant to use it.) However, this self-awareness becomes even more clear when it’s held up against his unlikely pseudo-partner Amir. 

Having grown up under his father’s shadow, Amir is a man who does not yet know who he is. Torn between his father’s achievements and charting is own path, he genuinely yearns for some acknowledgement about his own level of success. (For example, there’s no question that his brightly coloured Camaro is meant to show the world that he matters.) 

However, when he meets Feld, he discovers something different about himself through his experience with the culinary hero. Rather than let the world know that he has returned, Feld carries himself with quiet humility. For Feld, he knowswho he is but he has no interest in throwing it around. Although his mind is as sharp as his skills, Feld is so comfortable with himself that he knows the most powerful weapon at his disposal is to be himself. As such, there’s a beauty in his gruff and grizzled exterior that leaves a mark on the soul of his young companion.

Fueled by its heart, Pig is simply something to behold. With all the markers of yet another action-fest, Sarnoski has created something far more creative and almost poignant at times. Though there will be many who miss this film strictly due to their lack of interest in Cage or its marketing, trust me. This is one Pig who should not be put out to pasture.

Pig is available in select theatres on Friday, July 16th, 2021.

Mama Weed – Making the Most of Opportunity

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Mama Weed (La Daronne), from director Jean-Paul Salomé, takes us into the Paris underworld, but from a somewhat different perspective. Our entry into that world is not through a hardened career criminal or long-suffering police officer. It is a woman who stumbles into an opportunity and makes the most of it.

Patience Portefeux (Isabelle Huppert) works as a translator for the police. She spends her day listening to the phone calls of the city’s drug dealers. She’s having a bit of an affair with her boss. But she is going broke. Her mother is in a long-term care facility, and Patience is months behind in paying. As she listens to a call one day, she hears her mother’s nurse’s son and tries to protect him. In the process she ends up with about a ton of hashish. She sets up her own drug network, making use of some of the dimmer dealers she knows from the wiretaps. Her inside information about how the police work gives her a way to try to avoid detection. She takes on the persona of an Arab woman and soon she is being tracked down by the police (including her lover/boss) and the real criminals whose drugs these are.

The film is a blend of comedy, thriller, and caper adventure. We genuinely enjoy seeing Patience manipulating the system and coming out on top, even though she is essentially an amateur at this kind of life. But she quickly figures out how to launder her money as well as work around the police who are getting closer, in part because of the ineptitude of her accomplices.

It is also a story that reflects the desperation that might induce someone into crime. Patience had no plans of becoming a drug lord. But because her mother is about to be evicted from the nursing home, when the opportunity arose, she saw it as her way out of the financial hole she was in. But the film really doesn’t delve too deeply into the ethnic and socio-economic issues around drugs and drug policy. It is essentially an enjoyable ride through growing tensions and releases as the story plays out.

Mama Weed is showing in select theaters

Photos courtesy of Music Box Films.