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Imogen Poots

7.18 Meeting THE FATHER + Oscar Talk!

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Roll out the [digital] red carpet and strike up the [Zoom] speeches! Believe it or not, It’s Oscar season and time to crown the Best Films of the pandemic year. As efforts such as Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal all duke it out to claim the top prizes, Seeing and Believing’s Kevin McLenithan drops by to talk about some of the potentially important smaller awards and mistakes that the Academy may reward come this weekend. What’s more, we also take a deep dive into Florian Zeller’s nominated film The Father and discuss the fragile nature of safety and the relationship between humility and perspective.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify 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.

7.18 The Father + Oscar TalkDownload

French Exit: For Love or Luxury

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FRENCH EXIT Michelle Pfeiffer as Frances Price, Lucas Hedges as Malcolm Price

Someone once asked what it profits a person if they gain the whole world but lose their soul. 

Directed by Azazel Jacobs, French Exit attempts to explore this question by following the exploits of Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), an aging Manhattan socialite who has just been informed that her husband’s massive financial resources have finally been exhausted. Depressed and contemplating her death, she opts to sell her possessions and burn through her remaining money in Paris with her son, Malcolm (Lucas Hedges). Despite having plans to marry his girlfriend, Susan (Imogen Poots), Malcolm can never stand up to his mother and acquiesces to her request. Feeling lost and alone, the two attempt to start over in their unfamiliar surroundings.

Adapted by Peter DeWitt from his own novel, French Exit feels like a mix between Wes Anderson and the work of the Coen Brothers. Sharply written, the dialogue has the bite of an off-Broadway play, filled with double-meanings and existential arguments. Featuring quirky characters and unusual situations, the film also keeps its characters at an emotional distance from its audience. However, unlike even the Coen’s darkest works, Exit somehow carries very little joy within it. Though moments of dark humour are present, the film’s pacing and performances keep the film from fully sparking with the viewer. While the film’s eccentric humour often works, the characters often remain at such an emotional distance that they become difficult to connect with as a viewer. (Even the always engaging Lucas Hedges seems muted in this particular role.)

Though the film doesn’t always pop, the one aspect of it that works throughout is Pfeiffer. As the dissatisfied widow, Pfeiffer is absolutely captivating to watch. Though many other actresses would play Frances as a hateful beast, there remains a compassionate core to her performance that somehow makes her character likeable. While she never loses her ‘edge’, we also see behind the façade to the hurts that lie underneath. In other words, though her character maintains an exterior of stone, Pfeiffer allows Frances to reveal a certain sense of brokenness that makes her relatable. (And, I must confess, there’s a certain sense of meta-irony about the former Batman Returns star struggling in her relationship with a black cat.)

At the core of French Exit lies the gap between luxury and love. Having suffered in a loveless marriage, Frances has been drained of her soul. Kept afloat physically because of her wealth, her empty heart makes her almost anxious to see it all disappear. Having the world at her feet (for now) but haunted by her past, she struggles to allow anyone into her life. As a result, outside of the domineering relationship with her son, she isolates herself emotionally. To Frances, her waning finances symbolize her deflating, loveless life and she yearns for it to end.

This sort of existential malaise is pervasive amongst the cast of the film as they float through their meaningless existence. Sex has little emotional impact, nor does commitment. Money is merely a means to an end. Although they all have some experience with relationships, one could argue that none of the character have any concept of what it means to experience or offer love. (In fact, the character who arguably seems closest is Susan’s fiancé Tom, who states that he once thought he knew what love was but was wrong until they began their relationship.)

Yet what’s interesting about this group is that they also yearn for community. Despite the fact that they’re almost all ‘loners’, they seem to come alive as they move into the apartment one-by-one. As this group begins to solidify, their hearts begin to open, allowing for intimacy between them to bloom. Though these characters seem soulless, they eventually begin to come alive when they are together. Suddenly, the meaninglessness of their world begins to crumble. Loneliness gives way to safety and security. Isolation leans into unity. Although there is still a pervasive sense of privileged malaise surrounding them, somehow their lives become more bearable (even hopeful). For this motley crew, supportive love melts their frozen hearts and (almost) brings a new beginning to their relationships.

Anchored by a stunning performance by Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit provides enough witty banter and outrageous characters to qualify for a recommendation. While the film lacks the energy of Anderson’s films, there’s a certain amount of charm within its story that makes it enjoyable. However, it’s also likely that this is one Exit you will only want to travel through once.

French Exit is available in theatres on Friday, April 2nd, 2021.

The Father: The Pain of Slipping Away

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In The Father, Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Anthony, an elderly but wealthy man who cannot admit that he can no longer care for himself. When his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) informs him that she intends on moving to Paris, she attempts to bring in a home care nurse, Laura (Imogen Poots). As his condition deteriorates, Anthony struggles to adjust to the changes with moods swings that range from charming to insulting and Anne is forced to consider that her father may be better off in a long-term care facility instead of his beloved London flat.

The debut film from director by Florian Zeller, The Father is an emotional journey into the heart of dementia and the how it affects those on the outside. Adapted from Zeller’s own 2012 play of the same name, the film feels as claustrophobic as a theatrical stage itself. Told almost entirely within one location, Zeller makes good use of his space, adjusting set designs and lighting based on Anthony’s mental awareness. By rotating cast members and characters, Zeller blurs the lines of reality and creates a cloud of confusion around Anthony that points to the anxiety that he’s experiencing himself.

Though the film features an incredible performance by Olivia Coleman as the caring but torn Anne, the film is truly anchored by Sir Anthony Hopkins, who may have turned in one of the best performances of his career. As the centre of almost every scene, Hopkins is simply remarkable as the fading elder, imbuing his character with both vibrancy and terror. Wildly fluctuating between childhood innocence, flirtatious humour and impulsive fury, Hopkins showcases the pain that he brings to those around him yet he never loses the soul of his character in the midst of his struggles.

In The Father, Anthony is a man who is constantly loved yet causes chaos within the home. Painfully watching as her father slowly slips away, Anne is willing to do whatever it takes to support him. However, despite her best efforts, the increasing speed of his dementia slowly eats away at her. Though she defends his behaviour as simply ‘his way’, every moment that he forgets her name or viciously lashes out drives a wedge into their relationship. She badly wants to continue to show him grace yet, as the situation denigrates, her soul begins to shred apart. As such, she becomes conflicted between caring for the man she has loved her entire life and the inner destruction he is causing within her life.

However, while we bear witness to the fact that those around him struggle with his health, we also feel torn for Anthony as he continues to misread situations and react accordingly with fear, humour and rage. Told almost entirely from Anthony’s point of view, the film’s rhythm can be jarring at times yet that is absolutely intentional. Like the watch that he can never seem to locate, Anthony is quickly losing all sense of time (and may even feel as though it’s being stolen from him). For him, multiple points of his life appear to be converging at once in a way that never truly allows him to settle into one particular moment. As Anthony’s connection to the world ebs and flows with his mental state, we too are meant to feel his sense of loss and confusion. In doing so, though he never excuses Anthony’s behaviour, the film gives the viewer a unique perspective of his experience so that they too might sympathize with him in the midst of his pain and fear. 

Honest and heartbreaking, The Father is an incredible example of what love looks like on the ground in the midst of struggle. Make no mistake. For anyone who has witnessed the onset of dementia first hand, the film is a harrowing journey to take. Even so, the film’s shift in perspective serves as a reminder that the real terror may be within the mind of the person we love and the need for grace in the midst of that understanding from those around them.

The Father will be released in theatres and on demand on Friday, March 26th, 2021.

Making the Modern Man: 1on1 with Jesse Eisenberg (THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE)

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The Art of Self-Defense tells the story of timid bookkeeper Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), a timid bookkeeper who joins a local karate studio to learn how to protect himself after he’s beaten mercilessly by a roving motorcycle gang. Under the watchful eye of a charismatic instructor, Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), and hardcore brown belt Anna (Imogen Poots), Casey begins to experience inner strength for the first time in his life. However, as Sensei’s increasingly bizarre (and violent) lessons continue to develop, he soon discovers what it means to be trapped in a world of hyper-masculinity and violence. As a result, Casey’s growing concerns begin to place him increasingly at odds with his new mentor and he must decide for himself where the boundaries of true strength lie. Given the importance of its exploration of toxic masculinity, star Jesse Eisenberg knew from the first moment that he read the script that the film would be something special and relevant.

“I thought this was a brilliantly funny, funny movie about a cult because that’s kind of what it seemed like to me at the time,” he recalls. “[After all,] the karate classes are like a cult [and] the sensei seems like a cult leader. My character seems like the perfect candidate for a cult. You know, somebody who’s desperate to be part of a group, who can’t make friends, or has trouble interacting with other people. So [I thought] the movie was a great commentary on cult behavior. But then, when we were doing the movie, I realized that it’s just a brilliant satire on masculinity, partly because while we were filming the movie, the MeToo movement began, and the Harvey Weinstein story was released. So, the movie took on this other very kind of relevant, topical feeling of being a clever commentary on what being a man means to society.”

Credit for this sharp satire lies in the hands of writer/director Riley Stearns, who steered the project from its inception. Working with Stearns for the first time on this project, Eisenberg was absolutely blown away but he writing prowess and attention to detail.

“It was the only movie I’ve ever done where we all knew exactly what shops needed to be done in each scene,” says Eisenberg. “We were so aware that the script was so perfectly written… that we knew every shot that needed to be done and then, he was able to execute it perfectly. I think Alessandro said, [that] ‘this is the closest experience he has had from script to screen he’s ever seen a movie.’ That’s how I felt too. It was unbelievably concise and efficient. He was able to just execute exactly what he wanted to so perfectly while, at the same time, making us all feel like we were bringing ourselves to it.”

Of course, the topic of toxic masculinity and its effect on our culture has been on the forefront of our culture in recent years, especially in the light of MeToo movement. Asked what he believes it means to be a man in light of these current conversations, Eisenberg suggests that much of our ideas about gender stem from the importance of empowering those without a voice.

“My wife was raised by a woman who ran one of the most important domestic violence shelters in America,” he explains. “From birth, [she] was raised to be an activist for women’s rights. So, since the moment I met her, my mind shifted about the responsibility of men in society and that it’s important to be an ally to those who don’t have as much power in society. So, I’ve always thought that’s the kind of like best way to be a man and the movie so brilliantly shows the other side of it, [by exploring] what men think they have to do in order to succeed in this society. [They think] they have to listen to the right music, drink the right coffee and have the right kind of tech. The movie shows that in a very blunt and funny way from the pressures that men feel because the movie is the satire. It lets the audience off the hook. It’s not preachy, didactic, or strict. The movie shows, through comedy, the dangers and the absurdities of masculinity in modern culture.”

When he was offered the part of Casey, Eisenberg found himself drawn to his character because he provided the opportunity to play someone who has a powerful emotional experience in the midst of outrageous circumstances.

“This is a comedy and, oftentimes in comedies, the characters are just placeholders for jokes. In this one, [though] the character seems like this real emotional person, even though the style was so heightened. I don’t think you or I know anybody that’s like Casey that speaks in that strange, childish way or that is so trusting and earnest. At the same time, the character has a real emotional experience. So, this movie and this character gave me the opportunity to do what kind of tone and style of performance that I’d never done before, but still within the context of a character that’s experiencing real emotions. It didn’t just seem like performance art, but that [Casey] seems like a character with a psychology, just one that doesn’t really exist in this world.”

As Casey, Eisenberg had the chance to explore the boundaries of power within the masculine psyche. Although the film eists in a world of heightened circumstances, he believes that Casey eventually learns how to find a balance between strength and weakness.

“My goal was to play the kind of six-year-old version of myself. When I was six, I was scared of everything but also very sweet and innocent. I thought of Casey like that. He’s just a child in a world where everybody else was an adult. At the beginning of the movie, everybody hates him and don’t pay attention to him. Halfway through the movie, everybody’s scared of him cause he’s an aggressive, you know, horrible man. Then, towards the end of the movie, he kind of finds his balance.”

“I think he’s so desperate to be part of any group at the beginning of the movie [and] the thing a lot of people like that find who are desperate for acceptance a lot of times is dangerous authority. [They’re the kind of people who] prey on people like Casey. I think what he learns over the course of the movie is that… his goodness can be masculine and strong. The movie is so twisted [though] that to put it in those terms, I think sells short some of the absurd lanes that the [story] actually goes.” 

While Eisenberg underwent some intense physical training, he credits the stunt team and other cast members for stepping up to the challenge of developing their martial arts skills. As a result, because his character is only starting out, Eisenberg ultimately felt that the pressure was off him, making the experience more enjoyable for him

“We had [about] three weeks of intense training with this woman, Mindy Kelly, who was like the stunt coordinator for the movie. She is also one of the best martial artists in the world and has been competing since she’s a kid. We had good training, but my character only has to be a yellow belt. So, as good as our training was, I still didn’t have to be as great as like Imogen [Poots] had to be or Alessandro’s character whose characters are black belts. So, I had really intense training with the knowledge that I didn’t have to be as good as some of the other characters. So, it was kind of a bit recreational for me. I had a stunt double this great guy, Ryan Moody, who has worked with me on Zombieland and some other movies. So, I also knew that he would be there for anything that I couldn’t do. Then, when we got to the set, I could do a lot of it cause my character is supposed to look kind a beginner.”

Having worked on both independent films and major studio products throughout his career, one might assume that there may be more opportunity for collaboration on smaller projects. However, Eisenberg insists that that those creative opportunities change from project to project and are less affected by the scope and budget of a film than one might think.

“In terms of collaboration, you would assume that a smaller movie would be more collaborative but actually it depends on the project. I just did Zombieland: Double Tap and that’s probably the most collaborative experience I’ve ever had in the sense that there were many scripts written and the actors were allowed to veto them if they didn’t like them. Then, on set, we were asked to improvise a lot and to do many takes where we’re doing something other than the script. Then in a movie like The Art of Self-Defense, I didn’t change one word because it’s such a brilliant script. You didn’t want to change it. So, it actually just depends on the project. Some just lend themselves to collaboration and require the actors to kind of bring themselves to it.”

With the release of The Art of Self-Defense, Eisenberg is also looking forward to the release of his next project, Zombieland: Double Tap, the long-awaited sequel to one of his signature roles. Despite 10 years having passed since the original, he says the film is a passion project for himself and the cast and that the delay was only due to the fact that they were waiting for the right script. 

“The only reason it took this long is because we were waiting for a good script to come in. All the actors in it are very busy actors but we all wanted it to do this movie so much because we loved it. So, we were just waiting for the right script to come in. We were more interested [in doing the film] than the movie company. At some points, you’d think [the movie company] would just want to capitalize on a hit and make a sequel as if possible. [Here,] the actors were pushing it so much in this case just because we loved it so much. We loved the ensemble so much [and] we were eager to find the kind of worthwhile sequel. That’s why it took so long. Otherwise, we would’ve done it right away.

The Art of Self-Defense roars into theatres on Friday, July 19th, 2019.

For full audio of our interview with Jesse Eisenberg, click here. 

Knight of Cups: Finding the Pearl

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“The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come; Delivered under the Similitude of a Dream”

Those words open Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups. They are the full title of John Bunyan’s seventeenth century allegory of Christian life. The film itself is not really allegory, but it does take the form of a journey in search of . . . .

First, it must be noted that Malick’s films, especially his last few, have a very esoteric quality. They are visually stunning, but many may find them difficult to understand because they are so different from most other films. This comes from being highly visual and often dreamlike films that care more about evoking emotional response than they care about storytelling per se. That is not to say that there is no plot to his films. However for Knight of Cups the story itself is of minor importance. The story actually exists as implied plots—we see bits of stories play out, but we may not be sure just what story we are seeing. Even within those stories, some of the dialogue really isn’t meant for us. It may be covered up by voice over that may seem like a distraction, but in fact brings new understanding to the experience Malick is creating.

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The film focuses on Rick (Christian Bale), a screenwriter working in Hollywood. It feels to him that he is “living a life of someone I didn’t ever know.” Throughout the film he wanders through the affluent lifestyle and we see encounters with a variety of people. The supporting cast includes Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy, Isabel Lucas, Imogen Poots, Freida Pinto, Wes Bentley, Antonio Banderas, and Cherry Jones. In press notes I’ve read who all these characters are, but the film never explicitly identifies them. Rather we just get these glimpses into Rick’s past and current life.

Early in the film we hear the tale of a prince sent to search for a valuable pearl. But when he gets to the city, he is given a drink that makes him forget who he is and what he is to do. That tale becomes the metaphor of Rick’s life—and perhaps of modern life in general. The opulence of Los Angeles and Las Vegas is not portrayed as empty, but neither is it fulfilling in itself. That life style is just where Rick has found himself, but is there something more to life than what he has found? The various encounters he has along the way are all bits that may show him a way forward–“from darkness to life”—from forgetfulness to remembering who he is and why he is here.

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Rick’s wandering is essentially a spiritual search. He is directionless, without an idea where he is going. In that sense, he is lost, although he doesn’t seem to recognize that. This is a journey that includes pain and joy, hope and despair, dreamlike beauty and harsh realities. Malick peripherally brings in various spiritual traditions (Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu) as a part of this “pilgrim’s progress.” All the experiences, the people, the concepts Rick encounters all serve as reference points for this existential journey. Rick’s journey is really a metaphor for our own lives. Perhaps we don’t have quite as many decadent trappings, but we do live in a world of wealth. And, like Rick (and the prince searching for the pearl), we also may be lost—having forgotten what the meaning of our sojourn here is really about.

As is often the case with Malick’s films, Knight of Cups is an immersive experience. It is best approached not with logic or by seeking symbols to interpret (at least not at first viewing). Rather viewers need to let go of the more cerebral parts of ourselves and just let the film surround us and overwhelm us. I believe those who are able to see the film in this way may find great meaning, but perhaps not meaning that can be put into words. It is the kind of meaning that may dwell deep within us and allow us to discover that we are all on the same kind of pilgrimage that Rick experiences.