ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Kate Winslet

Ammonite: Reigniting the Spark of the Soul

by Leave a Comment

Set in the 1840s, acclaimed palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) continues her daily search for fossils along the harsh coastline of Lyme Regis. Although she has made significant contributions to the scientific community, she is now largely ignored by the male-dominated historical society and spends her days looking for common fossils to sell to rich tourists. When wealthy visitor Roderick Murchison asks Mary to care for his young wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan) in his absence, she begrudgingly accepts due to her financial needs. However, as Mary and Charlotte spend more time together, their mutual support for one another starts to bring their hearts back to life. As their friendship turns into a passionate love affair, the two women’s lives are irrevocably changed.

Written and directed by Francis Lee (God’s Own Country), Ammonite is a slow burn of smoldering sensuality. Based on the life of Mary Anning but not on true events, the film is an interesting look at a historical context without feeling forced to recreate actual events. As a result, Lee’s film is an intriguing mix of fact and fiction as he manages to tell a story that seems to flesh out the experiences of women during the 19th century yet also maintains his creative license to explore the modern female voice as well.

While period pieces can become tropes unto themselves, the performances in Ammonite help to elevate the film above other more recent examples. Both Ronan and Winslet have genuine chemistry onscreen and each unspoken glance offers more passion than any flurry of poetic words. Both women are excellent together onscreen yet it’s Winslet that is absolutely remarkable as the emotionally stilted Mary. Anchoring the film with her performance, Winslet says few words yet communicates much. Like the fossils that she uncovers, Mary too is frozen in time and requires gentle care to free her soul from her hardened emotional shell. As such, Winslet brings a complicated subtly to the role that reveals both an inner strength and underlying fear.

While the film’s sweeping romance remains the focal point of the narrative, the empowering of women in the midst of a toxically masculine society is telling. Having both been taken advantage by men in different ways, Mary and Charlotte have both been silenced by their culture. Though the effects of Charlotte’s abusive relationship are much more visible, Mary too has been neglected by the male-dominated historical society that features her work. As such, both women have lost their voices at the hands of others. As they begin to carry one another’s burdens, sparks of life begins to resurface within them and their spirits lighten.

photograph by Agatha A. Nitecka/RÅN studio

While Ammonite uses this spiritual resurgence to emphasize their sweeping romance, the joy that stems from feeling heard and seen by another is far more important. By highlighting the healing power of relationships, the film serves as a reminder of the value of each human soul and how easily they can be trampled on by the ignorant and selfish. Then, when their sexual journey finally comes together, their affair stems not merely from some base, animal attraction but from the fact that both women have empowered one another in ways that have restored their souls. In this way, Ammonite recognizes that genuine intimacy and mutual support is far more life-giving than raw physical attraction and celebrates the spiritual spark that such relationships bring.

While the film may not be for everyone, there is something poignant about Ammonite that stays with the viewer after the film is complete. As Mary and Charlotte’s relationship blossoms, their love carries an intimate beauty that is often missing from today’s romance films. Like each fossil that the women, Lee shows the viewer that the heart can be restored once again, even when it has been embedded in the muck and mire.

Ammonite is in select theatres now and will be available on VOD in early December. 

TIFF17: The Mountain Between Us

by Leave a Comment

The Mountain Between Us tells the story of Alex (Kate Winslet) and Ben (Idris Elba), two strangers who both find themselves stuck in an airport when their respective flights are suddenly cancelled.  Anxious to get to their destination, the two strangers decide to charter a flight together to beat the system.  However, when their pilot (Beau Bridges!) takes ill mid-flight, the plane crashes in the mountains, leaving the two to fend for themselves against all odds in the harshest of conditions.

Shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mountain features stunning visual photography and, according to the cast, no CGI wizardry.  The film’s emphasis on practical visuals lend credibility to the perils of the wilderness.  While ‘survivalist’ films are nothing new (remember, it was only two years ago that we witnessed DiCaprio make a similar trek in The Revenant), Mountain somehow feels almost fresh due to the strength of its leads.  While no one would doubt their talent, Elba and Winslet work surprisingly well together, creating genuine sexual tension between the two strangers.

At its heart, Mountain is less about surviving the elements and more about what draws us together.  As such, the ‘mountain between them’ becomes more metaphoric than literal as the strangers must navigate the challenges of trusting another person with whom you have no prior relationship.  While other films show sacrifice as the greatest act of love, Mountain recognizes that mutual sacrifice is also a key part of the community.  Winslet’s nosy journalist is a solid foil for Elba’s emotionally stunted Ben as they are forced to decide whether or not they are better off together or alone in their fight to survive.  This strain is further emphasized by the cinematography between the two subjects, as director Abu-Assad consistently places Winslet and Elba in either extreme closeness or distant separation onscreen.  The result is a visual push/pull that emotionally unites the actors in the midst of dire circumstances.

In the end, The Mountain Between Us is a surprisingly engaging piece about what connected us.  By focusing the story on the tension between the two leads, the script allows them to drive the narrative emotionally, which is their strength.  Through solid performances and writing, the film reminds us that the greatest mountains between us are often what we create ourselves.

Special features include “Love and Survival: Creating Chemistry,” “Mountain Between Them: Shooting in Isolation,” “The Wilds: Surviving Stunts,” a director’s commentary by Hany Abu-Assad, and deleted scenes. 

1on1 w/Allan Loeb (screenwriter, COLLATERAL BEAUTY)

by Leave a Comment

collateral

One last present under the Christmas tree! This week, Steve has the privilege to speak with screenwriter Allan Loeb (21, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS) about his latest film, COLLATERAL BEAUTY, which stars Will Smith and Helen Mirren. They chat about love, death and the nature of fables.

A special thanks to Allan for joining us on the show!

15021626_83452_still_2_s-high

Collateral Beauty – Arguing with the Cosmos

by Leave a Comment

“When something starts with a six year old dying, nothing’s going to feel right.”

Unresolved grief fills and drives Collateral Beauty. The film opens with a joyful Howard (Will Smith) presiding over his ad agency’s Christmas party, reminding his employees that they make connections with people through three key concepts: time, love, and death. Then the film jumps ahead three years. The joy is gone from the office. While others quietly work, Howard spends days at a time building elaborate domino structures, just to knock down the first block and walk away. Obviously something has happened.

Three of his partners, Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet), and Simon (Michael Peña) watch this, wondering when Howard will snap out of it. The business is beginning to suffer. And they have an offer to buy the agency, but Howard won’t even talk with them. So they hatch a plan they hope will bring Howard back—or if not, be evidence that he is incompetent.CB40594.DNG

They come across three actors, Brigitte (Helen Mirren), Amy (Keira Knightly), and Raffi (Jacob Lattimore), who operate out of a very off, off Broadway theatre (The Hegel Theatre). But perhaps it is the actors who really find them. When it is discovered that Howard has written angry letters to Time, Love, and Death, the coworkers hire the actors to confront Howard as Time (Raffi), Love (Amy), and Death (Brigitte). In time the seeming hallucinations drive Howard to a grieving parent group when the leader (Naomie Harris) connects with him. But it turns out that the three coworkers also have their own issues that need to be addressed. As the co-workers work with the actors to focus on Howard, Time, Love, and Death also seem to speak Whit, Claire, and Simon as well.

Besides working well on the level of plot and character, this is a film that also provides some philosophical depth. (Note the theatre’s name.) As the actors confront Howard as the cosmic personae, the discussions become heated and quickly move into more complex ideas that many films would not want to touch on. Because these are impassioned philosophical discussions, they never become off-putting or overly cerebral. But the film does respect the audience’s intelligence and ability to comprehend that ideas being presented without talking down.15021626_83452_still_2_s-high

Along the way, as Howard vents his rage at the cosmic forces, he gives voice to all the pain and anger that can often accompany grief. That pain and anger includes religious concepts that never seem adequate for people in the time of loss. He is an equal opportunity ranter. He takes on Christian, Buddhist, and secular ways that we use to try to explain away the pain of death.collateral

It should be noted that a simpler film would have just set Howard against his idea of God but, through blaming these non-divine cosmic forces, we can still imply that Howard is rebelling against a divinity he finds inadequate. (Although there is a certain Trinitarian vibe to the trio of Time, Love, and Death.) In this, Howard is the newest incarnation of Job. He is willing to state his case that the way the universe works is wrong. Like Job, Howard receives answers that may be less comforting than he wants, but in the challenge of confronting the questions there is an opening for him to begin to find a way through the pain to see again that there is beauty in the world and his life.

 

Triple 9: No Honor Among Thieves

by Leave a Comment

triple9masks

If the first season of True Detective had found itself in Los Angeles, it might have become Triple 9. In a nearly two-hour heist flick, Australian director John Hillcoat (Lawless, The Proposition) moves around A-list actors like chess pieces. Yes, we’ve seen a group of police officers cross over to the dark side of criminality before, but we’ve never seen it quite like this.

Two corrupt cops, Anthony Mackie and Clifton Collins Jr.’s Marcus and Franco, team with ex-paramilitary types Michael (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Russell (Norman Reedus), and Gabe (Aaron Paul) to rob a bank at the insistence of a deposed Mafia boss’ wife, Irina (Kate Winslet). Irina’s motivation is the liberation of her husband from prison; the rest are in it for the money… except for Michael. [Michael’s motivations are a little fuzzier, but they involve his relationship with Irina’s sister and their child.]

triple9kateOn the side of the angels – at least, in Triple 9 – are Marcus’ new partner, Chris (Casey Affleck), and his police officer uncle, Jeffrey (Woody Harrelson). They begin to suspect that police officers are involved in the initial robbery; a secondary robbery of a higher security target leads the robbers to set up a ‘triple 9 scenario,’ that is, an officer-involved shooting. [In the process of Jeffrey’s investigation, he interrogates a snitch named ‘Sweet Pea’ played by the always engaging Michael K. Williams in a very unexpected presentation of his acting chops.]

While Ejiofor, Affleck, and Harrelson have made their bones in several heady, gritty thrillers, the surprise turn here was Winslet’s ability to carry the heavy role of the sweet-and-sour Russian mob mistress-turned-boss. This is a far cry from the role of Rose… Her interplay with Ejiofor’s Michael is spectacularly dark, adding a more than believable motivation for how the thin line between the heroes and the villains plays out.

triple9main

[My one complaint for the film is that the filmography is so dark it sometimes lends itself to obscuring even the moments we don’t want to miss. While that seems relatively moot, it still begs for a slightly lighter hand at the cinematographic level.]

Affleck’s portrayal is less nuanced than it is in The Finest Hours; he’s not asked to do as much, but somehow, his presentation here ends up being part of a smarter, more compelling story that keeps us engaged throughout. We know he’s the good guy because he proves to be “pure of heart,” while the rest of these characters,, they’re all different stages of gray to black.

In the end, Triple 9 proved to be a satisfying thrill ride, a mashup of cat-and-mouse with theft, revenge, and morality codes.

 

 

 

Steve Jobs: Computers and Relationships

by Leave a Comment

Steve Jobs About a year ago, I was on the way home from church and decided to grab dinner from a local restaurant. Upon walking inside, I was greeted by a very strange comment by the manager on duty.

“Oh my goodness!  Steve Jobs!”

Quickly, I took a look at what I was wearing. A black turtleneck, blue jeans, glasses, and sneakers could give off that impression (along with the fact that I hadn’t shaved in a few days).  So before she could say anything else, I replied, “I hope not; he’s dead,” to which we both laughed.  Even to this day, she brings it up whenever I stop in for something.

During his life, Jobs was the symbol of Apple, a tech individual whose ingenuity, personality, and oversight helped bring a floundering computer company to worldwide prominence through products such as the iPhone, iPod, and Macintosh (well, maybe not the latter; more on that later).  Director Danny Boyle sets out in the film Steve Jobs to portray him through a rather unconventional approach—before the launches of three major products.  It doesn’t exactly sound like something that would work at first glance, but what we see in those chaotic moments brings Jobs’ character traits to the forefront—a man obsessed with detail, control, and a very simple attitude about life: “Be reasonable; do it my way.”  But pride doesn’t always bring about the results we might want.

Apple Intro - Macintosh The film begins a few days after the iconic Apple ad that aired during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. Jobs is nearly ready to introduce the Macintosh to a rabid crowd (even doing the wave in the auditorium beforehand).  But there’s a problem: the demonstration is supposed to have a voice that simply says “hello,” but it’s not working and Jobs (Michael Fassbender) is up in arms about seemingly everything. There’s not enough time to fix the problem, so his aide Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) tries to talk him out of it; after all, it’s only a 20-second portion of a 2 hour presentation. Jobs replies, “Pull the voice demo . . . and then cancel the launch.” He then goes off on software engineer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), threatening to introduce everyone on the development team in his presentation, leaving Andy in the unenviable position of being embarrassed among his peers and the media unless the voice problem is fixed.

Jobs has unrealistic expectations about sales of the Macintosh (1 million in the first 90 days) and then forces Joanna to find a white dress shirt with a pocket for him to wear 15 minutes before going on stage (she has to get it from one of the attendees).  Add into this powderkeg partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) wanting him to acknowledge those who worked on the Apple II computer (he won’t), his former lover Chrisanne Brennan (Katherine Waterston) trying to figure out why he’s unwilling to admit that he has a daughter named Lisa, and it’s pretty amazing that everything doesn’t blow up in his face.

Jobs comes off as out-of-touch, dictatorial, and ultra-controlling with enough hubris to sink the Titanic. Even after the Macintosh spectacularly fails, he calls a meeting of the Apple Board of Directors when confronted with a no-confidence vote—and asks for a vote on his position even when he’s told what will happen if he does by CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels).  He’s fired, but still sets out to create the next best thing, an educational computer called NeXT.  In the presentation for this system, all the previous characters show up and add increasing levels of complexity to the film. Jobs delivers a bombshell statement to a media member about the new system (they aren’t ready to sell it; it doesn’t even have an operating system to use), then acts like it’s no big deal.  Before he goes on, he’s handed a satirical article written by Guy Kawasaki that says Apple will buy NeXT and make him their CEO.  At this point, Joanna begins to think that the article is actually going to happen (and sure enough, it does).

The final product launch happens a decade later with the iMac (you know; those candy-colored all-in-one systems that Derek Zoolander couldn’t figure out how to turn on). Because he hasn’t dealt satisfactorily with his past problems, they spring up on him once again. Wozniak’s still upset the Apple II team hasn’t received due credit, bringing about a tense argument in front of stunned and horrified Apple staff.  Jobs chose not to pay for his daughter Lisa’s tuition to college; Andy secretly does, infuriating him even more. And when he’s finally convinced by Joanna that he needs to make up with his daughter, it’s almost too late to undo the damage he’s caused.  But has he changed?

Joanna and Jobs Considering that Steve Jobs only takes place in three locations, the characters and writing have to be excellent for the film to work. Thankfully, both of them are. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is lively and full of incisive dialogue. Fassbender completely immerses himself in the role of Jobs, displaying a commanding and imposing presence on the screen (you’ll hear his name mentioned for Best Actor at the Academy Awards—bank on it). Winslet does a fantastic job as Joanna, trying to balance Jobs’ obligations while keeping him in check. Bridges, as the CEO of Apple in the early portion of the film, is able to establish authority while standing up to the tirades of Jobs. Rogen’s Wozniak is a one-note character I wish had been expanded a bit more, especially since the two of them essentially created the computing revolution out of a garage south of San Francisco. The character of Lisa (played by three different actresses) is probably a bit controversial, as she is the pivot point on which any change in Jobs’ personality must happen.  In many ways, when he looks at her, he sees a reflection of himself.

Can faith be found in an individual called an “unconscious coward” by his daughter?  Even under his hardened exterior, change is possible. The Bible makes it clear that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Proverbs 16:18 NASB), and Jobs faces this not once, but twice.  He gets back up and is able to continue again, but it’s only when he’s confronted by his past adoption and his daughter Lisa (the only person in the film that is able to stand up to him and never waver) that he shows small signs of getting it.  He puts his time-honored practice on starting exactly on time on hold as he confesses to Lisa, “I’m poorly made.”  Not quite, since God did the creating thing, but it’s a start.  We weren’t intended to have the word ‘poorly’ in our vocabularies, as God make things perfect from the outset.  It’s the mistakes we make along the way that have allowed the word to take on a life of its own.  But even then, God sent Jesus to bring about eternal life and changed lives to those who claim Him, so that the word ‘poorly’ can be something more, something significantly better.

As Steve Jobs walks on stage to demonstrate the iMac with flashbulbs going off, it’s difficult to tell what happens next. It provides a way for the viewer to take a breath at the end of an emotionally powerful, gripping drama that is more about relationships than it is about computers. It’s definitely worth taking a look at.

Steve Jobs is rated R, mainly for some strong language.