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Room

Exiting the ROOM (Oscar Spotlight)

February 27, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

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Caution:  The following review contains spoilers.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, Room tells the story of Joy, a woman who has been held prisoner as a sex slave for the last 7 years. During that time, she gives birth to her son, Jack and all that he knows is contained within the walls of their tiny, single room. After finally achieving their freedom, Jack and Joy breathe fresh air for the first time in years… but are they truly free?

In many ways, this is the quiet nominee for best picture. No, I don’t mean any lack of dialogue or music. (We’ll leave that category to The Revenant or Mad Max: Fury Road.) Rather, although this is one of the more deserving nominees in the category, it’s also one of the films with the least amount of viewership.

It’s their mistake.

Powerful from the first scene to the last, Room delivers a beautiful and moving portrait of the damage left in the shadow of sexual abuse and the challenges of moving forward afterwards. What’s more, in an unexpected turn, Abramson chooses to tell the story through the perspective of Jack’s young 5-year old eyes. As a result, the film manages to tell its story with a sense of wonder, fear and innocence that seems to make each moment feel fresh. (It also manages to keep the film from taking a more exploitative tone, which would have been a temptation for many other filmmakers.)

As Jack’s world expands beyond his (albeit brief) life experiences, he is forced to readjust his entire understanding of the universe. Whereas he has been told since birth that there is nothing but outer space beyond the walls of Room, now he is forced to accept that there are trees… and pets… and other people. The life he knew is only a small part of the world that really exists.

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Scripture says that the ‘truth will set you free’… but this film takes its time with responding to this idea.

As he and Joy get to experience new life, the question is whether or not they will ever actually experience freedom. Both characters have been damaged deeply and their spiritual journey has only begun. In many ways, this journey is a powerful depiction of our experience with the Gospel. While the story of Christ’s life, death and resurrection promises freedom, our story does not end when in that moment of new spiritual reality. It is just beginning. In fact, all of us who accept Christ must still deal with our stories from the past.

It is possible for one to both breathe the air and yearn for the life we once knew at the same time.

The heart of the Gospel is such that, despite our past hurts, we can begin to see that hope lies outside of ourselves. We understand that, because Christ loves us, we have value. We matter. We were created in His image and that has stayed (even if we’ve mucked it up a little bit.)

No one can take that away from us.

And there is hope within that.

The journeys of Jack and his mother in Room are very different, to be sure. Without spoiling too much, it is fair to say that, while one is able to slowly breathe the joy of new life, the other finds separation from the past to be far more difficult. They are forced to decide whether they’re willing to nervously begin to step into their new life. Their freedom becomes less about the man ‘Old Nick’ and becomes focused on the damage left by him. In the end, they must allow themselves to discover that the hope from their lives lies beyond the walls of Room.

In the end, they must allow themselves to believe that the truth can set them free.

Filed Under: Film, Oscar Spotlight Tagged With: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Lenny Abrahamson, Oscars, Room, truth

And The Winner Is…or Should Be (Oscar Spotlight)

February 22, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

revenant2The Oscar races this year are absolutely clear cut… in my mind. Having seen fourteen of the nominated films (out of approximately sixteen films in the major categories), these are my favorites to win.

At Best Actor, the portrayal of screenwriter and Communist Dalton Trumbo by Bryan Cranston put him in rare air, not that of the illicit drugs he manufactured as Breaking Bad’s Walter White. I was immensely moved by Cranston’s depiction of this flawed-yet-heroic man, and the way Jay Roach framed all of the movable parts around Cranston. Sadly, he’ll be runner up to Michael Fassbender, whose turn as Steve Jobs delivers something that Noah Wyle and Ashton Kutcher couldn’t: a performance that gets to the soul of the man. (Film I missed: The Danish Girl -my apologies to Eddie Redmayne.) Here’s a mad genius who lacks the emotional power to connect with others – until those who care about him the most challenge him spiritually.

stevejobs2I’ll openly admit that I’ve only seen a few of the five films in the Best Actress category but I have a hard time believing anyone could surpass Brie Larson’s portrayal of the kidnapped and raped young woman who raises her son in a garden shed in Room. While another year might produce more wins, this will be Room’s lone trophy. It’s harrowing and powerful, both in captivity and in the world outside, but all of it is made human by the quiet power of Larson’s delivery.

room1While this is a “makeup call” (a term ripped from other contact sports), I’ll predict that the Academy awards a lifetime achievement award to Sylvester Stallone for his Best Supporting Actor turn in Creed. Simply put, there are too few scenes in The Big Short, The Revenant, Spotlight, or Bridge of Spies for the other nominees to salt away a win. It’s Stallone by default, even if Michael B. Jordan deserves much of the credit for making Stallone look good (and recovering from the insufferable Fantastic Four).

Consider this your commercial break before we reach my big two awards for the year – consider it burying the lede.

creed-movieBest Original Screenplay: Straight Outta Compton delivers the time, the music, and the mythos of NWA. Were these guys prophets? Exploiters? Exploited? This complex story spins a tale that entertains, reminisces, and challenges us to think about how we define our worldview.

Adapted Screenplay: Michael Lewis’ The Big Short over Emma Donaghue’s Room robs the latter of a double win. Three times nominated, this one has to finally pull off the win. Greed sucks the life out of you in the long run – and proves there are no victimless crimes. It’s not the best film I saw this year, but it serves as a morality tale for all of us to consider in our day-to-day spending and relationships.

Cinematography: Director Alexandro Inarritu can do amazing things with film (think last year’s Birdman). This year, The Revenant dukes it out with The Hateful Eight (only win: Best Original Score). Both films are beautiful in their brutality, with the elements and humanity playing against each other for spellbinding cinematic moments.

straightouttaAnd now… Best Director goes to … Mad Max: Fury Road’s George Miller. Having established a dystopian world decades ago, he returns to the world that Hardy said was in Miller’s head and delivered it in a sprawling, dialogue-short film that visually does everything. No stone was left out of place, and every moment mattered to the overall picture. [Unfortunately, Inarritu will probably win… There, I said it.]

So, does that make Mad Max: Fury Road my Best Picture? Not exactly. While it (and Creed) was my favorite film of the year, it doesn’t qualify as the most important film of 2015. [It also came too early in the year, and surprised everyone with its depth.] A story about working within society to change it (versus running from the world we live in and hitting a restart) makes for a powerful testament of humanity in the midst of an apocalypse. It should be a challenge to us all – global warming, AIDs, violence, racism, whatever – be the change you want to be.

Mad Max Fury Road MainIs it The Revenant? No. Leonardo DiCaprio’s ability to grunt, Inarritu’s ability to shoot enigmatic scenes, and the makeup crew’s ability to generate the ferocious aftermath of a bear mauling do not make a complete picture. If you push me, I’ll admit this film looked cool but I thought the storytelling was shallow. (It’s why I preferred Mad Max: Fury Road.)

bridge3How about Bridge of Spies? Nope. While Tom Hanks delivers a tour de force performance, the film is almost entirely on his shoulders. Yes, it speaks to the way we are divided and guarded in society today, but it’s not enough to just have a strong lead. The film itself was good but not great; without Hanks, it’s a dud.

Left to right: Steve Carell plays Mark Baum and Ryan Gosling plays Jared Vennett in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises

Does The Big Short…? An ensemble cast with solid performances couldn’t save a primarily financial film (here’s looking at you, Margin Call and Moneyball). Brooklyn? Didn’t see it. (Gulp). Room? Too claustrophobic.

And suddenly, we’re down to two.

martian-gallery3-gallery-imageWith the look on Matt Damon’s face as he accepted his award at the Golden Globes, I can tell there were fewer people laughing at the “comedy” that was The Martian. With the ridiculous categorization of the film, The Martian was condemned to be remembered not for Andy Weir’s story but the ridiculous politicization of the awards. And this isn’t even the best film where a dedicated group of brave people willingly sacrifice their lives to bring Matt Damon home or the best film where someone is castaway without human companionship…

spotlight3So, Spotlight it is. While Birdman and The Artist (2015 and 2012, respectively) proved that the Academy sometimes falls in love with the visuals, the track record of 12 Years a Slave, Argo, The King’s Speech, and The Hurt Locker show a trend toward based-on-a-true-story moments that highlight something about our society. With Spotlight, there’s an effort to show the power of the press (ding!), expose a hidden darkness (ding! ding!), and confront a powerful force in the world, the Catholic church (ding! ding! ding!)

Let’s hear the counter arguments. I know Chris Utley will be sharpening his knives… This should be fun.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Film, Oscar Spotlight Tagged With: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bridge of Spies, Brie Larsen, Brooklyn, Bryan Cranston, Charlize Theron, Christian Bale, Creed, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Donaghue, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Fassbender, Michael Keaton, Michael Lewis, Room, Ryan Gosling, Spotlight, Steve Carrell, Steve Jobs, The Big Short, The Danish Girl, The Martian, The Revenant, Tom Hanks, Tom Hardy, Trumbo, Walter White

And the Nominees are… Important?

January 14, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

The 85th Academy Awards® will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.
The 85th Academy Awards® will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.

The announcement of this year’s Academy Awards nominations always brings with it the usual debates.  Who surprised?  (Straight Outta Compton!)  Who got snubbed?  (Ridley Scott!)

Momentum.  Controversy.  Favourite.  Underdog.  Every year, all of these words are used to argue about the Academy’s picks.  In fact, I’m even sure that I’ll address these issues as time draws nearer to the eventual opening of the envelopes.

Though really, the question for the Church today is something different…

“Should we care?”

revenant2

Most people give a resounding ‘No!’ to this issue.  After all, the Oscars is really nothing more than an opportunity for Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson to gear up in Versace and Prada and walk the red carpet.  It seems to be frivolous fluff.  (See Globes, Golden) Besides, they haven’t seen the other movies anyways.

As a church, however, I don’t think we should be so quick to tune out.

Although the Academy has always been accused of being ‘out of touch’, the films that win (and are even nominated) demonstrate themselves to be cultural touch points.  Because everything is always a product of its own time, we learn a lot about the worldview and values of our culture from the stories it feels the need to tell.  Films like The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Revenant are films which speak our moment in time (even if they’re not set in it).  For the Church at large to ignore this fact is to miss an opportunity to engage Hollywood on their turf.

Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises
Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises

Art is a doorway to a culture.  The Apostle Paul knew that and would study the poetry and art of a city upon his arrival.  (Lest we forget the statue to the ‘Unknown god’ in Acts 17)  As Christians, we have been called into our world to speak hope in a relevant manner with humble hearts.  We don’t always like the messages we hear from the cinema–but that doesn’t make them less important.  How can we truly speak the Kingdom of God into a culture if we aren’t willing to listen to them first?  (After all, Karl Barth once said that the best theologians are the ones that “have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.”)

At the same time, I also think that the answer to our question about the Oscars can also be ‘No’ as well.  (Though maybe not for the reason you’d expect.)  The truth is that, as important as it is to engage the stories of our dominant culture, it doesn’t hold a candle to the truth of the stories of those in our nearest proximity and community.  In other words, although understanding the theological values inherent within The Martian and Room is a healthy exercise of the mind, the stories that matter most are the ones from the people we know.  To contemporize the Gospel, we must first engage our own world.  The values in our area may be entirely different than those that are revealed in this year’s Oscar race.

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Wrestling with the texts of those worthy of even being mentioned with the phrase “Best Picture Nominee” needs to be vital exercise within the church if it is to stay relevant.  Still, we also can’t assume they reflect the views of everyone we know.

And seriously, what does Ridley Scott have to do to get a win for directing?  Not even for Gladiator?  Throw him a bone, people…

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Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, News Tagged With: Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscars, Ridley Scott, Room, Straight Outta Compton, The Martian

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