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TIFF20: Black Bodies

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Directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Black Bodies is a short film on what it currently means to be black in America. Told through spoken word, the viewer experiences the major issues affecting the black community as a result of centuries of systemic discrimination, including police brutality and the disadvantages they have solely based on the colour of their skin. As a result, Black Bodies is a powerful film with a strong message that could not have been timed better.

Set in what appears to be a small prison complex, surrounded by murdered black bodies, the film immerses the viewer in the uncomfortable feeling of what it’s like to be Black. The spoken words describe the centuries of oppression brought on by their ancestors’ slavery at the hands of their white slave owners. Despite being “freed” not too long ago, it is no secret that black people still feel powerless and are still oppressed due to racist governing powers like the police. The film ends on a strong message, as the poet gets shot and a black woman is left powerless to help.

These intense visuals show not only the lack of power black people feel that they have, as but also how accustomed to pervasive racism and police brutality the community has become. Living in a society embedded with systemic racism, some members of the black community have accepted their place as a lower-class citizen and simply accepted they will be treated, not only less important than white people, but even human garbage due to the color of their skin. Black Bodies also shows the absurd amount of power police officers have in America, with a ‘license to kill, with no repercussions’.

Personally, I enjoyed Black Bodies greatly as it definitely felt much needed at this time. Over the course of this summer, we have seen many riots for police brutality on Black Americans. Highlighting the fear and how unsafe it is to be black in America, the film sums up some of this year’s major events, including Breonna Taylor’s murder in her sleep and Eric Garner’s famous last words, ‘I can’t breathe’. The film’s last scene also brings up how the “Black Lives Matter” movement current feels within the general public. Much like the woman who leaves the poet after mourning, Black Lives Matter feels like it’s lost momentum. After not being able to defund the police, they have accepted the racial system in place and unfortunately lost hope, even from its own communities.

Overall, Black Bodies is able to express the incredible struggle of how it feels to be Black in America. Highlighting the history of systemic racism on the Black community and how it’s still affecting black Americans to this day, Bodies is an effective piece that offers perspective to anyone who doesn’t understand the current Black Lives Matter movement and why it is so necessary.

TIFF20: 76 Days

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At a time when everyone is looking for answers, it can be frustrating when you don’t get the ones you’re looking for.

Thankfully, 76 Days is a reminder that we may be asking the wrong questions.

Directed by the team of Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous, 76 Days captures the madness surrounding the onset of this year’s global pandemic in Wuhan, China. As ground zero of the COVID-19 outbreak, Wuhan was thrown into chaos, forcing the government to put the city of 11 million people into a lockdown that lasted 76 days. As hospitals began to fill and panic gripped the infected, health care professionals worked long hours in dangerous conditions in an uphill battle against the mysterious and deadly epidemic.

Some may be surprised—or even disappointed—to know that 76 Days neither offers any new insight into the creation of the virus nor does it discuss any of the global effects of the pandemic. But what it does offer is far more compelling. Instead of investigating facts and data, 76 Days shows the utter terror on the ground of Wuhan at the time of lockdown. Patients demanding care at the hospital entrance are reminiscent of the chaos of a zombie apocalypse film. Hospital workers seal themselves into PPE gear with duct tape to prevent their exposure. With each new infection, tensions continue to rise as doctors and nurses scramble wildly to care for a mysterious virus that they know very little about.

In taking this approach, 76 Days may not address the harsh truths that so many are asking for. Instead, it presents the pandemic in a way that feels more personal and intimate. By not emphasizing issues of blame or painting wild conspiracy theories, 76 Days is freed up to honour the people of Wuhan that fought so hard for the sake of their people. Like so many health care professionals around the world, these staff worked tirelessly in extreme conditions to give proper treatment to their sick. 

Admittedly, for many people in the West, Wuhan may have seemed like little more than name on a map prior to these events. In this way, 76 Days reminds the viewer that whether or not the virus originated in Wuhan is irrelevant. The people of Wuhan have had their lives upended by COVID like all of the rest of us. 

As we all know, COVID does not differentiate.

Following stories of a couple separated from their newborn daughter, an elderly man who simply wants to go home and a grandmother who takes a turn for the worse, the film highlights the stories that connect us all. Like us all, these are not merely statistics but people with families who love them. 

People who matter.

76 Days lasers in on local wards and lets the stories of both the professionals and the infected take centre stage. As everyone struggles to suppress an outbreak that has begun to grip the world, we are reminded of the value of all human life and how fragile it truly can be. Powerful and poignant, 76 Days takes an event that has shaken the world and highlights the damages that have been caused to a very small percentage of families. In doing so, though the narrative may zero in on a few small stories, we understand that these same stories could be (or have been) our own.

76 Days is currently streaming on the TIFF Bell Digital Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival.

American Woman: We All Want to Change the World

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Transporting the audience back in time to the mid-1970s, American Woman is told from the perspective of 25-year-old former radical Jenny Shimada (Hong Chau). Having masterminded an act of violence against the US government, Jenny has been living off the grid, hiding in plain sight. When she is asked to take care of three fugitives, Jenny begrudgingly accepts for the sake of the cause (and the potential paycheck). Led by the chaotic but charismatic Juan (John Gallagher Jr), the group also includes Pauline (Sarah Gadon), the kidnapped granddaughter of a wealthy newspaper magnate who has become well-known due to the perception that she may have fallen under the spell of her captors and embraced their ideology.

Directed by Semi Chellas (Mad Men), American Woman is a solid piece that attempts to blur the lines between fiction and reality. Through her fictional account of the experiences of Patty Hearst during her abduction, Chellas paints a portrait of a young woman looking for freedom in the midst of chaos. Beautifully shot with faded colours, the first-time director visually depicts a culture which has been seared by the pain of revolution. Anchoring the film is a remarkable performance by Hong Chau as Jenny, a revolutionary who is angered by the state of her nation but remains cool and calculating in her approach. Meanwhile, as the lost and broken Pauline, Gadon continues to evolve as an actress, imbuing her character with maturity and furious innocence. 

Despite taking place in the 70s, there is something very timely about American Woman that speaks to our current cultural climate. At a time when racial and political tensions are erupting across North America, Woman speaks to the nature of justice in uncertain times. By showcasing the different perspectives of Jenny and Juan, the film speaks to the sharp dichotomy between approaches in response to social upheaval.

Though she has been involved in revolutionary actions in the past, Jenny’s tactics have been largely peaceful in nature. For her, fighting for change does not mean putting innocent lives at risk but rather, challenging the powers that be. However, Jenny’s quiet demeanour is held in contrast against the erratic and irrational Juan, who’s understanding of revolution is rooted in his own self-doubt and insecurities about his experience in Vietnam. Constantly trying to prove himself both an activist and as a man, Juan seems to believe that freedom comes through anarchy. 

Caught in the middle between these two visions is Pauline who seems torn between Juan’s forceful revolution and Jenny’s more graceful–but, nonetheless, committed–approach. Though violently abused by her captor, Pauline still remains drawn to his vision until Jenny arrives and disrupts their plans. As such, in many ways, Woman is a story about the battle for Pauline’s soul. Mirroring the shattered heart of American culture, Pauline recognizes the importance of freedom, even if she remains unsure as to what it looks like. As a result, her desire for change remains in constant conflict with a loss of personal hope.

Powerful and provocative, American Woman is an intense look at what it means to speak up for justice in the midst of a corrupt system. What’s more, at a time when political unrest is a daily occurrence, the conversation surrounding what it means to seek change feels both poignant and timely. Though the film encourages a generation to speak up and challenge the status quo, it also looks at the damage that can occur on the soul of a nation in the process. 

American Woman premieres online on June 30th, 2020.

Huffman, Happiness and Finding Herself: 1on1 with Anastasia Phillips (TAMMY’S ALWAYS DYING)

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Directed by Amy Jo Johnson (The Space Between), Tammy’s Always Dying tells the story of Catherine (Anastasia Phillips), a woman trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with her suicidal mother, Tammy (Felicity Huffman). Every month, Catherine finds herself having to literally talk her self-destructive mother off the ledge of the same bridge. Caught in the confines of co-dependency, these suicide attempts are Tammy’s selfish way of keeping hold of her daughter and, having been broken by the experience of trying to save her mother, also the only thing that Catherine believes she’s good at anymore. Asked what excited her most about the opportunity to play Catherine, Phillips beams with enthusiasm about the chance to work with such an incredible team of women onscreen and behind the camera, especially an experienced veteran like Emmy-winner, Felicity Huffman.

“At first, I knew that Felicity was already attached,” she beams. “I knew that she would be a total powerhouse to work opposite and that it would be a huge learning experience for me as an actor. So, that in and of itself was exciting. The script was hilarious and dark and different. The character of Catherine was something I had never really seen on the page before. I’d never really seen a woman who effectively doesn’t have a story be at the center of a story in quite that way. So, I thought that would be a huge and exciting challenge. Also, [it was] terrifying because there isn’t quite as much to dig your heels into. A lot of it is reactive. That’s sort of who Catherine is as a human being as well. She’s codependent. She’s lived in her mother’s shadow. So, I just thought it was a really interesting opportunity. That would be the two things that really excited me.”

“I hadn’t worked with Amy Jo Johnson. I hadn’t met Joanne Sarazen, the screenwriter [or Jessica Adams, the young female producer on this], but as soon as I did, I understood that… there was this trifecta of everything that’s promising about Canadian film right now and the strong female voices in it. So, I mean there’s just no way I could say no once I found out they were considering me.

Whenever one gets the opportunity to work with a seasoned professional like Huffman, there is always much that one can learn from them. For Phillips, the experience of working with Huffman challenged her to memorize the entire scene in order to bring the moment to life onscreen.

“Actually, [Felicity] made the request of all of us that we work without sides on set,” Phillips begins. “So, that sort of trickled down from Amy Jo and I liked it a lot. What I learned about Felicity is that probably, because she grew up with such close ties to David Mamet, the Atlantic Theater Company and her husband, William H Macy, being such a prolific stage actor, she has such respect for the written word. She treated this like a play that everyone would have already learned and so the idea was that we would all arrive on the day, cut the strings and free fall together. I think I will never work a different way after having had that experience. In this industry, you really just get out of it what you put into it and, if you’re still concerned about something as silly as, ‘what’s my line?’, it’s so impossible to fully inhabit the character, the role and just the world. She was just beyond prepared and committed and I will continue with that work ethic myself going forward.”

Though the vast majority of their performances stemmed from the Sarazen’s well-written script, there still remain a few moments of improvisation that made it into the final cut.

“I’d say that almost 99% [of the dialogue] is off the page,” she recalls. “I love it. I love Felicity for this. There’s one scene where I find her lying on the floor and I’m trying to wake her cause I think she’s dead. So, I’m shaking her awake and Tammy suddenly wakes up and she says, ‘I’m not dead. Don’t look so excited about it.’ And then she says, ‘I borrowed your underwear.’ That’s a Felicity throw in. It’s so funny and it just adds this button. So, there are a couple of ad lib moments like that Felicity tossed in, which I think are just pure gold.”

While the opportunity to work with Huffman was incredible, another appealing aspect of the film for her was the unique challenge to play a character like Catherine, who is consistently at the end of her emotional rope.

“Ooh, it was kind of scary because I couldn’t rely on any tricks,” says Phillips. “I basically just had to sit in the place of my deepest vulnerability. The place I occupy when my self-confidence is at its absolute lowest. Basically, [I had to] just marinate in all the disappointments in my own life and then I could sort of begin to understand the day-to-day existence of this woman. Rather than building up something, it was kind of like stripping away all of the things [that] I use to protect myself as a human being and then just being that raw thing that remains, which was kind of terrifying. We’re always trying to compensate, right? I couldn’t do that in this instance.”

Trapped within a destructive relationship with her mother, Catherine’s character seems to identify herself based on other people’s expectations of her, a trait that Phillips believes is common within dangerous co-dependant relationships.

According to Phillips, “I think that’s the term ‘codependent’ [means] exactly that… The chaos of living with an addict is so great that one completely abandons themselves and any notion of who they are just to be in crisis management mode. So, Catherine never had a chance to really think about who she is, [or] what she wants. It’s always been just react and respond to the crisis of her mother.”

What’s more, Catherine’s struggle within the film also sends her on a quest to find her true self. In order for Catherine to find peace, Phillips feels that she must work on setting clear emotional boundaries with her mother and learn to put herself first.

“I don’t want to give away the ending of the film, but I think [in order for her to find herself], it’s finally making the decision that she will put herself first, rather than her own mother and in any decision that she makes [that puts her on the road to finding herself],” she explains. “So, in this film, it starts with her deciding to go to the city. It starts with her deciding that she’s not going to be the one to pick up the pieces after Tammy’s life falls apart again. Just that she’s going to put herself first and, in the long run, what that means, it’s probably just as simple as having friendships, maybe a romantic relationship that’s not so dysfunctional as the one that she has with Reggie. It’s just such small stuff on how you honour yourself versus giving up your power to put other people’s needs before your own.”

Given the film’s emphasis on the struggle of emotional health in the midst of co-dependency, Catherine’s quest for happiness is central to the film’s core. With this in mind, Phillips argues that the search for happiness begins by being able to accept your situation so you can properly seek an answer to it.

“I sometimes I think that rumination isn’t the way to happiness, which is what I usually like to do,” Phillips admits. “I think maybe happiness is acceptance. Not fighting the river or trying to go against the current of it, just accepting what is happening at that moment. You know, trying to minimize the resistance that you have towards it so that you can sort of respond rather than react.” 

In addition, the film also highlights the fact that, even though there are those who seem happy on the outside, it does not mean that they aren’t broken themselves.

“I like that line of Tammy’s, ‘You can never see what’s broken in a happy person,’” Phillips claims, “but it makes me feel a little bit like suspicious of what the notion to be happy is. [It’s] as if happy is just a state of mind that you choose despite all the other horrible things that are going on in your life. You just choose not to indulge them. You choose not to wallow in them. You choose not to reveal them maybe or project them. So, maybe happiness is just a choice you have to keep on making. You can be happy despite the poor hand of cards you’ve been dealt in life because you have chosen not to be a victim of that, but to allow yourself to enjoy your own life.” 

“I really think that Joanne Sarazen, who wrote the script, has these one-line zingers that you could write a philosophy paper on some of them. There’s so many nuggets to unpack and I was very fortunate to be a part of it.”

For full audio of our interview with Anastasia Phillips, click here.

Tammy’s Always Dying is available on VOD now.

Tammy’s Always Dying: Struggle and Conflict in Co-Dependent Care

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Directed by Amy Jo Johnson (The Space Between), Tammy’s Always Dying tells the story of Catherine (Anastasia Phillips), a woman trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with her suicidal mother, Tammy (Felicity Huffman). Every month, Catherine finds herself having to literally talk her self-destructive mother off the ledge of the same bridge. Caught in the confines of co-dependency, these suicide attempts are Tammy’s selfish way of keeping hold of her daughter and, havin been broken by the experience of trying to save her mother, also the only thing that Catherine believes she’s good at anymore. When Tammy is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Cathy’s repressed desire to leave her small town pushes her to leave. However, even if she were to go, she carries the guilt of responsibility and she questions what it will take for her to be truly free.

Having premiered at TIFF 19, Tammy’s Always Dying takes a long, hard (and sometimes funny) look at the relationship between co-dependency and mental health. Written by Joanne Sarazen, the film primarily showcases the relationship between Catherine and her alcoholic mother from Catherine’s perspective and, in doing so, opts to show the brokenness and conflict that can be experienced by caregivers. Johnson’s skill as a director continues to improve as she becomes more invested in developing atmosphere for her actors to work within. For example, through her frequent use of bleached lighting, Johnson casts an utter bleakness upon the world that she’s created, visually demonstrating the idea that each day bleeds into the next. What’s more, this idea becomes pushed to the forefront when contrasted with the sharp, sleek colours in the production of the The Gordon Baker Show. Whereas Catherine’s world remains consistently out of control, the television studio is a world that thrives on it, dictating not only the appearance of their guest but how they experience emotions as well. 

In addition, Johnson wisely gives her veteran cast the space they need to invest themselves into their characters. While Huffman’s performance shows off her veteran talent, it’s Phillips’ courageous performance as Catherine that carries the film. In an unbelievably raw performance, Phillips bravely shows the internal struggle between her daughterly-duty to care for her mother and the guilt she carries of her desire to be free from her. 

For Catherine, each day is a battle as she is constantly tasked to prevent her mother from initiating any of her several different plans for taking her own life. For Catherine, this lifestyle has taken its toll on her soul as she struggles to recognize the boundaries of where her mother’s traumatic behaviour ends and she begins. (In fact, it’s interesting to note that even the film’s title is focused on Tammy’s character as opposed to Catherine’s journey. One can almost hear Catherine’s exasperation within it, as if she were exclaiming, “Tammy’s Always Dying!”) As a result, Catherine seems to have lost all sense of self-understanding. In short, her entire life’s purpose seems to be related to her mother’s safety. Living her life based on the names that she is given by others (or that she imagines herself), Catherine remains stunted in her personal and spiritual growth and happiness remains elusive to her. 

Interestingly, the question of happiness itself lies at the centre of the film as well. Struggling to keep herself afloat, Catherine is on a quest not only to find herself but also what it means to experience any sense of joy. From sex to alcohol to fame, Catherine looks to any external source that may potentially give life to her soul. As such, without giving any spoilers, Catherine’s journey to self-discovery stems from her own courage to re-examine what she has. (Again, this remains a testament to Phillips’ work here as she is fully willing to let Catherine bare her soul onscreen on multiple occasions.)

While Tammy’s Always Dying is far from light-hearted (even with its more comedic moments), the film is definitely worth the time. Anchored by incredible performances by stars Huffman and Phillips, the film highlights the conflicted nature of caring for those you love when you lose yourself in the process.

To hear full audio of our interview with star Anastasia Phillips, click here.

Tammy’s Always Dying hits video on demand on Friday, May 1st, 2020..

The Song of Names: Music of the Soul

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Split between two timelines, The Song of Names follows the brotherly relationship between Martin, a wealthy British child during the Second World War and Dovidl, a Polish violin prodigy whose parents leave him in his family’s care. As the two boys grow into men, they form a familial bond. That is, until young Dovidl disappears before one of his most important violin recitals. Forty years later, as the elder Martin (Tim Roth) discovers his first clue as to what happened to his childhood best friend, he begins to unravel a mystery that not only speaks to his own life but helps explain the depth of the elder Dovidl’s (Clive Owen) heart and soul as well.

Directed by Francois Girard (Boychoir, The Red Violin), Song of Names is a fascinating journey into youthful innocence in the wake of cultural trauma. Moving effortlessly between 1940s London and the 1980s, the film recognizes the stirs and echoes that violence and death can leave behind, decades after the events take place. Featuring a strong cast across three generations, each actor playing Martin and Dovidl throughout the years brings solid and unique performances to the piece. However, while Roth and Owen are given their most interesting roles in years, the youth often steal the film from the veterans, especially the youngest team of Misha Handley and Luke Doyle. 

At times, their brotherly tension plays out as a childhood version of Mozart and Salieri, brimming with subtle jealousy and arrogance. Even so, this angst is also counter-balanced with a deep love for one another that draws them together in the most difficult of circumstances. Most importantly, however, as the youngest incarnations of the characters, Handley and Doyle bring a youthful purity to their roles that highlights the subsequent damage of trauma. Despite their pettiness and brotherly squabbling, their relationship exists within a very specific and painful moment of history hat slowly drains them of their innocence, especially that of Dovidl. This becomes particularly evident when the two boys find a corpse on their way home after an air raid. In scenes such as this, the challenges of youth come face-to-face with the reality of war and their lives are transformed.

As the viewer moves back and forth through various timelines, they witness Davidl struggle to process the travesty of his family (not to mention his people). Interestingly, while Martin searches tireless to discover what happened to his brother, flashbacks set up the fact that Dovidl himself is asking the same sorts of questions as he attempts to process and understand his own life. As a young Jew living in England, the question of identity and his place in his culture are natural question. Although, issues of faith also remain at the forefront as Davidl attempts to understand how his own Jewishness and relationship to God could allow the types of oppression and pain that he has seen take place. (Without giving any spoilers, as the film draws to a close, the viewer begins to understand the remembrance and reclaiming associated with the titular song as well.) 

At the same time, the viewer also watches as Martin, who comes from a wealthy British family, attempt to understand the journey that his brother has taken (both literally and figuratively) as an outsider. To him, his brother’s journey never quite makes sense. (After all, weren’t they from the same family?) As a result, Martin’s journey becomes one of comprehension and empathy as he learns the truth behind Davidl’s personal and emotional journey.

While the film’s mystery drives the narrative, it’s really the quest for identity that gives Song of Names its soul. Featuring solid performances from its entire cast, the film speaks to the ways that we grapple with both pain and personal history. As such, the parallel journeys of Martin and Dovidl not only demonstrate the trials of processing tragedy but also the challenges of understanding one another as well. 

The Song of Names plays in theatres on December 25th, 2019.

6.09 Spending A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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Focusing on the life of television legend Fred Rogers, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is a different type of biographical picture. By examining the life of the iconic children’s performer through the eyes of disgruntled journalist Lloyd Vogal, the film showcases the impact that one life can have on the world around them. This week, Steve is joined once again by ScreenFish’r Julie Levac and TO Film Files’ Jolie to talk about the nature of forgiveness and living an authentic life.


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

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.

6.09 A Beautiful Day in the NeighborhoodDownload

6.06 Laughing at History in JOJO RABBIT

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This week, Paul and Julie Levac gather to take on JOJO RABBIT, a film which allows director Taika Waititi to bring his brilliant art to the big screen in a stunning satire that will have you howling and shedding a tear in the same sitting.

Jojo Betzler is determined to fight for his country, confident in the support of his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. When he discovers a Jewish girl hiding is his house, he is faced with a dillema. As he slowly builds a tolerance for the girl, and together with the lessons of an exceptional matriarch, Jojo begins to realize that perhaps his fanatical views of the Fuehrer and Nazis are not what they used to be.

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

Motherless Brooklyn: Pulling at the Thread of Power

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Directed and adapted for the screen by Edward Norton, Motherless Brooklyn tells the story of Lionel Essrog (Norton), a Brooklyn detective in post-war New York. Working with street smart private investigator Frank Minna (Bruce Willis), Lionel (who also goes by the name Brooklyn) and his team uncover the truth for hire. However, when Minna is shot and left for dead, Lionel determines to unravel the mystery, plunging him into a Brooklyn underworld riddled with crime, corruption and colourful characters. As his quest for truth leads him further up New York’s ladder of power, Lionel’s investigation is complicated by his Tourette syndrome, which leaves him prone to compulsive behavioural tics and inappropriate verbal outbursts.

Adapted from the 1999 novel of the same name, Brooklynis a tightly written throwback film to classic Hollywood’s noir films like The Big Sleep or Chinatown. With a stellar cast and tightly written script, Norton creates a world which feels both foreign and familiar. While the film transports the audience back to 1950s New York, it also feels current in today’s culture, highlighting racial tensions and the growing divide between the upper and lower classes. In Motherless Brooklyn, power is a drug that gives people the freedom to ‘do whatever they want, whenever they want’ but it’s also short in supply. Divided by racial and financial lines, Brooklyn is a city on the brink of chaos.Those that have little power are struggling to make their voices heard while those who have much fight ferociously to maintain it. 

As Brooklyn himself, Norton’s performance is sharp, engaging, and loving. At the same time, the character becomes a metaphor for the town for which he’s named. Plagued by Tourette Syndrome, Brooklyn feels as though there’s a chaos in his mind that bubbles over and has to be released. While the casual passerby may not immediately notice Brooklyn’s struggle, his mental chaos inevitably reveals itself. With this in mind, the film clearly draws a line between his character and the city itself, as its own unseen chaos can’t help but overflow from the underground. Diffused lighting and growing shadows point to tension between light and darkness, as Brooklyn (the character) attempts to uncover the truth about Brooklyn (the city). Like his compulsion to pull on the threads of his sweater, Brooklyn also must unravel the web of deception until the facts about his city is revealed.

Furthermore, the film also does not shy away from engaging in the complexities of Brooklyn’s mental health issues. Bullied as a child for his affliction, Brooklyn has always been the one that was pitied by others. After Minna’s death, Brooklyn becomes seen by others primarily for his mental affliction as they constantly try to ‘look out’ for him, rationalizing that he needs their protection. Frustrated by his inability to control his mind and constantly reminded of the burden he is by others, Brooklyn remains ashamed and embarrassed by his behaviour. 

Conversely, however, while clearly struggling with his mental illness, he also recognizes its value. Despite the chaos within him, his Tourettes is also what makes him a great detective by forcing him to ‘pull on the thread’ of truth and allowing him to retain incredible amounts of information. What’s more, the film even paints a portrait of Tourette syndrome with an element of beauty by highlighting the musical aspect of Brooklyn’s mental chaos. (For example, this comparison is highlighted when, in one particularly poignant scene, Brooklyn’s inadvertent vocables cause him to become a participant in a jazz ensemble.)

Featuring strong performances and well-written script, Motherless Brooklyn is an entertaining and engaging return to the noir genre. Under the Norton’s direction, the film is also impressive visually, as the shadows and darkness of New York’s underworld are constantly warring against the light of truth. 

Motherless Brooklyn unravels the mystery in theatres on November 1st, 2019.

Joker: Laughing on the Outside

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In Joker, failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) works as a clown to pay the bills and lives at home with his sickly mother. Beaten down by a society coming apart at the seams, Fleck struggles to maintain a positive outlook yet desperately wants to make people laugh. Struggling to find his way, Fleck soon begins to act out his frustrations in increasingly violent ways as he slowly transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.

Written and directed by Todd Phillips, Joker feels like an unexpected twist in his career trajectory. With films such as The Hangover trilogy and Old School leading his portfolio, an exploration of the dark underbelly of humour may seem like a vast departure from his previous work. In many ways, however, Joker also feels like a nature progression. Whereas many of his previous films have dealt with middle-aged men working out their emotional issues through the use of humour, Joker simply flips the switch by digging around in the psychology under the laughter instead of focusing on the gags themselves. While the film is bound to be divisive due to its dark themes and violence, Phillips has created a character arc so compelling that every scene feels like a vital piece to the most complicated of mental puzzles. 

Added to the mix is Joaquin Phoenix who absolutely shines as the hopeful but hurting Fleck. Over the years, the character of the Joker has provided multiple actors opportunity to push themselves and, thankfully, Phoenix carves out his own unique place in the canon. In an Oscar-worthy performance, Phoenix is simply mesmerizing as the failed comedian, giving him a likeable quality amidst his brokenness that makes you want to root for him (until you simply can’t anymore). Without question, Joker is very much the hero of his solo film—but the nature of that heroism eventually gets called into question.

Whereas the Joker has been often presented as a mysterious ‘force of nature’, here he is very much a product of his culture. Living in the slum-like Narrows of Gotham city Fleck’s life is a comedy of errors. Bullied for his job as a clown and living with his mother, Fleck has dreams of making other people laugh as a stand-up comic. His mother waits faithfully for a severance check from the wealthy Thomas Wayne that will never come. He’s in love with the beautiful tenant across the hall who may or may not be interested in him. Like the rest of those in the Narrows, success for Fleck is something that is constantly in view but just out of reach. While he’s constantly laughing on the outside, there’s little joy within him. (Interestingly, in one of the more intriguing story points for his character, his constant laughter stems from a medical condition that causes him to do so regardless of what’s happening around him.) For Arthur Fleck, life is no joke as his desire to matter in the eyes of others is consistently spat upon by the world. 

What’s more, this perspective echoes the film’s portrayal of Gotham itself, choosing to look at life through the eyes of those who are struggling to get by each day. Set years away from the arrival of the Dark Knight, Gotham is at a tipping point as the rich become richer and the poor more helpless. Anger and frustration run deep within those living in the Narrows as they become viewed as ‘troublemakers’ and yes, ‘jokers’ instead of people in need. Even Thomas Wayne, who has been painted in previous visions as a saint who wanted to see the city thrive, is skewed here as an irrelevant billionaire who remains out of touch with the common people. 

In Joker, hope remains out of reach for much of the city. In a city that mirrors the broken spirit of American culture, the 99% have grown angry with their way of life and want desperately for their voices to be heard. Then, when an unknown attacker kills three businessmen on a subway, tensions within the city begin to bubble over as talk of revolution hits the streets. 

In light of this, the most terrifying aspect of the film stems from its realism. Instead of chemical transformations or superpowered villains, Joker shows what can happen when a city loses its grace for the downtrodden of humanity. Although Fleck’s actions become reprehensible, they stem from his inability to process the abuse of a culture that has turned its back on him. “I used to think my life was a tragedy,” he moans, “but now I know that it’s really a comedy.” Light becomes lost in a world that has succumbed to the shadows and Joker gleefully dances into the darkness. (Is it any wonder that the film has been referred to by Phillips as a ‘cautionary tale’?)

Despite its bleak outlook on the world, Joker truly is one of the years best and most creative films. Phoenix’ performance as the Clown Prince of Crime may take him to dark places but there remains a brokenness within him for much of the film which humanizes him. Pressure from all sides to succumb to a culture of despair, Arthur Fleck’s journey is less of a comic book film and more about what happens when a world fails to listen to those who need it most.

And the outcome of that is no laughing matter.

Joker laughs its way into theatres on Friday, October 4th, 2019.