Watch List is a film out of the Philippines. This one’s been on my radar for awhile but finding somewhere to see it has been a chore. I’m glad I finally found it, because lead actress Alessandra de Rossi is a revelation. Maria and her husband are former drug users but have been clean for many years, and are raising their three kids in a poorer district. Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous war on drugs has been rounding up anyone with a drug history and putting them through “rehabilitation” programs, so the couple is picked up, despite being sober for so long. Duterte has also endorsed vigilante justice against drug users, and this ends up in the killing of Maria’s husband. With no money coming in and unable to find a job because of her drug history, Maria resorts to going to the people who probably killed her husband. To protect her children, she becomes an informer for the vigilantes, and is even trained to kill with them on future missions. Some of these missions however go after people like herself, who’ve been off drugs for awhile and have families. Beset by guilt but faced with no other options, Maria has to decide what is best for her kids. While the film doesn’t break any new ground, de Rossi is absolutely incredible. I hope people see this one and, if she desires it, it leads to bigger opportunities. ★★★½
Watch List had a tour-de-force performance which was wholly unexpected, but I fully anticipated it from Aubrey Plaza in Black Bear. Seriously this woman needs more recognition for her work. The premise of this film isn’t too new, at first anyway. Allison is a former actress turned writer/director, who’s rented a cabin by a lake to do some solitary writing for her next film. She stumbles upon a couple in crisis though; the cabin’s owners Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon) are expecting a child and seem to only be staying together for that reason. The three share a dinner the first night, and initially the couple just bicker at each other, which is uncomfortable for Allison as anyone who’s been in that situation can attest. As the night goes on though, the sniping turns into a full out argument, as Blair senses sexual chemistry between Gabe and Allison. It does not get better after Blair goes to bed, as Gabe admits to Allison that he doesn’t love his girlfriend anymore. They start fooling around, and Blair walks in, leading to a climactic event at the conclusion of the first half of the film. I cannot say anything about the second half, because to do so would ruin a great surprise, but suffice to say it flips the film on its head, and gets even better from there. Plaza is amazing as she is in everything she does, and the movie is wonderfully written and precisely put together. The best film that no one seems to be talking about it. ★★★★★
Fagara hails from Hong Kong, and is about a woman who’s just lost her father to a sudden death. Preparing for his funeral, Acacia learns that her father, from whom she’s been estranged for several years, had two other others from other women, one in Taiwan and the other in China. Their shared father came to live with Acacia’s mother when she became ill, but would occasionally leave to visit Branch and her mother (supposedly his first love), though he didn’t often see his third daughter, Cherry, in China. This unlikely trio has to get to know each other, while groping with complicated emotions over their father, and also strained relationships with others in their individual families. The film centers around Acacia trying to run her dad’s restaurant, as he has a lease for one more year, which would be expensive to break. The movie struggles with uncertain footing a lot of the time; there’s a lot going on, and some of the moments don’t feel natural. However, the cinematography is absolutely stunning. This is visually one of the most beautiful films you’ll see. It’s an average film with above average looks. ★★★
Around the sun is a sci-fi film, yet it isn’t. It can be called a romantic drama, but there’s hardly any physical contact between the two main (and only) characters, who are strangers when they meet in the beginning. This is a film that defies genres, and I loved it. Bernard is visiting a large chateau in France, and is being shown the place by Maggie, who works for a firm who owns the estate. At first, Bernard is a scout for a film company who wants to shoot a picture on this location, but it quickly becomes clear that this is only one possible scenario that brought Bernard here today. As the film plays out and Maggie and Bernard explore the estate, their backgrounds and circumstances change. In one scene, Maggie will ask Bernard if he’s seen any stars (meaning movie stars), and he jokes about it. In another, she’ll ask the same question, and Bernard immediately talks about his knowledge of constellations. So while there are multi-verses in play and we see glimpses of many of them throughout the movie, there is no real science fiction on camera. What the film becomes is a look at humanity and where it is today, through the conversations between our two characters over the course of a single day in a multitude of universes. Conversations touch on science, philosophy, art, and many other topics. They are the kinds of deep conversations that are too often missing from film (and our busy social culture) today. The chemistry between our two leads is palpable, despite (in some worlds) Bernard has a baby on the way from his (maybe estranged?) girlfriend. The movie gave me a strong Last Year at Marienbad vibe, both because of the lingering questions (Maggie mentions more than once a strong feeling of deja vu) and because of the empty building they are exploring. It’s an intimate, thought-provoking film, one that pulls you in to the lives of our characters. ★★★★
Savage is about a man, Danny, who’s grown up inside a street gang in New Zealand. Based on a true story, it starts in 1989 when Danny is an adult, but much of the film is told at two other key points of his life too: when he is a child in 1965, and later, as a teenager. As a kid, he lives in an abusive household, sometimes going so far as to provoke his father so his siblings are left alone. He is later caught stealing, and his father kicks him out of the house and sends him to a state school. He’s still there years later as a teenager, and his best friend is Moses, who is not a good influence. When Moses takes charge in a street gang called the Savages, Danny of course joins too, even viciously beating his brother, who’s in a rival gang. Back to present day, Danny is finally dealing with guilt for all the bad he’s done all these years, and he very much wants to see his mother and siblings again, though his brother (now long out of the gang life and raising a family) still holds a grudge. Danny needs to decide between loyalty to Moses, or his desire to get out of the lifestyle. The film is decent enough in spots, but unfortunately I found it hard to feel sorry for an adult who should know better. Being rough and getting in fights as a teenager is one thing, doing it as an adult is far different. I don’t have much pity for stupidity. ★★½
- TV series currently watching: WandaVision, Maniac (miniseries)
- Book currently reading: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Jons Movie Takes 