Quick takes on Our Friend and other films

I’m a sucker for the Pinocchio story, and was excited to see the latest Italian version from director Matteo Garrone (there’s yet another coming soon from Netflix, a stop motion musical from director Guillermo del Toro). This version is a live action film, with youngster Federico Ielapi in the title role, and Roberto Benigni as Gepetto. There’s nothing I can say about the plot that you don’t know, so I’ll just give my thoughts. I really loved this film; it has the look and feel of a magical fable. It is much darker than the classic Disney film; it was made as an adaptation of the original 1883 Italian book, and not a remake of the Disney picture. As such, there are parts that are quite unsettling, and this is not a film for little kids (it has a PG-13 rating for “disturbing images”). But while there are some scary moments, it still made me feel like a kid again, and I was enchanted throughout. Well acted, and beautiful shot in Tuscany, it is a true magical film. On a side note, I watched it in the original Italian, though the director also had the film dubbed in English and I hear that version is done well too, for those that don’t want to read subtitles. ★★★★

Benigni’s part in the above film got me to thinking about his other work, so I hunted down the movie that was his biggest success, 1997’s Life is Beautiful, which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Before now, my only experience with him was a couple of Jim Jarmusch’s films (which I liked) and Federico Fellini’s final movie (which I didn’t). Life is Beautiful is one of those films that shouldn’t be good, yet it is. It tackles an uncomfortable subject with humor and a unique perspective. In 1930s Italy, Guido is a Jewish man who lives life to the fullest. The first half of the film or so involves him ignoring the political changes of the country while pursuing a woman who fate keeps pushing him into. Honestly this first half was a bit of a bore for me, as Benigni’s style of humor is on the edge of whimsical, but bordering on annoying. In the second half, picking up 4 or so years later, where Guido and Dora are married with young son, Giosuè, we get to the meat of the film. Guido and Giosuè are picked up and loaded on a train for a camp, and Dora begs to be put on a train too, so as to not be separated from them. Guido has shielded his son from the evils going on in the world, and so Giosuè has no idea what’s going on. Guido keeps the charade going, telling his son that the train it taking them on a grand adventure, and when they arrive, explaining it all as a big game; if they follow the rules, they’ll win. It’s a wonderful film about a man trying to save some innocence in his son by any means necessary. Watching it, I didn’t know if I should laugh at Guido’s games, or cry at the terribleness of it all. The mix of these emotions is what makes it so great. ★★★★½

Days of the Bagnold Summer is a dull English “comedy” about a teenager stuck at home with his single mom for the summer. Daniel was supposed to go spend the summer with his dad in Florida, but his often-absent father was busy having a new baby with his new wife, so he cancelled on him. Daniel and his mom Sue spend the summer butting heads. She nags him to get a job, but Daniel, a Metallica lover through and through, has dreams of joining a metal band (he doesn’t play an instrument, but he can be a “front man”). Meanwhile, Sue might have a new boyfriend, one of Daniel’s former teachers, which creeps Daniel out to no end. Sound funny? It’s not. This is about as dull a movie as I’ve seen in awhile, as boring as Daniel looks throughout the picture. It elicited a couple half-chuckles from me here and there, but that is it. Halfway through, I was ready to claw my eyes out, out of sheer apathy for either of these dull people. Do families really live like this? ★

Identifying Features is a very slow burning Mexican drama tackling the current immigration environment. There are a lot of films out there following people crossing the border and their struggles, but this one takes a new perspective: what about the family left behind? In the beginning of the film, Magdalena bids her son farewell as he and a friend head north from Mexico for opportunities in the USA. Months go by without him calling or checking in, and Magdalena begins to worry. She heads for the border to see if she can find some news, but doesn’t get any closure. She finds out that some buses that head towards the border are waylaid and robbed, and there’s a good chance her son has been killed. Still, no concrete answers, and Magdalena continues her search. At the same time, the film is following another young man, Miguel, whose been in the states for a little while, but who was just caught and deported. He is returning to Mexico, but the mother he left behind is missing from their home. He and Magdalena cross paths and continue their journey together for a time. The viewer sees Miguel’s and Magdalena’s shared stories from both sides of the coin. This slow drama may not be for everyone, as there’s no real action (outside of 5-10 minutes in the very end), and it is very much a thoughtful, introspective kind of film. The ending is a huge gut punch though, and very much worth building towards. ★★★★

Sometimes the stars align, and I get to watch a bunch of good movies in a row. Except for the one clunker in this grouping, that was the case here, and I’m ending on the highest note yet. Our Friend is an endearing film about the bonds of love and friendship in the most trying of times. Matt (Casey Affleck) and Nicole (Dakota Johnson) are dealing with a terminal diagnosis of cancer in Nicole. Matt hasn’t always been the best dad to their two daughters, having been absent for work for a couple years, and he’s a bit overwhelmed with everything, so family friend Dane (Jason Segel) moves in to help. The movie jumps around regularly, in both present day (2013) as well as the decade or so leading up to it, including moments like when Dane and Matt met, bumpy moments in Matt’s and Nicole’s relationship, etc., always stating how many years or months it was before “the diagnosis,” which is really when everything changed. Dane is a goofy guy who hasn’t seemed to get his life on track, himself suffering from depression, but he is rock steady for this family when they need him, even when others start to drift away, as people do when faced with such a terrible event as the impending death of a friend. I was moved, I laughed, and, of course, I cried. Spectacular movie with all three main actors on their game. Segel has shown his range before, and Affleck already has a bunch of awards under his belt, but I’ve just recently started to change my mind about Johnson. After the 50 Shades films, I wanted to dismiss her as just a pretty face with movie star parents helping her in the industry, but several films in the last couple years (Bad Times at the El Royale, The Peanut Butter Falcon) have made me rethink that. This one is as good as it gets. ★★★★★