Quick takes on Nowhere and other films

It’s rare these days that an animated film geared towards kids really scores high for me. I consider myself a “child at heart” but usually, even the ones that review well by others, I just shrug off. Not so for Nimona, a wonderful film about loving yourself for who you are, and standing up for what is right. In a futuristic city which has held on to its medieval traditions (knights, carriages, etc), Queen Valerie has bucked one particular tradition and allowed Ballister Boldheart to enter knight school as a boy. Commoners aren’t supposed to be able to become knights, but years later, Ballister has done the work and he is ready to graduate to full knighthood. He is graduating at the same time as his boyfriend Ambrosias Goldenloin, heir to the legacy of Gloreth, the kingdom’s worshiped figure who, 1000 years ago, vanquished a great monster to bring about peace. At the ceremony though, someone has planted a weapon inside Ballister’s ceremonial sword, and when the queen knights him, the weapon lashes out and kills the queen. Ballister is the prime suspect, and he flees. Ambrosias can’t believe that Ballister would do such a heinous crime, but there are no other suspects. Alone, Ballister finds an unlikely friend in Nimona. Nimona looks like a teen girl, but she’s a shape-changing being who can become anything from a mythical dragon to the boy next door. Because of her abilities, she’s been hunted as a monster through the years (and as we learn later, she’s lived a very long time) and she’s always been alone. Seeing a universally reviled Ballister, she finds someone who can relate to her, and they team up to find who is behind the queen’s murder. Very religious people may find a few faults in the film (the gay relationship being the least. The filmmakers really hammer home Nimona’s offense when Ballister tries to ask her how or why she is what she is; they obviously have an agenda to push) but that did not bother me and it didn’t derail the story. And the story is wonderfully engaging, fun, funny (very funny!), and beautifully told in a 2D animation style that is different than anything else being made today. The visuals pop and it is a sight to see. Great film for all ages. ★★★★★

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a teen coming-of-age comedy about a couple best friends, Stacy and Lydia, as they approach that most celebrated day for teen Jewish people. They are imaging the party to end all parties, even as they navigate the social mine field that is school. Stacy has had a crush on a boy named Andy for a long time, but has been to shy to act on it. Unfortunately it is Lydia who catches his eye first, and when Stacy gets mad at Lydia, Lydia swoops in and snatches him. As more barriers come in between Stacy and Lydia (some real, some perceived, but when you are that age, they all feel real), their envisioned bat mitzvahs may be the least of their worries. There’s some funny moments, both from the teens and their friends, as well as their out-of-touch parents (Stacy’s are played by Adam Sandler and Irina Menzel), but nothing memorable from this film. I feel like it’s been done before and done better. ★★

I’m usually a Wes Anderson fan, but his last two movies were total busts. However, I gave The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar a chance because it is based on a Roald Dahl story. This is a short film (40 minutes) based on a short story, the first in a planned series from Anderson for Netflix. I called his last film too “Wes Anderson-y,” but in this format, his style works. The film is told as a story, nearly work-for-word from Dahl’s story, which is funny because it is in the same deadpan, narrative style that Anderson enjoys in his original films. The narrator is one of the on-screen characters, who will tell the viewer the story while interacting with the other (oblivious) actors in each scene. The gist is this: Henry Sugar is a gambler in need of funds when he stumbles upon a doctor’s journal. The journal talks about the doctor coming across a man who meditated and studied until he could “see without his eyes.” Sugar knows he could put this skill to use, so as to “look through” playing cards to see what card was up next when at the casino. What he does once he’s mastered the skill though is what sets the film apart from just being another simple story. It’s gorgeously told, and while the film has Anderson’s usual gaggle of high profile buddies (Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Dev Patel), they don’t really get to “act” all that much, since one or the other is constantly breaking the fourth wall to narrate the story to us viewers. Still, you are reminded about the genius of Dahl and how he can use simple ideas to relate a stellar fable for kids and kids-of-all-ages. I hope Anderson’s future Dahl stories are as good as this! ★★★★

Nowhere is a Spanish thriller/drama about a woman’s tenacity and will to live. Mia and her husband Nico are fleeing Spain after a poorly run dictatorship government has started killing its own residents to alleviate food and supply shortages. People unable to work, such as children and pregnant women, are particularly targeted, and while Mia has been able to hide her pregnancy, she is coming up on her due date, so the couple is out of time. They pay all that they have to smugglers who promise to get them to Ireland, but the two are separated when getting divided up onto shipping containers. Where Mia ends up, her container is searched by authorities. Thankfully she was able to hide on top of a large shipping crate, because everyone else is killed and the bodies dragged off. Alone in the container now, Mia is loaded up onto a ship and they set out. On the first night though, a storm washes several containers off the boat, and Mia discovers herself afloat in the sea. For the remainder of the film, every day becomes a struggle, with storms, lack of food and water, a baby (who she is forced to birth by herself), and a slowly sinking container that is the only thing keeping her from drowning. So much happens so fast that, with an hour still left in the movie, I had no idea what else Mia could do to try to survive, but she continues to find a way. I really enjoyed the movie. I’ve read that people complained that it is unbelievable, and while it could obviously never happen in real life, honestly, it is no more unbelievable that Cast Away or some other survival-type picture. It’s a great glimpse at what a person will do to stay alive and save her child. ★★★½

I can’t decide if Brother is an absolutely brilliant movie all around, or just a very “pretty” picture with powerful acting and important subject matter. I tend to lean towards the latter, but that doesn’t make it a bad movie. Far from it, but I’m not going to gush as some others are. It is indeed powerful though. It follows 2 brothers, Francis and Michael, and is told in a non-linear fashion dealing with 3 different times in their lives: as kids with their working single mother; as teens/young men as they start to drift in different directions; and, 10 years later, when Michael is alone caring for their mother, who has never recovered after Francis’s unnamed death. I say unnamed, but the writing is on the wall from early in the film. Michael is the quiet one. He’s shy, not very popular, non-confrontational, and he looks to Francis for protection. Francis, a large and imposing character, is everything that Michael is not, and that willingness to pick a fight gets him targeted by police far too often. Not that the police need an excuse, as they are always rattling the doors in the poor, predominately black area where the family lives. The director, Clement Virgo (an established director who has mostly worked in TV) has about as steady a hand as you will find, and the movie feels raw throughout, aided by a great soundtrack that fills each scene with color and emotion. So while every aspect of the film is great, as a whole, it didn’t quite get into “perfection” range for me. Still, a very strong showing, and the acting by both leads (Lamar Johnson and Aaron Pierre) will move you. ★★★½

• TV series recently watched: Harley Quinn (season 4), Spy/Master (series)
• Book currently reading: Dune House Corrino by Herbert & Anderson