Quick takes on The Boys in the Boat and other films

I was excited for Asleep in My Palm for several reasons: its an indie film about a family living off the grid (I tend to like these kinds of movies), it stars Tim Blake Nelson (who never disappoints), and it was from a first time writer/director (I have a soft spot for these, in this case, Blake’s son Henry Nelson). The trifecta doesn’t let me down, with a tremendous movie bolstered by top-notch actors. Single father Tom and his 16-year-old daughter Beth (relative newcomer Chloe Kerwin in her first starring role) aren’t just off the grid, they are completely invisible, to the government and even to society. They sleep in a temperature controlled storage unit, living off what they can steal and sell. Tom has one contact, an eccentric young 20-something who talks too much and acts as his fence,, but Beth doesn’t even have that; she has no contact with anyone in the world outside of her father and the nice gas station attendant where they use the restroom and buy snacks. Tom, suffering from obvious PTSD and a disdain for the establishment, likes their situation, away from everything and everyone, but Beth is at an age where her eyes are opening to all of the things she is missing in life, and is no longer willing to just take her father’s word that nothing is better outside of their storage unit. When Tom gets stuck out one night, Beth ventures out on her own and ends up hanging with college kids from the local university. A fairly benign evening, the sort that any college kid goes through a hundred times a semester, but for Beth it is a whole new world. But that’s not the end of the story. When Tom gets in trouble and startling revelations are made, the carefully crafted world he has created for Beth comes crashing down. A wonderful film that shines a light on people living on the fringe of society, with a heart wrenching ending that will stick with you.  ★★★★★

The Beekeeper is the polar opposite of the above artsy film, which you can guess based on the fact that its star is Jason Statham. He plays Adam Clay, a seemingly peaceful beekeeper renting a barn from a retired schoolteacher. The woman invites Clay to dinner one evening, but when he arrives, he finds her dead by suicide. Earlier that day, the woman had fallen victim to a cyber attack which wiped out her savings as well as the $2 million charity fund she managed. Clay decides to seek vengeance for the one person who ever treated him well, and he has the skills to do it. Turns out a beekeeper isn’t just one who harvests honey; Clay is a former member of a super-secret international military unit whose only mission is to keep balance in the world and root out evil and corruption. Long retired, he still has his skills, and nothing is going to stop him from finding the “evil queen” at the center of this hive of villainy, the group that is preying on innocent people and stealing all that they have. There’s some off-the-wall plot twists, unbelievable gun and fist fights, but damn if it isn’t all entertaining. Sit back, turn off your brain, and let the violence wash over you, and you’ll enjoy it enough, as I did. ★★★

The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney, is based on a book, which is itself based on the true story of a men’s rowing team that came together to compete in the 1936 Olympics. In early 1936, Joe Rantz is a student at the University of Washington, but struggling to pay his tuition. The Great Depression is still in swing, and Rantz lives alone in an abandoned car in a shanty town, his mother having died and his father abandoned him; Rantz has been on his own since 15. There are no jobs to be found. When Joe hears that the school is putting together a new JV team and will pay the men who make the team, he tries out. Obviously during a depression, many show up during tryouts, vying for just 8 seats in the boat. Joe has never rowed before but is willing to do anything to keep himself in school, and he works hard to make the team. The coach (Joel Edgerton) sees something in Joe, and as the team comes together and start winning tournaments, they capture the imagination of a nation, a team of hard-working every-men who go up against Ivy League students whose families aren’t struggling. When it comes time to qualify for the Olympics, the coach makes the unpopular opinion to enter the JV squad instead of the Varsity, knowing that they have a won’t-quit attitude. Very stirring film, especially when they do get to the Olympics in Berlin and go up against Hitler’s German team. A little rote at times maybe, and there aren’t any surprises, but it is an entertaining film with emotional heft. ★★★½

Tótem is an emotional film too, but it’s a very different kind of emotion. Rather than the intensity of a competition, we have the sorrow and trepidation of an impending death. Sol is a 7-year-old on the day of her father’s, Tona’s, birthday. Her dad has been living at his father’s (Sol’s grandfather’s) house so that his sisters can help care for him, as cancer has ravaged his body. They have hired a caregiver too, but have run out of money to pay her, and are basically out of money for any future treatments, even to ease Tona’s pain. Everyone knows this will be Tona’s last birthday, so they are throwing a big party, inviting all his friends, and all of the family is turning out. In the beginning, the camera follows Sol (her mother/Tona’s wife is at work) since we know she is losing her father, but she’s not the only one losing someone. Everyone at the party is losing a brother, a son, or a friend, and we get a glimpse into how each person is dealing with that. It ventures towards stream-of-conscious style, especially during the day leading up to the party that night, as people are just going about their business in the house, but you feel the the weight of Tona’s presence in the bedroom down the hall the entire time. And even with the sadness everywhere, there are still moments of brevity, humor, and life. ★★★½

I tend to enjoy the quiet dramas out of China, which always seems to churn out contemplative, moving films. The Breaking Ice follows some of that formula, but unfortunately is much too all-over-the-place to reach the heights it should have. The film follows a trio of young adults but begins with Haofeng, a man from Shanghai who is in northeast China near the North Korean border for an old friend’s wedding. Haofeng doesn’t partake in the festivities and ducks out early, instead joining up with a tour group going through the city. The tour guide is Nana, an attractive young woman who takes an instant liking to the quiet and subdued Haofeng. He is shy and very obviously depressed, always walking off to be by himself, but Nana continually ropes him back in. The two go out that night for some drinks, and tag up with Nana’s friend Xiao. Xiao is a cook in a restaurant and sees his young life as a failure, as he didn’t apply himself in school and has no great outlook on future prospects. He has a crush on Nana, but she only sees him as a friend. The trio party it up that night, causing Haofeng to miss his morning flight, so he stays around for the weekend. The film follows these three for those couple days, and we learn where each came from and about their hopes for the future. Should be great, and some reviewers really thought it was, but for my tastes it never comes together all the way. I don’t mind that there isn’t a satisfying conclusion in the end, but I almost wish the film had been longer for some more diving into the psyche of each of these three. Lost potential on this one. ★★½

• TV series recently watched: Constellation (season 1), Superman: The Animated Series (season 2), Star Wars: The Bad Batch (season 3), Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (series)
• Book currently reading: A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan