November/December at the Movies – Reccos

Love (2015)

Dipti’s take – The film is full of exquisite imagery of intimacy but the characters lack soul. For a film that intends to depict ‘sentimental sexuality’ (in the words of the main character), this is a huge drawback. Insipid dialogues steal quite a bit of the joy of the narrative. The idea of how desire can be devastating could have been more effective if it were not for the underwhelming voice-over.

Rony’s take – To quote Gasper Noe ” I don’t think this movie is made to arouse anybody or to arouse them in an emotional way. This isn’t an erotic film. It’s more sentimental.”Though it is filled with explicit graphic sex, Noe envelopes it with a tender touch with the use of visuals, music and edit. Emotional erotica that is so beautiful to look at. Hard on for the eyes and ears.

Tamasha (2015)

Dipti’s take –  In the past, the Imtiaz-Irshad-Ranbir combination gave me a character that occupied the real estate of my mind for a long time. It still does. Jordan and his angst had a lingering effect. As is the  case with Imtiaz’s previous films, Tamasha too is about the evolution of the lead. It didn’t come across as a love story as much as a tale of transformation – where ‘love’ is the supporting character, powering the narrative. The brand of love in Imtiaz’s films dwells on helping the lovelorn, unearth the best versions of themselves.

Ranbir compellingly depicts the anguish of being imprisoned in an identity. It’s the kind of self-loathing that people stuck in jobs they hate or in existences full of deferred dreams, can relate to. Even the child artist who plays Ved lends an endearing quality to the character.

The ebullience and epiphanies that beautiful landscapes impart, allow us to conjure many existences. Following one’s heart is not always as simple but Tamasha’s Ved makes you want to believe in the leaps of faith. There are times when you literally want to shake him out of his delusions. Ranbir would qualify as the perfect lead if Kaufman’s Anomalisa were to be remade for Bollywood.

The act of making this film itself echoes the philosophy of it – that of being true to oneself. The tropes of travel as a tool for liberation, the wild-child syndrome, incomplete sentences and eloquent emoting – we’ve seen it all before but the cliches don’t deter Imtiaz from exploring his leitmotif in the able hands of Ranbir and Deepika – the evolved Jordan and Meera. Though the lead pair breathes new life into the redundant themes, I wish Tara’s character was not so underwritten. She was reduced to a mere catalyst in Ved’s voyage but every frame with Deepika in it scintillates with her mature grace. Some of her best scenes are the non-verbal ones like her range of reactions, from being baffled to disappointed after meeting Ved in Delhi.

If the ‘What happens in Corsica, stays in Corsica’ rules were not so chaste, the film would have been a more believable take on contemporary relationships. It is the second half, when Ved’s character disintegrates that the film comes together. Though the tone of the verbal exchanges is mostly conversational, if the dialogues had risen above banality, the first half of the film in Corsica could have been a Linklater-kinda-delightful-watch. The title itself affords the liberty of some hyperboles.

Lastly, the crux of Imtiaz’s films unfurls in his songs. Your journey as a viewer can begin with the OST, if you’re willing to listen to it on repeat mode, weeks before watching the film. It lends a perspective akin to adjusting the lens on a DSLR camera. Once you discern the subject from the background, it’s easier to connect with the filmmaker’s process.

Watching a director’s film for his signature style is like finding validation for a worldview. It is like drinking variants of beverages, with the choice of your poison for both – a taste of adventure and the safety of predictability. Imtiaz’s Tamasha has a similar effect – a comforting familiarity that leaves you yearning for more fulfilment.

The Body (El Cuerpo) (2012)

Dipti’s take – An interesting blend of mood and thrills, the film efficiently misdirects to push you further from the truth.

Rony’s take – A woman dies in the afternoon and her body goes missing at night. Taking off from a simple one line idea and set across one night, director Oriol Paulo ( Writer of Julia’s Eyes) crafts a delicious thriller that will keep your eyes riveted to the screen. It’s strange that Paulo has not made a film since 2012. Eagerly awaiting his next.

Extraordinary Tales (2015)

Rony’s take – Based on short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the tales might not be extraordinary but the animation will leave you spellbound. Five stories, five styles of animation and one of them is voiced by Guillermo del Toro. Horror that is a visual treat.

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay star in “Room.” (Ruth Hurl/Element Pictures)

Room (2015)

Dipti’s take –  It is in equal parts gruelling and moving. It will make you feel grateful for all the seemingly tiny wonders of this big world and, more importantly your small house will feel like a mansion. Jacob Tremblay’s performance is one of the most layered ones I have seen this year, coming from a child (after Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation).

Rony’s take –  Missed out on this one at MAMI this year. It is brutally chilling and manages to make you feel the claustrophobhia that the two leads feel stuck in a room for almost five years. Jacob Tremblay should be nominated amongst the leads at the Oscars this year, he is terrific as Jack. Room is about what happens to characters after a happy ending that you see in films of this genre. One of the best films, I have seen this year.

Star Wars The Force Awakens (2015)

Dipti’s take – The joy of communal movie viewing is felt most when franchises of cult films like Star Wars grace the screens. In this case, the fanboy excitement was infectious but the film didn’t holistically live up to the expectations. The inclusion of old characters didn’t serve much purpose beyond the passing of the baton ( in this case, the saber) and evoking nostalgia. What it lacked in terms of zany dialogues and wow-inducing action sequences, it made up with a feisty female lead and the winsome droids. When non-human characters manage to elicit emotion, you know you’ve enjoyed the film. Special mention for Maz Kanata.

Rony’s take – After J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek, he successfully takes forward Lucas’ legacy with this franchise. Cut from the same template as ‘Star Wars A New Hope’ this one is a treat for fanboys and girls of the original trilogy (IV, V and VI). It manages to ride on the nostalgia and sets up the new characters for the next set of instalments. The force is still alive and kicking. Rey (Daisy Ridley), BB8 and Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) are the characters I am looking forward to in the next instalment.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Dipti’s take – Netflix is killin it! Utterly authentic yet compellingly dramatic, visually rich and relentlessly visceral from start to finish, Beasts of No Nation is an engaging study of manipulation and childhood interrupted. Much more than a chilling war drama, the film is a nightmarish coming-of-age tale of Agu (brilliantly played by Abraham Attah). It’s difficult to through sit through this one without cringing, thanks to the brutal performance of Idris Elba, depicted almost as demigod. Beasts of No Nation belongs to the league of realist films that make a strong case for hopeful rather than happy ends.

Rony’s take – Cary Joji Fukunaga is on a creative high. After directing the atmospheric TV series True Detective, he jumps headlong into this war drama that charts the journey of Agu (Abraham Attah) a child soldier taken under the wings by Commandant (Idris Alba). The journey from innocence to becoming a cold-blooded ‘beast’ is rivetingly portrayed by Abraham Attah. Right from the beginning, I felt so protective towards Agu that his violent journey of transformation was emotionally traumatic to endure.” I saw terrible things… and I did terrible things. So if I’m talking to you, it will make me sad and it will make you too sad. In this life… I just want to be happy in this life. If I’m telling this to you… you will think that… I am some sort of beast… or devil. I am all of these things… but I also having mother… father… brother and sister once. They loved me.” – Agu. These heartbreaking lines define the film for me.