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Reviews
What They Had (2018)
A 'Hollywood', Oscar bait portrayal of a family struggling to cope with a parent's dementia
A very 'Hollywood', Oscar bait portrayal of a family struggling to cope with a parent's dementia. It's depiction of a family who have never been completely open with one another, and the hidden resentments that has manifested from this feels convincing. The performances are largely strong with Hilary Swank and Michael Shannon the standouts. However, where it faulters is in the when the character's struggle with dementia forces the other characters to make some serious changes in their lives in a way that would rarely happen in real life, but which seem to happen with alarming regularity in 'issue' led movies. It rounds up the film in a package that is too neat and contrast wildly with the real experience of a family dealing with someone with dementia.
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
An engaging film but flawed
An engaging portrayal of a person who has lived her life in a state of perpetual disappointment and sees in her young student a chance for escape. Her life has never risen above the mediocre and she sees her children as being destined for this same fate. Seeing in her student the greatness that has always eluded her, she attempts to nurture it and live vicariously through his talent. She views capitalism, manifested in the father of her student, as a system that can stifle intellectualism & creativity and it will be his inevitable integration into this system that kills off his innate talent.
Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers a stellar performance and carries the film. Gael Garcia Bernal never manages to elevate his character above the thinly drawn cliché of the sleazy, pretentious professor. The young actor playing Jimmy does an acceptable job, but he is presented as nothing more than a catalyst for the central character's motivations.
However, the action which she takes in the 3rd act, seems, given her motivations, too reckless and stupid. It is never convincing that this character would behave in this manner, which unfortunately means the ending of the film falls flat
Ray & Liz (2018)
An interesting film, that doesn't work as a cohesive whole
An interesting film, with strong central performances, which nevertheless doesn't quite work. It captures the boredom and monotony of lives in many British cities in the 1980's. The cities that had been ravaged by the unemployment that had resulted from the neo-liberal policies of the Margaret Thatcher led Conservative Party.
The film is strongest in its portrayal of the eponymous central characters whose believability stems from them being unable and unwilling to change. It's refreshing to see a film that doesn't soften the edges of their characters by portraying them as having gleaned lessons from their actions resulting in them becoming better people.
Visually, the film is impressive, imbuing the audience with the same feeling of claustrophobia the characters possess. Sometimes the feeling is so oppressive it seems as if you are stuck there in the flat with them, almost overcome with the smell of stale cigarette smoke, spilt home brew and dog.
Despite a lot of positives, the film never feels as if it is the sum of its parts. The scenes work in isolation but put together never quite add up to a satisfying film. It more closely resembles a series of short films welded together that doesn't quite work as a cohesive whole.