This is my review of The Hunt (Jagten) [DVD].

In yet another subtle and well-acted Danish film, we see how Lucas, the only male assistant to provide a bit of rough and tumble in a nursery school, finds himself sacked, charged by the police and a pariah in his tight-knit community when a normally truthful child appears to confide to the head teacher that Lucas has sexually abused her. From the outset we are given clues as to other events in the child’s life which might be affecting her actions, but which cannot be known to those investigating the issue. Through a series of all too believably blundering attempts to “do the right thing”, Lucas is condemned from the outset, wild rumours multiply as people are carried away by “groupthink” to turn against him.

The film skilfully points the finger at others who might be letting Lucas carry the blame for their own misdeeds, and even arouses our own occasional doubts as to his innocence. However, for the most past we feel outrage on his behalf, and a helpless sense of his compounded fate. All the main characters display some depth and changes in their emotions – in the case of Lucas, his natural gentleness and passivity giving way to bursts of retaliation.

The drama is set against a background of the deer hunts which bind the men together in a macho culture which may of course brutally cast out someone who seems to have broken a taboo, and the availability of guns adds a continual underlying threat of violence or tragedy. The film has the entertaining knack of following what seems like a happy event with a sudden twist back into suffering for the unfortunate Lucas.

Although the prejudice and hysteria in the community may seem a little exaggerated, the ending does not baldly “spell everything out” but leaves areas of ambiguity to provide food for thought. What should you do in a delicate situation which you cannot ignore but in which no action can be taken without damaging either the potential victim or the possible perpetrator, perhaps irrevocably? How can adults communicate effectively with confused children who may wish both to please them and conceal things from them, and also lack the language to express their feelings? How often do we make judgements without knowing the full facts, or even realising that this is the case?

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars

This is my review of Great Expectations [DVD] [2012].

It is hard to "give away the plot" of such a well-known Dickens classic but for those who do not know it I shall limit myself to the following: as a small boy, the orphan Pip is terrified by an escaped convict into smuggling him food and a file; the eccentric Miss Havisham summons Pip to her gloomy mansion as a playmate for her beautiful but cold adopted daughter Estella, whom she has brought up to break men's hearts; made dissatisfied with his humble lot through his contact with Estella, Pip is delighted to learn that he has "great expectations", a fortune from an anonymous benefactor and so can escape to a new life in London.

The film is true to the original novel in its main points, and is visually striking, in particular the scenes of the desolate Kentish marshes by the Thames where Pip's uncle runs a smithy, and the vivid contrast of London in all its grimy vibrancy. There is excellent acting from Ralph Fiennes, who conveys a sense of the convict's violence, but also his worthy aspirations and dignity. Jason Flemyng is effective as the simple but honest, decent and stoical blacksmith Jo Gargery, and Robbie Coltrane is suitably brisk and cynical as the lawyer Jaggers, who keeps dark secrets close to his chest. Jeremy Irvine makes a sensitive and sympathetic handsome hero, showing Pip's development in the difficult process of becoming a gentleman and coping with the source of his wealth. I was left unsure how convinced I was by either Miss Havisham or Estella: the problem is that the former is deranged and the latter is meant to have a heart of ice. Some of the minor characters failed to engage me. Pip's rival Bentley Drummle resembled an Elvis-lookalike bad lot out of the wrong age.

Stripped of Dickensian language, the plot is inevitably very contrived, and riddled with unlikely coincidences. The direction seemed a little rushed and unclear in places. Yet, overall, the film tells a good yarn, and is genuinely moving at times in exploring issues of class, revenge and the complexity of human nature.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

This is my review of Elena [DVD].

After such a slow start that I began to wonder if the projection had jammed, this proves to be an absorbing character study of a second marriage between Vladimir, a wealthy sexist pensioner and Elena, his former nurse, now a useful housewife and occasional bedmate. In this unequal relationship, Elena seems at first resigned to her dull yet comfortable routine, but we begin to see the quiet subversiveness with which she uses her credit card to provide food for her waster of a son, his long-suffering wife and children who live crammed into a grim concrete block of flats. Although aware of her son’s flaws, she does not see why his children should suffer, when Vladimir’s own wayward daughter is indulged through an accident of birth. Perhaps we see here a residue of the Communist ethos surviving in a fractured modern Russia where the less able languish in poverty whilst the successful live on a par with the most prosperous parts of the capitalist west. Certainly, the camera lingers on shots of both smart inner city streets and the sordid subways leading to rubbish-strewn wasteland round giant cooling towers cheek-by-jowl with high rise slums.

The film builds to quite a tense and absorbing drama, but disappointed me by an inconclusive and perhaps intentionally amoral ending which could have been more poignant, disturbing, surprising, ironical according to the turn of events chosen.

I believe that this film started off in the west on an apocalpytic theme, but was modified away from this when transferred to Russia, perhaps retaining a nihilist aspect. A little too long with a few superfluous scenes – such as the shot of a nurse stripping a bed or perhaps I missed the point – this is a visually striking, psychologically quite subtle film with an ending which I suspect will divide opinion.

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars

This is my review of Argo DVD [2013].

Ben Affleck has succeeded in both playing the lead role and directing an entertaining drama with “box office appeal” which also carries a serious undercurrent for those who seek it. Depending on one’s age, he reminds us of, or introduces us to the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 when fifty plus Americans were taken hostage at their embassy in Tehran by students calling for the deposed Shah to be returned for trial. This film focuses on the side issue of the six Americans who managed to escape and took refuge secretly with the Canadian ambassador, and of the CIA agent who devised what seemed like a ludicrous plot for their release by having them pose as a Canadian film crew assessing Iran as a location for a sci-fi film, “Argo”.

Affleck shows the boredom and fear of living in hiding for days with no prospect of escape as the Iranian authorities sift shredded photographs which will eventually prove that six hostages are missing. Clips of the torture of some American detainees are interwoven with chilling effect into the scenes of Tinseltown razzamatazz of a promotional exercise to raise interest in the bogus film. The final scenes are filled with tension but seem to have been hyped up since the original was insufficiently exciting to meet the expectations of current audiences. The ending was marred for me by a roller-coaster of too many coincidences – things, both good and bad, just happening to occur either to ramp up the fear or save the day.

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars

This is my review of Rust and Bone [DVD].

"Rust and bone" apparently refers to the taste sensed by a fighter after being punched in the mouth. It reflects the violent prizefights which form a thread running through this French film based on a short story by a Canadian author, Craig Davidson.

At the outset we see Ali, a hard up drifter with appealing small son in tow, trying to find work in the South of France. Employed as a bouncer, he extricates from a brawl Stephanie, an attractive young woman who intrigues him with her unusual job as a trainer of killer whales. Both share a love of physical pursuits and a desire to take risks and court danger.

Without introducing to many spoilers, this film is about the course of their relationship, underlying which is an exploration of how we may learn to cope with terrible adversity, yet also reassess our values and develop the ability to express our emotions after some major trauma. With some painful and moving moments, the film is never sentimental or mawkish.

Ali's strengths are linked to his weaknesses. He is a fearless risk-taker but often inconsiderate and negligent. He is easygoing, non-judgemental, free of prejudice, capable of acts of great kindness, but is often selfish, not seeming to care about others, not thinking through the consequences of his actions.

The drama is set against the background of poor working class people, often immigrants, struggling to make a living on the margins of society and the law, a subject which preoccupies the director Jacques Audiard judging by his earlier films e.g. "The Prophet" and "The Beat my Heart Skipped," both serious, moral yet also marked by an extreme violence which one senses must fascinate or excite the Director. I was at times made to feel a voyeur watching some intimate scenes, although I do not think this was the Director's intention.

The acting of all the main players is expressive and convincing, the filming skilful and realistic. My four stars recognise the quality of the piece, although I cannot say I enjoyed it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

This is my review of Incendies [DVD] (2010).

Although her twin brother Simon is initially reluctant to take part, Jeanne sets out to fulfil her mother’s dying wish for her children to find the father they presumed dead and the brother they never knew they had. This involves the culture shock of a journey from Canada to an imaginary country, very close to the Lebanon in having a brutal civil war between Christians and Muslims, with the added pressure of Palestine-like refugees. Through a mixture of interviews and flashbacks, the convoluted plot is revealed. The film is an indictment of the arbitrary violence of war in which ordinary people are corrupted and driven by suffering and loss to avenge themselves on third parties, at the same time somehow retaining a capacity for love and even forgiveness.

There is particularly fine acting from the mother and daughter, with the actresses so similar in looks that at times I confused them, which in a way contributes to the plot. The portrayal of the lawyer who assists them is also a fine performance.

I was prepared to suspend my disbelief over some coincidences reminiscent of a Hardy plot, but at the end when I should have been left moved I found myself trying to work out the ages of the characters, who in their relationships to each other seem to be either too old or too young. The director could have overcome this easily with some better casting of “minor” characters and employment of a skilful makeup artist.

Based on the Lebanese-Canadian writer Wajdi Mouawad’s play entitled “Scorched” the plot lends itself to a film. Although flawed and contrived, it is a striking piece.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

This is my review of A Royal Affair [DVD] [2012].

I join in the praise of this Danish, Swedish and Czech co-production which deserves to be more widely promoted than is likely. Both entertaining and moving, it is based on a true story little known in England, of how in the eighteenth century an English princess was packed off to marry the young Danish king, Christian V11, who proved to be mentally ill at a time when there was little understanding or treatment available for his condition.

We see examples of the ludicrous situation in which his crazy wishes are imposed on his subjects, because he is a monarch "whose word is law". Since his young wife has to endure his cruel and humiliating behaviour, it is not surprising that she falls for Struensee, the charismatic physician brought in to keep the young man under control. Struensee is an interesting character: he forms what appears to be a genuine friendship with Christian, his desire for a more equal society seems sincere, and gives him interests in common with the young queen from a country which is already a parliamentary democracy and relatively "free-thinking", but is he corrupted by the power gained from having the king's ear? Do his ends justify his means? The pain created by the complex "love triangle" is also explored, with all three arousing some sympathy in this skilful production.

Beneath a well-constructed plot, there lie some complex moral issues which may linger in your thoughts for some time. It is also interesting to see how Denmark has progressed from being a repressive and backward feudal monarchy as recently as the C18.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars

This is my review of Anna Karenina [DVD].

Since it is impossible to do justice in a two hour film to such a celebrated classic, with its focus on inner thoughts, it is probably a good decision to try a different take, in this case the ploy of setting most of the scenes in a theatre, not just on the stage but in the wings, the walk-ways above the podium, the stalls and so on.

So, the audience is watching a film of a play of a book. This has the benefit of conveying a sense of the restrictions and conventions which may have driven Anna to "break out" and give expression to her love for Vronsky, but which also made it impossible for her to be accepted by society afterwards. On the other hand, the theatrical confines may make some scenes seem too stylised, artificial and therefore less moving e.g. the whispered gossip and disapproval of Anna's affair. I was also often unconvinced by the frequent technique of freezing minor characters into the pose of statues, to highlight say, the image of Anna and Vronsky falling in love as they dance together in a world of their own.

I was glad not to need subtitles, since many scenes are quite visually complex, requiring close attention to pick up all the fleeting impressions used to convey a good deal. Tom Stoppard's script is very effective, clear and unpretentious. I could hear every word, which is often not the case. There are some striking scenes such as a horse race in the theatre in which an audience becomes a crowd of real people, only to be replaced by characters painted on a stage backdrop.

All the actors perform well. Jude Law is at last acting the wronged husband rather than the lover, and paints a sympathetic portrait of the industrious, upright bureaucrat, who tries to suppress his emotions and follow the rules, gives way to understandable hatred and vengeance, but who shows a good deal of decency and compassion in the end.

I have heard some criticism of the casting of Vronsky, but was surprised to find that it worked with Aaron Taylor-Johnson convincing as a striking young man with whom Anna might become infatuated physically.

Anna's predicament did not move me as it should have done, apart from her grief over being separated from her son. It must be a weakness in the film that I ended up feeling more sympathetic towards Karenin and even Vronsky than I did for Anna who often seems spoilt, capricious and ultimately deranged. I agree that a sense of injustice over the harsher treatment meted out to her as a "fallen woman" is enough to drive anyone off the rails. Beautifully dressed to the bitter end, she contrasts with the youthful Kitty, who settles for a life of rural bliss with Levin, the aristocratic landowner who chooses to work alongside the freed serfs and shelter his sick revolutionary brother – i.e. lead a practical life with some real worth.

Although I sympathise with those who may find the director Joe Wright's approach too contrived, this film held my interest, and gives scope for a good deal of discussion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars