Peeping Tom (1960) Dir. Michael Powell

Upon its release in 1960, Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom was greeted with absolute disgust – Audience’s were repulsed. A couple of decades later and it is one of the most influential films of our time. One of the first films to focus on the issue of voyeurism, Hitchcock touched on this topic in Rear Window but Peeping Tom magnified the issue.

Mark Lewis is a focus puller in the studio; he also has a part time job taking unorthodox photographs of women above a newsagent shop. The movie opens with us, the audience, watching a prostitute through a camera lens. We follow her up to her room where she undresses and then the unexpected occurs. She starts shouting and looks horrified as we approach her, then she dies.

The opening sequence is a terrifying suggestion that the audience are voluntarily appearing as a ‘peeping tom’ by enduring the movie. Are film goers all merely repressed voyeurs?

The next sequence is of Mark Lewis watching the film of the call girl, we instantly know he is the killer. We see him at work and how he is pretty much in the background in life, lurking in the corner-observing people, unnoticed.

It’s his encounter with Helen, his neighbor that is far more perverse. They strike up a relationship and she is intrigued by him, he is honored someone has taken a direct interest to him and decides to leave his beloved camera at home when they go out.

Their interactions with each other is bizarre – Helen is stereotypically British in every way, her strong aristocratic accent and mature manner is unsettling, the film seems to hint rather heavily that British culture is extremely problematic. The repressed nature of it breeds individual’s like Mark. Helen’s mother is an interesting character, she is blind yet seems to be extremely perspective and understands that Mark is a troubled man.

We learn about Mark’s father and how he performed psychological / neurological experiments on him – Inflicting fear on young Mark in order to write his book. The film introduces the idea that with a difficult upbringing and a repressed culture breeds voyeurs.

Even if some of its plot devices and symbolism will seem obvious to today’s savvy audiences, Peeping Tom is still one of the most influential films ever made. 

It’s a stylish movie and explores many issues such as cultural repression in Britain, psychoanalysis, sexuality and voyeurism. It’s a daring, unconventional horror film that gets us close to the killer’s mind, we are part of the film, without the audience there is no Peeping Tom, this makes it even more petrifying.

Peeping Tom is re-released in selected cinemas in the UK 19th November and out on Blu-ray 22nd.

Director: Michael Powell
Cast: Karlheinz Böhm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley
Runtime: 101 min
Country: UK
Year: 1960

Adrienn Pál (2010) Dir. Agnes Kocsis

Agnes Kocsis’s Adrienn Pál tells the story of Piroska (played by Eva Gabor), an obese nurse working at Saint Andrew’s terminal ward. She has a dull existence and approaches her job with no sensitivity, she almost faces her work in a robotic fashion, staring blankly at a wall of cardiac monitors, wheeling the corpses to the morgue and so on. She lives with her critical husband and wonders into her past when she comes across a patient named, Adrienn Pál, the same name of her child hood friend.

The search for her long lost best friend begins – This isn’t suggesting the film picks up speed, it doesn’t. It is clear that Kocsis was primarily concerned with representing the film in a slow and mundane fashion. She succeeds in doing so and along the way manages to bore the audience to death with her pretentious camera work, obvious visual connections, namely the cardiac monitors mirroring the composition of the grave stones in the cemetery.

As well as this the constant reminder that Piroska has an addiction to food is overwhelmingly dull. The film has moments of awkward humour amongst the dreary subject matter; an example of this is the sequences where Piroska wheels a corpse in the elevator and stares blankly whilst whipping out yet another pastry.

Laughter was definitely present in the screening room but for me it was due to the fact at no point did I engage in the film. There is not one character the audience warms to – Being an dedicated fan of slow paced, person centered films such as About Schmidt and The Good Girl, I was excited to endure Adrienn Pál but I was ridiculously disappointed.

The film surpasses the two-hour mark and it will anger you in ways you didn’t think possible – Nothing is original here and at the end of the film, one is left without the slightest crumb of satisfaction.

A mundane and amateur effort and the Q & A after the screening didn’t help elevate my negative response to the film. Kocsis stated she wanted to bring to light the fact that overweight people are seen by society as cheerful, she went on to say that they are actually depressed. A slight over generalised statement, which just reflected the lack of depth and originality in Adrienn Pál.

Director: Agnes Kocsis
Writers: Ágnes Kocsis, Andrea Roberti
Cast: Éva Gábor, István Znamenák, Ákos Horváth, Lia Pokorny, Izabella Hegyi
Runtime: 136 min
Country: Hungary-Netherlands-Austria-France

Special Treatment (2010) Dir. Jeanne Labrune

Isabelle Huppert plays Alice, a forty-something high-class prostitute who has become tiresome and numbed from her unorthodox profession. She decides to start seeing a Psychoanalyst in an attempt to find the strength to change careers. Parallel to Alice’s story, the film follows Xavier, played by popular French cult actor, Bouli Lanners. He is a psychoanalyst in the midst of separation from his wife. The film is certainly not subtle in its mission of uniting prostitution and psychiatry. Alice and Xavier meet and the battle of the patient/client scenario begin.

We witness both of these characters at work- The variety of both of their clients; Alice has a client who enjoys childish fetishes so she dresses up as a youth for him. Xavier has a cross dressing foul-mouthed client, the list continues. The film lacks the sophistication we see in most French films; there is neither poetic realism here nor chic filming. However the film has a beautiful score – At times it seems random, more appropriate for a thriller / drama film but it is capturing never the less.

The most irritating part of this film is that it begins portraying Alice as a heroic, independent woman, saving these businessmen from their dull lives by making their fantasies a reality and remaining untouched through this process. However as the film progresses, this image of Alice suddenly alters. Alice appears to be fragile, the liberation of Alice has been crushed and it is unsettling to witness. Throughout the film the audience expects to get to know Alice more – We are told through her meeting with another psychoanalyst that she studied History of Art at college and we already understand she has a passion for antiques.

The film shies away from the lead female character; instead on focusing on getting to the core of Alice, the focus remains shallow and meaningless only giving us hints of her vulnerability. The humour is also very flat; Special Treatment lacks any solid substance. Having said this, Huppert does give a brilliant performance; her witty comments engage the audience even if it is for a little while. The theme of role-play in both Psychiatry and Prostitution is also tackled well however it does start to wear thin towards the end of the film.

The problem with Special Treatment is that the screenplay and characters have not been developed enough – There is no destination with these characters and themes, perhaps that was an attempt to develop the film’s charm? Error. It’s all very shallow despite dealing with serious and interesting issues.

Director: Jeanne Labrune
Writers: Richard Debuisne, Jeanne Labrune
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Bouli Lanners, Sabila Moussadek, Richard Debuisne, Valérie Dréville
Runtime: 95 min
Country: France

Black Swan (2010) Dir. Darren Aronofsky

Intense, gripping, horrific, creative and moving. These are the words to describe Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller set in the world of New York ballet. Natalie Portman has certainly matured from previous mediocre performances; her lead role in Black Swan proves she is an immensely talented actress.

She plays Nina Sayers, a member of an elite ballet company – Hugely ambitious Nina lives with her overbearingly loving mother whom also used to practice as a ballerina. When creative director, Thomas (played by Vincent Cassell) lets lead Ballerina, Beth (played by the erratic but wonderful, Winona Ryder) go, he decides to give the leading role to Nina in Swan Lake. The entire film is seen through Nina’s perspective and we learn early on, she isn’t a reliable source for her reality.

Black Swan literally jolted me out of my seat on a number of occasions, the filming defiantly had a Aronofsky’s signature on it – Similar in style to Requiem for a Dream. Nina spirals into a world of paranoia and hallucinations. The arrival of Lily (played by Mila Kunis), a hedonistic member of the group intensifies Nina’s paranoia. The scene when Lily and Nina go out clubbing certainly wouldn’t mesh well with audiences whom suffer from epilepsy – The disco lights provide the audience with glimpses as to what is going on, it’s erratic and intensely hypnotic to endure.

Having seen The Wrestler, there are many similarities, primarily both films focus on the body and what it has to succumb to if one practices an art such as ballet and wrestling. The sheer horror of the Black Swan is it’s focus on the human body, scenes of Nina’s mother cutting her daughters nails to hearing Nina’s bones creek as she practices. Self-harm is also a huge theme of the film and is dealt with very sensitively.

Winona Ryder didn’t get much over twenty minutes of air time but her performance was perfection – Aronofsky’s casting is brilliant, Ryder is the ideal actress for the role of the retired, manic and self destructive Beth. The sequence when Nina visits Beth in hospital to return her possessions is one of the most horrific sequences of the film.
The film also focuses on growing up and sexuality, there is a steamy sequence between Lily and Nina but it’s not random or merely placed in to provide some cheap thrills for Hollywood audiences. Its appropriate and Portman’s performance will shock and move you beyond belief.

The character of Nina is so well composed and believable- The strive for the perfect performance is central to the film. The last act is the most powerful; we witness Swan Lake happening first hand. The shots of the cheering audience’s and the bright lights on stage make the audience come to understand Nina and her strive for the perfect performance.

Many of the sequences of Black Swan paid homage to the classic film, The Red Shoes (1948), particularly the opening sequence of Nina dancing solo on a blacked out stage – The destructive relationship between Nina and Thomas is also similar to The Red Shoes.

The music of the film is exquisite and adds to an incredible build up towards the end of the film – Even though long shots were a favorite with Black Swan when dancing was concerned, one can’t ignore the sheer amount of practice that Portman has put into the film.

This will be a favorite at award ceremonies to come– Natalie Portman can expect a huge amount of success from her performance here. Black Swan is in many ways a flawless Aronofsky feature – It’s a must see. Just don’t expect an easy viewing experience.

The Peddler (2009) Dir. Eduardo de la Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano, Adriana Yurcovich

One of my favorite films from the London Film Festival so far has got to be The Peddler – Filmed mostly in documentary style, apart from the scenic long shots, this is a film about handcrafted filmmaking. Daniel Burmeister is a seventy something filmmaker who travels around remote villages in South America and offers to make a movie in less than a month, using local residents as his cast. Choosing one of the half-dozen trusty genre scripts he’s been using for years, Burmeister sets about scouting locations, recruiting “actors” and spreading the word about his project. An act of bringing the community together as much as a creative venture, the filmmaking process elicits varying degrees of curiosity, commitment and problem solving.

Burmeister has a genuine charm, which draws the audience in instantly – The Peddler is a reminder that filmmaking is accessible and budget is not everything – For Burmeister filmmaking is a way of life. He earns very little from his films but enjoys and embraces the unexpected nature of his future.

Throughout the film Burmeister discusses his childhood, his strict unsupportive father and how he feels this links in to why he is a filmmaker – He takes pride in his work, he doesn’t take it too seriously and he has a genuine, warm charm that enraptures the audience.

The most engaging sequence is during the screening of the film, the villagers gather around the modest venue and the camera takes a long shot of the screen – We witness the back of the audience’s heads and their facial expressions during the screening. The Peddler is a witty, charming and honest film that reminds all of us the importance of handcrafted filmmaking.

Click HERE to view The Peddler's website where they mention my name and review!

Never Let Me Go (2010) Dir. Mark Romanek

The London Film Festival opened with Never Let Me Go – Adapted into a film from Japanese-British born, Kazuo Ishiguro, the film is a remarkable display of British talent.

The story is told through the narration of Kathy H (Carey Mulligan) and the film follows the life of three students, Ruth (Keira Knightley), Kathy H and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) at Hailsham, an elite eerie English boarding school.

Ruth is attractive and intelligent, Kathy H is more caring and subdued and Tommy is awkward and sensitive. The film focuses on the love triangle that occurs between the three friends – The world in which they live is also problematic, sci-fi England in a way. The children of Hailsham are clones, merely existing to become donors for people with life threatening diseases.

The realization of their fate never prompts anger or protest amongst the three characters, instead, sadness and woe overcomes them. Carey Mulligan gives an exceptional performance; her eyes are beautifully emotive and ideal for her role.

Once the three friends reach eighteen they are sent to the ‘Cottages’, the film is divided into three sections but opens with the present day sequence. The ‘Cottages’ are an opportunity for Hailsham youths to intermingle with ‘ordinary’ life – It is here when Kathy H decided to apply to become a Carer.

One of the most amusing sequences is when they are venture to a coffee shop, their hesitation and confusion with the menu is extremely touching.

The three friends separate for a couple of years and we follow the life of Kathy H, who has become a carer for donors, a melancholy life where she is merely floating through till she has to become a donor herself.

Throughout the film the shots of the British countryside are stunning along with the film’s score – Andrew Garfield also gives a brilliant performance as the somewhat eccentric mannered youth. The child actors are also impressive.

Never Let Me Go is interesting as it focuses heavily on a love relationship and rather little on the issue of injustice – The director that gave us cult classic, One Hour Photo, Mark Romanek succeeds creating eerie sequences.

One in particular is Keira Knightly when she is lying on the operating bed for the last time and she ‘completes’ – This is a euphemism created by Ishiguro, which means death.

There is something particularly horrorific witnessing a thin Knightley during a donor operation – One has to wonder what she has left to give from her thin body. The lighting is eerie and it’s one of the most powerful sequences of the film which concentrates on the idea on an injustice world.

Never Let Me Go’s only flaw and possible strength could be how the characters are oddly accepting of their situation, Kathy H seems like a sort of character that would be take a stand. Perhaps the absence of the character’s fight for their life is what makes the film endearing? It encourages issues such as; powerless, emotional, love stricken youths which makes the film a definite tearjerker.

Never Let Me Go opens nationwide sometime in January 2011.

8/10

Director: Mark Romanek
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley
Runtime: 103 mins
Country: UK

54th BFI London Film Festival 2010

The time of year has come around yet again - Please click here to see full list of films.

The Other Guys (2010) Dir. Adam McKay

The film begins following super cops Highsmith and Danson (Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) on a ludicrous high speed chase through Manhattan.

The opening action scene differs from most comedies due to the special effects, these are great to witness but somewhat unfitting for the genre. Highsmith and Danson are the ultimate cops, real life heroes, in awe with their star status.

There is something extremely endearing seeing Samuel L Jackson play a comical cop role like this, it’s almost a homage to his role in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and at the same token, pokes fun at it.

They are also as one may have guessed from the title, not central to the film. When Danson and Highsmith meet an unfortunate end in the film, odd couple partnership of Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) and Alan Gamble (Will Ferrell) step in to replace them. The relationship between the two cops is meant to be the engine that drives this particular train. Hoitz is a typical alpha-male with anger issues, his career collapsed after accidentally shooting Derek Jeter in the foot. Gamble is a mild tempered forensic accountant transferred from the fraud division to the major crime detective squad for reasons unknown. Gamble is content within his position, loves to stay in the comforts of the office, doing paperwork.

The Other Guys is never unfunny for long. Once we’ve established our two protagonists through a bizarre and amusing lion and tuna metaphor, it is generally fun just to watch them blunder their way through the rest of the movie. Wahlberg’s character is the short-fused catalyst for his first big trip out of the office. Their dynamic warmly satirizes the eighties buddy cop cliche, but more often is simply a vehicle for short-form character sketches.

Ferrell and Wahlberg have never confessed to be pioneers of comedy but their performance in The Other Guys worked well. Don’t expect much for plot, the real talent lies within the central characters. Eva Mendes also gives a great yet short performance as Gambles beautiful wife. The Other Guys is never unfunny for long but it’s not the most sophisticated comedy I have seen this year but it certainly isn’t the worst.

Fish Tank (2009) Dir. Andrea Arnold

Newcomer Katie Jarvis plays Mia, a loud mouthed, angry fifteen year old living with her alcoholic mother and younger sister in a council estate in Essex. Arnold tackles the issue of 'Broken Britain' sensitively and honestly without the overly emotional and dramatic nature that we see with Shane Meadows. She has the cleared eye social realism window as the iconic, Ken Loach exhibits.

Filmed in a documentary style, the audience warms to Mia as the film progresses, we see the helplessness of her situation and begin to admire her loner status. Her world begins to get shaken up when her mother has a new boyfriend. Michael Fassbender plays Connor O'Riley, an intelligent and charismatic man who sparks a connection between Mia and himself.

On one hand, Mia has not known love all her life so when Connor begins giving her attention and positive encouragement, Mia is intrigued and tries to make sense of this. On the other hand, Connor himself is not the typical hero of the film, we learn he has a wife and child and his relations with Mia begins as a disillusioned father - daughter one.

At home, Mia's little sitter watches American programs such as MTVs Cribs and Sweet Sixteen which is clearly a well thought out sequence to outline the problem with society. Whilst spoilt teens get bought huge parties and cars for their birthday's, Mia is desperately trying to live and make sense of love and purpose.

The good bye sequence between Mia and her mother towards the end of the film is the most interesting sequence - Mia's mother is dancing to one of Mia's cd's, Mia approaches her and starts to mirror her dance movements, whilst they stare lovingly into each others eyes, Mia's sister starts mirroring them too.

This mirroring can be interpreted as the mirroring of life styles. Is their hope for Mia's future? Or will she too turn out to be like her mother? Unemployed with a drinking problem.

Whilst Mia packs her things up - Her sister cheekily asks her if she is going away to the 'special school' to which Mia replies "Nah, you can have my place" initiating that her sister will grow up to be a troubled teen as she has. This brings the audience to understand these characters and how they see the world.

Jarvis gives the film extreme depth - She is certainly an actress to look out for in the very near future.

The Unconvential Truth of The Twlight Series

The Twilight Series has encouraged a heavy amount of hype, primarily with teenage girls. Lusting over two very different portrayals of the ideal man.

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is the blood sucking, soulless guy. Feminine in appearance, lean in build and he plays hard to get with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) throughout the series. He is the broken man. The emo.

Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) in contrast has muscles, he is tanned and makes his feelings about Bella strong and clear from the beginning.

These two leading men can be compared to male stars from the past. Edward Cullen as the bisexual icon, James Dean and Jacob Black mirrors the masculine in every shape and form, Marlon Brando.





Teen flicks such as Mean Girls, Cruel Intentions and She's All That often sexualise the female body - The camera often pans from bottom to top on the leading lady's body. We see this in the sequence in She's All That when Laney Bloggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) has just had a revolutionary make over and as she walks down the stairs, the camera adopts the view point of Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr).

Therefore the audience instantly adopts a hetero sexual male voyeuristic view point of the female being the hunted. Metaphorically, the male is merely at opposite ends of the camera, being the hunter.

The Twilight Series has flipped over this tradition that occurs in teen flicks and for that matter, all mainstream films. Ironically, plot wise, Bella Swan is constantly being hunted by the blood sucking hunters however, the underlining messages of the film are extremely different from this notion.

The camera sexualises the two leading men instead of Bella or any other of the female counter parts. The constant slow motion shots of Edward entering a room, is the camera adopting Bella's view point.

Edward Cullen is also extremely feminine and Bella is certainly not the archetype of the idealised feminine character. Her style is casual and somewhat dull, she is very much in the background.

The character of Edward Cullen challenges audience's notion of the ideal male and furthermore, The Twilight Series has reflected that sexuality in the twenty-first century is versatile and constantly evolving. We are entering into yet another sexual revolution and the film industry seems to be picking up on this.