A Week in Film

There are two sides to Joseph Gordon- Levitt: One is the pleasant and earnest (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) and the other is unsympathetic and hard- hitting (Mysterious Skin). The second suits the title character of Hesher, the feature debut of Spencer Susser and co written by Animal Kingdoms David Michod. Hesher is tinted throughout with doom and gloom, a statement both for the film and the character, and hinges on the off kilter nature of Levitt’s performance. However, don’t think that is all there is to write about Hesher

In a young boys life, TJ, played by up and comer Devin Brochu, shouldn’t be nay where near Hesher. He’s a parent’s worst nightmare: a pot smoking drop out living on the edge of life.  He lives in a lawful world with no responsibility, but ahead of warning: Don’t get on his bad side. T.J is all but to late and, literally before he knows, Hesher has just decided to move in and it isn’t a temporary  stay either. That’s the thing about the film though; it makes up it’s own rules. It’s unknown what Hesher will do next and with the force that Gordon Levitt plays the character, it keeps the audience in a heightened state of worry and suspense. What will he do? Burn down a house or just smash it up a bit? It’s a wildly unpredictable film; anchored by surprising turns from the usually too-silly-to-be-taken-seriously Rainn Wilson and a more low key turn from Natalie Portman.

For all it’s wild antics it’s surprising how well the film is able to tackle the themes of grief, love and death which seems to sit around all the characters, whether they want to accept it or not. It’s dark and tinted throughout with an atmosphere of smoke and dirt but it also is neat and too neat and sentimental as it nears it’s end (he becomes part of the family of course). They ask Hesher to leave but it seems like they need something a wildly unbalanced as him around. He’s a fun and wild character to be around and the film is all the better for it. It reminded me of the much forgotten film The Good Girl, a film with a small scope, which, in the end, comes out with a bigger and better pay off than expected.

Another tale of family grievance and mourning comes in the form of The Adopted, the directorial debut of Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Beginners), a very cute, neat and very, very French tale of love, death and parenthood, shown through the lives of three different people who eventually find themselves in the exact same situation. The first part centres around Anglo-Saxon bookstore owner Marine who falls head over heals in love with Denis Menochet’s Alex. A near fatal accident stops their love short however, pushing Alex to the comfort of Melanie Laurent’s Lisa, in which they all give each other helping hand trying to cope with life changing events.  Laurent’s observations of the family dynamic, with views on parenthood, relationships and family values, are confidently handled and the skill she has with actors is done with the skill and understanding of a much more mature director. The story is moving and funny but small and slight, something which you would expect Audrey Tautou to eat up, but the directors stamp on the material makes it worth watching.

With all the hype and all the negative reviews first arsing from Berlin you would expect Iron Sky, a film with as much a troubled production as Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret, that it would be a more enjoyable idea to just imagine it’s premise than to actually sit down and suffer. The premise goes that in 1945 the Nazis retreated to the moon but now they’re coming back. Why? To take over the world and cause ultimate destruction of course; what else would you expect super enraged space Nazis to do? You wouldn’t expect really much else from Iron Sky, a film that seemed destined to be all punch line and nothing else, but somehow this lavish but low budget B-movie affair retains what all beloved cult films contain; a love of the genre and craft, retaining a unique warm charm and, unexpectedly, heart.

To sell it as anything else would be ludicrous-it’s a rough around the edges B-movie which gets rid of all logic to live out it’s inter galactic Nazi adventure. Its satire is obvious but gives the film an unexpected giddy charm, for example a spin-doctor using the Nazis to up Sarah Palins campaign. Actually that seems all too real. The finale is an all out intergalactic battle between every country on earth, reminiscent of the recent Star Wars films. It all seems to good to be true; a genuine treat of unique odd ball humour and Nazi infused action set pieces, with quite a few fine performances.  Possibly all trash needs heart and charm, which most only consider when all hope is lost, but here is Iron Sky, a film with more than just a one hit tagline. A sequel possibly or am I asking for too much?

Finally Garage, from director Leonard Abrahamson, is a low budget gem; a perfectly realised, shot and acted film which blends the best of what Ken Loach and Mike Leigh have offered us over the years. Pat Shortt is Josie, a simple-minded garage owner with simple needs and simple tastes. In the village where he lives he finds it hard to socialise and find what is acceptable behaviour, especially around the youth of the village including David who eventually works with Josie. The film is at once sweet and harsh; a story centring around the fractured reality of Josie and his ways of coping with his isolated existence. Pat Shortt’s performance is a one of a kind. It’s understated, sympathetic performance where Shortt miraculously allows us to care about and take note of someone we ourselves would ignore. The metaphor in the end, with a horse that is tied by its ankles, sites the films message of isolation and how they are both tied back by less than understanding people. Josie is the most human character in an other wise un-humane society and we can’t help but be moved and charmed. There is a rule when playing a character like Josie: Never go full retard. Pat Short does it just perfectly.