Category Archives: Psychological Drama

2025 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You-2025

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If I Had Legs I’d Kick You-2025

Director Mary Bronstein

Starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Christian Slater

Scott’s Review #1,521

Reviewed February 25, 2026

Grade: A-

Not being a parent myself, nor ever having the desire to be one, I was nonetheless enthralled by the subject of stressed parenting explored in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025).

Examining our frazzled lead character, Linda’s, descent into madness after enduring day after day of adult chaos and kid problems, the role is wonderfully played by Rose Byrne.

The actor, though memorable in 2011’s classic Bridesmaids, is usually associated with one-note or throwaway roles throughout her long career.

It’s inspiring to see her finally get her due by playing a complex role with so much chops and receiving an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2025.

With her life crashing down around her, Linda, ironically a psychotherapist, attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness amid pressure from her therapist, her absent husband, a missing client, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her own therapist (Conan O’Brien), also a colleague.

After her living room is destroyed by water damage, she is reduced to renting a dingy motel for an extended period, where she encounters hostile motel workers.

Her saving grace is her late-night solitude, when she can peacefully indulge in wine and pot while sitting on the beach, contemplating her life.

Director Mary Bronstein, who also appears as a therapist, cleverly doesn’t show Linda’s daughter or husband for nearly the entire film, revealing them only through their grating voices. They irritate and stress Linda out to no end.

Undoubtedly, Bronstein either wanted to keep the focus on Linda and her daily peril or to leave it uncertain whether they even existed outside Linda’s mind.

The plot mostly involves a medical situation where Linda’s daughter, Delaney, has a pediatric feeding disorder that necessitates nightly supplemental feeding through a tube and participation in a day hospital program.

Her husband, a ship captain, is away, presumably at sea. This leaves Linda to handle everything.

Linda trudges through her days, arguing with a parking attendant and a contractor, while having misunderstandings with her therapist, patients, and a bitchy girl at her motel.

The supporting characters are well cast and add leverage to Linda’s peril by being completely unsympathetic and sour. O’Brien is excellent as the self-absorbed therapist, while Danielle Macdonald is good as a needy patient who ditches her baby.

But the film belongs to Byrne.

From the first scene, she wears a weary look, and her close-up facial expressions speak volumes about her peril. Linda looks washed out and exhausted while things spiral out of control. Nearly dozing off as a patient chatters away, she finally has had enough.

On the other hand, she is constantly on the brink of losing her shit.

Thanks to Byrne, we are treated to fist-pumping scenes where she lets loose on both therapists and the bitchy motel girl, instantly making Linda the only rootable character in the lot.

Still, she’s not exactly likable herself and incessantly makes poor choices. Her irritation with everything grows tiresome until the final sequence, when the film parleys into a message about mental illness.

If I should have found the film depressing, I didn’t.

Sprinkled with macabre humor, the film must have been influenced by the 1970 masterpiece Diary of a Mad Housewife, starring Carrie Snodgrass as a woman emotionally tortured by her selfish family and on the brink of a breakdown.

Bronstein, also the screenwriter, makes Linda the only character the audience should focus on, and all events are told from her perspective, which makes the film a winner.

Never knowing where events are headed, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025) is a sheer delight in comedic/dramatic insanity. Though it carries a strong central theme of mental wellness, it also promotes the important message that it’s also okay not to have kids who will ruin your life.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Rose Byrne

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Mary Bronstein, Best Lead Performance-Rose Byrne (won)

2000 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama, Top 10 Most Disturbing Films, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Requiem for a Dream-2000

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Requiem for a Dream-2000

Director Darren Aronofsky

Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto

Top 250 Films #95

Top 10 Most Disturbing Films #3    

Scott’s Review #172

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Reviewed September 21, 2014

Grade: A

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is a disturbing film and, at times, tough to watch.

Still, it is a brilliant masterpiece, visually and in storytelling, that I appreciate more and more with each painful (in a good way!) viewing experience.

The film is easily one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen.

The subject matter is drug trafficking/addiction that affects more than one character in the cast- a myriad of different films have tackled this subject- think Traffic, released around the same time as Requiem for a Dream, for a comparison.

At the risk of directly comparing Requiem for a Dream to Traffic, which is unfair, I will say that, as gritty as Traffic is, Requiem for a Dream makes it look like a kid’s film.

Director Darren Aronofsky’s direction is superb.

The story revolves around a young man (Harry) from Brooklyn, played by Jared Leto; his girlfriend, Marion, played by Jennifer Connelly; Harry’s mother, Sara, played by Ellen Burstyn; and Harry’s best friend, Tyrone, played by Marlon Wayans.

Each individual falls into a trap of drug addiction in their own way, but all are written sympathetically so that the audience cares about them and feels their sorrows intensely.

Harry and Tyrone are involved in drug selling but aspire to be successful, and both love their mothers and their significant others- in Harry’s case, that is Marion.

Marion (Connelly) falls in over her head and is forced to turn tricks to feed her heroin habit. She is an intelligent young woman from an affluent family, which makes her downward spiral into prostitution all the more shocking.

The standout among the central characters is Sara Goldfarb, who is a lonely, widowed woman obsessed with a television game show.

Sara develops delusions of grandeur of becoming a contestant and is tragically determined to lose weight to fit into her favorite red dress.

She becomes dependent on diet pills and begins hallucinating that her refrigerator is attacking her.

Aronofsky perfectly blends fantasy sequences that showcase Burstyn’s real attractiveness, contrasting them with Sara’s desperation. Sara is a sad character, and Burstyn is mesmerizing in the role.

How she lost the Oscar to Julia Roberts in 2000 is and always will be one of the biggest Oscar travesties, in my opinion.

The special part of this film lies in its visual and cerebral aspects. The film is dreamlike in its texture and features extreme, fast-paced close-ups of the diet pills or heroin being consumed.

The viewer feels the highs and lows the characters experience, and there is a immediate sense that all the characters are doomed and hopeless.

Besides, this film has one of the most effective and haunting scores I have ever experienced, right up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

The slow-motion sequences combined with frenetic images make this quite cerebral to watch.

I cannot watch this film very often as it is too disturbing and upsetting, but I sure am glad it was made at all.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Ellen Burstyn

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best Feature, Best Director-Darren Aronofsky, Best Female Lead-Ellen Burstyn (won), Best Supporting Female-Jennifer Connelly, Best Cinematography (won)

1976 Films, Drama, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Thriller, Top 250 Films

Taxi Driver-1976

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Taxi Driver-1976

Director Martin Scorsese 

Starring Robert De Niro

Top 250 Films #130

Scott’s Review #776 

Reviewed June 20, 2018

Grade: A

It is incredibly tough to choose a favorite among Martin Scorsese’s films, since nearly all of them are exceptionally well-made.

Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980), and Taxi Driver (1976) come to mind immediately. Taxi Driver may be Scorsese’s darkest film of all.

The thriller is intense, dangerous, and ferocious, led by a riveting performance by Robert De Niro, a regular in the director’s earlier films. The film is nail-biting and compelling, and a great, character-driven watch.

Set in the bustling and (at that time) decrepit New York City shortly following the Vietnam War, Travis is a veteran suffering from some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lonely and angry, he works as an overnight taxi driver who falls for a snooty presidential campaign worker, Betsy (Cybill Shepherd).

He also forges a relationship of a protective nature with an underage prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster). As he gradually spirals out of control due to the unhappiness surrounding him, he plots to kill Betsy’s boss while protecting Iris from her pimp (Harvey Keitel).

One great aspect of Taxi Driver is De Niro’s extremely strong performance. Along with Jake LaMotta’s later role in Raging Bull, Travis Bickle’s role is my second favorite of his.

With Bickle, he is unpredictable, on edge, and angry, as De Niro infuses the character with those qualities in a seamless fashion.

As he teeters on the brink of insanity and is ready to snap at any given moment, the character is impossible not to watch with both fear and marvel.

De Niro is that brilliant. 

While not to be outdone by the aforementioned negative and dangerous qualities, Travis also possesses a few benevolent traits, making the character complex.

Much of this comes through in the protective nature he develops toward Iris.

Almost like a big brother/kid-sister dynamic, the deranged man treats her with kindness rather than taking advantage of her as he easily could have.

The diner scene, which the two actors (De Niro and Foster) share, is rich in interesting dialogue and binds the characters together.

Travis also feels both love and hate toward Betsy (Cybill Shepherd). As a political volunteer for a potential presidential candidate, Travis first sees her while spying on her through the large glass windows where she works.

Coaxing her to accept a date, they have coffee and eventually attend a film together. Betsy is offended by the pornographic film, and their date goes south fast.

After a vicious showdown between the pair at the campaign office, Travis goes off the deep end and plots revenge.

Scorsese’s gritty, atmospheric approach in Taxi Driver is an enormous highlight of the film. Dingy, dark, and dangerous, the director creates numerous scenes that show just how seedy New York City was in the 1970s.

Working the night shift, sure to bring out the rancid and most decaying elements of the city, Travis experiences many cretins and undesirables in his work- and arguably is one of them!

Many scenes feature the notorious 42nd Street and its accompanying porn theaters that made New York City famous (or infamous!) at the time.

In one of the film’s most frightening (and best) scenes, Travis can get his hands on a gun. He practices drawing his weapon in the mirror, repeatedly uttering the famous line “You talkin’ to me?” as we wonder if he will pull the trigger.

The scene is fraught with cerebral tension and quite frightening. Later, when Travis shaves his head and brandishes a mohawk, his new look is downright terrifying.

Scorsese creates a dark world enriched by his incredible cinematography and astounding portrayals of compelling characters in dangerous, unstable times.

Taxi Driver (1976) is a treasure to watch closely and appreciate as a timeless piece of art. Instead of decaying in the vaults of cinema, the film gets better and better with age.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor-Robert De Niro, Best Supporting Actress-Jodie Foster, Best Original Score

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Actor- Drama- Robert De Niro, Best Screenplay

2002 Films, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Psychological Drama, Top 250 Films

The Hours-2002

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The Hours-2002

Director Stephen Daldry

Starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep

Top 250 Films #169

Scott’s Review #803

Reviewed August 17, 2018

Grade: A

The Hours (2002) is a film containing the ultimate in acting riches. With names like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore associated with the film, this is not surprising.

Not solely belonging to the ladies, however, Ed Harris, in particular, is dynamic in his role, as are all the other males who appear in the film.

Told in three different sections in chronological order, but going back and forth, the stories all share connections via the novel Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf.

One of the best films of the decade!

Each segment of the film takes place within a single day, but decades apart.

Wisely, director Stephen Daldry frequently switches between the stories, leaving a sort of cliffhanger and making the drama more compelling and spicy.

In 1923, a depressed Virginia Woolf is portrayed by an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman in a role that won her the Best Actress Oscar.

Woolf resides outside of London and struggles to complete her novel amid nervous breakdowns and the watchful eye of her husband, who is aware of her mental pain.

In 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) seemingly has it all, living the “American Dream”. Residing in a nice neighborhood with a loving husband, she is pregnant with her second child and spends her days at home raising her young son, Richie, whom she is very close to yet does not understand.

After a fleeting lesbian dalliance with a neighbor, Laura goes off to a hotel with bottles of pills, intending to kill herself. She changes her mind after reading Woolf’s novel and dozing off, deciding instead to make a different decision.

Finally, in 2001, Clarissa (Meryl Streep) is bisexual and in a same-sex relationship. She lives with Richard (Harris), whom she dated in college, and is now the best of friends.

He is gay, stricken with the AIDS virus, and close to committing suicide as he plans to jump out of a window.

This story (set in the present) is crucial to the film because it involves two characters from the 1951 story. These characters intersect with others in a touching and heart-wrenching way.

The greatest parts of The Hours are the brilliant acting and the richly written storytelling.

Arguably, Kidman, Streep, and Moore could all have won Oscars for their performances.

I must mention that, as brilliant as Kidman is (she is the sole Oscar recipient) and as universally good as Streep is, I would have given the Oscar to Moore, the standout in my opinion.

Glamorous and intelligent, warm to her son, she makes a monumental and controversial decision. The character should not be sympathetic- yet she is.

This is a testament to Moore’s infusion of the character with confidence, reasonable thought, and even some empathy. We finally understand why she does what she does.

May I boast for a moment about Harris’s performance? Richard, once known as Richie as a kid (this will give something away), has lived a difficult life.

Abandoned, wounded, and suffering much loss, he is a tragic figure, pained beyond belief. His suffering is so monumental that we almost welcome his demise, and Harris offers so much of himself in this difficult role.

He is both physically and emotionally hurt, and Harris portrays this in spades.

Uniquely, all three stories work independently of each other. Yes, characters from one appear in another, but they are like well-crafted vignettes.

Similarly, they each begin with breakfast, then involve the planning of a party or celebration of some sort, and culminate in sadness.

Yet the film does not feel like a downer or preachy in any way; rather, it is good, solid, humanistic storytelling, which I adore.

Sure, the film is considered a drama, but it also contains multiple gay or bisexual characters and therefore must be included in the chambers of LGBT filmmaking.

With an A-list cast, the film helps lead the charge (successfully so) to bring more rich LGBT films to the center stage and garner mainstream audiences.

The great aspect of The Hours is that it is a mainstream film- a good, solid drama.

Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Cunningham, The Hours (2002) does not try to draw parallels between the stories or necessarily connect them in an obvious fashion.

Rather, the film version provokes thought both with LGBT and feminist approaches. Each female central character lives in a world run by men, as Woolf argues in her novel.

The film brilliantly adapts the novel and brings it to large audiences in a fantastic, riveting fashion.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Stephen Daldry, Best Actress-Nicole Kidman (won), Best Supporting Actor-Ed Harris, Best Supporting Actress-Julianne Moore, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing

2022 Films, Art, Biography, Drama, Psychological Drama

Blonde-2022

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Blonde-2022

Director Andrew Dominik

Starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale

Scott’s Review #1,305

Reviewed October 7, 2022

Grade: A

Blonde (2022) is not the kind of film that I expected.

When I became aware that a new film vehicle showcasing the legendary film icon Marilyn Monroe was in the works, I assumed it would be a biographical-style effort. After all, this is hardly the first time the star’s life has been explored.

Throw in bits about her struggles, her love life, her famous screen roles, and her rise to fame, and there you’d have it.

My only real thought was who would be playing her?

Films about Marilyn have been made before, including the most recent effort I can recall, My Week With Marilyn (2011), starring Michelle Williams, a superior film but hardly groundbreaking or well remembered ten years later.

Released via the Netflix streaming service, director Andrew Dominik kicks the shit out of any preconceived notions about glamorous, happy, and prosperous Marilyn.

He creates a story focused on the dark side of the star: her failures, her insecurities, her forced abortions, and her humiliations. The result is a film that is both tragic and profound, and it should be well remembered.

Blonde delves into facts and some of the more profound thoughts of the legend herself, creating a muddy and dreamlike quality that makes the viewer apprehensive about what’s going on.

Since it’s based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 fictional memoir, which is her interpretation of events, it makes truth and imagination all the muddier.

It’s not happy days watching Blonde, which left me wondering if Marilyn had a happy day in her life. From her abortions to sexual harassment, drug addiction, and physical abuse by her husband, she excitedly scampers off to a date with President Kennedy, only to be forced to give him oral sex.

Ana de Armas, known for Knives Out (2019) and No Time to Die (2021), is brilliant as Marilyn. Her mannerisms, speech patterns, and facial expressions reveal a genuine, layered portrayal rather than a carbon copy imitation of her.

Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons in two hours and forty-seven minutes of storytelling. It is advisable not to watch the film in one sitting, but instead spread it over three nights to let the story unfold.

Events begin with her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, marked by an abusive mother and an absent father, and her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements. Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.

In a way, Marilyn suffered from a split personality, longing to be Norma Jeane and despising Marilyn.

Enhancing the ambiguity, Dominik elects to use cinematography that is sometimes blurry as if in a sleepy haze, and sprinkles color with the primarily black and white filming. He even films one abortion scene from the perspective of Marilyn’s vagina.

These creative details lead me to classify Blonde as an art film and a highly interpretive one.

While not a crowd-pleaser, Blonde is not all doom and gloom either.

Tidbits about her most famous films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Some Like It Hot (1959) are featured, showcasing one or two neat camera tricks, so it appears that de Armas is acting opposite Tony Curtis.

I worry that poor reviews for Blonde may hinder de Armas’s chances of receiving an Academy Award nomination. Positive reviews usually help secure Oscar recognition.

Thankfully, despite many critics and viewers having issues with the film, de Armas has received worldwide acclaim.

Bobby Cannavale and Adrien Brody are excellent as Marilyn’s husbands, controlling Joe DiMaggio and insecure artist Arthur Miller. Both actors combine effective acting with distinguished portrayals, allowing the audience to appreciate the appeal of both men.

Other interesting subplots involve Monroe’s ‘throuple’ romance with bisexual actors Cass and Eddy, and a haunting exposure of the abuse suffered by Marilyn at the hands of her mother, Gladys, wonderfully played by Julianne Nicholson.

There is little doubt that Blonde (2022) is an unconventional film that may not appeal to everyone. However, it’s the down-and-dirty texture and tour-de-force portrayal of Monroe that won me over.

It chilled me to the bone in the best possible way.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Ana de Armas

2021 Films, Drama, Psychological Drama

The Lost Daughter-2021

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The Lost Daughter-2021

Director Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson

Scott’s Review #1,232

Reviewed February 21, 2022

Grade: A

Throughout The Lost Daughter (2021), there is a constant feeling of dread that may result in viewer anxiety.

We know that bad things are coming, but we do not know how or when. This makes for good drama done exceptionally well by director Maggie Gyllenhaal in her astounding debut.

She has acted for years and has made the transition to writer/director.

Gyllenhaal adapts her film from a novel written by Italian author Elena Ferrante. The experience is extremely female-centered, and having a female pen both book and film makes it a rich and authentic project.

The result is a brilliant depiction of motherhood and choices, making it essential for everyone to see and appreciate.

However, the film is not for everyone, nor will it please those seeking a conventional work about mother-daughter love and moments of happily skipping through the field of daisies. It has feel-good moments, but it’s much darker than some might expect.

For me, those aspects are what make The Lost Daughter so damned amazing.

We meet middle-aged Leda (Olivia Colman) when the woman embarks on a seaside vacation in Greece. She begins to observe a young mother, Nina (Dakota Johnson), and her daughter, Elena, on the beach and becomes obsessed with them.

Leda unwisely butts heads with the mother’s menacing extended family, who may be mafia-related.

Leda begins to have memories of her early motherhood when she struggled to raise two young girls while balancing her career as a professor. When she spontaneously steals Elena’s doll, she becomes increasingly obsessive, battling moments of rage and emotion.

Colman is a perfect choice for the central character. From the first moment she appears on the screen, we know there is conflict surrounding her. She is consumed by anger and either guilt or tension.

The actress is outstanding at portraying Leda’s complexities through her eyes and facial expressions. Many shots of Leda quietly observing events or sitting on the beach, deep in thought, are powerful.

Though a quiet film, The Lost Daughter never drags or lags, thanks to Gyllenhaal’s perfect portrayal of a doleful atmosphere. I was dying to know Leda’s secrets, and the interspersing flashbacks to a young Leda, wonderfully played by Jessie Buckley, finally provide resolution.

But that’s just the beginning of the fun. Once Leda’s backstory is revealed, and Gyllenhaal makes us wait quite a while for the reveal, there are more places for the film to go, like what about the stolen doll?

The viewer will not only wonder why Leda stole the doll but also why she won’t return it, especially when it’s known how desperately the family wants it back. Will they kill her when they find out she has it?

Beneath all the drama, a lingering question is posed to the viewers. Do I want to be a parent? The film is not only for women, but men can certainly ask themselves the same question.

The inclusion of a male character played by Ed Harris is evidence of this. In his youth, he struggled with being a father.

The film has a sense of purpose and meaning that many films lack. A film that poses questions and makes the viewer squirm a bit is top-notch for me. The basic story of a lone woman on vacation evolves into a tale of intensity and psychological warfare within oneself and one’s feelings.

The Lost Daughter (2021) is a complicated watch, but it offers a lesson in outstanding acting, directing, writing, and how atmosphere and mood can enhance a story layered with intrigue.

As shocking and unsettling as moments are, I was left feeling satisfied that I had seen something of worth and merit.

I can’t wait to see what Gyllenhaal does next.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Olivia Colman, Best Supporting Actress-Jessie Buckley, Best Adapted Screenplay

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 3 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director-Maggie Gyllenhaal (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Female-Jessie Buckley

1968 Films, Drama, Psychological Drama, Satire

If…-1968

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If…-1968

Director Lindsay Anderson

Starring Malcolm McDowell

Scott’s Review #1,178

Reviewed September 18, 2021

Grade: A

Malcolm McDowell fascinates me. The mere construction of his facial features astounds me. With his crystal blue eyes and sullen smirk, it’s tough to tell what he is thinking.

He stars in If… (1968), a satire of the student experience amid a strict upper-class English public school.

It’s McDowell’s film debut, which is worth noting.

McDowell, best known for A Clockwork Orange (1971), made several great films in just a few years.

The film follows a group of fed-up pupils, led by Mick Travis (McDowell), who ultimately stage a bloody insurrection at a boys’ boarding school. But is it real or imagined by Mick?

Mick is torn between the sadistic older boys known as the Whips and the lowly first-year students, affectionately known as Scum, who are forced to do their bidding.

He and his two henchmen, Johnny (David Wood) and Wallace (Richard Warwick), rebel by stealing and acting defiantly, provoking the ire of both the Whips and the school’s out-of-touch administration.

This conflict leads to an unexpected and bloody showdown.

If… was the subject of controversy in 1968 at the time of its release, receiving an X rating for its depictions of violence against school administration and grown-ups.

That year was a juicy one in cinema, as edgier, more creative fare was being produced in anticipation of the 1970s.

I champion the film and its director, Lindsay Anderson, for having the guts to make a film of this nature, sure to piss off and shock the education system and those who don’t get what the film is expressing.

One wonders whether the English rock band Pink Floyd drew inspiration from If… when creating their legendary 1979 song ‘Another Brick in the Wall.

The Whips are the villains, and the school administrators are portrayed as complacent or incompetent; as a result, the finale is quite satisfying for viewers.

One will never forget the image of Mick fiendishly standing on a rooftop, brandishing a gun and firing determinedly. His cohorts join him in celebrating graduation. For them, it’s a delightful moment since all the parents and family members are in attendance.

It’s only a film, but I can’t help but wonder how differently the film is perceived by an audience in the post-Columbine era, a vicious school shooting that occurred in the United States, an incident that led to a rash of similar events.

To clarify, since Anderson made a follow-up film to If… with O Lucky Man! in 1973, starring McDowell as the same character, we can rest easier in the knowledge that the events in If… are purely the imagination of Mick.

It’s a satire.

And what schoolboy or schoolgirl hasn’t fantasized about how delicious it would be to give bullies or other bastards their just deserts for making their lives miserable?

Another takeaway I got from If… is that it doesn’t have to be about a prep school at all. Mick and his friends question conformity and rules. Why can’t the viewer do the same in the workplace or in life itself?

I’ve seen the film twice and can never account for the inexplicable shifts from color to black-and-white in various scenes.

Anderson claims this was done for budget reasons, but others have done a deeper dive and hypothesized that the color versus black-and-white choice has more to do with fantasy.

Whatever the reason, it successfully offers a surrealistic measure.

If… (1968) is a fantastic film that invites open dialogue after viewing. Isn’t that what cinema is all about? A discussion of the merits and conclusions of a particular movie?

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Foreign Film (English Language)

2011 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama

Take Shelter-2011

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Take Shelter-2011

Director Jeff Nichols

Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain

Scott’s Review #1,150

Reviewed June 9, 2021

Grade: B+

Michael Shannon is a great actor. Appearing mostly in supporting roles and breaking out big time in 2008’s Revolutionary Road, he gets the lead in Take Shelter (2011) and is more than up to the task of creating a great character.

The ambivalence and uncertainty his character feels are central to the film’s enjoyment.

It’s a slow burn with an unsatisfying payoff, but I mean that as a compliment.

The plot is set in a small rural town in Ohio.

Curtis LaForche (Shannon) is a working-class husband, father, and provider for his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and young daughter, Hannah.

Curtis begins to have scary apocalyptic dreams, which he keeps from his family.

He decides to build a storm shelter in his backyard, which raises Samantha’s concerns. His strange behavior creates a strain on his family. As he builds the shelter, Curtis is afraid of his dreams, or rather, afraid that they are a premonition and will come true.

Is he going crazy, or will his dreams become a devastating reality?

Curtis, Samantha, and the entire audience will ponder this note throughout the film.

An interesting add-on is that Hannah is deaf, so the way her parents embrace and accept her disability is a nice nod to the inclusiveness of people with disabilities.

Take Shelter is delightful to revisit and discuss ten years following its release.

In 2011, both Shannon and Chastain were up-and-coming stars and only barely on the cusp of A-list status, so it’s fun to see them in an independent film that showcases their acting chops.

They would go on to become big stars and showcase their talents in many other roles, so it’s fun to see them in early-career performances.

Shannon is careful not to outshine Chastain, but Curtis focuses on what is going on inside. His conflict is palpable and written all over his face in quiet scene after quiet scene after quiet scene as he gazes at the luminous skies.

He wonders what is coming next.

His dreams, hallucinations, and auditory experiences involving swarms of blackbirds are creepy and well-made on a small budget. A clue is when it is revealed that Curtis’s mother had paranoid schizophrenia at roughly the same age that Curtis is.

A drained Curtis seeks counseling but still cannot shake his feelings of impending doom. I felt completely empathetic to his plight and never saw Curtis as crazy or out of control.

He possesses controlled restraint.

Director Jeff Nichols does an exceptional job of making the film largely quiet and peaceful, with a gnawing, foreboding dread, as if the expected apocalypse might come upon the lonely town.

Take Shelter is the debut by Nichols, who followed up this gem with two other low-key but critically acclaimed films, Mud (2012) and Loving (2016).

He knows how to get to the core of his characters’ deepest thoughts and feelings.

He wrote each of these works and received praise for fine writing.

The film is about the relationship between the characters and the possibility that Curtis is going insane. I’m not sure Take Shelter provides a neatly wrapped conclusion, but boy is it an edge-of-your-seat thrill.

And why does it need to?

Shannon’s best scene occurs at a Lions Club community event. With most of the town gathered in the hall for a delicious dinner of potluck dishes, things go bad when Curtis loses his temper and verbally berates the townspeople. He warns them that they are unprepared for the doom.

They look at him as if he belongs in a padded cell, and Shannon’s explosion is frightening and frighteningly good.

As good as Shannon is, Chastain must not be dismissed. She barely holds it together as a woman with a special needs child and an unbalanced husband. When they lose their health insurance, she nearly comes apart at the seams.

I love the ending because Nichols leaves the truth of reality a mystery to the audience. This may dissatisfy some, but I thought it’s how Take Shelter should be.

Unclear, just like the thoughts of its main character.

Take Shelter (2011) succeeds with a powerhouse performance by its star Michael Shannon, wonderful direction, and a refined imbalance.

The quiet and thoughtful cinema fan will be most endeared to this film.

2004 Films, Cerebral, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama

Birth-2004

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Birth-2004

Director Jonathan Glazer

Starring Nicole Kidman

Scott’s Review #1,124

Reviewed March 18, 2021

Grade: B+

Because of the film’s complex storyline, Birth (2004) is a tough sell for most cinema lovers.

A grown woman embarking on any romance with a ten-year-old boy will turn off viewers, though, can you even imagine if the genders were reversed?

I was fascinated by the premise and the endless possibilities of a conclusion.

I’m not quite sure what I expected to happen ultimately, but I felt slightly underwhelmed by the ending.

All in all, it is a daring effort that I wish had more payoff.

The first hour or so is extremely provocative.

Nicole Kidman excels at making the unbelievable material as believable as possible, and Jonathan Glazer directs the film very well, giving it a haunting, mysterious Stanley Kubrick vibe.

The director would come into name recognition following his 2013 masterpiece Under the Skin.

The film opens with a voiceover of an unknown man, a professor, lecturing about his disbelief in reincarnation. The audience then sees the man jogging through New York City’s Central Park, where he collapses and dies.

It takes Anna (Kidman) ten years to recover from the death of her husband, Sean (the professor), but now she’s on the verge of marrying her boyfriend, Joseph (Danny Huston), and finally moving on.

We suspect she may not be completely keen on marrying Joseph, but most of their relationship is unclear. We know that she aches for Sean.

On the night of their lavish engagement party, a young boy named Sean (Cameron Bright) turns up, claiming to be her dead husband reincarnated.

At first, she ignores the child, thinking it’s a joke, but his knowledge of her former husband’s life is uncanny, leading her to realize that he could be telling the truth slowly.

Anna is conflicted to say the very least, and Kidman effortlessly makes the audience believe that what is considered ridiculous might be true.

Is there a supernatural element here?

Her family members, led by her mother, Eleanor (Lauren Bacall), are disbelieving and antagonistic towards the boy for disrupting Anna’s life.

An issue is that, other than one supporting character, Clara (Anne Heche), who has a great opening sequence burying mysterious letters, the others have next to nothing to contribute to the story except to brood and get angry.

Bacall, in particular, is completely wasted in a role that any other older actress could have played.

Parallels to Rosemary’s Baby (1968) are hard not to make. Anna dons a similar pixie haircut to Rosemary. They both reside in swanky, old-style New York City high-rises with a ghostly, haunting feel.

The ambiance is a positive.

My favorite camera shot that Glazer includes is a lengthy one of Kidman’s Anna. In a close-up, the character’s reactions are on full display for what feels like several minutes. Kidman gets to show her tremendous range- tears, shock, realization.

I’ve noticed a similar shot in a handful of modern films, and it’s an actor’s delight- a viewer’s too!

The finale, without giving much away, is interesting to a point. The big reveal involving Clara is intriguing until the viewer backtracks and tries to add up all the events.

The fact is, they don’t add up, and I longed for something more concrete or believable.

There is no good payoff.

Birth (2004) doesn’t always add up to satisfaction, but it’s edgy, gloomy, and unpredictable, and I enjoyed those facets enough to recommend it.

This is not a mainstream film like Ghost (1990) with a similar theme- it’s much more cerebral and thought-provoking.

Kidman’s performance is the main draw here, but it’s tough to find a film in which she isn’t great.

2003 Films, Boston, Crime Drama, Drama, Psychological Drama

Mystic River-2003

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Mystic River-2003

Director Clint Eastwood

Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon

Scott’s Review #801

Reviewed August 10, 2018

Grade: A

Mystic River (2003) is a film I consider the second-best offering directed by Clint Eastwood.

Along with Million Dollar Baby (2004), Eastwood creates two compelling back-to-back dramas that are not too dissimilar.

He was unquestionably the “it” director of the early 2000s, and with Mystic River, he helms a gritty mystery drama with a stellar cast, nuts-and-bolts storytelling, and enough twists and turns to keep the audience guessing and ultimately shocked.

Together, these elements create a memorable experience.

The film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Dennis Lehane. A tremendous element is a locale of Boston and an Irish, blue-collar/working-class theme, prevalent throughout the story.

Thanks to the cinematography, which illuminates a grey, stormy look, the rest of the film is enhanced. I adore films shot in and around Boston, as it offers so much culture and flavor.

Eastwood hardly misses a beat, with some cold, grizzled touches that play into the hardships and struggles of the characters’ everyday lives.

The story begins with the central characters (Jimmy, Dave, and Sean) as young boys, in a three-musketeers-type scenario where they are like blood brothers.

After an incident occurs where Dave is accosted by men and sexually abused, he is ultimately rescued after four torturous days, but his life is never the same.

Fast forward twenty-five years, and the boys are now men, still living in a working-class Boston neighborhood. Each is married; their lives have moved on, they’ve drifted apart, and they have vastly different personalities.

They reunite after a tragedy occurs.

For starters, Eastwood’s major win is casting each male character.

Sean Penn plays Jimmy, the volatile ex-con, who runs a small store, while Sean, played by Kevin Bacon, has become a Massachusetts State Police officer, putting him directly at odds with Jimmy.

Sadly, Dave (Tim Robbins) now lives a quiet life, still harboring trauma, shame, and guilt from his childhood experience.

When Jimmy’s daughter (Emmy Rossum) is brutally murdered, the three friends’ lives are intertwined as they search for the killer, taking the viewers down a dark path filled with secrets, some from the past.

Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden give tremendous performances as Jimmy’s and Dave’s wives, respectively.

Mystic River is a film in which all the great elements come together perfectly. From the acting to the story’s components, the whodunit, the exciting twist and conclusion, and the overall film, it is truly exceptional.

But what sets it apart from a standard drama or thriller is the characterization and the relationships among them.

Childhood memories can last a lifetime because of their monumental importance, as Jimmy, Dave, and Sean show time and again. Blood brothers, yes, but when tragedy strikes, old wounds and fresh wounds together run deep.

Violence and revenge are firm staples of this film and common to many Eastwood films. Viewers may also find themselves conflicted about whom to sympathize with or where their allegiances should lie.

Jimmy, the anti-hero, will garner sympathy for the vicious loss of his daughter- pain that can never be fully healed.

Did Dave, the obvious prime suspect, kill the girl? If so, was it on purpose or by accident? Are others, specifically his wife, involved in a cover-up?

Eastwood carves the setup spectacularly, but is it a simple red herring? These events make the film unbelievably compelling.

The performances are fabulous all around, especially from Penn and Robbins, both Oscar winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Penn never delivers a poor performance, but Jimmy is one of his best characters yet.

As for Robbins, he fills the character of Dave with empathy- a wounded bird left damaged through no fault of his own, suffering a terrible fate due to circumstances, misunderstandings, and ultimately tragedy.

Mystic River (2003) watched alongside Million Dollar Baby (2004) would make for an excellent Saturday night for fans of Clint Eastwood’s directorial talents.

These two are the best of the best, with great character development and rich writing.

The direction, however, enhances the spectacular elements and takes them a bit further, providing appropriate texture and a wonderful atmosphere.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Clint Eastwood, Best Actor-Sean Penn (won), Best Supporting Actor-Tim Robbins (won), Best Supporting Actress-Marcia Gay Harden, Best Adapted Screenplay

2006 Films, British, Drama, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Notes on a Scandal-2006

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Notes on a Scandal-2006

Director Richard Eyre

Starring Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett

Scott’s Review #793

Reviewed July 23, 2018

Grade: A

A British drama centering on the world of teachers, illicit affairs, and sexuality, Notes on a Scandal (2006) is a superlative effort with thrills and drama galore.

Featuring heavyweights like Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, there is no way this film could be a dud based on the acting alone.

The chemistry between the women and the carefully crafted thrills created by director, Richard Eyre, make the film a compelling joy to view- perhaps multiple times for additional entertainment.

The story is told mainly from the perspective of Barbara Covett (Dench), a rigid and bored schoolteacher nearing retirement at a comprehensive school in London.

Barbara is a spinster and a closeted lesbian, constantly writing in her journal for comfort- this is the main narrative of the story and is tremendously effective.

When a young and attractive art teacher, Sheba Hart (Blanchett), arrives on the scene, Barbara fancies her and is determined to get closer.

After Sheba begins an illicit affair with a male student, Barbara discovers the shenanigans and uses the situation to her advantage.

The scandal results in both women’s careers being at risk, as well as Sheba’s troubled home life coming to fruition.

Notes on a Scandal is a good, solid psychological thriller/drama with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer engaged. The film is not very long- at one hour and thirty-two minutes, there is hardly any time for lagging.

The best achievements, however, are with the superior acting of the two leads. With other lesser talents, this film might have suffered from too much melodrama and not enough meat.

With great acting chops, Dench and Blanchett do not let this happen; instead, they treat the audience to a riveting affair.

As fantastic as Blanchett is, Dench’s Barbara is the standout, taking center stage throughout the film.

Interestingly, despite both actresses being leads, Dench received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, while Blanchett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

But there is no question that both actresses deserved the praises they reaped- and then some.

Dench delivers such a delicious performance that she arguably makes the film worth watching. Wearing no makeup and dressed as conservatively as imaginable, the subject will cast an icy stare or thoughtful gaze that runs shivers up and down the viewer’s spine.

As conflict and drama unfold, Barbara proves she is nobody to be messed with.

Still, the character has an underlying vulnerable quality, simply yearning for affection and love from another woman. One wonders if she has ever really had the love she deserves.

Dench is brilliant at revealing Barbara’s nuances.

The film poses an interesting moral question that will leave some viewers undoubtedly not fans of Sheba’s.

The fact that she lusts after an underage male, Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson), and has relations with him, while having a husband and disabled child at home, may be too much for some.

Surely, the character will not be championed by many, but I found Sheba complex and difficult to grasp.

This complexity is to the filmmaker’s credit and allows for a more layered character study of both Sheba and Barbara- neither is cut and dry.

An interesting aside of the film is what if the genders of the roles were reversed? Would the film have the same effect if Sheba were a male character and Steven were a teenage girl? What if Barbara were a straight woman? What if Barbara were a gay male character?

These other possibilities left me wondering as I watched the film. Wisely, I think director Eyre got things just right.

Notes on a Scandal (2006) is a film that reminds me of a British version of Fatal Attraction (1987) meets Single White Female (1992).

The story holds elements of each and was adapted from a 2003 novel of the same name. With frightfully good performances by both Dench and Blanchett, this film is a memorable thriller not to be missed.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actress-Cate Blanchett, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score

2006 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama

Babel-2006

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Babel-2006

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett

Scott’s Review #791

Reviewed July 19, 2018

Grade: A

Babel (2006) is part of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Death Trilogy” films- Amores Perros (2000) and 21 Grams (2001) are the others.

The director crafts a riveting drama involving intersecting stories that are a thrill ride a minute and highly compelling.

The film is at risk of being forgotten, however, largely due to Iñárritu’s subsequent successes- Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015). Still, Babel is a fantastic companion piece to either Traffic (2000) or Crash (2006), as those films hold a similar style.

The three stories are riveting in their own right and could each be a gripping short film.

The fact that characters within each segment are related to the others in some way takes the stories over the top.

The film switches back and forth between stories, which is a huge plus, making the tension even more palpable as we begin to connect the dots.

The spliced editing is a remarkable achievement in ensuring seamless continuity.

Each story is summarized below.

An affluent American couple, Richard and Susan (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett), vacation in Morocco, happily enjoying a bus tour.

When two local boys play with their father’s rifle and experiment by shooting at long range, the American woman is shot, leading to a terrorist accusation. At the same time, the couple desperately seeks medical attention in the middle of nowhere and in a foreign country.

In Japan, a wealthy businessman (and owner of the rifle) is investigated while his promiscuous teenage daughter (Rinko Kikuchi) seeks attention from young men.

The girl, who is deaf, is angry and depressed due to her mother’s recent suicide.

As she flirts with a local detective, she slips him a mysterious note. She implores him to read the note only after he leaves her father’s gorgeous high-rise apartment, leading to a mysterious revelation.

Finally, in southern California, Richard and Susan’s Mexican nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barraza), cares for the couple’s young children. Almost like a real family member, Amelia adores the kids (and they love her.)

When she is notified that the couple will be delayed returning home, she panics and foolishly takes the kids across the border to Mexico to attend her son’s wedding.

When an incident involves the police, Amelia and the kids’ lives are in peril.

The connecting stories are only part of what makes Babel so fantastic, but an enormous aspect is the direction Iñárritu gives the characters.

As the stories play out, we care deeply for the characters that play a great role in adding meat to each story.

Sometimes the characters’ connections are immediately known; other times, the audience can savor the inevitable big reveal. Not every story featured in Babel will have a happy ending, which makes the film all the more compelling and satisfying.

How incredible are the different locales and cultures featured in Babel from a geographical perspective alone?

The action traverses from the hip, modern metropolis of Tokyo, with slick nighttime sequences, dance clubs, and urban hip-hop beats.

The deserts of remote Morocco, with their vast, sweeping landscapes, blend perfectly with the hot Mexican atmosphere and the cultural nuances of a real Mexican wedding.

Another key element is the characters’ different backgrounds and the conflicts this sometimes leads to. As Richard frantically seeks medical attention for Susan, he encounters resistance from some while receiving aid from a local veterinarian.

At the Mexico-United States border, Amelia and her brother are not treated well by Border Patrol. One cannot help knowing that this is because they are Mexican and carrying American children, thus discriminated against.

Wonderful call-outs are deserved for the relatively unknown actors Kikuchi and Barraza, both of whom received tremendous accolades in 2006 for their work, even though they could easily have been overlooked in favor of bigger, high-profile stars like Blanchett and Pitt.

I love it when this happens, and gritty performances get the respect they deserve. Both actors give great performances in complex, layered characters.

Since making Babel, Iñárritu has progressed to great acclaim with Oscar winners like Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015), but let’s not forget that Babel received a heap of Oscar nominations, though sadly only one victory for the musical score.

Unfortunately usurped by his more high-profile works, Babel (2006) is an excellent, fast-paced, and layered film with spectacular characters, storytelling, and editing.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Best Supporting Actress-Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score (won), Best Film Editing

2005 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, New York City, Psychological Drama

Sorry, Haters-2005

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Sorry, Haters-2005

Director Jeff Stanzler

Starring Robin Wright

Scott’s Review #787

Reviewed July 12, 2018

Grade: A

Sorry, Haters (2005) is a small indie film that was not well received by audiences or, at least not by many, by film critics, but that I am a champion of.

The film is a little-known gem and a showcase piece for star Robin Wright, who has become quite the indie queen over the years.

Thankfully, the film did receive some recognition via two independent film nominations, which is how I heard of it.

Regardless, Wright gives a fantastic performance as a troubled television executive who becomes involved with a Muslim taxi driver in New York City, panic-stricken post 9/11.

Ashade (Abdel Kechiche) struggles with driving a cab and the myriad of family issues he faces, including legal troubles.

When an upscale, white woman, Phoebe (Wright), enters his cab one night, she insists on forging a friendship, but what is her motivation?

She immediately seems slightly unbalanced and tense.

Reluctant but in need of her help, Ashade’s life becomes entangled with hers as Phoebe offers her assistance. But when her true motivations are revealed, the audience will never see the terrific and terrifying conclusion coming.

The film is very dark in tone and is hardly a feel-good film.

The best aspect of Sorry, Haters is the complicated relationship between Phoebe and Ashade and how it plays out in the story.

More accurate is the complex dynamic of Phoebe herself as her motivations are slowly revealed.

As great as Kechiche is, the standout is Wright, but both play well opposite each other. Her role is more developed and the centerpiece as the audience slowly becomes aware of her dark secrets and disturbing behaviors.

Phoebe immediately claims to be going through a divorce and hires Ashade to drive her to nearby New Jersey to observe her ex-husband.

She talks his ear off, recounting how she has lost her family. This scene becomes the first clue that Phoebe may be unbalanced.

As the film progresses, this becomes more obvious. As Phoebe dines with colleagues, she engages in reluctant conversation while violently cutting her leg with a fork beneath the table for relief.

Wright can do no wrong as an actress, appearing in numerous films over the years. She is not a “box office” type of actress, and this is to her credit. She chooses independent films that let her sink her teeth into meaty, complex female roles.

The role of Phoebe is of that ilk. The character is unstable, bordering on madness, with rage bubbling under the surface.

Wright portrays these emotions successfully.

Let’s not forget the other leading actor- Kechiche is purely dynamic in the male leading role. The audience will undoubtedly sympathize with this man and his character right away.

Since the period is so close to the events of 9/11, and the character is Muslim (some big clues to the climactic conclusion here), the man is a prime target for discrimination.

Since his brother is imprisoned and needs a legal team, Ashade is quite vulnerable and ultimately at Phoebe’s mercy.

The interesting dynamic between Phoebe and Ashade is that they do not share a romantic relationship at all. Developing a friendship based on need, there is something not right about the situation, and director Jeff Stanzler establishes the appropriate mood with many scenes set either at night or in the confines of Ashade’s taxi.

Dialogue frequently seems awkward between the two.

Despite not being an easy film to watch, Sorry, Haters (2005) is a film with a powerful message and great scenery of one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

The film is dark, even dour, but above all, it contains a powerful message with a timely subject matter. Rich in character development between the leads and the maniacal motivations of some.

I found the film to be topical, riveting, and disturbing.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Female Lead-Robin Wright Penn, Best Screenplay

2011 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama

We Need to Talk About Kevin-2011

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We Need to Talk About Kevin-2011

Director Lynne Ramsay

Starring Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller

Scott’s Review #785

Reviewed July 9, 2018

Grade: A

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) is a tremendously disturbing independent drama with eerie similarities to the infamous Columbine school shooting massacre.

The point of view of the film is from the perspective of Eva (Tilda Swinton), a haggard, troubled mother doubting her love for her violent teen son.

Swinton was shamefully overlooked for an Academy Award nomination despite her brilliant, breathtaking performance.

The overall film itself is equally astounding and powerful.

Adapted from a Lionel Shriver novel, the film begins in the present day, after tragedy has occurred.

Eva, once a successful writer of affluent means, now lives alone in a rundown house near a prison where she frequently visits her son Kevin (Ezra Miller).

She is now reduced to a mundane job at a travel agency while neighbors terrorize her, blaming her for her son’s machinations.

Chillingly, Eva ponders the warning signs Kevin exhibited throughout his childhood and tortures herself with thoughts of what she could have done differently to prevent the shootings and the death of her loved ones.

Uniquely, the film segues to before Kevin was even born. Eva and her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) happily welcome their baby boy, but he is immediately “not right” and difficult and cold towards her.

This behavior continues over the years as Kevin is distant towards Eva, but warm and adoring towards his father, leading to mental games and the death of a pet.

When Eva and Franklin have another child, things get progressively worse, leading to tragic events.

The film is a pure masterpiece with riveting acting performances all around (especially Swinton) and a slow, plodding pace. This is a perfect aspect of the film because it maintains a continuous gloomy, moody vibe.

Director Lynne Ramsay reveals everything in the opening moments, so we know how events will unfold, but the real enjoyment comes from the characters’ development.

Dad, Franklin, and daughter, Celia, are around, but the film belongs to Eva and Kevin and their relationship.

The film raises many questions (I know I asked myself these questions).

Should any blame be cast upon Eva, or is she purely innocent? How about Franklin? Is Kevin just a “bad kid”? Was Eva wrong for breaking Kevin’s arm in anger, or justified? Should Eva have never had kids because of her earlier doubts? Should she have been more proactive about getting Kevin treatment?

Swinton delivered her career-best performance, and while she earned a Golden Globe nomination, the ultimate gold statuette (Oscar) passed her by.

I find this to be troubling, especially since she won for 2007’s Michael Clayton, a very good performance, but not on the same level as Eva.

Swinton is one of the great modern actresses, and hopefully, great roles will continue to follow this treasured star.

Almost on par with Swinton is a young talent, Ezra Miller. A relative newcomer in 2011, he appeared in the indie gem The Perks of a Wallflower (2012) and later moved into more mainstream fare like Trainwreck (2015) and Suicide Squad (2016).

We Need to Talk About Kevin remains his best and most challenging effort.

One of the best sequences occurs during the school massacre scene. Shot at night (and in my adopted hometown of Stamford, Connecticut!), the sequence involves flashing police lights and chaos as Eva approaches the school in horror.

With no dialogue, we see Kevin enter the school and render the doors useless as an escape route.

Terrified students are murdered as Kevin erupts with maniacal rage. The scene is downright chilling and incredibly effective.

2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer reminds me a lot of We Need to Talk About Kevin in tone and style, so much so that I wonder whether the latter was watched and studied before the former.

Either way, the duo could be watched back-to-back for a double dose of teenage maniacs.

With a bleak, dark tone, We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) offers a story with a clear message.

Never discussing the hot topic of gun control, guns are not used in the slaughter, a bow is, weapon restrictions will nevertheless be an obvious discussion point.

This film is one to be observed, savored, dissected, and thought about after the finale, and remembered as a great piece of cinema.

1961 Films, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Psychological Drama

The Children’s Hour-1961

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The Children’s Hour-1961

Director William Wyler

Starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine

Scott’s Review #620

Reviewed March 3, 2017

Grade: B+

The Children’s Hour (1961) is one of the earliest films to center around an LGBTQ+ theme and the subsequent scandals the subject would provoke in the innocent year of 1961, pre-Civil Rights and pre-Sexual Revolution.

However, since the film was made in the year that it was, homosexuality was presented as something dark and evil rather than something to be accepted or even embraced.

Still, the film and its director, William Wyler, are brave enough to recognize the topic. They create a compelling film rich with well-written characters and some soap opera-style drama.

The Children’s Hour is based on a 1934 play by Lillian Hellman.

The setting appears to be New England, perhaps Connecticut or Massachusetts, though the film never identifies the exact area.

College friends Karen (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha (Shirley MacLaine) open a private all-girls boarding school catering to their affluent community. They run the school with Martha’s Aunt Lilly, a faded Broadway actress who often hen-pecks the women.

Karen has been dating handsome obstetrician Joe (James Garner) for two years. When he proposes marriage, she hesitantly accepts, which saddens Martha.

All the while, spoiled brat child Mary, furious over being punished by her teachers, plots revenge against Martha and Karen and embellishes a heated discussion between the ladies into a scandalous lie she whispers to her grandmother (Fay Bainter).

The grandmother promptly tells the parents of the other students, who remove their children from the school en masse. The lie is that Karen and Martha are lovers, and Mary witnessed the two women kissing.

Meanwhile, Mary is blackmailing a fellow student, Rosalie (Veronica Cartwright), over a stolen bracelet.

The town ostracizes Martha and Karen.

The Children’s Hour becomes even more compelling when one of the women begins to realize that she does indeed have homosexual feelings towards the other woman and has always harbored anger and resentment as well as feeling “different” from other women.

As well-written as the film is, the fact that the audience does not get to hear what Mary whispers to her grandmother is telling and prevents the film from being even more powerful than it is.

Also, the downbeat conclusion to the film sends a clear message that in 1961, audiences were not ready to accept lesbianism as anything to be normalized or to be proud of.

The decision was made to make it abundantly clear that one of the central characters is not a lesbian. Any uncertainty may have risked freaking out mainstream audiences at the time.

Since the traditional opposite-sex romance between Karen and Joe is at the forefront of the film, I did not witness much chemistry between actors Hepburn and Garner.

Still, I might have been at the point of achieving a subliminal sexual complexity.

The Children’s Hour and William Wyler deserve heaps of praise for going so far as to suggest that censorship in film in 1961 would allow them to offer nuggets of progressivism mixed into a brave film.

Incidentally, Wyler made another version of this film in 1936 named These Three. Because of the Hays Code, any hint of lesbianism was forbidden, causing Wyler to create a standard story of a love triangle between the three, with both Martha and Karen pining after Joe.

What a difference a couple of decades make!

MacLaine and Hepburn must be credited with carrying the film and eliciting nice chemistry between the women. However, it is too subtle to be realized if the chemistry is of a friendship level or a sexual nature.

And I adore how Wyler makes both characters rather glamorous and avoids stereotypical characteristics.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Fay Bainter, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Director-Motion Picture-William Wyler, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama-Shirley MacLaine, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Fay Bainter

2009 Films, Drama, Greek, International, International Drama, Psychological Drama, Top 10 Most Disturbing Films

Dogtooth-2009

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Dogtooth-2009

Director Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring Christos Stergioglou,  Michelle Valley

Top 10 Most Disturbing Films #9

Scott’s Review #515

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Reviewed November 11, 2016

Grade: A-

Dogtooth is a Greek drama nominated for the 2010 Best Foreign Film Academy Award.

The film is not for the weak at heart and is most bizarre and disturbing- troubling even.

But after digesting it, I realized how much I appreciated its creativity.

It tells the story of three siblings who are homeschooled and shut out from the rest of the world by their overprotective parents. The teenage kids are curious, damaged, and sad.

They know no other world besides the one their parents created for them.

Certain words mean certain things to them- a language of their own. It challenges the art of parental control as the kids’ curiosity builds and builds.

The movie itself is very difficult to follow (non-linear) yet is mesmerizing and perverse.

Warning: Some subject matter can be hard to take for some (incest, cruelty to animals, full-frontal nudity).

I thought it was a fascinating and bravely made film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film

1969 Films, Drama, Psychological Drama

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?-1969

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They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? -1969

Director Sydney Pollack

Starring Jane Fonda

Scott’s Review #474

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Reviewed September 6, 2016

Grade: A-

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) is a tragic, riveting film, set in the Depression-era 1930s, centering on a group of contestants entering a Dance-athon for an enormous cash prize.

Most of the film is set on and around the dance floor.

Contestants push themselves to the brink of exhaustion to win the coveted money, and the characters’ desperation is horrific.

Jane Fonda leads the pack as a depressed, sarcastic, aspiring actress who desperately needs the cash prize.

The film’s dark nature is mesmerizing, though it is a difficult to watch. I found the film’s periodic parts dragged as the contestants grew wearier with each hour.

It also felt like a precursor to the reality television craze that has swept the nation since the 1990s.

A tragedy, yes, but a practical and worthwhile film about depression and the struggle to survive. And a sad reminder of brutality as a form of entertainment.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Sydney Pollack, Best Actress-Jane Fonda, Best Supporting Actor-Gig Young (won), Best Supporting Actress-Susannah York, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Score of a Musical Picture-Original or Adaptation, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win- Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Sydney Pollack, Best Actress-Drama-Jane Fonda, Best Supporting Actor-Gig Young (won), Red Buttons, Best Supporting Actress-Susannah York

2012 Films, Danish, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, International, International Drama, Psychological Drama

The Hunt-2012

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The Hunt-2012

Director Thomas Vinterberg

Starring Mads Mikkelsen

Scott’s Review #29

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A-

Nominated for the 2013 Best Foreign Language Oscar, this controversial Danish film, The Hunt (2012), centers on pedophilia and is powerful and gripping.

Mads Mikkelsen stars as a kindergarten teacher falsely accused of inappropriate behavior with a five-year-old female student.

This sets off a small-town witch hunt that stirred up emotions in me, mostly disdain for the fellow teachers and principal who so easily “gang up” on the teacher, seemingly unable to believe he may be innocent.

The principal blurts out “children never lie”.

Um, yes they do!

I love how the film goes deeper than the obvious content. The accused son is featured. The student is the accused best friend’s daughter.

When one supporter of the accused rips into the five-year-old, it is intense to watch.

The Hunt (2012) is a layered, multi-faceted film worth seeing.

The ending is great, but the alternate ending is even better, and I wish the director, Thomas Vinterberg, had used that instead; overall, it’s an exceptional film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best International Film