Nominees: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Counterfeiters, Juno, Lust/Caution, There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, My Winnipeg, Persepolis, You, The Living, Munyurangabo, Yella, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Oscars pick: No Country for Old Men
Nominees: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
I can’t jump on the No Country for Old Men bandwagon – It has a brilliant set-up and moments of pure cinematic bliss, but the film falls apart for me in its final act. I get that the old guys talking are the philosophical point of the film -- but you could have had that AND the big dramatic confrontation you were setting up throughout the film as well. Killing your protagonist off-screen was a bad move; it destroyed the dramatic pulse that was building to a fever pitch. For me it was akin to listening to an orchestra play, and as they approach the stunning crescendo… the musicians shrug, set down their instruments, walk off stage and then talk you through the music. Still, it was nice that the Brother's Coen finally received some Oscar love. The movie sparked a lot of healthy adult debate, and a lot of healthy (and unhealthy) adult minds went to see it, so that was encouraging at least.
Certain American critics were incensed when it lost the Palme d’Or to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and Two Days at Cannes. But I agree with the selection. 4 Months is a devastating and discomforting story that centers on an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania (and the time and place and politics are essential to the story). Anamaria Marinca gives a striking, minimalist performance - playing a student who is wrangled into fixing her incompetent friend's messes. In doing so, she finds herself dragged through an emotional nightmare. This isn't a fun movie; it's brutally painful and starkly filmed. At times it made me sick to my stomach. Not only for what it shows - but also for what you're not shown, or what you hear (that terrible sound in the pitch black hall of an apartment complex). But it is so accomplished in telling its story -so unforgettable- that I was very tempted to give it the Felix. I would have done so if not for one lovely tale that -as RT puts it- "set the standard for the modern musical".
If 4 Months shatters, Once beguiles.
Set in my beloved Ireland - Once is a delicate, tender love story about fellow musicians/kindred spirits – who are also in troubled relationships with others. It's a small film, the direction and script are unpolished, and because the leads are musicians and not actors you get some off-key delivery of lines. But that’s to the films advantage as well as its charm -- the bond between these two felt natural, real.
The characters were fully formed people (he's self-effacing, she's frank) who I liked and could relate too – which helps facilitate the connection I have with it. But it also offers so many small treasures: The scene in the music store when they first play together (the Oscar-winning number "Falling Slowly", which is described by the director as the equivalent of their love scene). The bit when she writes lyrics for his music, and -after buying batteries for her walkman- makes the trek back home, wearing her PJs and large fluffy slippers, singing the track as she goes. I liked the moment on the bus where he's answering her questions through singing and playing his guitar (something I've done on a number of occasions). And I enjoyed watching these two wander around Dublin, getting to know one another, as she drags the vacuum he fixed for her like a puppy on a leash.
While there's not much story, and what there is, is related mostly via the brilliant songs, it is wise in its observations on the nature of relationships. Not everything is cut and dried, just as it is with real-life love, which can be difficult to define and place in a nice, neat box. Sometimes a heart can be split into two places and belong to two different people. The relationship here isn't physical, though there is an obvious attraction. It's primarily based on respect and kindness and the shared love for music.
It's a beautiful beautiful story, a beautiful relationship backed by beautiful tunes. The formula for its success is as simple as that.
Of the remaining Oscars noms, I absolutely hated Atonement and wish Once had garnered its slot. Michael Clayton wasn't bad; There Will Be Blood is impressive. Juno was a special one. Whip-smart and funny, with a good heart.
And finally, a word about my Best Supporting Actress, Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There:
Cate’s Bob Dylan (here called Jude Quinn) is a caustic, angular, hollow-cheeked, self-invented chameleon who cuttingly brushes aside any attempts to define him. Dismissive of almost anyone (except David Cross as Allen Ginsberg) - at a party she introduces... "Norman this is Brian Jones, from that groovy covers band!" Her sections in the film are at times Felliniesque, and her lanky, otherworldly Dylan is more than words and facial expression. Cate throws her entire body into the role, making the performance a dynamic, barely containable exercise that leaps off the screen and shakes audiences to the core.
Other features I didn't nominate but liked include, Across The Universe, Enchanted, Eastern Promises, Waitress, I’m Not There, The Visitor, Reign Over Me, Shoot Em Up,The Darjeeling Limited, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Lookout, Mesrine: Killer Instinct pt 1, Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Breach, The Savages, Gone Baby Gone, Chop Shop, Dedication and Edge of Heaven.
Honorable Mentions:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Savages and Charlie Wilson’s War * Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood * Mathieu Amalric, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly * Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War * Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
Best Actress: Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Honorable Mentions:
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose * Laura Linney, The Savages * Jeon Do-yeon, Secret Sunshine * Tang Wei, Lust Caution * Ellen Page, Juno * Amy Adams, Enchanted * Bijou Phillips, What We Do Is Secret * Julie Christie, Away from Her * Nina Hoss, Yella
Honorable Mentions:
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose * Laura Linney, The Savages * Jeon Do-yeon, Secret Sunshine * Tang Wei, Lust Caution * Ellen Page, Juno * Amy Adams, Enchanted * Bijou Phillips, What We Do Is Secret * Julie Christie, Away from Her * Nina Hoss, Yella
