A Few Words on Oscar

The Academy Awards ceremony has taken place on 25^th February, 2019. ‘Green Book’, which is sort of a ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ in reverse, has won the Best Motion Picture of the Year and also 2 further Academy Awards. That is not a surprising result because the Academy is clearly showing its stance in the Trumpian era. Indeed, a number of the 8 films that have been nominated for Best Motion Picture this year are hinged on rather political and racial themes. Then we have 2 Barry Lyndon-esque films – ‘Roma’ and ‘The Favorite’ – where the filmmakers attempt to portray the past as authentic as possible, and employ some interesting cinematic techniques to express the theme. We also have films that portray real life celebrity of different fields – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Vice’ are great ones.

The issue of ‘fact versus fake’ is not only prevalent in the Best Picture nominees, but also in films from the other categories. The need for the fabrication of facts, as illustrated in a number of these films, are also motivated by the need for power (often political ones), greed or merely self-congratulatory, as with the need for recognition with ‘likes’ and a ‘key opinion leader’ status in the digital age. Yet, these fake-makers will soon discover the pointlessness of their actions. Because people can view the issue from a more objective standpoint, and the truth will eventually be uncovered (like ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’). Even if you win in a certain era, you will soon be forgotten many years later, while the descendants of the loser of your game will become ‘The Favourite’. What is important, then, a genuine emotion and respect for others, as in ‘A Star is Born’, a will to embrace the truth, like If Beale Street Could Talk, or like Vincent Van Gogh (without his temperament), who transcended his era through art as in ‘At Eternity’s Gate’, or quite simply, have the courage to confront and counteract against the nastiness of the human condition and the political hell that results (like ‘Cold War’, ‘Border’ and ‘Never Look Away’). You have to take the RBG attitude, rather than the cheeseburger attitude!

I am also glad to see that Paul Schrader has been nominated for his screenplay in ‘First Reformed’. Though he did not win an Oscar, and also Ethan Hawke was snubbed for a Best Actor, that is a great recognition for Schrader’s work and style. Given the track record of writing ‘Taxi Driver’, one can easily imagine Schrader will eventually make something like ‘First Reformed’, which is also a priest’s struggle to look for spiritual meanings in a secular and amoral world. The greatness of the film comes from the fact that Schrader has put in a psychological edge to Hawke’s character, making him a character similar to Travis ‘Taxi Driver’ Bickle, though the latter character certainly did not have a spiritual dimension in any way. ‘First Reformed’ also reminds me of Bergman’s ‘Face to Face’, which is the story of a psychologist going nuts. The ironic scenario in the Bergman film is very akin to Schrader’s portrayal of a priest facing challenges in faith and also combatting with his own psychological demons.

A great year for cinema!

by Ed Law

Film Analysis

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

During the Chinese New Year vacation, I had the opportunity to watch Alfonso Cuaron's 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' again. Though it is only a sequel in the series, 'Azkaban' is considered as one of the greatest of the whole Harry Potter series, especially for the film version. That should not be surprising given that the film was made by a filmmaker who would eventually offer us films like 'Gravity', 'Children of Men', and 'Roma', one of this year's strongest Oscar contenders. While being faithful to J.K. Rowling's imaginative visions, Alfonso Cuaron has also contributed his own interpretations of the story. The film has a darker tone than the other episodes in the series. Indeed, the worldview in 'Azkaban' is quite amoral and complex, not that black and white when comparing to the other kids' films. To me, 'Azkaban' resembles something like a film noir -  the characters are complex, and their appearences often conceal their true motivations. Even Harry Potter is portrayed as an angry teenager here - he is really confused about who can be friends and who cannot, and his mind is consumed by hate and a desire for revenge. At the end he will appreciate that looks can be deceiving and he will know how to treasure those who really cares about him. Rowling and Cuaron should really be commended for giving such a subliminal lesson to kids about the complexity of the real world they will soon face - after all, life is not that black-and-white. One thing is clear though - we still have many great reasons to hate a crybaby like Draco Malfoy!

I feel the reason why 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' is considered a high point in the franchise is because the film is so grounded in reality. While Harry Potter is a fantasy story about wizards and all kinds of monstrous creatures, Cuaron has expressed his commitment to make this episode of 'Harry Potter' a physical one - he wants his audience to experience a very concrete presence of these imaginary characters, and emphasizes a cinematic realism often found in the Classic Cinema. That is why I maintain that Cuaron's vision on this fantsay epic resembles something like a Film Noir. The style of the film is very expressionistic, and Cuaron has instilled a moody atomsphere throughout the film - the darkness of night, the corridors, the storm during the Quidditch, the edgy walk through the mountainous areas, and the various sound that emerges from the night. He has successfully instilled a cloud of uncertainty through the film, because many of the characters are conflicted and they are finding their own position throughout the spectrum of good and evil. Of course, there are many signature approaches from Cuaron. The very elaborate tracking shots can delineate the actions of the characters and guarantee a physical feel for the audience. As if the flying action from the wizardy is not enough, Cuaron has used a lot of upward and downward zooms to give the audience a sense of disorientation, which suits the content of the film very well. Many of the extreme long shots from the film not only provides a breathtaking view of the environment, that also gives a sense of helplessness to the characters. And then there is the various uses of the long take - also very evident in 'Children of Men' and 'Gravity'. An impressive scene is when the trio falls into the trap in the tree house. Rather than using many fast cuts to portray the erratic movements of the 'merry go round' around the branches of the tree, Cuaron instead adopted a well-executed long take. That takes the audience into the scene as it unfolds in a very dynamic way. The scene also reminds us of a great sequence in 'Gravity', when Sandra Bullock's character was thrown around in space when a component of the spaceship malfunctioned.

The commitment to realism also extends to the personality of the characters. Harry has learnt about the difference between appearance and truth, and how to assert of a sense of righteousness amidst a complex and amoral world.  All before that, Harry has to experience darkness and confront his fear as the hunted one. It is noteworthy that Cuaron has selected a number of great actors who has played iconic bad guys and underdogs in cinema. Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, and David Thewlis - they are all underrated actors that have provided an edge to the more morally ambiguous characters in 'Azkaban'. The most ironic thing about the story, as it will become more evident in the later part of the series, is that appearances can often mislead one's opinion on an issue. It turns out that the frightening, eccentric, and apparently crazy ones are those who really have contributed to the well being of Hogwarts at the end of the day. By contrast, those who make painstaking efforts to make themselves look great are often self-congratulatory and only crave for power and control of others. Even if guys like Prof. Snape, Sirius Black, Prof. Lupin etc. are a bit weird, they all had their past and leading to their personal outlooks and characters. In a sense, that is the way you come to terms with the trauma and negative experience and then move on. The brilliance of 'Azkaban' is that it is a fantasy film that sheds light about our world.

by Ed Law
Film Analysis

Cleo from 5 to 7

Life often resembles a roller-coaster ride. While anyone will indulge in the time of their lives, do you have the courage to face the negative pitfalls that lurks around every corner? The most exciting 2 hour period for a character is probably embodied in the iconic film from the French filmmaker Agnes Varda - 'Cleo From 5 to 7' (1962)!

Originally, I plan to write about 'Le Bonheur', another of Varda's masterpiece, and mention 'Cleo from 5 to 7' in the article. Yet after some careful thought, I feel that 'Cleo' is a film that is so inspiring and thoughtful that it deserves an article by itself, and I will leave 'Le Bonheur' for the next time. Agnes Varda is one of the key filmmakers of the Left Bank group in the French New Wave of the 1960s. Beginning as a photographer, Varda has instilled an original and often experimental style in her films. While her films often provided critique on the social aspect of life, Vader's style is also noted for a feminist perspective, and that is more relevant for 'Le Bonheur' and only briefly explored in 'Cleo'. She is considered as one of the pioneers who has inspired the commencement of the general 'French New Wave'. It is worth noting that 'Cleo from 5 to 7' has a running time of about 90 minutes, suggesting the story unfolds almost in real time, and that kind of drives the audience into the film, as one can easily step into the protagonist's shoes and has a first-hand experience for the whole scenario. 

'My name is Florence. I'm called Cleo, short for Cleopatra.' 

The story concerned Florence 'Cleo' Victoire, a lounge singer in Paris. At 5 p.m. of a certain June 21, Cleo was extremely distressed. Because in an hour and a half (6:30 p.m.), she would be notified of whether she has got cancer or not. While a fortune teller failed to tell her a definite answer, Cleo waited for the impending potential doom that would soon follow. Unfolding almost in real time, we followed Cleo's transformation in terms of worldview and how she confronted mortality and the fear of uncertainty. As the story progressed, Cleo became more capable to treasure every moment with those around her, and she even befriended a soldier before they set off to hear the final judgment together. I won't tell you the outcome - that is for you to discover it yourself. 

Varda's iconic film is a combination of realism and more philosophical theme such as existentialism. She has naturally placed a lot of issues of that era throughout the film, through the conversations and the things Cleo observed.  Yet, the most important theme of 'Cleo from 5 to 7' is an existential one - the meaning of life, especially when one is facing mortality. The whole film represents the enlightenment of Cleo, how she has changed her personality to accept the truth of existence. 

At the beginning of the film, Cleo was portrayed as a self-obsessive young lady. When she was aware of the fact that was a 50-50 for her diagnosis, she tried to reassure herself of her own beauty, and things would be OK. Certainly, there is no way that such a childish act can console her troubled mind. The psychological stress from the fear for death was too much for her unprepared mind, and she eventually cried for that in public. Indeed, the theme of mortality is an important one the existentialist school of thought, especially for French philosophers such as Sartre and Camus. 

Yet an emotional outpouring could only relieve the stress for a short while. The important aspect is to change the point of view when you perceive something. Of course, the transformation starts from a primitive level. When Cleo experienced discomfort, very likely due to her stressful situation, she attributed that to her cancer. The false attribution is often a self-defensive mechanism when one experiences failure and bad luck ('oh, because I am bad' or 'I am just unlucky'), because that gives someone the easy way out and not analyzing why the negative scenario happens in the first place. At the same time, Cleo also had to come to terms with her identity in the society. She had a false belief that she was seeking attention when she told others regarding her worries for her cancer diagnosis. Later, when a mirror was broken, she took that as an omen of her having cancer. To me, the shattering of mirror served a symbolic function. It represented a destruction of Cleo's identity and her attempt to re-construct and understand herself in a new light. Because from that point Cleo became committed and tried to adjust her outlook of life. What Cleo would soon understand was that she had to stand up for herself, not merely as the center of attention as a singer in a lounge bar, but in a more existential manner - to stand up to fate.  

Because in a sense Cleo realized time was running out for her, every instance of her life took a new and deeper meaning. She began to be very sensitive to what was taking place around her, and got closer to all these experience rather than concentrating on worldly pleasure she experienced in the past. The transformation here also reminded me of Akira Kurosawa's 'Ikiru'. When the protagonist, Watanabe, was aware that he has got a terminal cancer and only a few months to live. From a sense to disbelief to surface hedonism, and then to emptiness and despair, Watanabe saw through his own psychology and could eventually come to terms with his mortality in a positive and constructive way. He cherished every opportunities to contribute before his death, no matter how others would have perceived of that. The perception from others has always been an issue that troubled Cleo - when she realized that her perceived fame was not as great as she has thought, as no one really cared about her songs when they were playing at a juke box at a club. Indifference, both from other people or a more metaphysical dimension, is the most challenging aspect of finding meaning in life, because we have to battle our psychological need for recognition. The paradox is that we often have to face the personal problems alone and figure out our own meaning in a senseless universe.  

When Cleo went to Parc Monsouris, she met and befriended Antoine, who was a soldier soon returning to Algerian War in 2 months. The pair had a common challenge - the confrontation of despair and their fear of destruction. It was when the absurdity of life became more pronounced, as Antoine expressed his view on the pointlessness of war in general. Through a heartfelt discussion with the soldier, Cleo had an opportunity for some self-reflection and became aware of her narcissism and selfishness. Because she was afraid of being hurt by others in relationships, she was not willing to commit wholeheartedly to relationship in the past, leading to unhappiness. She also came to understand the idea of 'Amor Fati' - to confront one's fate in an affirmative and courageous manner, in matter how dark and absurd it might turn out to be. Cleo and Antoine decided to confront their fear together. The deal (this is not Trump) was that Antoine would accompany Cleo to hear the result, and the young lady would see the soldier off when he returned to Algiers by train. The unlikely companionship was what gave both the courage to face the obstacles of their lives, and the fatalistic situations they had to confront.   

No matter what the outcome would be, Cleo was no longer afraid. Because she had the courage and the appropriate attitude to face her existence, and that was not limited to the 2 hours of cinematic duration the audience engaged with her. From Nietzsche : if you can use joy and laughter to deal with the terror of life - what an existential warrior you are!

by Ed Law

Film Analysis