This is a new retitled column where, after seeing a film, I jot down a few of my initial thoughts and ideas about a film I have recently seen. Think of it like an online notebook for myself and a way in which to get some thoughts down without reviewing the film proper. These are going to be random and not attempting any form of coherence.
Foxcatcher (Dir. Bennett Miller, USA, 2014) *For me it's a film about masculinity and physicality. The way in which some men can only express their emotions through the physical. And how this can lead to anger and resentment. *You can see how the brother's relationship is tied into their physicality. Even thier hugs look like a wrestling collar and elbow tie-up. Only Dave is the one who can verbalise any form of emotion. *It's remarkably free of swearing. May seem like a small point but in a sport/world where you'd expect people to be swearing up a storm it seems even this verbalisation is verboten. All leads back to the physical. *So many little subtle touches throughout. Such as Rufallo - playing wrestler Dave Schultz - walking with a stiff and awkward gait showing his years in the sport. Or the cauliflower ears on Tatum. *The three leads are good. Steve Carrel is getting the bulk of attention. If you set aside all the hyperbole about 'Comic actor turned serious' and the prosthetics he wears, then it is a very good performance of stillness and economy. The same goes for Tatum, who's awkwardness and hulking presence are the key to another spare performance. Ruffalo is perhaps the stand-out here though. But all three create a lot by actually doing very little. *There's more sparseness in the cinematography of Greig Fraser. (Zero Dark Thirty). Lots of shallow focus that marks out the isolation of the characters. The same that goes for the locations and dour colour schemes - all serve to mark out loneliness with closeness and intimacy reserved only for the wrestling scenes. *There is a undeniable hint of the homoerotic displayed between DuPont and Mark Schultz, but couched in a subtle way. *Using 'based on true story' means it fudges some aspects of the real situation. For example, it almost totally glosses over DuPont's paranoid-schizophrenia.
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AuthorJournalist. Filmy type person. Likes crisps. Archives
December 2015
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