I think that Nicole Kidman has fallen into a strange rabbit hole. One where she is only able to play frigid, at times bitchy women who have a problem in one way or another and make life hell for everyone around them. That's not to say I don't like her or respect her, I just hate all of her characters.
Becca and Howie lost their son in a car accident a few months ago. They are drifting apart more and more everyday as they find their own outlets to deal with the pain and guilt. What works for one doesn't for the other. They start to keep secrets from one another, they aren't trusting each other as they should.
Becca is played by Nicole Kidman, and does a very good job with the role, so much so that she was nominated for an Oscar because of it. I will say now though that it was a pointless nomination, she brought nothing more to this role than she would have for anything else. It's not that I wasn't impressed, or that she did a bad job, it was merely what I expected. Howie is played by Aaron Eckhart who I thought did a much better job with his role. His role required more of the spectrum, instead of just sad we also see in him happiness, desperation, anger, confusion. His role was much better written than Kidman's and it's a shame no one recognized that.
Miles Teller plays the teenager Jason who is responsible for the death of Becca and Howie's son. His story was interesting, but they only scratch the surface, he's working on a comic book that is helping him deal with the guilt of the death on his hands which is the name sake of the film. His role was quiet and reserved, with so much emotion brimming under the surface, which is how the role should have been played, he as well as Eckhart were not given enough credit for their performances in this film.
In the relationship between Howie than for Becca I felt more for him, and it goes beyond the acting, the role that Kidman was given is a role that I'm sure a lot of people hope to land in their career but is in itself a fluffed up melodramatic role.
I thought it was shot very well, they relied on a lot of close ups, and intimate lighting choices to convey the isolation that they are both feeling. Towards one another, towards family and friends. They are alone in this cage, and their partner isn't making the stay any less difficult. I respected that they kept the story on track, there aren't any explosive scenes, or scenes that break the characters ultimate arc, they are always working towards an end.
As a whole the film is merely a strip of time in their relationship, in so many films they try and work in it all, they meet, fall in love, have a kid....have trouble, and so on. In this we only see a small few week period where they are at their worst, when their paths are veering away from one another, and are possibly to weak to rejoin. The script itself isn't original, or even interesting enough to break it apart from the pack of films about this very subject. It was the actors, notably Eckhart who made the film stand out. Without the Oscar nods this film could have easily gone unnoticed and faded away as a little indie they worked on that is a good vehicle to further others careers.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell I'm a little surprised and happy with the lack of sexuality in the story. His films to me drip with sexual undertones and overtones, not to say they aren't good. If you go to far into that direction, or any other theme you risk becoming a one note wonder. He is very talented and I wouldn't want to see him fade away because he keeps remaking the same movie over and over again.
Overall it was a good film, I cant say that I would recommend it. It didn't stand out enough for me to tell people to go out of their way to see it. If you strip it down it is a very basic story, and stays safe. 6.5/10 stars.
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller
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