By Robin E. Simmons
New independent films include feature debuts of two gifted directors and a strange and highly disturbing documentary from a seasoned pro. See them at Palm Desert’s Cinemas Palme d’Or starting Friday April 11.
BLUMENTHAL
Written and directed by Seth Fisher, this dark and intermittently hilarious piece of acerbic irony is about the aftermath of the death of fêted playwright Harold Blumenthal — who expired in a seizure brought on by laughing at his own joke. The unlikely result of this sad event forces Saul, Harold’s insanely jealous brother, to confront his own issues including massive constipation. And then there’s Cheryl and Ethan, Harold’s wife and son, who must now face their own increasingly bizarre and unlikely problems that loom like crazed pages straight out of the late Harold’s own plays. The world of the story is set in New York City among would-be Jewish intellectuals. At first the movie reminded me of Woody Allen territory. But Fisher’s world is more like an alternate NYC’s experienced through a house of mirrors. People and places are recognizable, but more than a tad off-kilter. Fisher is definitely someone to watch. When his movie works, it is scathing and pitch-perfect in not only nailing pretense, but also spotlighting the absurdity of real life at the same time.
BREATHE IN
You may find the premise very familiar; that is, a dad (Guy Pierce) becoming enamored with a female foreign exchange student (Felicity Jones) his daughter’s age, but you have certainly not experienced anything like the tense unfolding of this domestic drama.
Pierce and Jones are terrific as they dance around each other’s emotions. Pierce is perfect as a Keith Reynolds, former musician now a piano teacher. Jones is wonderful as Sophie Williams, the pretty, intelligent, curious and gifted pianist and boarder. To further muddle the matter, Keith is not only Sophie’s host, but also her teacher. The attraction is explosive and dangerous as Sophie re-ignites Keith’s long dormant dreams and desires. But Keith’s wife Megan and his daughter Lauren, a high school senior, are also in the picture and of course under the same roof. Keith and Sophie share an intense creative desire. Co-writer and director Drake Doremus guides this cautionary romantic dilemma through a labyrinth of longing like it’s a minefield. Watching the movie for the first time, there were moments when I was barely breathing. It’s rare to feel such excruciating tension between fear and desire on screen. What will these two characters sacrifice or succumb to — and what will be the cost? I was caught up in the powerful emotion of this very human love story and became extremely concerned regarding its seemingly inevitable outcome. I can think of few films that had such a heartrending, but satisfying conclusion.
THE LUNCHBOX
First-time director Ritesh Batra brings to life a clever, light, pleasing and sweet romantic story about Ila, an ordinary, middle class Mumbai housewife trying to inject a little spice into her marriage by way of her culinary skills. To do this, she fixes a lunchbox with a special recipe for her neglectful husband, but it is mistakenly delivered to Saajan, a lonely man about to retire. This continues with an exchange or personal and revealing notes between the two until both discover a new sense of self and an unexpected friendship. But it’s a relationship that could badly damage both of their real lives. The connection between food and love is almost a movie sub-genre, and this one gets it right. Is love the thing for which we most hunger? Sample this delightful box of sweets and find out.
THE UNKNOWN KNOWN
If you’re waiting for Defense Donald Rumsfeld to make some kind of public confession or perhaps an apology, you will have a very long wait based on what master documentarian Errol Morris has captured here. However, that said, this remains an engrossing examination of Rumsfeld’s controversial career. Using once classified documents, Morris talks Rumsfeld through his association with four Republican presidents and events that include Vietnam, the Cold War, Desert Storm, the so-called “War on Terror,” Iraq’s elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction, Abu Ghraib and the torture of captured “terrorists.” Throughout, Morris remains polite and Rumsfeld is never ruffled. The 81-year-old former Secretary of Defense is glib and flippant. But Rumsfeld comes across as a cypher, not so much mysterious but hollow and soulless. There’s no self-reflection because there’s no one in the mirror. Rumsfeld is like a character on the cutting room floor of Stanley Kubrick’s DR. STRANGELOVE. Too horrifying even for a black comedy. Morris’ film is hypnotically engaging and scarier than you can imagine.
NEW FOR THE HOME THEATER:
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
A great cast has fun chewing up the scenery in this long, tedious and finally depressing circus about a dysfunctional Oklahoma family reunion. Thankfully, the movie version has been shortened by nearly an hour from the stage version. Today, there remains widespread dismay that Tracy Lett’s play won a Pulitzer Prize. The disc has a director’s commentary, deleted scenes and featurettes. Starz/Anchor Bay. Blu-ray.
Also available are JUSTIN BEIBER’S BELIEVE (Universal. Blu-ray) and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES (Paramount. Blu-ray).
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