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By Roger Costa
After seducing and shocking with her outrageous femme fatale portrait in last month’s “Elle”, French diva and most courageous contemporary performer Isabelle Huppert wraps up this year with another accomplishment that puts her on the top of the list as a much deserved title of 2016 Best Actress. In “THINGS TO COME”, Mia Hansen-Løve’s fifth feature, she plays a philosophy teacher who is very engaged and influential in the lives of the people surrounding her- children, husband, mother, and students. The harmony and mutual respect will be at risk, when suddenly her husband announces he’s leaving her to live with someone else. Shocked but mature enough to deal with it reasonably, she promptly continues to manage her active life, preparing for the uncertainty of what future might hold. An extraordinary study of an intellectual character surrounded by great books, inspiring companions and brilliant ideas, Huppert delves into all the subjects she’s engaged with (socialism, history, humanitarian values) with sophistication, warmth and enduring strength. Getting back to the family-related essentials that made her one of the most promising young writers-directors, Hansen-Løve conceived a wonderfully intelligent, honest and tender look at family memories, sacrifices and resilience.
ALSO SHOWING
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are superb in “Allied” the latest project by Forrest Gump-creator Robert Zemeckys, a brilliantly conceived drama set during World War II but its dragging narrative and pale influence in German arthouse results in one of the year’s biggest mistakes. Despite the fascinating climax that leaves you breathtaking, the dramatic competence of the leading pair as husband and wife conflicted in a dangerously lethal case of betrayal (she’s accused of being a spy) and the glamorous beauty of Zemeckys’ cinematic efforts, the film results in disaster. Amy Adams is also wasting her talent in two horrible films, the alien contact, confusing and unemotional “Arrival” and the gripping but weirdly somber and presumptuously junky “Nocturnal Animals”, where she imagines Jake Gyllenhaal as a desperate man facing unimaginable levels of evilness when his family is caught by a group of rapists in Texas. One to avoid. Disney’s animated feature “Moana” takes us to an incredible island of magical colors and mystical elements, as her tribe is devoted to the ocean and the treasure of their ancestors. The adventurous plot is highlighted by contagiously dancing songs, and although it portraits facts of the Polynesian mythical culture I totally dislike the idea of children being introduced to so many “gods” . In “Bleed for This”, Miles Teller continues to build a solid, mesmerizing career that could easily describe him as ‘the Edward Norton’ of this generation with his fiercely choices. Based on a true story, he plays a young, stubborn, arrogant and greedy boxer dealing with success and the decline of it, as he struggles to recover from an accident in order to get back on the ring. Director Ben Younger blends drama and dark humor with coherent results, but the show belongs completely to Miles Teller. He certainly deserves Awards attention. Oscar contender “Moonlight” is one of the most beautiful, thought-provoking, and realistic films of the year. It narrates three stages in the life of a gay African-American man dealing with his abusive crackhead mother, bullying, loneliness, violence and prejudice. The subject of racial prejudice is also depicted in Jeff Nichols’ “Loving”, the shocking real story of a couple forced to leave their hometown because of their interracial love and marriage. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga give fantastic performances as the humbly courageous couple who decide to fight for their rights. With his second film this year (the first was the brilliant sci-fi “Midnight Special”) director Nichols has become one of the most competent and accomplished new American filmmakers. South Korean Director Park Chan-wook explores the sexuality of two gorgeous young women in his semi-explicit, hot and satirical “The Handmaiden”, a seductive game of love, lust and betrayal. “Edge of Seventeen” is a fresh, dark and utterly funny coming of age story following the conflicts of a pessimistic High School student whose life falls apart when her best friend starts dating her unbearable brother. As the troubled teen, Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld gives one of those HS unforgettable performances, that will lead her to become America’s next sweetheart. Mel Gibson takes us deeply to the incredible real story of a soldier who fought the war without carrying a single gun, using his time to save his injured colleague. Centered on the religious beliefs of its protagonist (he’s a Seventh Day Adventist who constantly quotes the Bible as his principal guide) “Hacksaw Ridge” is a moving, bloody, action-packed and accurate anti-war statement.
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