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By Roger Costa
THE BOOK OF LOVE
Jason Sudeikis, one of the most talented comedians of our time, gives an unexpectedly efficient dramatic performance, proving he’s in for the task of fully exploring his skills in more sensitive genres. He plays a young architect coping with the sudden tragic death of his wife; in total despair and hopelessly out of shape, he meets a similar lost soul, a homeless girl trying to build a sailing ship, and decides delving into her risky adventure. The situation will serve as a healer for each of them, as they will defy people around as well as their own fears and limits. Jessica Biel, who also co-produced the film, shines in her brief appearances as the deceased wife, with luminous shots over her sensual curves and angelical face, while Maisie Williams gives a breakthrough performance as the troubled and brave girl. The always competent Mary Steenburgen completes the stellar cast as Jason’s mother-in-law. A deeply dark, semi-Gothic melancholic examination on family bonds and losses, as well as the power of overcoming, Bill Purple’s directorial debut, which premiered to great ravings at Tribeca, gives a fresh take on its sorrowful subjects with reasonable results. (Opens Friday at Village East Cinema NYC)
THE SON OF JOSEPH
A satirical and meditative analyses on a precocious existential crisis, with Biblical references and metaphorical elements that resemble modern misbehavior, director Eugène Green’s absurdist comedy was one of the most celebrated films at last year’s both Cannes and New York Film Festival. The sarcastically wise screenplay follows a young investor (he runs a company that sells sperms online) as he sets off in a desperate journey to meet his unknown father, a bourgeois publisher in Paris, against his mother’s consent with whom he has a very attached relationship. Green creates a richly crafted piece of art structured into intellectual and philosophical cynical segments on hypocrisy and vain vanity, greed, the uneasiness of men trying to understand God, and remarks on an era of intolerance and individualism. Produced by the amazing Dardenne Brothers, the film also presents the characters’ perspectives on spiritual matters, as they discuss the sacrifices of Abraham and Jesus, although the tone is somehow profane, different from the producers’ regular association with the theme of Christianity. Unpredictable and filled with cut-throat sharp dialogues it provides one of the funniest sequences you’ll ever see: a debaucherous sexual encounter between a secretary and her boss. (Opens Friday at Film Society of Lincoln Center NYC)
SILENCE
Martin Scorsese’s latest cinematic exploration on violence is a different, sometimes dragging and unnecessary, utterly complex and painfully profane look on the strength and resistance of faith. The film accompanies the claustrophobic journey of two Christian missionaries in search of a missing comrade in 17th Century Japan. After playing an Adventist soldier in the acclaimed Oscar contender film “Hacksaw Ridge”, Andrew Garfield gives another Oscar-worthy performance exploring once more religious values and beliefs, here with the same level of commitment, suffering and sacrifice but with different circumstances and physical aspects. He flawlessly embody madness, fear and torment, as he deals with anguish, hostility and brutality from both parts, the new converts and the unmerciful murderous authorities, while trying to survive and remain firm to his faith. Despite the excessive long takes, Rodrigo Pietro’s exuberant cinematography enhances the image with its fascinating techniques, a direct transparency to the emotionally despair and horror depicted within. As a master of storytelling, Scorsese scores again, whether or not his perspectives with the theme are in harmony (well, he directed the awful “The Last Temptation of Christ”); and there are also concerns about the over-exploitation of the agony of renouncing faith, as it is shown in the film, that could rapidly lead it to a horrible experience for conservative Christians.
PATRIOT’S DAY
Mark Whalberg leads the incredibly orchestrated hunt for the bombers responsible for the Boston-marathon attacks. Directed by Peter Berg, it is a fast-paced, intriguing, heart-pounding thriller, that maintains the audience grabbed to their seats creating a ticking-bomb atmosphere of a cat and mouse chase. This raging aspect predominates on the narrative, from the initial introduction of the players eventually involved and affected by the attack, to the prior events, the investigation, the surge of clues and the chaotic aftermath. A triumphant and over-the-top account on how America promptly enforces its security strategies with fully capable and courageous professionals in order to protect the nation, as well as an urgent interpretation of the current issue of terrorism, Berg extracts convincingly vigorous performances from the entire cast, including Kevin Bacon as an investigator, and Georgia-born actor Themo Melikidze, devastatingly scary as one of the bombers. A Must-see!
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