By Roger Costa
THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV
Versailles, August 1715. Surrounded and cheered by his family, dogs, his servants, doctors and guests, The King of France, Louis XIV gathers every piece of joy his eyes can reach, and his hands can touch, as he feels he’s fading away, obviously expressed in his aging weakness. Gravely ill, unable to walk, he needs to be carried around, through his routine of exploring and hunting, but soon, his increasing impairment, confines him to bed. Next to him, his family watches him closely, granting his final requests, as well as a group of renowned doctors who are trying to find the source and cure of his illness. Directed by Albert Serra, this sophisticated French/Portuguese/Spanish co-production is a gothic-style, somber and philosophical recount on the final days of Louis XIV, and also an intriguing meditation on the passages of life and the approach of death. Life remains silent throughout the narrative, represented in the anxiety of the people around the expectancy of the King’s death, and also revealed through his brief memories of childhood, parents, victories and the beauty of women’s youth. The director examines the effects of death, and how simple, natural, and inescapable it is, in a contemplative atmosphere, enriched by the sumptuous recreation of that period and its dark lyricism. Also, the doctors’ insightful observations on his symptoms, their description of pain and suffering, are beautifully developed with a strange sense of poetry. French New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud (star of “400 Blows”) is hypnotic and utterly transformed into his King, conceiving precise gestures of melancholy, fear and abandonment. Based on extensive medical records and the memoirs of the Duke of Saint-Simon and other courtiers, the film premiered to great acclaim at last year’s Cannes, followed by more ravings at both Toronto and New York Film Festivals. An elegant look at the death of a grand Majesty.
(A Cinema Guild Release. Opens Friday, March 31st Exclusively at Film Society of Lincoln Center, NYC)
TRAINSPOTTING 2
What initially seemed to be a guarantee-disaster, Danny Boyle’s sequel to one of the most celebrated and influential films of the 90’s, the junkie journey of decadence of a group of youngsters in Scotland, actually turns out to be more than satisfying and completely coherent for this even more modern times. 20 years after the 4 remaining friends, Mark (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), were experiencing an era of heroin addiction, promiscuity, nightclubs and raves, violence and criminality, they are reunited by circumstances when now-regenerated and clean Mark returns home. At the same time, Begbie escapes from prison and tries to reconnect to family and mafia, as well as recruiting his son. Spud continues a life of ups and downs, with various failed attempts to overcome addiction, while Sick Boy is engaged in a blackmail scheme in order to provide for his compulsive cocaine infused lifestyle. With a compelling sense of nostalgia, Boyle explores how time and society shaped these characters, presenting through their perspectives, parallels between times, the change of behaviors, the advance of technology, and the growing individualism. He slightly points to other more dramatic situations, such as the visible consequences of a drug-related family crisis on children, and how capitalism manipulates and conquers it all: in a gut-wrench long dialog, Mark disclaims everything he would rather “choose” instead of accepting the trending established rules. Funny, fast-paced, filled with imaginative and creative designs and songs (already trademarks for the brilliant Boyle) T2 is a must-see for fans and newcomers, despite it feels a bit difficult and dangerous for the current time as society battles against one of the most destructive drugs affecting young Americans, the heroin. But it goes easy on the apology of the promoted hallucinations and its depiction focuses more on the consequences and attempts of fixing up and overcoming. Surprisingly refreshing!
LIFE
An edge-of-your-seat space experience, Daniel Espinosa’s scary sci-fi Alien-classic-style take, offers some extreme, hard to see creepy bloodshed sequences. In a stylized claustrophobic atmosphere, a group of astronauts led by Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds discovers a microscopic mutant cell, during a mission in space. The mysterious creature is embraced by them all, as well as people on Earth, whom name it “Calvin”. Soon things go wrong when Calvin starts growing and gaining wisdom, fatally attacks one of them, brutally eating everything from the inside. As Calvin escapes, hidden somewhere in the enormous spaceship, a suffocating game of cat-and-mouse ensues. Despite the irregular performances, Jake acts as if he is in constant pain, while Reynolds is there just to make jokes and references that seem like he’s reprising his Deadpool role, the film is incredibly designed and edited, and promptly promotes scary moments of fun-gore relevance. Plus, the computer generated ghostly-rubbish alien really causes an impression.
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