By Roger Costa
AN OFFICER AND A SPY
A sumptuously executed historical investigative drama, infamous director Roman Polanski’s long-awaited, Venice Award-winner epic finally sees the light of the day in US theaters. The six-year waiting period was definitely worth it. The film is pure cinematic splendor.
Based on the book by Robert Harris and written by Harris and Polanski, it tracks down the personal and intense investigation of Officer George Picquart (an outstanding leading performance by Jean Dujardin), the head of the military in 1895 Paris, as he suspects the legitimacy on the imprisonment of Jewish Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus (an impressive Louis Garrel), accused of delivering secrets to the Germans.
Polanski commands the film with his usual mastery, allowing the actors to shine and devour every scene, while working with stunning technical resources. It is an accomplished and sophisticated courtroom drama, utterly accurate in its historical research, and coherently relatable in its antisemitism message.
The gorgeous cinematography by Oscar-nominee Pawel Edelman enhances the status of an instant classic, giving the film a magnificent preciseness in its mysterious, melancholic tones, shades and frames.
Winner of the César Award for Best Director, Polanski delivers his best film since 2002’s “The Pianist”, for which he won an Oscar. Turning 92 this month, the creator of masterworks such as “Chinatown”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Repulsion”, proves to be on top of his game again.
(Opens Friday, August 8th for a 2-week engagement at Film Forum NYC).
IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY
Academy Award-nominee documentarian Amy Berg returns to the musical field with this compelling and essential portrait of indie-rock stardom and influences set in the 90’s landscape of the music industry.
Seen through the rise and fame of one of America’s most prominent music artists in the 90’s, Jeff Buckley, director Berg’s captivating doc is an ode to youth. He had released only one album, “Grace”, when died tragically by drowning in 1997, but his influential talent left an important legacy.
Through insightful conversations with close friends, relatives and musical partners, never-seen-before footage and intimate messages, director Berg conceives an immersive and universal statement on the power of music while embracing that era with empathy and respect. Those include the award-winning singer and composer Ben Harper, film producer Mary Guibert (Jeff’s mother) and Oscar-nominee singer Aimee Mann among others.
Whether Jeff was forging new circles, creating new works, displaying music as a movement or embodying its healing essence, he was always an intense, engaged and committed artist and partner.
He changed and revolutionized the music scene in New York City’s East Village and beyond, helping to create a new landscape for artistic expression, reaching fans across the country, inspiring and influencing many others. Alanis Morissette called him “the best” back then.
One of the most praised docs at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it’s a fascinating and compelling portrait of a young man (and a generation) truly devoted to their art, ideals and aspirations.
(Opens Friday, August 7th at Angelika Film Center via Magnolia Pictures. Director in person at select screenings on Thursday and Friday).
ANIMALE
French-Algerian director Emma Benestan’s feminist body-horror is a visually astonishing and enigmatic thriller with brilliant influences on Cronenberg. It follows a young woman passionate about bullfighting and making her debut in the arenas.
She finds motivation among her all-male peers, who guide her through all the details of bullfighting as well as prepare her on the traditional challenge she’s about to enter. Rather than killing the bulls, the sports aim to reveal the bravery and dominance of these ambitious athletes.
Actress Oulaya Amamra (who worked with Benestan before in her first feature film “Fragile”) gives a tremendously affecting and ambiguously dark performance as the woman working hard on her training to prove herself equal while navigating the mystery of her body-changing and transformations.
As the ranchers start to get mysteriously killed, they go on a hunt for the evil bull responsible for the attacks.
Subtly addressing how men react to the standards of comparison and equality, Benestan scores a hauntingly satisfying and raging feminist tale.
(A Film Movement Release. Available for Home Viewing starting Friday, August 8th. Go to https://filmmovement.com/ for details).
Comments