The Dreamers: A tribute film that questions

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Now while it isn’t possible to imitate every time one wishes to pay a compliment, it is easier to do so in subtle tributes in one’s one work. The Dreamers, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, is one such film that tributes many great films and directors that inspired Bertolucci over the course of his career to become one of the most reputed directors in the world.

Matthew is an American studying in a university in Paris on the eve of the student riots that rocked the city in the year 1968. Being a cinephile, he loves visiting film screenings at the Cinémathèque Française as often as possible. He happens to cross paths with a brother and sister who share his love for cinema. The siblings are intrigued by Matthew and invite him to their house for dinner to introduce him to their parents. Mildly shocked and positively surprised by their openness and comfort levels, Matthew accepts the invitation for dinner and also the later invitation to move into their house once their parents move away for a month. His time in the family home is spent in amicable arguments with the brother and uncomfortable moments with the sister as he hides his affection for her in an unfolding story with the backdrop of the May 1968 riots of Paris.

The Dreamers comes across as a tribute to great directors and films from the past. It was released in the year 2003 and was directed by Bernarndo Bertolucci. The film is based on a novel written by Gilbert Adair who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film has various references to films of the past which are probably considered by the director and writer to be the best films ever made. The references are always affirmative with characters discussing and making positive remarks about the films or wearing similar costumes as were used in the films or performing similar actions as were done by characters in those films. There are also visible references in the form of props and auditory references with music from the films being used. The tributes are not restricted to the world of cinema alone, there is praise of musical greats in the film as well.

There are various undertones in the film which are touched upon particularly in terms of what defines art. There is a struggle between a father and son in the film over who is the greater artist, the one that voices his opinion or the one that only witnesses calmly to reflect and ponder. There are insinuations of incest and questions asked about whether it should actually be considered a sin or if it can be accepted as a parallel way of thinking. The film also depicts a political struggle between administrators and workers along with a documentation of how the elite class stay aloft from political struggles since they are comfortable in their own lives.

The Dreamers probably has a niche audience that would thoroughly appreciate it. It is a good film for someone who enjoys films that revolve around lengthy conversations on topics covering political and social implications.

Before Midnight: The cherry on the icing on the cake

Romance is always seen in a unidirectional format. It always has a predefined formula of where a boy and girl meet and fall in love, maybe have a few hardships and their love triumphs all in the end. It has a treatment which is tried and tested; close up shots of the lovers with low-key lighting around them but with the couple in focus set to soft romantic music as the background score. There are very few films that dare to break this norm but the trilogy culminating in the 2013 film Before Midnight does have a different style and treatment although still falling under the genre of romance.

Picking up from the story of the first two films, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, Celine and Jesse are living together in Paris. They are unmarried with twin daughters and are currently vacationing in Greece upon invitation from one of Jesse’s literary friends named Patrick who owns a villa. Jesse also has a son from his previous marriage who loves with his mother in Chicago but visits Jesse in Greece for the vacation. After dropping him off at the airport, Jesse and Celine drive back to Patrick’s villa and discuss raising their daughters and Celine’s career prospects. At the villa, they discuss their ideas and thoughts about life with their friends over lunch. Another couple with them, Stefanos and Ariadni, decide to get them a hotel room for a night and agree to take care of their daughters in order for them to get some time alone. While walking to the hotel they talk about their future and plans to live together. On reaching the hotel room, they’re discussion turns into an argument and they are faced with the reality that their relationship isn’t perfect and have to decide how to deal with the immediate future.

Before Sunrise saw the introduction of the two protagonists – Jesse, an American tourist travelling through Europe, and Celine, a French student returning to university – who make a decision to roam through a city they have never been to before and spend a night together without the hope of ever seeing each other again. Before Sunset is the sequel after 9 years where Jesse has written a book about his meeting with Celine and is visiting France to promote the book when Celine tracks him down and they spend a few hours together before he must continue with the responsibilities of his book tour. Before Midnight is the third part of the series which is a follow up after 9 years with Jesse and Celine now living together as a couple with twin daughters with the knowledge that they love each other but not entirely sure how long their relationship will last if in fact it has an expiration date attached to it.

The film was written and directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. As is the case with the other films in the trilogy, this film is mostly marked with long conversations between the protagonists and quite a few track shots as the characters are followed around while they walk about. Both the lead actors do a splendid job in their respective roles which helps make the film believable and real.

The character of Celine is amiable. She has matured emotionally with time and motherhood takes a toll on her especially since she admits that she lacks maternal instincts in spite of having twins. The French-American accent works perfectly since she is born and raised in France but spends a considerable amount of time in the United States. The character of Jesse is still a daydreamer and a child at heart. His ideologies seem to be along the same lines as the previous films but he has matured as a person especially since he accepts the responsibilities of being a father. He has also grown professionally since he is living his dream of being an author after having a few of his books published and also taking the opportunity of his vacation to write another novel and discuss his ideas with other literary persons. The conversations between the two characters are still the highlight of the film although this film also brings in a few more characters in the form of friends of the protagonists. The conversations with the friends are mostly existential in nature while the protagonists themselves speak on a variety of topics especially those concerning their own lives, those of their children and the immediate future.

The film appears to be a day taken out of the life of a couple. It does not have many elements of being a staged film. The use of ambient sound and mostly natural light lend a very real feel to it. The treatment, as was the case with the previous films, is to have two characters speak casually to each other without the need for added dramatic elements or much of a background score either. The film is about a couple who have known each other for years but are still exploring one another’s minds by putting ideas back and forth between each other. There is no essence of the film being pretentious in spite of the constant philosophical discussions taking place. The brilliance is in the simplicity.

Before Midnight is the best in the series. Each scene is lengthy and runs between 10 minutes to half an hour but moves at a decent pace and does not get boring at any point of time. It has the audience’s attention all the time and is a splendid film.

Candy: Drugs and a broken relationship

In most cultures, drugs are looked upon as being morally wrong. Through popular culture it is evident that civilised and well respected people are not associated with drug users who are seen in the light of being rundown and hopeless. The effects of drugs have been chronicled in a few films by showing hard-hitting consequences due to drug consumption. One of the few that took up the topic was the 2006 film Candy which starred Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish.

Dan and Candy are deeply in love. Dan is a poet and Candy is an artist but neither has produced any work for an extended period of time because of their addiction to heroin. From the beginning it is evident that Dan is a user and initiates Candy into drug use which becomes the base of their relationship. They do whatever is required to gain hold of enough money to buy heroin just so they can have their regular fix. As time progresses their addiction grows stronger and borrowing money does not cut it; soon they resort to stealing which later gives way to prostitution. They realise they have spiralled out of control and try quitting to no avail. In the hope of leaving their past behind them and starting a new life, they move to the country side and try leaving the world of drugs behind. But their past life and dependence on drugs catches up to them when Candy’s parents come to visit for a Sunday lunch. Dan realises that he brought Candy into this mess and watches helplessly in the hope that they can finally change their life.

Candy was the feature film debut for Neil Armfield in the directorial role. Apart from his directorial contribution, Armfield also wrote the screenplay for the film which was adapted from a novel by Luke Davies titled Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction. There aren’t too many standout points in terms of direction which is simple and realistic. One of the most important scenes in the film is when Dan and Candy isolate themselves after moving to a countryside bungalow in the hope of permanently quitting drugs. This scene was both shot and directed well as a continuous overhead shot was maintained over a three day time lapse in the film which depicted the pain the characters were undergoing at the time. The performances of the lead actors were quite good through most of the film as well. They were able to get into the skin of the character to display the emotion and physical agony which would be expected from someone who is detoxing from drugs.

The highlight of the film comes in the breakdown of the story. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist Dan who even narrates a few scenes. After the establishment of the relationship between the two lead characters, the plot is broken down into three main segments which is the course of their relationship and drug addiction. The three segments of the film are Heaven, Earth and Hell. In the segment called Heaven, the lives of the protagonists are comfortable. They are able to fend for themselves by borrowing and stealing money to take care of their drug addiction which is at a level of elation since they have plenty of drugs to manage their cravings. In the segment called Earth, they are faced with problems that an adult couple would normally face. They have stronger cravings for heroin and not enough money to satiate themselves which leads to the need for prostitution. The lack of money sees them losing their house and strains develop in their relationship. In the segment titled Hell, they find each other’s company and habits to be annoying. They are not able to stay at peace with their relatives and friends and find the need to ignore them for extended periods of time. Their drug problems are escalated here since they are attempting to give it up forever and find violent physical manifestations developing during their detox period.

The film has a stronger human angle than most other drug related movies. It shows real problems and human interactions which are caused due to drug problems. It proves that storytelling does not require shock value in order to be effective.

Dogma: Comical loopholes in religious text

Humour is generally accepted as an open platform to criticise serious topics through lighter mediums. Most people will accept humour as a tongue-in-cheek method of portraying a point of view or ignore it as a baseless statement made for the pure benefit of harmless fun. However when humour tends to touch upon a nerve that may be above reproach of criticism, it may be a problem if it isn’t dealt with in a respectful manner. Kevin Smith’s 1999 release titled Dogma is a humourous portrayal of the Christian faith and the Catholic Church which probably sits in the league of sensitive comedies since it may upset quite a few sensibilities.

Bethany is an abortion clinic worker who is having a crisis of faith after issues with her infertility led to her divorce. She is looking for a way to rekindle her joy in religion which she once felt when she was a young girl. Elsewhere Bartleby and Loki, two fallen angels who were banished from heaven by God, have found a loophole in Catholic dogma which will allow them to re-enter Heaven if they pass through the gates of a church in New Jersey which will absolve them of all their sins. Unknown to Bartleby and Loki, they may accidentally cause the destruction of existence by entering the gates of the church and disobeying the word of God. An angel appears to Bethany and tasks her on a mission to find and stop Bartleby and Loki from fulfilling their goal. The angel informs Bethany that she will be assisted by two self-proclaimed prophets on her journey. Refusing at first, Bethany changes her stance when she is attacked by three demons and rescued by Jay and Silent Bob, the same prophets she was informed about previously. Embarking on the mission together, Bethany, Jay and Silent Bob face hardships and foes along the way while meeting other folk who help them with their journey.

Written and directed by Kevin Smith, this film takes on the religious doctrines put forward by the most popular religion in the world, and particularly its most widely accepted sect. The title of the film is Dogma which itself speaks of the most popular subject the film deals with. Like most of Smith’s other works, this film is also primarily a comedy. Smith has a particular style with his comedy films which borders on blue humour i.e. comedy involving topics such as sexism, racism, religion etc. This film dissects his views on the dogmas of religion and the Catholic Church with humourous twists and turns in the plot. Smith is also known to adopt character based comedy which carries on in this film as well with the recurrence of his funniest characters titled Jay and Silent Bob.

The film isn’t a laugh riot from start to finish but it is amusing to watch Smith take on the Catholic Church and put forward his own views through the medium of his film. Quite a few scenes provide a laugh out loud experience. The portrayal of God as a female flower child doing handstands is hilarious while the ease with which Silent Bob deals with the disgusting excremental demon also calls for a chuckle. The gullibility of Jay asking for sex in every other scene is also amusing as are the few words muttered by Silent Bob which are anticipated throughout the course of the film. Other funny moments in the film include the insinuation that Jesus was Black and racism prevailed over religious text, the idea that God loves playing skee ball and occasionally takes human form to participate in the activity and the hilarity of a cardinal who does away with the traditional crucifix to introduce the new ‘Buddy Christ’ in the hope of bringing the new generation closer to the Church.

The film does not slander the religion it focuses on neither does it rank any religion above or below others. It is just a funny outlook on the state of religion at the moment and what it was initially intended to be.

Peter Pan: Disney’s classic rendition of the boy that refused to grow up

From the many stories that we learn in our childhood, very few stand out and stay with us for the rest of our lives. We forget most stories as other things take the front seat in our lives and we put seemingly less important thoughts and ideas on the back burner until the point that we forget about them or they hold no precedence at all. But the stories that do get stamped in our memory forever leave us with a sense of fondness every time we think of them again. One such story was that of Peter Pan which was materialised into a film by Walt Disney in the year 1953.

Wendy Darling lives in a beautiful home in London where she is well taken care of by her parents as are her two younger brothers, John and Michael. Wendy has a maternal instinct to take care of her brothers and occasionally boss them around which they do not mind at all especially since she tells them bedtime stories about their favourite hero Peter Pan. As described by Wendy, Peter lives on the island of Never Land with his gang of Lost Boys, all of whom are constantly at war with the pirates headed by Captain Hook. The captain is so named because his left hand was replaced by a hook after Peter cut it off and fed it to a crocodile. One night John and Michael get their father riled up which leads him to decide that it is time for Wendy to forget her foolishness and grow up. Wendy pleads with her father that she doesn’t want to forget about Peter Pan because she is in possession of his shadow and must return it to him. Later that night Peter pays Wendy and her brothers a visit in order to retrieve his shadow and decides to take them with him to Never Land to meet his Lost Boys, the pirates, native Americans, mermaids and the lot.

Of the many films that Walt Disney commissioned in his time, Peter Pan is one of the most important as it tells the tale of a boy who refuses to grow up because of his love for youth and desire to remain a child; not unlike Disney’s own affection for children which led him to build his massive empire. The title character Peter Pan has a balance between innocence – which is shown in his lack of knowledge about a mother but desire to have one – and a naughty persona which is evident since he cuts off Captain Hook’s hand and feds it to a crocodile which sparks off a rivalry between the two. The most important factor of Peter’s character is his desire to stay a child forever and reluctance to grow up. As the narrator points out at the start of the film, it is a tale which has happened before and will happen again because Peter is the constant fixation in the story that never changes and always remains the same. He is a child who loves adventure and has a fascination for being independent but also wants to be cared for.

The protagonist of the film in truth is the character of Wendy who has a wide range of imagination but strong maternal instincts which leads her to not only care for her own brothers but also take on the role of being a mother for the Lost Boys. She is realistic and responsible as she prevents Peter from getting into too much mischief and mistreating Captain Hook. She is also capable of being stern when it is required as she shows when she commands her brothers and the Lost Boys to behave appropriately.

Peter Pan is the fantasy that everyone hopes to be when growing up. The ability to be careless about the rest of the world and live how one wants to live is lost once the process of ‘growing up’ is initiated. The problem with living a Peter Pan kind of life is that sooner or later reality has a tendency of catching up and we have to be responsible for ourselves and our actions.

It is difficult to find fault with a story that we have grown up learning and hold dear to heart. Even if there may be one or two flaws with this particular film adaptation, they are sooner or later overlooked considering it is a children’s tale based on imagination. It is a classic without a doubt.