So what is IT? |
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| Written by Trent Daniel | ||||||
| Wednesday, 20 May 2009 | ||||||
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Recently, Bruce Frigeri defined a movie with IT as follows: So what is this IT? In other words, what makes a film work? For me, it's a balance between acceptable technical standards, innovative style and honest, inspired storytelling. Each film has its own mix of these qualities. There is usually a rigorous courage of sorts that one can see in these films that have IT. It’s the courage to not sell your themes short, to not take the easy way out, even if it might be dramatically expedient.
To expand on the subject, I decided to offer 10 relatively recent films that I think have IT, as defined above. The list was somewhat hard to make, as many good film, even Oscar winners, can still miss the mark, particularly with regards to slightly manipulating their themes and perhaps taking the easy way out. The list below is quite an eclectic mix, ranging from relatively obscure foreign films to Hollywood mega-blockbusters. Still, I think all the films below have IT: The Wrestler-Darren Aronovsky (2008) The Wrestler meets the requirements for IT in being truly uncompromising in both its story and the realistic way in which it takes the viewer into the admittedly bizarre world of pro wrestling. Mickey Rouke is truly outstanding (and should have won the Oscar) and supported by an equally outstanding performance by Marisa Tomei. Both transform into their characters-Rourke looks and performs like a man was has bloodied and broken his body in the ring for far too many years, while Tomei embodies the stripper who knows that age is catching up with her, yet does not know what else to do. Just as important, the film neither tacks on a happy ending, nor forces in a tragic, but melodramatic ending. The final shot of the film is, on the surface, ridiculous, yet also moving and fitting. The Reader-Stephen Daldry (2008) The quiet triumph of The Reader is that it asks some truly profound and disturbing questions about responsibility for the Holocaust and refuses to compromise in order to give its audience any “easy out” from the questions it poses. A simple, yet horrible thought: could an otherwise normal human being join the Nazi SS simply because he or she needed a job? Nearly as disturbing: if someone betrays a person who has committed a horrendous crime, is the betrayer not still guilty of a sin? The are no easy answers to these questions and the film never compromises itself in order to give a pat answer. The Dark Knight-Christopher Nolan (2008) The film story of 2008 was the phenomenal success, both critically and commercially, of one of the most hyped and expensive films ever made. The great triumph of the film, of course, is Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as the Joker. He took the villain to innovative extremes of depravity, yet stayed true to the decades old character. However, his performance is not the only reason the film has IT: the film delivered spectacular action set pieces, yet kept them within the confines of the story, one that explored, with amazing depth for a blockbuster, the moral decisions defenders of society (indeed, everyone) must make on a daily basis (and it is not afraid to question its hero at times, either). Happy-Go-Lucky-Mike Leigh (2008) Few films have examined with such clarity our everyday existence, as well as the lives of thirtysomethings who, for one reason or another, did not end up with the spouse, 2.5 kids and white picket fence house that society seemingly requires you to have by the time you are 30. The film follows a charming, wonderful heroine (Sally Hawkins) who simply chooses to be happy and enjoy her life, rather than fret over what she doesn’t have (no matter how much her younger sister tries convince her otherwise). Her adversarial relationship with her driving instructor, a sullen, paranoid man who has let life beat him down, culminates in a final showdown that is hilarious, intense and moving at the same time. No Country For Old Men-Joel and Ethan Coen (2007) Though admittedly grim and nihilistic at times, the film stays true to the Cormac McCarthy novel, even to the challenging and ambiguous ending (indeed, one could argue the Coens have NEVER compromised their endings, no matter how off-putting-a claim few filmmakers can make). The film stays true to the hard lessons the novel explores: 1) sometimes the bad guys win; 2) decisions based on conscience can sometimes be the wrong ones; 3) the world does not revolve around you. It existed before you were born and will go on after you die. The stark, beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins, Javier Bardem’s performance as the fearsome villain, plus underappreciated supporting work by Josh Brolin and Tommie Lee Jones, all remain true to the harsh themes explored in the story. There Will Be Blood-P.T. Anderson (2007) This intense drama is in many ways a horror film, as it focuses on Daniel Plainview (the Oscar willing Daniel Day-Lewis), a vile protagonist so consumed with greed that he has no room in his life for anything else, particularly no other human, even his adopted son. The fantastic oil fire scene in the middle of the film, in which deathly black smoke from the oil fire consumes the sky, sets the tone perfectly-this man is willing to unleash Hell on earth if it means more money. The film is uncompromising in how it shows Plainview not softening in old age, but becoming more and more of a sociopath, culminating in a final, controversial act of violence and a grim final utterance, “I’m finished.” Ils (Them)-David Moreau and Xavier Palud (2006) Ils, along with Inside, Haute Tension and Calvaire, was part of the French new wave of extreme horror films that surpassed Hollywood not only in terms of violence, but also in innovation, creativity and daring. Though Ils is the least gory of the key French horror films, it is also one of the scariest. The story is simple: a young couple in an isolated farmhouse is harassed by a gang of outsiders, who stay just out of sight, never allowing their victims a good look and patiently waiting for the right moments to strike. The film is uncompromising, both in its decidedly grim ending and the disturbing truth about the outsiders. Note: Ils was loosely remade recently as The Strangers. While The Strangers is underrated and delivers some genuine scares, it does not quite have IT because of one very important difference between its villains and the villains in Ils. Pan’s Labyrinth-Guillermo del Toro (2006) This film is simply one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. In fascist Spain, a young girl, forced to live with a cruel stepfather who also happens to be a ruthless captain in Franco’s army, escapes at night into a fantasy world with a faun-like creature as her guide. The faun tells her that she is a princess, but must prove who she is by surviving three challenging, bizarre and frightening tasks (the middle task is one of the scariest scenes in movie history). The film seamlessly and brilliantly meshes the fantasy world with decidedly grim real world she lives in under her stepfather. It took an amazing tightrope act on the part of del Toro to keep the worlds separate, yet integral to the overall story. This film could so easily have slipped into silliness or melodrama, yet del Toro never lets it happen. This film is truly an amazingly innovative and creative work by a gifted director, as well as a must see for film lovers. Spider-Man 2-Sam Raimi (2004) Like The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2 showed that a mega-blockbuster can deliver great entertainment and still have IT. The triumph of Spider-Man 2 is that it captured the reason why Peter Parker is perhaps the most beloved and empathetic of the major superheroes. Unlike Superman (an alien) or Batman (a billionaire), Spider-Man is an otherwise ordinary young man, trying to find his place in the world, who has been both blessed and burdened with superhuman powers. Spider-Man 2 has this constant conflict within Peter at the core of its story and never loses its focus, even while delivering spectacular action scenes (and a steamy romance as well). Mulholland Dr.-David Lynch (2001) Like the Coens, David Lynch has never compromised his vision, no matter the lack of box office (and it is a given that any Lynch film will be innovative). Though Lynch’s Eraserhead is still my favorite film, Mulholland Dr. might be his masterwork. It also perhaps comes the closest of any of his films to capturing the dream state-seemingly the purpose of nearly all his art. Erotic, flat-out scary at times, beautifully shot and acted (especially by Naomi Watts), this film clearly has IT. One of my favorites. (Note: it is no use trying to explain the plot-it is a mystery designed to be experienced rather than solved.)
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