“Fill the Void” (2012)
In the Jewish Hasidic community, arranged marriages are not so strict a practice as in other religions. Director Rama Burshtein wants to lift the shroud surrounding this custom with her touching and gently funny film.
Next to others from the romcom genre, her film's treatment of this subject is a breath of fresh air. It has already won multiple awards and is due for release in the UK.
In Tel Aviv, Israel, Shira (Hadas Yaron) is excited by her impending arranged marriage. The plans for her union vanish, though, when her sister suddenly dies while giving birth to her first child. Her widowed husband Yochay (Yiftach Klein) is left with a young baby to care for. Both families and the Rabbi (who has last word on matters of this kind) suggest wedding Shira to Yochay.
Despite her reluctance at first, out of respect for her sister and uncertainty on marrying an older man, Shira grows closer to Yochay. There is also the possibility that Yochay may take his son out of the country to marry, prompting Shira's mother to speed up developments.
Much of the general view surrounding closed religions is of strict adherence to religious practice. What is not shown is the loyalty and inherent sense of community it can instill within its members. There is much caring, love and concern between families and family members that Burshtein heavily emphasises here. Shira is a classic example of this, and it is played on to a fault in the film.
Burshtein took much time and care over writing, casting and funding the film; this is a project close to her heart. This was no doubt knowing it would be released worldwide once it was completed. She especially wanted to develop a relationship between the two leads, a real relationship the audience could believe in and relate to. Her close attention to all aspects of production separates her film from others of similar type (unlikely couple falls in love and, despite the odds, get married).
"Calvary" (2014)
This is a whodunit with a twist. Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson, 2002's "28 Days Later") is a much-loved member of a small and close-knit Irish community, or so he thinks.
During a confession, someone threatens to kill him a week from Sunday. However, he cannot go to the police for help because of the seal of the confessional. Not knowing who intends to do him harm, let alone how or why, he engages with the locals to find out who the culprit is and dissuade them from carrying out their threat.
It's like a real game of "Clue" before the murder takes place. Will it be the witty butcher (Chris O'Dowd) in his shop with a meat axe? The local landowner in the woods with a shotgun? The doctor with a scalpel in an empty hospital room (Aiden Gillen)? There's also the shifty looking guy with the bowtie. What is left unsaid, what the story takes most of your attention from but hints at, is Father James' past; what has he done or not done.
It's written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, who directed Gleeson in "The Guard" in 2011. Interestingly, his brother Martin directed 2008's "In Bruges," in which Gleeson starred beside Colin Farrell.
"Calvary" is an interesting choice of title for the film. Its meaning may give away a few plot clues. Calvary is, of course, the place where Jesus was crucified. It translates to mean "place of the skull." What that means for Father James and his quest to find his future killer, it's not wholly clear. Perhaps it points to the end of the story and perhaps his death; let's hope he's more successful than that.
News: Freddie Mercury biopic
To a lot of positive reaction, British actor Ben Whishaw, most recently gaining attention as a young Q in 2012's "Skyfall," has been chosen to play Freddie Mercury in a film biopic of his life. The story will center on Mercury's earlier life, leading up to the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Earlier this year, Sacha Baron Cohen pulled out of the film citing creative differences. Cohen and Whishaw couldn't be more different, and it will be interesting to see how he portrays the artist and the film's take in general on his early life story.
It's in good hands with Peter Morgan, who wrote Oscar-nominated screenplays for "The Queen" (2006) and "Frost/Nixon" (2008). Remaining Queen band members, including Brian May, are the driving force behind the biopic and have given their thumbs-up to the new choice for lead.
Morgan will need the band's input for the film, as Mercury was notorious for shunning the limelight and keeping his personal life a closely guarded secret. Whishaw has the same need for keeping a private life private. Apparently, he and Mercury share a fondness for cats, Whishaw confessing he had 11 at one time. He certainly sports the lean stature of Mercury; whether he can strut his funky, flamboyant stuff on stage is another matter.
The film is down for a 2014 premiere.
Peter O’Toole
One of Britain’s greatest stage actors passed away last week. O’Toole was most famous in the title role of the classic “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), a part that was also offered to Marlon Brando. His career might have taken a completely different turn had he not taken the part. O’Toole was known for his professionalism but he also had a racier side, one biographer Robert Sellers wrote about in his book “Hellraisers."
O’Toole’s last big picture was “Venus” (2006), which earned him an Oscar nomination. At 73 years of age, that’s some accomplishment. I wonder how many young actors today will reach that point in their career. The film’s subject was a slightly controversial one: An elderly man meets a young girl 50 years his junior and develops lustful feelings for her. Filming took place during a bitterly cold winter in London, and a special heated tent was set up for the actor to sit in between shots. He remarked that being in every scene was tiring.
One of his more recent roles was as the voice of food critic Anton Ego in “Ratatouille” (2007). Every Parisian restaurant’s reputation hangs on his review, and in one of the film’s final scenes, he is presented with a rustic French dish that instantly rushes him back in time to his childhood. If there was a villain in this animation from director Brad Bird, then it’s Ego, with his long face, stern demeanour and grey appearance. O’Toole voices him perfectly.