Fjord

The prestige that comes with winning the Palme d’Or is immense. After Parasite won the Palme d’Or in 2019, however, the focus on each Palme d’Or winner and whether it will go on to win awards has been elevated. Each Palme d’Or winner is met with immediate speculation about whether it could potentially be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. This trend is further fueled by NEON’s successful streak of seven consecutive Palme d’Or winners and has made this year’s winner, Fjord, one of the more divisive winners in recent years due to both its content and how it was selected. When I entered Fjord as the first film I saw during this year’s New York Film Festival (NYFF), I was cautiously optimistic. I generally enjoyed the previous six Palme d’Or winners distributed by NEON.

Fjord left me feeling similarly cold and empty-handed as Cristian Mungiu’s characters. The film put me through the ringer for two and a half hours, only to leave me completely numb. Cristian Mungiu’s direction and screenplay focus heavily on examining the situation that they rarely allow me to develop feelings for the people caught within it. Mungiu approaches each situation presented throughout the film with such restraint that he creates an emotional gap between the audience and his characters. Whether consciously or unconsciously, Mungiu’s decision to maintain an emotional distance between the audience and his characters eventually diminished my interest in what should be an extremely disturbing situation. What makes my diminished interest even more disheartening is that Academy Award Nominee Sebastian Stan and Academy Award Nominee Renate Reinsve are at the center of the story and I couldn’t develop a connection with either. Both actors provide subdued yet effective performances; however, they struggle against Mungiu’s emotionally distant approach to filmmaking.

Ultimately, it becomes difficult for me to form a genuine connection with their characters’ struggles under the immense pressure of extreme accusations.

Fjord is the type of film where I can identify what Cristian Mungiu is trying to achieve through his work, yet I cannot relate to his execution. There are several compelling themes explored throughout Fjord related to faith, motherhood, cultural differences and the alarming ability of an organization to quickly gain control over a family’s life. Identifying these themes and experiencing their effects are two vastly different things. Perhaps Mungiu intended to create an emotionally distant experience for his viewers. Perhaps Mungiu wanted his audience to experience the same sense of helplessness and exhaustion experienced by his characters as they become entrapped within a system that continues to operate despite their desperate attempts to resist it. Regardless of Mungiu’s intentions, intentionality does not guarantee effectiveness.

Therefore, the fact that Fjord received the Palme d’Or is intriguing. Following six consecutive NEON distributed films that I could relate to to varying degrees, Fjord is the first film in NEON’s remarkable series of Palme d’Or winners that I could not connect with. After viewing Fjord for two and a half hours, I wasn’t emotionally crushed, angry or particularly torn. Instead, I was numb.

Although Fjord walked away from Cannes with cinema’s highest honor, it left me questioning where all of that emotional intensity went.

The Debut

Jesse Eisenberg’s voice in cinema has always been a fascinating one. Whether it’s his acting, writing or directing, his voice has always demanded attention. For me, one of the most interesting parts of Eisenberg’s journey as a director has been watching him grow. I can honestly say I thought When You Finish Saving the World, his 2022 directing debut, was a painful experience. It was not only my first time attending the Sundance Film Festival as press, but it was also the first film I saw while covering the event, and I do not think it was very good.

Fast forward two years and Eisenberg ran it back with another Sundance debut. Only this time, there wasn’t just a step up, but a film I found to be heartfelt, emotionally resonant and quite funny throughout. That film was A Real Pain. It was such a huge leap forward that, when Eisenberg returned two years later with The Debut, I viewed it as the film that would determine his trajectory as a writer/director and prove his debut was simply a blip on the radar.

The Debut cements Jesse Eisenberg as one of cinema’s most exciting voices. It’s not just his best film thus far, but a charming and hilarious romp through the pretentiousness of method acting and the importance of the idea that “one person is not above an entire cast.”

The Debut follows a shy housewife, Mona, who auditions for a part in the Brook Arts Center production of the fictional musical, Nosy Neighbors. After landing the part, Mona becomes engrossed with perfecting her role, but as her life begins to unravel, no one is safe.

Eisenberg’s direction and screenwriting continue to improve with each film. With The Debut, his screenplay not only dives into the hilarity that comes with community theater, but also embraces the craziness of method acting. Throughout the film, every individual affected by Mona’s growing dedication to the role echoes a level of frustration that truly feels like it came from Eisenberg’s own experience. There’s a sense of authenticity that elevates the film’s script. Adding the fact that Eisenberg also wrote all the songs in the film is the cherry on top. A screenplay/song nomination feels like it’s in the cards for Eisenberg.

Academy Award winner Julianne Moore may soon be a two-time Academy Award winner. In a career that’s already rich with outstanding work, Moore quite frankly has never been better. Moore perfectly captures the struggles of a “bad actress” attempting to better herself without realizing the toll she’s putting on herself and everyone around her. Both hilarious and, at times, sad, Moore essentially delivers a comedic Black Swan-esque masterclass in acting. The always reliable Paul Giamatti finds the perfect balance with Moore. Despite Giamatti’s Jerry being the no-nonsense authoritarian/director of the play, there’s a heart and emotional gravitas to his performance that perfectly complements Moore’s chaos.

As a testament to the strength of this year’s New York Film Festival, The Debut is not only one of the best of the fest, but one of the best films of the year. It delivers on all my cinematic sensibilities, but also shows that Eisenberg has the chops! As an actor, writer, and director, Eisenberg deserves a standing ovation as the curtain closes.

Behemoth!

Writer/director Tony Gilroy’s resume speaks for itself. With The Bourne Trilogy, Michael Clayton, Rogue One, and the often deliciously culty The Devil’s Advocate all under his belt, Gilroy has shown why he’s one of our best. But for me, it’s his magnum opus, Andor, that gave Gilroy a lifetime pass. It’s not just an incredible piece of Star Wars canon, but the best entry in the franchise since The Empire Strikes Back. Sure, it’s a bold claim, but if you’ve seen Andor, you get it.

So with Gilroy returning to the big screen and Behemoth! having its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, my expectations were through the roof. Thankfully, Behemoth! delivers. Tony Gilroy’s cinematic conducting hits all the right notes, landing as another winner in Gilroy’s already impressive resume.

Behemoth! follows former child prodigy Alex, who has spent the majority of his life living in the shadow of his father. After settling into life as a respected member of an orchestra in Chicago, Alex leaves for Hollywood to enter the world of recording film scores. When he’s not taking part in scoring films, Alex’s life is full of self-sabotage that leads to a whirlwind of events as he attempts to balance his life as best as he can.

Tony Gilroy’s screenplay can feel simplistic at times; to some, much of Alex’s arc may feel surface-level without much thematic exploration. However, what aids Gilroy’s script is how it builds like a grand piece of music. With what has been branded “The Behemoth! Collective,” including Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandan Roberts, and Alan Silvestri, the film builds and eventually hits its crescendo similarly. A score that should, from now until the end of time, be the soundtrack to my life. Gilroy’s script, along with the Collective’s score, helps elevate the context and concept of the film. Despite some hiccups along the way, it ultimately hits the right note.

As a huge fan of Pedro Pascal over the years, it’s great to see him tackle a quieter and more subtle performance. While the Pascal charm is on display, this is his most internalized performance to date and, quite frankly, the best performance of his career. On the supporting end, Will Arnett’s comedic tendencies are on display whenever he’s sharing the screen with Pascal. But when it comes to the comedy, Olivia Wilde is hilarious with a capital H. There’s no denying she’s as over the top as it gets, but it really hits. Of the supporting players, Eva Victor really makes the most of her limited screen time. She’s impressive, emotionally rich and quite frankly, I was left wanting more.

Ultimately, Behemoth! sprinkles in moments of greatness, but doesn’t fully grab the brass ring. It’s a film whose highs are some of the best of the year, but there are moments that falter. It may be one of my favorite Gilroy films, but there’s no denying it’s no Andor, and that’s okay, because not much is.

Bucking Fastard

Gimmicks in film come and go. Some stand the test of time, while others land with a thud and ultimately end as something that looked better on paper than in its execution. Werner Herzog’s resume, no doubt, gives him the cinematic freedom to try anything out, and mostly all cinephiles will be seated.

When Bucking Fastard, the latest film from Herzog, hit the festival circuit, there certainly was intrigue. A film starring both Mara sisters felt like must-see cinema. Then, the first clip of the film hit, with the Mara sisters talking in unison, which left me wondering: would this be the length of the film, and would the gimmick run cold fast?

The answer? A resounding yes! While Bucking Fastard displays the Mara sisters at their best, the film’s absurdist nature gets old quick, and its plot and storytelling device leave a lot to be desired in this monotonous exercise of a film.

Bucking Fastard follows the Holbrook sisters, Jean and Joan. The sisters are in search of true love as they navigate through their town, ultimately leading them to a mountain landscape, where the sisters both emotionally and literally dig a tunnel to find their true calling.

Sure, Herzog’s “weirdness” in his writing and directing remains intact. Its oddness and quirkiness work, for a bit. However, his screenplay ultimately leads to not much of anything, and the film’s lack of fleshed-out themes ultimately left me bored. For a film that starts with the words, “For David Lynch,” I felt it had surprisingly little to say. After the screening, I spoke to a fellow colleague who loved the film, and hearing his interpretation of the movie made me wish those ideas were better executed on screen.

Kate and Rooney Mara’s performances would be the reason to seek out Bucking Fastard. Despite my issues with the film, the duo working as one is a sight to behold. There are subtle distinctions to each of their personalities that the two are able to express, despite talking in tandem throughout the length of the film.

Bucking Fastard is probably not a film I will ever revisit. It’s ultimately a film that’s more style than substance, and despite committed performances by both Rooney and Kate Mara, Bucking Fastard goes nowhere FAST.