The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby

As Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless) walks across the bridge there’s clearly something amiss. We don’t know what, but as she casually leaves her bike and continues her pace out of frame it’s the startled yell of a passerby and a faint splash that tells us where she ends up. We still don’t know why, even as her husband Conor (James McAvoy, Trance, X-Men: Days of Future Past) rushes into her hospital room, only to find her asleep.

It’s the audience’s beginning tug on the sweater of Eleanor and Connor’s marriage, chronicled in the “Them” chapter of “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.” Originally slated as two movies, (called “Him” and “Her”) they’ve since been recut into one.* It’s a slow-boil that recounts the couple’s story, especially as they study the shards of their relationship without an obvious focus. Eleanor returns to school, moves in with family, and refuses to even discuss Conor. In turn, Conor picks fights as he obsesses over his failed marriage and his failing restaurant business as he moves home to his own father’s house.

There’s an elegance to the way first-time director/writer Ned Benson frames the story. Though it may be quiet and unhurried — often taking its time to show off its cinematography skills as it circles backward and forward through time — it speaks volumes about processing grief, love, and how different expressions of those. The whole thing gives a sense of intricate plotting, but still carries the heavy burden of authenticity behind its emotion.

The film owes a lot to its lead actors, who carry their characters with a kind of unassuming heartbreak. They’re equally developed, whole characters with flaws and negativities that simultaneously balance each other out while also feeding on the other’s self-destruction.

As companion pieces Benson could’ve made a theatrical statement; the man vs. the woman, Kramer vs. Kramer, the variability of “Clue” meets the emotional nuance of “Boyhood.” But as a fusion, the result is a beautiful contrast between two volatile adults.

Though their problems may, at first, reek of advantage, of well-off, white, New Yorkers who can afford to take a step back from their lives, there’s a reserved sorrow that’s subtly woven throughout the film that everyone can relate to. The ethereal air of going through the motions after trauma and searching for something next to normal creates a reverent tone from start to finish, until finally the screen fades to black, and you’re stuck waiting for him and her.

*There’s talk of these being released to art house theaters soon/already, if you’re in New York. But there’s no word of it in Seattle yet. Once it does, expect a Deja Review from us, because when I found out this wasn’t based on a book I felt robbed of experiencing this story more.

Zero Dark Thirty

Spoiler alert: We got him

Years from now, people will ask where you were when President Obama announced that SEAL Team Six had successfully ended the hunt for Osama bin Laden. After 9/11, bin Laden was the most wanted man in the United States, and his death was highly publicized. So how do you keep an audience that already knows the outcome on the edge of their seats?

While that’s no simple task, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal do not shy away from modern controversial topics. Similar to their work in “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow and Boal weave harsh realism into their dramatizations, yielding a tight, dense, and structured depiction of the 10-year manhunt.

“Zero Dark Thirty” has a lot of ground to cover, and it wastes no time, beginning in 2003, when the CIA obtained the name of bin Laden’s courier through harsh interrogation techniques that looked an awful lot like torture. In fact, the first 45 minutes of the film revolve around brutal torture sequences that are unfortunately part of the historical narrative. However, Bigelow and Boal don’t politicize these acts; the movie does not set out to commend or criticize the use of torture. 

These scenes serve to introduce the protagonist, Maya, played with icy and calculated brilliance by Jessica Chastain (Lawless, Take Shelter, Tree of Life). When we first see Maya, she’s still green, disgusted by the torture but not opposed to it; she’s there to do a job. Chastain brings a militant determination to an already-strict role. The audience barely knows who she is or where she came from, but is acutely aware of her formidable drive. 

The film relies heavily on grounding itself in authenticity, almost to a fault. The first two hours of “Zero Dark Thirty” explore CIA bureaucracy and procedure; if you’re expecting Michael Bay-type action and explosions, this isn’t the movie for you. Boal’s plotting is packed with details from Maya’s nine years of following a minute lead. However necessary, the film takes its time as facts, names, and dates whiz past. 

But this all changes when SEAL Team Six loads into the Black Hawks. The last third of the movie is the riveting assault on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, and even knowing the outcome won’t lessen the effect. As the Navy SEALs methodically make their way through the house, it is impossible to look away. Bigelow’s use of a handheld camera gives the movie a realistic feel throughout, but really shines when it’s carried through to the raid. 

While “Zero Dark Thirty” may feel dense at times, it’s still a timely tour de force of a defining moment in our culture. Our news feeds were inundated with feelings and thoughts, and most were left with emotions that were difficult to negotiate. “Zero Dark Thirty” perfectly captures this sentiment: Regardless of opinion or politics, the deed was done, and our cultural landscape shifted, leaving us with both relief and uneasiness to face the future in a post-bin Laden world. 

The verdict: Both brutal and mesmerizing, “Zero Dark Thirty” is a somber yet objective meditation on modern history. 

Lawless

The line-up for Lawless drove expectations way up; with a star studded cast including Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, and Shia LeBeouf (maybe not so much Shia) and Aussie director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition).  The end result, failed to live up to such great expectations.  

Lawless follows the stories of the Bondurants of Franklin County; brothers running a successful liquor business in the times of prohibition. Between Forrest’s (Hardy, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) legend status and Jack (LeBeouf, Transformers franchise)’s budding love the brothers must navigate the new pressure of Special Detective Charlie Rakes (Pearce, The Hurt Locker, Memento).

In a rather mediocre film, there are still dazzling aspects.  Hillcoat certainly knows how to shoot a film; seamlessly navigating between the misty country roads (take me home) and the luminous, rustic summers.  The way he plays with shadows sculpts scenes of beauty reminiscent of noir films, drawing both complex and enticing set pieces.  The cast gives strong performances; from the solemnly brutal Tom Hardy to the vivacious and mysterious Jessica Chastain.  Even Shia holds his own on the screen against such high caliber talent, and makes for a sympathetic protagonist.

That’s where the film’s exceptionality ends.  The plot is muddled and mundane, being carried by narration that doesn’t mind dragging it’s feet.  There are many sequences that seem so extraneous and unnecessary it becomes difficult to focus on aspects pertinent to the main plot. Characterization in this film do nothing to help a rather sluggish and heavy script; each character is very one-note, lacking any sort of complex dimension.  The only two women in the film were completely expendable as characters. They serve only as obligatory love interests for their male counterparts.  It all makes for rather standard and boring fare; in a film that dares to be landmark and modern classic, it doesn’t live up to its name and sure doesn’t break any laws.            

As far as thrillers go, I thought that Martha Marcy May Marlene had already established itself as one of the year’s bests.  That was of course, before I saw Take Shelter.  Both films I found to be fresh and unsettling takes on the indie thriller, but while MMMM draws its creepiness from its subtlety, Take Shelter does not pulls its punches.

            Take Shelter depicts the story of Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon, Boardwalk Empire, Revolutionary Road), a hard working man from a small town.  His life seems to be humming along with a steady job and a loving family including his caring wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain, Tree of Life, The Help).  However, things start to unravel when Curtis begins to be tortured by a series of apocalyptic visions of the future.  His visions are so powerful he begins to take alienate his friends and family, only being able to seek refuge in building a storm shelter.

            Shannon delivers a performance sure to be Oscar worthy.  His paranoia oozes out of his body and our stomachs are completely tied in knots for the whole movie.  He portrays a man that is ticking bomb, and we are enthralled to see when he is bound to combust.  His performance is perfectly off set by Chastain’s warming and loving portrayal of Curtis’s wife.  While Shannon becomes colder and more introverted as the movie persists, Chastain becomes the soul of the movie, desperately trying to keep her husband, and family together.  Chastain makes us not only sympathize with a man on the brink of sanity, but also his caring family. 

            Director Jeff Nichols does not care for letting his audience breathe. We can see the twists coming, but Nichol’s editing still delivers gut punching blows and increased heart rates.  There is a good balance between shocking visuals as well as a portrait of a man slowly falling into the darkness of his own paranoia.  I will admit that the writing does not feel organic at points, but Nichol’s direction and powerful performances will leave you feeling paranoid and disturbed.  After seeing Take Shelter, you might have to (put sunglasses on) take shelter.