French Cinema - L'écume des jours (Mood Indigo) Review

I decided to watch L’Écume des Jours (Mood Indigo) for three reasons: it’s French (I’m trying to learn this beautiful language with the help of cinema), it stars Audrey Tautou (from Amelie, which is one of my all-time favourite films ever) and the film is directed and written by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

My goodness, what a bizarrely surreal and poetical film. In Mood Indigo everything is extremely unusual, the visuals are mind blowing and the characters are so absurd it’s brilliant. The story takes place in a world so unlike ours, where everything seems to be alive and the people a larger than life itself. For the duration of the film, we follow the relationship of Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloé (Audrey Tautou) from its awkward inception at a friends party to the bittersweet end. It’s so strange (but reassuring) how a storyline so simple and generic as love could be made into such a groundbreaking and stunning piece of cinema, and it just goes to  show it’s not what you do but how you do it that sets things apart (another unusual love story that comes to mind is the inventive 500 Days of Summer).

Early on in the film, Colin is jealous of his two closest friends Nicolas (played supremely by Omar Sy) and Chick having found love, he boldly stands up and proclaims “I demand to fall in love, too!” I found this small moment quite interesting as we as humans seem to feel as if it’s our absolute right to find love when in reality to find true love is pure luck, coincidence and a matter of being in the right place at the right time. This is expressed quite well when Colin meets Chloé, Colin had to be invited by Nicolas who just so happened to be romantically involved with the Hostess Isis. All these coincidences and chances lead to the beautiful romance the two main characters shared. Perhaps the secret is to demand it after all as surely then we would actively seek love?

Overall this film is stunning and so quirky that I don’t want to give too much of it away in this review (everything you need to know is in the Trailer). So if you love French Cinema starring likeable leads in a story that is utterly surreal then have a watch, if not well you’re missing out on one of the most interesting films of the 21st Century.

Macbeth Review

Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Scottish saga is a wonder to behold and is perhaps the most beautifully shot film that this year has seen. It was no surprise that the film was a contender for the Palm d’Or at this year’s Cannes film festival, however, the surprise for me was that it didn’t win (but then again I haven’t seen the films it was up against).

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are perfection as the twisted treacherous couple, their performances are so visceral and poetic it is a pleasure to see their story unfold even though it is common knowledge as to what happens in the play. Macbeth’s ephemeral reign is doomed due to the nature of how he succeeded to the throne, and it is during this segment of the film that Fassbender shines where he teeters on the edge of full-blown madness and desperation that turns him into a tyrannical maniac. Also, Cotillard expertly navigates the conflicted Lady Macbeth who begins the film urging her husband to commit murder and supports him fully in their transition to royalty until she too is consumed by guilt and fear as her husband slowly becomes more demented.

The wild Scottish landscape is so beautifully moody it becomes a character itself which coupled with the sublime score by Jed Kurzel elevates this adaptation of Macbeth to the level of grandiose that Shakespeare’s tragedy deserves. The battle scenes that both open and close the film stood out with transcendent cinematography courtesy of Adam Arkapaw, they were whimsically savage and utterly awe-inspiring. Interestingly the final battle between Macbeth and MacDuff had a twist from the play, instead of the army carrying shields made form Birnam Wood a colossal fire lighted by Macduff brings the ashes of the prophetic trees to Dunsinane Castle which then, in turn, brings a beautiful orange glow to the battle with flecks of smouldering ashes floating stunningly through the air as the men battle to death. In other words, this moment was pure genius while looking gorgeous the fiery battle also reflects Macduff’s line ‘Turn Hell-Hound turn’ as a fitting reflection of the nature of Macbeth’s demonic actions and that he thus must descend to hell for his crimes in this predestined end.

To me, this film was nothing short of exceptional therefore I urge lovers of film and any fellow Shakespeare nuts to see this gem on the big screen as it is not just a film but a piece of exquisite art.

Overall I give this Film: An Infinite amount of stars.