Weekly Review -- Award-winning weekend

The Kids Are All Right (2010) -- Known for her layered examinations of human behavior, Lisa Cholodenko is one of those rare filmmakers who lay out life's ephemeral qualities and leave them open for interpretation. Having analyzed the struggle between self-discovery and ambition (High Art) and journeys into adulthood (Laurel Canyon), she now looks at the post-nuclear family in The Kids Are All Right.

Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have been together for nearly twenty years. Having raised two teenage children -- Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) -- their relationship has turned into a not-so-blissful domesticity. When Joni and Laser set off to meet their biological father and their mothers' sperm donor, the free-spirited entrepreneur Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the family's routine unravels into humorous, poignant and unexpected developments...

What I have always appreciated about Cholodenko's work is that no subject is ever black and white. Kids is not an exception, dealing with and challenging our preconceived notions of commitment and the fluidity of sexuality. In a unique twist, Cholodenko makes a sharp distinction between the two, injecting a dose of honesty and unpredictability into the story and asking us in the process -- is this not what life is?

**HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD**

I can understand how the affair between Jules and Paul could have been a delicate issue for the gay community, to say the least. I can see how the film's abrupt landing into standard and heterosexual romcom territory could have been seen as controversial, even as a betrayal, by many people. Personally, I did not think that the narrative required it, since I believe that the story of children bringing a third party into the parent fold would have been intriguing enough. Still, I ask that we all open our minds. We do not know if Jules is gay or bisexual; we do not know if she had ever been with men before meeting the love of her life, who just so happened to be a woman. The point is, it does not matter. Falling for someone is falling for someONE -- note the absence of a gender-specific pronoun. Committed relationships are not immune to extramarital affairs, and gender is not a determining factor in these occurrences.

**END OF SPOILERS**

The acting is excellent. Bening is a true force of nature as a mother protecting her family at all costs, alternating between Nic's controlling and doting attributes. Moore gives an equally terrific performance as an insecure woman lacking passion who, after having searched for it outside her relationship, returns as a stronger wife and mother. As Paul, Ruffalo finds comedic timing within the changes that his character is facing, the sobering reminders of a maturity that has somehow managed to pass him by over the years. Wasikowska and Hutcherson are both revelations as the siblings, whose natural curiosity leads to events that may alter their lives in unforeseen and irreversible ways.

The Kids Are All Right is another proof that Cholodenko is one of the most courageous filmmakers working today. Her portrayals of people are painstakingly accurate and her views of life's conundrums never leave viewers cold, inspiring debate and daring us to reconsider our beliefs. Her latest piece is a thought-provoking study of the bond between soulmates and the strength of commitment, soothing us into a firm conviction that yes, the kids are all right indeed.

8/10


The Town (2010) -- I will go right ahead and say it: Ben Affleck is better at directing than he is at acting. As an actor, he is mostly decent; as a director, he finds details and nuances, breathing life into situations that another filmmaker may have handled in a cliched manner. Like his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, The Town is both a crime drama and Affleck's love note to his city.

Robber Doug MacRay (Affleck) and his crew, including his best friend James (Jeremy Renner), are in the middle of a heist spree. After a job during which they took bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage, Doug and Claire fall for one another through sheer happenstance. Torn between his loyalties and his new love, and pursued by a ruthless FBI agent (Jon Hamm), Doug knows he has to make a choice, but how can a man whose life has been based on predetermined mistakes ever make the right decision?

As in Affleck's previous directorial effort, Boston is one of the main characters. The sprawling streets and gloomy corners of the city's underbelly are merciless in the context of the transgressions, but strangely comforting in the context of a nascent love story. Affleck puts this environment under a microscope, without judging its notoriety even once. He prefers to simply paint the picture of a harsh existence, rather than preach about the drawbacks, gloss them over and lose their essence. All of his characters are caught up in the darkness and all are attempting to find themselves before Charlestown's way of life swallows them whole. The gritty cinematography is the work of Robert Elswit, who creates a gray and ominous grotto with a soul, making the proceedings that much more fascinating.

The acting is excellent across the board. Affleck and Hall are achingly believable as two strangers who come together under the most brutal of circumstances, and Hamm is delightfully bureaucratic as the relentless FBI agent closing in on Doug's gang. The best acting, though, comes from Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively. Renner's James is a picture of volatility, a hardened felon whose consciousness is so steeped in mayhem that his only redemptive trait is his fierce loyalty. Apart from the principal liaison, it is Doug and James's friendship that is at the heart of the film. Neither of the two ever forget where they have come from, but Doug has the common sense to avoid any more pitfalls, while James has no clue where to begin and has made peace with himself. As Krista, James's sister and Doug's ex-girlfriend, Lively shows a startlingly rough side of herself. Like Sara Paxton had done in The Last House on the Left, Lively's turn as a troubled single mother shows that she is capable of much more than teen-oriented fare. Lastly, the late Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper give stellar performances as a criminal mastermind and Doug's incarcerated father, respectively.

The Town is a truly engaging crime saga. It is a visceral film that pays as much attention to its inhabitants and relationships as it does to its glorious action sequences. This town is not the most pleasant place you will visit, but it is certainly one of the most spirited locales you will see in your lifetime.

8/10

Weekly Review -- The end is nigh

Carriers (2009) -- When it comes to the horror genre, rarely do we manage to find a horror/drama hybrid to begin with, let alone one that does not employ the pretense and gloss of a big-budget confection. For an underrated gem that swerves 360° from your usual Hollywood fare, look no further than this Àlex and David Pastor film.

Brian (Chris Pine), his brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), Brian's girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) and Danny's friend Kate (Emily VanCamp) are fleeing a viral epidemic that has decimated the planet. On their way to the seaside, they happen upon a man (Christopher Meloni) and his sick daughter (Kiernan Shipka), setting in motion some very unwelcome events. More than anything, the encounter proves to be revelatory of the quartet's sense of morale and virtue, in a world that allows decency to dissipate without a trace...

The strength of Carriers lies in its deceptively simple story, one that sheds its layers as the proceedings unfold. Marketed as a straight-up genre film, this is a truly slick character study, its emotional impact augmented by the sibling relationship at its core. It is easy to make a film that capitalizes on the interplay between cheap thrills and gore, but it is quite difficult to create a work that invests in and finds meaning within its narrative. Carriers evolves from a tale of a makeshift family to a testament of its disintegration in the midst of catastrophe, leaving us to wonder what comes after the primary building block of humanity has evaporated and after the last vestige of civilization has been abandoned.

The acting, writing and cinematography are three of the film's strongest suits. Pine is impressive as Brian, a cynical realist whose stifled compassion is in conflict with the savagery around him. Pucci does an excellent job as the rather naive Danny, an idealist coasting on a vision of what might or might not be utopia. Perabo is simultaneously tenacious and melancholy as Bobby, while VanCamp gives a complex performance as Kate, a survivalist wolf in sheep's clothing. The chemistry among the cast is palpable, rendering rich and believable personalities and relationships and making the film that much more harrowing. The Pastors' screenplay explores these nuances, relying partly on the characters' inner plight and partly on the gravity of the inescapable situation. Benoît Debie's cinematography contributes to the somber mood of the piece, its vivid colors and crisp glow further illustrating a time and space outside any and all comfort zones. One of the most important facets of the film is the symbiosis between its aspects, with the technical elements feeding off the narrative and vice versa, its parts forming an eloquent sum that draws upon the themes of connection and isolation in an increasingly desolate world.

Carriers is an atypical mainstream thriller, coming from a place of bare truth, rather than a place of congested hyperbole. The film's style and commitment to its story is what gives it substance and relevance, making it stand out among numerous blood-soaked shockers. This time, the shock is real, because this time anyone can fall victim to its pull and anyone can find themselves facing the toughest choice of their life when they least expect it.

8/10