Weekly Review -- Unearthly hurt

Rabbit Hole (2010) -- No one ever knows how they would handle grief until it strikes. In its clearest form, it is anguish; in its purest form, it is the kind of torment that tears you apart. Based on David Lindsay-Abaire's play of the same name, John Cameron Mitchell's Rabbit Hole explores the depths of sadness that two people plunge in after suffering the loss of a child.

Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart) are mourning their son Danny, killed in a car accident six months earlier. While Becca tries to occupy every second of her time to block the tragedy from her sphere of consciousness, she is also slowly erasing Danny's existence by removing reminders of him strewn all around the house. Howie, on the other hand, watches a video of their son on his phone every day, desperate to talk about the loss and share memories, desperate for his wife to acknowledge that they were parents once. The distance between the couple grows further when Becca unexpectedly finds common ground with Jason (Miles Teller), the teenage driver of the car that had hit Danny...

The film is the most realistic portrayal of loss that I have ever seen. The stillness of the proceedings is haunting, reflecting the abyss of grief, the intensity of its grip. Indeed, everything stops in its tracks; life itself stops, even though it goes on. What used to be routine now unfolds in slow motion, metamorphosing into an out-of-body experience that we participate in without being fully aware. As the days tick by, sadness starts impersonating indifference and anger starts bubbling up, only to erupt into tears with any trigger. This quiet, devastating longing is the essence of Rabbit Hole, one that Mitchell captures in his reserved style of direction and one that is visually enhanced through Frank G. DeMarco's subdued cinematography. It is far from easy to delineate presence, to breathe life into fictional characters and make the viewer emotionally invest in what makes them tick. It is nearly impossible to show the nature and value of absence, hanging uninhibited in the air and latching onto every moment of the characters' lives like a shadow. Becca and Howie's sorrow is not only palpable, but is in fact the third protagonist. Infusing the events of their new normal with humor is a refreshing take on the situation, an approach that brings forth the natural human instinct to keep going, even when confronting ultimate agony. Depicting the relevance of the intangible and the soul of the irretrievable is a daunting task and Rabbit Hole succeeds on every level.

The acting is one of the most important elements in any film, but particularly when the topic finds its grounding in reality and the themes run the gamut of the entire human interest spectrum. Kidman is stunning as a woman frozen in pain and denial, feeling responsible for the situation and wishing she could turn back the clock. Instead of dipping into the maudlin like a lesser actor might have done, she holds back, giving Becca time and space to allow herself to feel again. Eckhart is fantastic as a husband and father who takes some relatively unconventional measures in order to alleviate his melancholy loneliness, attempting not to be swallowed by the emptiness of his and Becca's days. The two actors share many scenes that are complex in their simplicity, their performances elevating the somber mood of the piece and rendering them strikingly believable as a couple. As Jason, Teller creates a moving and wistful portrait of a young man who had committed a catastrophic crime and who finds solace in his friendship with Becca. Terrific supporting turns from Dianne Wiest and Sandra Oh add different perspectives to the tale, broadening our understanding of Becca and Howie's previously blissful world and its current incarnation.

Rabbit Hole is one of those rare films that deal with raw emotion, refusing to compromise the story and its evolution for the sake of any cliches. Why? Because life does not work like that. One cannot wrap up all of its surprises, tragedies and insanity in a neat bow. It is messy and unpredictable -- often bringing you happiness, often splitting your heart in half, often complicating what you had already thought could not be undone and always giving you one more chance.

10/10

Weekly Review -- No entry

Chernobyl Diaries (2012) -- The Chernobyl disaster was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. When a shutdown was attempted after a sudden power surge in one of the reactors in April 1986, a series of explosions occurred, sending large amounts of radioactive fallout into Europe's atmosphere. As of 2008, there were 64 deaths caused by radiation. From 1986 to 2000, over 350,000 people were evacuated and re-settled from contaminated areas.

And then, in 2012, someone decided that a horror film with the incident as the background would be a great idea because, you see, the event itself was not frightening enough. With Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) producing and Bradley Parker at the helm, Chernobyl Diaries is horrifying for reasons other than intended and offensive in so many ways, it would take forever to count them all.

A group of tourists, including Amanda (Devin Kelley) and Chris (Jesse McCartney), are traveling Europe. When they visit Chris's brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski) in Kiev, he suggests visiting Pripyat, a town abandoned after the Chernobyl meltdown. Once the group get there, they are excited to be exploring the ghostly residential areas and the never opened amusement park. When they intend to leave, they find that their car battery had died, leaving them stranded. As the night rolls around, they discover that they are not alone in the disaster zone... 

Where to start with this vile and cynical "film"? It boggles the mind that someone would be so insensitive as to tackle a real life tragedy in this manner. While the filmmakers claim that the piece was made with respect for the victims, I am not able to see how a tale of mutants chasing tourists is respectful to anyone. How about Three Mile Island next time, for good measure? The fact that the characters have no clue about the incident only adds to my incredulity. Could it be that someone in this world has not heard of the Chernobyl explosion? Have they been living under a rock? Being born in the recent decades does not justify ignorance. I was born after the French Revolution, yet I still know about it. Furthermore, the whole concept of extreme tourism and willingly putting oneself in danger is beyond my comprehension. Seeking thrills in a radioactive wasteland does not seem fun to me, but to each their own. Actually, the only emotional kick comes from the sequence where two characters find themselves in the one place where they should never have ended up; then again, they are so mindless, they could not even see it coming.

The plot holes are bigger than Ukraine. Why on Earth did they simply not WALK? Yes, because of the distance and those wild dogs, but hell, at least try and do not just sit there playing the target. My favorite part? The Geiger counter only being used occasionally, as if the group were not in one of the most contaminated regions of the world. That thing should have been glued to someone's hip. And what is with the ending? Are we talking about mutated survivors or an experiment or what? If you want to have a big reveal, do not make it vague in your effort to create a mystery.

There is no characterization at all, although the actors valiantly do their best. All of the characters are so devoid of opinions and personality, they blend together into a single Dumb Tourist figure from the beginning. Kelley and Sadowski are good, but occasionally need to be reminded that this is far from Shakespeare and that they should not be looking for depth in shallow waters. 

The most bizarre thing about Chernobyl Diaries is that, in an alternate reality, the concept might have worked. The idea of radioactivity as the silent killer and mutants hunting down tourists in the shadow of a derelict nuclear reactor is great fodder for a claustrophobic horror piece. It plays upon the universal fears of disease and abandonment, as well as one's notion of humanity. All in all, a great premise.

If only its context were fiction.

3/10 

Trailerblazing -- Carrie

Carrie -- October 18, 2013 -- directed by Kimberly Peirce -- starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort, Portia Doubleday

Let us get this out of the way first. Brian De Palma perfectly captured the essence of Stephen King's novel. From the locker room revelation to that claustrophobic wreck of a house to the epic finale, all seen through a foggy lens of dread, the 1976 film is a horror classic. That said, I have always liked Peirce's work -- she is capable of finding a heart within every story -- and was excited to see that she was at the helm of the remake. From the looks of it, Moretz's transformation into the perennial outsider is seamless, and the screenplay is more faithful to the novel than De Palma's version was. I love the idea of Julianne Moore as Carrie's religious fanatic of a mother. She has never played a character like this one before and seems to be relishing every moment of Margaret White's insanity. I hope Doubleday does not disappoint as Chris Hargensen, the über witch-with-a-b, and am glad to see a number of newcomers in other crucial roles. The film eschews playing with stylistic elements such as cinematography and camera work in favor of a more traditional visual flair and effects, but these changes might be reflective of the era shift. On another note, I do hope that the film connects the principal character's plight with bullying as one of today's critical issues. If youth responds to anything, it is pop culture, and the remake might actually inspire some discussion in this context. A visceral and cautionary hyperbole for high school hierarchy, King's story does not lose power in any incarnation and I am looking forward to seeing Peirce unleash Carrie's psychic mayhem. 

Trailerblazing -- The Colony/The Purge

The Colony -- April 26, 2013 -- directed by Jeff Renfroe -- starring Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Zegers, Bill Paxton, Charlotte Sullivan, John Tench

And you thought winter was over? Fat chance! In this post-apocalyptic freeze fest, it is only just beginning and apparently bringing all sorts of horror in its wake. Renfroe, who gave us one of the most vivid post-9/11 paranoia analyses in Civic Duty, now swerves into the horror/sci-fi domain with this intriguing entry. From the get-go, I can say that I am loving the set pieces and the deep hopelessness of the ambiance. The filmmakers do not appear to be holding back when it comes to depicting their glacial purgatory, a quality essential for this kind of tale. When it comes to cataclysm, one should go big or go home. A good cast is only an additional incentive for me to see this film. I just hope that it does not end up sacrificing its  story in favor of watered-down writing and gore.

The Purge -- May 31, 2013 -- directed by James DeMonaco -- starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Edwin Hodge, Max Burkholder, Rhys Wakefield

First things first. Mask-sporting criminals freak me out and the home invaders in The Purge look like The Strangers on steroids. That said, the entire concept of a free-for-all crime day goes beyond terror. How do you protect yourself and your family? What do you do to fortify and defend your home? What do you do if a stranger begs for help? In this era of gun rights debates and violence around every corner, this James DeMonaco piece should be a rather engaging and possibly even philosophical film. Using strong speculative fiction elements, the story seems to be settling in somewhere between Straw Dogs, The Running Man and Panic Room. As long as the film does not use senseless brutality and keeps its focus on the morality play that the subject matter entails, it should be worth the time.