THE ARTIST’S WIFE Brings Sacrifice

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Tom Dolby and Strand Releasing is the story of love, creativity, sacrifice when you are THE ARTIST’S WIFE.

Claire (Lena Olin) is the loving wife of the famous artist Richard Smythson (Bruce Dern). She does everything so that he can be, well, him. Taking care of appointments, meetings and making sure the art still flows is an everyday occupation. Lately, Claire notices that Richard is behaving a little moodier and odd than usual and nervous as he has a show coming up.

After a doctor’s appointment turns their life around, she must now figure out how to deal with the onset of his dementia. The one thing she wants to mend before he forgets is the relationship with his daughter Angela (Juliet Rylance) who he has not spoken to in years. Visiting Juliet, she meets Danny (Avan Jogia) who is grandson Gogo’s (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) Manny.

The visit does not go well, and Claire returns to find that Richard has had his way with the house. Becoming unsure of herself now, she takes a step and rents a space so that she can return to being the artist she once was before Richards success. Claire even starts a friendship with Angela that is tense but there and she spends time with Gogo.

As much as she tries to avoid what is happening in her life, Claire realizes this is her life and refocuses on what is important – no matter what that entails.

Olin as Claire is practically a saint in this role. She is confused, angry, unsure, peacemaker, and trying to keep her life with Richard together. Stepping away to try and find herself is an intense and quick journey as there is no time for more. Olin gives us the whole gambit of emotion and knows that she must bring more to Richard’s life. I just love Olin so she could not do wrong playing this role.

Dern as Richard gets to be a grumpy, artistic, philandering, uncontrollable artist because Claire allows it. When he is not being any of the above, Dern gives us the deep sense of love for Claire and the years they have shared together. He is calm, thoughtful and loving. The constant flux of these two sides of Richard are quick and rapid fire and Dern does them both justice.

Rylance as Angela has deep daddy issues and is not about to make it easy for Richard, dementia or no. She is the younger version of Claire accept a little more defiant and for good reason. Yet, Claire and Angela find a center with each other and know that its time to put aside the past, even if Richard makes that difficult.

Jorgia as Danny is Gogo’s caretaker and has a dream of his own which gets Claire in trouble. Cabot-Conyers as Gogo has an opinion and shares it all at the right time. He is a patient young man knowing already that grown ups are nuts.

Shout out to Stefanie Powers in her role as Ada Risi, a legendary artist who wants to see more from Richard with the pressure of a show clearly on Claire’s shoulders.

Other cast include Caryn West as Dr. Abrams, Alexandre Bagot as Mikey, Laura Chaneski as Jordana, Tonya Pinkins as Liza Caldwell, Catherine Curtin as Joyce and Ms. Stefanie Powers as Ada Risi.

Strand Releasing is one of the leading distributors of American independent, documentary films and foreign langue films in the United States. Bringing their offerings to DVD, Bluray and Video-On-Demand as well. Honored with a 10- and 20-year retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, honors have also included at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Seattle International Film Festival, Provincetown Film Festival and Eastman-Kodak House in Rochester, New York.

THE ARTIST’S WIFE has been the Official Selection at the Hamptons International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival and Sonoma International Film Festival with a Jury Prize for Best US Independent Feature.

This is a film about love when you push past everything else. Claire and Richard are both artists that are clearly complicated, but those complications are just noise. Once time has made its own decision on Richard, Claire must get everything into perspective quickly. That is not easy when everyone has their own opinion and reasons for not wanting to be around Richard!

Yet, she pushes. Pushes herself to remember how she is still a creative person, pushes herself to accept what she does not want to about herself and the years of marriage and where they are now. That is a lot of pushing so there is bound to be an emotional explosion somewhere.

I so enjoyed watching the moments between Olin and Dern, they are absolutely magical in their complicated roles. Whether they are arguing or being loving, they are believable and with that comes the viewers round table of emotional experiences. This is a beautifully written, directed and acted story of life

In the end – the greatest art is learning how to love. 

THE MUSTANG

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to limited release from director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre and Focus Features comes a story of self-redemption with the help of THE MUSTANG.

Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) has been in prison for twelve years. Mainly keeping to himself in solitary, his temper flares in a second bringing him even more problems. Transferred to a new prison, he refuses to help anyone understand how to get through, not even daughter Martha (Gideon Adlon).

Outside the prison walls are horse stalls and a man named Myles (Bruce Dern) who teaches inmates how to prepare horses for sale. These are mustangs captured by the government and land management and all sale proceeds go back to them. At first Roman has no interested until he hears continual banging from a stall away from the corals.

Then he comes face to face with a very angry mustang and Roman is captured in another way. Myles sees that there is something between the two and brings the convict into the prisons program. Put in the hands of inmate Elijah (Keith Johnson), Roman gets a lesson here and there about how to reach the untouchable horse.

Newly named Marcus, Roman works his new ward daily and something happens to them both. So much so that when daughter Martha comes to visit, Roman confesses what brought him to jail and hopes there can be something between father and daughter once again.

Roman has other worries as well when top inmate Dan (Josh Stewart) decides he wants something from his cell mate and is willing to hurt Martha to make that happen. Both Roman and Marcus become a mixture of emotions and just when they are in sync – one sudden jolt forces them both to come to terms with who they are and where they are meant to be.

It is all in how you define love and freedom!

Schoenaerts as Roman gives absolutely everything to this role. There is anger, confusion, heart, soul, rage, revenge, and confession – just a gambit of where he once was to where we meet him. Strong willed from the film’s beginning, Schoenaerts character is broken down slowly and surely by a beautiful animal that has so much in common with Roman. I could not take my eyes of this actor who portrays a man who slowly comes to terms with a mistake brought on by anger that just can’t seems to subside.

Dern as Myles is a horse trainer who sees something click between Roman and Marcus. He puts a skittish faith and sees it pay off daily. Even when the unthinkable happens, Dern is strong in character and lends it to Roman when he needs it the most. Dern has always been on my list of amazing actors and it is satisfying to see him continue to jump in and lasso a role that suits him.

Aldon as Martha has just as much anger as her father but she is less physical about it. Instead hiding it in the way she speaks as bits of anger seep out with anger at being left alone growing up. Johnson as Elijah is very happy working with horses and takes a keen interest in seeing that Roman succeeds. The problem is that is outside the prison, what happens inside is something else.

 Other cast include Jason Mitchell as Henry, Thomas Smittle as Tom, Noel Gugliemi as Roberto, George Schroeder as Officer Peters and Connie Britton as the Psychologist.

THE MUSTANG has a storyline that tugs every fiber of a being. From the beginning of the film and the horses are captured, it plants the seed of emotion wondering why these beautiful creatures can’t just be left alone. In that instant, the film becomes personal to watch.

It is personal in regards to the horses and everything after that. There is a mental encouragement that happens as the film goes on – encouraging the horse to let go of its anger but not let go of its spirit and encouraging Roman to stop hiding from the world. The final encouragement is that they both realize they are cut from the same universal cloth.

There is also a constant shift in the film that takes the two steps forward and five steps back in both Roman and Marcus yet there is no way as the viewer to lose hope. Schoenaerts and the lovely mustang we know as Marcus invite us into a story that only the two of them can possibly tell.

The film is cinematically beautiful with the surrounding wilderness and plopped in its center is a brick building holding men. Between the wilderness and the prison is a place of hope that, at times, makes you forget about the other two worlds. Unfortunately, the other two worlds are very, very powerful.

In the end – they are both untamed souls and kindred spirits!

NOSTALGIA is the Thin Thread Between Our Mementos and Memories

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres this Friday from writer/director Mark Pellington and Bleeker Street is the story of lives, love and loss all wrapped around NOSTALGIA.

Ronnie Ashemore (Bruce Dern) is an elderly man who is surrounded by his life of the written word and when visited by insurance agent Daniel Kalman (John Ortiz). Having a look around at the behest of Ronnie's granddaughter, the elderly gentleman makes it clear that there is no reason for him to leave his home. Daniel listens as Ronnie makes it clear that although he is surrounded by the life he shared with family, others might see it all as trash.

Daniel next meets Helen Greer (Ellen Burstyn), a widower who he finds sitting in the midst of ashes where her house once stood. Recalling the events of the fire, Helen explains the irony of the things she chose to save before the firemen came in to save her. One such item is a baseball that belonged to her late husband and she can't explain why she saved it.

Staying with her son Henry (Nick Offerman), Helen feels the pressure he is placing on her to consider assisted living. Helen feels the need to break away and packs the saved belongings and heads for Las Vegas to meet Will Beam (Jon Hamm) to talk to him about the ball. Their conversation turns nostalgic on the power that personal possessions have over each of them.

Will is off for the weekend to help his sister Donna (Catherine Keener) clear out their family home since their parents have moved to Florida. Making trip after trip to a dumpster outside the house, each decides they will take a few things but get rid of everything else. Donna wants daughter Tallie (Annalise Basso) to go through the attic but the young girl makes it clear that this is Donna and Will's history - not hers. Instead, Tallie wants to be with her friends and live in the now.

All of that comes to a screeching halt as Donna, husband Patrick (James LeGros) and Will come to terms with the memories of childhood, places we live, objects held dear and the technology that has changed the feeling of nostalgia.

Burstyn as Helen is an absolute treasure and every time she is on screen I stop in my tracks. In this role she is a widower who has been living on her own but all of that changes in a split second. Watching Burstyn take this character so deep kept me absolutely invested and put my heart through the ringer. Everything she said and every emotion poured out is believable because it is life and even the character Helen knows we don't get out alive. The scene between Helen and the insurance appraiser in the soot is just a true and brain-twisting as her realizations with Will and a baseball. Thank you Ellen for an endearing realistic perspective like no other.

Hamm as Will is a man who hides loss behind his collectables yet how could he know that the moments with Helen would prepare him for what is to come. Going through his parent’s home, this character takes the attitude that he's there to clean out, reminisce a little with sister Donna and move on. Hamm gives such a strong performance and makes it look amazingly easy but let me say when Hamm gets teary eyed - it hurts. Keener as Donna is a woman who is watching her teen daughter grow up so very quickly, has been taking care of her parents and now seeing her childhood close down for the last time. If that isn't enough, life has thrown her the cruelest hit of all. Keener doesn't hold back and she certainly gave me reason to think on her role for several days - she is that powerful.

LeGros as Patrick is a husband who has to be the shoulder his wife needs but also deals with the reality that there was once a time when photographs were everything. Now with cell phones, if that is destroyed then so are the pictures people would normally have as photographs on paper. Dern as Ronnie has a smaller role but it isn't any less impactful. He also understands the life he has lead and those he spent his life loving making no apologies for either.

Other cast includes Bella Pellington, Tamar Pelzig, Romy Rosemont, Amber Tamblyn, Ashlyn Williams, Jennifer Mudge, Chris Marquette, Mark Marcarian, Anna O'Bryan, Joanna Going, Lindsey Kraft, Beth Grant, Patton Oswalt and Hugo Armstrong.

NOSTALGIA is a film that is going to challenge everyone's perception of life. It is true that people of my age hold things dear because that is how we were raised. I was shown how to preserve photographs, baby books, family bibles, baptism gowns and family heirloom jewelry because they are a piece of history that I wanted to pass on to my children. Fortunately, my children are the same and often one will ask if I have something specific from their childhood and are thrilled when I do.

The pull between the objects and our emotions creates a bond that can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. The blessing is for family members who are thrilled to get beloved items and the curse are the family members that don't share the feelings and waste no time in turning everything over for donation fodder.

The film brings out the issue of how easy it is to lose mementos because we have become a world of snapping pictures with our phones or shooting video thinking we will download them later - but rarely do. In an instant the memories we took the time to 'preserve' are lost with a phone dropped in water or just a lost phone period.

NOSTALGIA also brings us into the lives of these characters that are so relatable because everything they are experiencing, we have all experienced with no exception. The loss of parents or loved ones, getting older and looking back means holding the items that represent milestones in our lives and the lives of those we love, and deciding when it is time to let the weight of those things go to find a freedom we didn't know possible.

In truth we are such emotional packrats, some of us just let what's inside leak out into our closets, storage rooms and lives.

I love this film, absolutely love it and am unapologetic for it. The cast is completely fascinating and sheer perfection bringing it all together beautifully, sadly and stunningly. The story is real, authentic and so damn emotional that for a moment I wasn't thrilled to feel so much so fast. That's life right?

In the end - it is the memories of the lives lived.