He Lives for SUNDOWN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Michel Franco and Bleecker Street comes the story of leaving life and family for a little SUNDOWN. 

Neil (Tim Roth) is enjoying drinks and sun in Acapulco with family when they receive terrible news from home. Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), Alexa (Albertine McMillan) and Colin (Samuel Bottomley) pack up and head to the airport. Neil realizes he can not find his passport and has to return to the hotel while the others fly ahead of him.

But he does not return to the hotel, instead Neil finds a hotel and finds a chair on the beach – and literally drinks the days away. On the phone he tells Alice everything is being done to get him home and that buys him time. To do what?

He meets shop owner Bernice (Iazua Larios) and they spend their days together just sunning and drinking. Until Alice shows up on the beach demanding to know what Neil has been doing and why. He makes it clear that he has checked out of her life including asking family lawyer Richard (Henry Goodman), the family and everything else – he just wants to be left alone.

Being left alone is going to cost everybody!

Roth as Neil is a man who clearly has checked out of everything. Nothing seems to phase him or cause great distress. He spends his time trying to keep the world at bay and even when it comes calling, he walks away with ease. Roth’s character is full of secrets but as they begin to rise to the surface, we get a consistent performance, and I would expect nothing less.

Gainsbourg as Alice can not understand the way Neil is behaving. She just wants to get him home and realizing he has his own plans, does everything possible to get their life right for her own family. Goodman as Richard is clear about the family and nothing surprises him, well maybe almost nothing surprises him. This lawyer is all about signing and making the stipulations quite clear.

Larios as Bernice is interested in Neil and does not ask to many questions about his life. She enjoys the sun, a few drinks and just being with him. McMillan and Bottomley are relatives that just do not understand, they want to, they just see a man who does not seem to care.

Bleecker Street is a New York City film company that has brought outstanding films to the public. Their library includes TRUMBO, DENIAL, THE LOST CITY OF Z, BEIRUT, HOTEL MUMBAI, ORDINARY LOVE and THE ROADS NOT TAKEN. For more information on the titles from Bleeker Street please visit www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com.

SUNDOWN is a slow-paced film that asks questions and demands patience to get the answers. When Alice asks the question, “what the f@#k is wrong with you?”, we are already ahead of her. Roth’s Neil does not give up anything and that is probably because the character does not think he has to – for any reason.

None of us could possibly imagine the decisions that this character makes, and irritation easily follows until there is the proverbial ‘oh, I see’ or ‘wow, okay’ follows. There is also irritation in the thought of ‘well, must be nice to sit in a chair all day drinking letting the water wash over your feet’ – now back to irritation no matter what Neil’s reasonings.

So, SUNDOWN just takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of wanting to understand Neil and then not caring since he does not care but we still want answers. When it all becomes clear, then the process of deciding about Neil comes into play and so does the conversation with others about the film. Yes, it is one to be talked about!

It is about family, secrets, mystery’s, realities and how far will a family go to change someone who does not want to be changed.

In the end – his path is his own!

Jim Carrey Hits Bottom in DARK CRIMES

Jeri Jacquin

This week in theatres and On Demand from Saban Films, Lionsgate and director Alexandros Avranas comes a dark tale in a country that is riddles with mystery and DARK CRIMES.

Tadek (Jim Carrey) is a detective who has been laying low over the years. Taking care of his mother and barely speaking to his wife, he is barely living himself. That is all about to change when he takes on a case of a businessman who has been murdered. Almost immediately he learns about a man named Kozlow (Marton Csokas), a writer who published a novel about murder that looks familiar to Tadek.

Reading the book, Tadek begins to go to a dark pace and he meets sex-worker Kasia (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a woman knows about Kozlow. She shares with Tadek a world that he never knew existed. He also discovers the involvement of many who are not about to let him ruin their lives. Feeling bad for Kasia's situation, he also begins to have strong feelings for her and then crosses the line.

When the opportunity finally arises to question Kozlow, Tadek is met with distain, riddles and accusations. What he thought sense and was an open and shut case drastically turns bringing more questions and more danger than he could have possibly imagined. 

Carrey as Tadek is compelling to watch because this isn't going to be a full on character that is full of expression. No, Carrey lets us know from the get go that this man is falling down a rabbit hole and it seems as if he wants to go willingly. Having the opportunity to investigate a case he believes he has the answers to, Carrey gives this character a broken feel that makes his choices a little insane.

Gainsbourg as Kasia is a woman who is driven by the sexploited underworld that she can not escape from. Knowing the answers to the questions Tadek is asking, she downplays what she knows to protect herself. She is secretive and is just as mysterious as the man Tadek is tracking.

Csokas as Kozlow enjoys playing the cat and mouse game with Tadek. He is just as mysterious as Kasia and has no problem sitting in a dark room with him but it seems its more to get information than give answers. Csokas has always played an amazing bad guy character and this one goes particularly bad.

Other cast include Kati Outinen as Malinowska, Vlad Ivanov as Piotr, Agata Kulesza as Marta, Robert Wieckiewicz as Greger, Piotr Glowacki as Wiktor, Anna Polony as Tadek's Mother, and Zbigniew Zamachowski as Lukasz.

Launched in 2014, Saban Films has built an impressive slate of high-quality feature films in conjunctions with Lionsgate. Focusing on talent-driven films, Saban Films tailors each release on the uniqueness of their films that come to VOD release and mid-scale traditional theatricals. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.sabanfilms.com.

The film is based on David Grann's article True Crime: A Postmodern Murder Mystery that appeared in The New Yorker in 2008. He writes that a writer named Krystian Bala killed a businessman in Poland. The crime was investigated by Detective Jacek but it was only years later after he read a crime novel did he look at the case again.

DARK CRIMES lives up to its title for many reasons. First, Carrey's performance is one of the darkest I have seen him do and it is disturbing as well. This character is caught in a rather mundane life and this case opens up a door for him to be a part of something again. The problem becomes the moment a toe is out of line, its quicksand and that's exactly what happens to this character. Carrey goes all in and it shows.

The is not a happy film in any frame of its ninety-two minutes. It is deeply stirring, and even shot to add the look and feel of a situation that has no happy ending. What made the film for me was I wanted to know where it was going because anything had to be better than the like Tadek was living.

In the end – finding answers only brings more questions.