He is WHAT REMAINS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Ran Huang, writer Megan Everett-Skarsgard, Kaleidoscope Entertainment and VMI Worldwide is the story of a mystery based on true events and WHAT REMAINS.

Scandinavian Mads Lake (Gustaf Skarsgard), a confessed murderer, has been in a psychiatric hospital for years and trying to find a life within the madness he feels. His therapist Anna Rudebeck (Andrea Riseborough) is trying to not only help him find answers, but distinguish between what is true and what is something else. One man who just wants the truth of it all is policeman Soren Rank (Stellan Skarsgard), who does hold much stock in having Lake at a psychiatric hospital.

Pushing Lake further and further into the investigation, Rank is convinced that he knows more than he is telling. Anna tries to tell Rank that he must go slow with Lake and allow him to help the investigation at his pace. With each step forward, Lake becomes more emotional as well as fearful. All three are handling this situation in their own unique ways and all have the same goal – to understand what happened and bring answers to families who have been waiting for years.

Adding to the stress for them is that Lake can not get the story from his own brother, Anna is trying to deal with her own past traumas and Rank struggles to find answers to his own home troubles.

Skarsgard as Lake is pure perfection in this role. Yes, I came to know of him through his equally perfect role of Floki on the hit television series VIKINGS. In WHAT REMAINS, Skarsgard gives us a look at a deeper character that is locked in the cycle of what is real and the torture of it all. For every step forward, Lake is sliding further and further into a place of fear and memories and Skarsgard takes us along stunningly.

Riseborough as Anna is a therapist who believes she can help Lake in discovering his past so that he can at last know where it all came from. Riseborough’s character is full of her own complexities and traumas which, it seems, she masks by helping Lake with his issues. She has always given an intensity to the roles she has played but this one in particular is slow in its telling but when it becomes clear, it is equally as sad. Well done!

Stellen Skarsgard as Rank is an officer having home problems and personal issues of his own. Becoming involved in the Lake case affords him a way to avoid dealing with it all. Going in guns blazing, he is forceful and hard on Lake without understanding how working with Anna instead of doing things on his own might help him get to the answers of missing children as well. What I enjoyed most about Skarsgard’s portrayal is watching his character evolve.

VMI Worldwide was founded in 2010 and since its inception, VMI has represented an extensive variety of cast-driven titles. During its evolution, VMI possesses the ability and desire to board the right project, at any state of development. Some of their films include THE PRICE WE PAY, THE LAST SUN, WANDER and WAKE UP starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Francesca Eastwood. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.vmiworldwide.com.

Other cast include Eva Magyar as Lillemor, Antti Luusuaniemi as Dr. Jepsen, Malka Ahlroth as Elin, Darren McStay as Martin, Charlie Peterson as Helvin Holst, and Henrikki Haavisto as Eric Gunnarson.

Director Huang uses his interest in true crime to work with Stellan Skarsgard and his wife Megan Everett-Skarsgard to work on the story. That is not where the Skarsgard connection ends however, as son Gustaf joins the ranks in the leading role of Mads Lake. This is a family that has placed their talents on the map joined with Bill and Alexander Skarsgard as well. From almost every genre possible in the film industry, the Skarsgard clan has cemented their place beautifully.

WHAT REMAINS is a film about traumas, tragedies and the stories we refuse to allow ourselves to believe or experience. Dealing with a man who has come from childhood trauma, Skarsgard’s portrayal of Lake brings dual emotions for the viewer because is he a killer or is he lost in jumbled up false memories? Riseborough is not that far off the mark herself as Anna is also avoiding her own traumas and inability to accept truths in her life. Skarsgard as Rank is an officer who has anger issues brought on by his own inability to handle life using Lake as a way to avoid it all.

The story is slow in the telling but, for myself, it speaks volumes of how the director wanted to be sure that everyone is on board for the ride. Exploring the main character is rough in the context of Lake’s situation but, exploring that of Anne and Rank is equally as important. Attempting to do their jobs respectively when they are having a difficult time themselves calls into question the moves that each makes. Skarsgard’s Lake is a sad and frightening character and I couldn’t take my eyes off his performance.

In the end – they must discover what is real!

 

He Wonders About the LAST WORDS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently showing from writer/director Jonathan Nossiter and Bleecker Street is the story of the future and what it means to have the LAST WORDS.

It is 2085 and the world has been destroyed! Kal (Kalipha Touray) is struggling to find food and water for his sister. Every move they make can bring them closer to either dying from malnutrition or at the hands of other people who are also trying to survive. After an attack from survivors, Kal is on the road to find something better.

Trying to find a place to rest, Kal comes across mysterious and frightening noises that send him running. Deciding he wants to confront his fears, he discovers a man named Shakespeare (Nick Nolte) who wants nothing to do with the interloper – at least at that moment. Yet there is something intriguing about Kal and Shakespeare decides to show him what caused the fright.

In the deepest part of the building, Shakespeare shows him the films he has managed to same from the destructive world around them. Kal can not believe what his eyes are seeing and hearing. He wants more and more and soon becomes a quiet roommate who only talks with Shakespeare when the elder gentleman wants to.

But Shakespeare decides it is time for Kal to go but when Kal pushes back, the two end up on the road to Athens to see if there are any others in the world. Once they get there, they are shocked to discover Zyberski (Stellan Skarsgard), Batlk (Charlotte Rampling), Dima (Alba Rohrwacher) and so many more. They have food, water and a view of the ocean that, in post-apocalyptic time might have been awesome.

Bringing the films and parts to build a camera, Kal begins to document living with this group of people with their smiles, stories, and good times in the midst of craziness. That is all about to change and Kal knows that he is the one responsible for documenting everything to, as Shakespeare said, leave behind something wonderful.

Touray as Kal is stunning, beautiful, with soulful eyes that tell the story from the characters heart and point of view. Trying to survive has one meaning in the beginning but by finding others, surviving becomes something more amazing. His world becomes so much bigger and more colorful with emotions that he takes into the core of his being. That’s what Touray does for this character, and it is mesmerizing.

Nolte as Shakespeare comes from the world prior to it collapsing into dust. He has the memories of a childhood filled with the things we take for granted and the wonderment of singing, dancing and the storytelling that lives in the film cannisters. Nolte has moments of sheer delight sharing time with Kal, and there are moments where the world he created for himself does not have room for anyone else. I just loved watching his character evolve.

Skarsgard as Zyberski is the doctor for all the people that have come together to live in Athens. He takes in Kal and Shakespeare without any question or any conditions. He makes it clear that they all share together, all live together, and he feels a sense of responsibility for all those in his care. Skarsgard is always the stable center of stories he is involved in and in LAST WORDS he does the same, but his character is also unexpected.

Rampling as Batlk is a woman who has made her peace with how they are surviving with a little surprise of her own. I am always thrilled to see Rampling on the screen. Rohrwacher as Dima begins to share feelings with Touray and it is so sweet to watch their characters share in the simple things like the stars. Both of these women bring a sweetness to the rough edges of a futuristic scary world.

Other cast includes Silvia Calderoni, Nicolas Sacrez, Giulio Esposito, Ivan Marzano, Roberta Mattei, Cosimo Desii, Andreina Liotti, Jun Ichikawa, Fiorenzo Madonna, Vincenzo Del Prete, Giovanni Trono, Maryam d’Abo and Osemwenoghogho Wilfred.    

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.

LAST WORDS is a beautiful look at relationships when they are stripped of everything but humanity. There are those in the world who have turned to very frightening ways to survive, but when Kal and Shakespeare find one another, it becomes clear that being alone is not always the answer.

I loved every scene that Nolte and Touray have together as they get to know one another and Shakespeare lights up when given the opportunity to teach Kal everything he knows about film. Kal also is a teacher in helping to release Shakespeare’s need to feel that being alone is the only way avoid pain.

Mix in Skarsgard and Rampling and you have such a wonderful cast telling a story that has lived life their way and on their terms.

In the end – he is about to experience life in the midst of destruction!

HBO Brings a Riveting Series with CHERNOBYL

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on HBO is a five-part series created by Craig Mazin and director Johan Renck to tell the story of the 1986 disaster we all know as CHERNOBYL.

In April of 1986, an explosion rocks the Soviet Union in more ways than one. A nuclear power plant known as Chernobyl has exploded and from the moment it happened, no one realized exactly how devastating it would all become.

With a cast that stars Jared Harris as scientist Valery Legasov, it is his knowledge of what he saw once called in for his expertise by Boris Shcherbina played by Stellan Skarsgard that is riveting. Adding Emily Watson as Ulana Khomyuk, another scientist who fills in even more terrifying news that has so far rounded out those in the know about what to do next.

Director Renck doesn’t leave a single thing out in the way of devastation both to the building and the human beings left inside trying to discover how bad it is. Once Legasov and Shcherbina comes together, they are the brain and the mouthpiece that need to convince Mikhail Gorbachev (David Dencik) that action, although late, needs to be swift.

From the moment of the explosion, reality may be in front of the eyes of the crew and firefighters with an almost instant effect, but it is those in charge who fail to accept what is truly happening.

That is another riveting aspect of CHERNOBYL, watching the average citizen slowly become aware that something is seriously wrong and knowing at the same time it is unlikely their government would tell them the truth. One woman who isn’t about to wait around for answers is Lyudmilla Ignatenko (Jessie Buckley), wife of firefighter Vasily (Adam Nagaitis).

There is no doubt that CHERNOBYL does not have happy moments in the first few episodes because there can’t be. In fact what the first few episodes show us is nothing short of a hellish nightmare filled with not only the instant horror but the horror to come for the people living around the plant and other countries in the path of a nuclear cloud.

Harris as Legasov knows immediately what they are up against but also knows that he has a partial gag in being allowed to speak. There is a presence in Harris’ performance that is just short of him wanting to scream out the truth yet has the good sense to tread lightly. That is until its time to not treat lightly. His performance continues to astound me and I can not wait to see the final three episodes.

Skarsgard is one of my favorite actors and in this role he gets a chance to play both sides against the middle. Almost immediately believing Legasov (especially when he sees with his own eyes what has happened at the power plant), Skarsgard takes his character to a dangerous place and that is in making decisions without the direct approval of Gorbachev.

Watson as Ulana comes in before an even larger disaster takes place. She becomes the second scientific voice of reason and both Legasov and Shcherbina trust her immediately. Watson continues to choose roles that are challenging and I enjoy everything she does and CHERNOBYL is brilliant.

The cast is filled with outstanding performances that also include Paul Ritter as Anatoly Dyatlov, Sam Troughton as Aleksandr Akimov, Robert Emms as Leonid Toptunov, Adam Lundgren as Vyacheslav Brazhnik, Karl Davies as Viktor Proskuryakov, Jay Simpson as Valery Perevozchenko, Billy Postlethwaite as Boris Stolyarchuk, and Adrian Rawlins as Nikolai Formin.

Also starring Con O’Neill as Viktor Bryukhanov, Donald Sumpter as Zharkov, Barry Keoghan as Pavel, Ralph Ineson as Nikolai Tarakanov, Mark Jones as Vladimir Pikalov, Alex Ferns as Blukhov, Michael Colgan as Mikhail Shchadov, Alan Williams as Chairman Charkov and David Dencik as Mikhail Gorbachev.

The show is jaw dropping and even heart breaking in the story it tells. When looking for a show that is absolutely worthy of your time, might I suggest you tune in and see for yourself as CHERNOBYL can be seen on HBO.