A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Emerald Fennell and Focus Features is the story of a woman on a mission away from being a PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN.

Cassie (Carey Mulligan) works in a coffee shop with Gail (Laverne Cox) and is content with that. Living at home with her parents Susan (Jennifer Coolidge) and Stanley (Clancy Brown) can be a bit contentious at times. Dropping out of medical school does not help Cassie but after her friend Nina was raped, it became clear that the affect it has had on Cassie is extreme.

Her evening hours are spent at bars picking up strangers and then putting a notation down in a book. That is until meeting Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham), a pediatric doctor who remembers Cassie from medical school. Not wanting to get serious with anyone, Cassie does not want to be distracted from her goal.

But, finding someone who makes her laugh and spend time with has made Cassie a bit softer but no less determined. One of her visits to talk about Nina is to Dean Elizabeth Walker (Connie Britton) and remind her of what happened to her friend. Dean Walker is given a dose of reality as Cassie makes it clear that she has not forgotten what happened.

When Cassie begins to put even more of the pieces of Nina night together and discovers that the horror is more than she could have possibly imagined. She knows there is only one thing left to do and they are never going to see it coming – none of them.

Mulligan as Cassie is completely and unequivocally stunning in this role. From the moment the story begins there is something about Cassie that you can not take your eyes off of. Clearly, she is a woman who has been through something tragic and it has had a lasting impact on her. There are moments she seems checked out of everything and then she becomes laser focused on the only thing she understands – making others pay for how she feels. Mulligan is just brilliant to the point where I watched the film a second time, that is how incredible she is.

Burnham as Ryan is the calm in the midst of Cassie’s emotional storm. He makes her laugh, does not judge what she has been through and tries to bring her some happiness in her life. Remembering Cassie from medical school, their friendship blossoms and Burnham gives us hope that good guys do exist. Britton as Dean Walker is someone Cassie is not going to forget or let get away with what she pretends not to know.

Shout out to Coolidge as Mom Susan and Brown as Stanley who, as parents, just do not seem to understand their daughter and the choices she has made. Cox as Gail shows up on the screen with her beautiful self, brought sarcasm along for the ride and does it so damn well.

Other cast include Chris Lowell as Al Monroe, Adam Brody as Jerry, Max Greenfield as Joe, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Neil, Sam Richardson as Paul, Alfred Molina as Jordan, Angela Zhou as Todd and Molly Shannon as Mrs. Fisher.    

Focus Features’ mission is to make a lasting impact on global audiences by creating the home for artists to share diverse, distinctive stories that inspire human connection. Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies that brings entertainment and news to a global audience. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.focusfeatures.com.

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN is a film that deserves award after award for several reasons. First and foremost is Mulligan’s engrossing performance down to the last frame of the film. It has been a while since I invested so much into a film only to be shocked by the final ten minutes.

Second, a screenplay that does not hold back in its feeling and that includes revenge, fear, love and a deep friendship. A character like Cassie has layer upon layer and the way the story is told brings an unpredictability that I thoroughly enjoyed. It brings about a rollercoaster with deeps valleys and high highs and anyone watching will be more than happy to take the ride.

Finally, this has been a year where good films are few and far between with a pandemic keeping theatres mainly closed. It is my hope that everyone has a chance to see PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN in whatever platform they can because this is definetly a film you do not want to miss.

Hear that Oscar?

In the end – revenge never looked so promising!

HOPE GAP Brings Reality to a Family on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD from writer/director William Nicholson and Roadside Attractions comes a film that examines long time love and how life can abruptly change at any age living in HOPE GAP.

Grace (Annette Bening) and Edward (Bill Nighy) have been married for almost thirty years and have s son Jamie (Josh O’Connor). Grace is very outspoken and has a quick wit that she doesn’t hide while Edward is more the quiet side of the marriage but equally quick with the wit. Living in the small town of Hope Gap with the sea at their back door, it has been a life together.

That is until Edward decides to confess that he no longer wishes to be in the marriage. Grace is absolutely stunned, especially since Edward told son Jamie before discussing it with her. With his bags already packed, he slides out the door of their home.

Grace tries to keep her life together because there was nothing, in her mind, that pointed to such a thing happening between them. She saw their life as challenging, interesting and never saw their behaviors as anything but what comes with being together for so long. Edward made his feelings clear, but she still cannot believe what is happening.

Son Jamie is trying to be there for his mother and discovers that she is having difficulty reconciling the life she knew with the life that she must begin over again. He also starts to share his feelings about life and Grace realizes that perhaps she is living to much in her own world.

Breaking out of her shell, she takes it day by day realizing that she, as a person, needs to sort out the anger, fear and how her idea of relationships must change – including with her son.

Bening as Grace is absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her performance. On a personal level her wit is something I can relate to so part of me totally understood her and the way she responded to people. Portraying Grace, Bening gives her a unique style of course but slowly it becomes clear that it is difficult for this character to grasp that after all the years of being married to Edward, being apart is incomprehensible – it just doesn’t happen in her world.

Nighy as Edward is a man that just cannot handle the confrontations with Grace that she sees as normal. When he confesses what has been happening and his feelings, even then there is a fear of everything that means. The scene in the lawyer’s office is an example of his inability to stand up to Grace when he just wants it to all go away. Guess he shouldn’t live in the same town with his ex eh? Nighy is an actor that I continue to see as lovely and only gives beautiful performances and in HOPE GAP, he cements that belief.

O’Connor as Jamie is the son caught in the middle of his parents. Understanding why his father wants to go, he equally understands his mother’s inability to grasp what is happening. Staying near Grace to help her through the adjustment, there also comes the most poignant scene on the shore where Jamie is shocked by the conversation he is having with Grace and it is one a son should never have to have with his mother. O’Connor does a superb job as the anchor in this story, the touchstone and the person who finds good in the midst of parental despair.

Other cast include Aiysha Hart as Jess, Ryan McKen as Dev, Joe Citro as Young Jamie, Nicholas Burns, Steven Pacey as Peter and Sally Rogers as Angela.

Roadside Attractions has, since its found in 2003, grossed over $300M and garnered nineteen Academy Award nominations. They have had critical and commercial hits such as MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, BEN IS BACK, BEATRIZ AT DINNER, HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, WINTER’S BONE and THE COVER as well as so many others. For more information of what Roadside Attractions has to offer please visit www.roadsideattractions.com.

HOPE GAP is a beautifully told story of what happens when a couple must come to terms with the reality that the love that brought them together is no longer what can keep them together. There are plenty of films about couples who start over again but there are few films that portray the reality of when seniors divorce.

Staring a new life is difficult for anyone, but as a senior there is such a history between the characters Grace and Edward. For Grace it is a moment between being married to not being married and it is not something she can readily grasp not matter how much wit escapes her lips. Wiping away a 29-year marriage crushes her beliefs in family, love and relationships.

What it does is force the character of Grace to do is reexamine her life, including her relationship with son Jamie, and understand that anger just does not help her move on. Bening wraps Grace up in a barricade of sarcasm at times, but the barricade is not going to hold.

HOPE GAP is held up by three actors that do an amazing job of telling a story in such a way that you root for all three to find their peace in the midst of an emotional mess. Writer/director Nicholson based the story on his own parents 33-year marriage that ended.  

In the end – life can change at any age!

HOSTILES is the first epic in 2018

Jeri Jacquin

On the vast plains of the 1800s from writer/director Scott Cooper and Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures comes a story of redemption between HOSTILES.

Capt. Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) has spent his military career fighting both wars and himself. Making it clear he has no compassion for Native Americans, he is shocked when the outpost Colonel instructs him by Presidental order to take Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family home to Montana after serving seven years in prison. Being defiant, Blocker tells his superior that he refuses the order but is forced to realize that a court martial is possible.

Along with a detail including Lt. Kidder (Jesse Plemons), Wilks (Bill Camp), Corp. Molinor (Stafford Douglas), and Corp. Woodsen (Jonathan Majors), they lead Chief Yellow Hawk and his family Black Hawk (Adam Beach), Elk Woman (O'orianka Kilcher), Little Bear (Xavier Horsechief) and Living Woman (Tanaya Beatty) across the plains to Montana.

Preparing to stop for the night they come across a burned out home and while investigation discover Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike) who is in shock over the death of her family. Capt. Blocker and the men are immediately struck to the bone by what they see and what she has been through knowing they must accompany her fragile self to the next town.

Chief Yellow Hawk knows that the men who caused the chaos are not far away and tries to get the Captain to understand that they want to help but the mistrust is intense. Continuing on their way, the group is attacked by renegade Comanche's who don't care who is in the group. Trying to reach Montana safely the group is now unsure of how they will survive the attacks from all sides.

In the next town, Capt. Blocker asks that the post Lieutenant see that Mrs. Quaid is taken care of but that's not what she wants. Feeling safer with Blocker, she makes it clear that the journey to Montana is something she needs to see to the end. The Lieutenant asks Blocker to escort another prisoner to the next town to be turned over for a murder trial.

He agrees but is equally surprised at who the prisoner turns out to be. Getting closer to their destination, the two sides begin to see the pain and sadness each has experienced and in one moment Capt. Blocker sees his own world shift in the most unexpected way.

That's what happens when you walk a mile in real life.

Bale as Captain Blocker is an angry man who lived his military life surrounded by heinous acts. When those acts begin to reflect back onto his life, watching Bale slowly take in every bit of it is something to experience. There is not a lot of dialogue for his character but instead being continually riveted by the duality of how he handles each step towards Montana.

Studi as Chief Yellow Hawk is the calm in the middle of the storm. I adore when Studi shines on the screen in this way and having spent more than his fair share of time portraying Native Americans, this portrayal is stunningly beautiful. He also has a little dialogue but when he does speak it is from the heart of a wounded people. There is something to be said for quiet strength but don't get me wrong; Chief Yellow Hawk still has fight left in him.

Pike as Rosalie is a pioneer woman who has every reason to be broken, fearful and angry. Finding a sense of security with Capt. Blocker, she also begins to understand the people considered the enemy because of an honorable gesture. Pike grows with each mile they put behind them and doesn't hesitate to pick up a weapon and make her feelings known.

Beach as Black Hawk follows the wisdom and ways of his father Chief Yellow Hawk wanting to do what's best for his family. It is good to see Beach once again in a film that does him justice. Kilcher as Elk Woman takes in everything going on around her making sure to protect her son. Horsechief as Little Bear is thoughtful, smart and embraces everyone with a gentle smile and my heart just melted ever scene he is in.

Plemmons as Lt. Kidder turns in a performance that keeps me believing that he is such an under utilized actor. Here his character experiences events that jolt him but it doesn't change the part of him that wants to do what's right. Camp as Wilks is at the end of his career and throwing unexpected events toward Captain Blocker. Camp's performance is stoic and heartbreaking at the same time.

Other cast also include Rory Cochrane as Master Sgt. Metz, Timothee Chalamet as Pvt. DeJardin, John Hickey as Capt. Tolan, Robyn Malcolm as Minnie McCowan, Peter Mullan as Lt. McCowan, Stephen Lang as Col. Biggs, Paul Anderson as Corp. Thomas, David Midthunder as Buffalo Man, Ryan Bingham as Sgt. Malloy and Ben Foster as Sgt. Wills.

HOSTILES will give audiences an experience with a story that I believe offers up the question of 'who really are the hostiles?' The cinematography is stunning with a wide open view of the elements giving the characters space to truly bring the story and the wide spectrum of human emotions.

Bale carries the load of a man fighting between the hostile man he's become towards Native Americans and now being confronted with that hostility. Studi's character of Chief Yellow Hawk sees the pain Capt. Blocker is in and understands it more than the military man realizes. These are two men who have seen and done things towards one another and it is fitting that they must stand face to face, accept and forgive.

HOSTILES has already received attention from the Central Ohio Film Critics Association with a nomination for Breakthrough Film Artist for Timothee Chalamet and has won the Capri Photoplay Award for Masanobu Takayanagi by Capri, Hollywood.

In the end - we are all hostiles.