A Single Man (2009)

Based on the Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name, A Single Man, directed by first time director Tom Ford is the story of a middle-aged, gay British college professor who is on the verge of suicide after months of grieving for his lost love (Matthew Goode) who died in a car accident. Set in 1960s L.A., Ford paints a bleak view of the world through the eyes of George (Colin Firth). Actually, it is this bleakness that is probably the weakest aspect of the film. To be more specific, the direction of the bleakness is what hurts the film most. The film displays a use of color that draws a significant amount of attention to itself and most of what is shot in the present day is is filtered over with gray, giving off the appearance of black and white images. All scenes in the past, particularly those concerning the the dead love are shot with vibrant color while in the present day, color is used for a few fleeting moments of happiness and peace that gradually increase in frequency and duration as the plot unfolds. After the first twenty minutes or so, you can become more adjusted to such an eye-catching technique, but at first it's a bit distracting. The film is stylized enough as it is and this device seems a bit unnecessary. As mentioned before, this film is set in the 60s, so it almost seems obligated to be heavily stylized. Aside from the fashion and general look of the setting, it's as if the film needs to emphasize how it is a retro, art-house glimpse of the past.

The other significant attention-grabbing technique is repeatedly cross-cutting between the present day events and a scene in which George is naked and drowning, completely submerged in water. This scene is actually what opens the film. This however, is much more effective in the story, capturing the mind-state of the character. Part of, if not the predominate, reason that the film's style may be unnecessary for the story is that Colin Firth's performance is more than enough to convey what the character is thinking and feeling. The misery of living with a dramatic loss is seen so clearly on his face that often the voice-over narration isn't needed either. There is one scene in particular in which George recalls receiving the call that Jim (Goode) was killed. His reaction is underplayed and seems genuine. There isn't some immediate breakdown over the phone. Instead Colin Firth captures a feeling that conveys a person receiving news that they never want to hear and are forced to recognize as true. It's a heartbreaking scene and Colin Firth is what makes it (and the film as a whole) so powerful. It is one of the strongest, if not the strongest performances of his career. There are some other good performances as well, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult (you may remember as the boy in About a Boy) are both interesting as the love interests for George, but the strongest supporting role is probably from Julianne Moore, who plays his ex-girlfriend from Britain who also lives in L.A. it is interesting to note that both Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult are British actors and yet they play Americans in this film, while Julianne Moore, the only American in the cast plays a British woman. Overall, A Single Man is a very good film carried by strong performances, especially that of Colin Firth's. While it may be a bit too stylized of it's own good, at it's core it is a strong, personal drama about loss and a desperate struggle to cope with it.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the world's first full-length animated film. It is hardly recognised as this in the US, even though it predates Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by 11 years. The film was directed by German director Lotte Reiniger and her small team working like slaves for about 3 years. The story follows Prince Achmed from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights as he battles an evil magician and the forces of darkness in order to save his sister as well as his future queen. He does this with the help of a powerful witch, an army of genies, and Aladdin (yes, that Aladdin). This is a silent film and the animation is done using intricate cutouts and stop-motion animation. There is so much to be seen in any given scene due to the level of effort and detail put into this film.

Take for instance, the war scene. At the height of the climax, the Witch summons forth an army of genies to battle the army of demons. The genies are blurry, shapeless figures that fly into the demons in a haze. Nothing specific can be seen and instead their battle essentially becomes the background to the fight between Achmed, Aladdin, and a Hydra-esque creature, who are all still clearly visible. So this begs the question: why is the epic battle in the background so blurry and hard to make out? There are a number of possible reasons, one being that it is meant to be the background. This explains the heroes being in focus. Another reason could be to convey the brightness of the genies, thus making it hard to decipher the action. Yet another reason could merely be that is leaves more to the imagination. Finally, the implications of these out-of-focus genies could very well be implying something about the power of women in a spiritual sense. I would argue that it is for all these combined.

As I mentioned before, the art style of the film uses various intricate cutouts, which gives the film a “shadow puppet” quality. The cut-outs are highly detailed and used in a large quantity for various scenes. In this particular scene, the entire demon army consists of these cutouts, while the genie army is made up of lighter shapes. The contrast between the two is notable. On the one side we have a clearly defined mass of dark arms, legs, and fingers reaching out in all directions, trying to kill the protagonists, while on the other side we see an innumerable amount of glowing shapeless objects that plow through the darkness. Due to the high number of forces on both sides of the conflict, their actual battle is messy and chaotic, making it hard to clarify the action even if it were in focus. The clash of the armies is put into the background. It is safe to assume that this is the background, as the heroes of the story are clearly presented to the audience in focus on the screen. All the chaos of the battle is there, but it does not overlap with the heroes and their particular fight against the demon with the multiple heads.

There is more evidence to suggest a depth of vision in the scene. For instance, when both sides of the armies are charging towards each other, on the demon’s side, half of them are in their usual black shapes, while the other half is obscured, a bit brighter, and out of focus. This image presents two layers of depth in the shot. The foreground and the background contain demons, implying that there is a significantly high amount on screen at once. During the conflict there are again two layers of action: in one we see the forces of light colliding with the forces of darkness while in the background (and it is meant to be the background because there is no overlapping with the creatures in focus) we can see a stream of constantly moving genies. These beings move across the screen behind the action because they have not yet engaged the enemy in their different and separate space. This use of foreground action is visibly used during the fight with the Hydra and the heroes because, like the heroes who remain in focus, the ground they are standing on does as well. The use of in-and-out-of-focus actions is a necessity for the art style chosen to tell the story. Had the film been made using clay and hand-made sets, this use of altering focus would not have been necessary to establish different planes of depth. Because of the two-dimensional cutouts, the imitation of out-of-focus objects in the background is a necessity in order to show depth in a scene. I would argue that one of the primary reasons for the use of the war being out of focus is to establish a background action. The heroes’ remaining not only in focus, but in the foreground, is to keep the action personalized. This is not unlike any war film in which, during the battle, the camera follows a specific character(s) instead of focusing on the battle in its entirety. The war of the demons and genies is pushed to the back while the focus (literally) remains on heroes and what they are doing during the war. This keeps the viewer grounded and this is where the animation style that was used is especially useful.

The dark cutouts are clear amongst the blurred battle in the background. Had the scene been animated in any other way it might have been too chaotic and overwhelming. Compare for instance some of the major war scenes used today with CG, the madness of the battle of Helm’s Deep in the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (which not only took place at night, but in the rain). There may be more to it than simply simulating background action, however; another major reason for the out-of-focus genies may be an attempt to simulate overexposure with a light source. The genies, from the beginning of the scene, are out of focus. They retain no specific shapes and are vaguely reminiscent of horizontal rain drops. They are most obviously lighter than the demons, as the Demons are black and associated with creatures of darkness. The genies are meant to be on the side of good, and to contrast with the demons they are not black but a light blue tint. This color distinguishes them from the background, which is a darker blue and the black demons, which is most useful during the battle scene in the background. Why give them no shape? The genies are meant to literally be the light in the darkness. I think that they are given no shape and are instead shown out of focus to portray a vast amount of light bombarding the hoard of demons. In many ways this is reminiscent of the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment from Disney’s Fantasia. The forces of darkness are beaten back by shapeless, beings of light. In this sense the scene invokes a holy, pseudo-Christian aspect to it, which is interesting considering the one unleashing the holy light is a witch. From the first shot they are out of focus, so it is already not the same as when the demons are charging and half of them are out of focus, establishing depth. The genies, when they are the sole focus of the shot, are always out of focus and this is to simulate a blinding light emanating from all the genies combined. When a genie is first shown in an earlier scene, he lights up the cave and appears inside a cloud of smoke. There is a barely visible face and perhaps a beard. His body remains clouded. With this in mind, the army of genies, moving at battle speeds, would be very difficult to see. Add all this to the sheer number of genies meant to be on-screen at the same time and we have simulated overexposure.

Another primary reason for the way these genies are depicted could best be explained through the character of the witch. The witch is one of the central protagonists and is, by far, the most useful and powerful character in the film. I would note that even the hero slaying the hydra could not have been accomplished without her help. The witch manages to gain possession of the lamp and summons the genies. She stands triumphant as they all emerge out of her as if a statement on the life-giving power of women. The genies are beings of light and freedom, as they battle against the forces of the demons, whose sole purpose is oppressing the princess. In this I would argue that the witch then becomes a figure of a liberated female, using her powers to save one who is not. The genie's blurriness is comparable to that of the nude woman’s in Berthold Bartosch’s L’Idee. The woman is usually shown out-of-focus and in particular during a scene in which she meets a man under a bridge, she stands in front of the river which is moving west. Likewise, the genies all travel west; signifying freedom and liberation for the heroes and the princess. All of this emerges from the Witch. The last shot of her is particularly revealing of her standing in the film. She stands triumphant on top of a mountain, alone with her arm lifting the lamp into the air. The heroes leave her alone, because she is independent and strong; stronger than any of them. This last shot of her reveals her as the true hero and savior of the film, but being a strong and independent woman, she is not allowed to reap the rewards of the king with the rest of the heroes. She is not yet a normal presence in society.

While these reasons are the primary explanation for the way that this scene is filmed, another aspect of its setup could be to involve the viewer in the film. After establishing with the audience a sense of depth and light, the rest is for their imagination. The viewer becomes involved in the battle, imagining the chaos and insanity of a battle between an army of demons and spirits. The interaction with the audience not only keeps their attention, but adds a great deal of investment in the scene. The intensity builds as the characters battle a demon as literally all hell is breaking loose behind them. The way the scene is displayed is done in a way that is specific for various reasons. The animation style demands that certain methods be used in order to establish action in a foreground and background. The out of focus battle serves as a background action while the protagonists remain in focus and are therefore implied to be in the foreground. The out of focus genies emulate the brightness of the light emanating from the genies, thus making it hard to decipher the action as well as adding a holy-light, spiritual atmosphere to be surrounding the genies. Finally, the use of focus in the scene also leaves more to the imagination of the audience, thereby involving them more in the action. This is merely one scene and the entire film contains the same level of detail and intricacy. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a forgotten masterpiece and the original animated movie. If you manage to view it, you will not be disappointed.

Brave Story (2006)

Directed by Kôichi Chigira (Full Metal Panic!), Brave Story is an adaptation of a light novel of the same name by author Miyuki Miyabe. The story follows a young boy named Wataru (Takako Matsu) who discovers a door into another world. Though this setup echoes Alice in Wonderland, the purpose of the door is a bit different. Wataru is a 5th grader whose parents recently split up. On top of all this, he comes home one day to find his mother unconscious on the floor. Whether this is a result of some kind of illness or suicide attempt is unclear. Wataru doesn’t understand any of this and comes across the door which promises him a wish. He enters the door hoping to save his mother and restore his family. A bit before he enters the door, he meets and befriends another depressed boy named Mitsuru (Eiji Wentz) who is also somehow connected to the mysterious door.

The film really picks up once Wataru enters the world of Vision. He is first tested to determine whether or not he should be allowed in and after passing the test, he is quickly explained the premise of his role in the world and simultaneously the plot of the film. He is given a sword with five slots in it. If he fills up every slot with a magic gem, he can summoned the Goddess of Destiny and make his wish. So he begins his journey traversing the world looking for these gems with a few companions including a large lizard man named Kee-Keema (Yô Ôizumi) and a cat-girl name Meena (Chiwa Saito), who he has a half-attempted romance with. The world of vision is vast and varied, filled with all sorts of bizarre humanoid creatures as well as a few humans here and there. There are marketplaces and huge cities, deserts, dragons, and all kinds of interesting things to look at. The characters are all interesting enough, particularly Wataru and Mitsuru. Their reasons for attempting the dangerous quest may be honorable, but the way they go about it is considerably different. Of the two, Mitsuru is more complicated and even though he plays a more villainous character, his motivation and experiences in life make him not only believable, but sympathetic. These characters are not meant to be epic heroes; they are scared children attempting to alter their fate rather than face it. This presents one of the major ideas of the film, which is the lesson that the ends do not justify the means and that no matter where you go you cannot escape your problems (reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are). There are some other themes that are also developed during the journey such as selfishness, friendship, and sacrifice. Wataru is just a child and he never turns into a swashbuckling adventurer. He is brave and innocent and at the end learns a pretty good lesson. The score to the film (by Ben Watkins) is also very good and suits the settings well.

I have only a few complaints with this film and one is the pacing. At only 108 minutes long, there could have been more to the journey. Early on there is about a two minute sequence set to a song that is basically a montage of some of Wataru’s journey with his new friends. This montage seemed incredibly unnecessary considering that this could have been an ideal time to further develop relationships between some of the characters. It is never really explained why Kee-Keema joins Wataru on his journey and Meema’s reason is never resolved. Granted the montage is only two minutes, but considering the scope of the quest, that portion of the film could also have been used to showcase more the world of vision. They travel to all kinds of strange and interesting places within that montage that are never mentioned again or explained. I guess they were a waste of time concerning the main plot, but if that’s the case why bother to show them at all? Given the plot and the scope of the world, this premise might have worked better as a series or at least more than one film. My other complaint is the ending of the film. Not the climax or the conclusion to the story, but the very last scene before the credits. I won’t spoil it, but to me it felt like a massive cop out. Brave Story, despite its minor shortcomings, is a really good fantasy film with some great animation and an interesting scenario. Overall it's worth a viewing and is a colorful and engaging film that may surprise you with its emotional depth.