Light House Film Club

Cert 12   2hrs 20mins

Writer/Dir: Deepa Mehta

Written and directed by Deepa Mehta this is the final film in her elements trilogy (after Fire and Earth). Set in a pre-independent India of 1938, it is a poignant and moving story of the lives of widows and follows Chuyia (Sarala), a child bride, who is banished to a ‘widow’s house’, where she is indoctrinated into the severities of a celibate and oppressed life. The house, with it’s cast of characters, is one step away from destitution yet Chuyia finds help from the beautiful Kalyani (Lisa Ray) a like minded free spirit.

One day, whilst pursuing Kalyani’s young puppy through the narrow streets of Voranasi, she bumps into Narayan (John Abraham), who retrieves the dog and in doing so meets Kalyani. It is love at first sight but, because of her “status” as a widow, she is not permitted to remarry. To do so would bring shame onto her brethren within the ‘widow’s house’ and in examining the religious and moral issues which this archaic practice throws up, the film succeeds with great beauty.

Today there remain in India some 34 million widows, many of whom continue to live as an underclass. Water has done a great service in telling the story of their plight.

Rating: 4/5

CA

Cert 15   1 hr 58 mins

Dir: Mike Binder

I didn’t get this film although you could say that I came to it at a disadvantage since I’m neither female and nor do I have daughters. If you tick both those boxes then you are likely to appreciate some of its subtleties. Unfortunately for me they flew right over my head.

Meet Terry Wolfmeyer, played by Joan Allen, a mother of four daughters who has recently been “ditched” by her husband for a younger model. Or so she believes. In dealing with the humiliation and anger Terry turns to drink and vents her frustration on her children, becoming a nagging control freak.  Apparently she used to be a lovely person but we never see that side of her.  Into her life comes Denny (Kevin Costner) an ex baseball player who squandered all his cash and now works as a talk show host on a local radio show. When not broadcasting he starts flirting with Terry, often whilst the two of them indulge a love of alcohol. And so their relationship grows and Denny becomes something of a support mechanism for Terry, who is failing to “move on” from her husband’s departure.

Billed as an offbeat comedy, after twenty five minutes I wondered whether I was in the right theatre.  Worse, the viewer is subjected to some cringe making moments, invariably initiated by Terry.  However badly she felt she’d been treated they seemed completely out of character.  And there were a number of occasions when the on screen protagonists thought that things were funny, when they just weren’t. 

That said the film is not without the occasional moment of humour and Costner plays the role of a supportive shoulder very well. There is also has an interesting twist before the end but this doesn’t permit writer/director Mike Binder from believing that we need a righteous message from all that has gone before. Delivered by the youngest daughter it is full of corn and I found myself reaching for the sick bucket.  Which probably tells you that this movie left me cold. 

Rating: 2/5

Cert 15    1 hr 47 mins

Dir: Ryan Fleck

There is a scene towards the end of this film which encapsulates the sordid and seedy existence that is the life of a drug addict. Dan, our teacher and main character, is holed up in a grubby motel with three other addicts, all of them too far gone to care that the person supplying the drugs is a young girl. And that the girl in question is Drey, a pupil, with whom Dan has formed an unexpected friendship.

There is no escape from the overriding theme which is clearly anti drugs, but at no time does the film preach this message. It merely demonstrates it in a thoroughly convincing way, aided by excellent performances from Ryan Gosling as Dan and Shereeka Epps (Drey) who first discovers her teacher’s drug addiction. Director Ryan Fleck’s camera work captures perfectly the permanent haze of drug addiction and to observe Dan’s life slowly unraveling is both disturbing and depressing.

Whilst it may not be a film to watch if you are seeking an uplifting tale, it is wholly believable and as such required viewing.

Rating: 4/5

CA