Far from the Madding Crowd

The best period pieces are the ones that “transport” you, for lack of a better term. Period pieces are all about escapism, getting away to a different time for 90 minutes. Far from the Madding Crowd, based on the beloved Thomas Hardy novel, is one of those. Intrinsic production design, beautiful visuals, and solid performances save Crowd’s by-the-book story, giving us another notch in Mulligan’s belt but also one for director Vinterberg as well.

I’m not familiar with the source material, but Far from the Madding Crowd’s story is the least impressive of its feats. After Bathsheba is willed a farm after her uncle’s passing, she finds herself courted by three very different men. It’s a feminist tale, and a good one at that, but just barely scrapes past love triangle territory. There’s some politics here, some exciting moments, but this is a good old-fashioned romantic drama.

It helps that Mulligan is game here, like always. As Bathsheba, she’s assertive and confident as she’s thrust into this new role and new social standing. 1870s London gives us a chance to observe how gender roles work at the time, and how social class was the determining factor for these citizens. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Bathsheba’s three suitors. There’s Gabriel (Matthias Schoenaerts), your homey, Ryan-Gosling farmer type, whose “nice guy” acts just might win Bathsheba over. Then there’s William (Michael Sheen), an old bachelor with plenty of clout in the agriculture world. Lastly there’s Francis (Tom Sturridge), a war sergeant with a deep past. It’s almost some kind of dating game show.

Luckily you won’t be bored, which can’t be said about many other period pieces. Vinterberg’s direction at least takes some creative risks here, with excellent framing and good use of color to juxtapose and emphasize. One brilliant sequence comes about halfway through the film after Bathsheba’s encounter with Francis. Set in a dark green forest (seen in the poster above), Francis’s red war uniform stands out in a breathtaking scene, with great camera work and some good dialogue. Scenes like these where Vinterberg plays with your expectations are well worth the admission price.

Far from the Madding Crowd winds up at the better end of the period piece spectrum. It’s never boring, but never particularly exciting. Some better characterization would be more welcomed, especially for William and Francis, but Bathsheba is the focus here, and Mulligan gives an outstanding performance, making Crowd easily digestible but you’ll be hungry for dessert.

 

The End of the Tour

Prior to seeing this film, I had limited knowledge of David Foster Wallace and his works. After seeing the film, I wanted to learn more. The End of the Tour (dir. James Ponsoldt) is a very reflective film, highlighting author Wallace on the last stretch of his book tour for his novel Infinite Jest. Our entry point into this intriguing man is David Lipsky, a Rolling Stone reporter hired to do a piece on him in the late 1990s.

What little there is of plot is made up for in excellent characterization. The film is really all about existentialism, and thankfully it never leans towards pretentiousness. Rather there is an air of optimism about making your time on earth worthwhile. Wallace and Lipsky in a way represent two extremes of existentialism. Wallace is very relaxed, and takes his newfound celebrity with a grain of salt, while Lipsky is very Type-A, yet never brash or irritating. Lipsky has been trying to get his foot in the door as an author for a while now, while Wallace almost became famous overnight, and the film plays with the concept of “fame” in fun and unique ways. Through the film, Ponsoldt is able to explore these two extremes and find common ground between them, all while touching on the idea of fame and what it means to different people.

The script is outstanding, and hits all the right notes I touched on above. The dialogue between Lipsky and Wallace feels natural, nothing is forced. I wonder how much improvisation was done for the film, because the two seem like good friends from the moment they meet. There is a natural chemistry that draws these two characters together, and it’s outstanding to watch on-screen. It’s difficult to adapt a book like Lipsky’s, which is mostly interviews and recording, as the book was published after Wallace’s death in 2008. But screenwriter Donald Marguiles makes it work, and the result is an insightful, often hilarious film.

All this talk about chemistry would be a waste if it weren’t for Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg as Wallace and Lipsky, respectively. Segel is a marvel as Wallace; it’s a performance that doesn’t demand much, yet Segel taps into all of Wallace’s nuances and quirks. His delivery, cadence, and warmth almost makes it feel like you’re talking to an old friend. It’s a subtle performance that I hope is remembered come awards season. Eisenberg, too, is great. His reporter-type isn’t very developed until the middle-end of the film, and he might come across as annoying for some. But he makes Lipsky tick as the curious interviewer wanting to learn more. He’s driven by his desire to success, his want to make a successful piece for Rolling Stone, yet he ends up with a lot more.

The End of the Tour is a huge success. It isn’t a very showy film, without much in the way of technical prowess, yet it’s a talker. The realistic dialogue and blasé tone make the film feel like a 100 minute hang out with two good friends. Ponsoldt keeps a tight grip on the film’s themes, never letting one overpower the film’s true intentions. It’s a wonderful ode to Wallace, and a funny one at that.

 

Clouds of Sils Maria

Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria portrays one of the most addictive relationships I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a story of companionship and professionalism, but also with rich themes that comment on Hollywood’s obsessive culture. Without the spark between the two leads, Clouds of Sils Maria would still be a deeply impressive movie with plenty to say, but Assayas goes the extra mile and gives us two outstanding performances from Juliette Binoche and Kristin Stewart.

The first 20 minutes of Clouds aren’t too perfect. It’s a bit expository, we are kind of just thrust into the middle of an awkward situation without much background, and details are a bit muddy. Eventually we learn that Maria’s old director friend Wilhelm has passed away, whom she owes her career to after playing the lead role in a play titled Maloja Snake. At an awards ceremony, Maria is approached by a famous director who wants to revive the play but with Maria in the opposite role, and a younger actress (Chloe Grace Moretz) as the role Maria played previously. She accepts, and what begins is a complicated study of career success and aging in Hollywood.

Maria’s assistant, Valentine, played by Kristin Stewart, is her closest confidante. The two have a personal and professional relationship that just sparks when the two are on-screen together. Binoche lets this new role consume her, and the film goes to some dark places at times. The best scenes are when the two are rehearsing lines for the play, where you can’t tell where their acting begins and where it ends. The dialogue is a meta-commentary that makes some interesting parallels to their relationship at the same time. It’s some outstanding writing, made better by the excellent performances.

And damn, isn’t Stewart turning out to be quite the young actress? Valentine is hands down her best role to date. It’s a quiet, contemplative role; it’s subtle, but creeps up on you. Stewart makes it all look so easy, yet there are layers to Valentine that unravel as the film progresses. The rapport between Stewart and Binoche makes for a relationship that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Their loud line readings are paralleled with quiet hikes through Sils Maria and a fun night out at the bar. The interplay here is just phenomenal. Assayas’s direction keeps a mysterious tone throughout the movie, and while the film never reaches the surreal, it definitely toes the line and plays with the audience a bit.

Clouds is a backstage drama with plenty to say about Hollywood and how actors like Maria are treated, but it’s never preachy like, say, Maps to the Stars. Maria is just a victim of the system, a well-respected actress past her prime, whose personal struggles allow her to reach new heights as she takes on a new role and says goodbye to her older self. Expert writing by Assayas makes you care about these characters more than you might think, and when the film ends, you know you’ve seen something special.