Movie Review - All is True

All is True follows the final years of William Shakespeares’ life. Shortly after his theater burns down in London, Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh) returns to his family life in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he reignites his relationship with his wife, Anne (Judi Dench) and advises the relationships of his two adult daughters. Moving back home brings back old demons, such as the guilt that he feels over the death of his young son, which occurred many years ago, while Shakespeare was away from his family.

All is True is a fascinating, affecting, and surprising story about the most famous writer in history. The surprising aspect comes from how the film focuses on ordinary life. Shakespeare was very famous in his day, but when he returns to his hometown, people do not treat him as a celebrity. If anything, he gets a standoffish vibe from those who do not understand how he could leave his family or those who might think that the theatre is an unfit profession. He is not valued by many of the townsfolk, who tend to be very religious and work in trade. Shakespeare doesn’t flaunt his fame, as he has returned home to focus on his family. He even takes on the task of creating a garden. He returns to a rather mundane and ordinary life.

Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet died at age eleven, while Shakespeare was working in London. Shakespeare never got over the death of his beloved son and felt a tremendous amount of not only grief, but guilt at having missed the funeral. Shakespeare was told that Hamnet died from the plague, but when he returns home, the truth of Hamnet’s death is finally revealed. I don’t want to spoil it in this review., but I felt it was the heart of the story. The reason for the death and the trauma that reverberates throughout the entire Shakespeare family is the central drama of All is True. It deals with themes beyond grief, also speaking to the idea of talent, sexism, and favoritism.

Shakespeare’s talent and words have stood the test of time, yet it is revealed that he was not a scholar. He did not come from an educated background and was not wealthy. He was very much a self-made man. His wife is also uneducated and could not even sign her name on their marriage certificate. A sweet moment comes when Anne learns to write her name and as a surprise for her husband, she replaces the penmark on their marriage certificate with her signature.

The film makes clear that Shakespeare felt a tremendous purpose in his calling to work in the theatre, yet he was conflicted, because it meant that he could not be present as a husband and father. All is True shows him desperate to make sure that his family is set up for the future, including worrying about inheritances for his daughters. His daughter Susanna (Lydia Wilson) is married to a local minister, who has a very rigid morality code. His daughter Judith (Kathryn Wilder) has resisted marriage, until finally becoming romantically involved with a scandalous man who has impregnated another woman in town. The two daughters could not be living different lives. Shakespeare is concerned that his daughters are both happy and that their financial futures are secure, an idea of great importance, as women of the era were exempt from inheritances and Shakespeare did not have any male heirs.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding performances from this renowned cast. Branagh was unrecognizable as Shakespeare, as he completely melted into the role. The real standout with a truly meaty role goes to Wilder, as daughter Judith. Judith is a woman in immense pain and she suffers from both the decisions of her past and the uncertainty of her future. She’s also a bit of a rebel and the most engaging character.

All is True is a beautiful and emotional film. Well worth seeing!

Movie Review- The Tomorrow Man

A divorced doomsday prepper named Ed (John Lithgow), falls in love with a beautiful widow named Ronnie (Blythe Danner). Ed meets Ronnie at a local grocery store and is impressed by her shopping skills, mistaking her for a fellow prepper. However, not only is Ronnie not a prepper, but in complete contrast to Ed’s meticulously ordered life, Ronnie is a secret hoarder, hiding an out-of-control habit that she developed in response to the pain of losing both her husband and daughter.

The Tomorrow Man has two compelling lead characters in Ed and Ronnie. They are both seniors in pain, using material objects as a way to secure their own versions of safety. In the United States, many of us have more material possessions than we need and this story deals with different types of mental disorders that can outwardly manifest through our relationship with our objects. The themes of The Tomorrow Man are well-timed with the currently tidiness crazy sparked by Japanese organization guru, Marie Kondo.

Ed and Ronnie each feel an extreme lack of control. Ed takes control via an orderly stockpile of necessities, such as toilet paper and canned goods.. He creates lists and makes what he considers smart shopping choices. He does not want to be caught unaware if the world comes to an end, which he thinks is imminent. He spends lots of time interacting with other preppers on doomsday message boards and making efforts to convert his adult son, which creates a strained relationship. While Ed may believe that there is a need to be prepared for doomsday, it is clear that he is also reacting to a nasty divorce and the break-up of his family. He is not close to his son. The prepping is Ed’s way of feeling like he has control over his life.

Ronnie’s control comes from the comfort of buying and surrounding herself with objects. When her daughter and husband died, she simply kept their things and kept adding to her collections, until the problem grew out of control. Ed loves to share that he is a prepper, where as Ronnie is ashamed to be a hoarder. She dates Ed for a long time, before sharing this aspect of her life with him. It is too painful.

The Tomorrow Man is an interesting story idea.. I’m fascinated by the way we relate to our possessions and I am drawn towards stories that involve grief. The lead actors are fabulous. However, The Tomorrow Man is not a great film. It was snail pace slow. Ed and Ronnie are socially awkward characters and rather than it be endearing, it was uncomfortable.

Ed develops a crush on Ronnie, while seeing her at a grocery store and to get her attention, he stalks her in a creepy way. She is clearly uncomfortable with his behavior, yet, she inexplicably agrees to his offer of a date. I really thought that we were going to discover that Ed or even both Ed and Ronnie, are autistic, which would explain the lack towards understanding social cues, but this was not revealed in the story. For example, in Graeme Simsion’s novel, The Rosie Project, the main character is autistic and in love, making many blunders, yet he is likeable and charming. Ed remained uncomfortable throughout The Tomorrow Man.

The ending was quirky. I did not anticipate it. The scene that precedes the final minute, is quite lovely, with Ed and Ronnie both making big strides towards overcoming their issues with control.

I would not recommend The Tomorrow Man. The story is clunky and slow. However, it does present thought-provoking content, specifically, it will make you consider you own relationship with your stuff. It made me feel like having a good spring clean!

Movie Review- The Souvenir

In The Souvenir, film student Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne), becomes romantically involved with a deeply troubled man. Julie loves Anthony (Tom Burkes), even though he has a serious drug problem, leading to disturbing and erratic behavior.

I watched The Souvenir this afternoon and I was left with a very mixed impression of the film. It’s beautifully shot, artsy, and very slice-of-life. This is a quiet movie and never strays from feeling realistic, both with plot and tone. I went to the screening knowing nothing about the film, but have since read that it is heavily based on the real life experiences of director/writer Joanna Hogg.

Anthony is a heroin addict, something that is not confirmed until nearly half-way through the film. When this detail is revealed, it gives clarity to his previous bizarre behavior, primarily his sleepy, half-aware manner of being. Julie does not use drugs and she is just about as clean, sweet, and naive as a character can get. Early in the story, we learn than she is a people pleaser and someone who is easily taken advantage of. Anthony seems to have quickly weasled his way into her world and soon, she is racking up debt with her well-to-do parents and loaning the money to her boyfriend.

The reveal about Anthony’s heroin addiction is made when Anthony’s friend mentions it to Julie while over for dinner. The friend doesn’t understand why someone like Julie is dating someone like Anthony. It is unclear as to whether or not Julie actually knew of his addiction, or if this is shocking news to her in the moment. It seems unlikely that she was clueless as to Anthony’s drug addiction, however, in that moment, she does appear to have no idea.

I thought this was odd, but it brings up my biggest issue with the film: much like Anthony’s friend, I don’t understand how Julie and Anthony fell in love. It doesn’t add up. The first time the characters interact is over a very strained, business like lunch in a hotel. I’m not even sure how they met, yet their relationship goes from zero to sixty. I found there to be very little chemistry between the two characters throughout the film. It was more that they were in an odd, co-dependent relationship, than actually in love. Anthony needs Julie to give him money and to make him feel somewhat normal. Julie needs to care for Anthony and to please him. The needs were present, but the love was absent. Unfortunately, there are real world situations like this, but in a film, it makes for a long two hours.

Despite not caring for the characters, I did enjoy the performances of the lead actors, especially Byrne, who is the daughter of actress Tilda Swinton, who play’s Julies mother in the film. Byrne was fantastic. She is a newcomer, but truly someone with star potential.

The Souvenir is set in England in the 90’s, but its theme of heroin addiction is unfortunately current to the terrible opioid crisis afflicting the United States. Most striking is a scene where Julie’s mother (Tilda Swinton) breaks down in tears while sharing a bed with her daughter. Her heart is breaking for her daughter. I’m not sure at what point Julie’s parents realize that their daughter is in love with a drug addict, but they make the choice to support both her and him. There is never a point where they confront her or force her to make a choice. They must notice the dysfunction, but they stay quiet and supportive. In one scene, they come over to Julie’s house to celebrate Julie’s birthday and they sit at a table, where there is an newly broken mirror on the wall. The problems are obvious, even if they go unspoken. I found this aspect of the film to be the most realistic and the most crushing. I’m positive that this mirrors the reality that many loved ones have with the addicts in their lives, both an enabling and helpless scenario.

Ultimately, the story never allowed me to care for Anthony. I had a degree of empathy for his addiction, but I never connected with him, which in turn, made it impossible to care for his relationship with Julie. I just wanted her to get away from him as fast as possible. Their relationship was destroying her life, including her dreams of becoming a filmmaker.

From a visual standpoint, there was one scene that made a huge impression on me. Julie and Anthony are having a difficult moment in a hotel room, but the audience experiences the scene through a mirror reflection, rather than a direct shot. It was jarring and took me out of the film, reminding me that I’m an audience member, a witness or voyeur to Julie and Anthony’s tumultuous relationship. The Souvenir has many scenes, where Julie and Anthony are partially blocked or not even shown. In the hotel scene, where we are first introduced to Anthony, we only see him from a side angle and the scene is shot at a distance, as if we are sitting at another table and eavesdropping on this couple. Placing the audience member at a distance is a bold and distinctive choice, that gave me the impression of experiencing a visual arts exhibition and less like I was swept away by a story. I’m not sure if it was effectual, but it definitely was a deliberate choice.

The Souvenir is slow paced, but it has stellar performances. The story is uneven, yet tackles heavy issues with a strong dose of compassion. I found it worth seeing, yet I’m not sure that I’d recommend it. Usually writing down my thoughts gives me clarity, but I’m still not sure how I felt about The Souvenir. I did read that a sequel is in the works and I cannot imagine where the sequel will go or whether it is necessary.