last weekend i did something i haven’t done for years – went with jen to the cinema two nights in a row. decadent eh…?
on friday we saw slumdog millionaire, an uplifting romantic tale set in india of a boy on who wants to be a millionaire who answers all the questions but because he grew up in the slums is suspected of cheating. he is on the show for love not money trying to communicate with his childhood sweetheart who is caught up in slavery. the filming of india is beautiful – an array of colour, chaos and beauty. it’s impossible not to be caught up in the romantic tale of the slum/underdog who risks everything for love and comes out on top and go out with a smile on your face. the bollywood style credits at the end are fun.
if you had said to me that i would see a better film the next night i would have laughed. but saturday we went to see the wrestler, a totally different kind of film but yes it was even better. i haven’t been able to shake the film out of my head all week – i keep thinking about it. mickey rourke plays a wrestler 20 years after his peak. he is still on the circuit of wrestling matches but earnings are low, so low in fact that in the opening sequence he is locked out of his trailer because he is behind on the rent. his ageing body can’t take the beating it used to. but somehow the need for affirmation and his ‘family’ of fellow wrestlers proves an irresistable draw even when he is under doctor’s orders to stop. his story is mirrored by a pole dancer who is trapped in her own way in performing and affirmation but equally lonely. their paths cross and a glimmer of friendship struggles to lift itself above their combined loneliness. on her advice rourke makes contact with his estranged daughter to try and repair their broken relationship. and it all ends tragically which you kind of guess pretty early on… why’s it so good? well mickey rourke is one huge factor – i so hope he gets best actor oscar for this. it’s the perfect role for him. he has a broken loveable charm, character etched in his face and a deep sadness. and i think it’s this deep sadness that has haunted me all week. the combination of reaching out so touchingly to his daughter and then just messing things up when they seem hopeful is heart breaking. i cried more than you probably should in a film called ‘the wrestler’! the filming is brilliant too – the opening 5 minutes gripped me following rourke with barely a shot of his face and some scenes so dark you could just see light reflected on the side of his face and not much more. brave and original…
go and see both if you get the chance
Agreed with you re: Slumdog Millionaire – I saw the Wrestler at the New York Film Festival. The highlight for me was the press conference with Mickey Rourke – he was amazingly humble and kind, two qualities I hadn’t seen in him before. He explained how he prepped for that role and I was blown away with his newfound dedication to his craft. I found the script to be re-hashed “Rocky” and was hoping for a less predictable ending. But I agree – Mickey Rourke rocked despite the script’s flaws. The films that grabbed me more at the festival were Happy Go Lucky, The Changeling (more for Jon Malcovich than Angelina Jolie) and Waltz with Bashir.
loved waltz with bashir, totally unpersauded by jolie in changeling (sorry!) and haven’t seen happy go lucky…
Happy Go Lucky’s a celebration of North London and the kind of unassumingly creative people you’ll recognise down every street. The way ordinary people grow wiser. Lovely moment when the primary school teacher watches a social worker gently open up the trust of a troubled child. And you’ll never want to take driving lessons again.
Jonny – agreed re: Jolie – I blogged about this film on the God’s Politics blog because the activist minister as played by Jon Malcovich was a true pioneer – for ANY many to come to the aid of a woman and challenge the system circa 1928 when women were viewed as second class citizens was quite brave and prophetic indeed. He was also quite the showman and I thought the film captures this character. I suspect you will enjoy Happy Go Lucky – it really shows the benefit of choosing to always see the glass half full, a lesson I always need to hear. And the acting is absolutely brilliant – Mike Leigh did it again by choosing an amazing cast and then letting them play.
Guys, have you ever thought of Spiritual Direction in terms of the work of film directors? It’s quite exciting. I’d steered away from the term, because I thought ‘director’ was, well, a bit directive. But if life’s all about creating stories (and a life lived well is the best kind of story), then those people who make the stories happen, well, they’re more than a little like film directors, aren’t they? You’ve the auteurs at one end of the spectrum, and the Mike Leighs towards the other end – as Becky says, letting the actors play. Not forgetting we’re all directors in the youtube generation…
So in church you get auteur leaders, and inspirers of improvisation (catalysts?), and lastly, the lone rangers, filming themselves with their spiritual mobiles and up-loading for anyone to look and see…
Most of the films mentioned here are wonderful, the best two being Waltz and Slumdog. More people should see Happy Go Lucky, but the garish pink advertising put people off.
I found Changeling to be a little flat. Although I thought The Wrestler was excellent, it did tend to repeddle old ideas and character archetypes. And Rourke was a spit of the lion in the Wizard of Oz…
I was a bit late on the uptake and only saw Slumdog this week, of all places to see it I was at the Southwark Diocese clergy conference! Anyway, here are my reflections, as I start on the blogging journey… http://theblogofkevin.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/a-slumdog-sentimentality/
Hope you enjoy reading…