Christine

This film left me speechless and crying in parts, even though I mistakenly researched the film before watching it, is was still left with a number of mixed emotions. I can't remember a film having such a deep and traumatising effect on me, it is truly one of the saddest stories on film. Obviously don't research anything about this film before seeing it because it will probably shock you.

Firstly the film as a whole, is good / OK, its fine but it can get a little slow here and there. It was a story that I'd never heard of which is unbelievable really, but probably due to the fact it was before my time and didn't happen in my country. As mentioned I researched the film a little before watching it due to its really good trailer and yep ruined to ending and all the overbearing issues in the film, but was still interesting in how it was going to be brought to screen. The directing is OK nothing groundbreaking but I think a very personal and thought provoking film like this doesn't need anything out of this world. The supporting cast are all fine and average characters that you can sort of connect with, some obviously more than others. There is a really good close, family like feeling in the news station that the characters have with each other, which is an interesting dynamic. So overall the film is good, I can now see why this isn't getting as much buzz as I thought it was because this film stands on one performance.

Rebecca Hall in my opinion is a very talented and often underrated actor, who deserves bigger roles, this film only backs up my claim. This is personally the best performance I think she has done in her career so far, due to the complexities of the character she is portraying, Christine. Whether you are a man or woman, or have dealt with some of what she is going through or all of what he is going through, this film will hit you very hard. I can say from personal experience some of her social situations or mannerisms are perfectly portrayed on screen because I can see myself in that situation doing the same thing. If you have never suffered from depression or any mental health issue this film might make it easier for you to understand it a bit more. There is so much to this character that can't be put into words the sorrow and surprising anger that I personally had towards her. I never ever had a film made me shout out loud in anger because I want the character to do something so badly or just speak to someone about her problems, but I also know how difficult that is. This character is easy to connect with as the audience because she genuinely wants to be happy and you want her to be happy as well, she is in now way a horrible person who had done something wrong, she has done nothing to deserve the situation she finds herself in. It actually made me sick to my stomach the ending to the film and how easy to it could have been to change and find help, it is truly a social injustice. Your mind will be overwhelmed with emotions, like mine is now, that you want to express and can't. 100% this film will make you cry or make you just feel horrible and if you don't then you aren't human.

All in all this film banks on the performance of Rebecca Hall which is fantastic and should be championed more than it is, however the rest of the film can be a little lack lustre. I think this film needed a couple of more characters to be a bit more interesting or relatable or for the story at the news station to be a bit more, meat to the bone. Saying that, if that is what happened in the true story then it should be changed for entertainment purposes. Finally I think the ending of the film could have been tackled a little better instead of just grinding to a halt, like the film makers run out of time. 70% out of 100 the performance of Rebecca Hall, the story and the emotional reaction I had to film make it a good watch, I will never forget the first time I watched this film. You should definitely watch this film for the social injustice it is and the risks and dangers surrounding metal health issues.

Christine (2016)

A small market local television station in Western Florida in the 1970s might be the epitome of tawdry, pathetic America. Or so it appears here, where a rag-tag crew of struggling journalists and talking heads patch together a low budget news show every day. And ratings are going down.

Christine (played by Rebecca Hall) is a second string reporter in this wishful situation. Her life is full of compromises, and her efforts to excel at her work are awkward and sometimes sad. But she has determination, and works hard. When two of her colleagues are chosen over her for promotion, it's just another reminder that life sucks.

First point to make here: don't read anything about the big point of this movie ahead of time. I was lucky to not have a clue what this was all leading up to, and it was a final terrific punch to a slow, empathetic lead up.

By empathetic I mean that the movie makers (writer Craig Shilowich and director Antonia Campos) have shown the situation for what it was. It took a lot of restraint to keep this from turning to parody, or to become critical, or even to be highly dramatic in a kind of glitzy way. There is a steady, almost disappointing feeling to it all. Not a single character seems admirable, and yet every one is perfectly ordinary and nice. Even the incompetence throughout is a normal kind of mediocrity, mixed with sprinkles of hope and humor.

And people are generally good to each other even as they strive to move up (and out of Sarasota). It's a realistic construction of a mise-en-scene that will not sparkle or create intrigue or move you in particular. Until the end.

And that's pretty amazing. The dullness and the acting might strike you as just bad— as if this movie just plain sucks. But it's not the movie, but the subject, that is so uninspiring. Stick it out, if you like it at all. Admire Hall's acting, which is remarkably nuanced.

The tragic story of a young, promising reporter struggling with depression.

For anyone reading this and suffering, you are not alone. Many people go through hard times in life and in their own heads. You MUST remember that circumstances and states of mind can change for the better and even quickly. Please don't make a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

I'm going to write this review as if you had not heard the sensational and tragic story of Christine Chubbuck. If you are unfamiliar with Christine's story then I suggest you do not read into it before seeing this film. I shall reveal very little of it here.

The story concerns the real life story of Christine Chubbuck, a reporter in Florida in the 1970s. As an opportunity opens up at a bigger news station, Christine finds herself attempting to adopt the station manager's sensationalist approach to the news. The film details her struggle with depression and it's impact on her personal life and work.

The depression is seen as both the result and cause of Christine 's difficulty in connecting with others. Many characters throughout the film reach out to her only for her to pull away. The cyclical nature of depression is all too familiar but what's interesting here is that each character who reaches out to Christine is well meaning but insist on viewing her depression in their own way instead of actually speaking with Christine.

At one point Christine screams "why is no one listening to me?!" and it's true. No one listens to Christine. Her mother is certain that she just needs a man. The anchor on her news show is certain she just needs therapy. Her friend at the station is certain that she just needs ice cream. Everyone is so quick to offer possible remedies and solutions that Christine is actually overlooked.

This is exemplified in the "Yes, but" game as seen in the trailer for the film. In the game the speaker tells the listener their problems. The listener then suggests a solution to which the speaker replies "yes, but" and points out the issues with that solution. The idea may be to get to the heart of the speaker's problems or for them to simply run out of problems and start thinking about solutions but the effect is clear. The issues and concerns of the speaker are being dismissed, one by one. Often with just a few words.

This portrayal of the isolating effects of depression is very affecting. We see Christine attempt to bury herself in work, buying a radio scanner to listen in on police frequencies in an attempt to find the gruesome story she needs to gain recognition. As we see her hunched over her notepad listening to two police officers brag about sexual conquests, we can see the cracks starting to appear.

The entire film hinges on Rebecca Hall's ability to play a character who is simultaneously spiralling out of control and deeply sympathetic and fortunately she accomplishes this extremely well. She is magnetic to watch even as she shrinks into the backgrounds of the scenes in which Christine finds herself. Her awkwardness and frustration are told through tiny movements and gestures.

The film takes some liberties with the real life of Christine Chubbuck. Some people on her life have been omitted and some incidents have been made to occur later than they actually did for dramatic effect. However if you walk into this film without knowing how Christine's story ended then I am sure you will be as shocked as the world was back in 1975 and hopefully you will reflect on how you personally react to depression, in yourself and others. If you're anything like me you will emerge from the cinema desperate to know more about this enigmatic and tragic young woman.

The film is a very tense and uncomfortable slow burn with some surprisingly funny moments. Performances are excellent all round but this really is Hall's show and is an excellent showcase for her talents as a screen presence.

I hadn't really read anything about the plot of the film. I only heard the praise for Hall and so I decided to give it a go. A few minutes in and I realized what real-life event it was going to be about and it really soured my mood. It's just not a fun film to watch at all. I've read so much about the real life person that the whole thing was just a very depressing experience. It's hard for me o accurately judge the film as a whole but I can say that Rebecca Hall is devastatingly effective here. There are no false notes in her performance at all and I am tempted to say that it is one of the finest portrayals of depression I have ever seen in a film. She makes you absolutely feel her pain and her sorrow and it all becomes so powerful that it makes the whole thing even more grim. She should be getting all of the award nominations possible and the fact that she has flown so under the radar is absolutely criminal.