tangofiction

Anyone who has ever experienced loss of the magnitude experienced by Julie, the central character in "Blue", will find in this film an piercingly accurate portrayal of the grieving process. This is a film about falling apart -- and slowly, painfully, learning to put the pieces back together, taking a single step into the world, and then another and another. This in itself would make it a remarkable film, but it goes even further. In addition to its emotional intensity and depth, it also has a strong plot, a magnificent soundtrack, wonderful characters and even humour (the mattress incident alone is worth the price of admission). And Juliette Binoche gives the performance of a lifetime, one that is human, raw and achingly sympathetic. What more could anyone possibly want?

I confess, I went to see this film mostly because of Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera) but honestly, that's just the cherry on top. I can't say when I last watched such a lovely, quietly heartfelt, heartbreaking but uplifting film.

The really wonderful thing about it was how underplayed it was. Everything happens and you know it happens, and yet it's hardly ever externalize. It's all inside the characters. The basic plot could have been really pat and melodramatic -- deaf boy's mother invents a story that his dad is at sea, the ship comes in, she has to find a dad for the day -- but instead of being melodramatic, it comes across as human and profound.

Emily Mortimer is fantastic as Lizzie, the boy's mother. Somewhere along the way you realise that this story is about _her_ fantasy as much as about the boy's (or more so), and the way she manages to convey her own life history without ever really giving it away is amazing.

The same is actually true of Gerard Butler's character (The Stranger), though we find out even less about him. His character development happens entirely on the inside, practically without dialogue and yet you're there for it all, and you catch all the little changes.

And of course, the little boy is superb -- it's such a great character, too. A clever, sly but thoughtful and loving boy, who doesn't feel sorry for himself. He seems to be straightforward at first, but in light of what we find out at at the end of the movie, you begin to reassess his actions and realise that he's just as "internalised" and deep as the adults.

This is definitely the kind of movie you find yourself thinking about long after it is finished!

"Kukolka" tells the story of a young Russian gymnastics star who is forced to return to the life of an ordinary teenage girl after an injury prevents her from competing. As the film unfolds, the audience is drawn into the damaged psyche of the girl and the world that shaped her. The story is dark, intense, and ultimately disquieting; it draws you in, horrifies you, and keeps you thinking long after the superb finale. A film that is difficult to forget.