Christine

Christine, one of the best films I've seen this year, might appear at first to be about a feminist issue - set in 1974 at a small TV station in Sarasota, Florida, a woman named Christine Lubbock (Rebecca Hall) has to contend with her male co-workers and male boss, and where they get preferential treatment (at least seemingly, ultimately) despite being told by her own boss she's the smartest on there - but it's strongest as a depiction of mental illness. This is the subject that actually makes for more compelling subject matter, though it is harsher to see depicted; I cringe watching this film, it's uncomfortable to watch, and despite/because of this it's a brilliant depiction of a bi-polar person and the interior struggle of her life.

There are two fronts this film is successful. The first is the technical aspect. This looks, feels, acted, sounds like a movie from the period in the 70's (you know, back when American cinema was king as far as getting deeper into character and mood and technique and showing a reality moviegoers hadn't been exposed to much before outside of foreign cinema) with Campos and his DP using zoom lenses and shots that linger maybe just a little too long, and audio that sometimes (no, often times) can put us into the state of mind of the character: when Christine is laser-focused, nothing else can detract from her. When she is wary, she may hear the sounds outside that make her a little distracted (there's one scene between Christine and George, played by Michael C Hall, in a car that made me see/hear this). Not to mention the clothes, the music (so much bad 70's pop on the precipice of disco), and how people talked to one another.

The other thing that makes it authentic is how Christine and everyone talks, The dialog here is all about showing the realism of the TV station, and finding the nuance and what surrounds this woman who is very smart. It could be said she has a touch of Asperger's along with the bi-polar, if one wanted to go into a diagnosing-on-the-couch approach. But that takes away from what Campos and Rebecca Hall accomplish with this character. One may be reminded of Nightcrawler from two years ago, also about an ambitious being in the world of news (also, one should say, with a mental or personality disorder of some kind, and access to a police radio for the latest scoop), only while Gyllenhall in that film was a pure sociopath and no lack of communicating what he thinks/feels/sees, Christine's problems are an inability to come out with something all the time.

To be sure she's surrounded by the kind of news culture that has only multiplied exponentially over the past four decades; "If it bleeds, it leads," Christine's boss says, to which Christine reminds him that's a BS catch-phrase. No matter: the pressure is on to get things that people want to see, that brings ratings, and the same "human interest" stories about locals with Strawberry farms or chicken coops won't cut it. But what drew me in to this film was how potent the point of view was for Christine in this world. It's hinted at (or flat out spoken) that she had some previous anxiety/personality/bi-polar disorder issues back in Boston where she used to work, and now being in Sarasota isn't being much of an improvement. So among this news team, where she tries to find her own path and is up against resistance (some understandable, some not), and with friends (Maria Dizza as Jean is as good a supporting performance as from Michael C Hall, and he's really great here), she makes her own problems but never in a way that makes her unsympathetic.

Christine is closer if anything to Taxi Driver as far as a story of someone on the edge of an existence, and it's all the more painful because of what Christine is able and ready to do, her talents and intuition and in her way mix of innocence and cynicism (though mostly disbelief) at the world around her, which includes her own pot-smoking hippie mother. Hall taps into the ball of contradictions in this character, and I was often on the edge of my seat like this was the most intense thriller in years.

And it's in fact all based on a true story; I had known a couple of the broad strokes of the story, the climax in particular, and I almost wish I hadn't. I won't mention what happens to the sometimes awkward, full articulate but "not easy to approach" (as George says to her at one point) Christine by the end of her story, but even knowing it the filmmakers and Hall draw us in so inexorably to her interior and exterior struggles through such precise and heartbreaking storytelling that I can't shake the feeling this will be with me for a while.

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 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.

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.

Most people who have ever heard of Christine Chubbuck already know how her story ends; She's been attributed to glimpsing into the future of television journalism with her final statement, the story turning into a morbid urban legend in the over forty years since the incident occurred. I admit, the first time I heard the story almost ten years ago, it sounded so bizarre, I almost couldn't believe it.

Christine sets out to humanize Christine Chubbuck, and elicit empathy from an audience that might already see her as someone who is monstrous. Yet, somehow, the movie accomplishes it's goal, giving her humanity that was lost in the headlines. Much of that credit is due to Rebecca Hall who transformed herself completely, throwing herself into the role so thoroughly that it's almost frightening.

The first time we see Christine she is filming herself doing a mock interview, and then later on, we see Christine examining every little gesture, picking herself apart in order to remake herself into something better to gain that elusive feeling of perfection, yet no matter how many times she's assured by Jean Reed (Maria Dizzia), the only person at WZRB that could probably be considered a friend, there's still that look of dissatisfaction with herself etched on her face.

It's been written that Christine Chubbuck used to give puppet shows to mentally challenged children so the screenwriter incorporated that into the film, but it's utilized as little glimpses of what she's thinking: 'Be Bold, Be Brave' she tells them, a fairly innocuous phrase, but for the viewer who knows what's to come later on, it has chilling connotations.

The moment that made Christine Chubbuck famous is shown in all of it's brutal and devastating impact. The film even shows her mother watching as it all unfolds. I don't know if Christine Chubbuck's mother, Peg, was actually watching the day Christine did what she did, but the possibility of that actually occurring, is heartbreaking.

It's a testament to the filmmakers that, though Christine can often come across as incredibly difficult and unlikable, the audience still has a great deal of empathy for her. Yes, she has fights with her boss about 'blood and guts' television, and her mother about the state of her life, but it's carefully contrasted with moments of quiet desperation, like the sequence when the head news anchor, George (Michael C. Hall), takes her to a transactional analysis meeting where they play a game of 'Yes, but…" and Christine slowly reveals the things that she feels make her life impossible to live.

Overall, Christine is a portrait of a woman desperately trying to make something of herself but because of a chemical imbalance, she can't seem to sync with the people and world around her. Anchored by Rebecca Hall who gives an Oscar-worthy turn, Christine is also supported by an excellent supporting cast (Maria Dizzia and J. Smith Cameron in particular), strong direction and an incisive script. Highly recommended.