robert-temple

The genius Stephen Poliakoff wrote and directed this back to back with GIDEON'S DAUGHTER (2005, see my review). The stories are entirely separate but are linked by a character played by Robert Lindsay, who semi-narrates both, in his role of observer. This story is set in the 1970s and 1980s, whereas the other film is set in the late 1990s. Poliakoff is eager to show social and technological change taking place and how it effects his stories and his characters. As is always the case with Poliakoff films and series, this film contains overwhelmingly brilliant performances. Somehow he is the 'actor enchanter' who gets the best performances of their lives out of people. (And this is despite the fact that he can be irascible and shouty, and very impatient and demanding.) Poliakoff is known for his profusion of hair, but that is nothing compared to his delightful older brother Martyn, who has lots more and is a far gentler soul. But you know, we have to give a lot of leeway to geniuses. It is normal for them to expect superhuman results from their actors, especially when they succeed in getting it. Here we have the amazing Jodhi May being her most inscrutable, moody, thinky self as she tries to deal (as a 'normal' person) with outrageous things going on around her, namely extremes of Bohemianism. And here we have possibly the best performance ever from that strange actor Damien Lewis. 'Presence' comes pouring out of him as he seems to fixate the camera and paralyze all viewers with his being there. And he is a wild one in this film, keeping everyone guessing every second. One minute he's super-rich, living in the gigantic mansion of Castle Ashby, another moment he is seemingly broke and lives in a remote farmhouse which can only be reached by Jodhi stepping through the muck of a pigpen. And he never sleeps with only one woman. Every time Jodhi meets with him there are a great many breasts hanging out amongst the womenfolk, but she keeps herself to herself. And yet Jodhi and Damien are obsessed by each other, having never even considered physical contact. (This in itself was a fascinating subject for Poliakoff to explore, and he clearly enjoyed it.) By the way, why the crocodiles? Well, Damien keeps one in a glass tank because they survived the extinction of the rest of the dinosaurs so they must have some special quality. (Personally I hate crocodiles and alligators and wish they had not survived the extinction of the rest of the dinosaurs, but then that is only my view.) This film provides a vivid depiction of the gigantic economic catastrophe of the collapse of the Dot Com Bubble. So never underestimate the sociological aspects of a Poliakoff film, as in one sense they are all concerned with the fate of human society, society being something suggested rather than shown, a kind of invisible aethre in which his extraordinary larger-than-life characters swim like glittering goldfish, flapping their fins at each other and sometimes leaping out of the water like salmon before sinking back into reality. One should not fail to compliment Patrick Malahide on his brilliantly chilling performance in this film; it says it all about that kind of person. Well, if you want to be thrilled and enthralled, horrified and delighted, and spellbound too, watch this one. But also watch all the other ones. These films of Poliakoff's go way beyond entertainment into another realm entirely. They are a form of magic. Maybe Poliakoff was John Dee in a previous life.

The genius Stephen Poliakoff here has set a powerful drama in the late 1990s in London. The film was made back to back with his FRIENDS AND CROCODILES (2005, see my review), which was set in the 1970s and 1980s. The stories are completely separate, but are linked by one character who runs through both, played by Robert Lindsay. He is a kind of observer and commentator, a man who noses his way into numerous social scenes, and in this film commences dictating his memoirs, hence the story which we see which he narrates. As is always the case with Poliakoff's work, the casting is perfect and powerful. In the extras on the DVD, Poliakoff says that Emily Blunt, who plays the daughter of Gideon in the film, is the only actor or actress he ever cast in audition without considering anyone else. He said she was so perfect there was no choice in the matter and the decision was instant. And it is certainly true that she is perfect. Her performance is epochal, one of the great performances by a young actress, so perfect for the story that one might have imagined that the film was written for her (but it was not). She plays the estranged daughter of a prominent PR consultant to the political world. Tony Blair has just won the election and Gideon, played by Bill Nighy, is one of his top advisors. He is called upon to plan and build the notorious Millennium Dome beside the Thames. But we don't see any of that, because this is a story about people, not projects. Everyone treats Gideon as a kind of prophet or high priest. He himself is completely baffled at so many people coming up to him all the time and asking what to do about anything and everything. He commences a shutdown process. But the less he says, the more he is revered. When he doesn't answer questions his silence is viewed as profundity. Even not turning u to a meeting with someone of crucial importance is viewed as a stroke of genius. This all becomes so extreme he can't see how he can continue because he is, without wishing to do so, forced into living a lie so gigantic that it could effect the nation. Meanwhile, his daughter won't speak to him despite all his pleading. She wants to go on a gap year to the jungles of Colombia 'to see tigers' (of course there are no tigers in Colombia). When Gideon shows alarm and says: 'But Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world', she doubles down on her insistence to go there regardless. Gideon becomes increasingly desperate and feels alienated from everyone he knows and from his job and even his life. There are a great many references in this film, as in its partner film, to technological and social change, those being two of the obsessions of Poliakoff. So these films are not just stories, they are morality tales as well, and social histories. Gideon is played by the miraculous actor Bill Nighy, who is one of the few actors in history who can sit perfectly motionless on camera without moving a single facial muscle, and still command your entire attention by the magic of his aura. Either he is busy thinking or his mind is blank and he is not thinking at all, it doesn't matter. So both Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt are totally mesmerising and one gawps at them like a dog gulps his meat, desperate, completely desperate. They are joined by Miranda Richardson, in an atypical role, as a very ordinary woman with whom Nighy becomes infatuated because she is so normal, and he hasn't known anyone normal for so long, if ever. She does it to perfection of course. Miranda is devastatingly devoured by grief at the death of her young son, aged ten. So Nighy has a child who won't speak to him and she had a child who can't speak to her because he is dead, so they are both in the same boat, strange as that may sound. And the boat seems so much more comfortable to him than his life. This is a devastatingly emotional film, but then, what Poliakoff film isn't?

This brilliant film by Costa Gavras is based on the true experiences of Yanis Varoufakis in 2015, when as the Greek Minister of Finance he was responsible for trying to save the economy of Greece from collapse in a threatening financial crash. This film is probably the most intelligent feature film about politics ever made. It shows the absolute horror of trying to negotiate with the treacherous officials of the European Union at that time (ort indeed at any time), who were prepared to force Greece to sell off most of its national assets (airports, ports, etc.) in return for a 'bailout' to save the country from collapse. It is one of the sleaziest and most despicable stories in the modern history of Europe. The dishonesty, brazen cruelty, and arrogance of the EU is shown in all its menace and monstrosity. Costa Gavras being a Greek felt this very strongly and decided to make a devastating and revealing film about the story, with the assistance of Varoufakis himself. But try and find a copy! Try and buy it! Anywhere! You won't succeed. It reveals too much, and every effort seems to have been made to supress it. It is a monumental achievement for the cinema. Of course it helps if you know something about European politics, but as a masterclass in political duplicity, lies, hypocrisy, and authoritarianism, it has no equal.