The new Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) flick has been acquiring much buzz and anticipation and it’s easy to see why with the Gos at the helm.
Full disclosure, I found Blue Valentine muddled and largely unsympathetic, and I’m still on the fence about whether Ryan Gosling is actually an actor or just a piece of eye-candy.
Anyway, my interest certainly piqued at this new feature, and it was a significant improvement though still not the great film that we all seem to be waiting for from Cianfrance.
Much like Blue Valentine, this focuses on the class system of the state of his native New York, and there are some breathtaking moments and scenery to be had, akin to the master Terence Malick.
Without going into spoilers, this film is at its best in its structure.
This almost becomes its own undoing when it lingers just a little too long in certain scenes (one thing I did like Blue Valentine for) and begins to drag – particularly in the final third act – but it’s refreshing to see a young director take a chance within the triptych form.
The move from the first to second story is a really great one though, throwing up all sorts of moral dilemmas and cinematically harking the great Hitch.
There’s a real disorientation in the second act felt with Bradley Cooper (who really shines here as Avery and is more his story than anyone else’s), which translates to quickly adjusting to being swept into a whole new narrative being built outside of our, and Avery’s, control in the media and police.
The film does have a penchant for melodrama however, and though this at times taps into the magical scenery of this place seemingly cut off from the rest of the world, it can become distracting too.
The amount of coincidence in the final third doesn’t bother me as much as it has some; perhaps coming from a small town means I know this is more likely than it seems, but the police become almost comically evil in their corruption after some time.
And while anyone who has watched David Simon’s Wire or Treme will know these sort of shady deeds do happen, but there’s little to no context for why it’s happening here other than an off the cuff comment about how “we’re not going to get paid elsewhere so we have to take matters into our own hands”.
A character, I forget who, late on mentions the mythical quality of Gosling’s Luke, and this is probably the best way to enjoy the film.
Much like Slumdog Millionaire (though no where near as uplifting) this is a story best understood as mythos than as strictly reality – though everything we see COULD happen.
It is not perfect then, there are some glaring moments of poor filmmaking, but there are also plenty of genuinely touching and exhilarating ones; such as the reoccurring photo of Luke, Romina (Eva Mendes) and their infant child; and the chase scenes are all pretty thrilling with a genuine threat for safety always seemingly on the cards.
It is effectively about generations of history repeating itself, with a hope that this might, but probably won’t, change at it’s denouement and it is an intriguing if slightly muddled watch.
Words: Adam Turner-Heffer
