Mini-Reviews: Amour and Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Amour (2012)

Trintignant as Georges.

Directed by Michael Haneke
Produced by Margaret Menegoz
Written by Michael Haneke
Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, and Isabelle Huppert

****

When his wife Anne (Riva) suffers a stroke, Georges (Trintignant) must adapt to her new behavior and the challenges of caring for her in their home.

At long last, Haneke is an Oscar nominee, and it could't be more deserved. Not only is this one of 2012's best films, but it also boasts two outstanding performances by the leading French veterans. There's a lot to be said for subtly on screen, which I'm more drawn towards than flashy performances anyway. In this case, Trintignant and Riva strip away any artifice, giving us these two characters as lived-in, authentic people. They are fully committed to their characters, and it shows in the pain on their faces, in the pain they feel just trying to go on with their daily routine. As hard as it may be, Anne must go on for Georges, and Georges must take care of her in order to keep her with him a little longer. Apart from Haneke's superb direction and fine screenplay, these two actors are the key to making this film work. In addition, the quiet atmosphere of Haneke's films is all the more effective in this devastating masterwork, as we watch this elderly couple try to overcome this challenge together. The film takes it time, but it's worth the wait if you can stick with it. A triumph on all accounts, this is one you should seek out.

Oscar Tally: Nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Chastain as Maya.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Produced by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, and Megan Ellison
Written by Mark Boal
Starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, James Gandolfini, Frank Grillo, Mark Strong, Edgar Ramirez, Stephen Dillane, Joel Edgerton, Harold Perrineau, Mark Duplass, Jennifer Ehle, Chris Pratt, and Kyle Chandler

**** 

Maya (Chastain), a CIA operative, leads the manhunt to track down the wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden, who was killed by Navy SEALs in 2011.

This highly anticipated film is a very direct piece of information, which manages to entertain and educate. Bigelow gives it to us straight, and never loses focus on the task at hand. Every scene advances the plot, and the actors deliver simple, straightforward portrayals of real people. On a first glance, Chastain might not have much to do, but it's her character's dedication to her job that drives Maya to succeed. This she (Chastain) achieves whenever she's on screen. It might be a minimal performance, but that doesn't mean she should be punished for portraying Maya that way. Though we never really get much insight into her, the film isn't strictly about her. The bin Laden manhunt is front and center, and Chastain and company give great performances in guiding us through these series of events. Also, the film, thankfully, knows when to end. It gets in and gets out, without compromising the story or its importance. I've no idea if it's too soon for this film to be made, but I have a feeling time will look kindly on this great cinematic achievement.

Oscar Tally: Nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing

ZERO DARK THIRTY

ZERO DARK THIRTY
Written by Mark Boal
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler

Dan: This is what defeat looks like. Your jihad is over.

Remember how it took a moment to process the reality of the announcement that Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda terrorist organization, had been killed by the Americans? I do. It was late at night and it didn’t seem real. The Americans had made it their personal mission to hunt down and kill the man behind the horrifying September 11th terrorist attacks, but that was nearly ten years prior. It seemed to me, to most perhaps, that their efforts would ultimately prove fruitless, to the point where I had almost forgotten they were still looking for him. Find bin Laden they did though and now, thanks to Academy Award winning director, Kathryn Bigelow (THE HURT LOCKER), you can see exactly how it happened and precisely why it took so darn long.

ZERO DARK THIRTY, a reference to the approximate hour bin Laden was killed, is an intense account of the ten years it took to fulfill the promise President George W. Bush made to his people after they were attacked. Bigelow does not shy away from the dirtier details of the mission, exposing us to a great deal of torture from the very onset. The manner in which America dealt with its enemies changed a great deal after 9/11, and again since then, when it was exposed to the world how horrible they were being to their detainees. Bigelow hardly glorifies their methods but she also is sure to show that if it weren’t for some of these tactics, they might not have been able to prevent some potentially disastrous terrorist plots. To watch the ever changing face of how the Central Intelligence Agency worked to protect the American people, only further highlights just how long it took to execute its vendetta. To watch that mission presented as an obsession sheds some much needed light on how it may have also distracted from thwarting some other successful terrorist attacks.

Bigelow reteams with THE HURT LOCKER screenwriter, Mark Boal, for ZERO DARK THIRTY, and while the twosome certainly work well together and know how to craft tense, taut thrillers, their latest collaboration lacks some of the deeper insight their previous success had. Watching THE HURT LOCKER, I felt a grander sense of purpose in the unfolding action, while ZERO DARK THIRTY felt more like a straight forward manhunt thriller than anything else. Sure, it is led by the luminous, Jessica Chastain, in yet another remarkable performance, but even her profound subtlety doesn’t bring us anywhere underneath the surface of this hunt. That being said, the surface itself, which clocks in at a near two and a half hour runtime, is stellar, fully engaging from start to finish. Perhaps if I was American though, accomplishing the mission would have felt more personally satisfying.