Film Reviews: December 2003 Archives

This amusing film was quite surprising to watch due to its twist towards the culmination of the story. Directed by Neil LaBute (of whom I shall have to find out more) we investigate modern relationship through the interaction of two couples, with a traditional love triangle!

Paul Rudd plays Adam a geeky student at a college somewhere in America, at the beginning of the film we witness him meeting Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) – an art student – with whom he soon begins a relationship. The relationship concisely concentrates on the development of this relationship and the effect it has on his friends Jenny (Gretchen Mol), who Adam used to be interested in, and the laddish ex-roommate Phil (Fred Weller) who snatched Jenny well before Adam plucked up the courage to do anything. As the film unravels we witness the seriousness of Adam and Evelyn’s affair and the progression of Adam into a less geeky phase.

There were some truly hilarious moments in this film, and as is so prevalent in modern cinema the outward humour masks the underlying point, or thrust, of the film. Well worth watching if you are a fan of such films as “When Harry Met Sally” or any Woody Allen film, this contemporary analysis of love and life raises many questions about morality and choice in today’s indulgent society. The film is well shot if not beautiful and is relatively short by modern standards being only 97 minutes long.

****1/2 (out of 5)

I doubt I have seen an Icelandic film before, so to see the debut feature from a director from this country seemed fitting. Set in a small town in Iceland cut off from the rest of the world during winter the film is like a frozen rites-of-passage movie, frozen in more ways than one.

We are introduced to Noi, played by Tomas Lemarquis, a distant teenager who is clearly bored with his existence in this dead-end of the world. He routinely abstains from school and spends his time either drinking a beer (funded by an insecure one-armed bandit), smoking under the family home, or shooting icicles with a double-barrelled shotgun. Into this world arrives Iris, the daughter of one of the residents. After Noi bumps into her, he strikes up a friendship with her and this causes his desire to leave the boredom of Iceland to reach new heights!

The film was pretty short at 93 minutes, and considering what little basic plot there was a great deal of entertainment was present. Director Dagur Kari seems to work a surprising amount of intrigue into the bleak but beautiful landscape, as well as humour there is also sadness and the question of whether Noi the Albino is fundamentally trapped in a world that matches his pigment. We are also left pondering whether Noi is a very gifted individual who, confined by his environment, is reduced to playing the fool.

The acting in the film seemed very enjoyable, however it is the pondering Lemarquis who holds the film together for the duration. This is a tragically subtle film with what I considered to be an excellent visual ending which gave room for some consideration of the deeper meaning of the plot.

**** (out of 5)