Young & Beautiful (2013)

Young & Talented: Marine Vacth shines
in the French film "Young & Beautiful."

Written and directed by the French filmmaker Francios Ozon, "Young & Beautiful" is an intelligent, sensitive and often mesmerizing coming of age tale about a young woman discovering the powers and limits of her maturing sexuality. The movie was nominated for a Golden Palm, the top prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Near the end of a vacation, Isabelle (Marine Vacth), the lithesome 17-year-old brunette protagonist, has sex for the first time with a boy during an idyllic night on the beach in South France. Looking away during the encounter, she sees a vision of herself twinkling in the moonlight that gently fades away as the experience ends.

If the image is meant to suggest that a part of Isabelle is disappearing, another side quickly steps in to take its place. By the time she has cultivated a secret online alter ego as a curvy call girl named Lea—packing a sexy change of clothes and sneaking out to secluded trysting places, usually posh hotels—it’s clear she’s exchanged innocence and naiveté for more adventurous and decidedly grown-up pursuits.

Even though “Young & Beautiful” has some explicitly intimate moments, Ozon is more cerebral and doesn’t cheapen scenes with tawdry, lewd gimmicks. The movie recalls some of Bernardo Bertolucci's work—"The Dreamers" (2003), about sexual experimentation among college students, comes to mind—in the way characters use sex less as a means to express passion or lust, and more as a device to represent freedom and individuality.

Eventually, Isabelle’s mother (Geraldine Pailhas) discovers the truth and reacts to her daughter’s clandestine double life with a believable mix of fury, confusion and heartbreak. She has been a good mother. Why would Isabelle, who has always seemed happy, suddenly develop such a wild streak? “You scare me,” she says to Isabelle at one point.

But growing up itself is scary, and while Isabelle’s mastery of sex has been liberating, its underlying meaninglessness has been equally disillusioning. There’s a palpable sadness toward the end when Isabelle reveals a deeper regard for Georges (Johan Leysen), an older client, that was unlike her other empty, detached encounters. Crying softly, it’s the closest she has gotten to love and still far away.

Marine Vacth, the young French model turned ingénue, anchors the movie with a brilliant, mysterious and exquisite performance. Without ever saying much, she conveys the teen's emotions largely through nuanced facial expressions—her deep blue eyes registering subtle hints of melancholy at some points, playful mischief at others, and genuine curiosity throughout. It's a smart, seductive, star-making turn.

The Invisible War (2012)

Kori Cioca is one of the victims in "The Invisible War,"
a documentary about rape in the U.S. military.

One of many disturbing statistics in director Kirby Dick’s “The Invisible War”—a stark, revealing and infuriating documentary tracing the chilling culture of rape and sexual abuse in the United States military—informs that twenty-percent of female veterans were victims of sexual assault while serving. Because these institutions are set up to police themselves, many victims never come forward to report crimes and the few that do face professional retaliation, shame, interrogation and threats.

The lack of accountability has spawned a dark faction across all branches of military that experts call a prime, target-rich environment for predatory criminals. One study of the Navy found that fifteen-percent of incoming recruits attempted or committed rape before enlisting. The armed forces have done little to stem the tide of horrific behavior pervading its ranks—out of three thousand perpetrators, only 175 faced any jail time.

The movie chronicles several heartbreaking stories of abuse through interviews, a constant theme being the brutal, violent nature of attacks and the lasting physical and emotional scars they leave. Trina McDonald picked the Navy over a basketball scholarship but ended up drugged and repeatedly raped during her service at a secluded base in Alaska; Elle Helmer, a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, was ordered to consume alcohol and then brutally raped by her company commander; Hannah Sewell was locked in a hotel and raped by a fellow Naval recruit; Ariana Klay, a Marine Lieutenant, was told by a senior officer that female marines are used for sex, and when she was raped, to ignore it.

A key subject emerges in Kori Cioca, a petite blonde who served in the Coast Guard and was savagely raped and beaten by her supervisor. The attack on Cioca was so severe it led to a broken jaw that left her unable to eat anything but soft foods. She now lives in Ohio with her husband and a young daughter, still fighting for proper medical coverage for her injuries and regularly dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and nightmares. Her assailant, like so many, never faced charges.

“The Invisible War” is based on a 2011 lawsuit on behalf of Cioca and several others against two former U.S. defense secretaries, alleging essentially that the military system, which deals with misconduct in-house and without any independent investigators, deprives rape survivors the constitutional right of due process. The result of the case is shocking, infuriating and sad.

Servicewomen are told to report crimes to their superior, but thirty-three percent didn't because the person to report was a friend of the rapist; twenty-five percent didn't report because the person to report to was the rapist. The film talks about a 1991 Navy sex scandal involving gang rapes in a hotel that made headlines and the “great wall of silence” that followed to protect the guilty. Today, the military continues to defy and deflect questions even when under Congressional scrutiny.

At a time when the American military is generally lauded and lionized, routinely labeled heroic, and emboldened to a degree that legitimate questions and criticism bring ridiculous charges of anti-patriotism, what "The Invisible War" and its brave subjects accomplish by uncovering these ugly, dangerous truths is more of a symbol of genuine heroism than anything with a gun or rank. The people in the armed forces could learn a lot from it if they weren’t so busy trying to cover it up.

Save the Date (2012)

Lizzy Caplan stars in "Save the Date."

Two sisters deal with relationships and each other in "Save the Date," a well-acted, surprisingly effective romantic comedy co-written and directed by Michael Mohan. The breezy little indie was a Grand Jury Prize nominee at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Lizzy Caplan plays Sarah and Alison Brie is Beth, two twenty-something siblings living in Los Angeles and involved with musicians from the same band. But while Beth is engaged to the sensitive, soulful Andrew (Martin Starr), Sarah's involvement with Kevin (Geoffery Arend), the shaggy-haired lead singer, is more complicated due to Sarah's colossal commitment issues.

An aspiring artist who runs a bookstore, Sarah enjoys the freedom of being single and isn't quite ready to settle down. Consequently, she literally runs for the exits when Andrew unexpectedly pops the question during one of the band's loud, alcohol-soaked gigs. Lucky for her, she finds a replacement suitor in the quiet and fawning Jonathan (Mark Webber), a shy divorcee who, having had enough heartache, is now conveniently set against marriage.

Friction develops between the sisters when Sarah’s zigzagging lifestyle clashes with Beth’s more straight and narrow path. Andrew grows uneasy with the familial discord and tension develops between him and Beth, possibly exposing fissures in their own relationship. Meanwhile, at Beth’s bridal shower, Sarah is jarred by the news that their parents are planning to be separated.

Other serious complications emerge—such as when Sarah discovers she’s pregnant—but Mohan’s light touch, faith in the audience and belief in the characters combine to keep the material from sliding off into overwrought melodrama. And even though some of the actors have television backgrounds (Brie is part of NBC’s “Community”), the filmmakers resist the temptation to pile on silly sitcom clichés. The result is some very genuine, believable performances, especially from the wide-eyed and beautiful Caplan.

Without all the fireworks of mainstream cinema, “Save the Date” is an honest, relevant glimpse at the fear of commitment in contemporary relationships.

Before Midnight (2013)

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in "Before Midnight."

They fell in love in “Before Sunrise” in 1995, reunited nine years later in “Before Sunset” and then got married. But when we catch up with Jessie (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) nine years later in “Before Midnight,” things have gotten, as the title suggests, considerably darker. The couple we’ve essentially watch grow up on screen—evolving carefully from strangers flirting with romance in Venice, to friends reigniting lost passions in Paris, to married parents vacationing in Greece—are now teetering on the brink of divorce.

Problems start fast. Jessie has just dropped off Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), the teenage son from his first marriage, at the airport after spending the summer. While Hank heads back to Chicago to be with his mother, his father stays behind with Celine and their nine-year-old twin daughters. Although he’s achieved success as a novelist and is apparently happy living in Europe, Jessie is despondent that he hasn’t been able to see more of Hank. Meanwhile, Celine is considering a new “dream” job working for the French government and strongly resists the idea of moving.

There are a series of extended sequences with Jessie and Celine—in the car on the way from the airport, at an elegant dinner with friends, sight-seeing while walking, a night in a hotel room—in which they talk with each other charmingly, offering the same kind of loving glances, clever quips and intelligent conversation that we’ve seen before in the first two films. This time, however, a certain tension is involved and playful dialogue is sometimes replaced with caustic barbs. Clashes are inevitable.

And when Jessie and Celine finally do clash, the level of ferocity is devastating to watch. Perhaps it’s a tribute to Richard Linklater, who once again directed and co-wrote the screenplay (with Delpy and Hawke), that the intense, emotionally charged third act of “Before Midnight” feels so elegiac and acutely painful. For the audience who has come to love these characters, it’s almost as though they are not only breaking up with each other, but also breaking up with us.

As mesmerizing as their relationship has been, so too, has been watching the actors grow and mature throughout the series. The underrated Hawke, trading his boyish good looks for more chiseled adult features, looks like a younger, still handsome Robert Redford; and the fiery, brilliant Delpy, agelessly bringing back the curves of the original with her soft features and fair complexion, is positively radiant.

Like in the previous films, the camera is often setup in two-shots, capturing both characters’ reactions as well as other details. Linklater’s long takes are as much about bringing out subtle details in the performances as they are about establishing important visual motifs—like two still-full wine glasses and an empty hotel bed, signs here of a romantic night lost and a relationship on the ropes.

Will we see Jessie and Celine again? It’s hard to say. If not, the ending is left appropriately ambiguous. One thing is certain, Richard Linklater has gone from the independent whiz kid of “Slacker” and “Dazed and Confused” to the polished, highly ambitious architect of “Before Midnight” and the current “Boyhood.” The pride of Austin, Texas is one of the most personal and important American filmmakers working today.

Maidentrip (2014)

One Girl, One Dream: Teenager Laura Dekker recounts
her around the world adventure in "Maidentrip."

Laura Dekker, the diminutive, sandy-blonde adventurer from New Zealand, achieved world acclaim by successfully circumnavigating the globe by herself aboard a 38-foot long sailboat. She became the youngest ever to accomplish the feat, beginning the quest in August of 2010—one month shy of her fifteenth birthday—and finishing more than 500 days later in January of 2012.

Directed by Jillian Schlesinger, “Maidentrip” is the inspiring, fascinating documentary of Laura’s controversial and remarkable journey, with many scenes shot by and featuring the teenager herself, all alone on board Guppy, her ruby-red vessel, talking about the voyage and sharing what she sees and feels. The movie is an extraordinary video diary of the event.

Born in New Zealand but also a Dutch citizen, Laura (who alternates between Flemish and English during the film) grew up around sailing, learning about the sport through her father, also a sailor, whom she remained with after her parents divorced. The patriarch, a hard-working, typical blue collar-type, supported her dream despite objections from those who felt she was too young. The journey begins only after a court decision is reached by the Netherlands allowing the teenager to sail solo.

Laura makes several stops during her trip to do things like restock food and water, make boat repairs, see friends and also do some sight-seeing. But aside from other essential breaks—we learn she paused wisely in the Canary Islands for many weeks to wait out the dangerous Atlantic hurricane season—the young mariner is out alone on the ocean, sometimes for weeks at a time.

We learn a lot about Laura, an amazing sailor but also a regular teen, fun-loving and bubbly. She can be stubborn and sarcastic, fiercely independent and a fiery challenger of authority; but she is also intelligent, fearless and resourceful. Out on the water, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, she is preternaturally cool and calculating. At one point, we see her studying maps and equipment, cautiously taking steps to steer clear of pirate territory while traversing the Indian Ocean.

When most girls her age are experts on little more than texting and gossip-mongering, Laura is an expert on sailing and global navigation. At a time when childhood obesity has reached alarming levels around the world, she is an athletic poster girl for teenage health and fitness. These are not good times to pluck role models out of the sports world, but “Maidentrip” proves Laura Dekker is one heroine worth looking up to.

Dark Water (2005)

Ariel Gade (left) and Jennifer Connelly discover
sinister secrets in "Dark Water."

Disturbing, atmospheric and very effective, “Dark Water” remains one of the best contemporary American remakes from the Japanese horror genre. The movie, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles, is a moody, psychological ghost story that generates scares more by creating a heightened sense of isolation and dread than with images of the pale, angry undead popping into frame.

The film stars Jennifer Connelly as Dahlia, a single mom plagued by headaches and bitter memories of being left alone as a child, now starting life over in New York City with her young daughter, Ceci (Ariel Gade), after a contentious divorce. Needing to save on costs, they move into a cheap apartment in a decaying building on Roosevelt Island.

Strange things begin to happen when Ceci locates a girl’s backpack in one of the elevators. She hands it over to a creepy maintenance man to hold in case someone comes to claim it, but the item eventually turns up in a trashcan. Later, Ceci begins talking to an imaginary friend called Natasha; the name is scrawled on the inside of the backpack and might have belonged to a child who once lived in the now empty apartment above them. Natasha’s whereabouts—or even existence at all—becomes a central mystery of the film where abandonment and broken families are dominant themes.

“Dark Water” is imbued with gloomy visual touches. The New York in the film, cold and rain swept, is often photographed from extreme high angles, making structures appear weirdly unnatural and characters seem smaller and more vulnerable. Roosevelt Island—the narrow, often forgotten slab of land on the murky East River—seems like an island of lost souls.

The dilapidated apartment is full of enough haunting detail—sinister hallways, dark corners, leaky ceilings, and a hulking water tower on the roof—that it becomes a character itself, alive with terrible secrets living beyond the shadows. The eerie imagery lends a feeling of anxiety and disquiet to the events.

Sad-eyed, mournful Jennifer Connelly is plucky and terrific in the lead, combining anguish and fear with determination and strength. "Dark Water" celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and is worthy of weekend midnight screenings at downtown art theaters. It’s vastly underrated and deserves another look.

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Zoe Kazan wrote and stars in "Ruby Sparks"

“One may read this and think it's magic, but falling in love is an act of magic. So is writing.”

-Calvin in “Ruby Sparks”

Sitting here right now searching for the right words to begin this review, I feel sort of like Calvin (Paul Dano), the main character in “Ruby Sparks,” a young novelist who wrote his breakthrough book as a 19-year-old wunderkind, but years later, is struggling to live up to that success. Was the first book an accident? Is he a one-hit wonder? Nagging questions linger each day as he sits at his desk and peers down at the keys on his old-school typewriter, scanning his mind for ideas and inspiration. The hardest part is getting started.

Smart, funny and thoroughly original, "Ruby Sparks" is both a heartfelt, genuinely magical romance and a gorgeous, mysterious and slightly maniacal love letter to the art of writing. It was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the team behind "Little Miss Sunshine," and written by Zoe Kazan, who also stars as the film's eponymous heroine.

Eventually, a blurred figure from Calvin’s imagination takes shape in the form of Ruby, a girl who rises from his dreams to be his next muse. Calvin begins to write about her and the words pour out as if from a geyser, returning light into his gloomy world. That is until he realizes that his creation has come to life as the affectionate, pretty, strawberry-blonde Kazan.

At first, Calvin believes Ruby is some strange hallucination until other people start to see her. Once this happens, he locks away his manuscript and lets his heart take over. Having been spurned in a prior relationship (his last girlfriend broke up with him after five years), he’s not about to let go of this one, even if she came from nothing more than ink on a page.

Calvin and Ruby are happy and everything goes according to script, literally, until the real world takes over. Ruby, spirited and outgoing, feels trapped in Calvin’s anti-social, isolated lifestyle and begins to withdraw. That compels Calvin to reluctantly pull out the manuscript and type little changes to her, paradoxically suiting his needs like some well-meaning, half-deranged puppeteer.

This type of tinkering only leads to disaster and the last act, when Calvin finally reveals the ingredients behind his spell, are tinged with dark comedy and a touch of madness. It's not exactly Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," but the abrupt shift in tone is jarring and dances to the edge of excess.

But this comes long after “Ruby Sparks” establishes a fresh, thoughtful take on modern relationships, exploring how hard it is for couples to be perfect together and how easily things go wrong when they are. Using its cache of clever ideas, the movie is able to examine themes like romance and individuality without being overly snarky or cynical.

The magnificent, multi-talented Zoe Kazan is both a lively, luminous screen presence and a brilliant screenwriter. Certain scenes capture the struggles and joys of the creative process—such as Paul staring into the hollow abyss of a blank sheet of paper when he can't think of anything, and later dashing upstairs to his typewriter like a bolt of lightning when a good idea hits—with the savvy precision of a writer with an innate sense of the craft.

“Ruby Sparks” is a great love story and one of the smartest movies about writing in a long time.