Meewella | Critic

According to P

Tag: Michelle Williams

QuickView: Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Machester by the Sea quad poster

“Uncle Lee, are you fundamentally unsound?”

Patrick

A moving character study in unresolved grief, Manchester by the Sea is not easy to watch but is a powerful example of a particular emotional catharsis unique to cinema. Kenneth Lonergan has only directed three films in 20 years, though I immediately loved his 2000 debut, the understated sibling drama You Can Count on Me. As that film demonstrated, his skill as a writer and as a director is drawing the audience into a space where we can understand and empathise with people making bad decisions and hurting others whilst trying their best. This occurs through both actions and dialogue, Lonergan’s writing reflecting people’s insular thought process, only realising the impact of their choice of words after they collide with other people. The stellar cast are uniformly excellent, though the script’s focus on Lee and his nephew does a slight disservice to the female characters. Nevertheless, as raw and emotional human drama, Manchester by the Sea is heartbreaking and beautiful.

9/10

QuickView: Meek’s Cutoff (2010)

Meek's Cutoff poster

“We’re all just playing our parts now. This was written long before we got here.”

Stephen Meek

A Western stripped of American exceptionalism, these are pioneers at the mercy of a barren land, not taming it. Meek’s Cutoff prizes verisimilitude of the experience over narrative, which will frustrate many. Even the characters are mere sketches, elevated by an excellent cast who convey both camaraderie and mistrust. Michelle Williams stands out with a mixture of bold resolve and empathy, aided by a lens that tends toward the female perspective. A litmus test is likely your view on a Native American character who neither conveniently speaks English, nor is subtitled, since the pioneers have no way to understand him. With patience, however, Meek’s Cutoff is both memorable and haunting in its simplicity: the unrelenting sun by day, the enveloping blackness of night. The cinematography is also of note, this being a rare modern film shot in the Academy aspect ratio of 1:1.33, with the additional height being used to present vast skies overhead and the landscape dwarfing the wagon train. It is a tiny slice of The Oregon Trail, with less dysentery.

8/10

"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."

(CC) BY-NC 2003-2023 Priyan Meewella

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