About Elly
This Iranian film, directed by Asghar Farhadi, is set in a, slightly dilapidated, holiday house on the Caspian Sea. Three couples, all old friends, holiday together. Elly, a primary school teacher, is brought along by Sepideh in her vain attempt to set the teacher up with Ahmed, newly returned from Germany.
The film centres around relationships and, particularly, how lies can grow and grow. How honesty and truthfulness is difficult but necessary. The film is like a traditional farce reconfigured as a thriller.
If there is one element that seems to connect all of the films on the list it is the various Director’s use of space, interior and exterior space. Whereas Pride seems to strive for a visual conceit and juxtaposition but is hindered by the needs of plot and genre, About Elly achieves this use of the essence of cinema.
The interior of the ramshackle home is contrasted with the wide expanse of the sea. The camera, colour and editing of each space creates conflicting moods and an energy that often undermines the emotions the characters are experiencing.
Theatrical in terms of its careful character building, and dismantling, the film might be seen as a metaphor for Iranian society but that would be to reduce the film down to the exotic. The film is far more universal than that. We recognise some of the cultural elements, not only in terms of capitalist paraphernalia but more so in terms of the interactions between family and friends. Human interaction is the same all over the world.
Brooklyn
One of the most popular films on the list, John Crowley’s film tells the story of Eilis who emigrates to America in the 1950s. When she returns to Ireland for her sister’s funeral she is faced with a simple decision; stay in Ireland with her new male friend Jimmy (and take care of her mother) or return to Brooklyn and her Italian-American husband Tony.
Once again we are presented with a film about interiors and exteriors except this time there are more parallels to consider as we visit interiors in Ireland that are all harsh textures, unrefined and exposed wood, sharp angles, sparse sets, whereas interiors in Brooklyn seem to be filled with lush, soft, inviting furnishings of deep reds and warm browns. Brooklyn seems to be teeming with people, with life.
This is replicated with exteriors, particularly the shots of beaches. Whereas we can barely see the sand on the beach in America with all the sunbathers, the beach in Ireland stretches off into the distant, empty and inviting. But cold.
Of equal importance is the use of colours, from greens to bright yellows, the colours are reminiscent of Technicolor movies from the period. But only on Eilis.
Beneath the Irish-Disney-Princess narrative is a subtle critique of how society can restrict, of how we must move away from home, from family, to become independent.
The film is at its best during quiet moments, during those scenes where Eilis is observing the world flow and drift around her. Eilis seems to be the audience looking on at a moment in time, at a society yet to face up to the constraints it imposes.
Winter’s Bone
One of the new films on the list, and one that, with the presence of Jennifer Lawrence, will probably prove to be popular, is this Debra Granik directed indie thriller, a careful step to the left of full-on Southern Gothic.
Lawrence plays Ree, a young woman that must track down her father before she, along with her two brothers and her sick mother, is evicted from her home.
A classic detective narrative, with strong hints of noir, the film is covered in a mist of browns, dusky reds and stagnant greens. Everything seems to be covered in an old flannel shirt, one that’s been handed down from family member to family member.
Loyalty to the clan is important and so is revenge. But the need to look after your own, your close family, is paramount. The law is there but only as an almost abstract concept.
The camera often sweeps, often shakes, often pauses, each choice dependant on the emotions of Ree and where she is in her determined and spirited search. We are subtly reminded of how young she is, that she should still be in school, but this knowledge is only of passing importance to the wider community. If you’re old enough to kick the hornets nest you’re old enough to suffer the consequences.
A great cast, beautiful cinematography, astute directing and a script that keeps the darkness, and heart, of Daniell Woodrell’s novel, all add up to a film that will prove to be a significant addition to the list of texts.
16 CinÉireann / May 2018