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Tag Archives: Joely Richardson

Sister, My Sister

25 Monday May 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

1990's, Crime, Historical Drama, Jodhi May, Joely Richardson, Julie Walters, Nancy Meckler, Psychological Drama, Sister My Sister, Sophie Thursfield

Inspired by the true life case of two maid sisters in 1930’s France who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter, Sister, My Sister makes for rather disturbing but intriguing viewing like a cross between a period study on class and a darkly historical crime drama. Headed by a fine quartet of performances, be prepared for both shock and horror as the story takes you to some uncomfortable places. 

It’s 1932 in Le Mans, France and Léa Papin( Jodhi May) comes from a convent to work as a maid for stern and stuffy Madame Danzard( Julie Walters) and her slovenly daughter Isabelle(Sophie Thursfield). She has gotten the job on the recommendation of her older sister Christine( Joely Richardson), who has worked in the household for a while. The sisters haven’t seen each other in years and are glad to finally be together with the estranged other. Neither group of women speaks to the other, much in the way that a bourgeoisie household works where people know their place and don’t deviate from tradition. Christine and Léa share a room upstairs and a bed, their workload is such that their main day off is a Sunday until 4 o’clock. Out of the sisters, Christine is the dominant sibling with underlying fury, while Léa is ever so eager to please and green in a lot of matters.Though the sisters are close, we see after they visit their mother that we never see, but know favours over Christine and takes a cut of their wages, that their past is very troubled. Her mother’s actions infuriate the temperamental and controlling Christine, who feels the sting of her mother’s abandonment years before to a convent and her deep devotion to her sister. Despite a jealousy towards her younger sister, the cloistered environment in their room and isolation from outside gives way to feelings of love far beyond just sisterly affection. Madame Danzard is rather oblivious to the attraction going on under her nose and is more interested with how well they are as obedient maids for her and her daughter. Her daughter Isabelle is a lady of not much in the way of prospects due to her sullen demeanour and lack of effort in appearance, though Madame insists and brow eats her over searching for a husband to secure her future. With the unhealthy attachment burgeoning between the sisters upstairs, the maid duties carried out by them begins to slip and Madame Danzard, with her beady eyes and vicious tongue, makes it known that she isn’t happy with them. Madame’s initial delight at getting two maids for nearly the price of one melts away to reveal a picky, vindictive woman who goes out of her way to humiliate her servants. Tensions start to boil over as the relationship between the sisters intensifies and Madame becomes more petty and cruel. Finally after nearly a year of suspicion and mounting tensions, everything comes to a head with a savagely, violent act that shatters the house.

Skilled director Nancy Meckler crafts a very claustrophobic and insular atmosphere of repressed emotions and a feeling on inequality amidst the four women, busting taboos too on the topic of incest between sisters. Meckler clearly knows what she is doing because she hooks you from the opening frame with the prospect of mystery, horror and drama with psychological overtones permeating the relationships explored. Sister, My Sister is in effect a chamber piece as it really only features four characters and all are female. A male photographer is heard speaking yet never seen by the audience, making us pay special attention to the ladies at the heart of this twisted yet grimly fascinating film. Screenwriter Wendy Kesselman knows the power of shared silences and how they translate into the struggle of class within the doomed house. They also highlight how not communicating due to the roles that society has doled out to these women can give rise to resentment and much misunderstanding, in this case of a deadly and vicious kind. I don’t believe the film condones the actions of the Papin sisters, rather Sister, My Sister speculates on what may have lead them to this act and does so with intrigue. A little more detail on certain points in the story might have been beneficial, but the impact of this haunting film more than makes up for quibbles. The cloistered environment transports to the viewer as the film rarely leaves the confines of Madame’s home; further sealing the sisters away from reality and letting them retreat into the taboo world of incest. The bedroom scenes between Christine and Léa are unusual and bathed in a bright, almost angelic light, suggesting that their closeness is a result of repression from being in a convent and that they have found an uncomfortably codependent relationship that goes beyond what is right and wrong. Yet they can’t quite see that and have become that isolated that they are above it, making the bright light of the scenes both ironic(given the murders they commit) and starkly noticeable in a film that’s largely quite dark in terms of visual style. Many scenes don’t have music, the main sound being either a clock ticking away or a tap dripping, allowing when music does appear to have atmospheric impact following pronounced silences and uncomfortable pauses.

What really anchors this already interesting and darkly enticing film is the quartet of lead performances. Joely Richardson dominates as the dutiful yet stifled and resentful Christine. Richardson’s faces burns with alarming and disquieting hate that at first is subtle, then blows up in powerful and shocking ways. It’s a credit to Richardson that we are enthralled by this woman who is coiled and just about to snap emotionally owing to not being able to control love, not knowing when to stop and childhood scars that haven’t gone. Jodhi May matches her as the initially timid Léa, who’ll do anything to please but is so easily lead that she can’t help but feel a bit of rebellious streak in the presence of her sister. May has this feeling of innocence to her, with her youthful face and sympathetic eyes, that could just as quickly turn to despair and dangerous once pushed. Both actresses work spectacularly together, possessing a quivering desire, unspoken bond, shared paranoia and feelings that may come spilling out in unexpected ways if they aren’t careful. Julie Walters, who for me never disappoints, shows off her versatility in convincing portraying a petty, vicious and mean-spirited lady who likes everything just so and is clearly a product of her snooty upbringing. Walters covers the part with prim manners and even a bit of humour, but she gets to the heart of this woman who believes she’s above everyone and won’t tolerate insubordination of any kind. Sophie Thursfield is given probably the most underdeveloped role, yet injects what she can into it. She’s mainly required to be the punching bag for her cruel mother but also strangely close to such a horrible woman. The relationship between Christine and Léa may be disturbing , but the one between Madame Danzard and Isabelle is just as alarming in how unhealthy the heaps of abuse Madame throws on her daughter are, who is then bemused, followed by being a figure of loyalty like a servile dog. 

A haunting movie of repression, jealousy and class struggles, Sister, My Sister will no doubt leave you reeling and disturbed by its content that is grimly rendered but very intriguing to watch. 

Event Horizon

13 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 99 Comments

Tags

1990's, Event Horizon, Horror, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, Laurence Fishburne, Paul W. S. Anderson, Richard T. Jones, Sam Neill, Science Fiction, Sean Pertwee

Film Title

Event Horizon

Director

Paul W. S. Anderson

Starring

  • Laurence Fishburne as Captain Miller
  • Sam Neill as Dr. William Weir
  • Joely Richardson as Lieutenant Starck
  • Kathleen Quinlan as Med Tech. Peters
  • Jason Isaacs as D.J.
  • Sean Pertwee as Pilot Smith
  • Richard T. Jones as Cooper
  • Jack Noseworthy as Justin

Although negatively received upon release, Event Horizon has seemingly grown into something of a cult film. Clearly influenced by Alien and Hellraiser, it may not be in the same league as them but it sure as hell will leave an impression due to bizarre visuals and sense of dread that it gives us.

The year is 2047 and a rescue ship is sent to look for the Event Horizon, another ship that disappeared seven years before but has recently appeared out of nowhere. Event Horizon PosterThe rescue ship is headed by the calm Captain Miller and also comprises of Lieutenant Starck, Med Tech. Peters, trauma doctor D.J, Pilot Smith, technician Cooper and engineer Justin. The crew is joined by Dr. Weir, who designed the Event Horizon and explains the properties of the missing vessel. The ship contains a strange gravitational property that enables it to create a black hole, thus making travel quicker to the desired destination. Along with the rest of the assembled crew, Weir’s job is to figure out where the ship has been for seven years. They eventually set foot on the ship yet discover that things that transpired where very grisly indeed. The former crew appears to have mutilated one another to death after being driven insane by an insidious force. Soon enough, Weir and the crew begin to experience strange events on the ship. Their deepest fears and regrets manifest as vivid hallucinations, the sphere at the core of the ship sends a pulse that rips apart almost everything and one by one, the crew are systematically driven to the brink of madness by the haunting force that the Event Horizon brought back from its unspecified journey. Who will make it out of the grisly chaos and malevolent grip of the eponymous ship?

Derivative and clichéd as it may be, Event Horizon is not as bad as some people make it out to be. Sure it’s far from perfect, but it gets the job done in a stylistic and violent manner that is hard to shake once you’ve seen it. Paul W. S. Anderson is very much a stylistic and visual director and his skills in this area are in clear abundance in Event Horizon. Production design is of a high quality, with whirling spheres of sharp serrated metal and spikes forming a visual highlight as well as the pulse of the ship that brings a dark force with it. Event Horizon Dr WeirBizarre images abound that give the film a trippy and very disturbing quality. This is very apparent in the hallucination scenes that prey on the fears of the crew and bring with them chaos and destruction. If you have a strong stomach, I’m sure you can survive the grisly splatter content. But be warned if you don’t, as Event Horizon is the kind of film that will no doubt bring plenty of nightmares. While the pace may be lacking at times and too fast in other areas, Event Horizon definitely brings a nightmarish quality to the proceedings that is both highly disturbing and strikingly done. A dissonant score of electronics will know doubt cast an eerie aural spell on viewers.

The script may be the least impressive part of Event Horizon, but the talented cast manage to inject interest into their rather thinly written characters.Event Horizon Cast Laurence Fishburne excellently plays Captain Miller as a figure of calm and strength that is tested against the evil forces of the ship. Sam Neill is great as the off kilter doctor who is the worst affected by the ship as it shows him visions of his dead wife with her eyes gouged out. This in turn sends Weir slipping into a gradually building psychosis that poses as much danger as the ship itself. Joely Richardson gives a certain assurance to her Lieutenant character, while Kathleen Quinlan displays wrenching vulnerability as the med tech. Jason Isaacs infuses D.J with a grave outlook on life and knowledge. The ever-reliable Sean Pertwee is wise ass and cynical as the pilot who just wants off this mission, his remarks are offset by the comic timing of Richard T. Jones portraying the technician. In the smallest role, Jack Noseworthy plays the youngest member of the team who is the first to encounter the sadistic intent of the ship.

A grisly and chilling sci-fi/ horror flick, Event Horizon is far from the greats but certainly memorable.

 

 

 

Drowning by Numbers

11 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

1980's, Bernard Hill, Dark Comedy, Drama, Drowning by Numbers, Jason Edwards, Joan Plowright, Joely Richardson, Juliet Stevenson, Peter Greenaway

Film Title

Drowning by Numbers

Director

Peter Greenaway

Starring

  • Bernard Hill as Madgett
  • Joan Plowright as Cissie Colpitts I
  • Juliet Stevenson as Cissie Colpitts II
  • Joely Richardson as Cissie Colpitts III
  • Jason Edwards as Smut

Written and directed by Peter Greenaway, Drowning by Numbers is a baroque examination of sorority, murder and all things numerical laced with dark humour and morbid events. It won’t be for everyone’s taste, but as a black comedy drama with strange imagery and surreal repeating games, it is a sardonic and at times disturbing watch.

drowning by numbersIn a quiet and seemingly quaint Suffolk town by the seaside, strange events are occurring beneath the supposedly docile appearance. The film focuses on three generations of women who all share the name Cissie Colpitts. As the film progresses, each of the women successfully drown their philandering and useless spouses; the eldest Cissie drowns her husband in the bath, the second Cissie disposes of her spouse in the sea and the seductive youngest drowns her husband in the swimming pool. Their murderous tasks are covered up by the local coroner Madgett, who loves to play morbid games. Although he is promised a reward for his rulings on the suspicious deaths, the three women hold back and lead him on. Madgett’s teenage son Smut, is also obsessed with death and numerical games and his imagination is heightened after the sudden increase in drownings. Yet, soon the townsfolk grow suspicious of the supposed accidental deaths and believe that Madgett knows more than he is letting on. Strange, unsettling and embedded with a knife-edge humour, Drowning by Numbers emerges as an artistic rumination on morbidity, womanhood and sexuality.

As I mentioned earlier, Drowning by Numbers will not be for everyone but there are certain things that can’t help but be praised. The strikingly saturated hues of blue and red that cover Suffolk are exemplary and capture the various themes of aquatic death and underlying passion. A lot of the imagery is really hard to get out of your head. Greenaway clearly has fun placing numbers in the scenes in various ways, such as written, on clothing or sometimes something subliminal and repeating numerous phrases relating to them.  References to historical figure’s last words, morbid games played like ancient rites and a young girl reciting the names of stars in the night sky while skipping all add to the dark tone of the film and the skittish other side that often intertwine with one another to unnerving effect.

As the film continues, the audience is sucked into the twisted game and believe me it’s a strange but interesting experience that makes you sit up and take note. Greenaway depicts an iconoclastic England rarely depicted on cinema screens, cutting through the alleged respectability and manners with a mendacious glee to show a dark undercurrent akin to a really dark fairy tale at various points. Lurid images and the importance of sisterhood play a large part of the story, embodied excellently by the murdering trio at the heart of it. Michael Nyman’s unusual score perfectly compliments the dark humour that pervades Drowning by Numbers.

The cast inhabit their strange roles with charm and wit. Bernard Hill is suitably strange and slightly lecherous as the coroner cajoled into covering up the aquatic deaths but never getting his reward with any of the women. Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson and Joely Richardson make for a delightfully scheming and lethal sisterhood, filling the three Cissie’s with vivacity but also showing the hidden secrecy, unspoken camaraderie and manipulation that lies beneath their pretty exterior. Jason Edwards makes quite an impression as the unusual Smut, who collects bugs and is obsessed with anything related to death. Through his narration, we see the escalating morbid quality that his games begin to take on.

It may not be for everyone, but if you want an intelligent, strangely and darkly comic look at murder boasting unusual imagery, Drowning by Numbers may be what you are looking for.

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