Showing Up, Enys Men, Air, Rye Lane
Capsule reviews for new releases that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. If you have to skip one of the bunch, I'd say AIR is exactly what you'd expect but everything else here: big thumbs up!
Showing Up (dir. Kelly Reichardt)
Few filmmakers are as consistent as Kelly Reichardt. Going back to when I first saw Wendy & Lucy, based on that film alone, I had already proclaimed her as one of my favorites. The follow-up to that movie, Meek’s Cutoff, was number one on my list that year. So you can imagine my anticipation and excitement walking into a screening of her latest Showing Up in which she was also there to do a Q&A right after. And as expected, she was delightful and insightful about this exceptional work of art.
Suffice to say, I was overjoyed with her latest work. It doesn’t hurt to cast my favorite actress working today doing a complete 180 from her Oscar-nominated turn in The Fabelmans. Michelle Williams plays a downtrodden meek person named Lizzy, her slope-shouldered shuffling walk evoking resentment and introversion to a crippling degree. She also needs hot water and her landlord is more engrossed in her own art. Hong Chau (as fellow artist, Jo) emanates energy and confidence, throwing parties for herself, building a tire swing, and working on her gigantic colored-yarn creations. She’s the extrovert to Lizzy’s introvert and of course they clash.
Michelle Segre created Jo’s installations, and Lizzy’s small sculptures of women in various stages of wild movement, either joyful or anguished, were created by Cynthia Lahti and the title “showing up” could mean in support of everyone’s work without competition or frustration, which Lizzy seems to exhibit. The Portland “art scene” is totally believable: the storefront galleries, the unassuming art institute, the cheap wine, the overabundance of cheese squares, the artists on top of one another, totally aware of each other’s work, in each others’ business, maybe ambivalent, but maybe not.
There’s something a little too pat about a pigeon that shows up, wearing symbolism on its broken wings and leading to a moment late in the film that is a mix of sweet and eye-rolling. But there is also a wonderful ginger cat on the premises to liven things up even though as a lover of cats, it’s hard to watch Lizzy get frustrated at her furry companion from time to time. It’s actually a brave performance in some ways because there is little sympathy towards someone that is downright selfish about her needs throughout. Reichardt portrays Lizzy as a flawed person that can’t seem to get things right in her life. She almost embodies the frustration that so many experience when we feel like no one is showing up to support what we do.
Showing Up is actually one of the more funnier, sunnier films she’s made with a concluding final shot of hope and acceptance and moving forward. In a way, it’s surprising but truly needed at a time when we all feel lost and angry at how things are in the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to just retreat into our garage and make things as an extension of who we are, rather than needing to worry about money and hot water? This feels like a throwback to pre-pandemic times - with one of the best director/actor pairings to ever exist. There’s always heart and humanity to be found but this time, there are plenty of nods and recognition as well as laughter to make this one of the year’s best films so far.
Enys Men (dir. Mark Jenkin)
Much like another recent favorite horror film of mine, Skinamarink, this is a hard movie to write about to say the least. In the Spring of 1973 an unnamed volunteer botanist (Mary Woodvine) spends her days wordlessly monitoring the changes – or lack thereof – in a strange white flower that grows on this remote rock off the coast of Cornwall ("enys men" being Cornish for "stone island").
Acting as writer, director, cinematographer, film editor, sound editor, and composer, filmmaker Mark Jenkin juggles many hats with highly detailed aplomb. Every aspect of his many jobs is deserving of praise and attention, particularly the way this film looks. The 16mm film stock brings to mind something along the lines of Don’t Look Now (or even the recent Fire of Love), complete with all of its close-ups of the faces of scientific minded people, post produced sync sound, occasional moments of discoloration and edits that have been clearly made on the fly with tape instead of a more permanent adhesive. The sound design alone is stunning.
In terms of what this is ultimately about, I first thought of this as an extension of something like Let’s Scare Jessica To Death without a surrounding mob of gaslighters. It also subconsciously makes the viewer question who might be filming something so unnervingly intimate in nature, and perhaps more appropriately, if they should even be seeing this. The film could also be about environmental decay and how it is slowly dying and in turn, it’s having an effect on our protagonist’s psyche. The beautiful things and ways of life that will be swallowed up by the sea and the ground; it’s a frightening prognosis we are facing from the climate crisis. Part of me also thinks it could be about monotony and isolation (the words “no change” comes up a lot) that derives from an experience where there is little to no company - or of course a hidden trauma that is up for us to piece together and uncover.
Whatever it’s about is yet to be fully exhumed. It’s in my head - like a dream I woke up from that has affected the rest of my waking hours. The imagery is transfixing and meditative, with an emphasis on dread and uncertainty. We’re not sure what’s really happening in a way that is similar to Skinamarink and the less successful The Outwaters. But this is a truly original film in every sense that makes me sit up and take notice. I keep thinking I’m done watching new movies sometimes and then something like this comes along and reminds me of the endless possibilities contained in the art form. Did I mention how stunning it is to simply just look at this film? I was certainly creeped out and intoxicated but like many films I end up loving, it’s going to take another look for me to fully grasp what it all means and that’s a good thing. It won’t leave my mind for quite some time.
Air (dir. Ben Affleck)
Now for something entirely different from the last movie reviewed. The title, the cast, the plot. It’s exactly what you’d expect and in this case, that’s maybe what my brain needed. This is about as simple as a movie can get - pure popcorn escapist entertainment that is crowd-pleasing, charming and devoid of deep thought. At the same time, it’s also a bit long and contains far more annoying needle drops than any movie of recent memory. Not to mention, well, Nike is just another long line in evil corporations that perpetuate capitalism to a nauseating degree no matter how much they donate to charity. With all that aside, Air is just breezy fun with a cast that makes it worthwhile.
The film centers on Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), an ambitious sports marketing executive looking for a star for Nike’s basketball division that they can call their own. Vaccaro is assigned this crucial task by Nike’s CEO and co-founder Phil Knight, played by the film’s director Affleck. The two find themselves arguing over budget cuts, Nike’s changing culture and the best strategy to secure an elite athlete for the brand. Not to mention putting all their eggs in one basket by only investing in one key figure rather than spreading the wealth.
To our surprise, Jordan was initially unswayed by Nike’s shoes and wanted to sign with Converse or Adidas, creating quite the challenge for Vaccaro. The film follows Vaccaro's subsequent bargaining with Jordan’s ruthless agent David Falk (a hilarious Chris Messina), his mother Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis), and Nike’s head marketing executive Rob Strasser (Jason Batemen). When everyone else was convinced that Jordan would never be a Nike athlete, Vaccaro’s nearly clairvoyant motivation to sign him ultimately took the corporation to new heights as we all know. Air seems to embrace the idea that a kid who mows lawns for weeks on end will fork it all over to have a pair of over-priced sneakers so they can “be like Mike.” There is little that critiques that - more than just a portrayal of confident aspirations paying off. The rich only getting richer.
This movie lacks profundity or creates any kind of afterthought while walking out. The experience of watching it though is pleasurable enough to warrant a recommendation but this might be one of Affleck’s weakest efforts as a director. It’s more about the dialogue and some key acting moments including a really great turn from Marlon Wayans who has one scene. He makes you wish there was more of him throughout. Damon and Davis also have memorable interactions but once again, they are just reliable talents doing what they do best. Ultimately, Air is one of those movies that you probably would come across on HBO Max or Amazon Prime and enjoy entirely alone on a Sunday afternoon. Then you’d say, that was enjoyable, what’s for dinner?
Rye Lane (dir. Raine Allen-Miller)
Rye Lane is also a truly entertaining film that has energy and far more originality at the core. Yet at the same time, this is a romantic comedy that contains so much sweetness and warmth, it does often feel like being hugged by a friend in all the right ways. I was elated after this was over and contemplated watching it a second time shortly thereafter.
The multicultural, working-class British neighborhood is as integral to the romantic comedy as lead characters Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah). Their stark contrast—he’s a timid accountant; she’s a livewire who works in fashion—makes them a classic odd-couple pairing. Across one serendipitous day, the two rediscover their zeal for love, life, and South London. Think Before Sunset with even more inventive ways of telling the story, often having characters recount past stories from different points-of-view to where the present self is sitting in on a memory (something that Michel Gondry himself would do for sure).
The banter between them and the level of chemistry surprises us, and surprises them as well, as they seem determined to go their separate ways and stay single but are continually drawn to each other and want to keep this chance encounter going. There is natural tension built into the story in that we know this “date” could end at any moment, and they are always one small decision away from leaving one another and never seeing each other again. But we want this budding relationship to grow and flourish, which keeps us invested in the minutia of their activities together.
David Jonsson and Vivian Oprarah are two of my favorite rom-com characters I’ve come across in awhile too. They are naturalistic and the chemistry is there to where you look forward to seeing where this journey takes them. To their vivid storytelling skills to joyful karaoke outings, to the fact that Dom himself is often clumsy and socially inept but Yas is there to pick up the slack. I would love to see more of these actors or even a sequel to learn about where they are nine years from now.
Rye Lane is a light and refreshing date movie that will likely speak to you in some way - especially when you’re in the early stages of getting to know someone new. Again, nothing groundbreaking but some movies just work with sharp writing, confident acting and a sense of playful style that never feels forced or annoyingly quirky. It doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before in the rom-com genre, but it hits all the right beats and delivers an effortlessly-charming experience that works right from the start. The end result is a small film that feels much bigger and is much more effective than the sum of its parts. Whatever Raine Allen-Miller does next, count me in.
