Fantastic Planet
(1973)
Directed by Rene
Laloux
* * * ½
Based on the novel Oms En Serie by Stefan Wul, Fantastic Planet takes place on the
planet Ygam. The dominant species is the Draags, blue humanoids who stand like
monoliths above humans (known as Oms). Fantastic
Planet follows one such Om by the name of Terr, who becomes the pet of
Tiwa, a young Draag. Though Terr is essentially Tiwa’s plaything, Terr uses
every opportunity he can to rebel from time to time, while learning all about
Ygam and the Draags through a headset that Tiwa wears for educational purposes.
Eventually, Terr is fed up and abandons his home, where he is taken in by a
group of Oms – some wild, some formerly domesticated. They survive by whatever
means necessary while hiding out in an abandoned Draag park.
Fans of animation,
psychedelia, and science fiction, take note of Fantastic Planet: this, to my surprise, was an absolute treat. The
world that this film creates is unlike anything you’ve ever seen – it’s
outrageous and quite funny at times, but always terrifically captivating. Yes,
a lot of alien terminology barrages us throughout (as you could probably tell
from my synopsis above), but it works considering the Om’s complete lack of
understanding of the world they inhabit. Best of all, for me anyway, is that
this film put a really unique perspective on being human – we’re so used to
being tall and dominant, and it’s quite frightening to think of ourselves as
microscopic. This is double fascinating considering that the Draags aren’t
really depicted as overruling tyrants – they talk and behave identically to us.
Really puts things into perspective. Oh, and let’s not forget about Alain
Goraguer’s groovy score.
The animation itself, though
primitive, is absolutely fantastic – now that I think about it, the primitive
animation style further boost the otherworldly environment. However, the film
never overindulges in its strangeness (which is an admirable feat, considering
that the film was made in the early ‘70s). My only criticism of Fantastic Planet is its all-too rushed
ending, especially considering how well-paced this film was (not to mention it
doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at just over 70 minutes). Other than
that, I absolutely loved Fantastic
Planet.
Frances Ha (2012)
Directed by Noah
Baumbach
* * *
The wonderfully quirky Frances
(Greta Gerwig), an aspiring professional dancer in her mid-20s, couldn’t ask
for a better friend than Sophie (Mickey Sumner). They room together in Sophie’s
apartment, but Sophie announces that she plans to move to a place in Tribeca,
where she’s always wanted to live. Frances, unable to afford her share of the
rent, hops throughout Manhattan from apartment to apartment, mingling with fellow
New York peers, maybe taking a couple of trips here and there. Ultimately, with
her dance aspirations providing nothing, Frances finds herself at a blurry and
uncertain crossroads in her life, and has no idea what’s next for her life.
So, yet another story of ennui
and directionless days of one’s ‘20s. Typical indie film territory, so some
might roll their eyes at this one. I can’t say I blame you, but I must say that
I did enjoy Frances Ha. It’s not the
wittiest or most cleverly-written, but it depicts that sense of ‘20s inertia
quite well (as well as very subtly). Greta
Gerwig is an absolute treasure in this movie. She knows this character front to
back and the result absolutely shines – makes sense, though, considering Gerwig
co-wrote the film. There’s also a clever technique where the “chapters” of the
film are marked by the address that Frances lives at by that point. But the
best part of this movie; I think we all know that moment when we realize that
our best friend is slowly drifting from prominence in our lives. Frances Ha depicts this exquisitely with
Frances and Sophie’s dynamic.
I did enjoy this, yes, but it
still is kind of another indie movie. Baumbach seems to think that artists and
such are the only kinds of people that inhabit this world – this lack of
diversity in character is quite grating. Though the film’s black-and-white
photography is nice, cinematography is really nothing too special, and the use
of B&W seems to be Baumbach’s way of bulletproofing his lack of visual
chops (though there is a wonderful shot of Gerwig running down the sidewalk).
While Frances Ha is nothing too
special, there was enough to enjoy that it warrants a positive rating from me.
L’Enfance Nue
(1968)
Directed by
Maurice Pialat
* * *
Francois (Michel Terrazon) is
a 10-year-old foster child. Though bright, he is always up to some kind of
trouble, from stealing from shops to tormenting his sister, and other such
nightmarish behavior. In the film’s opening moments, his parents have had
enough, and send him back to the foster home from which he came. Eventually, he
is taken into the home of an elderly couple, with a fellow adopted child as his
older brother. Though the family is very sweet and welcoming in their
greetings, Francois shows no sign of changing his behavior, and it is only a
matter of time before this family becomes fed up.
Sound familiar? Like, The 400 Blows familiar? Though directed
by Maurice Pialat (who also made the remarkable A Nos Amours), L’enfance Nue was
produced by Francois Truffaut, so it’s no wonder we’re dealing with troubled
youth here. That said, contrary to the more formal style of The 400 Blows, Pialat’s film is much
more in the vein of realism (I once heard him described as a French
Cassavetes), and this makes for an uncomfortably biting experience of a movie –
the thought of giving up on your child is difficult enough, but the idea of
giving up being justified is even more morally confounding.
Though L’enfance Nue was riveting while I was watching it, it didn’t have
too much lasting power for me. As I mentioned earlier, it has some very
interesting parental themes, but the primary focus is on the child protagonist
and that isn’t handled all that uniquely, but I can give this much credit:
unlike, say, The 400 Blows with its
sympathetic protagonist, Francois is not very easy to sympathize with,
especially after he chucks his sister’s cat down a long stairwell. I’ve seen
this material covered time and time again. But it was still a good movie, and
it kept me gripped while I was watching, but the grip loosened as soon as it
was over.
Le Samourai (1967)
Directed by Jean-Pierre
Melville
* * * *
Jef Costello (Alain Delon)
wakes up every morning, throws on his rain coat and fedora, and hits the
streets to carry out another day’s work – Jef is a contract killer, and his
next target is a nightclub owner. He gets fake plates put on his car, works out
an alibi with his girlfriend, and upon nightfall, closes in for the kill. The
job is completed, but not before catching the suspicious eyes of a handful of
witnesses. Jef is brought in by the police for questioning, but his alibi
checks out and he is released. However, the police chief is absolutely positive
that Jef is the perpetrator, and is hot on his tail. Meanwhile, Jef’s employers
are also out for his blood, worried about what Jef’s snafu may lead to next.
Before The Killer and Leon: The
Professional, there was Le Samourai. Probably
not the first hitman movie, but I can’t think of another film before this that
handled the contract killer in such a way – cool, calm, collect, and always on
target. Alain Delon is absolutely perfect in the lead role with a poker face
that somehow manages to say everything – when he’s on the job, we can see that
he’s focused; when he’s in trouble, we can see the stress he must be feeling,
all without making much change to his facial expression.
The film moves along in a
similar fashion, too. Though a thrilling ride of a movie (the subway sequence
is beyond perfect), it’s quite reserved in its style and never over-indulges in
any kind of style. The scenario and the way it unfolds is also handled
perfectly – I was reminded, somewhat, of The
Killing in the way I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen
next. The script may not be anything to write home about, but I assure you
there is substance, substance that can only shine in the final product. I wish
I had more to say in this mini-review, but keeping it brief is quite difficult.
Trust me, though; this is a great film.
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