Movie Reviews 3

 

Movie Reviews 3

One of the best movies to come down the line in a long time is “The Quiet Girl” (2022) (In Irish, subtitles required). It was nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Film category but lost to “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Nonetheless it raked in a slew of international awards, deservedly so. The plot involves a young emotionally starved Irish girl who goes to live with her aunt & uncle to take some of the pressure off her mother who is pregnant and currently dealing with a large Irish brood and a ne'er-do-well husband. The aunt & uncle lost their only child in a tragic accident and apparently can't have any more. They pour out their love on the girl and she blossoms. If you know anything about story-telling, then it’s a cinch that this idyllic state of affairs can’t last. That's as far as we can go with the plot without spoiling things. Suffice it to say that the ending is emotionally wrenching while at the same time hinting at the resilience of the young protagonist. Kudos to Catherine Clinch who makes her film debut at age 11 and delivers a magnificent performance as the young girl. This is a quiet little gem of a movie that slowly sucks you in and then breaks your heart. You'll need at least five hankies.

Another winner is "Nostalgia" (2018). It stars Jon Hamm, Ellen Burstyn, Catherine Keener, and Bruce Dern, among others. It was described in an advertising blurb as "a mosaic of interconnected stories built around the central theme of loss and memory." Nothing much happens; it's not plot driven. There's only one event of note about three quarters of the way through. We won't tell you what it is because it's the only notable event, so you can't miss it. The movie's focus is on character and the issues noted above. It's about the meaning we find in the material objects that define our lives and the difficulty we often find in parting with them because of their special meaning for us. It's also very sad, so if downers bother you, be warned. Outstanding performances by Burstyn and Keener, but that's what we've come to expect from them. Also, a wonderful score from a relatively unknown composer, Laurent Eyquem. It's the kind of movie that echoes in your head for a long time after seeing it.

"My Sailor, My Love" (2022) is also a good one. Howard is a former sailor, now a widower living alone on the coast of Ireland. His adult daughter, Grace, hires an elderly caretaker, Annie, for her father. Howard resents Grace’s interference, so his relationship with Annie gets off to a very rocky start. After a while, however, they develop feelings for each other. When Grace finds out, she is upset. The meat of the film is the working out of this tangle of emotions. Solid performances by the three principals, James Cosmo (Howard), Brid Brennan (Annie), and Catherine Walker (Grace). Geriatric romance plus difficult father-daughter relationship. Roger Ebert thought there should have been less of the former, more of the latter. The two themes sort of come together at the end, which goes for the jugular. If you don't find it mawkish, then you will be in tears at the end if you're human.