Paul Dano is one of the most subtly fantastic actors of this generation, with great performances in numerous films. Here, he takes the director’s chair for the first time, bringing to life a script that he and Zoe Kazan, his wife and fellow actor, co-wrote.
This film is set in 1960’s Montana, where a man named Jerry struggling to find his place leaves his wife and son to go fight forest fires. His wife Jeanette and their son Joe are forced to adapt to life without him until he comes home, a change that takes a tough toll on their relationship.
Jeanette and Jerry are played Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. Both are nothing short of great. Gyllenhaal exceptionally portrays the inner workings of his character, clearly showing how the hardships in his life have affected him emotionally. Mulligan is an emotional force as well, coercing us into seeing her point of view as she acts erratically upon her husband’s departure. Jeanette shows the grandest arc in the film, beginning as the poster child of a 1960s middle class house wife, but spiralling into an emotional mess, making poor decisions. Joe is arguably the main character in the film, but is brutally overshadowed. He is played by Ed Oxenbould, which is fitting because he is eerily similar to Paul Dano. Both have similar facial features, and Oxenbould brings the same subtle performance that Dano is known for. The subtlety in his performance allows his co-stars to steal the spotlight, but he maintains his own in the film.
Despite this being his directorial debut, you can feel that this is a Paul Dano movie. The subtlety of Oxenbould’s performance is matched by a lot of subtlety in filmmaking. While the film is technically quite impressive, nothing jumps out at you, electing instead to paint a simple portrait of its time and place. The cinematography impressed me the most, as there are numerous shots with some of the most impressive depth of field I’ve seen in a while. Whether an outdoor shot of a town with wildfires deep in the background, or a shot from outside a store where you can clearly see inside, cinematographer Diego Garcia delivers a feast of beautiful visuals, while still managing to stay within the nuanced style that Dano crafts. My worst criticism of this film is when Jerry leaves to fight fires, his departure leaves a void through the middle of the film, and as strong as his co-stars are, the film loses a lot of steam. Instead of hitting the audience with strong emotions it hits us with a spiralling Carey Mulligan, which honestly gets quite dull, and loses the energy built up by a great first act.
This is a solid debut. Great cinematography and a magnificent cast, but the pacing could certainly have been improved.
Rating: 3.5/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
Comments
Post a Comment