Taking You to Film School: The Fall and XXY

So you probably know I'm a pretty avid film-watcher.  I have theories about why this is (for a later post), but thanks to NetFlix, I can watch five or six new films a week.  I'll try my best to keep the blog updated with reviews and recommendations, especially with films I really liked.  Since this is my first film post (cleverly titled, don't you think?), I'll review a film I watched this past weekend and one I just watched this evening.

The Fall (2006, directed by Tarsem Singh)
Fellow cinephiles might recognize the name of this unique visionary director, and if it doesn't ring a bell, the opening title card certainly will--Singh directed 2000's The Cell and the same font is revisited for the title card of The Fall.  Like The Cell, The Fall is a film glowing with color and visual panache, yet freshly does not rely on CGI for its stunning visuals.  But that's perhaps where the similarities end in these two stories--The Cell is a thriller/crime drama not superbly acted by Jennifer Lopez and Vincent D'Onofrio while the cast of The Fall supports two parallel narratives with both strength and subtlety.

Set in 1920s Hollywood, a stunt actor (played with grace and intensity by one of my not-so-secret crushes Lee Pace) who suffers a paralyzing fall befriends a little Romanian girl (the adorable, honest Catinca Untaru) with a broken arm while both convalesce in hospital.  To draw her in, he begins to tell her an adventure story that enthralls both the little girl and the viewer--but he has an ulterior, darker motive than story time.  While the yarn he spins binds the two of them together, it ultimately could be an ending for both of them.

Like Pan's Labyrinth, this is a story not for children.  It is, at times, dark, twisted, fearsome, and violent.  But it is a beautiful tale all the same.  Singh's eye for visualization and perfecting the image is impeccable and traveled the world to accomplish this film (it was shot in South Africa, Nepal, India, and Cambodia, among other places).  The story is strong and strange at the same time, with wonderful twists and character tangents.  The way we see the world--through the eyes of the little girl--makes one long for the brightness of the childhood imagination.  Many of the actors play double roles as patients or caretakers in the hospital/"real world" and as characters in the adventure story and do so with gusto.

This is a film of wonder, trust, sadness, and, above all, the power of storytelling.  9/10

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XXY (2007, directed by Lucia Puenzo)

XXY is, on the surface, the story of a fifteen year old intersex teenager (Alex, played by Ines Efron) living as a girl with her parents at the crossroads of making a decision about how she will live her life--as a woman or as a man, knowing either decision will require much change in their lives.  However, it's also a film about the pressure young people undergo as they make decisions about which direction their lives will take.

It's clear that Alex isn't happy in her current situation, but she isn't unhappy either--she's struggling more against growing up than she is against choosing a biological sex.  Her parents ache to understand how she's feeling while trying desperately to guide her into a "normal" adulthood.  It's an all-too-familiar scenario for so many teenagers:  parents who tell their children they just want what's best for them, but forcing them to make decisions about their future when so much is unclear, unknown.

XXY is set on the coast of Argentina, and the film's coloring is marine and muted, allowing character and story to shine through rather than scenery.  Still, it's an understated, quietly elegant film with a few stunning moments that stand out against the hush of the waves in the background.

XXY is a thoughtful, sensitive coming-of-age film that explores the murkiness of the teenage experience in an interesting light. 7/10