Are you ready for Brie Larson? Of course you are. Move over Zooey and Chloe cause a new indie darling is bursting onto the scene. With an oscar worthy turn in Short Term 12 and an oh so integral part in Don Jon, hipster mainstays are about to get shook up. Can she sing? I have no idea but if so then the torch will officially have been passed.
Let's start with the masturbatory would be masterpiece from the incredibly talented Joseph Gordon Levitt. When I heard Levitt was going to write and direct his first film, I was incredibly interested. The kid is a great actor and he picks interesting projects. His work with HITRecord shows that he has a deep love for the creative process, so yah super curious as to what would come from his first foray into feature length filmmaking. Then it was announced that it was a film about a jersey douchebag with an addiction to porn. Well, still interested, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed.
For JGL though I'd give it a shot. The result? A solid first film, that hides behind the Jersey Shore facade to reveal some interesting thoughts on masculinity and love in the modern age. It's not going to make any top ten lists, but Levitt does some interesting things here. Not the least bit is that he makes his characters incredibly likable, if not completely enjoyable. There is an energy that fuels the film and his script gives everybody a nice amount of scene to chew. Tony Danza, way to go.
Perhaps most interesting is his use of repetition. It's an incredibly powerful filmmaking tool, that most either never use or never notice. Here he uses it expertly as his character is shown going through routine after routine after routine. And as the film evolves so does his routine, and it is the subtle differences that start to show his characters evolution over the course of the film. It's hard not to like the multiple dinner scenes or his weekly confessionals, but for me, my personal favorite was by far the scenes driving and him having various degrees of road rage.
Perhaps most interesting is his use of repetition. It's an incredibly powerful filmmaking tool, that most either never use or never notice. Here he uses it expertly as his character is shown going through routine after routine after routine. And as the film evolves so does his routine, and it is the subtle differences that start to show his characters evolution over the course of the film. It's hard not to like the multiple dinner scenes or his weekly confessionals, but for me, my personal favorite was by far the scenes driving and him having various degrees of road rage.
What's that? A Brie Larson article? Yah she's his sister, she has like one line. Nails it though.
Let's move on to Short Term 12, a film by Destin Crettin about a home for youth in between foster homes. Brie Larson plays the head counselor as we follow the lives of the staff and what it takes to work in this kind of situation. This is an amazing film, that completely caught me off guard. Crettin never takes the easy way out, this type of story inherently walks a razor thin line of being too manipulative and he is careful to give us interesting and well defined characters. We know these are troubled youth but he doesn't go for the sob stories of why everyone is there, rather he picks and chooses who's back story we hear. And that's really what I want to focus on
Crettin has made a film about the human condition and how stories can bring us together and help is through tough times. It is no mistake that the film starts and ends with a story told by the most mentally stable person in the film. In between we constantly hear that opening up and telling people stories are a way to move past all the pain in their life. It's a great device and we hear different types of stories throughout the film, whether it is a toast at a party, a ready confession from a new team, a funny anecdote to make one feel at ease, or even a long in the making relegation. About ones self.
Fancying myself a writer this resonated with me so deeply. To see Brie Larson nail each emotional beat as she works with these kids to make their stay as healthy as possible was one of the best performances I've seen all year. To finally hear her story and we see just how powerful the idea of "story" can be. This is how we communicate with each other, how we pass down history and how we express emotion. Crettin has made something special here and I strongly encourage all of you to check it out.
So get ready everybody Brie Larson is on her way, with an enigmatic turn as the sister of few words or the young social worker with secrets of her own! she is poised to become the next big thing. Watch out Winona Ryder, Ms. Larson is gunning for you.
Bence
One last thought - Crettin does this amazing shot over and over in which he uses spatula relationship to emphasize the juxtaposition of distance and sensitivity that a social worker must have.
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