Sleeping Beauty
Okay, so I actually really enjoyed this film because it was really quiet and still, and there's something about that I find really interesting to watch; the cinematography wasn't as pleasing as I thought it would be, or just not the way that I would have liked but it was really wonderfully shot all the same. I liked the barrenness and bright dullness of the scenes, which is strange because my usual favourites are darker, moodier settings. The story was really intriguing, and I suppose a little dark, and I spent most of the film feeling a little confused as to the characters and the point, but then usually the best films are ones that seem to be governing themselves with no real purpose or moral. The ending felt a little abrupt and odd, and I would have preferred to see a little more character development in regards to Lucy who I never really felt any connection to, and also her relationships with others, especially Birdman. All of her behaviour as well felt a little erratic and forced. It left me feeling rather disjointed and cold, but I would definitely watch it again. The basic storyline follows Lucy, a university student, who seems to drift about between classes doing odd jobs for the uni, before she eventually answers an add to dress in lingerie and act as a waitress at a dinner party. This eventually leads to a job as a 'sleeping beauty' in which she is drugged and whilst asleep men are allowed to do what they like to her except penetration. She eventually becomes intrigued as to what goes on when she's drugged and so sets up a camera to film it, against her employers wishes.
Melancholia
The sequence at the opening of this film was absolutely breathtaking in its beauty and cinematic structure, and I honestly wish that I could just repeatedly watch it on a loop; the rest of the film, though very visually pleasing, was kind of a little outside of what I usually like. I felt a little disorientated by the films structure and the wedding scene during the first half of the film felt a bit ridiculous and only used as a way to develop the relationship and characters of the two sisters Justine and Claire. I felt a lot closer to Justine, but then her behaviour seems akin to my own in some situations, and I felt as though no one was really trying to help her, merely insisting that she had a nice time at her wedding. The second half of the film, titled 'Claire' was much better, I think, and I enjoyed the build up to the climax. Probably my favourite bit was Justine leaving the house in the night and lying naked on the bank of a river in the light of the planet Melancholia, unaware that her sister Claire has followed her. Also the scene about the sweets in the jar was really wonderfully done. The exploration of the human condition in the face of such a traumatic things was both really interesting and really infuriating, just because the acted just as I'd expect them to, but also in a way that really bothered me; I always want to expect so much better of people and even in fantasy they always fall short. It left me feeling really sad for them, though Claire's behaviour kind of pissed me off by the end of it. It was really unusual and well worth watching (mainly for the opening sequence) but I don't think I'd watch it again, it bummed me out too much. The story is basically an interesting insight into human behaviour and interaction, as they come to terms with the earth's impending collision with the planet Melancholia.
Girl, Interrupted
This film centres around Susanna after she finishes high school: she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life or what her place in the world is, and so she swallows a bottle of aspirins washed down with vodka. This suicide attempt results in her 'voluntary' admission to a psychiatric hospital, where she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I suppose there are many reasons why I felt a connection with this film, one being my own mental instability and sudden inability to think of anything I should be doing with my life, but also my fear that I might have to be 'voluntarily' admitted to a psychiatric hospital. I found the perspective that it's told from interesting, but I was a little annoyed that you never really got to hear what Susanna ended up talking to the therapists about, only that she told her 'everything that she was thinking'. I felt as though the ending had been structured to try and make you feel as though there was a kind of closure, but it was really lacking in this because not only did we never hear what it was the Susanna thought that made her fall into the borderline personality disorder, but the idea that she was allowed to leave and live alone to try and become a writer felt a little forced and almost as though they were just getting rid of her, it felt a little convenient and peachy, which I think mental health really isn't. I realise that the film is based off a book of a real story and that the author was involved in the making of the film, but I think it's worth noting that I think Whoopi Goldberg's character quite accurately pointed out that Susanna didn't have a problem but just felt sorry for herself. Also the fact that it ended with her saying that later on she did end up seeing others that had finally left the institution, but some she hadn't, hinting that some possibly hadn't left (probably Lisa), which I felt was her way of glossing over the fact that there isn't always a cure for some psychiatric disorders and that some never go away. I suppose it might have tried to end on a hopeful note, but it didn't feel hopeful to me.
Being John Malkovich
This film was strange and sad and kind of ridiculously wonderfully mad; Craig, an out of work puppeteer, gets a new job filing on the floor 7 1/2, a weird-sized floor between 7 and 8. It is upon this floor he finds a door that leads into the head of the actor John Malkovich. Him, his wife Lotte and his co-worker Maxine lives are altered dramatically because of it. The general construction of this film is actually mad and the story such a wonderful idea; at the same time it's horribly sad for Malkovich, especially when he discovers that Maxine and Craig are charging money to let people inside his head, something which he has no control over and can't make them stop doing. Eventually, Craig takes over his body in an attempt to be with Maxine, who is in love with Malkovich. The only person in the entire film I feel sorry for is Malkovich, who has in no way done anything to elicit any of the behaviour that is done to him in the film, and yet who suffers for everyone else's selfish actions throughout. I can't really explain it, it's such a weird film to think about and feel about, so I just think you should watch it.
