Tenet (2020): Action / Sci-Fi

A man is tasked to save the world with a mission that defies the laws of physics as we know them, given only the word, Tenet.

Like any other Nolan film, Tenet requires an analysis rather than a review. But I’ll simplify things as best I can. A type of film like this requires a humongous amount of time in preproduction. And they have spent that time wisely. That is why from both production and postproduction point of view, the film is immaculate and unlike anything you have ever seen. No matter what I say, it won’t make it better.

The problem lies right off the bat with the script though. The similar opening to The Dark Knight (2008) poses a significant issue. There is a preexisting knowledge on the Joker where you know who he is and what he is capable of. And if you don’t know the full extent, you find out in a brilliant manner in minutes. Then, the film cuts to people you have already met from Batman Begins (2005), and gradually, it escalates keeping everyone in the loop. In Tenet, no one is aware of anyone or anything, and without any ado, Nolan keeps bombarding you with more and more information where everyone seems to start getting it, but the viewer. Fear not, though. The science is fictional – pun intended – so please, don’t feel bad if you don’t get it. You won’t get it if you watch it a second time either. Nolan himself doesn’t really get it (hence, leaving our certain details) but the impressive filmmaking and the delusion that you might get it if you pay close attention compensates. The similarities in narrative can be compared to Interstellar (2014).

For a film that examines paradox, it is interesting how for something that no one knows anything about, no one thinks twice before they instantly and unhesitatingly say what they have to say. Same applies for planning and acting. At the end of one sequence they find out about something, at the beginning of the next one they have already the equipment, they have already traveled round the globe, and have already come up with a meticulous plan.

George Méliès was running the camera backwards over a hundred years ago so, even though from a filmmaking point of view, Tenet is not parthenogenesis, it surely is a unique concept, exteremely well planned, and amazingly executed. If it wasn’t for this goddamn pandemic, it would have easily joined the billion dollar club.

Stay safe!

P.S. The indie, and unfathomably much lower-budget version of Tenet is Primer (2004): https://atomic-temporary-153424946.wpcomstaging.com/2020/11/26/primer-2004-drama-sci-fi-thriller/

The Tale (2019): Drama / Mystery / Thriller

The Tale.jpg

When stories from her childhood years resurface, a woman starts questioning her memories of the summers she spent with her riding instructor and her running coach.

Feature debut from writer/director Jennifer Fox who… dares! She, non-linearly, unfolds her most sensitive part of her life and puts it out there for you and me to witness it. The Tale is a daring yet terrifying case study on memory and how and why it works the way it does. And even though you will not get a straight answer, it addresses age, its relation to the interpretation of time and space, and how everything affects, clouds, and intricately shapes the way we remember things. There have been amazing research topics out there on memory and existence and memory and personality if you want to retrospectively examine your life experiences or test how well you remember situations you claim you do.

Back to the film, Fox’s documentarian expertise shows straight away behind the camera and Laura Dern’s raw talent shines in front of it. Next to her, Common, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn and the fantastic Jessica Sarah Flaum create amazing chemistry amongst them. My only dissatisfaction was the somewhat anticlimactic ending, and I know it’s based on Fox’s actual experiences but it’s not a biography so, it could perpetuate the already existing dramatisation to the confrontation part. But that’s just me.

HBO and all cast and crew deserve a huge round of applause. I usually go with “I hope you enjoy it” but, in this instance, I hope you understand it, look back at your own life experiences and wonder from what it is that has driven you to become the person you are today to how many times you have caught yourselves lying to yourselves.

Next time someone asks you: “You know who I am?!”, ask them: “Who are you?”

Stay safe!

Widows (2018): Crime / Drama / Thriller

Four women who are left with nothing but debt after their husbands died in a heist are pulling a heist of their own to reclaim their lives.

Based on the homonymous 1983 British series, Widows (2018) takes the fight from London to Chicago. Astonishing performances from the ensemble cast with Viola Davis and Robert Duvall standing out. Then, the powerful opening chase sequence promises an action-packed drama to keep you on the edge of your seats. A promise that doesn’t deliver though…

It is not first and certainly will not be the last when a European or an East Asian director goes to Hollywood. See, for example, actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz and Babylon A.D (2008) or Jee-woon Kim and The Last Stand (2013). One way ticket back… Even though “Widows” is nowhere near as bad as the aforementioned films (by brilliant directors) or the reviews surrounding it, it lacks the Steve McQueen, fine art training, personality, and idiosyncrasy.

It lacks the suffering of 12 Year a Slave (2013), Shame‘s (2011) internal struggle, and Hunger‘s (2008) brutal realism. Maybe his first cut (around 3 hours long) offered all of the above and more. Regardless, I really look forward to McQueen’s next film, European, American, or otherwise.

You can find it here: https://amzn.to/2Sy65qw