The Squid and the Whale review

 Number 898 of the top 1000 films of all time is the independent comedy-drama 'The Squid and the Whale.'

Bernard Berkman (Ben Daniels) and his wife Jean (Laura Linney) are two academics going through a messy divorce. Caught in the middle are their two sons Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and his younger brother Frank (Owen Kline.) Over the course of eighty minutes, we see this family attempt to move past this life-changing event.

This was certainly an interesting film. It portrayed a scenario which would be would be relatable to audiences worldwide. And it did it sympathetically.  But the characters weren't sympathetic. I liked the situation they were in, but I didn't like them at all. Neither Bernard or Jean are likeable at all. Bernard is arrogant, overly-proud and creepy - he stars a relationship with his far younger student Lili (Anna Paquin.) Meanwhile Jean has been unfaithful to Bernard for years on end. She is arguably the main reason that they're divorcing. It's no wonder their sons are so messed up.

Walt and Frank quickly take sides with Walt siding with his father and Frank with his mother. And both boys begin acting up in their own particular ways. As can be expected from boys that age. Even though the film tackles a difficult subject, there is still plenty of humour to stop things from becoming too serious. Any fancy special effects or big sets gave way to introspection and quiet character development. It was moving without being maudlin.

It was an entertaining watch, but more because of the setting and scenario and not because of the characters. 

Before Sunrise review

 Number 239 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic drama 'Before Sunrise.'

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a young, American man backpacking through Europe. On a train from Vienna, he meets the French lady Celine (Julie Delphy) and the two instantly hit it off. They spontaneously decide to spend the night together in Vienna, knowing that at sunrise, they will go their separate ways, unlikely to ever see each other again.

Generally, I'm not a fan of romance films. They can be either overly-sentimental or overly depressing. But Before Sunrise pleasantly surprised me. It was funny, uplifting and wonderfully understated. As can be expected with romances, a lot of the film hinges on the leading couple. If the actors don't have chemistry together, this will visibly translate to the screen. But I thought that Hawke and Delphy were great together. I've seen Hawke in Training Day and Lord of War, so I know he is a credible action star. But he was also likable and charismatic as Jesse. Julie Delphy was also charming as Celine. She brought a hopeful optimism to Jesse's cold cynicism.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Richard Lintlaker's subtle direction. It is left up to the audience to decide whether Jesse and Celine sleep together or not. This is never depicted on-screen. But in so many other films, it seems like a pre-requisite to have a gratuitous graphic sex scene that does nothing for the plot. You might expect this in romances, but not in dramas. Yet it happens almost all the time. Lintlaker's decision to let the audience make up their own minds was a refreshing take and added well to the fairytale aspect of the film.

And, in many ways, this is a fairytale. It is embedded in a the fantasy of a holiday, whirlwind romance. this can be reality for some people, but, at times, it leant into incredulity. I haven't been to Vienna, so I don't know whether this is the case, but are there really beatniks smoking by the river in the dead of night ready to write poetry for whoever is ready to pay them?

*Spoiler alert* And the film ends on a lovely, uplifting note. When it comes time for Jesse and Celine to say goodbye in the train station where Celine is going home to Paris, they vow not to write or call each other, but to meet at the station in six months time. As it is a romance, you would expect a happily ever after, but it was difficult to see how this could transpire. I was expecting a final twist in the tail that would spoil things.

Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Before Sunrise. It lacked the sentimentality you would expect from many romances. And Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy were great together.