Wednesday 27 March 2019

Capernaum

Zain is a twelve (or maybe thirteen, nobody knows) year old boy from a Beirut slum, in prison for stabbing a victim he still describes as a 'son of a bitch'.  He is brought before a court hearing his civil action against his parents for giving birth to him and the terrible life he was brought into.  That court scene will be returned to as the plot unfolds, but most of the action takes place several months before portraying the time before Zain's arrest.

Unschooled, but adept in surviving and hustling on the streets, the boy is the only son in a large family of girls and used as slave labour by his parents.  His 'duties' include taking false prescriptions into chemists to get pills which the mother smuggles into prison soaked into clothing.  When his 11 year old sister Sahar has her first period Zain tries to help her cover it up from their mother, but discovery is inevitable and she is to be married to the family's landlord (who is also Zain's boss at times).  He tries to protect her, but is can't fight the adults and runs away in protest.

Using his street skills, and through a series of unlikely alliances, and some encounters that bring in humour to alleviate the gloom, Zain survives and becomes a babysitter for Rahil, an Ethiopian illegal immigrant, and her son Yonas.  But even this ramshackle home doesn't work out for him and he is forced to look for alternative futures.  The ending will bring a resolution of sorts, but there's no end to the penury of the lives these people are forced to lead.

Throughout this we're aware that Zain has knifed someone, and a lot of potential candidates offer themselves up with so many adults messing his life up, and the real victim only emerges towards the end.  But also the sense that victims and culprits can often be one and the same, with the poverty and the environment offering so few options to escape.

The intro translates the title as "Chaos" and it's the chaotic nature of Zain's life that predominates, the lack of certainty other than the need to struggle to survive, the desperation of lives that lead nowhere.  That's strongly reflected in the filming, with frequent use of hand held cameras adding to the sense of turmoil.  Almost all the cast had no previous acting experience, indeed had never dreamt of doing so as many of them came from the slum world being portrayed (including Syrian refugee Zain Al Rafeea, who plays his fictional namesake), and this naturalism gives the drama a semi-documentary feeling, a sense that this is very much life as it is lived.

It's a simple enough tale, despite the outlandish legal premise it opens with, and occasionally strays towards the sentimental, but the gritty performances and the sense of loss in Zain's lost childhood are sufficient to overcome any such reservations.  Despite running for over two hours it never feels overlong and our interest in Zain doesn't flag.  Nor should it for all those he represents.

Highly recommended.

Ross and Ali, Symbiosis, Traverse

Considering how long Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton have been such prominent members of the Scottish folk scene, and how many bands and albums each have contributed their talents to, it's almost a shock to be reminded how young they still are.  For this gig they were joined by Jenn Butterworth on guitar and vocals, and Paul Jennings on drums and cajon.

Although best known as highland pipers, both are proficient multi-instrumentalists, with whistles, tenor guitar and cittern featuring, and the odd bit of electronic trickery to add layers to the sound.
Steeped in the tradition for an early age, Ainslie and Hutton can turn their hands to many forms of music, and this line up is definitely towards the folk 'n roll end of the spectrum.  They reminded me of the late lamented Kan for imagination, musicianship and a driving beat.  A mix of their own tunes and covers, plus a few song from Butterworth to add variety.

Hutton is a hilarious raconteur and had both audience and band laughing at his craziness.  But it's the music that does most of the talking, with clever blending of instruments, and some slower numbers thrown in amongst the foot tapping, body moving rhythms.  Jenn sang a lovely Scotland Yet, still as relevant a lyric as can be found, and one of the best versions I've ever heard of Freedom Come-All-Ye .

But nothing quite beats the blood stirring sound of two sets of full fat bagpipes playing so brilliantly off one another.  Impossible to leave without a big grin imprinted on one's visage....

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Findlay Napier and Megan Henwood

Back to the House for the first time in many months to watch a man I'd long wanted to see live.
 Singer/songwriters Napier and Henwood met at a songwriting retreat and came together as the Story Song Scientists to record an EP and tour together.  As the moniker of the duo suggests both write lyrics that paint pictures of people and events, often with a personal slant.  For this gig the first half saw Findlay perform solo, followed by Megan, and a second half together as the SSSs.

Napier is the stronger performer of the two, with a wealth of well crafted songs, and shaggy anecdotes, often very funny, to introduce them.  He's got a powerful and distinctive voice, creates an instant rapport with his audience and I could have happily listened to him all night.  Henwood is less polished, more self deprecating, but still engaging and enjoyable, her softer tones a nice contrast to her partner.  Together they blend well, with complimentary guitar work and voices that harmonise well.  And the songs themselves are always of interest and have some decently catchy melodies amongst them.

Either alone of together they are well worth seeking out.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) has written a couple of moderately successful biographies, but after a recent failure she's finding it hard to write, and even harder to stay away from the bottle.  With her funds dwindling she starts to sell off her possessions to keep the debtors away, including a personal letter from Katherine Hepburn.  It makes her more money than she'd expected.  She comes across a couple of letters written by Fannie Brice, whose life she's researching, but the first raises little cash because it's so bland.  As an experiment she adds a more intimate PS to the second and it's value is doubled.  Which gives her an idea for a new career.

Israel starts to forge letters from dead celebrities and hawking them round the dealers.  The more imagination and character she puts into them, the more money she makes.  But suspicions are raised and she withdraws into the background, using her friend Jack Hock (Richard E Grant) to act as her front man.  Will justice catch up with them?

Based on the true story of events in nineties New York, McCarthy's Israel is a misanthropic loner, suspicious of anyone trying to get close to her.  The flamboyantly camp Hock, like her a drinker and societal outcast, is a perfect companion, neither giving not demanding anything in their loose alliance of a friendship.  Although the flaws in each soon become apparent.

The storyline is a slow burner, drawing in the viewer to a scam that becomes a passion and gives the writer a success her 'own' work never achieved.  Both McCarthy and Grant give their characters a strong sense of ambivalence, both likeable and annoying at the same time, people who can never quite fit the mould of everyday society.  Both give fantastic performances, aided by a clever script and sympathetic direction.  If ultimately it lacks any great depth it more than makes up for this with charm and wit and the flawed humanity at it's core.  Recommended.

Monday 25 March 2019

Mary Queen of Scots

There's no shortage of material to work with from the real life of Mary - stormy marriages, religious disputes, war and insurrection, murdered on the orders of her own cousin - so it's no surprise that writer Beau Willimon and director Josie Rourke have created a very entertaining drama that resonates with many of today's issues.

The young Mary (Saoirse Ronan) returns from exile in France to take up her role as monarch from the regent, her half brother James (James McArdle).  A mix of entitlement, capriciousness and youthful exuberance, she is determined to be her own person, a dangerous stance for a catholic in strongly protestant country.  She quickly makes enemies, like the rabidly calvinist and fanatically misogynist John Knox (David Tennant), many amongst her senior nobles, and, most ominously, her cousin Elizabeth (Margot Robbie, the queen of England.  Elizabeth listens largely to the cautious council of Cecil (Guy Pearce), but there are many voices advocating a strategy to bring Scotland under English control, and the diplomacy between the two queens becomes murky and confused.

Mary makes some poor choices in her selection of confidantes and, crucially, husbands.  Marriage to the Englishman Darnley (Jack Lowden) manages to offend both the Scottish and English courts and proves personally disastrous too.  A series of rebellions see Mary outcast to England to seek her cousin's protection, which is granted at first but will lead to Elizabeth ordering her death.

It's a rollicking tale, with plenty of action, drama and human interest, and largely stands up well as an entertainment.  Although there's a glaring false note in the meeting of the two queens (which never took place in real life), which is stagey and overly theatrical, to the point it feels like it belongs in a different film.  Overall the storyline reflects many of the true events in Mary's life, but with some interesting interpretations of some of the characters, especially the relationship between Darnley and Rizzio.  But as a history lesson it fares better than a lot of Hollywood's output.

The performances are excellent, with Ronan giving Mary a depth of strength underlying her carefree behaviour and embattled position.  And a special mention to Tennant, almost unrecognisable behind the Knoxian beard.

Of greatest interest is what it says about today's world.  For all their mutual flaws the two queens emerge as strong feminist role models, fighting for their position in a strongly patriarchal world.  While the relationship between England and Scotland is a reflection of today, with the predatory neighbour taking every opportunity to control and exploit their northern partner.  As such theis movie might be even more of a shop window for Indy than Outlaw King proved.



Monday 11 March 2019

Stan and Ollie

A drama based around the 1953-4 British Isles stage tour by Laurel and Hardy, the last time the famous duo worked together.  It opens sixteen years earlier in Hollywood with the pair, then at the height of their considerable comic powers, splitting up over a difference in approach to their contacts, then swiftly moves into the shabbier world of provincial theatre and seedy boarding houses, the famous act now reduced in status.  Hardy (John C Reilly) is clearly struggling with his health, but determined to be upbeat.  Laurel (Steve Coogan) is negotiating with a producer for their next film, based on the Robin Hood story.  Neither seems quite at ease with the other, or their act, a reflection of petty jealousies and disagreements built up over time.

But there's a deep friendship underlying the bickering and both Reilly and Coogan are excellent in creating a relationship that's flawed, but ultimately too strong to break.  They are joined by their wives (Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda), each driven to want the best for their man and suspicious of the other's motives.  Add in the oleaginous charm and disingenuity of promoter Bernard Delfont (Rufus Jones) and there's a combustible mixture that bubbles along nicely.

With so much on offer why did I find time dragging?  The writer, Jeff Pope, has taken considerable liberties with history to create the story.  He implies the couple hadn't worked together since '37, but in reality they made their final movie in 1951.  I've no problem with a film bending the truth to enhance dramatic effect - but so where was the drama?  There are a few memorable moments, but the guts of the film lie in the relationship between the two leads, and the pathos they bring to it.  That would still be the case if the story had stuck closer to the truth.  Not being a comedy is fair enough, not being a drama either is less forgivable.

However the abilities of Reilly and Coogan, and their supporting cast, are enough to make it worth the ticket price.  It's just a shame they weren't better served by the writing.

Great performances, shame about the script.