The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

The 20th century is rife with artistic movements of all kinds, but undoubtedly one of the most popular is Surrealism. It has seeped into a plethora of mediums: Fine art, movies, even video games. As such, it's part of our culture, of our meta-mind, whether you like it or not. It deals with our dreams, desires and the unconscious, which often leads to a severe break with the classic narrative style. This is why surrealist films are so "artsy".  One of the greatest and well known directors of this style was Luis Buñel. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie showcases many of his talents as an artist and as a director. Unfortunately, it left me feeling empty.

Let's start off with what works here: Form. Buñel's film is set up as a loose narrative of the lives of six aristocratic men and woman. When I use the term loose, I really mean it. The movie is best seen as a collection of vignettes tied together by the regular cast or one-shot characters. As the movie goes along it all becomes more and more...ungrounded. You feel less sure of anything. To the point that maybe you're not sure of anything being real at all. And yes... that's the good part, and no... I'm not being sardonic. Surrealism is meant to upend your sense of contentment, and Discreet Charm does that in spades, by constantly having you question what's a dream and what isn't. By showing ridiculous situations as regular or unsurprising happenstance.

What doesn't work well is most everything else. The characters aren't likable, and that's okay, but they're barely unlikeable either. They're not really there. Absolutely shallow. That may be the point, true... but even the characters that aren't part of the elite can't be classified as human. They're just symbols: guilt, fear and pleading sadness. But none of it is explored, not even on an unconscious level. The problem I see with this film is that it doesn't go far enough. Buñel shows us the stuff hidden behind our heads and those inside of our society's (or at least that of the 1970s) but gives no emotional depth to it. These small stories leave nothing in me. He touched many of these same themes in his seminal Un Chien Andalou by completely getting rid of narrative and truly hitting the emotional edge of the human conscious. I was left with images from that movie for a long time and can still recall many of them. With Discreet Charm I'm already starting to forget it.

This is not to say that I can't see why this film is so approved by critics. It tries to balance the absurd witha semi-narrative in what many would say is a success. It's also often funny, like when one of the characters takes that last bit of ham. There's quite a bit of symbolism involved in that. In the end though, it doesn't amount to much. If you want to watch great work inspired by this movie, you'll have to watch David Lynch's films. He saw the merits of this film and ran with them to their true artistic ends. I have a lot to be thankful from this film, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

- piecar 

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor.

Aaaaaaaaand we're BACK!

Heads up! Changes are coming. We have dusted off the mugs, and re-open the cafe. My cohorts and I will be recording a new episode of the podcast this week. The website should see some significant changes as well as a relocation in the next few months. We also have some cool ideas and surprises in store for the future. NOW, back to business.

The buzz surrounding the release of The Hunger Games was unique. It seemed to fuel itself on word of mouth. While there certainly were ads and even a free iOS game to raise awareness; people were already excited about the flick when it was announced. Even I was cautiously intrigued by the movie.

For those who don't know, the Hunger Games is the story of a girl living in a distopian society where every year children are selected to fight to the death in an arena until only one remains. This premise is made even more perverse by treating the Children as celebrities for the brief time between when they are selected to compete and thrust into the arena. This celebrity treatment is what makes the story unique. At times it was as though I was watching a perverse American idol. What hooked me was the contrast between the televised interviews and the opulence of the Capitol along side the sick violence of the 'Games' themselves.

Now, this is a film based on a young adult book; thus it must cater to a younger audience. As a result the movie is good, but cannot explore the disturbing themes as deeply as an adult film (gotta keep that PG-13 rating). However, it is important to know your audience, as The Hunger Games clearly does. Also, DO NOT sit in the front row, you may suffer a violent reaction to the EXTREMELY shaky camera work.

Aside from the movie being limited by it's audience, it is a very competent work. Since the book is told from a limited point of view, it is great the film makers were able to tell the story so well. It is a very loyal adaptation of the source material in spirit. What I mean by this is that the same messages and information are conveyed to the audience through different means (due to the strengths and limitations of the film medium vs. the written word).

The only criticisms I have heard is that the character development is limited/non-existent. While that is not evident in the film, the only way you would know what she is going through is to know her thoughts. What I mean by this is that Katniss is a stoic and cold character in the book, the only way we know what she is going through is because we are reading her thoughts. In the film the actress Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent job playing her exactly as she was in the book. I would expect her to have a deeper character arc as the trilogy continues and she accepts her role as a patriot. In this first chapter she is simply a survivor by necessity, unaware of the repercussions some of her actions are having across Panem. Instead the draw of this film is the perverse society, the Games themselves, and seeing all the pieces fall into place for the coming sequels.

The supporting cast is great (especially Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson). The direction also helps convey the violence of the film without gore, it reminds me of a documentary. That said, it is difficult to tell what is happening during some of the action sequences because of the shaking camera.

I was entertained through the entire film. Even if it isn't a perfect, or excellent movie, it is certainly worth seeing on the big screen. I am absolutely looking forward to the sequels and am excited to watch some of the young actors mature over the course of the franchise. Happy Hunger Games!