Tag: joaquin phoenix

Are you expecting it to be safe? “Beau Is Afraid” (2023)

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directed by Ari Aster
© 2023 A24. All Rights Reserved.

Ari, Ari, Ari… I admire this man so much for his bravery to make films that are so unusual that there’s a huge risk of not reaching to many viewers. However, his work is loved not only by me, but millions of other cinephiles, and perhaps that’s why I had such big expectations before watching today’s film. As you see, I’m still recommending it, so I did like it in the end, but it’s definitely not my favourite production by Ari Aster. In this story we get to know Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), a middle-aged man living alone in a really dangerous city. He struggles with a serious anxiety and has to be taking meds in order to function. Beau is preparing for visiting his mother, who is a wealthy and successful person, but because of certain reasons he misses the flight and has to come up with some other way to reach her. Things get complicated and the man doesn’t know how to solve his newly occurring problems, yet he really needs to visit his mother as he’s afraid to disappoint her. And that’s all you can learn from me about the plot, because what happens next is too strange to even describe it. The film is 3 hours long and I think that after 2,5h I was still not convinced about the point of making this production. Why did he do it? It’s so messy, it’s way too much in every single aspect, it’s horribly inconsistent in its form… but then the ending happened and everything became clear to me. I’m not going to spoil much, but I do want to share my interpretation of this film, so if you haven’t seen it, here’s a warning. So… I’m not sure what other people see in this story, but to me it’s an incredibly important issue that Ari has addressed. I believe that Beau is an example of a grown-up man who has been highly traumatised by his mother. You may say – nothing new, we have many stories like that. Indeed, but here we kind of indirectly focus on the character of the mother – she represents women who decide to have children without a pinch of awareness what raising a human being really means. His mother has been accusing Beau for everything from the very beginning and the boy grew up constantly feeling like a failure. If you watch closely, he keeps apologising for things he’s not even responsible for. Here’s a small spoiler – remember the messages he was getting in his flat about being noisy even though he wasn’t noisy at all? Maybe I’m wrong, but to me it was supposed to show us that the world keeps searching for someone to blame and we have to have a thick skin not to let them destroy us. Beau was raised as his mother’s personal toy to blame, so he didn’t have a chance to adapt to the real world. His parent didn’t support him in strengthening his self-esteem and finding his personal value, so he ended up feeling constantly anxious and worthless. The ending hit me the most because it showed how little we care about helping traumatised people. It wasn’t Beau’s fault to be born in such family, so from the very beginning he was left alone to learn and deal with everything our reality has to offer. And what do we do as society? We ignore. We judge. We reject. The idea for this production was marvellous and I’m thankful that it was made. However, in my opinion Ari couldn’t decide about the form and went for them all. “Hey, Ari, which form is your film going to be in?” – “Yes.” At some points it was even tacky, so that is why I cannot rate it higher. But for the sake of the messages coming out of this production – I definitely recommend you to see it.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Maybe you were weakened, so you could become strong. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” (2018)

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directed by Gus Van Sant
© 2018 Amazon Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Today I have a very realistic story for you. Why realistic? Because it’s not a cheerful comedy where everything is covered in glitter and unicorns, but it’s also not a difficult drama which would make you cry for hours. This film is quite bitter and slightly depressive, I have to admit that, but in the end I felt empowered. It’s about John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix), a cartoonist who tends to be drinking way too much alcohol. He’s rather reckless and a bit lost in his reality. One day, while getting back from a party, he and his friend have a car accident, which leaves John significantly paralysed. The man has to use a wheelchair and needs support in very basic everyday activities. Which is incredibly embarrassing for him and John feels like he’s completely lost control over his life. Then he meets Annu (Rooney Mara), a Swedish physical therapist, who makes the man believe in himself, in his inner power and masculinity. Besides, John also decides to join a quite specific AA group, where he learns that he needs to stop being a victim and manage his life as it is. This film is based on a real story, which means that John Callahan actually existed and drew his cartoons, so I recommend you to see them later. In my opinion, they are hilarious and I love how much distance John had to himself that he was drawing such… well, often controversial pictures. But getting back to the film, Joaquin is fabulous as always, but I’d like to recognise Rooney Mara for her performance. She played a Swedish woman, even though the actress is American (and has no Scandinavian origins, as far as I know). Why is it such a big deal? Because she’d worked on her accent a lot, you can hear that. At least I can and accents are something I pay a lot of attention to, so it was amazing to hear her speaking English with a Swedish accent. Bravo! And as I said, this film is very much realistic, it shows the life as it is, yet I got those good vibes from it. Like we’re all living imperfect lives (unless you’re Beyoncé, but even then I’m sure you’d miss something) and it’s absolutely okay. Nothing to worry about. Yes, we could sit and cry about our problems, sometimes we should to release those negative emotions, but in the end it’s important to keep on going. No matter if you’re a famous pop star in a villa or a poor cartoonist in a wheelchair. Just keep going.

My rating: 7/10
S.

You need a license to catch a fish, but they’ll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father. “Parenthood” (1989)

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directed by Ron Howard
© 1989 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Have you seen Joaquin Phoenix as a cute child and Keanu Reeves as a young rebel? Then you must see this film. Before watching, I thought it’s actually a family comedy as everyone says it is. IT IS NOT. Don’t listen to them. Yes, we have a lot of funny moments, jokes, children doing weird stuff and parents trying not to lose their minds. However, maybe there’s something wrong with me, but in my opinion, it’s a very complex drama about parenthood and what it means to be responsible for another human’s life. We follow the Buckman family, where the siblings are already grown-ups and they have their own families. I’m not going to tell who you is who and what they do and what kind of drama is going on in each house because you’d probably forget that anyway. But there are several different problems in this story, such as prioritising work over family, worrying about having a bigger family, divorce, children growing up without both parents, taking away childhood from children, abandoning children, adopting children… generally, every possible topic that is somehow connected to raising children. And I believe each problem could be presented in a separate film, so the fact that they put them all in one is already impressive. Perhaps a bit messy and you may feel like not every topic was developed enough, but for me, all of them at once were a very strong message. It’s like watching all children-associated fears in 2 hours. As I said, you may find certain elements funny, but if you think about them, they are also quite depressing. Still, if you’re a parent or a parent-to-be… or a parent-to-hope-to-be-one-day-if-you-finally-find-someone and you’re worried about parenthood, this film is a must-see. Despite the fact it’s full of difficult topics, in the end it gives a motivational kick in the butt, and I guess that’s what’s most important. Oh and Joaquin Phoenix was the most adorable child ever, I swear.

My rating: 7/10
S.

I just hope my death makes more cents than my life. “Joker” (2019)

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directed by Todd Phillips
© 2019 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

I saw this film today and I couldn’t stop myself from writing a post about it right away. I’m still shaking inside. It was an extraordinary experience and if you’re wondering whether to watch it or not, do it. But don’t go to the cinema with a bunch of friends or your date, don’t buy popcorn or snacks and definitely don’t leave your phone turned on. It’s one of those productions that you need to… survive on your own. I guess I don’t need to explain who Joker is, because some people may know him better than the president of their country. Welcome to the 21st century, in Batman we believe. Anyway, in this production we’re taking a big step back to find out where Joker came from. We meet Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) who works as a comedian. Well, “comedian” might be the wrong word here… A part-time entertainer, perhaps? So basically speaking, he dresses up as a clown and does the job that people wish to never have to do themselves. He’s single and lives with his mother (Frances Conroy), which is a typical picture saying “this guy is a loser.” I’m not saying that living with your parents means so, but film producers like to stick to this idea, which is clear for everyone to understand. Arthur struggles with the lack of respect and huge aggression towards him, so his friend lends him a gun for protection. And one day, he actually uses it, which turns his world upside down. My description is pathetic compering to what actually happens on the screen, so please consider it as a lame introduction to a fantastic story. The number of emotions I felt during the projection was unlimited, but mostly I was covering my mouth with both hands thinking “Omg, what’s going on?” I left the cinema feeling empty inside and in this case it’s a huge plus. This film shows how horrible people can be, how much hate there is in us, how we like to use others and treat them like shit just to feel better for a moment. And I’m sure this production wouldn’t be the same without Joaquin Phoenix. He made me experience everything with him. When he was angry, I was angry. When he felt embarrassed, I closed my eyes repeating “no no no, please, no.” When he wanted to kill those who’d made him suffer, I wasn’t against it. It’s scary, but I seriously supported his actions, although they were wrong. That’s how much he played with my mind. If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this role next year… no, he will. He must. Because he was marvellous. Exceptional. Authentic! And I’m not afraid to say this: Joaquin Phoenix, you are the best Joker of them all.

My rating: 8,5/10
S.

When a man loves a woman, but the woman loves another man. “Two Lovers” (2008)

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directed by James Gray
© 2008 Magnolia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’d like to recommend you a very basic love story, which won’t surprise you at all. Unless you’ve never seen any romantic film. However, it’s made so well that there’s no way I’m leaving it without a post. Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is a man who struggles with depression. He was once left by his fiancée and still cannot deal with it. The film starts with him attempting another, luckily unsuccessful suicide. His parents are worried about him and try to find a woman for their son. They arrange a business meeting and ask Leonard to come with them. During the meeting, he gets to know Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), who is a considerate, sensible and beautiful lady. Perfect wife material. Perhaps it would be easier for those two to get closer unless there wasn’t an attractive Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) living next to Leonard. She’s just moved in and already caught the attention of the man. Soon it is known that the woman has a drug usage problem and she’s also dating Ronald (Elias Koteas), who’s already married. Seems complicated, but it’s actually a classic love story. Sandra likes Leonard, he likes her back, but not as much as he likes Michelle, but Michelle loved Ronald, who is taken, so all they can be doing is having one night stands. On one hand, it’s about our human need of searching for a partner that is unavailable for us. We all like chasing, so when we meet someone who likes us back, we tend to reject them and try with the one that ignores us. And since we’re all “running after that rabbit,” we may never feel satisfied. On the other hand, the main character struggles with depression and it is presented in an unusual way, but quite realistic one. He indeed goes out and socialises, but then he gets back home and doesn’t even feel like leaving his own bed. Joaquin Phoenix is marvellous in this role. Another thing I appreciate highly is the camerawork (especially the scene on the roof, brilliant). The story is simple, but it’s done well and it gives food for thought. 

My rating: 6.5/10
S.