A Late Quartet (15)

The exquisite debut from Yaron Zilberman is out on DVD and Blu-ray next week.

A Late Quartet (15) (This review on FilmJuice.com)

A Late Quartet is a model of class, directed with confidence, acted to perfection and boasting a rare and potent classical soundtrack.  First time director Yaron Zilberman explores the subculture of classical musicians, their dreams, passions and the intimacy fanned by their intense working relationships.

The Fugue Quartet have toured the world for a quarter century, garnering fame and critical acclaim.  Their lives are thrown into turmoil when cellist Peter Mitchell (Christopher Walken) announces that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and won’t be able to play with them much longer.  As the group faces the touchy dilemma of who to replace him with and when, old rivalries rear their heads and the quartet’s future looks bleak.

As first violin, Mark Ivanir’s character Daniel leads the quartet, and if there were an equivalent position among the foursome of thespians it must be Walken, soaring at the top of his game, all but devouring the screen with his powerful presence.  Like their instruments the actors are finely tuned, their emotions no less exquisite and true than the notes played on their strings.  It’s a master class in acting, a real joy watch.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is typically brilliant, and Catherine Keener is a minor revelation, as she is in every film in which she appears.

The script by Zilberman and Seth Grossman occasionally flirts with the wrong side of melodrama, but the direction and acting keep things heartfelt.  Zilberman shows the signs of a far more experienced filmmaker than he actually is, this being his first narrative film; his only previous cinematic work is the 2004 documentary Watermarks, about an Austrian Jewish womens’ swimming team in the 1930s.  The word ‘versatile’ comes to mind.

The director compares the way the characters handle their personal struggles, with the way in which a quartet must plough on through a difficult piece of music.  The Fugue choose Beethoven’s infamously challenging String Quartet No. 14 for their climactic performance, and though Peter arguably faces the grimmest trial of all, it’s his steadiness and wisdom that the others must look to if they are to have a chance of pulling through with their beloved quartet intact.

One of the most affecting insights the film brings is of the respect that the musicians have for each other’s talent, despite the differences and betrayals raging on behind the scenes.  The sacrifices they make out of commitment to the belief that it is more special to be part of the whole than to be recognised individually, is refreshing in an age that at all costs celebrates the importance of taking care of number one.

Zilberman’s delicate tale of ego, sex, sickness and music will delight music and film fans alike.  There are moments it’s obvious the actors aren’t really playing their instruments, but that’s a small flaw in a first rate film that offers a poignant and heartbreaking perspective on the world of classical musicians.

Blu-ray & DVD extras: Theatrical Trailer

Dark Horse (15)

Polarising director Todd Solondz's latest 'sad comedy' hits UK cinemas this Friday 29th June.

Dark Horse (15) (This review on FilmJuice.com)

Dark Horse, Todd Solondz’s latest philosophical romp is both a step in a new direction and a throwback to his glory days when he was renowned for his playfully (and painfully) harsh comedies Happiness and Storytelling.  Abe is a thirty-something man-child whose belated attempts at growing up manifest as well-intentioned mistakes and a naively fast-tracked romance.

Before Solondz reveals his trademark ‘awkward couple’ opening scene, he boldly declares this film will be different from his previous work by starting with a sarcastically over-the-top dance set-piece at a wedding.  It’s here that Abe meets the perpetually tranquilised Miranda (an on-form Selma Blair, effectively reprising her role as Vi from Storytelling).  Abe’s chat-up line?  “I don’t dance.  It’s just not my thing.”  Miranda’s response?  “...Uh huh.”  Cue fairy tale romance!

The central part of Abe is a talent showcase for the formidable Jordan Gelber, best known previously for his work on Boardwalk Empire.  Gelber successfully performs the unenviable task of making an unlikable character relatable and is deadpan enough to convince that Abe is truly oblivious to the achingly obvious errors that he makes.  Christopher Walken turns in an unusually quiet performance as Abe’s disappointed dad who has long given up hope that his son might be a late bloomer.

For fans looking for a dose of the cruel, puppy-strangling cynicism served with vitriolic panache that Solondz has become known for, it might come as something of a letdown that Dark Horse is a more mellow effort from the auteur.  If the film was a person, it would still have acid for blood, but it would be pumped by a warm heart.  For example, after going on a misanthropic rant, like letting pus bleed out from his angry, wounded soul (“we’re all horrible people!”) Abe is brought down to Earth by his well adjusted mother reminding him that she cares about him, even if no one else does.  It’s a scene where Solondz perhaps admits that his negative worldview might seem true on a generalised scale but not on an intimate one.

However, movie-goers unversed in Solondz’s often shocking writing best stay away if hoping for anything resembling a ‘feel good factor.’  Don’t be deceived by the marketing calling the film a comedy, a ploy so often used to lure the unsuspecting to see films more likely to leave them in tears than in stitches (Synecdoche, New York is a prime example).  There is humour but it’s wrapped so tightly in tragedy that you’ll be chuckling through clenched teeth.  There’s palpable awkwardness at every turn and, though some find that kind of thing delicious, others find it nauseating.  Solondz knows this of course and both reactions are probably intended!

The director has put together another memorable soundtrack, the highlight being the recurring theme song that is Michael Kisur’s excellent ‘Who You Wanna Be’, used to ironic effect.  The film is infused with a more surreal edge than Solondz has toyed with before, the narrative draining away as the plughole of Abe’s subconscious is released, so that by the time the credits roll you’ll be wondering what really happened and what didn’t.

Dark Horse is a simultaneously tender and abrasive wake up call to those who have delayed starting their adult lives for the sake of clinging to some comforting remnant of childhood security.  Solondz latest ‘sad comedy’ provides plenty of pathos and is sure to divide audiences.  It wouldn’t be Solondz if it didn’t!