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Good Time

Good Time by Josh and Benny Safdie is a fast-paced crime thriller. It’s driven mainly by Connie’s love for his brother, Nick, and his desire to find him and make sure he’s doing okay. The film starts off with an establishing shot of a building where Nick is in therapy. In therapy, everything is magnified by the use of close up shots. The subtle, random camera movements create an uncomfortable atmosphere. We are first introduced to Connie when Nick starts to break down about a story involving his grandmother-notice there is a random movement right after his tears fall. Connie comes in through the door and there is a quick zoom towards his upset face. He remarks “how would you feel if I made you cry?” to Peter and mild chaos ensues. There is no better way to introduce Connie as a character. After dragging Nick out of the room, Connie’s face is of disbelief as he asks Nick, “is that who you think you are?”, a comment Connie should recall at the end of the film as he reflects on the events of the night. In the elevator, Connie hugs and kisses Nick, saying “I love you, all right?” before the scene closes and the title for the film appears. It is a very fitting introduction to a film driven by love.

The theme of love is communicated by the film in many different moments. After the bank robbery that led to Nick’s arrest, Nick calls his grandmother and claims that she doesn’t know what love is. You can hear Connie’s desperation when he calls the hospital asking for his brother in the police room at the arcade. The theme of love is also presented by the use of color in this film. The main color of the film is red which symbolizes the color of love and Connie’s intense ambition to find his brother. You cannot forget the film’s conclusion which sums up the night perfectly with Iggy Pop’s song, “The Pure and the Damned.” The song talks about how both the pure, Nick, and the damned, Connie, act from this feeling called love. The lines: “Some day, I swear, we're gonna go to a place where we can do everything we want to/And we can pet the crocodiles” reminds the audience of the phone call Nick had with his grandmother stating that Connie was going to buy a farm in the woods with the money from the bank heist and he "was going to be able to do whatever [he] wanted when [he] wanted." The brothers’ plans really did seem like a “nice dream.”

However, even though Connie was acting out of love for the entirety of the film, the audience shouldn’t ignore the trail of victims Connie left behind. Connie uses his girlfriend, Corey, for money and manipulates Crystal and her family for whatever he needs at the moment. He injures the black police at the arcade and uses his house for shelter. Then he uses Ray and his friend’s acid to try and get money. The grandmother also points out how badly she thinks Connie treats Nick and the film cuts to the legs of Ray on the bed, reminding the audience of what Connie’s bank heist did to Nick (the audience doesn’t know the body is not Nick yet). Nick’s lawyer towards the beginning of the film seems to agree with the Grandmother stating to Nick, “Because, you know what? The thing is, is that I don't think you're as responsible for this as you believe that you are.”

One of the main things I noticed, and I touched on this in the introduction paragraph, is the directors’ use of close up shots that created the tense atmosphere and a very stressful undertone of the movie. It also allows access to the characters', especially Connie's, feelings by letting the audience see the character’s eyes, which are a powerful outlet of emotions. It also makes the audience feel like they are watching the action happening there with the characters. I found the use of close up shots made it easier to catch some patterns in the film. I loved how the directors shot the fight scene in the prison where Nick gets punched over and over. You see the arm and face of the person on top of Nick alternating with shots of Nick’s face being hit. This is also how they shot the scene where Connie punches the black policeman, strangely reminding the audience of Nick being punched in the face.

Overall, this film was exactly how a bad trip would feel like. It had an outstanding soundtrack, color use, and pacing. The use of lights was exceptional, especially at the arcade. I love the way they used sounds from real life and incorporated them into the soundtrack. For example, the scene in the hospital, as Connie lifts Ray into the wheelchair the sound of the heart machine’s long beep adds to the tense soundtrack playing. The film’s pacing almost replicated real life. The film was moving from moment to moment, racing through the night, to find Nick. The last time we see Nick, before the end of the film, is in prison when he is repeatedly punched in the face. This means for most of the movie, the audience is experiencing the night feeling the same feelings as Connie and having the same knowledge as him. The film also doesn’t dramatize moments which helps the film feel more real. For example, the scene where Ray falls from the building is so sudden that you almost don’t know what to think.

As the night finally slows down with Connie being arrested, the audience and Connie are able to reflect back on the night, especially on Connie’s decisions. Notice that Connie spends a lot of the film judging others such as Peter for his treatment towards Nick, Ray for his drinking habits, Corey for not caring about Nick as much as he thinks she should, and his grandmother for how she treats her grandsons. Connie also wears a literal mask during the bank heist scene. But as the film closes, we see the two brothers accepting and reflecting on all that’s happened.

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Drive

Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn is a visually intense crime and action film. What I enjoyed most about the film was its great cinematography, lighting, and soundtrack that makes it very unique and allows for a lot of visual symbolism. Besides this, the cast was great, especially the way they delivered their lines. A scene I really liked was when Ryan Gosling said, “Now, you just got a little boy's father killed. And you almost got us killed. And now you're lying to me,” with such intensity right before the motel shootout, making it clear that the Driver was not to be messed with. For this analysis, I’ll be focusing on the Driver.

The Driver

The Driver is the character who speaks very little throughout the film. When first introduced to him, it’s through what he does best. Driving. He’s working for some robbers and he explains the rules to them and to the audience. “You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own.” This whole opening sequence is about the Driver. The camera is always on him so we only get to imagine the action happening inside the store while waiting with the Driver in the car. The sequence shows how reserved, diligent, and precise the driver is. After he successfully escapes, he switches to another car and the opening credit starts. The song used in this sequence is “Nightcall” by Kavinsky which is literally about a boy/man driving through the night. The lyrics fit his personality and what is happening perfectly. On the lines, “There's something inside you/It's hard to explain,” I immediately thought of the Driver’s relationship with Irene because the Driver’s lack of words is almost tangible during their interactions. 

After this sequence is when the Driver’s socially withdrawn state really hits the audience. He has no friends or family for all we can tell. His only long-term relationship is with Shannon. He never works with the same robbers again as the scene in the bar explains. He lives a very isolated life. This quiet and mysterious façade is shaken when he starts his relationship with Irene. The scene where he drives Irene and Benicio while the song, “A Real Hero,” by College plays, is the first time we really feel that the Driver is happy. He wants to help her get home. He wants to get involved.

We can also listen to what few words Driver has to say to understand what he thinks about himself. For example, the scene in Irene’s house where he asks Benicio, “There’s no good sharks?” shows that Driver thinks of himself as a shark mingling with other sharks at night. But he desperately wants to be a good one. That seems to be the reason why he is so reserved and only causes harm by becoming insanely violent when he absolutely has to, despite how skilled he is physically. There is also the scene when Driver first meets Bernie and he states, “My hands are a little dirty,” as the excuse for not shaking his hand. Driver must see himself as a good person involved in bad activities. His hands are only a little dirty. He doesn’t want the involvement in the activity to fully define who he is as a person.

One of the most violent scenes happens right after Standard’s death in the motel. It’s the scene where the audience realizes how far the driver is capable of going. His skill set is incredible (he can kill people with a shower pipe) and his decision to just drive instead of getting involved in the shooting and action of it all shows his inclination to avoid getting involved in anything. The shot of Driver going back into the shadow with blood on his face after the shootout is over is haunting. He doesn't look like himself anymore and he isn't just a "driver" anymore. 

When everything begins to unravel and the Driver realizes that he’s going to have to unmask his violent side to Irene, he decides to kiss her goodbye. There is symbolism in the lighting. The Driver’s face is shadowed and Irene’s face is glowing. His face being in the darkness shows that his hands are in fact dirty. When he turns to the man with the gun, the audience can feel the uncontrollable rage of the Driver as he smashes the man's head in. They can also see Irene’s shocked and terrified reaction to this rage. Right before he lets the elevator door close, you can see that the Driver’s heartbroken face has a shadow on it and Irene’s face has a light on it even when surrounded by the literal darkness of the parking lot. I think this dreamlike and peaceful kiss the Driver shares with Irene followed immediately by this horrifying act of killing alludes to what a hero and monster he can be. This makes me think that the Driver is maybe both the scorpion and the frog. 

The Scorpion and the Frog

My first interpretation of this fable was that the Driver was the frog. He carries around criminals who are the scorpions and that's what the jacket with the scorpion on the back he wears shows as well. He is dragged into the mess made by the heist gone wrong which represents him getting stung. But later on in the film when he kills Nino, smashes a guy's head in, etc, it made me think that the Driver could be a scorpion too.  This tale is also played out in front of our eyes when Driver kills Nino in the ocean.

In the scene where the Driver and Bernie both stab each other, they both represent scorpions, doing what their nature is telling them to do. The Diver’s nature and lifestyle was what led to him facing his consequences. After he kills Bernie, he leaves the money and everything else behind him, driving off into the distance, again doing what he does best. The ambiguity of the scene leaves what happens to the Driver open to interpretation. To me this scene feels like a trance, almost like Driver is driving into his afterlife as the lights on the street get blurry.

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Boyhood

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood is an incredible and unique coming of age film. It took more than a decade to make this film because Linklater decided to actually show the actors and actresses growing up during the filming process. If you step back and take a look at the characters, you can see very real changes in them. You can see physical changes like more lines in Mason Sr.’s face and Mason’s and Samantha’s growth spurts. There are also the painful and exciting changes in people. For example, while Mason Sr. was a goofy and fun dad in the beginning of the film, you can see that he matures and becomes a more serious and responsible father at the end. I feel like his seriousness in fulfilling the role of a father really shined in the scenes between Mason and him because there seemed to be a real connection between the two that I didn’t see much of with Mason and his mother. In fact, his mother becomes more agitated and depressed near the end of the film. She states that she “thought there would be more” before Mason went off to college which really hit hard. It basically sums up the haunting feeling that parents feel when their last child leaves the nest. Also since she’s always been the one taking full-time care of the children (unlike Mason Sr.), even when she was going to school and getting jobs, I feel like she wasn’t able to find her identity outside of being a mother (also unlike Mason Sr.).

I think the film is unique because it doesn’t dramatize a lot of the things that most coming of age films do. The violence of Mason’s mother’s husband (the professor) is present and very threatening but Linklater is able to portray this without overdoing it. Some audiences might be waiting for something big to happen while Mason and his friend do drugs and throw the blade at the board. But that isn’t the point of the film. The film shows us how precious the moments in between the milestones in our life can be even if they seem normal and banal. It teaches us that we should be present in those moments because time will pass by quickly (I just saw a small boy turn into a man in like 3 hours). Especially to the parents, the shortness of childhood is a terrifying truth. I really liked the dialogue between Mason and his dad where his dad tells him that we’re all just “winging it” and teaches him of the importance of feeling things (whatever the emotions are) because the older you grow, the less you’re going to feel. Overall, the film was a wonderful experience that just felt very shockingly real to me.

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Green Room

Unlike some other horror films, Green Room, by Jeremy Saulnier, starts off calmly and introduces us to the beautiful landscape of Oregon, almost like it's a road trip movie. It makes the movie seem big, beautiful, and airy which is ironic because for the rest of the movie, the characters are all stuck in this dark room that they need to get out of. I think the film does a great job portraying punk rock culture and what it stands for. For example, the song that the band decides to sing states that “Punk means thinking for yourself” which is an idea that is present throughout the whole movie. Most people who are killed in the movie (especially the neo Nazis) aren’t really thinking for themselves. The neo Nazis just take orders from Darcy and there was a scene where Tad was questioning if putting goop in his hair actually made him a legitimate punk rock person. There are also interesting symbolisms in the movie. The red laces symbolize and make distinct the people who have had more experience. The paint on their faces seem to symbolize that they are a team and they have decided to play by their own rules (call back to the story Pat told Amber on the couch). 

I really liked how this film used violence as an exciting entertainment but also kind of hand in hand with the emotional and human aspect of the film. The exciting part of the violence are the intense bursts of chaos that happen in the film (happens every time they attempt to escape). The film also spares no gory details, especially when Pat’s arm got cut really badly and when they pulled the knife out of the murdered girl. Aside from the violent scenes, I really liked how the film also had its intense emotional moments. When the characters tried to negotiate their way out of the room, the way they spoke to each other was really intense even without all the violence. You could also feel the tension and a bit of awkwardness when the band plays their anti Nazi song in front a Nazi crowd. I really felt bad for the dog that went back to its dead handler because until then the dogs were made out to be savage and evil (that’s why Pat tried to kill it when it was on its way to its dead handler). But at the end of the day the dog just wanted to be with its handler. I think all the violence in the movie pealed away all the ingenuine outer layers of the characters and showed us who the characters really were in contrast to who they were portrayed as for much of the movie. Like the dog finding its way to its handler, the movie shows the human aspect of the Nazis by showing changes in their cruelty (Gabe for example helps Pat and Amber at the end). The changes in the people show that what one believes in can change and be shaken by violent and desperate situations. At the end, after Pat and Amber fight their way to the top, Pat decides on the desert island band which I see as a call back to the song's line about thinking for yourself.

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Goodnight Mommy

Goodnight Mommy is an Austrian horror/thriller film directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala about a mother who has had plastic surgery and twins who become suspicious of her because of her strange behaviors. I think it does a great job misdirecting the audience. Getting straight to the point, the big plot twist here is that Lukas is dead. The film doesn’t make explicit what caused his death but a possibility is that he drowned. There is a scene when Elias calls out to Lukas after he dived into the lake and he doesn’t reappear before the scene is cut. Another possibility is that Lukas could have been accidentally burned to death by Elias. The mother seems to fear the lighter and Elias seems unusually adept at starting fires. The movie makes it pretty clear that Lukas is dead (we just aren’t paying enough attention and are busy being suspicious of the mother’s behavior). For example when the mother prepares food for Elias, she doesn’t set a plate for Lukas and tells Elias that Lukas needs to ask for himself if he wants to eat. Things get clearer towards the end where emotions are running high. The mother says to Elias, “It’s not your fault Lukas died. The accident wasn't your fault.” Also for all the interactions between the twins and the mother (eg: the guessing game scene), Lukas never talks directly to the mother. As mentioned before, we are too busy with the suspicious mother to actually take note of these hints. The mother seems erratic and evil to Elias. Right after she comes home from the surgery, she gets angry at Elias for having dirty clothes. She stops playing along and refuses to treat Lukas as if he was alive. He finds weird pictures of her with a similar looking person and that she put the house on sale. The more extreme scenes of the mother in the forest and the bugs crawling out of her are probably Elias’s dreams. This highlights how creative children’s imaginations are and we are shown the destructive influence it has on a child having a hard time finding a way to cope with his brother’s death alone.

The main theme in this movie is the effect of a lack of communication. The movie shows characters trying to suppress their traumas and emotions. This leads to the mother having scary mood swings and her intolerance of Elias’s behavior makes her have angry bursts. She never takes the time to talk to Elias about her surgery, her decision to sell the house, the accident, and her feelings about it, until it is too late. She pleads to Elias, "Come on, sit down. So we can talk." Elias seems to falter and tries to cut her loose when Lukas intervenes and the torture continues. Elias copes with his grief by pretending his brother is still alive. The bugs seem to symbolize this. Elias keeps them bottled up most of the time which can be a reference to him bottling up his emotions. Every time Elias tries to believe the mother, Lukas creates doubt and dissuades. It shows that Elias is having trouble letting go of his brother and the traumatic accident. The bugs are also seen on the wallpapers of the house which is suitable for the vibe of the family. There is not a lot of loud dialogue between themselves. Even when the brothers play there is not a lot of banter. The bandages that the mother wears and the toy masks the twins wear during the torture scene represent the character’s suspicions of each others’ identity. The characters are left to creep around each other, trying to unmask each other. The movie shows the consequences of the lack of communication at the end of the film where Elias burns the mother and the house. You can see the mothers’ ghost/soul leaving the burning house before returning with the twins. Overall, I think this film did a great job giving the audience the thrill of a horror movie and also creating a piece of art using intricate symbolisms. There were some confusing moments with the cat and the tank and the scene of the mother eating toast and pretending to be sleeping. That aside, I think the most unique part of the film was the type of violence that was portrayed by the characters. The twins glued the mother’s mouth shut and later her entire body to the floor. They tried to open her glued mouth with the scissors and accidentally made her lips bleed. These aren’t examples of extreme violence used in horror and action movies (the most extreme part was the mother burning and it only lasted a few seconds) but they still made me very tense. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a well-made psychological horror movie.

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Hounds of Love

Hounds of Love by Ben Young is a thriller/horror film that I think was pretty well done. I think the characters are what drives the movie so I’ll focus on analyzing them. Vicki Maloney is a rebellious teenager who has an unhappy home life and a boyfriend who writes her school papers for her. She sneaks out to go to a party and ends up being held captive by John and Evelyn. Throughout the course of the film, it becomes more and more apparent that John has complete control of Evelyn and everything that goes on inside the house. But in reality, he’s a weak and pathetic figure and this is clearly demonstrated when we see John intimated by two men (John owes money to them) in a scene. Evelyn is a person with many insecurities like not having her children with her and Vicki notices this (maybe from her dysfunctional household) and how she is being exploited by John. Vicki even states, “It's a replacement for your kids. He doesn't want them here,” referring to the replacement-dog that is also present in the house. So it seems that all the characters are either metaphorically or literally held captive inside the house. John though underestimates women and as Evelyn slowly loosens his psychological grip on her, she is able to do things like stabbing him at the end. You can see the look of surprise and devastation on his face in that scene. Overall, this film was enjoyable and thrilling, especially every time Vicki got close to escaping. The songs used in this film were nice as well (I especially liked the ending where Joy Division’s “Atmosphere” played).

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Mud

Mud by Jeff Nichols is a fresh coming of age story set in Arkansas that isn’t really like the teenage coming of age stories that I’ve seen before. The first thing that you notice is that the setting and the characters are really solid. We see that the main protagonist, Ellis, is experiencing changes in his life. He discovers Mud while his parents struggle with their marriage. Ellis idolizes Mud who is charismatic and mysterious and becomes determined to help Mud escape with Jupiter. Ellis views Mud as this “savior” (after all he saved Ellis from dying when he was bitten) because he represents things that Ellis wants to believe in. He wants to believe in love as he’s fallen in love with a girl and he can relate to Mud who is very much in love with Jupiter and is full of hope and faith in this thing called love. He begins to act like Mud as well, trying to stand up for what he thinks is right and “protecting” his girlfriend from a guy that was kissing her by punching him. This recalls the scene where Mud tells Ellis that he is wanted for murder because he shot a man who was hurting Jupiter. As much as he wants to believe in this “pure” love, Ellis realizes that love isn’t as straightforward as he thought it was. A series of events (seeing Jupiter with another man, his girlfriend rejecting him, and his parent’s failing marriage) shows him that Mud is a human too and not some kind of supernatural being and opens his eyes to the fact that love is a complicated emotion. Overall, the theme of love comes across strongly in this movie because it's everywhere.

On another point, symbolism is a big part of this movie (especially the Christian religion). Firstly, Mud’s name represents the character very well. He is seen in the movie with dirt on his clothes but also it is further supported by the fact that he has spilled blood. In terms of Christianity, he can be seen as a man made of dust/mud. His boots have crosses on the bottom and Mud explains that they “ward off evil spirits.” He also has a tattoo of a serpent and Ellis gets bitten by a snake. In Christianity the snake is viewed as an evil being and that should be avoided. The setting such as the island symbolizes isolation and imprisonment because Mud is a fugitive caged there to avoid the law. The island also represents danger because of the threats such as the snakes and lack of food. There are long shots of Ellis and Neckbone on a boat in the water. I think the water seems peaceful and more welcoming than the island that the boat heads towards. All in all, the film is a masterpiece and I think Nichols wrote one of the best screenplays I’ve seen so far.

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The Platform

    The Platform by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia is sci-fi thriller that is a great symbol for how the actual society works. The dialogue is very quotable and the acting is great. The movie shows human greed and literal human hunger for food and some sympathy. There are brutal action scenes and the tension is palpable throughout the whole movie. When a character says, "I can't shit upwards," it just shows why it's so difficult to change how society functions. This difficulty is also shown by the movie's ending. Goreng was never going to make it up with all the blood on his hands. It wouldn’t send the right message and this is shown by the innocent and “pure” girl that travels up to the top. The director states, "In the end, the problem arises when you try to demand everyone's collaboration, and you see that there is no big achievement by the end. Goreng does what he set out to do in bringing the panna cotta and the child down to the lowest level, but he didn't change anyone's mind about sharing the food [...] To me, that lowest level doesn't exist. Goreng is dead before he arrives, and that's just his interpretation of what he felt he had to do." Overall, this movie's descent into the dark sides of human beings was intense and enlightening. It kind of reminded me of Bong Joon-ho's movies since his movies (Parasite and Snowpiercer) are both symbols for society.

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Thoroughbreds

    Thoroughbreds is a dark thriller that is centered around its characters and is driven by their dialogue. I think the movie does an excellent job at manipulating the audience. Right before Lily admits that she drugged Amanda's drink and kills Mark, we aren't aware of how dangerous Lily is. This is because from the start of the movie, Lily was presented as this neat, diligent student who thinks that Amanda is weird. And so do we. Amanda behaves eccentrically and she admits to feeling no emotions at all. By convention, we think that that makes her stronger and unable to be manipulated easily. Lily's behavior, on the other hand, shows that she is very emotional. The movie does a great job manipulating us to think that Lily is the main victim here, being persuaded by Amanda (who killed her horse) to murder her cold stepfather (who shows that he doesn't care for Amanda). Also, when the two girls find Tim and try to blackmail him into murdering Mark, Amanda is the one making cold remarks and she is the one who hits him in the head. However, the movie makes an unexpected and surprising turn when Lily tells Amanda to stop drinking her drink because it has Rohypnol in it. The fact that she even thought about framing Amanda and even going as far as to actually letting her take sips from the drink is proof that Lily was capable of taking absolute control. Going back to Mark's speech about how Lily just uses people and how everyone is just her "maids" starts to sound credible. Lily killing Mark, framing Amanda, and her last words: "I don't know. I just threw it away," show that Lily was the most cruel person in the movie, who only cared about herself. She was extremely emotional but also narcissistic which made her the most dangerous. The movie does a great job showing how people usually seen as bad by convention (drug dealers like Tim and "evil" stepdads) can actually be harmed by a person like Lily. Overall, it was very interesting to see a person with an ego and no emotion (Amanda) and a person with an ego and extreme emotions (Lily) constantly interact in the movie.