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Hayuta and Berl (2012)
Movie with a strong beginning
Hayuta and Berl is the story of a day in the life of an elderly socialist couple trying to survive in a world that is not theirs anymore. The movie opens with a strong scene where the couple need to show a social worker how fit they are physically and mentally by performing some humiliating tasks in order to keep their stipend.
A story in the newspaper about a family having to search of leftover food from dumpsters prompts Berl to try and build up a new socialist organisation. He tries to reach out to other people, including the family in the article, but he is met with scepticism and confusion. While Berl is living in the memory of his old ideals and overestimates his feelings of independence, Hayuta has to deal with everyday real life struggles: she needs medicine she doesn't have the money for, can't afford having a drink at a cafe, and, very much like the family Berl feels sorry for, has to find leftover food from the market so they have something to eat.
The movie shows the struggles of this couple in a young and capitalistic world: their interactions with young people are difficult, distant (there is usually a glass wall separating them), full of confusion, and are always about money. A scene with Berl at a costume shop is the kindest of these interactions, and also the best.
These bittersweet scenes are very effective, although maybe sometimes a bit too on the nose. Towards the end however, when Hayuta confronts Berl with the reality of their lives, the movie becomes very preachy and formulaic. The destruction of their world becomes very literal and the acting gets stiff and artificial. This negates the stronger scenes earlier in the film, and it makes the ending seem rushed.
Jackie (2012)
Nice little road trip movie
The basic story is simple: two daughters fly to the USA to go on a road trip to meet their mother for the first time to take her to some hospital, and along the way they bond with their mom, learn to love themselves, and kick out the toxic men in their lives.
The best parts of this movie are the interactions between the two sisters. Their conversations and fights seem very natural, and are enjoyable to watch. Holly Hunter's character is mainly there as a catalyst for these interactions, and seems a bit of a waste of her talents.
The plot is very contrived at times, especially at the beginning and the end. A precise plot is clearly not the aim of the movie, which is all about the Van Houten sisters reconnect with each other.
It's not a great film, nor does it pretend to be, but it's very enjoyable to watch on a Sunday afternoon.
Brimstone (2016)
That escalated quickly
The movie starts in the middle of the story, seemingly starting as a confrontation between a practical mute midwife and a very religious reverend with different views on life, quickly moving from mystery to thriller to horror. In a structure similar to Memento (also starring Pearce), the next section is a flashback showing the events leading up to the first part, and the one following that another flashback to the events prior to that, slowly unfolding the complete story; before continuing the events of the first part, which is pretty straightforward (but disturbing) horror.
I didn't have any idea what the movie was about before I watched it, expecting a Western. And the unexpected turns made the movie more interesting to me. Wanting to figure out what had happened before and why, drew me into the movie.
The movie is not perfect at all. There are some plot holes and weird decisions made by the characters. The acting was good but a bit distant, which fit the characters but it was hard to connect. The actress playing Joanna (Emilia Jones) was the standout performance for me. I enjoyed Pearce's performance too, but his accent is a little curious, especially considering there are native speakers with the proper accent to make it a little distracting, but maybe non-native speakers won't mind that as much as I did.
The movie is very pretty, with a nice soundtrack. The movie surprised me and I enjoyed the structure and the look of the film, which make me like it despite its flaws.