I’ve been a film buff since Jodie Foster was in Tom Sawyer. #YesImTHATOld. As such, I subjected my posterior to over 24 hours of films over two weekends when I attended the Oscar Showcases a few weeks ago. My expanded girth (#BlameThePopcorn) is your gain. The next time you have a free afternoon or evening, check out one of these films. May they bring you #joy (or at least not make you cranky).
P.S. You’ll notice that Oppenheimer and Barbie did not make the list.
Anatomy of a Fall
Not a happy film by any means, but a source of joy, if for no other reason than you’ll get the chance–as I did–to discover lead actress Sandra Hüller. #AlsoFabInZoneofInterest. As Sandra Voyter, Hüller’s nuanced performance makes the twisty screenplay work. Did she or didn’t she? Hüller never lets us know for sure, and that ambiguity is so much fun. At the same time, she gives us a peek into Voyter’s harsh, complex, and contradictory marriage. The other performances are equally wonderful, including that epileptic puppy, but Hüller is the dark, thrilling heart of this utterly compelling film.
Nyad
You had me at Jodie Foster. #TheBadAss’sBadAss. Foster is at her toughest and crunchiest in this unusual biopic, which is as much about what we owe our friends as it is about swimming. I didn’t remember Nyad’s Cuba-to-Florida swims so I had no idea about the outcome. But even if your memory is better than mine, I think you’ll enjoy the film. Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi know how to make a repetitive sport suspenseful and engaging. Annette Benning has never been better. And Rhys Ifans rises above his usually goofy performances to bring true gravitas to the team’s navigator.
The Holdovers
Oh, Paul Giamatti, you are an actor’s actor. This lovable, if predictable, story tells how a gruff old history instructor learns from one of his students to be less curmudgeonly. The real joy, however, comes not from the script but from Giamatti’s exquisite use of his face. His whole face. #ProstheticEyeI’mLookingAtYou. Giamatti conveys more with a twitch of a cheek or a subtle nod than many actors can with loads of grimacing and hand-wringing. It seems redundant to pile more accolades on Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s portrayal of the grieving cafeteria employee, so I won’t. #OscarWellDeserved. But I need to mention Dominic Sessa as the student, who is great (though perhaps too old to be in high school).
American Fiction
I’m going to start my praise of American Fiction with the script. The script is smart, smart, smart in its sly satire of (predominantly white) publishing executives. And though the film’s themes are dark and this could have been a downer film, it never is. I loved seeing Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of Thelonious Ellison, the frustrated teacher and novelist at the center of the film. The role could have been sour and preachy. But Wright is light and even joyous, making a funny script even funnier. I laughed out loud here more often than in any other film. And after (at that point) 20+ hours of movies, I needed to guffaw. #OhMyAchingTush. Thanks, American Fiction.