The Damned

 

       Directed by Thordur Palsson, who also wrote the story, this is a moderately creepy "horror" story perfect for a cold winter's night.

        Eva played by Odessa Young is a young widow running her husband's remote fishing post located on an isolated shoreline of some unnamed Artic or Icelandic region. It's the middle of a freezing winter and Eva and her six fishermen are at least three days away from any town.

        An impossible decision awaits Eva when they all watch a ship sink off shore. With barely enough food to survive themselves and only one small fishing boat, do they try to save any survivors or just let them all drown. The consequences of Eva's decision leads to superstition and madness as the group begin to believe they are being stalked by an evil presence, a "Draugur".

        The film co-stars Joe Cole, Siobhan Finneran, Lewis Gribben, Francis Magee, Rory McCann, Turlough Convery, Micheal Og Lane, and Andrean Sigurgeirsson. Kudos to the cast and crew for filming in what appears to be pretty harsh conditions.

        Mr. Palsson creates an atmosphere of rising tension in an eerie, unhospitable environment. Shadows and dark corners may or may not hide the Draugur. Death seems inevitable foretold by Eva's charwoman, Helga. Without any "hide your eyes" types of scares, the film still elicits goosebumps during moody and violent scenes. 

Nickel Boys

 

      Co-written (with Joslyn Barnes) and directed by RaMell Ross, this is a historical drama set in a fictional reform school in Florida. The "Nickel School" is based on the "Dozier School For Boys", which was a notorious institution where boys were routinely beaten, sexually abused and even killed.

      Mr. Ross has a bold vision for storytelling. He shoots the film with a first person POV (point of view) and in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This creates an immersive experience for the viewer but it is can also be jarring and takes some getting used to. You never see the main characters on screen together (even though they may be in the same scene) as the camera switches the POV throughout the film. He also lingers the camera on various imagery which is visually poetic but can also be overwhelming. In addition, there are black and white clips that may or may not be actual footage from the Dozier school interspersed throughout the film. It all makes for a unique way of storytelling that focuses on Elwood and Turner, two boys at the school who become close friends.

      Ethan Herisse plays Elwood and Brandon Wilson plays Turner and they are both excellent. The film also co-stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Hattie, Elwood's grandmother, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Jimmie Fails, and Daveed Diggs.

      Mr. Ross also employs some flashforward scenes that may cause some confusion for the viewer at the end of the film unless you have read the book.

      This is an intense drama with many unsettling scenes but it is also an important story that, while fictional, exposes a very real injustice.

The Brutalist

 

           A stunning achievement by director and co-writer (with Mona Fastvold) Barry Corbett, this new drama tells the story of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant who arrives in New York two years after the end of World War Two. Laszlo is an architect struggling to achieve his American dream until fate introduces him to wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren, who becomes his patron.

           Adrien Brody plays Toth and he is brilliant. He is the perfect "soulful" actor for the role. Guy Pierce plays Van Buren and it's his best role in years. The eccentric billionaire and the Jewish architect develop an unusual relationship when Van Buren commissions Toth to build a community center in honor of his late mother. The film co-stars  Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Alessandro Nivola, and Emma Laird.

          Mr. Corbett has fashioned an emotional story of the immigrant experience. He also presents the film in an old fashioned Hollywood style. There is an Overture, then Act One, followed by an actual twenty minute intermission and then Act Two followed by an Epilogue. It's also filmed in Vistavison, providing a widescreen effect that blends beautifully with the camerawork.

          The film has stunning cinematography by Lol Crawley and superb art direction by Judy Becker. Combined with a wonderful score by Daniel Blumberg, costumes and sets, the film truly is a work of art.

          An epic story depicting the highs and lows of Laszlo's life (with an underlying theme of antisemitism running throughout), the film is mesmerizing, however, personally I felt the ending was too rushed and the epilogue left some unanswered questions. Even so, it is an intense experience best enjoyed on the large screen of a theater.