Hitchcock:
****/*****, or 8/10
Fascinating
take on the production of Alfred Hitchcock's (in)famous masterpiece
Psycho (1960). Of course, we all know how well that ended up,
so there's little suspense about this particular film on the Master
of Suspense, but there is a lot of love for his work and his persona
to be found in this terrific 'film about film'. In the late Fifties,
director Hitchcock (another grand role on the already hugely
impressive resumé of master-actor Anthony Hopkins) is bored with
repeating himself as the audience seems to desire. After releasing
yet another spy film – North by Northwest, another legendary
movie in his oeuvre – Hitch decides to do something else and finds
just that in the novel Psycho, based on the heinous crimes
committed by serial killer Ed Gein. Ridiculed by friends and
colleagues alike for adapting what is considered a trashy,
sensationalist pulp novel, Hitch proves undeterred and sets out in
making this movie that is bound to shock the nation. However, his
stubbornness soon threatens his marriage to his beloved wife and
partner Alma Reville (the current 'grand dame' of British actors,
Helen Mirren) who feels neglected and starts off on her own search
for professional happiness. Director Sacha Gervasi clearly did not
mean for this movie to be seen as a true biopic and thanks to the
many instances of black humour, sometimes completely over the top,
it's hard to consider it as such. Nevertheless, he convincingly
captures the sense of pressure and discomfort the real Hitchcock
might have experienced during this production, considered his most
tasking and laborious shoot. Gervasi brilliantly showcases Hitch's
emotional troubles by having him engage in inner dialogue with his
darker self in the shape of the murderer Gein (the ever alarming
Michael Wincott), at which point all doubt is taken away: Hitchcock
is not an attempt at historical accuracy, but a loving fictional
reconstruction of the turmoil that might very well have plagued the
corpulent director himself during his most trying production. The
whole is interspersed with many references to classic film lore for
movie buffs to enjoy, as well as a number of fine actors portraying
key people involved in making Psycho the shock ride of a
thriller it ended up being, including Scarlett Johansson as Janet
Leigh, Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) as Lew Wasserman
and James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas) as Anthony Perkins. For all
those who loved Psycho, Hitchcock ought to be required
viewing.
Broken:
****/*****, or 7/10
Harrowing
and depressing British social drama about a young girl named Skunk
(wonderful debutante Eloise Laurence) whose cheerful life is
shattered when she witnesses a brutal case of violence in her street.
Sadly for her and everyone else in her neighbourhood, it's only just
the start of a series of disturbing events that spiral ever more out
of control until all hope for a peaceful resolution seems lost. The
cause for all the trouble is an increasingly anti-social single
parent household run by a father with severe anger issues (you can't
really blame him) and his three teenage daughters, one more loathsome
and dislikable than the other (great acting but rarely do you
encounter characters you wish would die a horrible death so badly!).
Despite Skunk's caring father (Tim Roth playing a good guy for a
change, succeeding in making him look sympathetic despite failing to
contain the situation and protecting his daughter) and her uplifting
relationship with a young teacher (Cillian Murphy), things go ever
more awry with deadly consequences. Romantic involvements break down,
the innocence of youth is destroyed and everyday life soon turns
lethal. But hey, if you read the newspapers you'll find this sort of
thing happens on a daily basis: this can basically happen to
everybody, including children. With Broken, director Rufus
Norris has made a gripping and thought provoking drama, but its
contents are so disheartening it's hard to sit through it all. To his
credit it sticks with you for longer than you would expect, but
that's not necessarily a positive thing, considering all the
bleakness he serves. Even though it's meant as a serious study into
the deterioration of everyday life in an average neighbourhood
following a single, at first seemingly isolated, violent event and
the distressing repercussions it has on those involved, some notion
of hope would have been most welcome. One cannot, and should not,
deny that Broken is a thoroughly engaging film experience
regarding a relevant social topic, but it would not be a bad idea to
let people know in advance what realistic horrors they will need to
endure.
