Some of my favorite films this year have used ambitious structures, understated realism, and unrelenting tension to great affect. These techniques have kept me focused on the characters and the emotion of the story rather than the mechanics of it.
I’ll start with The Place Beyond the Pines. This film touches on legacy and how the actions of fathers can shape the lives of sons. Some of the plot turns are very easy to predict. This would be more of an issue if every other aspect of the movie weren’t so impressive. The cinematography mixes naturalistic lighting with repeating compositions. This allows the viewer feel invested in the scenes but also creates important emotional crescendos. Performances from Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling along with the young actors playing their sons are restrained and use every trick in the book. From Bradley Cooper’s nervous eyes to Ryan Gosling’s anxious hands: smoking cigarettes, hitting his helmet, or playing with a switchblade. The music is also minimal but highlights emotions rather than selling them.
Fruitvale Station is a very emotional film. It concerns the tragic death of a young African American man by a police officer. This is shown upfront before the film jumps back, presenting his day leading up to it. The camera follows him as he makes calls, runs errands, and contemplates his life. A flashback is also revealed, highlighting a moment he probably wants to forget but will always remember. The film makes it clear that, just like all of us, he isn’t perfect but it also portrays him as a multifaceted human being. It is the empathy the film has towards him that makes his tragic death very powerful. He shouldn’t have died and had family and friends that cared about him and he cared about in return. This sounds simple but when a film decides not to spell this out to its audience it shows how complex life really is.
Captain Phillips uses tension more effectively than any film in recent memory. The fact that I knew the outcome of this true story ahead of time makes the tension it generates even more impressive. Tom Hanks, in one of his best performances, portrays a man forced to think on his feet. The Somali pirates that board his ship are shown as desperate and poor. The leader seems doomed from the start, chasing a fortune that he’ll have to give to his criminal bosses. The director uses handheld compositions to great affect. This disorients the viewers without confusing them. Making them feel part of the action but not lost in it. The end scene features one of Tom Hanks best acting moments. He seems to let go of the façade his character was keeping in front of the pirates and let the emotion of the situation wash over him.
There are more films I’m looking forward to having wash over me. If they are as good or better than these three this year has the chance of being a notable one for the movies. With films from directors such as the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, and David O. Russell on the horizon I think it’s a safe bet.