Emma.

Music videographer turned filmmaker Autumn de Wilde dusts the Jane Austen Classic, Emma, with a sprinkle of sugar.

“I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like,” Jane Austen said of the film’s titular heroine. True to her words, Taylor-Joy’s misguided yet well-meaning Emma is both hard to love and hard to resist. Accompanying her on this journey to self-awareness is a cast of eclectic supporting characters, including Bill Nighy’s pitch-perfect portrayal of the hypochondriacal Mr. Woodhouse.

In this confection-like period comedy, production designer Kave Quinn and set decorator Stella Fox enliven the charming Highbury with pastel hues and a creamy elegance that serve as the ideal backdrop for our heroine to indulge in romantic reveries. The bright-coloured and joyfully decorated locales make for an inviting and tangible quality that is reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s trademark twee. Music video veteran de Wilde makes great use of her expertise in the blocking of the film. The scene-stealing ensemble flits across the screen like an exquisitely choreographed dance. Coupled with the off-beat humour, this new spin on the classic exudes much charm and glee.

The enticing puffs of whimsical air in this 2020 version of Emma is a much-welcomed relief in these arduous times. This is guaranteed to satiate the appetite of many devoted Austen fans.

(Originally posted on 25 July 2020 @projectunwrapped)

Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee’s potent new “joint” Da 5 Bloods is a powerful negotiation of American history on behalf of the downtrodden. The story traces a band of Black Vietnam war veterans who return to the battlefield to uncover buried treasures and come face to face with their perpetual psychological trauma.

Lee has always been bold when diving into the insidious chapters of our history. The director does not veer far from the recurring themes from his previous works here. Intermittent with authentic images from ongoing racial equality movements and the Vietnam war, the often violent film tactfully forces audiences to confront the corroded and uncomely side of these lived realities.

At any rate, in these times of anger and confusion, Lee’s passionate sentiments will surely be echoed in the chamber of many battered hearts. Be that as it may, you can trust that the auteur would not resign himself to tautology and sweeping statements. He delicately weaves the perception of Blackness, masculinity and patriotism into the tapestry of the narrative.

Lee’s passion may come on strong but they are always judiciously executed. The towering passion of the film culminates in a Shakespearean, fourth-wall breaking soliloquy in the last act delivered by the deeply troubled, MAGA hat-wearing Paul (Delroy Lindo). This moment exemplifies best the convergence of judgment, sympathy and resoluteness which makes Lee’s works worth seeing.

(Originally posted on 24 July 2020 @projectunwrapped)

Little Women

“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it! But I’m so lonely.”

Greta Gerwig has done it again.

In both Gerwig's directorial efforts, there seems to be an indescribable sense of motion that is brimming in every frame and every dialogue. Gerwig’s sensibility breathes an enveloping sense of warmth into this thoughtful and modern adaptation.

It’s not easy to find a director whose work makes you feel heard. Little Women is of course a splendid adaptation of a novel that is perhaps targeted towards a younger audience, but Gerwig treats the thematic elements with such nuance that the film is bound to appeal to audiences of all ages. The film uplifts those who yearn for independence but also makes a point to show the plights that come with one’s choice of independence. What makes the message of empowerment more genuine is that this same level of respect and sympathy are also extended to characters who face very different choices across the board.

Little Women reconstructed the classic story beats into separate timelines which at first can be muddled but as their distance closes, the sprawling episodes came to echo one another beautifully, like strings of memories spontaneously called upon one’s thoughts. These memories are adorned by bright spots of colour and dashes of childhood naivete. Watching them play out feels like we are at once looking in from the outside of the March house’s misty windows as a passive observer of their lives, while feeling like the warmth that radiates from within is just within our hands’ reach. Whether it’s an unread letter, an unfinished piece of writing, an unrequited love or an unsaid truth, Little Women makes you feel that all these fragments are tangible.

Thanks for making me feel alive again.

(Originally posted on 2 Jan 2020 @projectunwrapped)