Many people will know Greta Gerwig as an actress from films like Frances Ha, 20th Century Women, and Jackie, but she's also a screenwriter and director. She made her directorial debut in 2008 with Nights And Weekends, and both writes and directs Lady Bird, a coming-of-age story set in Sacramento in 2002.
Leading from the front is Saoirse Ronan as the titular character. Lady Bird isn't her real name (her real name is Christine) but that is the name she wants to be known as, a name given to her by her. Whilst it would be easy to play Lady Bird as some kooky, quirky, affected caricature, Ronan's performance is very naturalistic, and very truthful. A lot of the time, in films like this, the main characters don't feel real (it's one of the issues I have with Juno, for instance), but Lady Bird feels like a real person. She thinks she knows better, but doesn't always; she makes mistakes; she argues and she bickers with friends and family, but I found myself always empathising with her (although not always agreeing). What's also nice is that Lady Bird has a defined arc and grows as a character- the ending is touching without being blatantly emotionally manipulative.
Laurie Metcalf is just superb as Lady Bird's mother Marion. She could easily have just been a caricatured dragon-lady- the hardass parent, the bad cop- but, as one character says, she's scary but warm. Marion is having to provide for the whole family as her husband has been laid off, so works double shifts as a psych nurse. She comes across as a woman who deeply wants the best for her daughter but just doesn't know how to communicate with her; a shared moment of understanding after listening to an audiobook in the car soon descends into their usual bickering. Her rapport with Ronan is great; you believe them as a family unit. Metcalf is also a very expressive actress; she can say more in the roll of an eye or a purse of the lip than others can say with a paragraph of dialogue.
Playwright Tracy Letts (August: Osage County) is in front of the camera here as Lady Bird's father Larry. A kind-hearted, soft man, trying to find a place for himself after being laid off, he's supportive of his daughter whilst trying to mitigate between her and Marion. It's a sensitive and lovely turn. Lucas Hedges (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Manchester By The Sea) is similarly strong as Danny, Lady Bird's boyfriend who is hiding a secret of his own, whilst Timothee Chalamet is great as the arrogant and pretentious Kyle, a world away from the sensitive Elio of Call Me By Your Name. He's the 'bad boy' who Lady Bird dates after her relationship with Danny ends, but she soon learns that he's not all he's cracked up to be. Beanie Feldstein provides great support as Lady Bird's friend Julie, who gets sidelined for the 'popular crowd' but who is a genuine friend and who is burdened with an unfortunate crush on one of her teachers, and there's also a lovely supporting turn by Lois Smith as Sister Sarah Joan, one of the teachers at Lady Bird's school who gets some great lines like 'six inches for the Holy Spirit' when telling people not to dance too closely.
Gerwig's script is tight, with nothing superfluous or padded in it; the film nips along at a nice pace, only lasting 94 minutes. It also feels very authentic, very honest. It really captures the uncertainty of taking your first tentative steps into adulthood, and all of the associated fears and concerns that come with that. It's a great piece of writing.
It's an accomplished comedy-drama impeccably acted by a superb ensemble cast. Definitely worth a watch.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Tez
What would you do if a loved one died and the authorities were lax in their handling of the case? Would you complain to your local politican? Write letters? Or would you hire billboards in your town calling the police out on their inaction? For one grieving mother, that's exactly what she does in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a darkly comic drama written and directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths)
Eight months ago, Mildred Hayes' daughter Angela was killed in a truly horrific manner. However, the investigation has yet to turn up any credible leads. Tired of no progress in the case, Mildred decides to take matters into her own hands. Hiring three disused billboards on a mostly unused road just outside the town, Mildred puts up a stark message to the Ebbing police to induce them to solve Angela's murder. This sets her on a collision course with the police and other townsfolk who- whilst sympathetic to her plight- see the billboards as unneeded aggression. But Mildred's not backing down without a fight...
Frances McDormand plays Mildred with a mix of steely reserve and brittleness. Still grieving for the loss of her daughter, frustrated with any lack of progress, she sweeps through Ebbing like an avenging (or exterminating) angel, pushing buttons and putting people's backs up. And she could care less. She gives the local reverend short shrift when he comes to appeal to her to take the billboards down (in one of the strongest scenes of the film) and even defends herself against an angry dentist with a well-placed drill to the fingernail. Yet there are moments when the grief overtakes her and you genuinely feel for the character. It's an absolutely superb performance from McDormand who- with the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards already under her belt- is frontrunner to add a second little gold man to her mantelpiece come March.
Woody Harrelson gives strong support as police chief Bill Willoughby, fighting Mildred's ire whilst dealing with his own personal tragedy. Whilst he's only in the film for the first half, his presence is felt throughout and he puts in a stoic, funny turn. Sam Rockwell is great as the dimwitted racist Officer Jason Dixon who butts heads with Mildred more than once. An arrogant drunkard momma's boy, Dixon swaggers through the town thinking he's untouchable- until even he crosses a line. It could easily be a one-note performance but there are layers to Rockwell's performance that elevate the character from just an archetypal racist hick.
Lucas Hedges (so good in Manchester By The Sea) is similarly great as Mildred's son Robbie. Whilst dealing with his own grief, he must also look out for his mother as she wages her war of attrition against the cops, and- for me- gets one of the best one-liners in the film. Peter Dinklage puts in a decent turn as the lovelorn car salesman James, whilst John Hawkes appears fleetingly but powerfully as Mildred's violent ex-husband Charlie. There's also nice performances by Abbie Cornish as Bill's wife Anne, Caleb Landry Jones as billboard letter Red Welby, and Samara Weaving as Charlie's new, younger, dumber girlfriend.
The script is ferocious, funny, and foul-mouthed, with some stingingly baroque insults thrown around. It touches on issues of race- Dixon is accused of having tortured a black suspect- but doesn't fully explore them (although that would make this a much different film). Whilst there isn't a feeling of definitive closure at the end of the film, there is a sense of an ending as Mildred and Dixon ponder their next moves. Ben Davis' cinematography is superb, especially with the evocative shots of the Missouri countryside- the opening shots of the derelict billboards wreathed in early morning mist is particularly striking- whilst Carter Burwell's spaghetti Western inspired score and a truly eclectic soundtrack (ranging from 'Chiquitita' to 'The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down') adds to the mood of the film.
Well-acted, well-written, well-directed, it's not difficult to see why Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is hoovering up awards acclaim left, right, and centre. A powerful film.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Tez
Terse and troubled Boston janitor Lee Chandler's life is thrown into freefall upon the death of his brother Joe. Travelling back to his hometown of Manchester By The Sea to break the news to his sixteen year old nephew Patrick, Lee is shocked to find out that Joe has named him Patrick's legal guardian. To take this up would mean Lee having to return permanently to a town full of ghosts.
This is director Kenneth Lonergan's third feature film, after You Can Count On Me (2000) and Margaret (2011), for which he also wrote the screenplay. At the Golden Globes, Jimmy Fallon described the film in his opening monologue as 'the only thing more depressing than 2016'. And whilst the film is an emotional slog- dealing as it does with grief, loss, and the pain of the past- it's also surprisingly funny in places. There are a couple of moments of levity to lighten the darkness.
Casey Affleck is Oscar-bound for his performance as Lee. It's a taut and muscular performance, very naturalistic. At no point does it ever tip into 'I am acting' territory (the same can be said for all the cast, actually). Lee is a man adrift in the world after a terrible tragedy and thrown into a situation he doesn't know how to deal with. Affleck can say so much with a look; you can almost see the thought processes happen behind his eyes. He has never been better on film and deserves the awards hype and critical praise he's getting.
So too do Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges who play Lee's ex-wife Randi and Lee's nephew Patrick. Williams doesn't get a lot of screen-time but is devastatingly effective as a tough woman, later haunted by the past. Hedges is endearingly gauche and geeky as Patrick, although there's much more to the character than that- he gets a few moments of real emotion which are difficult to watch. The rest of the cast are uniformly strong, with particular standout performances by C.J. Wilson as Joe's friend George and Kyle Chandler as Joe (seen primarily in flashback). My only complaint in terms of the casting is having Matthew Broderick pop up towards the end- the scene he's in is very short but it feels like it belongs in a different film.
The script is pretty tight, jumping back and forth in time, so you need to keep your wits about you. It's a weighty, sombre piece, by no means popcorn fodder, but it boasts some of the best performances I've seen on screen for some time. One for drama aficionados.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Manchester By The Sea is on general release from 13th January 2017
