Hi everyone!
I haven't compiled the list of my top ten films of 2012 yet--it's coming soon--but when I do, I can almost guarantee that Anurag Basu's film "Barfi" will be somewhere on the list.
"Barfi" was one of the highest grossing and most critically praised Hindi language films of 2012. Anchored by a star-powered cast led by Ranbir Kapoor (as Barfi) and Priyanka Chopra (as Jhilmil), "Barfi" tells the story of Barfi, a deaf-mute young man from a small village in Darjeeling who falls in love with a beautiful able-bodied woman, Shruti, nicely played by newcomer Ileana D'Cruz, who is--inevitably--engaged to another man. Although Shruti falls in love with Barfi, she knows that a relationship between them will never work. After she returns to Calcutta for her wedding, Barfi reunites with Jhilmil, a young woman with severe autism whom he had known in childhood. And while he still pines for Shruti, Barfi finds himself falling for Jhilmil almost against his will, and thus begins a wholly unconventional love story the likes of which I can't remember ever having seen before.
The strength of this film lies in in the performances of its three lead actors. I've been a fan of Mr. Kapoor's since "Wake Up Sid!" and his portrayal of the deaf-mute Barfi is a wonderful cross of Chaplin-esque physical dexterity and understated emotional sensitivity. Everything Mr. Kapoor conveys about his character is done through facial expression and body language (he has no dialogue) and the result is extraordinary. Equally impressive--in perhaps a showier role--is Ms. Chopra's Jhilmil. Playing a young woman with a particularly debilitating form of autism, Ms. Chopra eschews the glamour she is known for and throws herself into this heartbreaking role. She is almost unrecognizable. Hers is a brave performance (the kind that wins awards--as she has) that occasionally flirts with being perhaps a little too mannered, but I commend her for the audacity of her choices and the depth she brings to the role. If Hollywood took Bollywood more seriously, Ms. Chopra would be one of the 5 best actress nominees at this year's Academy Awards. Finally, Ms Cruz is appropriately charming as Shruti, a pivotal role in the story, but a less flashy character.
The film is not, however, without its faults. The story itself is muddled. I don't know if this has to do with occasionally poor writing or just poor editing, but the decision not to tell the story in linear fashion is a mistake. Barfi and Jhilmil's "road trip" that comprises the lengthy middle section of the film is gorgeous to look at and wonderfully acted, but I was confused by why it was happening in the first place. Early in the film, Barfi's father suffers kidney failure and is hospitalized. Barfi needs to come up with 7,000 rupees to pay for life-saving surgery, money that he does not have. A kidnapping of sorts ensues, the aforementioned road trip, the police get involved, and Shruti reappears in the third act to rekindle the film's central love triangle...but we never learn what happens to Barfi's father. It is as though the filmmakers weren't sure which story they wanted to tell--or what kind of movie they wanted to make--and opted (wisely) to go with the love story.
Having said that, I still highly recommend the film. It takes a while to get going--the opening chase sequence that first introduces Barfi is a bit too slapstick for my tastes, though the homage to Chaplin is nicely apparent--but once the Barfi/Jhilmil/Shruti triangle is established, the 2-1/2 hours flies by to an ending that is wholly satisfying if not perhaps a slight bit predictable.
As an introduction to Hindi cinema, though, "Barfi" succeeds on all levels. Unlike most, while there is music, there isn't a single song-and-dance number which might make this more appealing to more traditional Western cinematic tastes.
"Barfi" is available for streaming on Netflix.
Ciao.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Children of Privilege
Hi everyone!
I want to take a few minutes this morning to alert all of you to a new campaign I've launched. Some of you may know that I'm in the process of raising funds to mount a production of my new play "Children of Privilege" here in Chicago this summer. This project is a labor of love for me and I can't thank my terrific cast enough for their continued support and enthusiasm as they go on this journey with me to achieve one of my lifelong dreams.
"Children of Privilege" is a two-act drama that tells the story of the wealthy Tolliver family. After a five year estrangement, the two surviving adult children of Constance and Henry Tolliver return with their respective significant others to the family home in the Hamptons to pose for a family photograph that will be featured alongside an article about the family in the local society rag. The children, Max and Jennifer, are both in their early-to-mid-thirties and are haunted by a tragedy that killed their other sibling, Declan--Max's identical twin--and Phoebe, Declan's pregnant fiancee, five years' previous. Max is a struggling writer with anger management issues and Jennifer is a self-proclaimed "Life-Caster" who uses social media to give herself a sense of personal validation. Both are desperate to cling onto something that gives them relevance in a world that is rapidly crumbling around them.
Their parents, Constance and Henry, have problems of their own. Constance is haunted by the notion that the illegitimate son of her husband--born from an affair--will one day invade the family compound and lay claim to the family's considerable fortune. She is desperate to preserve the family's public image and will do just about anything to ensure her family's continued social prominence, at the expense of her children (and what little remains of her marriage) if need be.
The creative process has truly been organic. My cast originally came together last August and through a series of private readings and at least three revisions, we are now in a position to take the next step: hiring a director to stage a workshop of the play for an audience this spring. This is Phase One of a two phase initiative. Phase Two will hopefully result in a full production at a small theatre here in Chicago this summer.
To learn more about this project and to donate if you so desire, please check out its page on Pub Slush, the popular crowd-sourcing site for writers and other creative types. I've pasted the link below. The campaign launched yesterday and will run for the next 30 days. On the page, you will also find an excerpt from the play as well as an introductory video message from me and additional information about the play itself, my artistic influences, and my overall goal.
I appreciate your support and I'll keep you all updated as things progress.
http://pubslush.com/books/id/163
Ciao.
I want to take a few minutes this morning to alert all of you to a new campaign I've launched. Some of you may know that I'm in the process of raising funds to mount a production of my new play "Children of Privilege" here in Chicago this summer. This project is a labor of love for me and I can't thank my terrific cast enough for their continued support and enthusiasm as they go on this journey with me to achieve one of my lifelong dreams.
"Children of Privilege" is a two-act drama that tells the story of the wealthy Tolliver family. After a five year estrangement, the two surviving adult children of Constance and Henry Tolliver return with their respective significant others to the family home in the Hamptons to pose for a family photograph that will be featured alongside an article about the family in the local society rag. The children, Max and Jennifer, are both in their early-to-mid-thirties and are haunted by a tragedy that killed their other sibling, Declan--Max's identical twin--and Phoebe, Declan's pregnant fiancee, five years' previous. Max is a struggling writer with anger management issues and Jennifer is a self-proclaimed "Life-Caster" who uses social media to give herself a sense of personal validation. Both are desperate to cling onto something that gives them relevance in a world that is rapidly crumbling around them.
Their parents, Constance and Henry, have problems of their own. Constance is haunted by the notion that the illegitimate son of her husband--born from an affair--will one day invade the family compound and lay claim to the family's considerable fortune. She is desperate to preserve the family's public image and will do just about anything to ensure her family's continued social prominence, at the expense of her children (and what little remains of her marriage) if need be.
The creative process has truly been organic. My cast originally came together last August and through a series of private readings and at least three revisions, we are now in a position to take the next step: hiring a director to stage a workshop of the play for an audience this spring. This is Phase One of a two phase initiative. Phase Two will hopefully result in a full production at a small theatre here in Chicago this summer.
To learn more about this project and to donate if you so desire, please check out its page on Pub Slush, the popular crowd-sourcing site for writers and other creative types. I've pasted the link below. The campaign launched yesterday and will run for the next 30 days. On the page, you will also find an excerpt from the play as well as an introductory video message from me and additional information about the play itself, my artistic influences, and my overall goal.
I appreciate your support and I'll keep you all updated as things progress.
http://pubslush.com/books/id/163
Ciao.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
TV Review: My "Spiral" Addiction
Hi everyone!
I must confess to a new addiction. If you haven't heard of or checked out the French police procedural drama series "Spiral" on Netflix streaming, you're missing out on something quite wonderful. As so much European television does these days, "Spiral" (or "Engrenages" as its called in France) provides yet another reason to bemoan the state of most American television.
I just finished Season One. Seasons Two and Three are currently available on Netflix and the most recent Season Four is set to debut in the next few months. When it debuted in France in 2004, it was hailed as a milestone in French television and is the country's most successful television show, having been exported to 70 countries. I read online recently that a U.S. version is in the works. Unless it is being planned for HBO, FX, or Showtime, I don't imagine it'll have the same grit or bite of the original. Remember the U.S. remake of "Prime Suspect" from a season or two back?
What makes "Spiral" so addictive are the various interconnecting plots and characters that weave and spiral and spin at a measured yet at the same time breathless pace. The main story deals with the disappearance and deaths of two young Romanian women who become entangled in an international sex crime syndicate that reaches the top of the French government. Pierre Clement (effortlessly played by the impossibly good-looking Gregory Fitoussi) is the prosecuting attorney investigating the case. He is assisted by police chief Laure Berthaud (an appealing Caroline Proust) and her not incorruptible police squad, one of whom, Fitou (an amazing Thierry Godard), has a severe cocaine addiction that more than interferes with the investigation. A separate but still connected plot focuses on a driven young attorney (Audrey Fleurot) with questionable ethics who works with a disbarred lawyer who was formerly imprisoned on rape charges. Added to this already earthy mix is the investigation of a nanny who brutally murders the infant in her charge, a case surrounding the torture and penile dismemberment of a young man involved in a North African gang in Paris's infamous banlieues, and a particularly surprising twist involving drug trafficking. Somehow, over the course of Season One's eight episodes, it all comes together but not before you find yourself gasping in shock--and often horror--and screaming at your TV from the twisted audacity of it all. Once Season One ends, I guarantee, you'll be ready to immediately launch into Season Two.
Word of warning, however: "Spiral" is not for the faint of heart. There are autopsies and gore galore, the depiction (and occasionally the mere suggestion) of the crimes is visceral, and it does paint a very bleak portrait of contemporary society. This is definitely not the Paris of honeymoons and romance. Also, because France's legal system is based on the Napoleonic Code, it differs from what those of us in the U.S. and Britain are used to. I'm still not entirely sure what Pierre's U.S. equivalent would be. He seems to be both investigator and judge, but this doesn't at all detract from one's enjoyment of the show.
In my opinion, "Spiral" is one of the best crime procedural dramas ever written for television. If you're a fan of "The Wire," "Prime Suspect," "MI-5", or even "Law & Order," you'll be hooked.
Now on to Season Two...
Ciao.
I must confess to a new addiction. If you haven't heard of or checked out the French police procedural drama series "Spiral" on Netflix streaming, you're missing out on something quite wonderful. As so much European television does these days, "Spiral" (or "Engrenages" as its called in France) provides yet another reason to bemoan the state of most American television.
I just finished Season One. Seasons Two and Three are currently available on Netflix and the most recent Season Four is set to debut in the next few months. When it debuted in France in 2004, it was hailed as a milestone in French television and is the country's most successful television show, having been exported to 70 countries. I read online recently that a U.S. version is in the works. Unless it is being planned for HBO, FX, or Showtime, I don't imagine it'll have the same grit or bite of the original. Remember the U.S. remake of "Prime Suspect" from a season or two back?
What makes "Spiral" so addictive are the various interconnecting plots and characters that weave and spiral and spin at a measured yet at the same time breathless pace. The main story deals with the disappearance and deaths of two young Romanian women who become entangled in an international sex crime syndicate that reaches the top of the French government. Pierre Clement (effortlessly played by the impossibly good-looking Gregory Fitoussi) is the prosecuting attorney investigating the case. He is assisted by police chief Laure Berthaud (an appealing Caroline Proust) and her not incorruptible police squad, one of whom, Fitou (an amazing Thierry Godard), has a severe cocaine addiction that more than interferes with the investigation. A separate but still connected plot focuses on a driven young attorney (Audrey Fleurot) with questionable ethics who works with a disbarred lawyer who was formerly imprisoned on rape charges. Added to this already earthy mix is the investigation of a nanny who brutally murders the infant in her charge, a case surrounding the torture and penile dismemberment of a young man involved in a North African gang in Paris's infamous banlieues, and a particularly surprising twist involving drug trafficking. Somehow, over the course of Season One's eight episodes, it all comes together but not before you find yourself gasping in shock--and often horror--and screaming at your TV from the twisted audacity of it all. Once Season One ends, I guarantee, you'll be ready to immediately launch into Season Two.
Word of warning, however: "Spiral" is not for the faint of heart. There are autopsies and gore galore, the depiction (and occasionally the mere suggestion) of the crimes is visceral, and it does paint a very bleak portrait of contemporary society. This is definitely not the Paris of honeymoons and romance. Also, because France's legal system is based on the Napoleonic Code, it differs from what those of us in the U.S. and Britain are used to. I'm still not entirely sure what Pierre's U.S. equivalent would be. He seems to be both investigator and judge, but this doesn't at all detract from one's enjoyment of the show.
In my opinion, "Spiral" is one of the best crime procedural dramas ever written for television. If you're a fan of "The Wire," "Prime Suspect," "MI-5", or even "Law & Order," you'll be hooked.
Now on to Season Two...
Ciao.
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