OSCARS 2020 : the (subdued) Outrage!

January 17, 2020

Five days after the announcement of OSCAR nominees, I am just now posting my annual Outrage! post, and I must admit, my heart is not in it this year.

Sure, the #1 Outrage! is the exclusion of Greta Gerwig as Best Director for the wondrous "Little Women" -- surely one of the Top Five Movies of the Year. It was a Snub to be sure, but not a Surprise. The previous (lesser) award nominations ALL snubbed her in favor of an all-male group -- with the notable exception of the Critic's Choice Awards, which effortlessly has offered a solution to all the Academy's bad press over the years by having SEVEN nominees in a category (!).

But when there are only five slots, who gets bumped in favor of Greta? I can't speak to the merit of Sam Mendes (whose "1917" I have yet to see), but the other four nominees are certainly deserving. (You can't bump Marty Scorsese, even though he sold out to Netflix).

The lack of ethnic diversity in the acting categories likewise doesn't get me worked up: 1) what's new?; 2) I do not see any major snubs here (no doubt influenced by me not seeing "The Farewell" and by my personal dislike of J-Lo and Eddie Murphy).

But tradition being tradition, I must work-up my Outrage! for (yet again) the category of BEST ORIGINAL SCORE ! WTF?

I'm not even outraged anymore by those two hardy perennials RANDY NEWMAN and JOHN (f*ing) WILLIAMS: I get it, they write the same music they've been writing for, what, 44 years? (Star Wars, 1976) , and a nomination is guaranteed.

Again, I cannot comment on Thomas Newman's score for "1917." But the *new* Academy darling in this category is Alexandre Desplat, and his score for the aforementioned "Little Women" is the one glaring flaw in an otherwise great film. YES! It is cloying, insistent and overbearing -- and oftentimes drowns out the real emotion of a scene. Over-scored films often try to hide weaknesses in the script. But in Little Women, there ARE NO WEAKNESSES! Just shut-up and let the scene play out!

IMHO, there is a clear winner in this category : the lovely 37-year old Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (pictured below). Her Score for "Joker" was bracing, original, and enhanced the tone of the film. If Hildur doesn't win her first Oscar, I WILL be truly Outraged!

HILDUR

A HIDDEN LIFE

A Hidden Life

Director: Terence Malick

Run time: 2 hours, 54 minutes

I list the film's running time first, because in a Terence Malick movie, such information is vital ! (Even so, I had to take a bathroom break two hours in). This true story of an Austrian farmer's refusal to pledge allegiance to Adolf Hitler and fight in his war is a meditative look at one man's personal conviction and the consequences it has for everyone around him. 

This film is Malick at his best, an unfortunately, at his most self-indulgent. The first 40 minutes is a masterful re-creation of the details of rural life in 1940s Austria. I haven't seen such an authentic depiction of the hard work of running a farm since 2017's Les guardiennes ("The Guardians") from France. His family life and relationship with his wife are likewise genuine, lyrical and beautifully-shot. (The soundtrack adds depth to the beautiful images, too).

Scenes of Franz (August Diehl) discussing his moral convictions with various members of his family, the clergy, and the community play more like extended monologues -- a familiar characteristic of Malick's method. What is uncharacteristic is his penchant to allow these supporting players to shout, repeat themselves and generally overact. One sees scant evidence of Franz as an active participant in these discussions. Of course, his moral stance is an implicit challenge to their own convictions, hence the extreme resistance he engenders. But still … less can be more.

The scenes between Franz his wife Fani (the excellent Valerie Pachner) reveal an intense and abiding devotion. His mother gets too much screen time for the little she has to contribute, as do Franz's fellow inmates, not to mention the many beatings and humiliations he suffers in a Berlin prison. With the conclusion inevitable, the focus on the minutiae of his sham trial seems pointless, despite giving us the pleasure of seeing the late great Swiss actor Bruno Ganz one last time. 

Malick's themes touch on another meditative (and long) movie about keeping one's faith in the face of intense torment: Martin Scorsese's "Silence"-- a superior movie, IMHO.

Rest assured, Malick's latest is grounded in reality more than his recent work ("To the Wonder" was the last one I sat through...and regretted). Literally grounded: There is a lot of digging, plowing, and clawing at the dirt here). There is much to admire in the filmmaking. It is a surprise that such a lush production has received zero accolades at the end of the year.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France)

Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (original title)

(France 2019)

It is refreshing to see a movie about women told from a woman's point of by … BY A WOMAN Director! ("Little Women" is next on my to-see list, Greta!). 

I saw this French film in November 2019 but at the time I didn't give it as much credit as it deserves.  The director (Céline Sciamma) guides the movie at her own pace, and trusts her actors with close-ups that reveal much more about their feelings than mere dialogue can (a lesson lost on most American movie directors).

And what faces she has to work with! As Marianne (the painter), Noemie Merlant is mesmerizing throughout. Her subject, played by Adele Haenel, is equally enthralling. The result is all the more remarkable because Sciamma makes no attempt to soften or glamourize the leads with lighting or make-up. 

The nighttime scene in front of the bonfire that comes in the middle of the film reveals the film's message: the bond shared among women is deep, mysterious and timeless.