Sarah's Key (2010, France)

My book club read this novel for August, so we decided to get together and watch the movie too. I think every single one of us was disappointed. We all felt that it was very disjointed, and we wouldn't have known what was going on if we hadn't read the book. The only person who hadn't read more than the first few chapters verified our reaction. With a novel of relatively short length and few characters, there really wasn't any reason for it to be so hard to follow.

It was also painfully unemotional. The book was moving, but the movie felt perfunctory. The only moment when I felt anything was when Sarah opened the closet. My heart nearly broke at the amount of emotion the young actress conveyed. However, with the magnitude of the story unfolding, other moments should have been heartbreaking too—particularly in the Vel' d'Hiv, in Drancy, at the Dufaure's... I could go on.

Kristin Scott Thomas wasn't bad, but honestly I got sick of her. Even though a majority of the novel also follows Julia, here it just felt too much. This was especially true because both of the actresses who played Sarah (as a child and as a young woman) were phenomenal. The best way I can think to describe both of them is "arresting" or perhaps "captivating." I was very surprised to see that the adult Sarah, Charlotte Poutrel, only has one other small credit to her name. Maybe she's not a great actress when she starts speaking, but her silence and the expressiveness of her eyes were enthralling.

Anyway, I probably wouldn't recommend this one, though I'd definitely recommend the book.

Rating: 2.5

Legends of the Fall (1994, U.S.)

There just aren't enough movies made about World War I. It's a good thing that the ones that are made are quite good. Legends of the Fall is a bit melodramatic, but it is still a wonderful story. It mixes pieces of war movies, classic westerns, family sagas, and romances. If it comes off a bit melodramatic and times, that's okay. After all, it is a very ambitious film.

They used several very interesting narrative devices. To begin with, I liked that the narrator was a character who was only on the margins of the plot, rather than one of the primary players. To supplement this narration, they also used letters written to and from various characters, which was quite effective. They also used something I would call a flashback, for lack of a better term. To give an example, Tristan gets noticeably upset and frustrated when he tries to free a cow trapped in barb wire. Even though they never show the scene again, it is clearly meant to remind the viewer of the scene where his brother is trapped in barbed wire during the war. These scenes are very well done.

I've always found Aidan Quinn to be a competent but unremarkable actor, and most of the other actors fell into this same category as well. Then there's Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt. They steal the scene from anyone they ever work with. Hopkins is an imposing patriarch, and Pitt completely embodies the magnetic, troubled middle brother. Even if the film was awful (as it could have been if the rest was the same as the cheesy final scene), they'd redeem it. Wow.

Rating: 3.5

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007, U.S.)

Today was not the first time I've seen Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, but it is the most recent addition to my DVD collection, so I thought I'd write a few words about it. I first saw this film about 8 months ago, and I've thought about it often since then. It is beautiful and sad, one of those films that somehow makes me mourn for something that has been lost for over a hundred years. One of those films that makes me hate being American even more. Because all of that "manifest destiny" bullshit caused this nation to destroy the lives of countless native peoples, and I can't see that much has changed, though more than a century has passed.

But I don't want to get on my high horse here. I just want to say that if you haven't seen this one, you should. You really should. If for no other reason, see it because August Schellenberg's Sitting Bull is the best-played native character I think I have ever seen. (For those of you in my generation, you'll probably remember Schellenberg from Free Willy or Iron Will.) His performance is truly powerful and moving. The worst part of it is how far removed you feel from his character, but I think the withdrawn quality of his personality was the choice of the screenwriters.

Other good elements include: First, the simple score by George S. Clinton. As far as I know, this is the only "real" movie he's done the score for. (He's done a lot of lowbrow-type stuff, but nothing on this scale.) It's simple, primarily piano with occasional violin and tribal flute, and its haunting beauty fits perfectly. It also blends well with the Lakota chanting, the other primary musical element. Beautiful. Second, there is also the natural beauty of the setting, although I believe it was filmed mostly in Canada, not the Dakotas. Third, one of the central characters is a man who was taken from his tribe at a young age and Americanized. He returns as an adult to minister to his people as a doctor, and from that perspective he is able to see both what his people have lost and what he personally chose to give up. A unique view.

If you like this movie, you might also be interested in the TNT mini-series from a couple of years ago, Into the West. I also thought it was incredibly well-done, especially considering it was financed by TNT, not HBO. It's much longer and more detailed, covering 60 years instead of 15. Also, you become much more personally invested in the characters, both white and native. Definitely a good way to spend 12 hours. But start with Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Rating: 4.5