My thoughts about Lady Bird (2017)

Written & Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts

The core conflict of the movie is between Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). The reason they're always at odds with each other is because they are so alike. We see Marion counselling Father Leviatch (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and Shelly (Marielle Scott) remarks just what a big heart Marion has. We see these qualities reflected in Lady Bird, echoes of the same empathy, like when she ditches her date to hang out and attend prom with her best friend Julie (Beanie Feldstein).

This is why at the end of the film when Marion finds out Lady Bird has been accepted to a school in New York, she cuts off all contact with her. This devastates Lady Bird who doesn't understand why her mother won't even get out of the car at the airport to see her off. We see Marion's inner conflict before and after this moment. She feels betrayed that her daughter wants to leave her, but also there's an element of Lady Bird being able to go make something of herself. An opportunity that Marion feels she never got. And of course there's the regret that she wasn't able to bring herself to say goodbye, and the fear that she may never see her daughter again.

This isn't the only bad decision made in the film, but it might be the most devastating. Lady Bird is a coming of age story. Part of being a teenager is making bad decisions, and learning from your mistakes. Most of the teenage romance, and Lady Bird lying to try and fit in with more wealthy and popular kids made me cringe. I felt embarrassed because I too remember how awkward I was as a teenager, how difficult even the simplest of social interactions can be. There's a lot of shame involved with adolescence, because you're figuring out who you are. I think this is best demonstrated in the coffee shop scene with Lady Bird and Danny (Lucas Hedges).

He was Lady Bird's first love before she finds out he's gay. He visits her in the coffee shop to apologize for misleading her. Not out of malicious intent, but going to a religious school, Danny thinks that there's something wrong with him for feeling this way. When Lady Bird hugs him as he cries, she forgives him. This is a moment of healing and another example of her blossoming empathy.

Spirituality plays a prominent role throughout the film. After moving to New York, Lady Bird drinks too much and is hospitalized. After being discharged, she finds herself outside a cathedral on Sunday morning. If only for a brief moment, attending the mass heals something that is broken inside of her. In the final moments of the film she leaves a voicemail on her parent's answering machine. She thanks them for her real name "Christine". She's spent so much time trying to be someone else and I think she realizes how much that hurt her mother. Lady Bird was sent to Catholic school to avoid the path of her brother. While the film is critical of the views of the religious (in relation to homosexuality and abortion), religion as a mentoring and positive force is demonstrated by the priests and nuns at Lady Bird's high school.

Personal enjoyment: ★★★★

My thoughts on The Thief of Baghdad (1924)

Directed by: Raoul Walsh
Written by: Lotta Woods & Douglas Fairbanks
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston, Snitz Edwards

I'm in awe of the special effects used in silent films, because I wonder "How did they do that?" rather then just thinking about CGI. The second half of the movie has the Thief (Douglas Fairbanks) travel on a perilous quest through caves of fire, under the sea, and riding a winged horse. Meanwhile, the three princes vying for the hand of the Princess (Julanne Johnston), fly on a magic carpet. There's a rope that hangs straight up without being attached to anything, and the scale of some of the sets are a marvel to behold (for example, the giant statue which houses the magic crystal in its eye).

I was not expecting to be so caught up in the spectacle either considering what I thought of The Thief for the first half of the movie. He's so cocky in his flaunting of the law, and how he steals from, and ridicules those who live differently from him. He pursues the princess not because of love, but because he wants her, and he always takes what he wants. The second half of the movie is a redemption arc, but truthfully the redemption occurs during his plan to disguise himself as a prince and win the hand of the Princess. He is found out, flogged, and only saved because the Princess already having fallen in love with him, bribes the guards to save his life. Dejected, he seeks the Holy Man (Charles Belcher) he mocked at the start of the film, who sends him on his quest. I think what caused me to stick with such a despicable character for the first hour is Douglas Fairbanks' charisma. His expressions and his gestures. You gain an understanding of how much fun the Thief is having and how much he enjoys life, even while disagreeing with his perspective.

The Mongol Prince (Sojin Kamiyama) lives by a similar creed. He takes what he wants. What he wants is the city of Baghdad, but after meeting the Princess, he sees that he will leave the city with two prizes instead of one. He spies on the Princess, the other princes, and sneaks his army into the city walls. When he signals them, Baghdad is defenseless. It falls and his power is absolute. Only the Thief returning from his quest with magic powder is able to stop him, summoning an entire army to retake the city. The Mongol Prince is thwarted, but we do not see him punished for his crimes. Instead the film focuses on the happiness of the Thief and the Princess, riding off on the magic carpet in love with each other. Their joy is more important than any justice.

I watched the movie in two halves, one night apart. The first half was a slog to get through. I didn't like the Thief and didn't care that his heart was slowly turning because of the Princess. I stopped watching right before the Thief was going to be ripped apart by the palace ape. Throughout the second half, I was sympathetic towards him for wanting to turn his life around, and the lengths he was going through to do it. I marvelled at the special effects. I was emotionally invested in his triumph, and hated the Mongol Prince for his plan to poison the Princess, and then save her life with the magic apple. I'm impressed how the film was able to emotionally invest me when I had such low engagement during its beginning.

Personal Enjoyment: ★★★

My thoughts on The Shape of Water (2017)

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon

Most stories are about transformation. A character starts one way and by the end they're a different person. Elisa's transformation at the end of The Shape of Water is literal. After being shot in the chest and plunging into the deep, the Amphibian Man's healing magic not only cures her bullet wound, but the conveniently placed scars on her neck. The cause of her being mute becomes a strength as they turn into gills and allow her to breath underwater.

The Amphibian Man's touch is one of healing. He rests his hand on the top of Giles' head and cures him of his baldness. Holding Giles' cut arm causes the injury to disappear. This is an outer power, and it is what saves not only his life, but Elisa's. Elisa possesses an inner power. She is able to rally people to her aid. All of her friends feel alienated in the world. Giles is a homosexual, and Zelda is a black woman before the civil rights movement. Elisa, being mute feels at home amongst people who don't fit in, and perhaps that's why she falls in love with the Amphibian Man. Elisa is even able to reach Strickland. Of course he reads it wrong and becomes infatuated with a woman who can't talk back to him, but if the scene with General Hoyt is any indication, Strickland feels disillusioned as well. He is not allowed to make mistakes. His family and the possessions he buys bring him no joy, and to top it all off, his fingers are rotting away.

When the Amphibian Man is brought in he bites off two of Strickland's fingers. Elisa recovers them, and they are surgically reattached. Throughout the film they grow blacker and more corrupt until Strickland tears the rotting flesh away in front of Zelda and her husband. If the fingers are a metaphor, what do they symbolise? Is it the feeling of despair as the stresses of Strickland's job keep piling up? Is it his inability to accept his own failures, or the inability to fail in the first place? When the Amphibian Man walks towards Strickland before slicing his throat, I got the sense that Strickland while scared, was somewhat relieved the end was coming, and that he would die in the line of duty.

The Shape of Water has a fairytale like quality to it. Not just because Elisa and the Amphibian Man receive their 'happily ever afters'. Despite the scenes of gore, despite the bigotry of society, and despite Strickland and the system he symobolises, this is a sweet film. It evoked warm and happy feelings inside me, and I would easily recommend it.

Personal enjoyment: ★★★★