Sofia Coppola seems to be fascinated with the way that isolation affects a person. Take for instance her debut feature, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, a scathing look at the way that isolation affects the brains of a group of daughters and the people around them. The rest of her projects as a director can be consistently filtered through this lens, and THE BEGUILED is no different. The fascinating thing about the film is that its themes of isolation seem to work both ways, meaning that the women seem to be kept in by the events of the Civil War outside of them and that the Civil War seems to be kept from them. There’s a separation on both sides, like the women need to be kept safe from what is outside, but what is outside doesn’t know what it has coming to it from these women. It’s blazingly powerful, and amazing stuff, all guided with expected ease by master director Sofia Coppola. That paradigm that is described in the opening paragraph is only one of a few that are explored in the film, but it, along with the obvious feminist connotations are what makes THE BEGUILED so great. Other than the thematic connotations of the movie, this movie finds itself surprisingly sparse and very, very short. However, this often creates the perfect sense of detachment for her characters. There’s an emptiness to the lives of her characters that spreads into the film itself. THE BEGUILED has a school of women and girls during the Civil War, who are overall unaffected by the War until a wounded soldier shows up at their doorstep. All of those old enough seem to immediately become attracted to the man, and eventually this leads into a deadly (can’t tell you who) confrontation. The story itself isn’t really that important though, it’s the performances and the direction that Coppola pulls from her actors and herself that makes the movie such a lush and wonderful experience. Each performance allows for audience engagement because each makes you think about the internal thoughts of the characters. Nobody explains anything but the performance and thematic strength of the whole movie can’t help but make it interesting. Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Colin Farrell all headline a cast that know how to bring out the themes through just a look. There’s an ungodly amount of audience reading of the characters in THE BEGUILED, which to some might leave the film feeling empty, but to others will be like a rich feast. On the menu are visual motifs, such as smoke symbolizing the isolation barrier from the outside world, but also the constant reminder that the world outside would not accept them for what they were. There’s the constant framing of Farrel’s soldier in black clothing against the darkness, showing the audience the way that he almost fades out of existence, compared to the brightly lit, unified compositions of the women. The movie’s not subtle, at least visually, script wise subtlety would be too assuming of the film, in its depiction of the women’s dichotomy with the man. They are in charge and when the man himself attempts to take charge, it seems wrong. It seems ridiculous that he would assume that he is so much in charge of this situation. THE BEGUILED is a film of empty dialogue and rich themes, and it is great for that. Sofia Coppola is one of the best directors of all time and THE BEGUILED is one for the ages just like THE VIRGIN SUICIDES or LOST IN TRANSLATION. It’s a wonderful exercise in deflated style and actor performance. If you get a chance to see it, I recommend you do. I give THE BEGUILED a 9 out of 10. COUGH, COUGH, THE BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR SO FAR ARE 1. OKJA 2. BABY DRIVER 3. THE BEGUILED GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |