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Entries in Alice Lowe (3)

Monday
Oct052020

SPLENDOR IN THE EVERYDAY // A FILM REVIEW OF "ETERNAL BEAUTY"

BY MATEO MORENO

Finding a film that deals with mental illness in a positive way is no easy task. For every positive one there's one that glamorizes an illness or doesn't show respect and care to it. Craig Roberts new film ETERNAL BEAUTY tows that fine line that many films do by capturing a character dealing with mental illness and adding humor alongside it. I'm happy to say that Roberts is much more successful than most, painting an enchanting dark comedy with an extraordinary cast.

 

Sally Hawkins plays Jane, a woman struggling through everyday life while dealing with a mental illness. She experienced a very traumatic thing in the past: she was left at the altar, no Groom in sight. She called him from the church, begging for an answer. Was he not able to understand or deal with her? Did he fall in love with someone else? Was he just simply a terrible person? We don't ever get that answered and sadly, perhaps Jane doesn't either. Now, several years later, we meet modern day Jane, still deeply affected by that day. She is chided by her Psychiatrist when she answers that she's "fine." She's largely ignored by her family. But she carries on, seeing the world in a different way (she even secretly owns and drives a car, something we find out that she seemingly shouldn't be doing). As Jane journeys through the world, the colors around her seem to change and alter, along with her mood, her medications and her emotions. She struggles day to day with schizophrenia and has deals with her oddball family.

 

Not that Jane isn't odd as well. For Christmas, she shows up with gifts she's bought for herself and would like her family to give them to her. She hands them all a receipt of what they owe, and then opens each up, acting surprised and grateful each time. When she stops taking her pills, she begins to see spiders on the wall but finds that she may feel more alive without them. She also hears a telephone ringing often, and the person on the other end is always the man who left her at the altar. Back at the doctors waiting room, she meets Mike (David Thewlis), a musician who's impulsive and offbeat. He seems to be struggling to accept reality, but is drawn immediately to Jane and wants to take her out on a date, which he soon does. Sparks fly between them and they fall for each other, impulsively rushing into decisions.

 

Besides Mike, her family is mostly self-absorbed: her mother Vivian (Penelope Wilson) tends to make everything about her, including Jane being left at the alter (she proclaims, "I've never been so embarrassed in all my life!"). Her sister Nicola (Billie Piper) is a mean girl who doesn't want anything to do with Jane unless it helps her. Her father Dennis (Robert Pugh) lets everyone else solve all the problems while staying silent, leaving only Jane's other sister Alice (Alice Lowe) as the only truly compassionate one in the bunch. She sees through the bullshit her family throws up and knows that Jane needs love and compassion, which she happily gives.

 

Roberts delivers a wonderfully beautiful, tender and sensitive film that works because it loves the character of Jane so much. It's shot out of order and with a kaleidoscope eye, almost as if we are seeing it through Jane's multi-colored world view. Sally Hawkins gives a fierce and dominating performance as our struggling narrator. Her performance shows a true empathy and care for people like Jane and the sincerity rises the performance to the top. David Thewlis turns in a madcap turn as well, which again works because of the honesty and love he gives the character of Mike. The rest of the family shine in various scenes, helping and hurting Jane, sometimes in equal measure. It's a lot of heavy stuff for sure, but it's also a very darkly funny film with a wispy energy throughout. Jane's world is no easy journey, but it's lovely to join her on this road.

 

GRADE: A-

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Craig Roberts STARRING Sally Hawkins, David Thewlis, Billie Piper, Alice Lowe, Penelope Wilson, Robert Pugh Now available in Digital Cinemas

Sunday
Jan202019

AN EMOTIONAL FUSEBOX // A FILM REVIEW OF "ADULT LIFE SKILLS"

BY MATEO MORENO

In 2016, I had the pleasure of seeing ADULT LIFE SKILLS at the Tribeca Film Festival. Since then, I eagerly awaited a US release, but to no avail. It was released in the UK that summer but never had a US distributor - until now. It will now get a limited theatrical release and then will be available to stream, with a Blu-Ray release set for March. Below you'll find my original review, which I still 100% stand behind.

 

 Anna (Jodie Whittaker, fresh off of her first season as "The Doctor") is fast approaching 30. This is not a good thing. At least, not for Anna. She's stuck in a rut, unable to move forward at all. She lives in a shed outside her mother's house. What she does excel at is mastering the art of doing nothing. And making funny online videos, like a space expedition using only her thumbs with faces drawn on. Her mother and grandmother (Lorraine Ashbourne and Eileen Davies) don't quite know what to do with her but they both know that enough is enough. Truly young Anna needs an emotional push into some adultish-ness, to learn some ADULT LIFE SKILLS.

 

Based on her BAFTA-nominated short film Emotional Fusebox, Rachel Tunnard's sweet oddball film is by far the charmer of the fest. Anna has suffered some sort of loss, though at the beginning of the film we're not quite sure what it is. So she slogs on day to day making weird videos and refuses to actually grow up. Her life begins to get a bit of a jolt when a young boy from next door (Ozzy Myers) starts coming around after his own mother gets put in the hospital. Strangely drawn to her, he someone understands her and begins to look up to her. Anna's best mate Fiona, played by Rachael Deering, comes back into town to spend time with her, make her laugh, push her into happiness. But something continues to hold her back and it's something that her family, the little boy next door, her friend, nor her neighbor Brendan with a sweet crush on her (Brett Goldstein) can fix by themselves. They're going to need help. They're going to need Anna to come back. Adult Life Skills is a strange, odd, endearing, hilarious and heartfelt. It's the emotional fusebox that I needed on a Friday night and I hope you visit Anna's strange little shed yourself very soon. You'll be glad you did.

 

(note: The majority of this review was first published on Sat April 23rd 2016 when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival)

MATEO'S GRADE: A

DIRECTED BY Rachel Tunnard STARRING Jodie Whittaker, Lorraine Ashbourne, Brett Goldstein, Rachael Deering, Eileen Davies, Alice Lowe, Edward Hogg, Ozzy Myers. Now playing in select cinemas and available on demand.

Saturday
Apr232016

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2016 // A REVIEW OF "ADULT LIFE SKILLS"

BY MATEO MORENO

Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is fast approaching 30. This is not a good thing. At least, not for Anna. She's stuck in a rut, unable to move forward at all. She lives in a shed outside he mother's house. What she does excel at is mastering the art of doing nothing. And making funny online videos, like a space expedition using only her thumbs with faces drawn on. Her mother and grandmother (Lorraine Ashbourne and Eileen Davies) don't quite know what to do with her but they both know that enough is enough. Truly young Anna needs an emotional push into some adultish-ness, to learn some ADULT LIFE SKILLS.

Based on her BAFTA-nominated short film Emotional Fusebox, Rachel Tunnard's sweet oddball film is by far the charmer of the fest. Anna has suffered some sort of loss, though at the beginning of the film we're not quite sure what it is. So she slogs on day to day making weird videos and refuses to actually grow up. Her life begins to get a bit of a jolt when a young boy from next door (Ozzy Myers) starts coming around after his own mother gets put in the hospital. Strangely drawn to her, he someone understands her and begins to look up to her. Anna's best mate Fiona, played by Rachael Deering, comes back into town to spend time with her, make her laugh, push her into happiness. But something continues to hold her back and it's something that her family, the little boy next door, her friend, nor her neighbor Brendan with a sweet crush on her (Brett Goldstein) can fix by themselves. They're going to need help. They're going to need Anna to come back.

Tunnard’s direction (from her own screenplay) is swiftly assured. It takes its time rolling out Anna's story and allows you to always be on Anna's side, no matter how stubborn she's being (well, almost always). The script is fresh & funny, deftly original and very, very funny. Jodie Whittaker is wonderful in the lead role, both equally funny and broken. Her Peter Pan syndrome becomes more & more relatable the more time you spend with her. The film can only work if her control is on point and it is. Though her character is not at all self assured, her performance certainly is. Rachael Deering turns in a performance that makes you wish she was your best mate. She's just as odd as Anna and knows exactly how to make her laugh. Her performance is supportive and strong. The entire ensemble is quite good in each way, from the marks of Lorraine Ashbourne & Eileen Davies' lovingly turns of support to the quirkiness of Brett Goldstein's oddball, loving neighbor to a sweet introductory performance from Ozzy Myers. Also of note is a strong performance in small but pivotal role from Edward Hogg as... well you'll need to see it to find out. And see it you should.

ADULT LIFE SKILLS is my favorite film of the entire fest, and it may be yours too. It's strange, odd, endearing, hilarious and heartfelt. It's the emotional fusebox that I needed on a Friday night and I hope you visit Anna's strange little shed yourself very soon. You'll be glad you did.

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Rachel Tunnard STARRING Jodie Whittaker, Lorraine Ashbourne, Brett Goldstein, Rachael Deering, Eileen Davies, Alice Lowe, Edward Hogg, Ozzy Myers

MATEO'S VERDICT: MUST SEE

FINAL THOUGHTS: A true oddball gem, and my favorite of the fest.

 

MATEO MORENO is an actor, writer, and a playwright. His plays Happily After Tonight, Bohemian Valentine, & Within Our Walls have been produced in NY and beyond (TBG Theatre, NY International Fringe Festival, Planet Connections Festivity, Boomerang Theatre, and FOHS Theatre). He most recently co-stared in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play City of Glass at The New Ohio Theatre and appeared in the workshop of Uzume at LaMama. Next he will be seen in An Unseen Visitor at Symphony Space. Mateo is also part of Athena Theatre's 2016 Playwrighting Group. He lives in Brooklyn.