NYFF 2017 // A FILM REVIEW OF "ISMAEL'S GHOSTS (LES FANTÔMES D'ISMAËL)"

BY MATEO MORENO

Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) is a screenwriter whose wife Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) disappeared 20 years ago and was presumed dead. Although heartbroken, he found the strength to move on and eventually fell in love with an astrophysicist named Sylvia, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. They live together and Ismael has been hacking away on his latest script. Life moves slowly and his family hates him. Then one day Carlotta shows up at their house. Where has she been? Why was she gone? And if she isn't dead, what exactly did happen? Alongside all of this we cut away to the film that Ismael is writing, an all too complicated narrative film that plays along Ismael's midlife crisis. If you're familiar with Director (and co-writer) Arnaud Desplechin's work, there's a lot to spool over. If you're not, this film may not be the trigger to get you invested in his filmography.

ISMAEL'S GHOSTS premiered at Cannes this year and now is showcased at the NYFF with a longer Director's Cut and it feels like it. Meaning, there's way too much of everything. It's an overstuffed mess, but at points it's an interesting one. The acting is all around great (especially a sublime Marion Cotillard) and the cinematography by Irina Lubtchansky is breathtaking. But the screenplay is truly a mess and the film is all over the place warranting not a directors long cut but many cuts from the director to shape this film up. There will be a moment that draws you in and immediately after another moment that will perplex you and offer no answer to what it means. For hardcore fans, perhaps ISMAEL'S GHOSTS is a journey worth taking. But it's not one that I will be recommending.

VERDICT: SKIP IT

WRITTEN BY Arnaud Desplechin, Léa Mysius, Julie Peyr DIRECTED BY Arnaud Desplechin STARRING Mattieu Amalric, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Playing as part of the 2017 55th Annual New York Film Festival. https://www.filmlinc.org/

NYFF AT 51 REVIEW: "JIMMY P"

BY LIZ WHITTEMORE

Have you ever had a dream where you were flying? Or maybe, falling… and then hit the ground? Most of us can shake weird dreams. Most of us are able to associate them with something we read, saw, or maybe something we ate. Most of us haven’t experienced the horrors of war.

In JIMMY P. PSYCHOTHERAPY OF A PLAINS INDIAN, a WWII vet and Native American Blackfoot, is experiencing systems such as dizzy spells, hearing loss, intense, sometimes blinding migraines. His sister takes him to the Topeka Military Hospital in Kansas. There, he is subjected to rounds of tests from the physical to the neurological. A team of doctors concludes there are no physiological causes and diagnose him with schizophrenia. He feels isolated but the doctors are determined to help him. They contact George Deveraux, a French anthropologist, psychoanalyst and specialist in Native American Culture. George is allowed to see Jimmy for one hour every day. Devereaux asks him about his dreams and together they wander through Jimmy’s past. Using his knowledge of Jimmy’s culture, George is able to explore the connections between his memories and the images that confound and haunt him at night. This is a story of two very different men coming together to shape each other. George has faith in his abilities while Jimmy is determined not to lose himself in this illness. By the time the two men part way, Jimmy’s symptoms have disappeared and he finally comes to emotional amends with his life.

The film is based on the true story recounted in George Deveraux’s book Reality and Dream. Director and screenwriter, Arnaud Desplechin, explained that he wrote specifically for his leading men, Benicio Del Toro (Jimmy) and Mathieu Amalric (George). Both actors are impeccable in their performances. You truly believe their friendship transcends the boundaries of the film. Del Toro has a commanding presence, never expressing a false moment as Jimmy. Amalric plays George’s personal flaws with elegance.  In a time before PTSD had a name, JIMMY P., sheds the light on a different, non-judgmental approach to treatment. The exploration of cross cultural discussions permeates the script. Not only is this a beautiful story of friendship but it’s a history lesson we should all take to heart.

VERDICT: Must See

Written and Directed by: Arnaud Desplechin Starring: Benicio Del Toro and Mathieu Amalric Adapted from the Book: Reality and Dreams by George Devereux Country: France Language: English

BOTTOM LINE: This film is a lovely exploration of two men from vastly different life paths coming together with common goals: understanding and acceptance.