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

PIECES OF YOU // A FILM REVIEW OF "GUEST OF HONOUR"

BY MATEO MORENO

Writer/Director Atom Egoyan has had a roller coaster of a career. He thrust his unique vison on the screen in his early days, with films like Exotica and made the modern masterpiece The Sweet Hereafter. Since then, his films have wandered wildly in quality, with none coming close to matching the quality of his early work. His latest film, GUEST OF HONOUR, won't please everyone looking for his "return to form." However, it is his best film in years, with strong performances and a twisty plot that keeps you engaged throughout.

David Thewlis stars as Jim, a stern health and safety inspector who, as we find out in the opening moments of the film, has just passed. We find this out through daughter Veronica (Laysla De Oliveria), as she speaks to a Priest named Father Greg (Luke Wilson) about his last wishes. From there we jump forward and back throughout time, seeing Jim be a stern, but often compassionate inspector inside of restaurants, holding all accountable for problems and issues, yet he often grows soft when a compassionate plea comes his way. He seems to have been a loving father, but it's clear that Veronica holds him at arm's length, even in death. The twisty plot takes off from there, revealing many bombshells of their life, such as Veronica's imprisonment, a scandal at a school and an affair that may or may not have happened. Veronica's childhood rabbit is also a crucial, and important, part of this interweaving plot, and Egoyan handles all of the loose ends with ease.

Thewlis shines with his understated performance and Laysla De Oliveria is a dynamite force to be reckoned with. Neither character ever go for a stereotype or caricature. They both deliver haunting, lived in performances that draw you in with each new revelation. Although the film never quite captures the stunning awesomeness of The Sweet Hereafter, it's mountains above his biggest misfire Where the Truth Lies. Egoyan has crafted a lovely, small film full of delicate emotion and painful regret, and one that puts him back in the direction of filmmaking we all have longed for him to return to.

GRADE: B

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Atom Egoyan STARRING David Thewlis, Laysla De Oliveria, Luke Wilson, Rossif Sutherland, Arsinée Khanjian, Gage Munroe. Now available in Virtual Cinemas.