We are getting into Award season, and with the close of the 2023 calendar, all the released movies for Oscar consideration have been released. I have read a number of Best of 2023 List, there are a few that popped up fairly consistently, along with the Golden Globe nominations which were released on December 11th – that there were a number of films to catch up on. It was a busy week and I have a few films to review that are already watched that will be moved to next week. So have an eye for May December, and the Australian horror film Talk to Me. 

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Judy Blume was a very popular writer when I was in grade school. I remember having Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, read to us in class, and the exploits of young Fudge in the early 1970s. This book on Margaret, was one that I never read, nor had read to me. It always struck me that this was a book “for girls”. It was a coming-of-age story I had presumed (or had been told) for a near-puberty girl and I just wasn’t interested. This movie stars notables Rachel McAdams as the Mom, and her Mother-in-law played by Kathy Bates. Margaret is played by Abby Ryder Fortson who I had not heard of before. She does an admirable job as the lead in this. 

For me, I was surprised how much these film was dealing with religion. Odd I suppose, given that God is listed in the title, but I hadn’t expected all of these family issues surrounding religion. You see, Margaret is a product of a mixed marriage between a Jewish father, with a Catholic mother. This is covered at length, with some questions for me as a non-religious person wondering “what’s the big deal all about? Do you create tension in a family and grandchildren over this?” I have a short answer of “no” to that. But this movie has plenty which I suspect is more likely than my quick off-the-cuff response.  So is this worthy of multiple listings from the Roger Ebert site Best of 2023 listings? I don’t think so. The Rachel McAdams portrait was pretty straightforward, the husband more cliched while Bates was more of a caricature. 

This film doesn’t make me think, and certainly didn’t stay with me. I think that the ultimate resolution for the religious issue, however much it may be expected, is disappointing. I think to myself “is that it?” So can I recommmend this? No I wouldn’t be going out of my way to be seeking it out. I am glad that I didn’t pay for it. 

Saltburn: What makes for a memorable movie experience? It’s a valid question. Especially in a home viewing experience, what makes for a memorable movie? What makes it good? For many blockbusters, you want to see amazing visuals and special effects, with great action to make the large screen experience worth while. Of course add in a great story with known actors and this can be a story that you can talk about afterwards. Recent examples of this include Top Gun Maverick and Mission Impossible. Other movies can be successful, for me anyway, in that they stay with me, and make me think for the days ahead. I had very little knowledge ahead of time for Saltburn, but I had noted the cast and thought that this could be good. I like Rosamund Pike, and I am intrigued by Irish actor Barry Keoghan. I think that he plays some bizarre characters, like in Killing of the Sacred Deer, and The Banshees of Inisherin where he not only looks different but his actions and expressions are questionable. 

This movie for me like with The Lobster, or The Killing of the Sacred Deer, seem to work in an alternate reality. It seems more like parody with commentary being made generally about the human condition. This is certainly true here. This movie also borrows more than a little from The Talented Mr Ripley, with the interplay between these two characters. The story itself unfolds with a clearly smart Barry Keoghan (a character named Oliver) explaining to the student tutor/assistant at Oxford University in his early days how he had read absolutely everything in the reading list over the summer. Oliver is prepared. Oliver looks a bit geeky, and he is treated as one of the nerds. He has a difficult time finding a place to eat in the cafeteria. Contrary to his experience, he notices popular and handsome Felix Catton (played by Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi) making friends, being popular with girls and generally getting on very easily. The school year ends, and Oliver has managed to get into Felix’s world of friends. He gets invited to Felix’s home for the summer. He enthusiastically agrees to go. To say that Felix’s home situation is strange and bizarre in this palatial home bordering on a castle is an understatement. Felix has a Mom (played by Pike) and Dad, along with a sister. Other friends along with servants stay in this castle. Then there is Oliver, as a plus one inside this family. Strange things happen including a couple of things from Oliver which are incapable of being unseen. Oliver manages to get himself well entrenched in al of the lives of the people in the house. So this heads down this path which I found to be odd but still compelling in the sincerity into which it was being presented. But in the end, it turns. Sure there were some indications that this was a possibility but it still comes as a surprise. But upon reflection, after credits have rolled and I slept on it, I still came back to it. 

Do I recommend this? Not for everybody. I wouldn’t recommend this to my parents. They couldn’t get over the language and a number of the images. They are not looking to have this put before them. So it’s a hard pass. But for those who look for movies to be comments on society, or on the motivations of those in a society, then this can be a thought-provoking experience. This stayed with me, and I re-evaluated the actions of Oliver with a different lens given that ending. It may be viewed differently now upon a second viewing. So it’s interesting in looking at the same actions differently. With that in mind, this is how I can recommend it in that light. We’ll see if the Academy agrees with me, and feels as though one or more of the performances get a nomination. But it is an intriguing film. Barry keeps on leaving me wondering about him. 

Anatomy of a Fall:  Another one of the films that was identified positively is this French (with subtitles) movie about a couple with a young son who live in the mountains and the husband ends up falling from the upper window and dying from his injuries. I learned that I don’t want to ever be tried in a French court. This film did win the Palme D’Or at Cannes, which is a prestigious award. But more on this…

The husband’s body is found by the son first, having fallen from the upper floors, and then the Mom is called. Mom arrives and calls immediately for the police and assistance. Her husband is dead. Then the questions begin. Sandra Huller plays Sandra who is having to deal with the loss, but then all the questions. Her son also gets questioned and the relationship with her husband is questioned and turned inside out. It certainly appears as though with son out walking the dog, and no one else around, that the death/fall seems a bit suspicious. The situation moves into the courtroom. The son is a character unto himself, who through a situation earlier in his life, which is explained in far more detail, has not had a normal upbringing. The parents have done their best to try and accommodate for him. 

As a lawyer I find a number of the activities of the prosecution quite different than how I was taught in Canada, these include allowing one of the witnesses to be sitting in the courtroom to hear testimony of other witnesses and also having a re-enactment of the alleged facts of the case with the witnesses themselves being participants within it. What?!?! That is quite shocking especially if the court or jury is deciding the truth of the situation based upon this evidence, which seems to be changing as it goes. How is this possible? What stands out for me was the writing in this movie, and in particular the dialog between the husband and wife at a crucial point in the proceedings. It is raw, and real, and shows tremendous insight into a couple and how they interact as they work together, from raising a child, to careers and working towards building a life together. Without sharing more, there is a further aspect with the son that is in many ways troubling and scary at the same time.  I will note that this film won the Golden Globe in writing and also Best Non-English Language Film just this Sunday evening. I can definitely agree with that award. I do recommend this, especially for the lawyers who would be interested in trials in other countries.