Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love

3/5

Director: Ryan Murphy

Starring: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco

If you happen to have an ounce of cynicism in your body, avoid this like the plague. Because for the cynics amongst you, "Eat Pray Love" will no doubt be the most self-indulgent, self-satisfied and self-important film you will see all year. But for those who are truly romantics at heart, one woman's pretty looking journey across the colourful globe to find the meaning of life, searching for a true connection, physical, mental and spiritual, will be something to marvel at, admire and cherish. Is she brave for venturing out into the world, following her dreams? Or is she simply deluding herself and being selfish, materialistic and falling into excessive consumerism? Are the problems in her life really that big of a deal? The film's theme will no doubt split the audience and it's not something that appeals to a wide demographic.

Liz (Julia Roberts) is a middle-aged woman going through a divorce after disastrous years of trying to make her marriage work and is looking for some sort of consolation from a much younger man (James Franco). But the love affair is cooling off significantly, and she is once again left alone, bored and unenthusiastic about life. She needs a change of scenery, and being a travel writer, she decides to take an entire year out to do some effective soul-searching. Her first destination is Rome, where she is to do some eating. Then she plans to move on to India, a place suited for praying. Finally, she will end the year in Bali, Indonesia, where she may, just may, find the much-needed love in her life. 

It is hard to make a film out of a book that relies heavily on internal monologue. "Eat Pray Love" is based on an enormously popular bestseller written by Elizabeth Gilbert whose autobiography was an instant hit for the readers. She was looking for balance and the meaning of true happiness, and before we are able to see Julia Roberts going on the rather expensive looking trip (which Gilbert's publisher paid for in advance, a bit of detail the film decides to ignore completely for some reason), the film needs to establish that Liz is going through hell and is leading a miserable existence. This is where the casting of Roberts really pays off. Roberts, being the international superstar that she is, does not disappoint in her "solo comeback" (this is the first time she has had to carry a film by herself in nearly 7 years), with her subtle glances of sadness and vulnerability setting an effective tone at the beginning of the film. She is essentially depressed and needs something different in her life. She has spent years worrying about her future, and now she needs to have fun.

And it's a timeout that anyone would die for. In Rome she decides to stop worrying about gaining weight. She's in Italy, there are sumptuous dishes of pizza and pasta and she is not about to let a few pounds from enjoying the endless amount of fantastic food that is on offer. She does need to buy a few more pairs of jeans that fit the grown waist but who cares when the food tastes that great? There's a particularly memorable scene where Roberts tucks into a rather simple looking Spaghetti Pomodoro, which in fact, turns out to be amazing. Accompanied by "Der Hölle Rache," the famous Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's "The Magic Flute," the scene will make your tummy growl as Roberts slowly but surely finds a brief moment of true happiness with that plate of Spaghetti. 

Then she's off to India, where she stays in a Hindu temple, finding peace, praying, trying to connect with God. But being a Western woman, it's not easy to sit still, pause, and meditate for hours and hours. There are flies to distract her and she has too much going on inside her head which doesn't help since the whole point of meditation is to clear your head of any unnecessary, complex thoughts. Time literally seems to stop and each minute feels like an hour for our heroine. But like most events in this film, as enough time goes by, she gets immensely good, almost too good, at everything. Sure she does have some help. She meets a friendly man from Texas, Richard (Richard Jenkins), who helps her get rid of the burdens that are pressing down hard on her shoulders. Jenkins provides the only stand-out supporting performance and in one intimate scene that is handled perfectly by the often underrated and underused actor, his monologue will surely tug at the heartstrings. The friendship between the two is often humourous as well as deeply moving, and a lot of credit should go to Jenkins.

Good-looking men surround Gilbert during her travels, most noticeably in Bali. She almost hooks up with a man who must be at least ten years younger than the middle-aged divorcee, but the one that threatens to steal her heart is the conveniently divorced Felipe (Javier Bardem), whose business apparently lets him be wherever he wants to be (his words). So the audience is confused when he also goes on to say that his business is in Bali, so he cannot leave when Gilbert eventually plans to. Other than that slight hiccup, Felipe seems to be the perfect man for her. He's loving, caring, a great kisser...basically he's got the full package. Gilbert took this trip to be away from complications, to liberate herself, but it appears she needs a man after all to keep her happy. She visits Ketut, a medicine man whom she visited before and his words of wisdom supposedly give her Balance. She finds security and stability at long last.

Despite the excessive use of voiceovers, the film fails to show any depth relating to this woman's year-long journey. It has a lengthy running time, but spends very little bit of it trying to explain to us just how some of the events occur. The disjointed feel is partly the editor's fault, but also the careless script should also share the blame. So she's praying in India. What about? She connects with God on some level. How? She finds Balance in Bali. Again, how? By doing some charity work and raising money for a pharmacist who cannot afford to buy her own place? The soul-searching; did she succeed in the end? Was Felipe it? The whole point of the trip? The message is never clear, and the film tends to forget a lot about the previous places Gilbert had been to. When she's in India, she forgets all about Rome, when she's in Bali, India is history. The calm, soothing voice of Julia Roberts tries to explain everything. And there are some philosophical elements that try to give clever answers to the many questions that have been opened in the beginning. Because director Ryan Murphy is so focused on showing solely the beautiful, breathtaking aspect of her adventure, all that "Eat Pray Love" boils down to is nothing but a shallow and sweeping drama with a fantastic leading actress but not much else.

Another Year

Another Year

5/5

Director: Mike Leigh

Starring: Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen

What can be so interesting about an old but loving married couple who could not be happier with their lives? Well, according to Mike Leigh, the director of one of this year's best films, quite a lot. It's the people around them that present all the deep, complex emotional problems. In a film that is separated over one year, the four seasons bring about four unique episodes of supporting characters with their own struggles. For Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), the blissfully married couple, the coming year is just...well..."another year," but a year can bring out so much pain in others, pain that they have to acknowledge and ultimately, deal with.

Fulfilling jobs (He's a geologist, she's a medical counsellor), nice soothing hobbies, stable home, healthy conversations, great meals are what make up Tom and Gerri's successful marriage. But just because they're living the picture-perfect life, it doesn't mean their friends are. Take Gerri's colleague Mary (Lesley Manville) for example; after a string of unsuccessful relationships including some failed marriages, she is lonely, and knocking back glasses of wine is a common occurrence for her sad existence. She has not given up hope, and is convinced that men are still interested in her. She eventually sets her eyes on Tom and Gerri's only son Joe (Oliver Maltman), and is quite naturally bitter and devastated when he brings around a young, attractive, perky fiancée (Karina Fernandez) home one day.

So many of the events seen in "Another Year" seem uninteresting, an everyday happening that takes place all around us. A male/female friend visiting for dinner, a son visiting for a few days, Tom's sister-in-law passing away etc...but Leigh makes sure that every single event means something significant and with the film's central theme of company and loneliness, each seasonal episode is there to bring about new revelations and new characters that make a significant impact on the general flow of the film's narrative.

Tom and Gerri are great to those around them. No matter how annoying or slightly inappropriate some of their friends may be, they tolerate them with all their heart. Mary, all alone with her tiny car she drives so nervously, goes on and on (always with a large glass of wine in one of her hands, of course) about the most insignificant details of her life. She gets chattier and makes even less sense when drunk. Her rambling may be hysterical at first, but as she continues her blabbering, the audience is given enough time and invasive close-up shots to realise just how hopeless the character is. Manville arguably gives the best performance in a film full of outstanding ones. She brings out enough humour from her character but every facial expression on her face reminds us of something more depressing and desperate. She may not be a likable character, but is someone you can feel sympathy for. Manville magically transforms this otherwise hateful spinster into a victim of chronic loneliness. The film's final moment is focused solely on Manville and no one else. The camera stays on the actress' face for a good few minutes. With no music or background dialogue, Manville alone is perfectly able to portray the fear and worry for the tragedy that no doubt awaits her. Hollywood has never been too kind to British performers and although Manville deserves a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and many more awards of its kind more than anyone this year, it's highly unlikely she will win. But she should clear some space on her shelves for some UK awards she is bound to win.

Yet another struggling victim is Ken (Peter Wight), a heavy-drinking (He downs three glasses of wine and a can of beer as Tom and Gerri gracefully enjoy their first glasses of wine), heavy-eating (Vegetables? No thank you) and heavy-smoking lad in his 60's who has obviously been alone for far too long; he tries to find some sort of deep companionship with Mary, something that ends with a hysterical outcome. He tries to put on a brave face to start with, but as he opens up more and more about his personal life, even the tough exterior cannot keep his tears from flooding out. His breakdown scene is handled beautifully, with Wight's highly sentimental, teary portrayal and the warm-hearted Gerri walking over to his side, hugging him.

Another brief but powerful section of the film takes place when Tom, Gerri and Joe visit Ronnie (David "Argus Filch" Bradley), Tom's older brother, after his wife passes away. Bradley, as can be expected, is in shock, in total withdrawal from society and people. He is leading a ghost-like existence, and with the help of Tom's family, barely gets himself together to finally say goodbye to his wife. The funeral is going smoothly in a depressingly empty church, until Ronnie's rebellious, hooligan-looking son Carl (Martin Savage) struts in almost at the end of the service. Carl obviously has a lot of issues and uncontrollable sense of anger towards his father who he deems unfit and pathetic. Savage only appears for a short scene, but his powerful presence is an unforgettable one, and his no-nonsense, audacious performance is one that sticks to the mind, because of how much chaos and terror his single character brings into an otherwise peaceful, mourning household.

Mike Leigh's go-to cinematographer Dick Pope once again works his magic here creating beautiful scenery of the four seasons set largely around the house of Tom and Gerri. He moves the audience from one season to another with elegance, portraying each season with utmost care to fit the various events that are prepared for us.

Rich with low-key, often subtle but hugely effective humour as well as some heart-wrenching drama, "Another Year" is one of Leigh's finest works of his career. The title and general gist of the film may be off-putting for some for being "too British." And yes, this is as British as they come, but it's simply outstanding because of it. With its ups and downs, laughs and tears, "Another Year" is the note-perfect human drama that examines closely but never takes itself far too seriously.