The point of many movies lies in the fact of illustrating social problems. Global and domestic issues, issues of consciousness and symbolism – all of those aspects are shown in the three movies, which will be discussed in this paper. Avant-garde filmmakers have produced tons of works and it is essential to reveal at least some of them.
Powerful experiments with theatrical forms are introduced by Robert Lepage in his masterpiece, called “Le Confessionnal”. He is known as a director of game cinema and released four pictures during eight years in different countries of the world. His unique film "Confessional" is associated with his deep memories and recent pass away of his father. According to Rist (2001), “One of the most original aspects of the film is that it situates parts of its intrigue in and around Alfred Hitchcock’s shooting “I Confess” in Quebec City in 1952, the master’s film echoing the drama which is splitting apart the Lepage’s heroes. Lepage complicates his own narrative by constantly shifting backand forth in time and space, and from “I Confess” diegesis to his own” (Rist, 2001). The is rich on various symbols: lack of hot water, repeated painting of walls, a thick fog in the sauna, sudden dizziness, fetal position, striptease, passing by trains, unwanted tattoo, thawed fish, failed calls. Moreover, each of these symbols is not accidental. Also there are three timelines. In the past part there is a history of the birth of two cousins and family relationships. The viewer is introduced to married couple. The young wife's sister is the mother of the eldest of the brothers. She in a relatively young age, ends life with suicide soon after giving birth, preserving the mystery of paternity. Soon the young wife gives birth to a child, too. A couple brings up the both. The present, in which the younger brother after the death of parents trying to start a new life, not really succeeding in this pursuit, and the elder caught in personal problems, decides to finally find his real father. There is a timeless story of the filming of the mystery of the confession by Mr. Hitchcock in the church, which is associated with a lot of events in the life of the family. “The narrative involving the early 1950s uses the church as a crucial location that embodies the key developments of the film, serving as a place of personal and social interactions. The church is a strand of narrative is a location of stability and a model of the way life should be lived.” (Dundjerović, 2003) All three plots are closely interrelated and beautifully interwoven.
“Lepage develops his film’s politics around a complex dialectic of seeing and being seen, not seeing and being blinded, drawing, photographing, performing or filming, being imaged and being imagined, is significant.” (White, 2006) In fact, it is fair to call this film as a great intellectual and deeply psychological one, richen with characters and a variety of subtle irony. The film is about the role of roots and family in the life of any person. Who the mankind is, how and where the world is going? Finally, what will happen to the world?
The next film under review is called The Visitor. The average teacher named Walter lives steadily and boring. All his life after the death of his beloved wife is reduced to dissemble about his employment. Thus, it is closed from all over the world and tries to once again not to join with someone in touch. At the request of a good friend, Walter goes to New York for a conference, where he will deliver a presentation on the problems of the economy. At the same time, the hero goes to see his local mansion in which he have not been a very long time. Upon arrival, it turns out that a couple in love, in the face of a slave and his Senegalese girlfriend living in this house. After the decision of misunderstandings, the owner allows to stay uninvited residents and soon even begin to make friends with them. All this grace ends when a new friend of main hero is send to prison because of the lack of a US passport. Now, Walter, will be faced with prejudice of their environment to persons eastern ethnicity. Issue of difficult relationship between Americans and Arabs was considered in modern cinema from different sides. Thomas McCarthy showed such politically incorrect topic through the prism of ordinary American who realizes the wrongfulness of the immigration system of his country. The film made quite a favourable impression, and despite the seriousness of the topic under discussion, events do not inject a sense of absolute depression and despair, but on the contrary, give a kind of self-charge. “McCarthy believes that The Visitor has the feel of a European movie” (Filmmaker Magazine, n.d.). The director was able to make the perfect film genre, in which the viewer begins to empathize with the main character, and guests from abroad have become well-chosen Syrian and black from Senegal.
The last movie, which must be analyzed, is called as Grace of Monaco. The film was selected as the opening of the Cannes Film Festival and could have attracted avid film enthusiasts. In the center of the picture story stays a brilliant actress, and later the princess, called as Grace Kelly (played by Nicole Kidman). After receiving an Oscar she became one of the most beloved and brilliant actress and get married with the Prince of Monaco and left Hollywood in order to become Princess. She tries to solve political problems that cannot be solve by her husband, the governor or other influential persons. The plot is pretty simple and smooth, however the movie suffered lots of criticism.
Firstly, the operator shoot way too much of close-ups of Nicole Kidman. There were too much of them, and Kidman is not as young as audience thinks. In general, the film is made in a rich and avant-garde way: beautiful costumes, the external and internal environment and fairy tale motive. Overall, it turned out pretty boring, so it will be perfect to cut the movie out except three moments: beautiful shots when Kelly comes out of the pavilion, when she learns the language and facial expressions, and her final speech in a stunning dress. The conclusion is simple: in front of the viewer there is Disney story about how naive and simple-minded Grace Kelly gets into the vortex of the political game, gradually becoming almost the most ingenious princess.
Eraserhead
The creation of Lynch has style that can be called existentiality and surrealism. It does not fit into the narrow confines of horror or drama. The tragedy of human existence is shown in the main character - Henry, which does not live, but only exists in captivity of complexes, fears and dreams. Even his angel-dream is ugly and incomprehensible and cityscapes are dull and schizophrenic. Fantasies about the death are embodied in the image of Marilyn Monroe. Taking into account all the nightmarish reality the death seems to Henry as beauty. However, the surrounding reality is so terrible that even in the imagination of Henry Marilyn Monroe will be ugly! Lynch uses such techniques in his following films: "Mulholland Drive" and "Lost Highway", where it has a different shape and purpose, but the principle is still the same: fantasies of the characters as terrible as their realities.
Le notti di Cabiria
In this film of Federico Fellini, the main character of which is a prostitute nicknamed Cabiria, it is useless to seek sex scenes - they do not need. The director portrayed the purest, naive creature. The Cabiria more children than the vulgar and rude, her every action is sincere.
A simple story about right and wrong, depicted as black and white picture is incredibly deep, if peer into the way Fellini plays with light and shadow, pay attention to the metaphor of day and night in the life of Cabiria. Inexhaustible hope again and again ignites the lights on the hopeless path, along which the heroine goes.
Conversation
Sometimes a succession of coincidences leads people not to the conclusion that should have been done. This film with its slowness and circumstantiality may puzzle the viewer that got used to action films and special effects. Coppola did not even resort to the usual exaggeration, surprising his audience not with skillful fairy tale, but by the importance of moments in the flow of everyday life; the importance of uncomplicated movements of the soul; importance of hint that is understood correctly.
References
Dundjerović, A. (2003). The cinema of Robert Lepage. London: Wallflower.
Rist, P. (2001). Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada. Greenwood Publishing Group.
White, J. (2006). The cinema of Canada. London: Wallflower.
Filmmaker Magazine,. (2016). request | Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 29 February 2016, from https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/spring2008/thevisitor.php#.VtTOSPl95di
