Macbeth (2015)

Having studied Macbeth in A level Literature, I already knew the story relatively well, and it holds its place as my favourite Shakespeare play (out of those that I've read, at least). I was pretty excited when I heard about the film, and hoped it would live up to expectations. What I like most about Macbeth is the feeling of unease that is strong throughout the play, and I was hoping the film would manage to get this across. 

Justin Kurzel was given the daunting task of directing one of the most famous plays in history. Having only directed a handful of films, and not being known for any particularly big productions, Kurzel seemed like a strange choice, but it's safe to say he was definitely the right one. 

I was pleased to learn fairly soon into the film that the script was very true to the original. Although for some people this meant that the storyline was difficult to follow amongst the riddles of Shakespearian language devices. A major plot line is missed if you're confused by what the weird sisters mean by 'no man born of woman can harm Macbeth', and even if that is understood, it can be easily missed that Macduff was 'from his mother's womb untimely ripped', meaning that he was born via a caesarean, and therefore can in fact harm Macbeth; this is all stuff that is easily overlooked by someone who is new to the play. 

There were some minor changes in the plot,such as there not being three weird sisters, but in fact five, including a child and a baby. At the very beginning of the film, the opening scene also depicts what is shown to be a funeral for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's baby. In the original play, Lady Macbeth hints to having previously given birth, but this is left ambiguous. Kurzel decides however to allow Macbeth and his wife to have once had a child; it is not obvious why he chooses to do so, but I can imagine he might have used this as a device to juxtapose the tender love shown towards the dead child, with the apathy and cruelty that is later  displayed. I don't think the child's funeral at the beginning added a whole lot to the film, and I found myself almost wanting Kurzel to push the boundaries further and experiment more with the play. Kurzel made a wise choice to not stray too far though; Shakespeare is adored globally, and I can imagine the horror on peoples' faces if they were to watch a version in which things are dramatically altered. 

The music was without doubt one of the best elements of the film, creating tension and unease in all the right places, and bringing to the screen the Macbeth that I envisioned while reading the play. Michael fassbender's performance as Macbeth was magnificent, truly portraying a man who begins to almost decay from power and greed. Marion Cotillard likewise played an impressive Lady Macbeth. However, the mental state of her character seems to be played down in the film compared to the play. While this only adds to the hegemonic view of women as mentally fragile, I believe Lady Macbeth's madness to be at the very core of what the play is about, and with Kurzel only showing a glimpse, this was one instance in which I felt the film was lacking something. 

The cinematography throughout the film was captivating, but actually the most impressive and artistic shots for me came as the credits rolled down the screen. After the film ends with birnam wood in flames, these flames continue into the credits as each shot of the desolate scottish hills are drenched in a beautiful red aura, resulting in an ending which is alluring and unsettling, both of which seem to summarise Macbeth itself. 

7.7/10

The Spirit of The Beehive (1973)

The year is 1940, and seven year old Ana lives in an isolated Spanish village with her parents and older sister Isabel in an eerily silent house. Director Victor Erice begins the film by showing Ana and her sister watching a production of Frankenstein in a makeshift cinema. Watching Frankenstein awakens something inside of Ana as she becomes curious and detached from reality, in hopes to find the monster she seems to sympathise with. Isabel tells Ana that if she closes her eyes and calls the monster then his spirit will come. After hearing her sister's words Ana attempts to find the monster's spirit, searching in a nearby abandoned sheepfold where she finds a large footprint. 

Ana does not find the monster, instead finding a fugitive soldier whom she cares for. The two never speak, although they are quite clearly found of one another. Silence is very characteristic of the film; with the long and still camera shots, the silence adds to the film's allure. The silence not only penetrates the camera work, but oozes into the film's character relations. The family are isolated from one another; Ana's father spends most of his time writing in his journal and tending to his honey bees, her mother harbors a secret in the form of letters, whilst her sister seems close to Ana, but somehow the two are still detached. Aside from the distance between the family, there is one touching moment when Ana, Isabel, and their father go mushroom picking, and it looks something of an idyllic family day out. 

Later when Ana goes missing the silence becomes disrupted as her family calls out to her in the middle of the night. Perhaps it is Ana who is the one that holds the family together; she may be quiet, but when she runs away the film hits an ultimate disequilibrium. 

So, the title of the film... what's it all about? Firstly, the theme of bees runs throughout. Ana's father is shown at the start of the film tending to his bee hives, collecting their sweet honey. The bees resonate elsewhere in the film, as the windows of the family house largely resemble the hexagonal structure of the inside of a bees nest, seeping through amber light. Erice only ever allows the symbolism of bees to remain trapped inside the windows, correlating with Ana's frame of mind - stuck between reality and her dream world in which Frankenstein's monster exists. 

Without doubt the most captivating essence of The Spirit of the Beehive is the use of the film's lighting. Soft glowing amber creeps in from the beehive-like windows, illuminating characters faces, while Erice masterfully employs shadow and reflection, perhaps hinting to a world outside of reality, just beyond the light. 


7.2/10

Zooscope Publications!

For Part of one of my final year University modules  about the representation of animals in film, I wrote some articles on some films with animals in, and they have been published on an online archive. Here they are: 

The Plague Dogs - Dir. Martin Rosen. United Artists. 1982 : https://zooscope.english.shef.ac.uk/articles/66

The Selfish Giant - Dir. Clio Barnard. IFC Films. 2013 : https://zooscope.english.shef.ac.uk/articles/56

(there are also two shorter entries to come) 

Ex Machina (2015) (Published by Forge Press)

Original publication here

Known for his role as writer and producer of films such as Never Let Me Go, and 28 Days Later, Alex Garland steps into the director’s seat for the first time with his latest film Ex Machina.

26 year old programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition in which the prize is to spend a week with the CEO of Bluebook, Caleb’s employer. After travelling for hours via helicopter Caleb reaches the remote residence where Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the founder of Bluebook lives. Nathan has created an artificial intelligence he calls Ava (Alicia Vikander), and he requires Caleb to decide whether Ava can potentially pass as human by means of a Turing test.

The film is shot within Nathan’s house for much of the running time, creating an intense sense of entrapment and isolation. Although the camera barely ventures outside the walls of the house, the film remains engaging throughout.

You don’t have to be a fan of sci-fi to enjoy Ex Machina. Although the plot bases itself around the idea of artificial intelligence, the way the film builds suspense and shrouds itself in mystery also allows it to work as a thriller, captivating audiences from the start.

As soon as the film begins the audience is unaware of exactly what is happening, Dramatic irony is not something that the film uses, leaving audience members in the dark. It is only until the film reaches its conclusion that much is revealed, shedding light on the mysterious events.

The cinematography is both haunting and captivating, paired with the striking sounds of the film to form a constant level of uneasiness. The film’s strongest point certainly lies within the unsettled encounters between characters, which would not have been so easily achieved if it were not for such strong performances from Isaac and Gleeson.

However, it is Vikander’s performance as Ava that steals the show. Her interactions with Caleb are always met with a certain unsettled air, and it is because of this that they are some of the most mesmerising scenes.

The sheer intelligence of the film is highly impressive, and raises questions about what it is to be considered human. Sci-fi can often seem too fantastical to believe what we see on screens, but Ex Machina presents a believable version of what we might imagine artificial intelligence to be like some day in the future.

It is difficult not to envision where the film is heading, as the film seems to toy with various possibilities of an ending, only for it to land upon one nobody could have predicted. The ending may not satisfy everyone, but it certainly strays from predictability, which is often hard to achieve.

Ex Machina feels like the work of someone who has mastered the art of cinema, which is why it is all the more impressive that this is the first time Garland has taken on the role of director.

The film not only presents us with ideas of advanced technology, but also forces us to question human existence.

8/10