🎬 #125 Why Is 'Against All Odds' So Cinematic?
Two very different films this week but both focus on struggle - rising up against almost insurmountable odds. One deals with the brutally physical, one is more brutally psychological.
Why do we see the theme that I sum up as ‘against all odds’ appear time and time again in film? It’s the perfect vehicle for stakes and struggle. Key ingredients of drama. But it also represents a feeling that’s universal - the affirmation that one little person can potentially succeed despite all evidence to the contrary. That one little human being can rise up against the system. Something we all hope we can do.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: LONE SURVIVOR
2013 Dir Peter Berg
2 hrs 01 mins
Peter Berg’s interpretation of the true events drops us deep in Afghanistan with a group of navy seals whose mission is to capture or kill a key Taliban leader. Sounds relatively simple on paper but what follows is an ordeal that’s pure, horrifying action. The mission goes awry, leaving the small group facing off against hundreds of terrorists. A key struggle is their inability to communicate with HQ back at base - effectively leaving them stranded in the mountains of Afghanistan. But when things go wrong - Berg leaves nothing to the imagination by showing us the impact violence has on the human body.
In Rambo, we saw light trickles of blood on the face, here Greg Nicotero, famous for his special make-up effects work on Day Of The Dead and The Walking Dead, shows us the gruesome reality - what bullets and rocks can do to even the toughest Navy Seal flesh. Deep lacerations, compound fractures - you name it, it’s here. But the injuries also develop as they would in reality, even though some of the scenes might feel over the top - the results feel very true. For example, Ben Foster’s characters’ face seems to swell up gradually over the course of the ordeal in what seems like a very realistic manner. The injuries are storytelling devices - a visual manifestation of just how bad the situation is and the stakes involved.
Berg pushes the physical struggle to insane levels. A couple of scenes sees the group fall hundreds of feet down rocky terrain. Tumbling into rocks, trees, in a masterful blend of stunt work, sound design and crisp editing. The number of times you’ll wince is astonishing. But like Berg’s other work, it’s not just mindless action - there is a poignant heart underneath that fractured ribcage. A story of honour and humanity amongst even the darkest human struggle.
TL;DR: Berg’s tribute to the seal team at the centre of one of the modern era’s most intense battles shows us just how durable the human spirit is.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple, Amazon, Google and YouTube in the US, and the UK.
Fact: The eagle eyed viewer will spot a cameo from Dan Bilzerian, the man most well known for his poker playing and insane lifestyle documented on his Instagram profile.
FILM TWO: ANATOMY OF A FALL
2023 Dir Justine Triet
2 hrs 31 mins
Whereas the previous film had various moments of men falling down a mountain, this one features just one physical fall - a man from a window. Was he pushed by his wife or was it suicide? That’s the question that’s decoded for the duration. Their half-blind son is at the centre, caught between Mum and Dad, as a key witness.
The other metaphorical ‘fall,’ under the microscope is the breakdown of a relationship. That’s where the real anatomy lesson lies. As the court case proceeds, the dissection of their marriage cuts deeper and deeper - exposing more tender flesh to us and the jury. What was private and hidden - is now out in public for all to see and read. Triet, working from her and her writing partner’s outstanding script, weaves a dense tale, that never shies away from the intricacies and complexities at hand.
This is not a simple case and the film never takes the easy route. We feel every anxious heartbeat of struggle. Every dry throat. Every frustrated linguistic shortcoming and the breakdown of communication. This is a true test of character and what they can withstand when put under extraordinary pressures. It also features one of the best canine performances since I Am Legend.
TL;DR: An intense examination of human struggles both in a relationship and in the courtroom.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple, Amazon, Google and YouTube in the US and the UK.
Fact: The song heard in the opening scene wasn’t originally going to be P.I.M.P. It was meant to be Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene,’ but she and her team didn’t give the filmmakers permission to use the track.