Displaying items by tag: Melissa Barrera

YOUR MONSTER

US, 2024, 103 minutes, Colour.

Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Meghann Fahey, Kayla Foster.

Directed by Caroline Lindy.

There have been many variations on the theme of Beauty and the Beast, especially the classic fairytale and the different film versions, animated and live-action. But, the theme has been taken for all kinds of dramas, the male beast, the female beauty, the interactions.

This is a contemporary variation on the theme, the focus on a young woman, the beauty, Laura, Melissa Barrera, working with a composer to create songs for a musical production, but her being diagnosed with cancer, surgery, and the composer abandoning her.

The narrative has the background of the putting on a show on Broadway, the producers, money, intervening in the casting, the director, the writer, the various actors and dancers and their ambitions.

However, Laura is a recluse, one of the dancers a friend but whom she will discover has betrayed her. She does want to participate in the musical, even auditioning for a dancing role and being particularly unsuccessful at the audition. Yet she is hired as part of the ensemble.

But the key to the film, not a long running time, is Laura’s discovery of the other person who lives in her apartment, the Beast, human but hairy, a touch handsome, a touch more animal-like. He has a great influence on her, continued dialogue, his presence, sometimes absent, encouraging her, disappearing, but finally her going to a party, glamorously dressed, and his arrival there, well presented, and confronting the composer.

The film is particularly directed towards a younger audience, a younger female audience, identifying in many ways with the central character and her ambitions and her difficulties, but intrigued by the character and influence of the Beast.

But, there is the theme of the beast not just being external, but being part of the character of the young woman, the beauty and the beast in herself, the struggle, the creativity, the destructive aspects.

1. The title? Her monster? expectations?
2. The use of the Beauty and the Beast fable, Laura and her beauty, character? The Monster, his appearance, his behaviour, violent and vicious, yet charm within? The theme of the dual aspects of the one personality, beauty and beast?
3. The opening, Laura in hospital, cancer surgery, her mood, the corridor, her memories, her relationship with Jack, the composing for the musical, his impatience in the hospital, leaving her, her desperation? Going home, the lonely apartment, Maisie as her friend, flighty, promising support?
4. Laura at home, by herself, sad, eating, memories, hearing noises?
5. The appearance of the Monster, his appearance, manner, his memories for Laura when she was a little girl, her trapping him in the room?
6. No background for the Monster, but his presence, the vicious moments, the tormenting and teasing moments, his attitude towards Laura, her screaming?
7. Their gradually getting used to each other, life at home, conversations, his understanding, his talents, his rendition of Shakespeare, his singing?
8. The effect on Laura, her decision to go to the audition, to face Jack? The friendly young man and letting her in? Seeing Jackie Denman, her reputation? The audition, Laura’s failure, going home?
9. Laura and the monster and their discussions, his encouraging her, getting her to scream, break the plates, break out? The interpretation of these actions as her inner monster surfacing challenging her?
10. Her defiance, the interview with Jack, her being accepted as an understudy, part of the chorus, her presence, going to the rehearsals? Her watching Jack and his relationship with Jackie? Her envy, jealousy, feelings of revenge? Yet love?
11. The Halloween party, the invitation to the Monster, his refusal, her dress, admired, watching Jack and Jackie, the rage rising? The Monster appearing, smartly dressed, the dancing?
12. The confrontation with the Monster, his disappearance, her grief?
13. The further rehearsals, the confrontation of Jack, bonding with the other members of the cast, Maisie and her betrayal with Jack?
14. The performance, the first night, the audience, a powerful performance, her singing, her increased rage against Jack, blood smeared, the corpse on the stage floor, the finale, and beast taking over the beauty?

CARMEN

France/Australia/US, 2022, 116 minutes, Colour.

Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, Rossy de Palmer, Elsa Pataki, Benedict Hardie, Tara Morice.

Directed by Benjamin Millepied.

This interpretation of the Carmen story, based on Prosper Merimee’s 1845 novel with influences by Pushkin’s story, The Gypsy, rather than be says Opera, will be an acquired taste. With the French born choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, now working in the US, directing his first feature film after music videos, a huge emphasis in this version is dance.

Yet, one could describe the visual style and the staging of particular scenes as “operatic”, stylised, set pieces, larger than life. And, yet, many of the sequences are presented with a sense of “realism”. But, interspersed are touches of magic realism, ghostly appearances, scenes of fire, memories. The Internet Movie Database offers a summary: Benjamin Millepied's complete reimagining of CARMEN tells a story through an experimental dreamscape featuring an original score and songs. Yes, an experimental dreamscape.

And dance. This is a story of a young dancer, Carmen, Mexican, her flamenco-dancing mother, menaced by a young boy from the cartels shooting her. Her mother has urged her to go to Los Angeles, to find her friend, managing a nightclub there, Massilda. But, she has to get through the border, a dreary desert outpost, staffed by former soldiers to ward off migrants, violently. One of the soldiers is Aidan, a retired Marine, relying on his sister, with some friends, a boxer, but depressed in being stranded on the border.

As regards the drama, touches of melodrama, there is shooting at the border, Aidan defending some of the refugees, helping Carmen, driving away. They helped on the road by friendly taxi driver whose name is Angel. And another dancer friend drives them to Los Angeles. Which means than a lot of the film takes place within the nightclub, quite a range of dance which should exhilarate audiences who have come for the dancing. Aidan hangs out but feels the police will be after Carmen and himself and wants to move on. He gets an opportunity for getting some money from a friend who sponsors bareknuckle fighting – which provides something of a climax for the film, but presented, as is some of the other dancing, with ballet style, but this crowd excited by the violence, a stomping dance sequence.

Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, Scream) is a dramatic Carmen. Paul Mescal (Normal People, After some) blends passive moments with active moments. But, a star for Pedro Almodovar for many decades, Rossy de Palms, draws audience attention more than the star-crossed lovers. She is a powerful presence even when not singing or dancing. Elsa Pataki has a good role as the assistant at the nightclub. Carmen was filmed in Australia in 2021, the Broken Hill area for the desert sequences, some drab Sydney locations for the nightclub and the boxing. And many Australian actors, including Tara Morice, and dancers in the cast.

There are several songs, a great deal of choral chant throughout (incorporating some of the Bizet lyrics), but the strong impact is of the musical score itself, by Nicholas Brittell, powerful at times, the score seeming to drive on the action and the drama.

Some audiences have been enraptured, others alienated, and all stops in between.

1.     The original novel, Bizet’s Opera, the many adaptations, films of the Opera, Carmen Jones in the 1950s? This new interpretation?

2.     The work of the director, his reputation as a choreographer, his first feature film, his experience in music videos? Collaboration with the screenplay? The introduction of music, songs, their range, the choral background, the driving musical score? His interaction of dance, the range of dance, flamenco, modern dance, ballet, stomping dance…? The insertion of songs and dance into the screenplay and narrative?

3.     The adaptation of the original story, the role of Carmen, the touch of the femme fatale, the soldier, love, danger?

4.     The realistic, surrealistic settings, the desert (Australia standing in for Mexico), the drab border situation, the visuals, Los Angeles, the streets, the nightclub, the bareknuckle fighting? The comment on the experimental dreamscape? The move from realism to the surreal, to touches of magic realism, the importance of fire, the sparks, the ordinary slit, the burning globe…? Ghostly appearances?

5.     Carmen, her relationship with her mother, her mother dancing, the little boy, shooting her, the Mexican cartels, the danger for Carmen, going to the border, the encounter with Aiden, the crossing of the border, the military patrol, the shootings, Aidan helping her, the truck, the taxi and Angel driving, his support, the dancer and his driving, arriving in Los Angeles, the goal of the meeting Masilda? The club, her being given refuge, Aiden with her, the bond with Michelle, memories of her mother, in the club, Gabriele, the dances? Carmen and the relationship with Aiden? The dancing? The need for escape, farewelling Must still do, going to the boxing, the pursuit, Aiden shot, the surrealism of the final dance between the two? Her future?

6.     Aiden, Marine background, his service, the effect, with the others at the border, the patrol, their attitudes, his injured friend, reliance on his sister, life on the border, the patrols, attitude towards the refugees, the violence and the shooting? His helping Carmen, the escape, the taxi, the drive to Los Angeles, finding the nightclub, must still do welcoming him, his observing Carmen at the nightclub, the sexual encounter, his fear for the police pursuing, needing money, going to his friend, the arrangement for the bareknuckle fighting, his taking Carmen, the fight and its brutality, getting the money, the police arriving, the chase, the shooting, his being wounded, with Carmen, the symbolism of the final dance?

7.     Miss older, her friendship with Carmen’s mother, the nightclub, her appearance, command, singing, dance? Support of Carmen? The farewell?

8.     The people at the nightclub, Gabriel, the dances, the rooms of the club, the dance area, the theatrical area, performance?

9.     Audience response in terms of the drama and melodrama, in terms of the dreamscape, the experimental style of the film, the musical score, the songs, the range of dancing?