August: Osage County (2013)

Based on the stage play by Tracy Letts, this film follows the adventures (or rather misadventures) of an incredibly dysfunctional family.

Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) lives with his wife Violet (Meryl Streep) and newly-hired nurse/housekeeper Johnna (Misty Upham) in rural Oklahoma. Violet has mouth cancer, and is a very opinionated woman who doesn’t really seem to like anyone she comes across.

When Beverly goes missing (not for the first time, either), Violet contacts the rest of the family, who come to support her. First to arrive is daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), as she lives the closest.

Shortly after, daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts) arrives with her estranged husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and teenage daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin).

When Beverly’s body is found in a nearby lake (an apparent suicide) the rest of the family also make their way to the family home for the funeral and other arrangements.

Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) arrives with her husband Charlie (Chris Cooper), and is followed by their son Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Last to arrive is youngest daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis), along with her fiancé Steve (Dermot Mulroney) who has already been married three times before.

The rest of the film I will leave for you to discover for yourself, but I will just tell you that the remainder of the film involves all kinds of family secrets and closeted skeletons, few of which you will see coming.

As mentioned above, this is based on a play that did quite well when it was on Broadway. Tracy Letts has written the screenplay himself, so obviously, the film is very similar to the original play.

As with a lot of films based on stage plays, the majority of the action takes place in only one location, namely around the family dinner table.

The script is incredibly tight, but at the same time, filled with an awful lot of dialogue. The amount of dialogue isn’t a problem as it is very good, I only mention it in passing, really.

All of the cast are fabulous in their respective roles, with the clear standout being Meryl Streep (surprise, surprise). Julia Roberts is also excellent as the eldest daughter, who carries a lot of the burden of the family herself (whether or not this is justified I will leave up to you to decide).

The score (by Gustavo Santaolalla) works well when it is present, which is not often. The primary focus of this film seems to be on the dialogue, which should come as no surprise as it is based on a play (I know I’ve said it a couple of times already, but it is abundantly clear at every moment as you watch the film).

The film is overall incredibly confronting, and will give you plenty to think about long after the final credits scroll.

Director John Wells has done an incredible job of bringing this brilliant play to the screen. I would definitely recommend watching this film if you haven’t done so yet (in fact, I think I may even watch it again myself very soon; there is so much in there to think about, and I think one would notice different things on each subsequent viewing).

8 1/2 out of 10.

Orphan (2009)

A chilling look at a woman’s descent into madness, that may well be more than it seems.

After their third child - a daughter - is stillborn, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) make the difficult decision to adopt an older child, as Kate feels that they still have love to give another child.

They adopt a 9-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Furhmann), who at first seems like the perfect addition to their family. They find out from the orphanage where she is staying that she is from Russia, though her English is very good. She likes to paint, and is very talented at that, too.

Their other two children have different thoughts on this new arrival. Son Daniel (Jimmy Bennett) isn’t really that excited to have a new sister, particularly one so close to his own age, when he had been expecting a baby sister this whole time. Daughter Maxine (Aryana Engineer) is profoundly deaf, and is very excited to have a sister at last, one she had been waiting for for so long.

Esther begins to fit well into the family, though it is certainly an adjustment. She spends the entire car trip home learning how to greet Maxine in sign language, and introduce herself, and later takes up piano lessons (this is Kate’s job now, after she was fired from her previous job teaching at Yale).

It isn’t long at all however before things begin to turn sinister. Accidents seem to follow Esther wherever she goes, and despite Kate’s efforts to include her in the family, Esther seems to be growing more and more distant from Kate, preferring to spend her time with John.

Kate begins to suspect that there is more to Esther than they had first thought, but she can never prove anything to her husband. In fact, John just thinks his wife is going mad, and to most outside observers, it certainly seems that way.

I really can’t say any more without giving too much away, so I will leave the plot for now, and focus on other elements of the film.

This is a brilliantly written (by David Leslie Johnson) and directed (by Jaume Collet-Serra) classic horror film, with all the ingredients present for the best effect. Most of the ‘scares’ in the first half of the movie are jump scares, admittedly, but of course, this is typical of the genre, so it is not really a bad thing.

The cast are simply amazing. Farmiga is fantastic in the role of Kate, so much so that even the audience will wonder if perhaps she is going mad as her husband thinks. She doesn’t overplay the role at all, which would have been more than possible to do in a film like this.

Isabelle Fuhrmann is also brilliant as Esther. Her mood can change in an instant, yet she remains believable until the very end.

Another great performance is that of Aryana Engineer as Maxine, who is herself hearing-impaired in real life. She has incredibly expressive eyes, and significant portions of the film are seen through her eyes, including several scenes that are in total silence (usually after she is seen to remove her hearing aids). As such, her role requires a strong, capable performer, and she most definitely delivers.

Other notable performances are that of CCH Pounder as Sister Abigail (the nun who runs the orphanage where Esther was staying before) and Margo Martindale as Kate’s therapist, Dr. Browning.

The ‘scares’ in this film, particularly those in the second half, once we get through the multitude of jump scares from the earlier sections, are legitimately frightening, especially once we begin to see what Esther is indeed capable of.

The cinematography and music are also excellent. Light and shadow is used to good effect throughout, and the score (and diegetic music where used) support the action and emotion well.

There is only one thing I would say about the ending of this film (hopefully without giving too much away), and that is that if you have seen this movie, and saw the ending coming, then I would seek professional help immediately. Seriously, it is a more twisted and unexpected ending than anything I have ever seen in my life. That being said, after multiple viewings, I can say it was there the whole time (that will make sense when you watch it, I hope).

An amazing entry into the horror/suspense/thriller genre, this is not a film for the faint-hearted.

9 1/2 out of 10.