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Must-See Movies or Events:
Elena
Elena (Nadezhda Markina) lives with her affluent husband, Vlamidir (Andrew Smirnov) in a peaceful home. She has an unemployed son, Sergey (Alexey Rozin), from a previous marriage, and Vladimir has a daughter, Katerina (Yelena Lyadova), from his previous marriage. Both children leech onto their parents' income to put bread on the table. Sergey desperately needs money to pay for college for his teenage son, Sasha (Igor Ogurtsov), or else he'll have no choice but to go into the army. Vladimir refuses to pay for Sasha's education, though, stating firmly that Sergey needs to find a way to pay for it himself.
Elena can be viewed as a heart-wrenching drama as well as a very timely critique of modern society and, particularly, socialism. Vladimir is a capitalist. He earned his money by working hard. his daughter and stepson, like socialists, expect Vladimir to share his wealth with them without working hard. Elena finds herself in a very difficult moral dilemma as she must decide whether or not to listen to her husband when he refuses to fork out any more money to his stepson. What she decides to do isn't nearly as interesting as how she decides to do it. Fortunately, Nadezhda Markina nails the titular performance with utter conviction that shows precisely how frail yet tough Elena is as a human being. You may not like or fully understand her, but she's not a stock character. The same can be said for Vladimir and the rest of the flawed characters in the very dysfunctional family. Director/co-writer Andrei Zvyagintsev together with co-writer Oleg Negin treat the audience with respect by including subtlety, nuance and symbolism. They show the daily life of Elena and Vladimir with attention to detail that only makes everything more true-to-life. Everything from the music by Phillip Glass to the lighting, set design and slow pace help to establish the somber mood---the Phillip Glass score is the same one found in Koyaanisqatsi which would have been a more appropriate title for this film because it translates as "Life out of balance."
The Kid With a Bike
11-year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret) breaks out of an orphanage to find his father (Jérémie Renier) who had abandoned him. He desperately wants to live a normal life with his father, but he's unwilling to acknowledge the fact that his father doesn't want to see him anymore. He feels saddened when he learns that his bicycle had been sold by him--a metaphor for their relationship--so Cyril searches for that precious bike. A friendly hairdresser, Samantha (Cécile de France), not only helps him get his bike back, but also takes him under her care. She represents the small glimmer of hope, happiness, love, compassion and friendship that's missing from his life. No matter what, though, Cyril doesn't feel content without his father around, and he stubbornly refuses to give up attempting to reunite with him--or to face the harsh reality of the situation for that matter. He soon enters a dangerous lifestyle when he befriends a local thug, Wes (Egon Di Mateo), who teaches him how to beat people up and rob them, an extreme way of channeling his bottled-up rage and frustrations.
Co-writers/directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, a.k.a. The Dardenne Brothers, have woven a richly textured and human drama brimming with warmth, tenderness and pure, unadulterated poignancy. Rarely has a film captured the complex thoughts and feelings of a troubled young boy with such honesty without going over-the-top or losing its focus. It also helps that child actor Thomas Doret gives a brave, well-nuanced performance as Cyril that tugs at your heartstrings from the very first scene. Cyril's friendship with Samantha feels palpably sweet, and you'll find it interesting to observe how their relationship evolves as Cyril struggles to accept the fact that his father abandoned him. His emotional journey takes you on a roller coaster ride that's difficult to describe or even explain--it's best to simply experience it because words wouldn't be able to do it any justice. Moreover, the well-chosen music score perfectly compliments the film's tone and keeps you even further engrossed.
Friends With Kids
Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott), best friends since college, live in the same Manhattan apartment building. They desperately want to have kids, but neither of them likes how parenthood has affected the relationships of their married friends, Missy (Kristen Wiig) and Ben (Jon Hamm), and Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O'Dowd). So, they both agree to have a child together without actually becoming a couple. As time-share parents, they hope to be able to remain good friends while looking for love. Julie dates Kurt (Edward Burns), and Jason falls in love with Mary Jane (Megan Fox) who soon moves in with him.
Friends With Kids might as well have been called It's Complicated because, much like life itself, that's the most accurate way to describe the dynamics of Julie and Jason's relationship once they become parents. How precisely their relationship evolves won't be spoiled here, but writer/director Jennifer Westfeldt should definitely be commended for infusing this romantic comedy with sophisticated wit, warmth and insight that shows that she has matured both as human being and as a filmmaker. The two ephemeral jokes are done within logic and reason unlike in most romcoms nowadays, i.e. the disgusting, overrated, juvenile and unfunny Bridesmaids. It's also worth mentioning that the relationships and chemistries between the characters onscreen feel palpable and, most importantly, believable. You may want to yell at Julie and (especially) Jason whenever they behave foolishly, but that's merely a testament to how much the sensitively-written screenplay allows you to care about them as human beings. Westfeldt treats not only the characters with respect, but also the audience because she's not afraid trust their intelligence and to treat them like adults which comes across as a breath of fresh air in an industry that normally produces stale, inane, forgettable romcoms.
In reality, relationships aren't easy, and not everyone is always on the same page with their lover or best friend or anyone for that matter. Friends With Kids embraces that reality while never veering toward preachiness or melodrama or heaviness. It recognizes that within anything chaotic/messy there can be order or truth found within it. Conversely, within truth/order you can also find chaos/messiness, but that's precisely what makes life--and love--so beautiful. This might be the first smart, sexy and sophisticated romantic comedy since 500 Days of Summer. Finally, a romcom for adults!
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