Radar
Radar
MOVIE REVIEW: MY SON MY SON WHAT HAVE YE DONE
Chloe Sevigny + Werner Herzog + David Lynch = big-screen magic?
I only saw three movies in a movie theater this year, and if I told you what they were, you might think that I was the biggest film snob this side of the Mason Dixon. But would a film snob endlessly tout his copies of Hamburger: The Movie or Street Trash? I think not. The third and final film I will see in a movie theater this year was My Son My Son, What Have Ye Done, directed and co-written by Werner Herzog, with David Lynch on board as executive producer. And that is just one in a long line of things that are awesome about this film.
Based on a true story, the film depicts the events leading up to a guy killing his mother, who he lives with, then taking some hostages inside his home. The narrative is cut up in a way that for every scene moving the plot forward, there are flashback scenes that give the film its depth and color. As the flick started to play, I realized that everything was under-lit, with actors (including Willem Dafoe, Michael Shannon, and NYLON cover girl Chloe Sevigny) delivering lines completely in the dark. The technical part of my brain wondered aloud, "What is this, amateur hour? What gives?" But as the movie went on, I realized that it was no accident that the lights were left at the rental house; limiting lighting strictly to what was naturally available in each scene only made the film seem more casual—and, in turn, drew me deeper into the world that this story exists in
This film reminds you that it’s a great thing when European directors come to Hollywood and get to tell stories their way. To watch a film that wasn't trying to rip off Wes Anderson—as the majority of quirky independent films with quirky independent characters who spout quirky independent dialogue often try to do (including Wes Anderson)—was refreshing.
The supporting actors aren't playing "quirky," they are just amazingly weird. Udo Kier (from Andy Warhol's Frankenstein) sends it on home as an avant-garde theater director, Brad Dourif (best known as Billy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) plays an prickly ostrich ranch owner, and Grace Zabriskie (Laura Palmer's mom from Twin Peaks) is an overbearing mother with a weird penchant for flamingos and black jello. It goes without saying that main actors Dafoe and Sevigny can do no wrong.
The one problem? Michael Shannon. He looks like Bam Margera and acts the way Eddie Vedder sings: constantly pissed off and emoting through a half open mouth that might have a wad of chew in it. But ultimately, that doesn’t matter. This is one of the greatest flicks I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely a good reason to put your butt in a movie theater seat for an hour and a half.
JAY BUIM
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done opens today in New York City.
Based on a true story, the film depicts the events leading up to a guy killing his mother, who he lives with, then taking some hostages inside his home. The narrative is cut up in a way that for every scene moving the plot forward, there are flashback scenes that give the film its depth and color. As the flick started to play, I realized that everything was under-lit, with actors (including Willem Dafoe, Michael Shannon, and NYLON cover girl Chloe Sevigny) delivering lines completely in the dark. The technical part of my brain wondered aloud, "What is this, amateur hour? What gives?" But as the movie went on, I realized that it was no accident that the lights were left at the rental house; limiting lighting strictly to what was naturally available in each scene only made the film seem more casual—and, in turn, drew me deeper into the world that this story exists in
This film reminds you that it’s a great thing when European directors come to Hollywood and get to tell stories their way. To watch a film that wasn't trying to rip off Wes Anderson—as the majority of quirky independent films with quirky independent characters who spout quirky independent dialogue often try to do (including Wes Anderson)—was refreshing.
The supporting actors aren't playing "quirky," they are just amazingly weird. Udo Kier (from Andy Warhol's Frankenstein) sends it on home as an avant-garde theater director, Brad Dourif (best known as Billy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) plays an prickly ostrich ranch owner, and Grace Zabriskie (Laura Palmer's mom from Twin Peaks) is an overbearing mother with a weird penchant for flamingos and black jello. It goes without saying that main actors Dafoe and Sevigny can do no wrong.
The one problem? Michael Shannon. He looks like Bam Margera and acts the way Eddie Vedder sings: constantly pissed off and emoting through a half open mouth that might have a wad of chew in it. But ultimately, that doesn’t matter. This is one of the greatest flicks I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely a good reason to put your butt in a movie theater seat for an hour and a half.
JAY BUIM
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done opens today in New York City.
This story was published on December 11, 2009.
Share
CONTENT RATING:
( 5 )
( 5 )
Andrea Paul
12/12/2009
Although I agree with 90% of this review, I beg to differ that Shannon's performance was a downfall. I thought he was cast perfectly and played the intriguing and multilayered character with depth.
Marisa
01/06/2010
Learn the difference between 'a' and 'an'
|
|
|
|
|
