Serena (3/10): Course 101 on how execution and post production can ruin a film

“I think you’ve taken nine months to do about six months work.”

It’s funny that Jennifer Lawrence was given this line in a film that took over 18 months to make during post-production because for what it is, this could have been edited much better in two or three months. The narrative feels choppy and instead of focusing on the characters in this period piece they move the narrative from one act to the next without ever giving the audience anything to chew on. This is simply a flat period romance with very little chemistry that misfires on all cylinders (editing, casting, and screenplay). You can’t help but feel that there is another film in here somewhere that got lost in the editing room. Serena seemed to be a film aiming for Oscar gold because it had everything going for beginning from the romantic pairing of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper after their incredible success in Silver Linings Playbook. Add the solid Danish director, Susanne Bier (In a Better World), and a script based on Ron Rash’s 2008 novel to the mix and Serena seemed to be a sure bet. I had high expectations for it and many were already including it as a contender for next year’s Academy Award even before it finished being produced. How could a film like this end up being so forgettable and predictable at the same time? I’d guess the blame relies on the producers who tried to cash in on Lawrence and Cooper’s success by centering the film on the romance instead of focusing on the other interesting cast members. The romance never works here because the characters are never fully developed so there is no way we can invest in their relationship. The amazing chemistry these two actors had in their previous film is completely wasted here. Everything about this film seemed disconnected and I am sure it won’t live up to the aspirations the producers and critics had for Serena. 

I have genuinely enjoyed all of Jennifer Lawrence’s performances up to this film. The setting in the woods reminded me of the first time I saw J-Law in Winter’s Bone, a film so richly invested in character development that I was expecting her to deliver another outstanding performance. That comparison to Winter’s Bone only ended up disappointing me. She is extremely over the top in this film and the emotional scenes she gets are never believable. The scenes where she breaks down and cries were painful to watch. Bradley Cooper loses his charm as well, but I guess the blame relies on the script. If you are trying to deliver a strong romantic period piece you have the right actors to do so, but the script doesn’t help build the romance. Bradley Cooper’s character catches up to J-Law on a horse and asks her to marry him and then they are married. The entire film felt sort of chopped up and fast forwarded to the key parts of the story without taking time to give the characters any depth. About 15 minutes into the movie I knew where everything was heading and it was a huge disappointment for me because I expected a lot more from this film. The secondary cast is interesting, but unfortunately very little time is given to these characters. Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, and David Dencik are extremely talented actors and I wish the script would’ve given them more time. Unfortunately Christopher Kyle’s script misses the mark at every turn. The only positive thing about Serena was Morten Søborg's beautiful cinematography. 

My Review: Love is All You Need (6/10)

¨I really don´t understand why anybody would work for you when you are so awful.¨

I really don’t understand why Academy Award winner, Susanne Bier, chose a character so unlikeable to play the lead romantic role in this film. Pierce Brosnan plays this really awful and hateful lead character that is upset at the world, but ends up falling in love with a recovering Cancer patient played by Trine Dyrholm. The two seem like complete opposites, but end up falling for each other after the film magically transforms this unlikeable character into a somewhat sentimental one. I really hated the first half of this film, but once Brosnan´s character became more human the film really picks up and has a strong and emotional second half. The second part is what makes this film worth the while and where Susanne Bier´s magic reappears. This is perhaps her weakest effort after having directed Brothers and In a Better World, two films which I really enjoyed. The Danish director combines some elements from her homeland as well as a touch of British and Italian, but the real problem with this romantic comedy has to do with the pacing of the film. The screenplay was written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen who had also worked with her in her previous productions. Love is All You Need doesn’t really live up to their prior work, but it still is a decent comedy that works better in the second half. The Danish title translates to The Bald Hairdresser, but the English title works a lot better. This was a bit of a disappointment for me despite feeling a connection towards the end, but I expect much more from Bier´s upcoming film, Serena, staring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a hairdresser who has lost her hair after battling with cancer, and at the same time has found out her husband (Kim Bodnia) is having an affair with his accountant. She finds some comfort in her daughter, Astrid (Molly Blixt Egelind), who is getting married with Patrick (Sebastian Jessen) as she travels to Italy for the wedding reception. At the reception she meets Philip (Pierce Brosnan), a successful widowed businessman who is angry at life. Philip is Patrick´s father and he falls in love with Ida´s charm and goodness. She reminds him a lot of his wife and the two spend a lot of time together while their children are getting ready for the wedding. At the same time Astrid feels like Patrick is having second thoughts about the marriage after feeling him very distant the last few days. Conflicts arise at the beautiful and romantic Italian seaside villa as we get closer and closer to the ceremony.

Susanne Bier has made some great dramatic films, but here she falls a little short with this romantic comedy. It has its touching and emotional moments, but the pacing of the film really doesn’t help. She does manage to deal with the complexities of life and love, but in doing so she does make this movie a little more complex than it should be for a romantic comedy. Trine Dyrholm is a delight on screen and she gets much more screen time here than in A Better World. Pierce Brosnan does what he can with his character, but he is so unlikeable at the beginning of the film that it is really hard to cheer for him. It´s hard not to fall in love with the beautiful Italian cinematography and it really adds to the romantic atmosphere. Kim Bodnia, playing the unfaithful husband also adds to the comedy. The young couple has very little chemistry with each other, but we see why during the second half of the film. Despite all my complaints it’s hard not to leave with a smile by the time the credits begin rolling. If you can get through the painful first half of the film you might actually enjoy this film.

    

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My Review: In A Better World (9/10)

¨No one will dare hit me now.¨

Haevnen is the Danish film directed by Susanne Bier (Things We Lost in the Fire) that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Picture in 2011. My personal vote would have gone to the Canadian film, Incendies, which I thought was a masterpiece, but In a Better World is still a great film. I`m not sure if the translation ¨Haevnen¨ from Danish to English really means In a Better World but I thought this title fit the film perfectly considering how our actions really affect the world we live in a positive or negative way. We have the power to act in revenge against those who hurt us or we can decide to forgive them and try to make this world a better place. As we clearly see in the film written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen we are capable of both actions and sometimes there is a very thin line that divides one reaction from the other. We are capable of being very kind but at the same time we are also capable of being vengeful. Sometimes one small push can lead us into either direction. We see this clearly happen through the characters in this movie. I hadn’t watched a film directed by Bier before, but I did get to see the Hollywood remake of her film Brothers that stared Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire. Brothers was a great film so I will be looking forward to Bier`s next film. I really enjoyed the performances in this film, and even though the movie does seem to push the ending toward a direction where all the pieces fit perfectly pretty quickly, I still enjoyed the film very much and thought it was very thought provoking.

The story takes place mostly in Denmark between two different families that are connected in the film through the friendship of two boys. One is Elias (Markus Rygaard), a young boy who is being bullied at school who lives with his mother, Marianne (Trine Dyrholm) and his younger brother. Elias`s father is Anton (Mikael Persbrandt), a doctor who travels back and forth from Denmark to an African refugee camp. Marianne and Anton are going through a separation and it is affecting Elias. The other boy is Christian (William Johnk Nielsen) who recently moved from London to Denmark after the death of his mother. He moved in with his rich father Claus (Ulrich Thomsen) although their relationship is pretty sour. Claus is introduced at his new school where he meets Elias. After protecting Elias from a bully they become close friends and begin to spend time with each other. Christian is a vengeful kid who is still suffering from his mother`s loss, while Elias is very innocent and kind like his father. As the two kids begin to hang out with each other they are forced to make difficult decisions dealing with forgiveness and revenge. Anton will be forced with the same decision in his refugee camp when one of the rebel enemy leaders comes asking for help.

Markus Rygaard and William Johnk Nielsen, the two child actors are great in this film and they share a true chemistry together. I really enjoyed Mikael Persbrandt`s performance as well as the loving and kind father who is trying to win his wife back after being unfaithful to her. These characters all have flaws, but at the same time we see how they respond differently to similar circumstances. Some decide to act out in revenge, while others decide to be polite and forgive. The film tackles these issues as we go through a wide range of emotions. The film also deals with parenting and how some of the things parents say or do affect their child in a positive or negative way. They have the power to shape their child`s behavior. The movie isn’t afraid to tackle issues of violence and bullying as well. I really was able to connect with all these issues the film tried to explore including the different ways we deal with injustices and how we respond to them. I really enjoyed this powerful and emotional film and definitely recommend it to everyone.

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