Oscars 2019: Part II

Free Solo

You may think someone climbing El Capitan without ropes would be the most compelling aspect of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's documentary but it is the climber rather than the climb that makes Free Solo what it is. Alex Honnold is risking life and limb when he solos, so what makes him attempt the insane? Looking closely at both Honnold and those closest to him, we get a glimpse into the mind of a major thrill seeker and it is exhilarating. By the time we get to the climb, you’ve already sweat a bucket and bitten all your nails off.

It’s a fascinating journey of one man trying to do the impossible and we’re along with him for all the very literal, and all too terrifying, highs and lows. It only really scratches the surface of man vs nature and why someone may want to do this, but it's beautifully shot, somewhat disturbing, and all-together captivating.

If Beale Street Could Talk

Barry Jenkins follows his best picture winning Moonlight with another close-up of life in the black community. He carefully dissects the institutional racism inherit in America, without ever abandoning the love story at the centre of his film. His camera paints poetry with a delicate and deliberate colour palette, capturing and commanding the eye. It glides through scenes like a dream, showing the joy and optimism amongst the pain and the suffering. Beale Street simply doesn’t need to talk when it looks this good.

Powerful performances ground Jenkins’ transcendent style, bringing human heart with strong but flawed characters. The chemistry and tensions on-screen are palpable, drawing the audience into the scene, seating them in the middle of the crossfire and forcing them into the conversation. Occasionally it may drag when indulging its vision too much, but it’s forgivable; ultimately, it’s powerful and emotive film making.

Christopher Robin

For many of us, Winnie the Pooh played a big part in our childhoods but none as big as the part he played in the childhood of his pal Christopher Robin. Also like many of us, Christopher grew up and forgot Pooh, filling his time with other things - work and family - until they reach breaking point with one another. It is at this crisis point that Pooh reappears to help his old friend once again. 

It's a charming film, though very familiar. The plot is ancient, though typically Disney, with some CGI Pooh Bears and Tiggers thrown in, and a goofily archetypal antagonist in Christopher's boss (Mark Gatiss) for good measure. And despite it's somewhat dark and dismal start for an excellent Ewan McGregor's Christopher, the film drips with joy and love for its source material. Pooh, who gets vastly more screen-time than the other critters of Hundred Acre Wood, is a delight, helped in no small part by Jim Cummings returning to voice the beloved bear. At it's worst, Christopher Robin is too plain and simple. At it's best, it's fun; plain and simple. 

Mirai

The true cosmic magic of family, the connections that transcend time, are on full display in Hosoda's Mirai. It's an adventure that plays with linear narrative storytelling, the best method to capture the jealousies, insecurities, need for love, and imagination of a young child whose space is invaded by a newborn sibling.

It's a touching exploration into memory and family, investigating the invisible links that hold the fabric of our lives together but it can be clunky at times. Mirai struggles to maintain its tempo, often too neatly tying up threads before they're suddenly unravelled again for the next mystical encounter. If nothing else, it's a refreshing reminder that animation is still alive and well if not flourishing, without feeling the need to adhere to the formats presented by the big western studios.