Film Review: July 22

"I Still Have Hope, Dreams, Family and Friends. And I Choose To Live..."

Based upon Åsne Seierstad's 2015 book, One of Us, a biographical account of the shocking 2011 Norway terror attacks carried out by lone wolf and far-right extremist, Anders Behring Breivik, director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) returns with yet another intense and powerful cinematic adaptation of true events in the form of 22 July following on from the critically acclaimed one-two of United 93 and Captain Phillips in 2006 and 2013 respectively. Released simultaneously within a select amount of theatres and streaming exclusively and nationwide on the Netflix platform, Greengrass' latest is a stark, relentless and brilliantly acted attempt at highlighting on the one hand the sadistic, evilness of terror, and on the other, the power of unity and strength within a community riddled with tragedy and extreme loss, and whilst 22 July contains elements which rank up there with the most intelligent, albeit harrowing, works of cinema produced by Greengrass thus far in his rather exceptional back catalogue, the film as a whole fails to handle the subject matter with enough conviction to really scratch the surface of understanding the purpose of such despicable acts or the lingering effect it had on the wider populous, a particularly aggravating weakness considering such themes are ones the Greengrass undeniably knows how to convey when dealing with such tragic, contemporary events. 

With an agonsing and exceptionally difficult opening act in which we observe in documentary-like style the plans of Anders Behring Breivik fall into place, Greengrass chooses not to hide away from the violence carried out but also thankfully slides away from falling into the trap of over-sensationalising it too, with the first forty minutes at times simply unbearable as the camera follows Anders Danielsen Lie's (Personal Shopper) portrayal of Breivik as he increasingly and coldly murders his way through innocent lives in order to satisfy his political beliefs. After releasing the audience from the clutches of terror come the hour mark, the remaining ninety minutes is spent observing key characters in the events leading up to Breivik's trial, ranging from Jonas Strand Gravli's wounded young survivor to Jon Øigarden's portrayal of Geir Lippestad, the lawyer tasked with defending Breivik, and whilst Greengrass attempts at balancing the narrative to focus on the wider effect of Breivik's actions, the pacing and lack of depth results in the movie unfortunately sliding into a manner which can only be described as overly procedural and shockingly, rather plodding. Where the movie does ultimately work however is in the emotive-laden set pieces and concentration on the singular rather than the many, particularly a concluding court speech from Gravli's broken terror victim, and whilst Greengrass carries out the drama in efficient means, for a movie verging on two and a half hours worth of storytelling, July 22 struggles to justify such enormities and fails to hold the sheer starkness of a simply masterful opening act. 

Overall Score: 7/10

Film Review: Personal Shopper

"I'm Lost. I Can't Tell Whether Or Not I'm Going Crazy..."

Whilst many will link the complex aura of Kristen Stewart almost automatically to the Twilight franchise, her reputation as one of Hollywood's most interesting actors has increased delightfully over the course of the past few years, with her desire to work primarily away from the heavy headlines of big budgeted productions ultimately resulting in a change of perception from the moody teen vampire star to a truly remarkable and reliable screen presence. Continuing on from 2014's critically acclaimed Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart reunites with director Olivier Assayas this week in Personal Shopper, a bone-chillingly creepy ghost story which although is undeniably original in execution, provides enough classic gothic horror motifs to appreciate the cine-literate nature of Assaya's direction which harks back to everything from The Haunting to a Mulholland Drive-esque air of ambiguity throughout its' more than appreciative runtime of 105 minutes. If it's cheap jump scares you're after, go watch Paranormal Activity, Personal Shopper is a marvellous platform for Stewart to work her unappreciated magic in a manner which is calculated with an utmost efficiency from its' impressive director. 

After the tragic loss of her twin brother, Kristen Stewart's Maureen, a self-proclaimed medium, capable of sensing and communicating with the afterlife, attempts to reconnect with her recently deceased twin in an attempt to seek closure and continue with her life in Paris where working as a personal shopper for Nora von Waldstätten's high-profile yet entirely egotistic fashion model, Kyra, is a financial necessity rather than a enjoyable pastime. After embracing the existence of an unknown spirit in her lost brother's previous home, Maureen becomes transfixed with the thrill of the unknown, resulting in a supposed game of cat and mouse between her world and the spirit world, concluding with dire and unexpected consequences. Featuring perhaps two of the most unnerving, bone-tingling scenes of recent years, Personal Shopper is a wildly subversive thriller which leaves the audience to fill in the blanks in a manner which totally understands and respects its' intended admirers. With Stewart in the leading role, her performance is both utterly mesmerising and entirely convincing, creating an air of tension in certain scenes which in the hands of others would have been completely lifeless and forgettable, particularly a long drawn-out scene in which our leading heroine communicates with her unknown admirer via smartphone. Between herself and director Assayas, Personal Shopper is another winning formula for the duo and is indeed one of the more interesting movies of the year so far. 

Overall Score: 8/10