FILM | Reviews
SEX COMEDY SEX TAPE (15) 94min ●●●●●
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (15) 92min ●●●●● THRILLER NIGHT MOVES (15) 113min ●●●●●
Few subgenres are as moribund as the sex comedy; since the 70s, audiences rarely seek laughs and voyeurism at the same time, and certainly not at the cinema. Given the format's social unacceptability, Sex Tape – which sees director Jake Kasdan reteam with Bad Teacher stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel – offers an interesting premise: when their homemade sex- film goes unexpectedly viral, a couple’s bond is tested as their private pleasures become public entertainment. Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel) are happily married with kids. In an attempt to spice up their flagging bedroom activities they record themselves having sex on an iPad, but accidentally send the film to several other devices. Sex Tape explores this most modern of ideas in a decidedly old-fashioned style, opting for slapstick all the way. A late cameo from Jack Black as a porn baron steals the show; Diaz does her best, but Segel seems to have misplaced his charm, and quirky support like Rob Lowe have little to do. Sex Tape is brisk but annoyingly light on laughs, a slight fumbling of an idea that deserved a more rigorous exploration. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Wed 3 Sep.
A psychological thriller boasting a top-drawer cast and more twists than a bag of fusilli pasta, Before I Go to Sleep is based on SJ Watson’s bestseller. Nicole Kidman is vulnerable amnesiac Christine Lucas, torn between two swarthy and suspicious men: her husband Ben (Colin Firth) and neuropsychologist Dr Nash (Mark Strong). Christine is living in limbo, unable to recall key details from her life or retain anything she learns. Her dreams proffer clipped clues and the film substitutes the novel’s journal for a more cinematically interesting video diary, which Christine contributes to at the instruction of Dr Nash. The brutality of the climactic reveal gives way to a tonally jarring closing scene but if you can forgive that (alongside logical leaps and insanely evasive behaviour) this might make for a wickedly entertaining evening out. Yet Rowan Joffe’s second film (after Brighton Rock) promises an exploration of memory and delivers only superficial, although admittedly stylish, thrills. It’s unlikely to have much lingering impact and, the morning after, you may struggle to recall events with any greater clarity than its amnesiac protagonist. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 5 Sep.
Night Moves is easily Kelly Reichardt’s most accessible film to date with its relatively conventional narrative structure and skilful accretion of suspense. Yet this apparently simple approach actually accentuates the film’s multifaceted and subtle exploration of an act of eco-terrorism and its repercussions. Writer-director Reichardt (whose previous films include Meek’s Cutoff and Wendy and Lucy) is a master at exploring the ‘in-between’, whether it’s in relation to a place, a person or a situation. In Night Moves, the setting is the dark forest of the Pacific Northwest. It follows three radical environmentalists who live their lives on the periphery of society and who indict its values through an act of extreme violence which has unintended consequences. The film asks what the impact of such a choice might be: just what is it possible to live with? Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard give excellent performances as Dena and Harmon, but it’s Jesse Eisenberg’s introverted and nervy portrayal of gang ringleader, Josh, that most impresses. Once again, this is highly intelligent and sensitive filmmaking from Reichardt. (Anna Rogers) ■ Limited release from Fri 29 Aug.
DRAMA TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (15) 95min ●●●●●
Two Days, One Night has jokingly been described as the Dardenne brothers’ version of High Noon. You can see why, as an individual is set apart from a community and faces a ticking deadline towards a moment that could mean life or death. The threat here is not from a vengeful gunslinger but from the age of austerity and a recession that has destroyed collective bargaining in the workplace and replaced it with the survival of the fittest.
Marion Cotillard stars as Sandra, a woman battling depression
and fighting to keep her job. She has been told that she will be made redundant unless she can persuade the majority of her colleagues to forego their much needed bonuses. She has a weekend to win hearts and change minds ahead of the blind ballot. As she pops pills and seesaws between hope and despair, Sandra confronts her workmates who are torn between self interest and altruism. This is a typically unfussy production from the Dardennes that finds strength in its simplicity and tension in the plight of an individual whose problems have a universal resonance. The film is not interested in creating heroes and villains but acknowledges that everyone has a reason behind their decision and that they are all simply doing the best they can, a perspective which places it closer to the films of Jean Renoir than the cinema of Ken Loach. It is no less compassionate or political than we have come to expect from the brothers, although it is more sentimental than their early work. Cotillard is the emotional core of a touching, topical drama as Sandra discovers reserves of steely resolve, and proves just as heroic as Gary Cooper at that fateful hour. (Allan Hunter) ■ Limited release from Fri 22 Aug.
60 THE LIST 21 Aug–18 Sep 2014