Tiny Reviews: "Emilia Perez", "A Different Man", "The Wild Robot" and "Herectic"

EMILIA PEREZ

An original musical narrative that worked for me, despite some low expectation due to some friends' response to the movie. While I undertand it might not be culturally aware of its own subject (something that I personally wasn't aware too until someone explained to me why), I consider Emilia Perez to be an engaging and well-executed narrative. Songs are not that impactful with the exception of "Mi Camino", but Clément Ducol's score is soaring and emotive, Paul Guilhaume's cinematography work is beautiful and the sound department excels. The ensemble cast delivers a strong ensemble work here, but the film belongs to Zoe Saldaña who's simply exceptional - commanding, intense and magnetic, she makes for a great leading lady. Adriana Paz truly shines in her few scenes and Gascón is very good as well, but it was Selena Gomez who impressed me the most (despite her Spanish not being up to the task, I was pleasantly surprised by the dramatic intensity she brings to her character, something I never expected from her). Dynamic, thrilling and visually dazzling. Shame Emilia Perez isn't fair and honest with its own cultural background and makes use of the delicate matter of the Mexican missing people's drama lightly as a vehicle for its leading lady's search for redemption... but I still consider it a positive technical and narrative work from Audiard.

RATING: 7/10 

A DIFFERENT MAN

An interesting and much-needed study about identity and how the exterior projects ourselves and affects it as well. Part dark-comedy, part sci-fi, this genre film uses nostalgic aesthetics and deploys itself from vanity to center on Sebastian Stan's mesmerizing performance as a man who embodies a new identity after he sees his exterior self changed after subject himself to a medical experiment. Are you the person you see in the mirror? Are you allowed to be that person? What do you lose? What do you gain? How is the world treating you? A Different Man asks all these question and it gives the audience the clues to answer them. Adam Pearson also shines here with a character that's physically similar to the old Edward (Stan), but whose life couldn't be more different because of the way he accepts himself and works his own way in the world. In the end, you understand that A Different Man not only as a brain, but it also has a soul and a heart. The ending is genius.

RATING: 9,5/10

THE WILD ROBOT

Sweet and emotional, The Wild Robot is proof animation is just a medium for storytelling and not a downgrade from live-action. It's one of the most interesting and engaging narratives as it explores a future time where humans lose their own humanity to be replaced by robots, a time where the most human thing is the Nature itself. The narrative of a robot that gets lost and bounds with a baby duck and a fox is used beautifully to explore themes like family, emotions, community and even loss, making it an emotionally satisfying cinematic venture. The animation is gorgeous, the score is amazing (courtesy of the always reliable Kris Bowers) and Lupita Nyong'o is exquisite in the voice role of Roz - and it distinguishes The Wild Robot from other animated features this year. DreamWorks Animation exceled in this one and contributed to the "robots with feelings" niche cinematic collection with a great addition (Hello, WALL-E!). 

RATING: 8,5/10

HERECTIC

Two Mormon missionaries walk into a house and then... Hugh Grant carries a whole film. In fact, the movie barely worked for me as its attempts to reflect about religion just try too much, they are just too obvious. Sophie Thatcher and (specially) Chloe East do the best they can with their thin characters but they are never able to break from the glass box they are put in, unlike Hugh Grant who puts a never-seen-before creepy charm and faces it as an acting challenge, with a menacing smile. Great production design values and makeup work, but its visual value isn't enough to elevate a "wannabe" horror film. It's a "one and done" film for me, but I can't deny Grant did impressed me.

RATING: 5/10