Daddy Issues
A kid, a missus, and on the run from the cops. Gosling’s hands are pretty full.
JJ SAYS:
Derek Cianfrance’s latest movie is an incredibly ambitious multi-generational tale, split into three acts. It opens with the story of Ryan Gosling’s character Luke Glanton, a tattooed motorcyclist in various state carnivals. When Luke learns he has a young son with former lover Romina (Eva Mendes), he decides to leave the carnival in an attempt to provide for his child.
As an audience we’re left in the dark about Luke’s past, and we seemingly join him at this particular juncture of his life, a technique which makes the ensuing plot developments all the more compelling. These opening three quarters of an hour are easily the films most effective moments; Luke and Romina are evidently drawn to one another, however it is always apparent their problems are likely insurmountable. Their difficulties are augmented by a combination of foreboding cinematography, with substantial use made of the New York countryside, and the films operatic score; together these create a tangible sense of gloom and a feeling of inevitable disaster throughout the entire first act. To my mind this is one of Ryan Gosling’s best performances to date, by that I do not mean that Luke Glanton is necessarily a great character, but that Gosling handles remarkably well material which in another actors hands could so easily appear cliché and ordinary.
Luke’s desperation enables the switch in focus to Bradley Cooper’s character Avery, who comes into contact with Luke after a bank robbery goes awry. Avery is an on the beat cop, albeit one with a hero’s reputation and a lawyers education (which in hindsight seems slightly ridiculous), and has a young son of his own. Upon seeing how rife the police department is with corruption (particularly a sleazy Ray Liotta), Avery begins to use these traits in a bid to rise to power. There’s a somewhat heavy-handed irony about the fact that Luke turns to crime in an attempt to provide for his family, while Avery pursues his perfectly legal political career out of a deep self-interest, neglecting his own family in the process. Although the second act of the film is slightly less involving, it is nonetheless well constructed, and the parallels between the two acts compliment one another; specifically the notion of both men’s total isolation and guilt in front on their young sons.
The third act is by far the films weakest. Taking place 15 years after the films first two sections, it centres on the story of both Avery and Luke’s sons (AJ and Jason), who happen to meet in high school. While an essential element for the story to come together, their relationship feels slightly contrived. What up to this point was an effective drama descends into an almost melodramatic finale. Moreover the spectacular cinematography and score, which anchor the first two acts of the movie, lose some of their power in these weaker final scenes. Nevertheless, for all the third acts issues, it does succeed in affirming what was clearly Cianfrance’s goal from the start; it shows the multi-generational impact of both Luke and Avery’s actions 15 years previously.
It would be easy to criticise The Place Beyond the Pines for being too unwieldy or too unfocused, and even easier to argue that the third act derails the careful build up which precedes it. However, it seems far more appropriate to praise The Place Beyond the Pines for everything it gets right, which is a lot. It’s impressive scope and ambition challenges the conventional Hollywood wisdom of having a protagonist whose story runs throughout the movie. Sure, the movie’s far from perfect, and the story arc is a little less satisfying than it perhaps thinks it is, but The Place Beyond the Pines is nonetheless a deeply involving and interesting piece of cinema.
====VERDICT====
The Place Beyond the Pines is consistently interesting and is, at times, great. While the films final section is somewhat average, the story remains compelling throughout. However, if I had to choose one American indie film this year I’d still choose Mud.
3/4
CJ SAYS:
In the space of a couple of films, Derek Cianfrance has brought a breath of fresh, realist air to the exploration of relationships. His breakout, Blue Valentine, examines a marriage through the smooth and rough. Set against the stark backdrop of Upstate New York, his most recent piece, The Place Beyond the Pines, explores family legacy and the challenges of paternity, demonstrating the lengths man will go to, to protect their kith and kin.
Cianfrance confronts these issues in an ambitious, emotionally-charged triptych that examines the consequences of two men’s actions on both themselves and their children. It offers an insight into working-class America, whilst also providing ample social realist material which is covered in great breadth. It is this breadth that is also the film’s downfall. By attempting to cover such a large scope, the script lacks a definitive focus. Motifs are overdone and clichéd (five variations of a bike traversing down a long and winding road seems a bit excessive). Similarly, there is no real depth to the blunt and often corny lines (Exhibit A: “If you ride like lightning, then you’re gonna crash like thunder.”).
It’s a similar story when it comes to the acting. Ryan Gosling’s tattooed, platinum blond rebel without a cause is so melodramatic that I found myself, during the church scene, crying at him, not with him. This was the same Oscar-nominated badass who has displayed such versatility throughout his career, and here he was blubbing at his child’s baptism for no reason other than it being in the script. Bradley Cooper also appears to be simply line-bashing, exhibiting little of the intensity that won him praise in Silver Linings Playbook.
Glancing at Cianfrance’s résumé, there is no doubt that he is a talented filmmaker. Likewise, Gosling, Cooper, et co. have earned their spurs as fine actors. Yet, watching The Place Beyond the Pines felt more like watching a devised school drama piece. A relatively inexperienced writer has created a story revolving around several societal issues that are meant to resonate amongst the audience. The performance intends to be meaningful, but a flimsy plot is further let down by the cast exaggerating every line delivery and emotion throughout a ten minute piece. The only difference is that The Pines is a two hour and twenty minute slog.
====VERDICT====
Mike Patton’s evocative score and some foreboding cinematography makes The Place Beyond the Pines visually stunning. This cannot, however, save it from falling into melodrama.
2/4
jjcjsays 