KINDS OF KINDNESS (SFF 2024)


What is it with auteurs making long films and them being ultimately disappointing?
Scorsese’s last 2 outings The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon both clocked in over the 3 hour mark (209 and 206 minutes respectively) and were quite unsatisfying.
I love Scorsese by the way, his contribution to cinema as a director and a king of restoration and general support of cinema is unparalleled. 
I loved Ari Aster’s first 2 films Hereditary (127 minutes) and Midsommar (148 minutes & 171 minutes for the director’s cut) but really didn’t like Beau is Afraid (179 minutes).
Lanthimos’ previous films: The Lobster (118 minutes) was reasonably enjoyable but The Killing of a Sacred Deer (121 minutes), The Favourite (120 minutes) and Poor Things (142 minutes) were all excellent.
Kinds of Kindness (165 minutes) was enjoyable-ish but I failed to see what the point of the film was.
I wasn’t bored at all, merely frustrated.

Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley in Kinds of Kindness

Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley in Kinds of Kindness

Spilt into three parts, The Death of R.M.F., R.M.F. is Flying and R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich and described as a triptych fable, the core group of actors featured all play different parts in the three stories.
They are all fabulous with the great Jesse Plemons winning the Best Actor Award at Cannes for his performance(s), Yorgos’s muse, the excellent Emma Stone, the always ace, Willem Dafoe, the layered and enchanting Margaret Qualley, who here has an ethereal quality, Hong Chau who is always great, Mamoudou Athie, who’s acting I rated highly from the tv show Archive 81 and Joe Alwyn, who I didn’t know of before, not being a Swiftie ;O).


I saw this at the Sydney Film Festival and the audience seemed to love it, laughing out loud at much of the film, unfortunately I didn’t click with the humour, which is a surprise as I was really looking forward to this as I was for Scorsese’s last 2 and Ari Aster’s last one.

I was left feeling excluded, maybe I’m just too dumb, but I didn’t get it.
What was Lanthimos trying to say?

The tone poem music written by Jerskin Hendrix, who also scored Poor Things to great acclaim, creates a jarring, unsettling mood with haunting voices seemingly crying in agony.
It really is something and maybe the part of the film I enjoyed or appreciated most.

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness

The actors appeared to have a great time and the making of the film would have been highly rewarding for all involved, unfortunately it didn’t translate to this viewer.
I get it, all art is subjective and I’m defo not mad at them for making it, there is space for everything (mostly) and it’s not all for me.

For the longest time I haven’t put any reviews out for films that I didn’t like as there is too much negativity and trolling and crying online like “boo hoo, it was rubbish” but I don’t want to contribute and I hope that’s not what I’m doing here.
I am glad that these filmmakers are making the films they wish to make and maybe a repeat viewing in a few years may yield some more meaning. It wasn’t unentertaining. I just felt a bit left out.

The film paces along nicely and never seems too long or bloviated.

Don’t get it twisted, I love me a long movie. I recently watched Yi Yi, a Taiwanese film by Edward Yang that was 173 minutes and one of my all-time favourite films is Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone and the last version I watched was 251 minutes and I loved every minute of it.
So, I’m not against long films in the slightest.

If there be substance, I be involved.

Margaret Qualley in Kinds of Kindness

Margaret Qualley in Kinds of Kindness

I haven’t read anything about it yet but I’m sure there are some smarter cookies than me out there all up on the inter web who can decipher the meanings. More power to them. I’ll have a read and see if my mind is changed but ultimately this one didn’t do it for me. :O(.

165 Minutes

INHERENT VICE (2014)

IV POSTER

Set in 1970, private investigator Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello is visited by his ex-girlfriend who asks him to look into a possible sting operation on her current real estate mogul boyfriend by his wife and her lover and so, gets embroiled in a tangled web of secrets, Nazis, crazy dentists and tightly wound police men.

I like Paul Thomas Anderson and he is one of the few directors whose films I will definitely watch and always look forward to them.

Inherent Vice is very enjoyable, as complicated as may be; Anderson steeps us in this L.A. noir world that is unusually bright for a Noir film.

Adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s book of the same name, this is a journey through the complex world of a private detective, his ex-girlfriend, her housing mogul boyfriend and an array of weird and wonderful characters.

I haven’t read the book yet but will be doing so very soon.

The great Joaquin Phoenix plays the P.I., Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello whose penchant for the greener type of smoking infuses the film with a heady haziness that is a lot of fun once you accept it for what it is. The audience is mostly always on the same page as Doc, so the ride is as surprising to him as it is to us.

The cinematography by Robert Elswit (Anderson’s regular lenser) is stunning, filled with beautifully composed shots. He recently shot the fantastic Nightcrawler that is also set in L.A. mostly at night whereas Inherent Vice is filled with the L.A. sunshine.

This has the hallmarks of a cult film; there will be midnight screenings for the fans. It is not a film that gen pop will willingly go to, it’s too convoluted for most viewers who like everything neatly tied up and explained but for the adventurous amongst you, this will be a treat.

Anderson was introduced to me, like most of us via the superb Boogie Nights and he followed this with his opus, Magnolia. I went back and watched Hard Eight (cut to ribbons by the studio) which was an enjoyable mess (director’s cut anytime sooon?) and then Punch Drunk Love followed by There Will be Blood and The Master. All of these contain quality storytelling and although I had problems with There Will Be Blood (Daniel Day-Lewis’ incredible performance overshadowing the narrative) Anderson’s oeuvre is filled with incredible performances and always-interesting film-making.

Katherine Waterson (Sam’s daughter) plays the ethereal, Shasta Fay Hepworth and delivers a performance worthy of note; she literally lays herself bare both physically and emotionally. She is an interesting actor whose choices and skills are given free reign here.

The supporting cast are all excellent; Josh Brolin as the angry policeman, Bigfoot, Joanna Newsom as the film’s earth mother/narrator, Sortilège, Martin Short as the unhinged dentist, Dr Rudy Blatnoyd, Hong Chau as the masseur/prostitute, Jade, Eric Roberts as the real estate mogul and boyfriend of Shasta, Mickey Wolfmann, Serena Scott Thomas as his wife, Sloane, Michael K Williams as Tariq Khalil, Owen Wilson as the musician, Coy Harlingen and Benicio Del Toro as Doc’s lawyer amongst many very talented others.

Paul Thomas Anderson has always loved actors and he is definitely an actor’s director.
Special mention should go to Jonny Greenwood for creating a beautiful soundtrack.

This is a film for cineastes out there, those with an appreciation for all things cinema and I, for one, will be re-watching this at some point.

4/5

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