Day 5 of Sundance: AN EDUCATION, IN THE LOOP and PETER AND VANDY after party reviewed!
One of the thrills of attending film festivals is being able to spot up and coming talent on the brink of achieving worldwide attention. In my opinion, the biggest breakout star of this years Sundance festival is Carey Mulligan, a young English actress most easily recognized for her previous supporting role as Kitty Bennett in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. At this years festival, Mulligan is center-stage as the lead of two films in the U.S and world dramatic competitions: AN EDUCATION, by Lone Scherfig and THE GREATEST by Shana Feste.
AN EDUCATION
AN EDUCATION, based on an original screenplay by Brit favourite author Nick Hornby, tells the story of Jenny (played by Mulligan) a bright, beautiful teenager growing up in Twittingham England in the early 1960s. An excellent student, cellist, and Francophile, Jenny dreams of attending Oxford and escaping her mundane suburban existence with her conservative parents Jack and Marjorie.
One day Jenny meets the charismatic 30-something David (played by Peter Sarsgaard) on her way home from a cello rehearsal with her schools orchestra and the two instantly bond over their shared love of classical music. What transpires is a blossoming relationship in which David acts as Jennys mentor for all that is sophisticated and exciting, from concerts and fancy restaurants, to art auctions and dog racing. While David, a much older Jewish man, is not the ideal suitor for young Jenny, he manages to charm her parents into allowing him to whisk her away for weekends in Oxford and Paris (under the pretext that there will be supervision). As the romance between the two becomes more serious, Jenny starts to question the necessity of the traditional education system that she has been weaned on, and makes decisions that will affect her life forever.
Mulligans performance is highly nuanced and extraordinary, and while the actress was 22 at the time of shooting, her ability to evoke the innocence and fragility of 16 year-old Jenny is impressive. The uncomfortable, intimate love scenes she shares with a well-versed Sargaard are evocative of LOLITA without being explicit or tasteless.
With its brilliant acting and stunning production design and cinematography, AN EDUCATION is a surefire contender for this years best dramatic film award. Swedish director Lone Scherfig shows a strong command of her craft, making this heartbreaking coming of age story a real pleasure to watch.
IN THE LOOP
Following AN EDUCATION was another British film, the screwball political comedy IN THE LOOP directed by Armando Iannucci, whose television shows such as IM ALAN PATRIDGE, THE THICK OF IT and THE DAY TODAY have made him one of the most notable comedy writer and director in Britain.
IN THE LOOP will fall nicely into Iannuccis repertoire as another successful, outrageous political farce, this time about the relationship between the U.K and U.S governments at the onset of war. After British cabinet minister Simon Foster (played by Tom Hollander) makes the clumsy public statement that war is unforeseeable, he creates an international media frenzy which requires him to meet in Washington D.C with U.S State Department Official Karen Clark (Mimi Kennedy). In D.C., Fosters rookie assistant Oliver (Chris Addison) manages to make the situation even worse by leaking classified information to the press, while at the same time cheating on his girlfriend with Clarks attractive assistant Liza (Anna Chlumskyyes, from MY GIRL). Other notable performances include Peter Capaldi as a trash-talking Scottish war mongrol and James Ganolfini as an anti-war U.S army general (pictured above).
Despite addressing a subject that is both topical and controversial, IN THE LOOP maintains fine comedic tone throughout the film thanks to its incredibly witty script. In addition to Iannucci, it is not surprising that the film boasts four other talented screenwriters as it contains more clever one-liners and offensive zingers than I have ever heard in the span of two hours.
In short, a light and satisfying work of satire that will provide a welcome distraction to all of the very real government blunders we are currently facing today.
Irrelevant Sundance Gossip:
This evening I was invited to attend the premiere party for PETER AND VANDY, a low-budget independent feature currently in the running for best U.S dramatic film. The party was held at a bar on Main St. and required the typical queuing at the door and name-dropping in order to get in. During Sundance, the normally low key downtown of Park City becomes infused with the attitude of the most pretentious New York and L.A night clubs, which makes for great frustration if you are not on the list.
I was lucky to have arrived with well-connected producer friends as otherwise I would have been left to freeze on the curb. After such a build up outside, the inside of the bar felt very overrated, as were the cocktails, which were miniature-sized. No doubt a result of its large Mormon population, the state of Utah has very strict rules on alcohol consumption and it is apparently illegal to consume more than 1 shot of liquor at a time. While it was fun to check out the nocturnal Sundance scene and chat with other festival guests, with five more days of film reviewing to go, I think I will soon be regretting the sleepless nights.