Movie Review - Persuasion

Director: Carrie Cracknell
Genre: Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Richard E. Grant
 
Description: Eight years after Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins, they meet again. Will she seize her second chance at true love?

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 32: A COSTUME DRAMA

Review: Once again, it’s time for a Jane Austen film adaptation. This time it’s “Persuasion”. Like another recent Austen adaptation, “Emma”, this new incarnation has added a dash of extra humor and sarcasm.

Anne Elliot is still in pain after eight years, not being able to marry her lover because he wasn’t rich enough for her family. The he shows up again, but of course the past is still between them. Anne interferes with herself in conveying these entanglements to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. Not only dies she, for example, tell the audience who the family members are while looking into the camera, but she frequently casts telling glances at the viewers.

The downside of such a distinct is that, alongside previous films and series that employ this kind of device, it quickly becomes apparent that this trick only works if it is applied properly. Now it is merely a tiresome distraction. The dialogues that Anne delivers to catch up with the viewer mostly feel as if the information of the novel is most easily conveyed in this way. The winks towards the camera are just a gimmick, no deeper meaning is attached to them.

“Persuasion” unsuccessfully hitchhikes on the success of other costume dramas. The costumes are fine, but don’t stand out. The dialogues are a somewhat awkward mixture of old-fashioned language and new-fangled expressions. As a result, “Persuasion” seems to be stumbling on two thoughts. This is supported by a pretty standard piano soundtrack and closes with a song by Birdy that manages to evoke more emotion than the rest of the film.

A major problem is the chemistry between Anne and her returned lover Fredrick. Dakota Johnson is a bit out of touch with the movie world due to the choice to have her constantly break the fourth wall, making it hard to sympathize with her. Cosmo Jarvis does not convince with his acting, and looks merely sad, tormented and wooden for most of the film. Henry Golding as Anne’s cousin, stands out much more beside him with his playful, striking personality. But he’s only a side character, with not nearly enough screentime.

Despite attempts to shake things up a bit, “Persuasion” fails to make the viewer sympathize with Anne’s ups and downs. Comedy and the more serious emotional charge do not mix here. So this one can go on the pile of book to movie adaptations we didn’t need. There are better adaptations of this book.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Normal Heart

Director: Ryan Murphy
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello, Taylor Kitsch, Julia Roberts, Jonathan Groff, B.D. Wong

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 27: A MOVIE ABOUT A HISTORICAL FIGURE

Description: A gay activist (Mark Ruffalo) attempts to raise H.I.V. and A.I.D.S. awareness during the early 1980s

Review: Nowadays, with the right medications, you can live a respectable age when being diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. But back in the 1980s, when the disease first manifested itself, that was a different story. At that time AIDS was called ‘gay cancer’ and more and more people saw the mysterious virus invade their lives. The truth behind the origin of this disease remained unknown for a long time, especially since it took some time for AIDS and HIV to be recognized. Someone who played a major role in putting both diseases on the map is the American writer and activist Larry Kramer, who this story is based on, only now with fictional characters.  

In “The Normal Heart” it’s Ned Weeks, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, a political activist and writer. We meet him in the summer of ’81, joining a party in Long Island. He reads articles about a mysterious cancer, that exclusively affects homosexuals. He sees the seriousness of this disease and decides to consult doctor Emma Brookner. She researches the disease and discovers that there is more to it. She asks Ned to warn the gay community about the disease.

As the disease gets closer and closer to his own group of friends, Ned takes actions. Not much help comes. The city of New York and the Reagan administration refuse to recognize the disease. He seeks supports of his brother Ben, a lawyer. But even with the strong bond they have, Ben finds it hard to understand Ned’s orientation. Reporter Felix Turner, whom he later gets in a relationship with, is willing to help.

“The Normal Heart” is a project that director Ryan Murphy put his entire heart and soul in. And it’s visible. Not only because of him, also thanks to Mark Ruffalo, who is really impressive as Ned Weeks. He is supported by a strong cast, where Jim Parsons and Joe Mantello really stand out. Murphy doesn’t shy away from portraying the horrors that AIDS brings. But the main strength lies in the screenplay.

Rating: 4/ 5