Year of Release: 2019
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough, Naoki Kobayashi, Jack Houston, Akiko Iwase, Kiki Sukezane, Ken Yamamura, Yoshiko Sakuma
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
View Trailer
Synopsis and Review:
Another week, another release from the streaming platform Netflix. This time around it comes from the talented hands of director Wash Westmoreland, who previously directed the great "Quinceanera" and "Still Alice" (these two with his late partner Richard Glatzer). Following his recent "Colette", Westmoreland tackles the adaptation of a novel by Susanna Jones, which follows the story of Lucy Fly, who in 1989 is working in Japan as a translator. She's originally from Sweden, and carries a certain sadness with her, due to a series of traumatic past events. While walking to work, she meets the handsome Teiji, who works in a noodle shop, but takes photographs of whatever captures his attention. Even though she's closed off, they eventually start an amorous relationship. Into this somewhat peaceful existence comes an additional player, in the shape of an American expat, by the name of Lily. Lily is in Japan, working as a bartender, even though she doesn't know the language, and her training is in the medical field (she previously worked as a nurse). Lucy starts getting progressively more jealous of the interest Teiji develops for Lily. When Lily suddenly disappears, Lucy is called out by the police to help them unravel that mystery.
"Earthquake Bird" is an interesting film, in the sense that with all the talent involved, it's remarkable the paltry results it showcases at the end. It's difficult to assess if the film is trying to be a mystery, or a dramatic exploration of a character who carries within herself a lot of trauma, and who as a result of that, can't fully embrace mature relationships. There are nuances and hints of what this film could have been, particularly as the relationship between the three leads goes into a sexual territory, but that is quickly abandoned. It's a film that could have gone in so many different directions, and so many opportunities arise to probe deeper into certain characters motivations, but those topics are merely sketched out, and not fully explored. What indeed saves this discrete endeavor is the talent of both Alicia Vikander, who always manages to bring melancholy and sadness alive in all her roles, and the potent energy Riley Keough displays in all her performances (which are a mix of sexiness, discovery and ennui). The camera work of Chung-hoon Chung is impeccable, but this film is a quickly forgettable endeavor.
"Earthquake Bird" is an interesting film, in the sense that with all the talent involved, it's remarkable the paltry results it showcases at the end. It's difficult to assess if the film is trying to be a mystery, or a dramatic exploration of a character who carries within herself a lot of trauma, and who as a result of that, can't fully embrace mature relationships. There are nuances and hints of what this film could have been, particularly as the relationship between the three leads goes into a sexual territory, but that is quickly abandoned. It's a film that could have gone in so many different directions, and so many opportunities arise to probe deeper into certain characters motivations, but those topics are merely sketched out, and not fully explored. What indeed saves this discrete endeavor is the talent of both Alicia Vikander, who always manages to bring melancholy and sadness alive in all her roles, and the potent energy Riley Keough displays in all her performances (which are a mix of sexiness, discovery and ennui). The camera work of Chung-hoon Chung is impeccable, but this film is a quickly forgettable endeavor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment