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TIFF 2013 - tops my list

posted 11 years ago by SoozKablooz22
9 replies | jump to latest

Of the 6 films I saw at TIFF (Therese, Mandela, Half of a Yellow Sun, Prisoners, Palestine Stereo, and Dom Hemingway), Therese tops my list and here is why:

1. Faithful adaptation of an even more graphic novel by Emile Zola
2. Beautifully cast - Jessica Lange was perfection, Lizzie looks angelic but exudes sex appeal, Oscar Isaac - well I wouldn't have believed he'd make a good Laurent, but he delivered!!
3. It is a story that has everything: love, sex, gore, ghosts, betrayal and murder.
4. The director did a fantastic job of injecting some humor into an otherwise bleak and torrid story.
5. Beautifully shot. The sets and scenes were just as described in the novel. I've never read a better author at describing details like Zola - down to the fabric of the curtains and the texture of the draperies.

Brilliant!!

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] SoozKablooz22 11 years ago

What would you like to know? What they said during the Q&A or about their characters on screen?

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] SoozKablooz22 11 years ago

Jessica was mesmerizing as the partially paralyzed mother-in-law, post-stroke. It's a role that could be executed horribly by the wrong actress. She had to convey all emotion through her eyes and portray an incapacitated body. She nailed it.

Beyond that, the totality of her performance was excellent. Ranging from domineering and seemingly cruel early in the film, to kind and nurturing, and ending the film as a mostly silent witness to the devolution of Therese and Laurent's relationship. You start out not liking her and end up sympathizing with her.

I never would have picked Isaac as Laurent. But he did a really good job of devouring Therese (Lizzie) with his eyes. The sexual tension was pretty heavy.

Therese (Lizzie) went from Cinderella to Sin-derella. It didn't take long for her to drop the shy mouse act for an insatiable vixen.

All I can say is that this film nails it on all levels.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] SoozKablooz22 11 years ago

All I can say is they were well handled. While I don't remember specifically how it was handled, I do recall the mother in law was utterly bereft and inconsolable. If memory serves, the breakdown was rather explosive.

Sorry I don't have more detail to share.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] nicola-tidmarsh 11 years ago

That's great to hear! Would you mind telling me what you thought of Tom Felton's performance? I'm really anxious to know how he was and if anything stood out about him to you.

[–] SoozKablooz22 11 years ago

I wasn't really familiar with Tom Felton but I did recognize him as the jerky kid from Harry Potter.

He plays Camille very well - sickly, sniveling, childish and, at times, ebullient. He is totally convincing as Camille.

There isn't a weak performance in the film; Jessica Lange had the best role.