Red Sparrow is a 2018 spy-thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence who worked with Jennifer Lawrence (the star here) on a couple of the Hunger Games movies, but this is a very different beast. Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova (in, it has to be said, a not entirely convincing Russian accent), and Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenarts and Charlotte Rampling star as the film's secondary characters. This one is a pretty big departure from what Lawrence has done in the past, although it has to be said that she's making some pretty bold career choices. I'm not the first one to say that, and for a good reason: it's true. After last year's Mother! it appeared as if she was trying purposefully trying to appear in more "mature" films, and believe me, it doesn't get much more mature than Red Sparrow. The film plays out like one of those schlocky exploitation from the seventies, in that there's sexual violence, sex, violence, torture, and all manner o
mother! was written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, who is fairly well-known for making abstract films, and I've enjoyed a lot of his work in the past. He's probably most well-known for Requiem for a Dream, which was released in 2000. In my opinion, he's a director who's always stayed true to his artistic sensibilities (for the most part), and always seems to makes exactly the kind of film he wants to make, which is rare for a director as well-known as him.
In that respect, mother! is very much everything Aronofsky's known for condensed into two hours, and turned up to eleven. It stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as Him and Mother, a married couple who live in a rural house together. One day, a man who claims to be a doctor turns up at the house. He tells them he believed it was a Bed and Breakfast, and much to Mother's annoyance, Him allows the doctor to stay.
The best word to describe this film is enigmatic, and in my opinion that's definitely one if its strengths. There's always a sense that something isn't right in the house, and that's exactly what kept me interested in the film. The plot (although it's pretty abstract), moves along at a steady pace, and the tension builds and builds right up until the very violent final act, when everything begins to get pieced together.
Although Darren Aronofsky is the main creative force behind the film, I still think the actors deserve commendation, especially considering some of the material in the film. It's spoiler territory, so I won't go into it here. Jennifer Lawrence gives the best performance of her career in this film, and Javier Bardem is on top form, as usual. Michelle Pfeiffer was also great as Woman.
One of the most unique parts of this film is the way it's shot. The majority of it is close-ups of Jennifer Lawrence's face, or an over-the-shoulder view, or things seen from her perspective. Because of that, all of the action seems to be centred entirely in her field of vision, and it feels like the audience is seeing things from her perspective. Given the fact that the audience only discovers things as she does, it's a visual trick that works very well, and I think it makes the entire experience of watching it much more engaging.
Again, I won't go into them here, because it verges on spoiler territory, but the film has a very original story and themes. There are elements of Darren Aronofsky's previous work here (mainly Pi and Black Swan), but it still stands up as something completely individual.
If I was to name any problems with the film, it would be that it is slightly too long, but there isn't too much plot, exactly. There are just one or two scenes which are slightly too long. That being said, the film is very (intentionally) distressing and abstract, and is definitely not for everyone. Still, if you're interested in that kind of film, particularly Aronofsky's previous films, I'd recommend it highly.
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