Alternative Valentine’s Day viewing
For the second straight year, Valentine’s Day isn’t quite what it’s supposed to be. As we wake up from the slumber of an Omicron-induced lockdown, we are confronted with yet another holiday which will inevitably be warped according to the exigencies of COVID-19. While restaurants, movies and museums are again open, couples must navigate a Valentine’s Day celebration faced with continuing mask mandates and capacity limits. Though with each passing year we seem to come ever closer to normalcy, February 14, 2022 will prove to be yet another day in what has been a long pandemic. To commemorate an atypical Valentine’s Day, I have collected two films that will serve this theme—atypical love stories that defy the norms of on-screen romance.
Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Punch-Drunk Love is a bizarre, absurd, and yet vividly imagined film that uses every trick of the filmmaking trade to tell an impactful, coherent story. The film is a perfectly choreographed and self-assured depiction of anxiety—something viewers will certainly experience first-hand while watching.
The film tells the story of Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), a small business owner who is intensely lonely, and not a little strange. Barry is pulled out of his humdrum existence by two unrelated yet life altering events. On one hand, a group of scammers ruthlessly tries to extort Barry. On the other hand, Barry falls in love with his sister’s co-worker, Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). As his relationship deepens and his conflict with the scammers intensifies, Punch Drunk Love constructs a perfect auditory and visual world to accompany the development of the film’s story.
Barry is an anxious man living in an equally anxiety-inducing world—this anxiety is not just a product of events depicted in the film, but also the film’s extremely unique use of sound design. The film’s soundtrack maps perfectly onto the film’s narrative, with staccato notes woven masterly into the stop-start action of the film. To top off the film’s unnerving structure is an excellent performance by Adam Sandler, who proves to be a remarkably versatile actor (his performance in Uncut Gems being another excellent example). Barry Egan is an awkward man who is at first filled with a terrible, miserable rage. Barry feels tormented and belittled by his family members, leading to shocking and uncomfortable outbursts. Though viewers will cringe at what they see—they will also feel completely engaged in Sandler’s performance.
Overall, this might not be the best film for Valentine’s Day viewing. It hardly tells a realistic tale of romance. But Punch-Drunk Love is such a complete and well composed opus that it is required viewing for anyone interested in the depiction of emotion through the moving image.
10/10
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
The Worst Person in the World is a Norwegian film that depicts the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young woman who navigates complicated romantic relationships and the personal development that goes with them.
The film, segmented into 12 chapters, first centres on Julie’s relationship with Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie). Aksel is a comic book artist, 15 years Julie’s senior, who is interested in completely integrating Julie into his world and possibly starting a family with her. Though Julie is at first very attached to Aksel, she eventually finds her interest in the relationship waning, as she becomes increasingly frustrated with his quirks and particularities.
Enter Elvind (Herbert Nordrum), a young barista who captures Julie’s attention when she crashes a party one night after a disappointing and unengaging night with Aksel. Caught between Elvind and Aksel, Julie must navigate her emotions, insecurities, and personal growth. This saga is depicted with an expert touch and a unique style. Trier has a highly specific tone that manages to blend the goofy and the emotionally serious into something completely singular. Julie is occasionally bumbling, frequently insightful, and entirely relatable. The fights she gets in with her partners are harrowing and hurtful to watch and the dilemmas she faces feel like real, difficult decisions.
The film’s emotionally-charged drama is punctuated with creative, funny, and visually expressive scenes that effortlessly mesh into the episodic 12-chapter narrative of the film. The film features several comedic digressions that contribute to, rather than detract from, the completeness and realism of the film. The film blends life’s ups and downs in a way that feels authentic and serious. When the film reaches its eventual emotional climax, the pain feels real and visceral. This is perhaps because of the film’s refusal to adhere to a self-serious tone. This film is an absolute must watch ahead of the Oscars, where it was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay.
8/10
