This Woman's Work (Movie Challenge Wk2)

My second week of this movie challenge consisted of looking at films that are directed by women. As before, if you want a refresher on what this month's Movie Challenge consists of, feel free to peruse the post: Who Runs the World. In my first week of the challenge, which you can find here, I focused on films written by women. Let's take a look at the films I chose for this week...  

1) American Psycho (2000)

The first film I decided to watch this week was American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron. Based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho follows the life of Patrick Bateman, a Banking Executive and his way of life during the 80s. And by way of life, I mean the tiny detail that Bateman seemingly happens to be a psychopath. Whether he is a high-functioning one is put up for debate as the film progresses, with Bateman slowly losing his mind as he gives into his murderous urges. As quickly becomes evident, Bateman is left not able to quench his satisfactions with prostitutes, drugs and killings, with more and more wild events transpiring due to his desperation. Soon the audience can't decide whether the film's events actually took place, or whether they just existed in Bateman's mind. 

This was actually my second viewing of American Psycho and I forgot how funny it is. It's clear that the film is a satire of the 80s Yuppie that existed in New York around that time. The business card scene clearly demonstrates the absurdity of how serious the business was taken by these men. Christian Bale, as usual, shines in the main role of Patrick Bateman, and from watching this, you can see how much effort and care he takes in his craft; he truly disappears into the role. I love that this film is directed by a woman, and I enjoyed seeing how Harron was able to demonstrate the contrasts between Bateman's prestigious lifestyle and his murderous extracurriculars, with his spotless living slowly getting tainted by his urges. The mask finally falls towards the end, whether that mask is visible to the characters in the film or just Bateman himself, is a question the audience is left to ponder. 

2) Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

My second choice consisted of watching Can You Ever Forgive Me?, directed by Marielle Heller. Can You Ever Forgive Me? is the 2018 biopic based on the book by Lee Israel, which recounts the extraordinary lengths that the author used to make money and to keep her name relevant.
Melissa McCarthy stars as Israel, who at the start of the film, finds herself struggling to continue her lifestyle as an author due to her reluctance to adapt for modern times, and refusing to keep up with the successful authors by touring her book and to promote her work in public. As things start to become more desperate, Israel along with her new friend Jack Hock (played by the always wonderful Richard E Grant) conspires a plan consisting of forging letters of noted celebrities and selling them off as the real thing. As her plan expands, Israel finds herself with means to live her life comfortably. Of course, as it tends to go, all good things must come to an end, with the authorities catching on to the fraud and Israel and Hock facing their consequences.
I was actually surprised by the turnout of this film. At first, Can You Ever Forgive Me? can be mistaken for a mundane retelling of an author's life. However, as the film goes on, it's clear what an interesting life and journey Israel led. The film was able to hold audience's attention via the performances of McCarthy and Grant, with McCarthy displaying her dramatic acting prowess, a departure to her usual lighthearted comedy choices. Though the film starts as slow-paced, the direction quickens along with the plot, allowing the viewer to reflect on the story as the credits roll.

3) You Were Never Really Here (2017)

For my third and final choice in this segment, I went with You Were Never Really Here directed by Lynne Ramsay. As with the last two films, You Were Never Really Here is an adaptation of a book, in this case written by Jonathan Ames. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the main character of Joe, a veteran who has made a life of being a hired gun tracking down missing girls. When trying to track his latest case, things get out of control involving a government cover-up with Joe caught right up in the middle. What follows is a gripping, tense thriller leaving the viewer on the edge of its seat.
I enjoyed my final choice, it was well-acted and the direction was notable in with regards of the stylistic choices. An example of this is Ramsay's ability to depict the violence of the plot without getting too graphic on-screen. The majority of the violence featured in the film is implied, going off on Phoenix's reactions to his character's activities. This was a refreshing approach, considering the amount of films that glorify violence just for the sake of it. Ramsay's use of scenes depicting Joe's PTSD flashbacks help unsettle the audience, with scenes undercut with the linear plot, resulting in making the viewer question what is reality and what is due to Joe's trauma. Phoenix, of course, brings in a great turn and by now audiences should know what to expect when choosing a film, especially that of an Indie, starring the distinguished actor. The one thing that confused me was the title of the film and it wasn't until reading up further, that I found out the title reflects closer to the book's plot with the character of Joe using any means necessary to remain undetected. With this point left out of the film, it makes the vewer question if it is to do with Joe's state of mind. This results in the film appearing to be more mysterious and leaving the audience to make their own interpretation.

Only by wiriting up this article did I realise that all my choices were adapted from books. This was actually purely coincidental as I never had a plan in deciding what to watch for this challenge, other than choosing films directed by women. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the challenge, and I got to explore different genres with a female vision. Apart from being adapted from books, and despite not sharing the same genre, each film shared the similar theme of a lonely protagonist trying to find their way in the world. To see the same kind of theme across three different films was certainly a highlight.

Stay tuned for my next installment: Kick-ass Women in Film!

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