“Frantz”
The generally well-regarded if still extremely polarizing French director François Ozon’s latest melodrama takes its title from a character long deceased. Set in a post-WW1 Germany and with a hauntingly beautiful black-and-white color scheme (though some scenes are reported to have been shot in color) that is warranted by the theme of the past’s lingering effects on the present, “Frantz” follows two characters who find their lives intertwined at the grave of the titular German soldier. Pierre Niney, star of 2014’s “Yves Saint Laurent” leads as an enigmatic Frenchman whose presence at a grave baffles a mourning widow portrayed by German actress Paula Beer. Joint-produced by Ozon’s regular producers at the French production company Mandarin Cinema as well as by the German X Filme Creative Pool, the latter of which is best known for also producing the later films of Michael Haneke, the film seems extremely promising and is already booked to make its way to TIFF and then European theaters before year’s end.
“Hacksaw Ridge”
Mel Gibson attempts a comeback with “Hacksaw Ridge,” his first time behind the camera since 2006’s “Apocalypto.” His film focuses on the true story of Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), the first conscientious objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Doss was a Seventh-Day Adventist and thus refused to carry weapons or engage in combat. Instead, he enlisted in the army during World War II as a medic, saving lives and being wounded three times in the process. It’s the type of story that can surely make for a dramatic, possibly award-worthy film, but Gibson’s personal baggage will no doubt cast a shadow over the film. But “Apocalytpo” shows a filmmaker finally coming into his own, so those able to look beyond Gibson’s troubled history, or those who feel like he’s done his time in the wilderness, might very well be in for a rewarding film.
“Jackie”
The aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination and how it affected First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is the subject of Pablo Larraín’s highly-anticipated, likely award season candidate “Jackie.” The film, which reportedly attracted throngs of potential buyers at its Cannes sampler event, follows Mrs. Kennedy, played by Natalie Portman, in the four-day period before and immediately following the assassination of her husband. The period seems perfectly evoked, right down to the grainy cinematography by Stéphane Fontaine to better conjure up the 1960s (and Larrain can always be relied upon to bring an inventive shooting style to each new project). Co-starring Peter Sarsgaard as Attorney General Robert Kennedy, “Jackie” will also feature a score by Mica Levi, who composed the haunting, memorable soundtrack for “Under the Skin.” Portman claims the film reveals how much the former First Lady helped shape JFK’s legacy: “He was in office such a short time and didn’t really have time to accomplish much. But many Americans still call him their favorite president. And that was largely [due to] her storytelling. She invented Camelot.”
“The Journey”
‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland have always been a subject ripe for great drama —see recent examples “’71,” “Shadow Dancer” and “Hunger”— so it doesn’t come as a shock that a film about the conflict’s resolution has finally come to fruition. Directed by Nick Hamm, “The Journey” portrays the negotiations that took place in 2006 between Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Sinn Fein member Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) as they travelled to an airport together, neither of them realizing that the van was bugged so Tony Blair could listen in on their talks. Having two incredible talents like Spall and Meaney spar off in an enclosed space should make for plenty of fireworks onscreen and a potential showcase for both actors to get some well-deserved recognition come awards season.
“La La Land”
With swoon-worthy trailers saturated in lovely imagery and memorable music, Damien (“Whiplash”) Chazelle’s “La La Land” looks like a cinematic dream come true. Reuniting “Crazy Stupid Love” (and the more forgettable “Gangster Squad”) costars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film features Gosling playing a jazz pianist and Stone playing the actress he falls in love with. Much singing and dancing follows. Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera had some lofty praise for the film, which will be the opener for the 73rd festival stating that “La La Land” “does not merely reinvent the musical genre, it gives it a brand new start.” Barbera also added that the film is Chazelle’s “definitive, albeit precocious, consecration among the great directors of Hollywood’s new firmament.” Heady praise indeed, and lest you think it’s so much lather, remember that Venice has debuted awards behemoths “Gravity” and “Birdman” in that very slot in recent years.