Movie Review: The Place Beyond the Pines (English)
It takes a lot of courage for a filmmaker to tell three stories in one movie. And director Derek Cianfrance, after his breakthrough The Blue Valentine, has managed to do just that. The Place Beyond the Pines simply deserves a watch for its experimentation, the underlying theme and the dazzling performances from its lead cast, particularly Ryan Gosling who steals every single frame he is in with his sheer magnetic screen presence. Conceived as a triptych, the first story begins when a small-time famous carnival stunt-bike rider Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) returns to Schenectady (the city's name loosely translates to 'the place beyond the pines' in Mohawk language, hence the title) after an year to be visited by his ex-lover Romina (Eva Mendes).
She is not keen on reviving their relationship and instead reveals she has found another man in her life to his disappointment. What's worse, Luke gets the shock of his life when he learns that he is the father of her son Jason. There is one fantastic scene where Gosling, dressed in a shabby outfit, sneaks into a church to attend his son's christening ceremony. His breaking down is a terrific act, bringing out mixed emotions of rejection, humiliation and a silent rage swelling inside him.
Quitting his peripatetic profession to settle down and stick around, he befriends Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), an ex-convict turned auto repair shop owner, and lands a job at his place as a mechanic. But financially incapable of supporting his child with a meagre income, he takes to crime for quick money, thus setting off a dangerous train of events that leaves the lives of thrill-seeking Luke and Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie cop, altered forever.
The second story, as you might have guessed by now, switches to Avery who becomes an overnight hero for his valiant act, and realizes his work in the police department is mired in corruption. His father, a former district attorney, quite displeased at his son's decision to continue with the job suggests a way out as Avery tries to overcome his feelings of remorse and guilt. By projecting neither Luke nor Avery as the hero, they ultimately fall prey to the choices they make in their lives. This morality angle is what makes TPBtP a riveting watch despite its over-indulgence at places.
Skilfully shot by Sean Bobbitt, the first two-third portions offer interesting parallels and are thoroughly engaging thanks to the leads who lend enormous credibility to the flawed characters they portray on screen. (Enough said about Ryan Gosling already!) Bradley Cooper as Avery Cross may be his best performance yet while Eva Mendes as the emotionally torn mother fits the part perfectly, as do Ben Mendelsohn and the rest of the cast. The problem with the movie chiefly crops up in its last act when director Cianfrance needlessly prolongs the story, as it moves forward 15 years, for a quick detour into the unexpected relationship that blossoms between Luke and Avery's teenage sons Jason (Dane DeHaan) and AJ (Emory Cohen).
This portion feels so laboured and contrived, and to top it all suffers from lazy characterization. It remains a mystery why Cianfrance chose to depict the boys as misguided given the background in which they were shown to be growing up. The disconnect thus robs the movie of its momentum and takes away the punch from the whole saga. The Place Beyond the Pines is no doubt a fine piece of film and could have turned out much better. But I am willing to look beyond the flaws for its grand ambitions and Cianfrance's vision! Here's another Terrence Malick in the making. Note: The film has some scenes of violence, teen drug and alcohol use.
Quitting his peripatetic profession to settle down and stick around, he befriends Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), an ex-convict turned auto repair shop owner, and lands a job at his place as a mechanic. But financially incapable of supporting his child with a meagre income, he takes to crime for quick money, thus setting off a dangerous train of events that leaves the lives of thrill-seeking Luke and Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie cop, altered forever.
The second story, as you might have guessed by now, switches to Avery who becomes an overnight hero for his valiant act, and realizes his work in the police department is mired in corruption. His father, a former district attorney, quite displeased at his son's decision to continue with the job suggests a way out as Avery tries to overcome his feelings of remorse and guilt. By projecting neither Luke nor Avery as the hero, they ultimately fall prey to the choices they make in their lives. This morality angle is what makes TPBtP a riveting watch despite its over-indulgence at places.
Skilfully shot by Sean Bobbitt, the first two-third portions offer interesting parallels and are thoroughly engaging thanks to the leads who lend enormous credibility to the flawed characters they portray on screen. (Enough said about Ryan Gosling already!) Bradley Cooper as Avery Cross may be his best performance yet while Eva Mendes as the emotionally torn mother fits the part perfectly, as do Ben Mendelsohn and the rest of the cast. The problem with the movie chiefly crops up in its last act when director Cianfrance needlessly prolongs the story, as it moves forward 15 years, for a quick detour into the unexpected relationship that blossoms between Luke and Avery's teenage sons Jason (Dane DeHaan) and AJ (Emory Cohen).
This portion feels so laboured and contrived, and to top it all suffers from lazy characterization. It remains a mystery why Cianfrance chose to depict the boys as misguided given the background in which they were shown to be growing up. The disconnect thus robs the movie of its momentum and takes away the punch from the whole saga. The Place Beyond the Pines is no doubt a fine piece of film and could have turned out much better. But I am willing to look beyond the flaws for its grand ambitions and Cianfrance's vision! Here's another Terrence Malick in the making. Note: The film has some scenes of violence, teen drug and alcohol use.
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