QUICK’N DIRTY: LIVE FROM BERLIN
The latest creation by the Hungarian director of acclaimed “flying” refugee drama Jupiter’s Moon (2017) is an equally unusual movie, which defies categorisation. At The Sea boasts an unusual aesthetic, while dealing with a multitude of vaguely connected topics. It isn’t always an entirely rewarding watch, however it boasts moments and elements of artistic brilliance
Laura Baum (played with devotion by Amy Adams) is the director of an established dance company. She inherited the business and the skills from her late father, with whom she had a fraught relationship. Her upbringing was so broken that she turned to heavy drinking, an addiction long dismissed as part of her personality and creative acumen. Then a horrific car crash, which nearly claimed the life of her 10-year-oldish son Felix (Redding L. Munsell), opened her eyes. So we went abroad – ostensibly to Bali – for six months in order to detox. The film begins with the return of her completely sober self to her family home in Cape Cod, a peninsula in Northern Massachusetts dotted by gorgeous sandy beaches and wealthy residents.
Husband Martin (Murray Bartlett) is supportive of the changes, however he often questions Laura’s tactics. Plus he made secret financial decisions while she was away. She now wants to sell the business and start afresh, but others do not welcome her decision. Friend and company sponsor George (Rainn Wilson) is concerned that he could lose the vast amounts of cash invested, while her former assistant-turned-manager Peter thinks that his whole career at risk, as well as the livelihood of the 100+ company employees. With a helping hand from her husband, these two males make every effort in order to prevent Laura from publicly announcing her intentions.
This entire 112-film is interspersed with images of Laura as a child and her father. He was violent and authoritarian. Laura’s bloodied feet show that she was forced to dance en pointe (on the tips of the toes) for extended periods of time. It is thanks to such abuse that she hit the bottle, it eventually becomes clear. The titular “sea” refers both to vast Atlantic Ocean offering the characters emotional respite as well as the copious amounts of alcohol that Laura used drink.
Hostile teenage daughter Josie (Chloe East) secretly wants to follow in the footsteps of the mother, but the journey could be equally painful. Carried-on legacy is one of the film’s central pillars: first from father to daughter, and then on to granddaughter.
The cinematography of At the Sea – signed by French DoP Yorick Le Saux – possesses a genuinely exquisite quality. Abundant grain, bright and washed-out colours convey a sense of constant intoxication. The score is subtle and auspicious. The director utilises dance music for nostalgic purposes to excellent results. A couple of allegorical dance scenes are attractive in their awkwardness: people twist and twerk their body frenetically, almost as if they were writhing with pain.
This solid piece of filmmaking also has highly discernible shortcomings. Firstly, the father plot is frustratingly repetitive and inconclusive. Kornél Mundruczó’s emotional and narrative ambitions occasionally slip into self-indulgence. The often communicate more than the aimless dialogues. Plus the ending is very lame. Nevertheless, worth a viewing.
At the Sea just premiered in the Official Competition of the 76th Berlinale.
