Happy New Year and welcome to the first Library film blog of 2023! A common theme of the new year is renewal and that certainly lends itself to subject of this month’s blog. In fact, January’s theme perfectly ties in with the Colleges overall theme of the month, “Wellbeing and Change.” As such I have tried to highlight four films (2 for each category) which I believe look at said categories in the best light based on the items within our collection.
We begin with a film that although Science-Fiction based, it has wellbeing at the centre of its plot, Melancholia (2011). Written and directed by Lars Von Trier (revered for his treatment of mental health in his films, such as Dogville), it is the 2nd instalment in his as yet unofficial trilogy about Depression. It features an eclectic cast that includes; Kirsten Dunst (Jumanji, Spider-Man), Keifer Sutherland (Young Guns, The Lost Boys), Alexander Skarsgard (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Charlotte Gainsborough (Independence Day: Resurgence). The plot is split into parts, each focusing on one of two sisters respectively: Justine (Dunst) and Claire (Gainsborough).
It all begins with a dream sequence belonging to Justine. The next day Justine weds Michael (Skarsgard) in a castle belonging to her brother-in-law (Sutherland) and her sister. The reception does not go well and after problems at work, Justine quits her job and falls back into her depression. Pat two deals with the feelings of Claire after news breaks that the Earth is on a collision course with another planet and life will soon cease to exist. Melancholia received mostly rave reviews with Dunst’s performance gaining universal praise and winning her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival (where it premiered). Seen by many as a masterpiece of its time, BBC Culture also stated that, “no film has been more profoundly compassionate in its depiction of a mental crisis.” It has since been named in many a list of the best films of both the 2010s and the 21st Century as a whole. Watch this sci-fi drama with a twist only on DVD now through the Library. Watch the trailer by clicking the link below:
Our second wellbeing entry also focuses mainly on mental health, David O. Russell’s (American Hustle, The Fighter) romantic comedy-drama, Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Ironically, the film itself is actually based on a book! Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel of the same name to be exact. The lead characters are portrayed by the incredible Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) and Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games); with supporting roles from the likes of Robert De Niro (Goodfellas, Meet the Parents), Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) and Chris Tucker (Rush Hour).
Cooper plays Patrizio “Pat” Solitano Jr., a sufferer of bipolar disorder who has just been released from a mental health facility after 8 months of treatment. He is placed into his parents care, at his childhood home in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. His primary desire is to reconcile with his ex-wife, Nikki, despite her having cheated on him, and he then beating her lover to a pulp resulting in his being sent to the facility. Pat attends a dinner party at his best friend’s house and meets young widower Tiffany, who has an unnamed disorder. The two seemingly hit it off, conversing over their respective mental illnesses and the drugs they each have to take combat them. Tiffany (despite developing feelings for him) agrees to help Pat attempt to win Nikki back, if he partners her in a dance competition in exchange.
The rest of the film chronicles their respective battles against their blossoming feelings for each other and the constant struggle to prevent the darker sides of their disorders from emerging. All of this makes for a perfect story about fighting for your wellbeing. A critical darling, Silver Linings Playbook received no less than 91 Awards nominations, being triumphant in just over half of them. Russell’s direction and Lawrence & Cooper’s performances drew particular praise. Justin Chang of Variety magazine had this to say about it, “Never one to shy away from unlikely sources of comedy, David O. Russell tackles mental illness, marital failure, and the curative powers of football with bracingly sharp and satisfying results. This realistic and emotional tale is available now in the Library on both DVD & e-stream. View a very intense scene between the two leads by clicking the link below:
Now we move on to the first of our entries on Change, the ‘Change’ part of the title refers to not just any type of change but Climate Change. This is a global event that continues to plague us and not in a good way. As such, the next film I wish to bring to your attention is Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth (2006). It is less of a proper movie and more a documentary type film which focuses on former American Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate people about global warming. It’s an illustrated talk if you will by Gore on climate change, presented in film form, using a detailed slide show. It details what Global Warming is and the effects it has upon the environment; how Gore himself came to be so interested in the subject and his passion for it.
It was received surprisingly well (especially considering the seriousness of global warming had only just started to come to light), even going on to be nominated for two Oscars. The science behind the facts was deemed to be quite sound too which helped. It stoked quite the response in both political and public circles with then Conservative leader David Cameron himself urging the people to watch it right here in the UK at the time. It may have aged a little in 16 years but its still highly appropriate as Global warming continues to be a clear and present danger to humanity, even more so now. Catch this eye-opening look at worldwide devastation being caused by climate change only on e-stream now. Catch the focus stealing trailer in the link below:
After that, you find yourself asking what could possibly be worse than global warming? How about a new ice age for one? Well that’s exactly what renowned disaster movie director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Midway) brings to life in the last film on this list, The Day After Tomorrow (2004). More blockbuster action than a heartfelt documentary, it is nonetheless a symbolism of one of the very real possible outcomes of climate change and even global warming. The film was even made to criticize the climate change policy of the George W. Bush presidential administration, releasing almost exactly two years before Al Gore’s documentary (which may have also been a response to the same thing).
The feature itself has a main cast comprised of; Dennis Quaid (The Parent Trap 1998, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain), Sela Ward (The Fugitive, Gone Girl), Emmy Rossum (The Phantom of the Opera) and the late Ian Holm (Alien, The Lord of the Rings). Quaid plays Jack Hall, a paleo climatologist (a person who studies climates without direct measurements). When Jack and his research team drill for ice-core samples in the Larsen Ice Shelf (in the Antarctic), a piece of the shelf falls off. This incident prompts Jack to theorize that increasing climate change could be about to cause a new Ice Age. He takes his findings to a UN summit however the US Vice President both undermines and ignores his concerns. He meets a Scottish oceanographer named Professor Terry Rapson (Holm) at the summit, who happens to concur with his theories, and when the temperature in the Atlantic Ocean suddenly severely drops, Jack is proven correct. Despite this new evidence of the coming catastrophe the Vice President continues to listen to reason and start evacuations of at least the Northern states.
Meanwhile, Jack’s son Sam (Gyllenhaal) is away on a University trip in New York City with his friends Laura (Rossum) & Brian, when events begin to take an unexpected and dangerous turn. Three gigantic hurricane-like superstorm originate and begin to siphon and release frozen air which spreads rapidly across the entire Northern hemisphere. With New York particularly affected, Sam and his friends take shelter in a Library (of all places!), but sadly not before one of them is gravely injured. As the Ocean’s freeze and the weather worsens, Jack resolves to find and save his son before it’s too late.
While the film garnered a mixed reception from critics, it was quite well like by audiences around the world, for a disaster film that is. Despite criticism for the story and the pace at which the events take place, there was a lot of praise for its effects and the message it sent out. Roger Ebert said the film was ‘effective’. The science in the film isn’t all proven and like the previous entry in this blog, it’s a little outdated, but an Ice Age remains a very real possibility for where the world is heading, just look at the temperatures in London at the moment! Plus ‘The Day After Tomorrows influence must have been profound enough, as it did win Best Film at the Environmental Media Awards (given to the best film with an environmental message). This informative disaster movie is available in the Library only on DVD now. Experience a snippet of this epic movie by watching the disastrous events begin to take hold in the clip below:
Even though they only tell half the story, I do hope the items I chose for this blog give you a solid insight towards the Colleges themes of this month and why they chose them. They represent both the dark and lighter sides of mental health & wellbeing and the realistic side effects of climate change that could come to pass in the not so distant future. They are designed to send a message that we can all do much better at combatting these two particular crisis’ harming planet Earth and her inhabitants.
Not sure how to access e-stream? Then simply click on the link below…
Bradford College Planet Estream.
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