BOOK VS MOVIE: You Were Never Really Here

There's a real ugliness to humanity, no question about it. Some people are more than willing to throw others under the bus for their own selfish needs. But how far will these figures go as they slip further into immoral depravity?

When fiction depicts such corruption, more often than not police officers and politicians are the ones put under the microscope. But that's not to say the average person is immune from such a sensation, far from it. What seems to be the case is that the allure of money and power is too strong for them to resist, falling prey to that for control soon after. (Maybe John Dalberg-Acton was onto something...)

Jonathan Ames' You Were Never Really Here depicts a man trying to hide from such a dehumanizing society, both figuratively and literally. Having endured numerous traumas in his life, Joe now serves as a hired gun tasked with saving girls forced into sex work. But with his latest assignment, he delves into a world darker than his own demons.

Lynne Ramsay's adaptation tweaks the details of Ames' novella considerably but that in itself provides a new perspective. Joaquin Phoenix is great (as he so often is) but special mention goes to the sound mixing and Jonny Greenwood's score. That combination captures the damaged frame of mind Joe deals with every waking moment. (Hopefully awards voters will remember them by year's end.)

So which is better: Ames' take on the story or Ramsay's? The author maintains a more visceral perspective for You Were Never Really Here while the director focuses more on Joe's fractured mental state. They obviously take different approaches to the same story but that's not generally a bad thing. If anything, it shows there are two sides to every story.

What's worth checking out?: Both.

Morvern Callar

The opening moments of Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar show the title character (Samantha Morton) caressing the body of her boyfriend who's committed suicide. The following scenes have her behaving as if nothing had happened. (She does have the occasional moment of silent grief.)

She and her friend Lanna (Kathleen McDermott) go to Spain as a means of personal escape. It's during this sudden vacation that Morvern makes an emotional discovery. Amid the debauchery, she realizes what she must do.

Morvern behaves in a similar manner to that of Eva, the protagonist of Ramsay's follow-up film We Need to Talk About Kevin. Both recently suffered personal tragedy and they try to carry on with their everyday lives. Though both face different reactions from others (Morvern innocent questioning, Eva vicious persecution), they end up as different people as a result. Very rarely is such a thing depicted in fiction for female characters.

A small detail of Morvern Callar is how the backdrops of the film are set up. Glasgow is featured in a muted palette whereas Spain is shown in a much brighter light. Clearly a way to establish the change in mood but Ramsay does it in a way that's effortless.

Morvern Callar is good though not as great as Ramsay's next film. Morton is also good (though she usually is regardless). All in all, you rarely see a female-led (or even female-directed) film focused on such a complex lead. More films like this please, Hollywood.

My Rating: ****

We Need to Talk About Kevin

It doesn't take long after being introduced to her in Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin that the viewer realizes Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is trying to regain at least some composure in her life. Try as she might, it won't happen.

Through various flashbacks, we see what got her in this desperate situation. The main contribution to her distress is her son Kevin. Even since day one, he's made Eva's life hell. Her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) shrugs it off as "boys will be boys" behavior. Oh, how wrong he was.

Swinton's performance here was ranked as one of the most egregious Oscar snubs of the last five years. (Well, her and Michael Fassbender in Shame.) And for good reason too. She takes all of the verbal (and in one instance physical) abuse with complete dignity yet she looks as though she's on the verge of mental collapse. This performance also convinced me that I need to see more of Swinton's work.

I also must talk about Erza Miller, who plays the teenage terror that is Kevin. There's that little glint in his eyes that just screams somethings' amiss in his mind. (That stare of his is horrifying.) I can tell Miller's going to be around for a while.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a really fascinating film. (It also convinced me to never have kids.) Ramsay gives a portrait of dissolving family dynamics and boy, is it good. Also, this would make for an interesting double feature with Rosemary's Baby.

My Rating: *****