Little Men

One's adolescence is supposed to be a time where one enjoys their last days of innocence. But often times this is when one becomes aware of the world around them. And usually what they discover isn't pleasant.

Ira Sachs' Little Men has two stories unfolding at the same time. One focuses on two boys as they become friends while the other story revolves around their parents in a property dispute. Infrequently the two overlap which gives its final conclusion more of a punch.

As he showed previously with Forty Shades of Blue and Love Is Strange, Sachs has a particular knack for depicting human behavior. With Little Men, he shows how flawed of a species we are. One's best quality could be another's worst. To quote Some Like It Hot, nobody's perfect.

And as also expected from Sachs, Little Men provides a menagerie of complex characters. Whether it's the two boys, their parents or a more secondary role, he makes sure that none of them are one-dimensional. (He also has a particular skill for writing at a perspective as an outsider looking in.)

Little Men is merely further proof that Sachs is one of the more interesting directors working today. He writes stories about who we are and our personal failings. Hopefully his due will come in the not-too-distant future. (Love Is Strange is also proof that Sachs should be better known.)

My Rating: ****1/2

Forty Shades of Blue

Sometimes queer directors tend to capture the woes of everyday life better than their straight counterparts. Christopher Isherwood wrote about human behavior more intimately than, say, Ernest Hemingway. Andrew Haigh captured the tumultuous nature of marriage in 45 Years as well as John Cassavetes did in Faces. And those are just a few examples.

Ira Sachs' Forty Shades of Blue also focuses on the stormy stages of a relationship, this one of a May-December variety. One half (Rip Torn) is persistently unfaithful while the other half (Dina Korzun) isn't happy with the state of their relationship. But soon something happens that alters the delicate balance of this union.

Forty Shades of Blue admittedly follows a familiar formula: strained relationship, third person enters the picture, complications ensue. It's an overused trope by this point but if it's in the right hands, it might result in something original. Alas, that's not the case here.

Sachs does provide a perspective that can equate to an outsider looking in. He depicts a relationship quite simply beyond repair, faint glimmers of hope sprinkled here and there. But all in all, Sachs shows there's no chance for these two.

Forty Shades of Blue by many means is an average film though Sachs does try his best. But unlike his later film Love Is Strange, Sachs depicts a doomed affair. At least the work from Torn and Korzun is solid enough.

My Rating: ****

Love Is Strange

Hollywood doesn't seem to understand how same-sex relationships should be depicted in films. Ever since Brokeback Mountain (and even before then), films revolving around such relationships are often lit in a melodramatic light. When will same-sex relationships be depicted the like any other relationship?

Thankfully, Ira Sachs' new film Love Is Strange has fulfilled that wish. The relationship depicted is not an angst-riddled one, not in the least. Instead, the bond between George (Alfred Molina) and Ben (John Lithgow) is much more subdued than what's usually depicted. (Not to mention they're adorable together.)

What's also worth mentioning about George and Ben is that their relationship isn't even the prime focus of the film. Instead, the film revolves around everyday life and those close to them. Again, this is a rarity amongst films with LGBT relationships but thanks to Sachs, he makes it work.

Molina and Lithgow, both fine actors, bring their roles to life. They're intimate without being too revealing. They're honest without being blunt. In short, they make their roles human.

Love Is Strange is a sweet little film. There's not a single false note at any point. To sum things up, this film is perhaps the most honest film you will see all year. (And yes, the R rating is stupid.)

My Rating: *****