BelovedWhat the hell was Oprah Winfrey thinking? I start off my review with this statement for one reason and one reason only. At the end of the near three-hour film, many audience members groaned, complained, and griped. Some even stood up and left during it. But the strangest thing is the audience's reaction during the film. I'm not sure, but I seem to recall that BELOVED is a very deep and disturbing drama. For some odd reason, the audience must have thought it was a comedy, because there was more laughter filling the theater than any film since There's Something About Mary.
Normally I do not criticize the American movie goer, but here it is just warranted. The average American is not ready for this movie. I will even go so far as to say that they are just too stupid to understand it. I'm sorry if this offends, but the reception this film got shocked me about as much as anything portrayed on the screen. One woman sitting next to me said, "I could have done laundry or painted my house. At least that wouldn't have been boring." I found this rather unsettling, but even more so, I found that there were quite a number of children attending. Branded with a special warning from the MPAA concerning the film's content, BELOVED contains an excruciating amount of shocking and graphic images. Kids unattended by adults were allowed to watch it. And those same kids were laughing at the parts that were shocking me. This is one of my very few warnings: this film deals with very, very mature subjects and should only be witnessed by those 18 and up.
Those of us who do appreciate the film's audacity to give us a mature ghost story will go through a wide variety of emotions, varying from delight to horror. This is not an easy film to understand (though, frankly, I understood everything the first time I saw it), and it certainly can not be appreciated just from one scene. The film works as a whole and only as a whole. On late night talk shows, when a clip of this film is shown, people will probably be confused. But in the context of the rest of it, we receive a haunting and daring film that will stay in your mind for days after it has ended.
BELOVED begins with a moment as startling as that of Saving Private Ryan. The whines of a dog are heard, and the camera slowly zooms in on a nice little house. Inside, however, is a horrific sight to behold. A dog is spun in the air, it's limbs broken, and an eye gouged out by unseen hands. Tables are thrown around, and then all is silent. Sethe (Winfrey) is concerned for her children's safety, but it doesn't shock her. Perhaps she is so used to witnessing horrific moments that this just doesn't phase her one bit. Her two sons run off after the incident and are never heard or seen from again. Her only child left is Denver (Kimberly Elise). Eight years pass and Denver is a recluse of sorts. She won't leave the house without her mother, and she's afraid of anyone she talks to.
One day, a man by the name of Paul D (Danny Glover) stops by the house. The first thing he notices is the strange looks everyone gives him as he walks towards the house. Sethe recognizes him as a friend from Sweet Home and invites him in. Inside, the house churns with hatred. A red glow fills the hallway, and visions are presented to Paul. "What kind of evil you got in there?" he asks. "Not evil, just sad," she responds. Paul and Sethe soon become lovers, based seemingly on the purpose of actually having somebody to love. Denver isn't exactly thrilled with the idea, as now she won't have the complete attention her mother usually gives her. But then one day, a stranger appears in their front yard. A young woman, covered in bugs, gasps for breath. They take her inside where she spells out her name, "B-E-L-O-V-E-D." Denver likes Beloved and cares for her as if she were her own daughter. In many ways, Beloved is still a child. She walks, stumbling and tripping, and she doesn't seem to have normal coordination skills. Sethe takes her under her wing, but Paul is still wondering how she got to their house with such clean shoes.
Frankly, that's all I'm going to say. It is a mystery film, just as Silence of the Lambs was a mystery film. Instead of relying on the "regular" mystery type--who is she?--BELOVED revolves around why she is there. But more than a mystery film, it's also a ghost story, a tale of the events slaves endured, and a human interest drama. As a ghost story, this is quite possibly the quintessential of its kind. No other ghost story beats it (that's right, not even Poltergeist or The Exorcist). What is so refreshing is that it doesn't linger on the facts that it is a ghost story. The entire film revolves around the fact that we are watching a "haunted house." Looked at any other way, and you may come away disappointed. And just to make sure that people aren't confused about the film's ghostly core, plenty of events occur towards the beginning of the film. This way, it can focus in more on the family's troubles later on. It's a splendid work of writing.
The problems that afflicted slaves have been depicted again and again, so BELOVED doesn't necessarily bring anything new. There are, however, some very shocking scenes showing the cruel treatment of slaves. In one, Sethe is whipped and milked by The Schoolteacher (Jude Ciccolella), a ruthless white slave owner, and his boys. Despite these cruel images, the real shock is watching how much the characters change. Sethe has hidden secrets which slowly come out through the film's running time. Denver becomes affected by the appearance of Beloved and Paul, and she must deal with her mother's lack of attention. Beloved, on the other hand, is as complex a character as any you'll find this year. Her change is extremely subtle and almost goes unnoticed. Even Paul is changed, though he leaves the film about halfway through. All of these changes combined create an epic story of the human soul. It's difficult to present a film dealing with the inner self, but BELOVED does so with maturity and complexity.
Of all the Academy Award categories that BELOVED could (and probably will) get nominated for, the adapted screenplay is the most obvious. Easily one of the most prolific translations of a novel to the big screen, screenwriters Adam Brooks and Akosua Busia have created a script that surpasses the novel in some ways. Certainly they couldn't be expected to include all of Toni Morrison's more than five-hundred pages, but Brooks and Busia do manage to open up the book a bit, leaving a lot more room for interpretation (from what I've heard, anyway--I myself have not read it). The story deals with memories that can come back and haunt you even though you may try to forget them. And Sethe's brutal story concerning The Schoolmaster becomes the film's turning point. It makes us begin to realize what the answer to the mystery is. Towards the end, the film does include a very disturbing moment where the women of the city explain everything we already know, and it's a very inappropriate scene. However, as a film screenplay, it is definitely one of the year's most powerful stories.
Director Jonathan Demme has had a very rewarding career, winning an Oscar for his daring and frightening horror film, Silence of the Lambs, and also letting Tom Hanks receive his first of two consecutive Oscars in Philadelphia. Actors would seem to die to work for Demme. Demme seems like an actor's dream come true, but he's not just that. He also has a remarkable visual flair. Present-day scenes are bleak and almost grayscale, but scenes in the past are overexposed, piercing yellows and sharp whites. Some scenes are even given a blood-red hue. Demme is a master of lighting, using red light to enhance the terror (unlike the director of Mommy who ineffectively tried the same thing with laughable results). His cinematographer, Tak Fujimoto, is extremely talented, using handheld cameras as well as smooth Steadicams. One glorious scene has a camera revolving around Baby Suggs (Beah Richards) giving a sermon as children and adults dance around. But Demme is also a master at creating a certain tone that sustains throughout. Always, there is a dark fear that lurks in every frame. You never feel safe during one moment of the movie. When it ends, you still don't feel comfortable. It can haunt you for days.
As I said before, Demme is an actor's dream come true. His films always contain characters that are believable and come to life. But it was Oprah Winfrey who demanded to play Sethe. The television talk show host bought the rights to the book when she read it, and she literally becomes Sethe on screen. Not for one second did I think of her TV persona. Winfrey selects her roles very carefully, and with this performance, it's not hard to see why she is a great actress. But as good as Winfrey is, Thandie Newton steals the film. Newton gives the best supporting performance of the year... period. She will get an Oscar nomination, and hopefully she'll win. Newton's performance requires difficult emotions, and her soulless eyes make her a haunting figure. Newton balances a thin line between sincere and the absurd, but she succeeds incredibly well. But not to be overlooked is Kimberly Elise who may also be nominated for supporting actress. Elise was seen in the excellent action film Set It Off, and here she shows she has matured as an actress. Her performance is the film's balance... if it weren't for her, the film's final thirty minutes wouldn't be successful. Elise is a talent to be watched for. Lisa Gay Hamilton takes on the task of providing the young Sethe (thankfully, Oprah doesn't try to look younger for that part). Hamilton has a very difficult job and provides most of the film's graphically shocking moments. Danny Glover again unites with Winfrey and he gives his best performance since The Color Purple. Beah Richards may also be nominated, but that's pushing it. Three incredible supporting actresses, and the Academy may be forced to pick one of the three as they did with last year's L.A. Confidential. If this happens, none of them may be nominated (though highly unlikely). This cast is one of the year's most proficient to date.
BELOVED is rated R for extremely graphic scenes of violence, full-frontal nudity, sex, and some language. The R rating should definitely be heeded by parents. Do not let young kids watch this film. For one, they won't understand it. And two, it's too mature for them. The film runs nearly three hours in length but the time flies by. This is a perfect example of raw lyric power that films can possess. It had me with my jaw in my lap for most of the film, and I found myself tearing up several times. If you do choose to see this film, get ready to witness one of the best films of the year.