This blog brings a round-up of two recent films (Oscar contenders), the latest season of a French crime series, and an outstanding production of a theater classic.
CHILLING AMERICAN HISTORY
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple TV, $ Prime Video & others)
This is a very long film, more than three hours, so we watched it over two nights. It begins slowly as young Ernest Burkhart arrives in Osage County, Oklahoma to “work” for his uncle William Hale, known locally as King. As a paid driver, Ernest squires around people like Mollie, a young attractive Osage woman, heir to oil rich land. Encouraged by his uncle and his own interest in her, Ernest marries Mollie. While King is outwardly benevolent toward the Osage community, he is slyly buying up and acquiring the rich oil headrights. He doesn’t hesitate to hire hit men to murder business associates or natives or to pressure Ernest to handle the orders.
King is a smiling devil, smooth and suave while dim Ernest loves Mollie, but loves money more. Ernest isn’t smart enough to catch on to what he’s being asked, then ordered, to do. Seemingly unaware of Ernest’s treachery, Mollie struggles to save her community. Based on true events, the film reveals the horror of these white men’s actions toward the Osage slowly until finally the nascent FBI steps in to investigate more fully.
The performances by Lily Gladstone as Mollie, Robert DeNiro as King, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest are all Oscar worthy.
IN THE PINK
Barbie ($ Prime Video et al)
As you might expect, everything in Barbie Land revolves around the color pink. Bubble gum pink. Doll Barbie is in control and her compatriots are everywhere. Each girl is empowered to be active and productive. Ken is docile and along for the ride. When Barbie and Ken leave Barbie Land for the real world of humans, they are both in for a shock. Here, men run things, and women and girls are definitely lesser.
I liked some of the spirit of the film and the theme of female empowerment, but I found it all a bit much, cluttered and too long, with a story line that was only okay. Given its popularity at the box office, I thought I ought to see it. Verdict: colorful and sometimes cute, but not memorable.
FRIENDSHIP & CRIMES
Astrid Season 3 (Prime Video)
High-functioning autistic Astrid Nielsen works for the Paris police in their archives. With her razor-sharp observational skills and her encyclopedic knowledge of previous cases, she assists inspector Raphaelle Coste in solving complex and often exotic crimes. While the premises of some crimes strain credulity, the real meat of this series is the burgeoning friendship between Astrid and Raphaelle and Astrid’s growing comfort in a platonic-verging-on-romantic relationship with Tetsuo.
Along the way, Astrid works to become more socially comfortable and gains new knowledge about her late father’s last activities. I’ve enjoyed every season of this series, but this one is even more wonderful. Highly recommended!
TIMELY THEATER
Inherit the Wind (Asolo Repertory Theatre)
Asolo Theatre has a new artistic director from Minneapolis, Peter Rothstein, and this is his first production in his new role. It is superb, soaring high. Written in 1955 and loosely based on the Scopes Trial of 1925, Inherit the Wind deals with the teaching of evolution in a small public school in the south. Much of the action is set in and around the courtroom with the accused young teacher’s fate played out in a battle of wits between the attorneys.
Prosecuting attorney Brady is modeled on politician and presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, while Drummond, the defendant’s attorney is a Clarence Darrow clone. Add in preaching from local fire and brimstone Reverend Brown and the ambivalence of his more nuanced daughter Rachel, friend of the accused, and you have other perspectives.
While initially, the play looks like a contest between religion on one side and science on the other, it’s more complicated than that. Both lawyers are extremely strong and present in their arguments, but underneath there is humanity and fellow feeling between them. Neither man is one-dimensional.
Staging and casting are excellent. Given his fondness for musical theatre, Rothstein’s incorporation of several hymns sung by the community as punctuation points in the action is highly effective. Definitely worth seeing! Inherit the Wind runs through February 24th.
Note: Header photo is from Astrid, season 3, courtesy of World of Television.
