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Screen Scenes

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2001

“The Royal Tenenbaums” Starring: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson Directed by Wes Anderson

Kelly Haigh

God, as they say, is in the details. Perhaps the meticulous intricacy of director Wes Anderson’s latest effort – intricacy which can be appreciated in everything from wallpaper patterns and costume designs to character quirks and plot points – should render “The Royal Tenenbaums” divine by default. The film opens with a compelling fable about three young prodigies whose glory faded as they outgrew their childhoods and their parents’ marriage dissolved. These adult-children find themselves drawn to the house that made them and broke them, just as their estranged, subversive father returns to make amends and weasel his way back into the fold. Anderson paints a fascinating portrait of these refreshingly idiosyncratic characters and nestles them in a fanciful version of Manhattan, a dream-vision that simply bursts with verisimilitude and appeal. There’s always some tiny, brilliant detail just lying around, casually planted and perfectly designed for offhand observation. The film works in mysterious ways. Anderson also takes a surprising and somehow appropriately hands-off approach to the actual task of storytelling. Once he establishes the characters within the film’s self-contained world and sets them in motion, he seems to sit back. Very little is offered in the way of commentary as the characters collide with one another. This means that there is no emotional imposition on the audience, no tugging at heart strings, no promotion of dippy, sentimental messages. The events of the film are obviously strong enough to command attention and prompt reflection on their own merit. Add to this the fact that the film is undeniably hilarious. Gene Hackman and Danny Glover’s childish squabble in the family kitchen is one of the most riotous moments captured on film in recent memory. And Hackman’s lighthearted adventures with his grandchildren in the city are funny in an uplifting, nostalgic sort of way. The characters themselves are pure, elemental composites of the things which happen to them. They are historic beings, as absorbing and entertaining as their varied experiences. And as for those experiences, Anderson only troubles himself with the facts; he never interrupts events to dwell on how or why they occur. This allows the events to have maximum impact and a pricelessly understated significance. It’s honest, forthright storytelling. The thematic punch of the film is never diffused through any unnecessary explication. The ensemble cast only confirms that “The Royal Tenenbaums” is a film of superlatives. It may be frustrating to realize that it’s not humanly possible to catch every exquisite nuance which Anderson presents, but remember, only God is perfect.

“No Man’s Land” Starring: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac Directed By: Danis Tanovic

Kelsey McConnell

Tension hangs like fog as two enemies are stranded in the same trench. A Bosnian soldier and a Serbian soldier stand, faces contorted by the passions of war, facing a third soldier who is lying rigidly below them. He, another Bosnian soldier, lies on the ground with a spring-loaded bomb planted beneath him, threatening to go off as soon as he moves. In Danis Tanovic’s “No Man’s Land,” getting this fallen soldier off of the bomb motivates the movie’s action and works as a metaphor for the restrained but diabolic conflict in that region of the world. The film’s content tries to make several serious statements. The way the theme explores expectation of death captures the atmosphere of irresolution pervading the Bosnian war. Involvement by the UN forces, whom Ciki calls “the Smurfs,” condemns the UN chain of command as virtually useless. The media is selfish, wanting only the good story and none of the aftermath. The filming style is dry – likely derivative of Tanovic’s earlier success as a documentary filmmaker. The camera simply watches as the soldiers interact without guiding the audience response in any specific direction. One thing the movie does accomplish visually is an intriguing grasp of texture. The dirt, the rocks and bloody wounds are presented with an attention to sound and prolonged sight that makes them seem tangible. “No Man’s Land’s” barbarity and humor make it a compelling film. None of the politics – the UN, the media, the debate over who started the war – overrun the desperate humanity of the man trapped, alive, on top of the bomb. As a semi-comedic interpretation of a war film, it blends the entertaining and the informative with no major faults, making “No Man’s Land” a fine way to spend a night.