Author Archives: nih22

The Legal Complexity of Romance

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Despite my lack of personal experience with marriage, as a nineteen-year-old college student, I could tell that Marriage Story (2019) presented a more realistic portrayal of relationship dynamics compared to many other highly-fictionalised Hollywood film romances.  Watching as protagonists Charlie and Nicole navigate the legal system with their attorneys opened my eyes to the painfully-high cost of divorce, an aspect that I had never considered before.  I thought that Laura Dern portrayed Nora, Nicole’s lawyer, very well.  I found her character impressive and irritating at the same time because she manages to successfully disguise braggadocio with a veil of sympathy and empathy: she brags about her own extensive career accomplishments but pretends to dismiss it nonchalantly by telling Nicole, “let’s make this about you” in a sickly-sweet voice at their first meeting.  As the tension between Nicole and Charlie escalated throughout the film, I found myself torn between their sides in the conflict and frustrated at both of them.  While I feel bad for Charlie that Henry, the couple’s son, preferred to spend time with Nicole, I also support Nicole’s efforts to find her own ground.  I appreciated how director Noah Baumbach symbolised their close yet awkward relationship with the scene where Charlie and Nicole draw the house gate closed together but end up on opposite sides afterwards.  Additionally, I loved how Baumbach incorporated a conversation on double standards into the film and addressed how there is much greater pressure on women to be “good” parents than on men.  Unfortunately, sexism is still common in the twenty-first century, and I believe that this scene was incredibly necessary.  Although not as exciting as the previous Friday Films, Marriage Story thoroughly explores relevant themes such as modern romance, the overwhelming complexity of the justice system (confusing legal jargon such as “serving” papers, and all the attorneys Charlie had to consult), self-confidence, and the idea of belonging somewhere.  After seeing Marriage Story, I realise that open and honest communication and direct cooperation are sometimes more valuable and productive than involving third parties and bitter arguments about who was right or wrong.

Side-note: Adam Driver has a surprisingly decent singing voice.

Favourite quote: “Criminal lawyers see the worst people at their best, and divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.”

Thought-Provoking (and Laughter-Inducing) Murder Mystery

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As a longtime lover of Agatha Christie, Dan Brown, and mystery novels in general, I was very happy to finally see the film Knives Out (2019).  My first thought during the screening was that opening theme music sounded amazing.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the humour and references to current events that director Rian Johnson managed to fit in; the heated disagreement that the Thrombey family has over illegal immigration is a particularly familiar, politically-charged sticks out in my memory.  This made the film hilariously relatable and caused me realise how pointless it is to argue with other people solely for the sake of sowing discord.  Additionally, I enjoyed Johnson’s use of symbolism throughout the film.  The best example I can think of is in the ending scene where Marta stands victoriously on the large second-floor balcony of the mansion watching as the Thrombeys sulk below at ground-level.  The difference in their height positioning in the shot seems to allude to the difference in character between Marta and the Thrombey family: morals versus material possessions, good versus evil, and selflessness versus selfishness.  I also noticed that Johnson employed foreshadowing very well in the film, cleverly and subtly introducing and setting up props and clues such as the cannabis stash, Linda’s secret communication method with Harlan, and the barking dogs that would eventually become relevant later in the plot.  Overall, this mystery-comedy film not only allowed audiences to exercise their detective skills, but also touches on important messages about prioritising bond over blood, not taking relationships and people for granted, and being kind.  Side-note: Benoit Blanc’s unique accent seemed exaggerated; I wonder whether Daniel Craig did it on purpose, perhaps for some kind of comedic effect?

The Film That Predicted COVID-19

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Watching Contagion (2011), I was impressed by the range of Steven Soderbergh’s directing abilities, considering the fact he also helmed the wildly-different Ocean’s trilogy of heist films.  More importantly, as a student majoring in biological sciences and currently studying microbiology, I appreciated the film’s scientific accuracy.  I came into this screening fully prepared to deal with another highly-fictionalised Hollywood blockbuster, but the fact that Soderbergh paid so much attention to many details of the imagined virus and its epidemiology—down to the digital depiction of protein structure—impressed me greatly.  Especially given all the unanswered questions regarding the novel coronavirus currently sweeping the world, it was very interesting and informing to see how the pandemic could potentially strain systems beyond just healthcare.  For example, it had never before occurred to me that viruses like MEV-1 (from the film) or SARS-CoV-2 (real-life) could such widespread negative effects on crime rate and education.  Contagion also caused me to consider the bureaucratic and administrative challenges required to control such a crisis in a way that is transparent yet not panic-inducing to the public.  Despite the film’s dark subject, however, the small amount of light-hearted humour was refreshing, particularly the scene where the CDC lab workers casually and nonchalantly discussed their Thanksgiving plans while working with samples from deceased MEV-1 patients.  Overall, I enjoyed Contagion very much and highly recommend it to everyone who has not already watched it now that we are all practising social distancing.