Annette

I saw an interview with Adam Driver, back when he was doing press for The Rise of Skywalker, during which he mentioned that he had recently finished filming a musical. I was immediately intrigued by the idea of Driver singing through an entire movie (even though he sings briefly in Hungry Hearts and Marriage Story) and it seems like I have been anticipating the release of Annette ever since!  My anticipation hit a fever pitch when his performance was universally lauded at the Cannes Film Festival (Annette was the opening film) and I have literally been counting down the days until I could see it!  I finally had the chance last night and, even though I thought I knew what to expect, I was completely blown away because it is a masterpiece!  Henry McHenry (Driver) is a provocative comedian who regularly kills his audiences, in his words, during his stage shows.  Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard) is a world-renowned opera singer who dramatically dies on stage every night.  At first glance they seem to inhabit different worlds but they both have one thing in common: they crave, and even need, the attention and adulation they get from their audiences.  They fall passionately in love, get engaged, get married, have a daughter named Annette, and then experience trouble in their marriage when Ann's fame eclipses Henry's.  All of this is reported in TMZ-like news breaks which function as a Greek chorus during their relationship.  Henry is full of self-loathing and eventually destroys his marriage, alienates his audience, exploits his gifted daughter, then kills a possible rival (Simon Helberg).  He is tormented by his guilt (which manifests itself with a birthmark on his cheek that gets bigger and bigger as he comes undone) until he is confronted by Annette (Devyn McDowell) who vows that she will never be like her parents.  Annette is surreal and operatic in scale as the lines between performance and reality are continually blurred.  In fact, the film opens with Ron and Russell Mael (who wrote the music and lyrics for the film) singing the song "So May We Start" in a recording studio and then continuing to sing while walking outside to the streets of L.A. where they are joined by the cast as themselves before they are transformed into their characters.  It is brilliant!  I also love that Annette is portrayed by a puppet and that she becomes a real little girl only after she refuses to perform ever again (in a scene that left me absolutely gutted) and that Ann haunts Henry like a vengeful character from an opera.  Driver, who is one of my favorite actors, gives a tour-de-force performance that is, in my opinion, the best of his considerable career.  I was really impressed by his physicality in an expletive-laden and rage-fueled rant during a comedy routine and by his singing ability, especially in the emotionally charged "Stepping Back in Time" and "Sympathy for the Abyss."  Annette is not the kind of film that usually gets attention from the Academy but Driver definitely deserves an Oscar nomination!  This will not be for everyone, although I was surprised to see so many people at my screening, but it is a major contender for my favorite movie of the year!

Note:  I already have tickets to see it again!