Fjord

I was already interested in seeing Fjord because I am a big fan of both Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve but, after it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it became one of my most anticipated movies this fall.  I went to see it last night at the Broadway and to say that it is thought-provoking would be an understatement.  Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu (Stan and Reinsve, respectively) are a devout evangelical Christian couple who move their family from Romania to Lisbet's remote coastal hometown in Norway to be closer to her parents for help with their five children.  Their conservative parenting style immediately catches the attention of a progressive counselor (Lisa Loven Kongsli) at their children's school, so when she sees bruises on their oldest daughter Elia (Vanessa Ceban), she reports them to the Child Welfare Services for abuse which also triggers a criminal investigation.  All five children are eventually removed from their parents' custody when Mihai admits to occasionally spanking them.  Soon the Gheorghius are involved in an intense custody battle, but when their neighbor Mia Halberg (Lisa Carlehed) steps in to defend them, they are given temporary custody pending the outcome of the criminal trial.  However, when Mia refuses to represent Mihai in the criminal trial, the Gheorghius decide to flee to Denmark to avoid losing their children forever.  I was really intrigued by the fact that there are no easy answers and that much of what happens with the children is open to interpretation.  Elia may have gotten the bruises from roughhousing with her brother Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu) or from wrestling in her P.E. class, the language barrier may have led to miscommunication during Elia's interview with Child Welfare, or Elia may have lied in her interview to get back at her parents for interfering in a new friendship with their neighbor Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen).  I was also very struck by all of the moral dilemmas raised by the narrative, especially whether you should protect the rights of someone you disagree with (I was often uncomfortable because, while I disagree with some of the Gheorghius' beliefs, I found the prosecution of them to be overzealous).  The symbolism is incredibly powerful, especially with the setting because the fjords represent isolation and the resulting avalanches show the crushing weight of judgement.  Finally, both Stan and Reinsve give highly restrained and nuanced performances in which anger and frustration are internalized.  This choice does make the characters seem cold and remote (mimicking the setting) but it is absolutely devastating to watch.  The audience is challenged to have sympathy for characters they may disagree with and, for that reason, I highly recommend it.

Everest: The Other Side

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's previous documentaries, Meru and Free Solo, so I was excited to see their latest, Everest: The Other Side, yesterday at a matinee (with all of the other retired people who are now my best friends).  This follows elite ski mountaineers and romantic partners Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they attempt to climb and then ski down the more remote and treacherous north face of Mount Everest (only five people had successfully completed this climb and no one had ever skied down).  After Nelson is tragically killed by an avalanche during a practice climb on nearby Mount Manaslu, Morrison returns several years later to complete their quest with Chin in her memory.  It goes without saying that cinematography is absolutely spectacular (see it in IMAX if you can) with breathtaking aerial footage captured by drones to show the scale of the expedition and Go-Pro shots that put the audience right on the mountain with the climbers (the latter definitely creates several white-knuckle moments, especially during the avalanche sequences and the climbs through the couloirs).  However, what I found most compelling (and disturbing) is the discussion about the hubris of pursuing a dream at any cost.  It is suggested that it is especially irresponsible for a parent to participate in such a dangerous sport when there is a very real possibility that they could be abandoning their children permanently.  Many of the climbers' family members are interviewed and express their fears about what could happen but I was particularly struck by Vasarhelyi's emotional reaction when Chin (her husband and father of their two children) tells her that Morrison wants to go back to Everest with him as his climbing partner as well as their subsequent discussion about the risks vs. the rewards (it was interesting to learn that she filed for divorce during the final climb).  The most poignant interviews are those with Nelson's teenage sons Quinn and Grayden because they are clearly devastated by the loss of their mother but reiterate that climbing was her passion and nothing could have stopped her from pursuing what she loved.  I'm not sure this absolves Nelson for her choice and it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth when Morrison pushes his sherpas to continue after one of them is severely injured.  I would definitely rate this as my least favorite in Vasarhelyi and Chin's mountain trilogy but it is exhilarating.

Note:  It was also very off-putting to see the sherpas establish all of the rope lines and camps along the way while Morrison and Chin wait in their tents with all of their expensive North Face gear (it definitely feels like one long ad for The North Face).