The Immigrant (B or 3/4 stars)
In 1921, Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) arrives via ship in NYC from Poland with her sickly sister, Magda (Angela Sarafyan) in 'The Immigrant' (directed by James Gray, We Own the Night, Two Lovers). The sisters are hopeful that wonderful lives are ahead of them in America. Their aunt & uncle await. And opportunity seems to be everywhere. But at Ellis Island, they hit the 1st of many obstacles: Magda has tuberculosis, & she has to stay quarantined at Ellis Island for at least 6 months to get better ... or she'll be sent back to Poland. What's more, their aunt & uncle haven't shown up to claim them, & Ewa gets wrongfully branded as a 'woman of questionable morals'; in danger of being deported, herself.
Into the story steps Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix), a seemingly charming, but out-for-himself 'fixer' who finds pretty girls off the boat, pays for them to leave Ellis Island, & puts them in his brothel/pseudo-Vaudeville show. Bruno becomes enamored of Ewa, who only agrees to participate in his 'show' because she HAS to pay for Magda's medical care ... and because Bruno is connected to Ellis Island authorities who are easily bought with bribes. After a lot of trials & tribulations, Ewa finally settles into her recent way of life (while also going to church to repent her behaviors). But when Bruno's more amiable cousin, the charismatic magician Orlando (Jeremy Renner), also takes a liking to Ewa (and her to him), trouble & tragedy overwhelms everyone.
'The Immigrant' is an emotionally complex story that held my attention throughout; despite the languid pacing. This is a quality film, though, I have two minor issues (but issues, they are) with it. For one, it's bleak. I mean ... bleak. The tone, the mood, the atmosphere, the story, some of the plot details ... bleak. Having said that, there is also a dark beauty that permeates the bleakness which makes it appealing for me. Secondly, I wasn't wild about the direction that the plot went in the final half hour or so. Simply put, plot incidents occur that felt like they suddenly came from an entirely different movie. And a heated discussion btwn. 2 of the main characters in the story felt overcooked/too melodramatic for my liking. The louder they got, the more I was probably "supposed" to feel, but it felt manufactured; not organic to the situation at hand. But really, those are quibbles.
'The Immigrant' is beautifully shot in sepia-tones which show 1920s NYC in all of it's sad, nostalgic splendor (think of all those great photographs from the 1920s that captures frozen moments in time ... in this film ... we feel like we're watching those real life stories unfold before & after the camera click). Also superb is the production design, which perfectly recreates the era (dirty streets, huddled masses, dark saloons, grimy tenement houses, etc).
Best of all is Marion Cotillard. Cotillard's face conveys vulnerability, as well as a quiet strength in the face of so many adversities. Not only does Cotillard rivet (as usual) with her Silent Film Era fascade, but she also learned Polish for this role -- she's just one of our greats. Joaquin Phoenix captures the complexity of the unpredictable, manipulative, yet compassionate, guilt-ridden Bruno. Also good is Jeremy Renner who 'seems' like a savior-figure for Ewa, but really, Bruno may have been right about him all the while. I like that: in this story, the 'bad' characters aren't necessarily all bad, & the 'good' aren't as innocent as we think.
This is a sad, morose movie that is, perhaps, best encapsulated by its final brilliant image that we see on the screen. There is hard-earned triumph for two particular characters and a heartrending disappointment for someone else. It may be partly sad, but it just feels right. 'The Immigrant' tells a deeply felt (if not altogether perfect) story about Ewa, the pursuit of her American Dream, & the wrenching spiritual journey that she must take.
Into the story steps Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix), a seemingly charming, but out-for-himself 'fixer' who finds pretty girls off the boat, pays for them to leave Ellis Island, & puts them in his brothel/pseudo-Vaudeville show. Bruno becomes enamored of Ewa, who only agrees to participate in his 'show' because she HAS to pay for Magda's medical care ... and because Bruno is connected to Ellis Island authorities who are easily bought with bribes. After a lot of trials & tribulations, Ewa finally settles into her recent way of life (while also going to church to repent her behaviors). But when Bruno's more amiable cousin, the charismatic magician Orlando (Jeremy Renner), also takes a liking to Ewa (and her to him), trouble & tragedy overwhelms everyone.
'The Immigrant' is an emotionally complex story that held my attention throughout; despite the languid pacing. This is a quality film, though, I have two minor issues (but issues, they are) with it. For one, it's bleak. I mean ... bleak. The tone, the mood, the atmosphere, the story, some of the plot details ... bleak. Having said that, there is also a dark beauty that permeates the bleakness which makes it appealing for me. Secondly, I wasn't wild about the direction that the plot went in the final half hour or so. Simply put, plot incidents occur that felt like they suddenly came from an entirely different movie. And a heated discussion btwn. 2 of the main characters in the story felt overcooked/too melodramatic for my liking. The louder they got, the more I was probably "supposed" to feel, but it felt manufactured; not organic to the situation at hand. But really, those are quibbles.
'The Immigrant' is beautifully shot in sepia-tones which show 1920s NYC in all of it's sad, nostalgic splendor (think of all those great photographs from the 1920s that captures frozen moments in time ... in this film ... we feel like we're watching those real life stories unfold before & after the camera click). Also superb is the production design, which perfectly recreates the era (dirty streets, huddled masses, dark saloons, grimy tenement houses, etc).
Best of all is Marion Cotillard. Cotillard's face conveys vulnerability, as well as a quiet strength in the face of so many adversities. Not only does Cotillard rivet (as usual) with her Silent Film Era fascade, but she also learned Polish for this role -- she's just one of our greats. Joaquin Phoenix captures the complexity of the unpredictable, manipulative, yet compassionate, guilt-ridden Bruno. Also good is Jeremy Renner who 'seems' like a savior-figure for Ewa, but really, Bruno may have been right about him all the while. I like that: in this story, the 'bad' characters aren't necessarily all bad, & the 'good' aren't as innocent as we think.
This is a sad, morose movie that is, perhaps, best encapsulated by its final brilliant image that we see on the screen. There is hard-earned triumph for two particular characters and a heartrending disappointment for someone else. It may be partly sad, but it just feels right. 'The Immigrant' tells a deeply felt (if not altogether perfect) story about Ewa, the pursuit of her American Dream, & the wrenching spiritual journey that she must take.