Outcast romance from director Gus Van Sant (Elephant) starring Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska and newcomer Henry Hopper.
Wasikowska plays a terminally ill teenager who falls for a boy (Hopper), a funeral-crasher who's best friend is the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.
Restless is only playing one screen in New Zealand at the moment, so It could be forgiven for flying completely under the radar. I'm assuming it has either had its wider release and is now tapering off, or that it is being used as program filler before the film festival seasons begin. Either way I was glad to have it as a back-up. I had originally scheduled to see The Devil Inside, the American faux horror. But due to the fact it is yet ANOTHER 'found footage' picture, and that I'm still staggering after last night's calamity Project X, I decided to give it a miss. I was attracted to Restless for two reasons, the first being my cinematic choices are becoming limited in the greater wellington area, and secondly, the film is directed by Gus Van Sant. Not an ideal way to pick a film I know, but Van Sant happens to have one of the finest minds for narrative in the industry. His most successful outing 1997's Good Will Hunting is amongst the few films I would most happily watch over and over again. Known for taking risks and being fearless in his pursuit to highlight the plight of fringe minorities and societal outcasts, it's a good bet that you're going to get something uncommon. Theater of the Common Man appreciates the uncommon. As with Van Sant's 2003 Elephant, Restless deals with a displaced teen and his inner battles to fit within the structure society places him. In this story we meet the recently orphaned Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper). After his parent's departure and own near death experience Enoch struggles to accept his own mortality. As an outlet he begins to frequent the funerals of strangers with his only friend, the ghost of a WW2 Kamikaze pilot, Hiroshi. At one of these funerals he meets Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) , a terminal ill girl given just months to live. Together Enoch and Annabel find comfort in each other and love quickly blossoms. Both Mia and Henry offer something slightly unconventional to their roles. Mia plays with Annabel's illness down significantly; at no point did she cough or splutter to indicate the seriousness of her condition. In fact if we didn't already know her situation she could be mistaken as being in perfect health. Henry, seemed to fare OK as the films protagonist, if not slightly overshadowed by Mia. Together however, their chemistry played nicely within Van Sant's unorthodox, playful narrative. Whilst by no means ground breaking, Restless is an eloquently crafted refreshing film. Throwing a mirror up to mortality, I could see how the film may seem difficult to engage in. Though, if given a chance, it is easy to cut through the morbidity of its themes. Ultimately Restless becomes a light-hearted, curious examination of death through the eyes of new found love.
This movie looks super amazing... And it's got Mia in it. Deff seeing.
Somehow, Van Sant has made a film about life and death in which the stakes never seem higher than whether one insolent kid will stop being such a horrible mope.
All of the performances are pitched correctly. Nobody pushes too hard. Nobody underlines anything. Perhaps calmed by Van Sant, the characters seem peaceful, not troubled (as they should be).
Compared to its direct inspiration - Hal Ashby's blackly brilliant "Harold And Maude" - Restless comes off like an anemic facsimile. After the excellent "Milk," this is more like curdled cheese.
This film is so annoying that as the lights went up, I was to be found hanging from the cinema ceiling by my fingernails, growling.
The most banal and indulgent of Gus Van Sant's periodic studies of troubled kids, this agonizingly treacly tale comes off like an indie version of "Love Story" except with worse music.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 5th Jan 2012.
Release date: January 5th 2012.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
