‘Divergent’ – high-concept film which connects
FILM: Divergent
DIRECTOR: Neil Burger
CAST: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoa Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn and Kate Winslet
Rating: *** and 1/2
From the director of evocative films like “Limitless” and “The Illusionist”, “Divergent” is a high-concept film that’s brilliantly executed and entertaining. However, it offers nothing exceptional in terms of its plot, which would set it apart from other films of the genre.
It’s a typical story of a young girl in a dystopian state. The narration is layered with lessons of life with overall leitmotifs about self-realization, identity and defying traditionalism in favour of individuality.
With high-octane action, infused philosophy, romance and provocative survival dilemmas, the film is based on the young adult book series by Veronica Roth. Set in the futuristic barricaded city-state of Chicago “100 years after a terrible war”, the people here are living in a society, so reminiscent of the caste system in medieval India where individuals were slotted according to their occupation.
But unlike the Indian caste system, the society here is divided into five factions. Each “acefaction” within the society lives according to restricted values and is dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue.
They are Candor – the honest, outspoken opinionated types suited for legality and politics; Abnegation – the selfless, simple folk who are the only ones trusted to hold public office; Dauntless – the brave risk-takers used for policing and military service; Amity – the peaceful working-class who would not tread on others’ shoes; and Erudite – the intelligent and brainy who love knowledge and logic.
“Faction before blood” as the old adage goes within the society. Thus, on an appointed day every year, all sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test and then freely decide which faction they will join.
Narrated through Abnegation-born Beatrice Prior’s point of view, the plot takes a twist when her aptitude test results are inconclusive as she does not wholly fit into any of the groups. It is her journey from a confused girl to a fearless and spirited member of Dauntless faction, Tris to the free-thinking enlightened one. It is her survival tale, literally and figuratively.
Shailene Woodley shines in the strong lead character. Her transition from the lonely Beatrice, which starts off on a little rough note, seamlessly merges with her dauntless character Tris. She is aptly paired opposite Theo James, who plays her instructor-cum-mentor-cum-lover. With his intense look and secretive nature, he interprets his character “Four” very soundly.
Kate Winslet who was immortalized as Rose in “Titanic”, leaves her distinct stamp as the antagonist Jeanine, the head of Erudite, in a minuscule but significant role. All the other performers play supporting characters that are either flat, cliched or embryonic as they don’t have much screen time.
Packed with significant and engaging life-lesson dialogues like — “You need some rules, some methods to survive”, “If I am too fast they will kill me and if I am too slow then I die”, “The future belongs to those who know where they belong” — the humour is subtle and one can relate to it.
Screenwriters Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor are loyal to the source material by focussing mainly on the protagonist. In the bargain, the other characters have been neglected, thus leading the plot points to hackneyed set pieces that remind you of scenes from “Harry Potter”, “Twilight” and “Hunger Games”.
Carlo Poggioli’s costumes are classic but with each colour, ear-marked for a particular faction, the visuals get a bit tedious.
But this should not bog you down for the film gives a connecting cinematic experience with its razor sharp editing by Richard Francis-Bruce and Nancy Richardson, vibrant artistic frames by cinematographer Alwin Kuchler along with Han Zimmer’s flourishing background score. These keep you glued. Overall, despite all the minor flaws or cliches in “Divergent”, director Neil Burger’s minute aesthetic as well as technical trappings, do make many of the surreal moments of the film distinct, interesting and definitely worth a watch. (IANS review by Troy Ribeiro)
‘Bhootnath Returns’: Ennobling voyage into Indian elections
FILM: Bhootnath Returns
DIRECTOR: Nitesh Tiwari
CAST: Amitabh Bachchan, Parth Bhalerao, Boman Irani, Usha Jadhav, Sanjai Mishra
Rating: *** and 1/2
Straightaway, this film wins you over with its clean heart and straight-talking attitude to the rot that has set into our governmental system.
You want a change in the nation’s politics? Then change the politicians! It’s really as simple as that. Director Nitesh Tiwari who co-directed the endearing kiddies’ concoction “Chillar Party” finally unravels one of the greatest mysteries of poetic life. What did Wordsworth mean when he said, ‘Child is the father of man’?
Watch little Parth Bhalerao spar effortlessly with the formidable Mr Bachchan. And you see in front of your dazzled eyes the future of Indian cinema. Parth simply sails through his slum-kid’s role, creating for his character little pockets of perkiness and poignancy without ever playing aggressively for effect. He speaks his lines with the casual grace of a theatre veteran.
Epitome of gracious screen-sharing that he is, Mr Bachchan simply slows down to let his little co-star to take centrestage, bowing to the little actor’s consummate naturalness even when faced with very adult problems like corruption in politics, the redundancy of democracy and yes, the validity and imperativeness of the vote.
Firing a topical salvo this ballot drama is speckled with some disarming display of feisty homilies. The film builds on the premise of a benign ghost’s friendship with the slum-kid without allowing the narrative to become a flashy showcase for either of the two actors’ performing abilities.
The film has three heroes, the third being the strong sometime over-assertive political message: If you don’t vote for the right people you will end up with the wrong people in the legislature. Boman Irani as the slimy politician enriches the political drama further by providing a tangy tangible flavour of decay and corruption in this amiably contoured morality tale.
Director Tiwari’s heart bleeds for the country’s electoral crisis. No matter who wins the elections, the public loses. This statement is put across with a fluid forcefulness allowing space for thoughtful verbose passages on why and how the corrupt rule the nation.
Towards the end-game the narrative gets heavy-handed with an excess amount of speeches and sermons. But the narrative’s conscience is never compromised for the sake of brevity or excitement.
The plot takes its time to build an enduring relationship between the homeless ghost and the slum-kid. The dialogues that bind the two unlikely friends, separated by a good 60 years, are crisply written. The spoken lines are frequently driven by a desperately urgent need to bring about a change in our governance.
While the Big B and his little wunder-kid of a co-star dominate the proceedings, they get ample support from a bevy of talented actors both known and unknowns who pop up as ghosts, scumbags, poverty-stricken people and other misfits.
The songs appear with ghoulish delight.You simply have to see Partho and his distinguished co-star match steps in the “Party Toh Banti Hai” song.
Cinematographer Kanwaljeet Niyogi shows a remarkable aversion to loud colours, instead capturing crowds of expectant voters in narrow spaces where they seem to exist in no fear of moral asphyxiation. We are a thick-skinned democracy. Still, those candid shots of the poor, hungry and the deprived in the song “Sahib nazar rakhna” would move even the most hardened cynic to tears. Bhootnath Returns dissolves those walls of cynicism that we’ve built to protect our conscience from politics. It gives us a vivid if somewhat didactic view of a democracy that mocks the very multitude that believes in it. During this season of heavy electioneering a light heartfelt take on the vote bank is just what the doctor prescribed. Tiwari delivers a spirited statement on the quality of political life in apna bhaarat mahaan. (IANS)