The Immigrant (James Gray)

[Izzy Black]

This was fucking incredible.

[Pop Trash]

This was fucking incredible.

I concur. This and Under the Skin are the two 'great new films' I've seen this year so far. Interesting that they were both dumped in spring/summer slots which leads me to believe the distributors thought that Oscar voters wouldn't get them (probably true).

On a surface level it's steeped in 70s American cinema (Coppola, Cimino, some Altman esp. McCabe & Mrs. Miller) but it has the big beating moral European heart of Chekhov, Dreyer, Bresson, and the Dardennes. Which, when you think about it, that duality makes total sense considering the confused sense of place these characters exist in.

'The Good Guy' makes a bad choice and 'The Bad Guy' makes a great choice. The self loathing Jew ultimately behaves more Christ-like than the angelic Christian lamb. Nice work.

[ledfloyd]

Yeah, I don't understand dumping this one at all. You're telling me Harvey can get a Best Picture nom for Philomena, but he can't sell The Immigrant?

[Weems]

I wasn't taken by it. [

Show Spoiler

Cotillard's confessional scene was astounding, Phoenix went off on a high note after a fairly erratic performance, beautiful cinematography, mise-en-scene, score, and an interesting dirgelike atmosphere, but it felt so unremarkable as a narrative. I'd say it's probably Gray's worst film from a non-technical craft standpoint. I think the most vivid error aside from the flat, unoriginal, and dramatically anemic backbone, was the cheaply melodramatic dispatching of Bruno; it felt so ill-developed a turn, and was compounded by his only being an enigma.

] After finding Two Lovers so fascinating and rich, this was really disappointing.

[Stay Puft]

Two Lovers is still my favorite by a fair margin, but I thought this was pretty good. The atmosphere leaves a deep, lasting impression, even when I was only sort of engaged by the narrative.

Weems, are you talking about [

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Bruno killing Orlando? Because I'd agree. It also made me think of The Village, because of the players involved. Not really a fair comparison but that's what popped into my head when it happened.

]

[Ezee E]

Elegantly crafted, and exquisite performances from Phoenix and Cotillard aside, this movie takes a rather unconvincing, even boring shift when Jeremy Renner enters the movie. He's not particularly bad by any means, I just think the movie takes a dour drop after a well done first act, and never quite recovers.

[Watashi]

I'll counter E's boring and predictable nay by saying that there is no better working director right now than James Gray. The Immigrant is no exception.

Maybe Mike Leigh.

[baby doll]

I'll counter E's boring and predictable nay by saying that there is no better working director right now than James Gray. The Immigrant is no exception.

Maybe Mike Leigh.

After only five films? Suck on that Bertolucci, Godard, Greenaway, Hou, Jarmusch, Kiarostami, de Oliveira, Polanski, Straub, Varda.

Personally, even among his contemporaries--that is, directors who made their first features in the '90s--I wouldn't rate him as highly as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Bruno Dumont, Todd Haynes, Jia Zhang-ke, Jiang Wen, Jafar Panahi, David O. Russell, Quentin Tarantino, or Tsai Ming-liang (just to rattle off the first ten names that come to mind).

[Watashi]

Yes baby doll, we know you love listing directors when given the opportunity.

[Ezee E]

Maybe he makes a list of top twenty, but certainly not top ten.

FWIW, I am a huge fan of Two Lovers and We Own The Night.

Put a new Coen, Spielberg, Gray, or Bird film in front of Watashi. Let's see what he truly picks.

yawn.

[Watashi]

Maybe he makes a list of top twenty, but certainly not top ten.

FWIW, I am a huge fan of Two Lovers and We Own The Night.

Put a new Coen, Spielberg, Gray, or Bird film in front of Watashi. Let's see what he truly picks.

yawn.

Spielberg? You mean that dude who made War Horse? Yawn.

[Qrazy]

Yes baby doll, we know you love listing directors when given the opportunity.

Personally, out of all the kinds of listing there are I'd have to say that I wouldn't rate listing directors as highly as listing say fruit or types of rocks or dogs or trombones (just to name a few types of listing that come to mind).

[Izzy Black]

After only five films? Suck on that Bertolucci, Godard, Greenaway, Hou, Jarmusch, Kiarostami, de Oliveira, Polanski, Straub, Varda.

Several of these would make my all time list, but in terms of working directors today, there are several other directors making much stronger films these days. Godard is always important and interesting, but for me, he doesn't get top 10 consideration based on his recent work. Although he would certainly get top 10 consideration all time based on his overall career. My criteria would be something like this: which director working today has been making the most interesting films of the past couple of decades?

Personally, even among his contemporaries--that is, directors who made their first features in the '90s--I wouldn't rate him as highly as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Bruno Dumont, Todd Haynes, Jia Zhang-ke, Jiang Wen, Jafar Panahi, David O. Russell, Quentin Tarantino, or Tsai Ming-liang (just to rattle off the first ten names that come to mind).

Here's how James Gray ranks for me.

Top 10 working Anglophone directors

1. James Gray
2. Terrence Malick
3. Michael Mann
4. Sofia Coppola
5. Harmony Korine
6. Jonathan Glazer
7. Richard Linklater
8. Alfonso Cuarón
9. Sarah Polley
10. Quentin Tarantino

HM: Arnold, Bujalski, Ferrara, Jarmush, Holofcener, Scorsese, Lee, Allen, McQueen, Wiseman, Baumbach, Stillman, Armstrong

Top 10 in the world

1. Claire Denis
2. Hou Hsiao-hsien
3. Chantal Akerman
4. James Gray
5. Terrence Malick
6. Leos Carax
7. Sharunas Bartas
8. Wong Kar-wai
9. Lars von Trier
10. Michael Haneke

A few more HM: Dumont, Costa, Godard, Diaz, Grandrieux, Assayas, Weerasethakul, Strelyanaya, Reygadas, Breillat, Mungiu, Petzold, Kiarostami, Arslan, and Hong, but Haynes, Jia, Jiang, Jatar, Russell, and Tsai wouldn't even crack my top 30. So much for that. Wes Anderson wouldn't crack my anything. PTA is up there, he might be top 20 American/Anglophone, but not really anywhere high worldwide.

In other words, Watashi wasn't really off base for me. I totally sympathize, especially since Akerman, although she made one of her best films two years ago, it's hard to say how long it will be before she makes another, or if she even does, which would move Gray up to the #3 spot worldwide for me. So yeah, I'm with you Watashi.

[baby doll]

Godard is always important and interesting, but for me, he doesn't get top 10 consideration based on his recent work. Although he would certainly get top 10 consideration all time based on his overall career. My criteria would be something like this: which director working today has been making the most interesting films of the past couple of decades?

What's not to love about late Godard? In comparison, most other directors just don't seem to be working very hard.

[Izzy Black]

I really like late Godard, but I just think the directors I mentioned have been making better films. Consequently, I think comparatively directors are working quite hard.

[Gittes]

Pheonix is surprisingly mediocre.

The self-flagellation near the end, shot in profile, where Phoenix's face seems to undergo monstrous contortions, and he unleashes that anguished paroxysm of regret and self-loathing, is extraordinary. It's a moment of immense devastation and performative magnetism. In that instance, the film forcefully secures a place within the pantheon of special and indelible movie moments. It's as far away from mediocre as you can get.

[dreamdead]

This one never quite quite came together for me--wonderful art direction and visual design, but the characters aren't especially compelling, and various plot mechanisms feel too much a part of this world (the other woman witnessing the murder especially, Ewa as a perverted Statue of Liberty). I love the idea of doing a study on the immigrant tradition in America in the 1920s, as Anzia Yezierska's Bread Givers is a favorite of mine, but this film too quickly pushes Ewa into prostitution without ever suggesting that she consider, even if she ultimately dismisses, sewing work or the like available to women at slave-labor conditions.

The film has a staid nature that both serves it well visually and keep a bit flat, but that final shot--with each party heading to their separate fates, is a marvel. Ultimately, just a little too underwhelmed by the characters to get behind as others have.

[Qrazy]

The self-flagellation near the end, shot in profile, where Phoenix's face seems to undergo monstrous contortions, and he unleashes that anguished paroxysm of regret and self-loathing, is extraordinary. It's a moment of immense devastation and performative magnetism. In that instance, the film forcefully secures a place within the pantheon of special and indelible movie moments. It's as far away from mediocre as you can get.

Nah, that whole character arc is lame and thus the moment is rendered inconsequential. I prefer his facial spasming at the end of Two Lovers when he realizes he won't get what he desires.

[quido8_5]

Nah, that whole character arc is lame and thus the moment is rendered inconsequential. I prefer his facial spasming at the end of Two Lovers when he realizes he won't get what he desires.

True. But can we at least agree that the final shot is either totally on-point or completely on-the-nose, depending on how one feels about the film? I tend to agree with Mitty, although I think Grey knew a little too well that it was an indelible moment.

[Izzy Black]

Yeah, for those of us who don't think the character is lame and flat, it's a beautiful moment.

[Qrazy]

True. But can we at least agree that the final shot is either totally on-point or completely on-the-nose, depending on how one feels about the film? I tend to agree with Mitty, although I think Grey knew a little too well that it was an indelible moment.

Sure, agreed.

[SirNewt]

The pivot is good but the movie takes too long to pivot.

[Grouchy]

What are you guys going on about? This film is incredible. I remember a really well written article about a year ago that argued that Gray is part of a dying group of filmmakers who combine large budgets and prestige filmmaking with serious, challenging themes. Immigrant pretty much proves that article exactly right.

I just don't understand how anyone can say Ewa is a non-character or find her annoying. Hell, truth be told, the only character I found annoying from a personal standpoint is Renner's. Everyone else I understood completely to the point where I didn't know who to root for, which is something that only happens in really good drama.