Review of The Immigrant (2013) by Cameron J — 13 Jul 2014

"We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow!" I could have probably gone with the Neil Sedaka song that is actually titled "The Immigrant" and is, well, better (Hey, hard rockers, you can talk trash about adult contemporary radio all you want, but you have to admit that Led Zeppelin did get a little annoying sometimes), but I've been kind of digging that new prog band Caligula's Horse, so I figured I'd get kind of heavy in order to properly welcome Jim Grey back to the dramatic, almost arty film industry... you know, where alternative prog rock/metal thrives. Yeah, to you real-life immigrants out there, note that it's Europe and Australia where they prefer their grays with an "e", because the American James Gr[u]a[/u]y is not to be mistaken for Mr. Gr[u]e[/u]y, - who seems to wish to be mistaken for a real post-hardcore kid (Dude, the sophisticated prog stuff you're already doing is what you should be aspiring to, so put on your Rick Wakeman cape on and take that cheesy sock off of your head, you poser) - because his material isn't quite as exciting as Caligula's Horse (Haken is still better... you posers). Figures that Gray goes out of commission for almost four years, probably to take a nap after "Two Lovers", and when he comes back, he folds back to Joaquin Phoenix, although the laziness doesn't quite end there, because, seriously, are they just going with the title "The Immigrant"? Well, it is better than "Low Life", and it ought to attract you into theaters, so that you can figure out just where in the world Marion Cotillard's character is emigrating from. She's so distinctly French, yet she's playing a Pole who looks like some kind of a Japanese dancer when they zoom in too closely on that peacock dress in the poster, so you go in to figure out what all of that is about, and stay because the story is more interesting than I make it seem with all of my ramblings about some progressive rock band you might have otherwise never known about, and about what kind of an immigrant Cotillard is playing. Well, in all fairness, as compelling as this film very much is, its intrigue does find limitations, partly because its originality does as well.

This film seems to follow a somewhat more old-fashioned formula as an extensive, if not expansive character study that I personally find richer than the more contemporaneous structuring of dramas of this type, and is certainly refreshing in the context of contemporary dramatic storytelling, but, in general, is still trope-heavy, doing little to freshen up the formula, by its own right, during all of its dragging. I don't know if material this layered can be explored all that tightly in only two hours, yet the final product still has enough time left over to dedicate to meanderings, or at least material which feels meandering when backed by James Gray's trademark dry storytelling, which is much more engagingly realized than I feared, but sometimes too dry for the sake of entertainment value. The film stands to be tighter, and yet, more often than it is fatty around the edges, it is too tight for its own good, providing only so many necessary slow spells, and fleshing out only so much material in order to establish a sense of dynamicity to plotting's progression, leaving storytelling to wander from segment to segment, until focus falls into unevenness, if not lapses altogether. Perhaps what most wears down the grip of this still consistently compelling affair is a sense of aimlessness, which leaves momentum to slowly, but surely deplete, when it should be gradually reinforced throughout the course of this conceptually powerful narrative. The film offers a lot of potential for impact, and it seems like Gray is a little too aware of this, because although Gray's direction is much more often than not genuine and effective in molding an engrossing and intimate drama, there are moments in which he seems to try too hard with all of the heavy happenings and what have you, and they are ultimately recurrent enough to exacerbate a sense of repetition which wears down momentum. I'm a little weird, in that I'm all about these kind of drama which have the guts to get harsh and realist in their frequently challenging the dramatic filmmakers and performers, in addition to the viewers, but there's something a little manipulative to all of the borderline pessimism of this harrowing tale, and that sort of holds the meat back from breaking through a sense of formula and aimlessness as truly enthralling. The film falls short of its true potential, and yet, it is still compelling through and through, with conviction and power, all well-polished by high artistic value.

This drama explores grand material on a rather intimate level, therefore Peter Zumba is not able to play much with the scale of his art direction, but he still nails what he is given to do, - whether it be selling the distinct look of early 1920s New York, or selling the particular world of our leads - so much so that the art direction captivates in its distinctiveness, and augments the flare of Darius Khondji's cinematography, which is, plain and simple, amazing. An early artistic endeavor for 2014, this film may very well set the bar for visual style for this year, for Khondji's prominent golden hue and dreamy lighting is consistently breathtaking in its gorgeously reflecting the grit and beauty which help in defining this drama of considerable aesthetic value, and considerable potential. I don't know if this subject matter is particularly new, and its near-aimless interpretation further dilutes the potential of this drama, but as an unflinching study on a woman who escapes a life of horror only to find herself trapped by figures of questionable trustworthiness who promise a better life for her and her loved ones, this film is rich with piercing dramatic value and provocative thematic weight, done both justice and injustice by an overambitious interpretation. Ric Menello's and James Gray's script doesn't have the freshness or tightness to flesh out the full depth of this drama, but it does have the inspiration to draw deeply layered and unpredictable characters, as well as biting dramatic set pieces for Gray to bring to life as a director who still doesn't have a great grip on pacing, but is as consistent as he's ever been in combining haunting style with subtle intensity in order to resonate time and again, with tension and heart. With that said, Gray's efforts are not consistent enough to absorb the full scale of this conceptually dynamic drama, and yet, he never falls short on compelling, something I was expecting him to do at times, despite a cast that most fulfills expectations. Sure, a lot of performances are rather underwritten, but just about everyone delivers on, if not transcends what he or she is asked to do, with Jeremy Renner proving to be rich with charisma, while Joaquin Phoenix steals the show in the supporting cast with a portrayal of a brutally misguided, yet ultimately loving and fearing caretaker that takes a while to really picks up, but is utterly penetrating when it does really kick in, challenging the highlights in a leading performance by the lovely Marion Cotillard that are, in fact, more recurring, because where Cotillard could have found herself held back by conforming to the limited written range to her central Ewa Cybulska role, her deeply emotional portrayal of a woman racked with pain and, eventually, guilt carries nuance which defines Cybulska as a woman of enough strength to persevere, no matter how much the harsh realities of a free world oppress her. From the style to the acting, there are certain aspects that are just plain marvelous throughout the film, it's just a shame that the highlights in storytelling aren't consistent enough to secure the final product as outstanding, even though inspiration is never so empty that the final product fails to reward.

In conclusion, there's something formulaic and aimless to this unevenly structured drama, whose ambitious bloating also leads to dramatic monotony that wears the final product short of what it could have been, but there is nonetheless enough quality to the art direction, exuberance to the art direction, highlights to well-characterized writing and thoughtful direction, and weight to the acting in a cast from which the stellar Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard to secure James Gray's "The Immigrant" as a consistently and sometimes powerful portrait on oppression in a place of salvation.

3/5 - Good.