The Invisible Woman- Directed by Ralph Fiennesb- A Charles Dickens biopic directed by Ralph Fiennes with fetching costumes and a well-acted romantic drama. Film Review by Sun and Planets Spirituality AYINRIN

 The Invisible Woman-

Directed by Ralph Fiennesb-

A Charles Dickens biopic directed by Ralph Fiennes with fetching costumes and a well-acted romantic drama.

Film Review by  Sun and Planets Spirituality AYINRIN 

In 1857, Frances (Kristin Scott Thomas), an actress with three daughters including the youngest, Ellen "Nelly" (Felicity Jones), are performing in a Manchester production of The Frozen Deep. The director of the play is none other than the prolific writer Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) who is quite taken by the poise and emotional vibrancy of the 18-year-old. The 45-year-old author is immensely popular as a novelist, a public speaker, a father of 10 children, and an advocate for the poor and the downtrodden in English society.

Dickens has been married for years to Catherine (Joanna Scanlan) who has worn herself out giving him a large family. She realized long ago that her husband's major allegiance is to his endless creativity and the large amount of time he has to spend on the engines of publicity to keep his name before the public. In the film's most erotic scene, Dickens and Nelly are in his study with her mother dozing nearby on a lounge. He reveals his adoration for her and the glow of her face and the flow of tears reveal her deep feelings for him.

Despite their mutual efforts to keep their attachment to each other a secret, a whispering campaign exposes them to the public. The great author leaves his wife but cannot marry Nelly — especially after he takes her to the home shared by his collaborator Wilkie Collins (Tom Hollander), his unwed mistress, and their child. Nelly is repulsed by their example and the idea of being Dickens' "whore."

The Invisible Woman is the second directing effort by Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus), and it hits the mark as a sophisticated biopicture charting the affair of the middle-aged Charles and the teenage Nelly. This took place during the last 13 years of his life. The costume drama is based on a 1990 book by Claire Tomalin and has been adapted for the screen by Abi Morgan.

Fiennes's performance as the legendary writer conveys the artist's passion for life and the freedom to do your own thing. As Nelly, Felicity Jones conveys the restraint and moral propriety that formed the core of this sensitive soul's character. We see her struggle with the meaning of her complicated relationship with Dickens following his death and her marriage.

Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD include a commentary with Ralph Fiennes & Felicity Jones; "On the Red Carpet" at the Toronto Premiere; SAG Foundation Conversations with Ralph Fiennes & Felicity Jones; and the Toronto International Film Festival press conference.

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Screened at The 51st New York Film Festival, Lincoln Center.

Donkeyote

Directed by Chico Pereira

A wonderful nonfiction masterpiece about the questing spirit of an old Spaniard and his beloved donkey and dog.

Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

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Donkeyote is being presented as part of the AFI Docs Film Festival 2017. Visit the official site for more information.

Manolo Molera is a 73-year old Spaniard who decides that he wants to do a pilgrimage walk in the United States. He will traverse the Trail of Tears, the route followed by 20,000 members of the Cherokee nation after they were evicted from their ancestral homelands in 1830. His two daughters are very supportive of this journey. But Paca, the younger one, is quite apprehensive of his safety since he has a bad knee and a heart condition.

Manolo plans to take his two closest companions with him on the walk: his beloved donkey Gorrión ("Sparrow") and his faithful dog Zafrana. He is very close to these two animals; they have had many adventures together. They often have gone hiking in the woods, eating, sleeping, and walking together.

The first leg of the journey involves going to a port in Spain to arrange for transport for the three of them across the ocean. What kind of world does Manolo find along the way? First there are many fences that have been constructed to keep strangers out of fields and pathways. Along with cars and trucks on the highways, the threesome must deal with a large herd of sheep clogging a road.

In one of the most humorous scenes in the film, they come to a small bridge over a creek and Gorrión stops and refuses to cross over. Manolo stands helplessly on the other side, trying to coax the donkey to come over. He even sends Zafrana back to encourage him. This scene is repeated later with an even larger bridge and a ramp to a boat. Manolo displays remarkable patience for his stubborn donkey, a sign of his genuine care and even compassion for what Gorrión is feeling. The director helps us share his feelings, often shooting closeups of the donkey and giving us his perspective on things.

In the end, Manolo has to decide whether his desire to make the walk in America is worth the indignities he, Gorrión, and Zafrana will suffer in order to get there. In the last scene of this appropriately slow-moving drama, the director shows the three figures walking together as Manolo sings a song he has composed. He notes that they have been "perfectly documented."

On the Way to School

Directed by Pascal Plisson

A documentary showing the challenges faced by children on three continents in pursuit of education.

Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

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Many of us have heard stories about how our parents and ancestors had to walk or ride long distances to get to school. Often they emphasized the brutal weather in the winter or painful heat in the summer.

This unusual documentary directed by Pascal Plisson starts with a title card that states, "Too often we forget how lucky we are to go to school." The young people portrayed in this drama personify the virtue of perseverance. Against all odds they trek long distances and face dangerous obstacles just to get to their classrooms.

In Kenya, Jackson and his sister Salome alternately walk and run 9 miles, which takes two hours in the burning sun. Along the way, they must be on the lookout for moody elephants and other wildlife. They arrive at their destination just in time for Jackson to raise the school flag.

In Morocco, Zahira treks 13.5 miles through the Atlas Mountains in four hours to get to her boarding school for a week. She meets up with two other girls and together they cover narrow and dangerous paths. Luckily, they catch a ride in a passing vehicle for the last stretch.

In India, Samuel sits in his rickety wheelchair and is pushed by his brothers on a journey of two miles, which takes an hour and fifteen minutes. Despite his disability, he is determined to get to school so that he can become a doctor.

In Argentina, Carlito and his Micaela sister ride a horse, covering 11 miles in 1.25 hours. In a touching moment, she convinces him to let her take the reins for a while.

The French director has said of his intention for the film: "The film moved me deeply. I will never forget the beautiful adventure of making this film. My dream is to show a larger public that there are many realities and that access to knowledge is the fundamental right of every child around the world."

Tracks

Directed by John Curran

An extraordinary drama about a desert trek that becomes a rite of passage.

Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

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In 1997, Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) sets off on an ambitious journey: she intends to walk 2,000 miles from the remote northern Australia outpost of Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean; she expects it will take her nine months. In preparation, she learns how to train wild camels so that they can carry her supplies. At the last minute, Robyn receives a letter from the National Geographic magazine granting her request for financing in exchange for her allowing photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver) to chronicle her journey.

In her narration, Robyn expresses her dismay with the onslaughts on "my sex and class" and from the outset she makes it clear "I just want to be by myself." She would prefer to skip the periodic meet-ups with the extroverted photographer, but she soon realizes they are part of the deal. And later in the story, Rick provides just what she needs to carry on --not only once but twice!

The desert has its moments of beauty, ugliness, and rage -- all of which Robyn, her beloved dog Diggity, and four camels go through together. In one very scary encounter, four wild bull camels charge their camp. With the rifle she reluctantly took along with her, she shoots two of them and the others turn away.

There are sand storms and she sees a mirage. Perhaps one of the most magical moments is when she gets separated from the camels and supplies but relies on Diggity to take her to home base using his acute sense of smell. No wonder she says, "There are three things that make life bearable -- hope, jokes, and dogs. But the greatest of these was dogs."

Reaching an outpost, Robyn is accepted by some Aboriginal men and women but told that she will need a man to accompany her; much of the territory ahead has sacred sites and cannot be crossed by a woman alone. Mr. Eddy (Rolley Mintuma) proves to be wise elder who knows everything there is to know about the desert. He also provides the funniest scene in the film by improvising a persona to scare off some of Robyn's unwanted fans.

John Curran (We Don't Live Here Anymore, The Painted Veil) has done a remarkable job translating Davidson's bestseller for the screen. He has assembled a great team in support. The cinematography by Mandy Walker (Australia) makes the most of remote Outback locations, and the music by Garth Stevenson is right in sync with the many different moods of the Anglo nomad.

Curran draws out a top-drawer performance from Mia Wasikowska who previously was superb in Jane Eyre. Here she comes across as an intense and determined 26-year-old woman who love animals more than human beings, treasures solitude, receives the kindness of strangers with openness and humility, and perseveres despite the minor breakdown she has on the last leg of the trek after a very sad setback. Her long journey proves to be a rite of passage as she discovers what she is really made of.

Curran tickles our fancy with the amount of screen time given to Robyn's four camels -- Dookie, Zelly, Bub, and Goliath. By the end of this questing drama, we are well acquainted with these four-legged co-stars, their endurance, their emotional outbursts, lanky legs, protruding eyes, and gurgling and roaring speeches. The DVD includes a special feature "Tracks: An Extraordinary Odyssey."