I re-watched the first 30 minutes of this film today. It's a must see. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, story by Cianfrance and Ben Coccio, screenplay by Cianfrance, Coccio, and Darius Marder.
I'll paraphrase a quote I heard Cianfrance say once: "I don't like cool. I don't want my movies to be cool. Cool is close to cold, and cold is like death."
Pines is a film about legacy, about generations, about family.
What struck me this time around (again) was the directing. Not only can Cianfrance run n gun with the best of them--the film starts with a 4+ minute handheld shot that crosses a carnival, and that's just the start--but he can let actors work freely at times in ways that I've rarely seen, both in delivery and preparation. There's a looseness within the firm, precision focus.
The cathedral baptism scene was written as rage. It came out as sadness and tears. Eva Mendes cast her mother herself. Gosling picked his own tattoos. You see the prop photo in the film of the family actually taken on screen in the film, and on and on.
I'm only touching the surface. He's not afraid to mix in documentary style because that's his history. That's his background. And he does it so well in his narrative films.
Watch the baby calm down after the wrench attack in the crib scene. That's not done with sound effects and editing. Watch the Cops-style motorcycle chase. Unreal.
Like I said, that's just the start of it. Cheers to Cianfrance.
Be well.
