Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, the latest film from Ang Lee, is a character study of an empathetic American soldier, with a simple scope of story. At the time of its release in America, the film was the subject of conversation, not because of the depth of the narrative, but because of its unusual presentation. The film is taken with a high frame-rate, 120 fps -5 times over regular films-as well as presented in 3D and 4K formats. According to Ang Lee, this will provide a new, more immersive, real-time, cinematic cinematic experience that was not so well received by the audience. Many who judge the super-real visual looks strange to distract from the story.
In Indonesia, we will not get the same problem (for obvious reasons). But the "super-real visuals look weird" in fact I also feel when watching in the usual format. With conventional frame-rate, this film has a very clear picture and sharp, even down to the background, which gives it a feel like a soap opera (of course with acting and scoring more human).
Interesting enough to know the reason why Ang Lee used the method for this movie. In films that rely on effects (eg, Peter Jackson's Hobbit that wears 48 fps), image clarity leads us to admire its visual effects. For a drama movie? I have no idea. To be sure I can get a clearer view of Vin Diesel's face wrinkles or Kristen Stewart's panda eyes.
However, the hyper-reality technique (as many people call it) is very effective for 2 key scenes. The first is a fairly brief war scene in Iraq. We are immediately taken to the middle of the battlefield with a realistic urgency. The soldiers who are members of Team Bravo is not a hero; they sometimes can not handle the situation. Among the hustle and bustle, the bullets and rocket explosions are real and thrilling. The second scene is the climax when Team Bravo is paraded in a winning tour. For soldiers accustomed to the chaos of the battlefield, witnessing visual attacks with dancers, thunderous music, and the effects of bombastic fires and firecrackers arouse their own mental stress. Ang Lee invites us to see, hear and feel the same stress sensation.
Oh, the plot. The story of Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) and friends who toured heroically short (Walk!) On a big football (Halftime!) Game game - "mega-super-big match", translated by the terminology of our sporting event- (Long!) Because he contemplates along the way.
It all started when a cell phone camera caught Billy, a 19-year-old soldier who helped his commanding officer, Shroom (Diesel) who was wounded in the battlefield. In an instant, he became an impromptu celebrity in America, a hero of the press and the public. In a mission to improve the morale of soldiers and citizens, Billy and Tim Bravo led by Sergeant Dime (Garrett Hedlund) were invited to return to America, filling a football event with Destiny's Child (yes, the Beyonce, 2004).
As with most parade events, the committee had a tacky idea to be followed awkwardly by Team Bravo. Meanwhile, the producer (Chris Tucker) is trying to find investors to make them a movie, including bernego with typebox club owner Norm Hartlesby (Steve Martin). For Billy, this tour evokes a lot of memory and brings lots of personal conflicts, plus an impromptu encounter with a cheerleader (Mackenzie Leigh).
Basically, the story of the film is divided into: (1) heroic tour, (2) flashback in Iraq, and (3) subplot of brother Billy (Stewart) who tried hard to prevent his brother back into the battlefield. Stewart played as a slightly depressive older brother; felt guilty that he was the cause of Billy registering as an army. Conflict is humane. Joe Alwyn gave a strong impression on his debut as Billy. He brings Billy's turmoil convincingly; caught between the hedonic celebs of the American citizens, the moral burden of the army as well as his personal responsibility in the family.
A brave move for Ang Lee to present Billy's interpersonal conflict became a cinematic experience different from that of a conventional film. Throughout the history of cinema, we are used to the falseness we perceive as reality in film, and in my opinion, of course when Ang Lee tries to offer it in a more realistic format, we automatically view it as a false reality. According to Ang Lee, the technique will make the film more real and emotionally tied up. Ironically, it is precisely this that gives distance to emotional intimacy. With obvious artificial nuances, I found it difficult to get involved. Some scenes are highlighted with close-ups, sometimes even the actor talking directly to the camera, breaking the fourth wall and yes, it's awkward and unnatural.
His rich visual information attacks, inevitably distract me from his drama substance. I can not resist the temptation to ignore details, whether it's the property or the extras in the background. On the other hand, it also allows me to observe the outstanding effort of Ang Lee and his production team. Ang Lee pays attention to every detail. The set at the stadium, I'm sure, filled hundreds of extra players and looked like a real celebration. Could he take pictures during the original game?
Ang Lee is not an odd choice to work on films about America and its citizens. He once directed a movie with a varied background of the country, hell, he even once directed a green monster named Hulk. What is not lost here is the sense and sensibility * uhuk *. The source material, the novel by Ben Fountain (he said) is a satire of military commercialization and Ang Lee with scriptwriter Jean-Christophe Castelli translates it with grounded. Not too excessive but also very skeptical and nihilistic at the same time.
