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The movie Bad Behaviour (2023) focuses on the complex family relationship as well as the search for self improvement, it is an Australian drama film written and directed by Alice Englert who also appears in the movie, this was her directorial debut, seem like a common thing for first time directors to appear on their own movie? not sure. The film is based on the life of Lucy an ex child star who is still trying to cling to the fame that she once had while searching for the purpose of life, she goes through a lot of searching and lands at a retreat center with a spiritual guru named Elon with the prospect of finding solace and understanding that she lacks. But the words "retreat" are still a long way from the peaceful break she had in mind, rather than serving as a healthy outlet for the character’s development it becomes a place where her unconscious processes and conflicts, especially with her daughter, Dylan.
Lucy and Dylan are roughly together yet extremely intimate with each other due to Dylan’s job as a stunt performer, they have a conflicted relationship throughout the movie because both are battling their own personal demons and trying to be the best friend they can be to each other. It is in this beautiful and serene place that their struggles in the emotional arena and some personal reflections take place. Lucy’s efforts of trying to engage with Elon and other people in the retreat are affected by her problematic interaction with Dylan make it almost impossible escaping her internal struggles no matter how much she can try to seek assistance from the outside world.
Platform: Theaters
Release: June 14, 2024
Characters and Performances
The main character, Lucy, is portrayed by Jennifer Connelly and she does a great job in portraying the character as a vulnerable woman full of struggle trying to become as famous as she was when acting as since a child but for some reason she has this mental blockage and now seeks spiritual help, turns out its her relationship struggles with her daughter part of the situation although not the source of her problems. Connelly is also good at portraying the inner conflict of Lucy and thus makes her transformation quite engaging even if the plot at times rather weak.
Dylan is played by Alice Englert who was also the director of the film and Lucy is her on screen daughter, Through her performance, Englert accurately demonstrate the conflicts of the character and captures the change in the attitudes toward personal problems between mother and daughter. Dylan’s character is in some way opposite to the story line of Lucy which makes it possible to view the process of personal transformation and healing from a different angle, they both generate certain contrast despite one been the mother of the other.
Elon who is the spiritual head of the retreat is brought to life by Ben Whishaw. Whishaw’s character is very enigmatic and the actor plays this aspect very well because the audience has no idea whether the man is good or bad, seem very tricky to figure him out, Elon turn out to be more of a joke of self help culture and wellness tourism, highlighting how these efforts can often be fake and hypocritical.
Themes and Messages
Familial Relationships
Specifically mother daughter relationship can be considered one of the main motifs of the film, it is also an example of how past experiences with people may influence the current relationships which demonstrate the impossibility of asking for help from outside when the problem is inside, as in the story the themes revolving around the social construction of shame, guilt, and responsibility are explored.
Self Discovery and Enlightenment
The movie also relates to the ideological elements such as the search for identity and spiritual awakening, not that the last works for everyone but if you have strong believes it definitely helps finding the path seeking. The motivations of the main character Lucy, can be explained by her longing for a purpose in her life and her need for peace which is why she decides to go to the retreat, but the retreat turns into an opportunity to explore her personal drama she faces herself and her relationship with Dylan. During the movie the audience is presented with a "show" on the self actualization and wellness industry which can be seen as shallow and at times hypocritical. It is difficult to find someone today who does not enjoy pampering himself or herself with some kind of wellness procedure or treatment and the wellness industry is thriving due to this and for some making fun of it would not be very wise.
Bad Behavior captures the essence of how spirituality has been commercialized through the character of Elon and the plot which is set in a retreat, this way the movie easily demonstrates that such retreats are actually baseless and even full of contradictions as people attempt to find new meanings in life. Elon who secretly smokes cigarettes behind wheelie bins but passionately enacts the self realization message stands for the superficiality.
Critical Reception
Positive Reviews
While some of the reviews online criticized Englert for going for the art house market, others applauded the film’s originality and look. The cinematography was especially appreciated especially the scenes of the retreat area where the characters are surrounded by beautiful nature. While some considered Englert’s direction as erratic, others felt that there were bold attempts at innovate and the genuine development of the characters’ personality. Despite a failure to elicit laughs at some of the scenes, the dark humor that goes around throughout the movie will cause a few laugh here and there but at expenses of others pain probably not well deserve by others that have been through similar situations but still make them laugh.
Negative Reviews
However, there has been criticism on the way the film has been made or executed in general, some reviews online have noted disorientation of the plot and confusing narrative structure where Lucy’s story takes place in a wellness retreat while Dylan’s story develops in New Zealand’s movie set, how do you connect the two stories and not end up with two mid never ended story lines or at least one of them not properly ended. Same goes to the script that have received complaints of cringe like dialogue and exaggerated scenes that can be argued are a distraction to the depth and realism of the movie.
In Bad Behavior there is a solid idea and backdrop, but the approach taken by the director fails to live up to the premises of the story by exploring the complex situations between Lucy and Dylan, ranging from attraction to betrayal and back, the movie captures the essence of finding oneself and forgiveness through a spiritual journey. Alice Englert’s directorial debut can be seen promising but if the movie had been provided with better script it could’ve been a much more affecting story with a powerful message. Still, it is worth mentioning that this is a good addition to the list of drama movies, which gave a chance to the actors to demonstrate their skills.
So far the drama has been presented in many Film Festivals around the world sin January 2023, soon to be release to the public in June 18 through internet release, probably VOD at first to then be streaming in some of the most known platforms. This kind of drama might turn complicated when the director wants to go too deep into the personal problems that might emerge within a complex and distant relationship between mother and daughter.
It has been notice online that the reaction of the audience to the film shows that even though satire is a great way to make a movie very entertaining, it is not easy to combine satire with a rather dramatic story and explain such complex emotions as hatred and love.
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