What image does the expression “movie star” conjure up for you?—a man or a woman who possesses beauty or virility or intense sexuality, and, most important of all, youth! Not so fast. Today’s column is about movie stars, big stars, famous stars and most of all, old stars, that is, they range in age from 65 to 79 years of age; and the roles they play are at the centre of the story. The film is dominated by the actor, he or she is in almost every scene. They are the movie. I will highlight five movies: Nebraska, Philomena, All is Lost, August: Osage County.
Nebraska 2013: Bruce Dern (age 77), is a cantankerous old man who insists that he has won $1,000,000 in a sweepstakes scam. He is determined, come hell or high water, to get to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his fortune. But he cannot drive, so he walks out of town. Eventually his son agrees to drive his father. What ensues is a “road movie”, father and son land up in the father’s home town, Hawthorne, Montana. His old buddies catch scent of the money and prey on him. The son has understood that his father “needs something to live for.” The flat empty scenery is a metaphor for the father’s sense of emptiness, loneliness and despair. Dern’s gritty acting performance fills the black and white screen with nuances of emotions, unsaid conversations and the obstinacies of old age. I happily followed Dern’s character Woody on his last heroic quest!
Philomena 2013: Judi Dench (age 79) plays a mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock in very Catholic Ireland. Her son is snatched from her at the Catholic retreat and disappears from her life. After starting a family years later, and moving on with her life; she decides to find her long-lost son with the help of a BBC journalist. The nuns are resolute, no information will be forthcoming. She insists on pursuing every lead. In her portrayal of the mother, Judi Dench captures all the love, frustration, curiosity, and anger that such a search would entail. I will not give away the plot but I was riveted to my seat, aghast at the facts as they unfolded, and mesmerized by Dench’s ability to live this role so completely. This is a true story, the movie fulfills the highest expectations of the viewer. Bravo Judi!
All is Lost 2013: Deep into a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, Robert Redford (age 77) wakes to find his sailing yacht taking on water after a collision with a container ship at sea. He plays a skilled, intelligent and resourceful sailor who finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face. Only one person is seen in this full-length adventure tale. Only three words are spoken. I found Redford’s acting authentic and spell-binding. Anyone who has faced a dangerous situation or a life-threatening illness can relate to this man and his struggles with his environment and his emotions.
August: Osage County 2013: Meryl Streep (age 65) is at the centre of this vortex of a dysfunctional family melodrama. Her role as a drug-addicted, lonely, cancer patient in “The Plains” of Oklahoma is precipitated by the disappearance of her long-suffering husband. Three daughters, assorted husbands, boyfriends, cousins and a sister circle the wagons. The resulting drama is intense, shocking and yet so human. Meryl Streep plays all the classic roles – understanding wife, manipulative mother, greedy and calculating partner, and secret-holder – to perfection. Her emotional yet rational outbursts are in sharp contrast to the bleak, flat, dry landscapes of her homestead that are shown at each crisis point in the movie. Her acting skills are superb, her performance is a “tour de force.”
Dolores Luber
