2017’s You Were Never
Really Here, written and directed by Lynn Ramsey.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Judith
Roberts, John Doman, Alex Manette, and Alessandro Nivola.
What is it about?
Set in present day New York, traumatized Iraq war veteran Joe
(played by Joaquin Phoenix), works as a hitman who rescues kidnapped children,
with the help of his handler (John Doman). When at home, he takes care of his
senile mother (Judith Roberts). Joe is approached by a Senator (Alex Manette),
who’s adolescent daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov) has been kidnapped and placed in
a brothel. While attempting to finish the job, the Senator ends up dead, and
Joe is crossed. Will Joe be able to finish the job while what little he has
left is taken away from him?
Why is it worth seeing?
Director Lynn Ramsey doesn’t pull any punches in her tale of
a clearly wounded battering ram smashing through a world of corruption and
malaise. For a film of such disquieting feelings, it’s packed with intimate
moments that make it tear all the more jagged. Joaquin Phoenix has never been
better, and Jonny Greenwood’s score kicks it up another notch.
Scottish director Lynn Ramsey (who’s filmography of “feel
good moments” such as Modern Callar
and We Need To Talk About Kevin are
great warm ups to YWNRH) and editor
Joe Bini expertly cut between a geographical world of slummy bodegas, chaotic
streetscapes, and elegant mansions interspersed with internal shifts of reality
and memory for our protagonist. When not showcasing what he can do with a simple
but brutal tool, we see him having memories of his experiences overseas or
traumatic childhood, or having visions obsessed with death, or of saving souls.
Ramsey’s focus on tight close ups sucks us in to a world both ugly and
beautiful- and leaves us to figure it out for ourselves. Penning the script as
well, Ramsey presents no speeches, reason, or clear direction for anyone-
except forwards into hell.
It’s a real shame that when discussing the state of Hollywood’s
domination of men over women working in the industry, that Ramsey’s name doesn’t
come up more often. She’s ripe with talent and has a clear vision of what she
wants to say- she doesn’t get included in the conversation as much as say, Kathryn Bigelow.
Modern treasure Joaquin Phoenix feels underrated these days.
How else to explain a guy who continually seems to challenge himself and
metamorphosis into various roles, while rarely getting the buzz? Here, he puts
on a fair amount of weight to showcase a quietly psychotic character with heart
who is as likely to off himself as he is somebody else. He is… intense- and
unpredictable. It’s a fascinating turn, and it’s not hard to guess why Cannes
awarded him best actor for his efforts. His quiet and fast speech which may
include a sternum shattering punch tends to make an impact.
With Jonny Greenwood’s score, at times it’s difficult to not
be reminded of his music for There Will
Be Blood- that other film he
scored about a psychopathic monster rampaging through our world. Greenwood adds
a modern electronic thrum to the proceedings, but not lost on me is how at
times he approaches something that is closer to horror than action thriller.
Either way, it’s effective.
The fusion of Ramsey’s sensibilities with Phoenix’s
intensity makes for a haunting (and straight forwards) meeting to a damaged but
defensible mind. The segment of a loved one in memorial will likely make my
Scenes of the Year list, and why not? Some of the images here tend to get
imprinted in the mind as if pounded in with a hammer.
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