By Amanda Gilmore
Director Alexander Payne is in top form with the delightful Dramedy The Holdovers.
The Film takes place in 1970 over Christmas break at an elite boarding school in small-town Massachusetts. It follows strict Professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) who’s gifted the undesirable assignment of supervising the students unable to return home for the Christmas holidays. Resolved to have the students suffer along with him, he makes them start the next semester’s assignments. However, when only one student remains, the intelligent but belligerent Angus (Dominic Sessa), the two begin to see themselves in each other.
The Holdovers is an intimate, touching portrait of broken, lonely people connecting. Realizing they’re not alone. This is told through three central characters, Hunham, Angus and school cafeteria manager Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Each of them outcasts and harbouring their own unique melancholy within. Screenwriter David Hemingson and Payne keep the cause of some of their pain a mystery until the end, except for Mary.
She’s just lost her only son in the war. Randolph gives a heartbreaking performance as a mother experiencing her first Christmas without her son. Randolph’s impeccable comedic talent earnestly shines through creating authentic levity woven within the pain. It’s a successful dramatic turn that will have people knocking on her door.
Meanwhile, Hunham and Angus’s reason for despair remains hidden behind their quick wit and short tempers. Giamatti gave one of the finest performances of his career. He plays Hunham as eccentric yet stern, cruel yet empathetic. Similar to Hunham, Angus has a chip on his shoulder. In his first-ever feature role, Sessa stuns. It’s a performance of a seasoned Actor. He portrays the anguish Angus carries and his desire to be understood.
Overall, The Holdovers is a moving exploration of loneliness over the holiday season with captivating performances and a winning Soundtrack.
The Holdovers screens at TIFF ’23:
Monday, September 11 at 3 PM at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Tuesday, September 12 at 12 PM at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Saturday, September 16 at 6 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox
Sunday, September 17 at 9 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox
…
By Amanda Gilmore
Sam Levinson’s latest TV Series is Euphoria meets 50 Shades of Grey, while set in the world of a Pop Superstar.
The first two episodes, which screened Out of Competition at Cannes, sets up the mindset of Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). She recently lost her mother which led to a nervous breakdown that derailed her last tour. Now she’s releasing anticipated new music with the hope to be the greatest, sexiest pop star in America. However, she’s still grieving over her loss, leaving her vulnerable.
Cue club owner Tedros (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), who sees the vulnerability and takes advantage of it. He swoops in and helps her remix her newest single. As Jocelyn is already underwhelmed by the original version, Tedros ignites a passion within her again. But will this new romantic-professional relationship bring new heights or the deepest of lows for the Popstar?
There are lots of provocative sexualized scenes in The Idol. For those familiar with Euphoria, the scenes here are dialed-up a notch further. However, these provocative scenes are being used to highlight bigger themes and messages within the Script. Here, Levinson — and Co-Creators Tesfaye and Reza Fahim — are dissecting the highs and lows of a life of a pop icon.
In the first episode, a compromising photo gets released online of Jocelyn. It shows the singer with ejaculate on her face. Everyone on her team immediately attempts to spin this into a positive light for the star. This brings us to the life of the busy bees that surround and ‘manage’ a popstar. Additionally, it highlights how they keep her protected from these horrible things for fear of another break.
The people surrounding Jocelyn care for her deeply. Some even take on the role of pseudo-parents (Hank Azaria and Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s characters) even if they don’t always know what’s best. The person who will move mountains for her is her best friend and Assistant Leia (Rachel Sennott). Sennot is superb as the caring friend who’s the only one who sees Tedros as the snake he is.
In his acting debut, Tesfaye, dawning a Rattail, gives a chilling performance as the manipulative Tedros. In these first two episodes, the Actors share tantalizing scenes that people will have mixed feelings over. However, once again Levinson is using them to inform the viewer of the mental states of his characters. Tedros is controlling while Jocelyn succumbs to his demands.
Depp gives a groundbreaking performance that will skyrocket her character. And the Supporting Cast is outstanding. To name a few not priorly mentioned: Troye Sivan, Jane Adams and Blackpink’s Jennie Kim. And at the end of the second episode, Red Rocket breakout Suzanna Son delivers a show-stopping performance while sitting at a piano.
We’re excited to see where the Series goes from here.
The Idol screens at Cannes ’23:
Mon May 22 at 10:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE
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