Reviews by Bob Ignizio
I'm
trying to get caught up with the films I missed this year before
making my obligatory “Best of the Year” list. Most of the films
I'm watching have already been reviewed by other writers here on the
Cleveland Movie Blog, but a handful slipped through the cracks for
whatever reason. So to what degree I can, I'll be reviewing some of
these films that are now available on home video. This time around
I've got capsule reviews for a pair of documentaries and one arthouse
dramedy “based on a true story”: PAYBACK,
THE INVISIBLE WAR,
and HYSTERIA.
PAYBACK
Based
on the nonfiction book Payback:
Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth
by noted Canadian author and activist Margaret Atwood, PAYBACK
is
an exploration of the concept of debt and the various effects it has
on society. Although monetary debt is dealt with, it is by no means
the only kind of debt covered by the film. In fact the most
interesting segment to me was the one about two families involved in
an Albanian blood feud, and the insistence of the man who believes
himself to be the injured party on dealing with things personally
rather than allowing the legal system to settle it. There's also a
segment on the BP oil spill that explores what the company really
owes to the earth for the damage the incident caused compared with
the monetary fines that were assessed by the United States
government. The other segments are all interesting and thought
provoking as well. That said, PAYBACK
doesn't entirely work as a whole, and while Atwood is an excellent
writer, her skills as a public speaker are somewhat lacking, which
wouldn't be an issue except that she speaks the opening and closing
statements of the film. Of course it goes without saying that most
American conservatives will hate this on principle alone. 2 1/2 out
of 4 stars.
THE
INVISIBLE WAR
That
men and women who put themselves at risk to serve their country
should find themselves raped by those they serve alongside is
appalling. Even more appalling is the way the military has tended to
handle such cases. THE
INVISIBLE WAR
interviews several service women (and a few men) who were victimized
while they were enlisted, and their stories will anger and disgust
anyone with an ounce of empathy. One often wonders when watching
documentaries that deal with disturbing issues like this what good
they really do; in this case, we find out that sometimes, a movie
really can make a difference. Maybe not as much of one as was needed,
but a step in the right direction at least. 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.
HYSTERIA
In
the not so distant past women were often diagnosed with hysteria, a
catch-all term for just about any ailment or presumed condition a
woman might suffer from, especially in cases where the women in
question were deemed to be difficult. The primary treatment,
considered a genuine medical procedure, was to have a doctor manually
bring the patient to orgasm, something the physicians often regarded
as hard, tedious work. And so the vibrator was invented. HYSTERIA
gives a highly fictionalized account of all this, squeezing it into a
slightly “naughty” British arthouse rom com starring Hugh Dancy
and Maggie Gyllenhaal. In real life it wasn't always so funny, as a
hysteria diagnosis could result in institutionalization and even
forced hysterectomy, something the film only casually touches on.
Still, for what it is HYSTERIA
is reasonably entertaining. Even if the truth does get toned down in
favor of pursuing ribald laughs, the film at least reminds us of yet
another sad chapter in the history of misogyny. 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
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