Claws Out
Today’s long-awaited release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine presents an interesting conundrum, which I’ll get to later. It’s perhaps more immediately pertinent to provide some superficial analysis as to why Wolverine is a character of such interest. Wolverine seems to find himself in the company of a wave of neo-heroes in 21st century cinema; vigilantes who are virtuous to a point, but battle with a humbling sense of their own ineluctable humanity as much as they would an eight foot fire-breathing hobgoblin. We want more from our heroes; or perhaps more accurately, we want them to be more like us. In this spirit, Wolverine is a fundamentally damaged human being, and a provocative agent that blurs the distinction between human logic and animal instinct. Above all, he has a pair of retractable adamantium claws; surely enough reason to make a film detailing their uses. In spite of this, there’s a problem; Wolverine may be indestructible, but his limitations are glaring. The appearance of swine flu (a term which, incidentally, conjures a hilarious image of a Victorian philanderer wheezing by candlelight in a top hat) in Scotland would render Wolverine a rather benign saviour; there’s no tried and tested method of chibbing a microbe, however pernicious, and there doesn’t seem to be anything inherently constructive in flailing at the air with all the grace of a one-eyed drunk in a hall of mirrors.
Michael Caine may not provide a helpful alternative in this context (making tea for Batman doesn’t really count), but a similarly worthy film in Is Anybody There? should at least provide some swine flu escapism, even if there is, in fact, no escape, especially since you’re going to be watching it in an enclosed theatre surrounded by lots of disease-ridden strangers. Gallows humour aside, Is Anybody There?, directed by John Crowley, tells the tale of elderly magician Clarence (Caine). After reluctantly moving into a nursing home, he quickly strikes an unlikely friendship with 11 year old Edward, the son of the couple who run the home. Whilst Clarence is plaintive and bitter about the onset of his autumn years, Edward’s preoccupation with death (thanks to his morbid surroundings) provides a counterpoint that helps both make sense of their lives.
Elsewhere, the fleeting screenings of Citizen Havel should not discourage you to give it a go. Showing at the Filmhouse on Saturday 2nd May and in Aberdeen’s Belmont on Thursday 30th April, this documentary follows Vaclav Havel, an important intellectual figure in both the old Czechoslovakia and the emergent Czech Republic, which he shaped in his own image as the nation’s first president. Directed by Pavel Koutecky and Miroslav Janek (the latter taking over directorial duties after the death of Koutecky in 2005), the film tracks Havel’s political career and personal moments over an astonishing 10 year period, providing little-known insight into everything from the idiosyncratic nature of governing a new nation, to the more intimate moments that reveal Havel’s character.
Over in Dundee, the DCA continues to illustrate a passion for a good old retrospective; there may not be any new releases showing this Friday, but they instead provide another opportunity to catch the excellent Wendy and Lucy. Kelly Reichardt’s feature is a subtle, moving film that touches broadly on themes of poverty, moral duty, and dependence in both a personal and political context. Wendy (Michelle Williams) is travelling to Alaska with her dog and closest companion Lucy, looking for work and a fresh start. Her plans are quickly derailed by a series of events that start when her car breaks down, and what follows is an understated portrayal of Wendy’s attempt to fight for all that she stands to lose in ever irreparable circumstances.