Year: 2013
Director: Sebastián Silva
Screenplay: Sebastián Silva
Starring:
Juno Temple, Emily Browning, Micheal Cera
Synopsis is
here
A film that
is destined to polarise the audience with its abstractness, Magic Magic is a
film that will take people to the brink of irritation or sympathy but if it
gets one thing right, it’s the fact that it doesn’t wait around for you to get
your head around it.
Set in
Chile, Magic Magic is a thriller plays with cultural arrogance in the same vain
as Repulsion or Frantic, yet seems influenced by the fractured psychology
of Polanski’s most famous features also. Here we have a woman who is culturally
and emotional isolated amongst a group of people too juvenile and ignorant
fully understand what may be at play. The film can feel distant as there’s no
sign posts telling you where to go, but even when the film treads on the line
of obtuseness, the basic aspects of the narrative is simple enough to follow. As a whole the film doesn’t pound its note as
hard as Aronofsky (Black Swan) or hold the pomp of Von Trier (Melancholia), but
it understand simple dreads and fragile emotions with an assured deftness of
touch.
The island,
in which the film is set, becomes the largest signifying aspect, morphing
into a physical and emotional quarantine for the pale faced Alicia (a brilliant
Juno Temple). One scene has Alicia out with her new found friends as they go
cliff jumping. All except Alicia are able to jump in. She is quite literally
unable to take her feet of the island, a place which has brought forth a huge
amount of disconnection to her. Like Polanski at his best, the island slowly
shapes itself into a prison.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle takes centre stage here, capturing the
off kilter mood with near perfect composition, and shooting the landscape in
such a way that even nearby animals take on ominous presence with their
gaze.
The films main strength
is in how it maintains its tone throughout. The ambiguous nature of the film is
kept in balance due to Temple’s fragile performance. It becomes apparent that the
film subtly changes from a more conventional thriller with horror tropes into a
subtle cry for help. We are once again seeing yet another “delicate woman in
trouble” and Magic Magic doesn’t reach the same heights as the likes of Amer,
Black Swan or Carrie But Temple keeps us engaged throughout. Having such strong
casting in place, makes the “woman in peril” such a sticking point in cinema.
Cast-wise; it will very likely infuriate more casual viewers that the
film cares little about the fact you may know these actors from Harry Potter,
Superbad or otherwise. That said I'm not shocked to see Emily Browning in this
considering her work in The Uninvited/Sucker Punch. Michael Cera does well with
a one note performance.
The pacing is a little wayward and the film doesn’t really push anything
in the way of originality. However Magic Magic is a nightmare film which
unsettles well as it toys with the lead’s fractured state. Magic Magic will
only really turn on those with a particular taste for these things. The films
conclusion can possibly leave you aggravated, but only if you don’t fall for
Doyle’s beautiful camera work and Temple‘s display.
