Avalon

Malgorzata Foremniak. Mamoru Oshii, dir. 2001.

This is the director who make Ghost in the Shell, and whereas the theme of that movie is "what does it mean to be human?" the theme of this one is, "what is reality?"

Pretty heady stuff. Basically, this movie is a fantastic collection of photographic stills. You have your basic "bleak" future world, where people escape into this addictive VR game and sometimes wind up blowing their minds out - to become gibbering vegetables. So, rock cocaine for the video game junkie, OK, got it.

Like I said: visually, this movie is stunning. I don't care much for the writing, as it seems that some scenes could easily be avoided. For example, why have a flashback to the opening sequence when we're just 20 minutes into the movie? I can't have nostalgia that early, sorry. Give me at least an hour of film time and then I'll wax nostalgic about the previous time.

Of course, there will be Matrix references: those would be unavoidable. Personally, this movie reminded me of "Jacob's Ladder" and Alex Cox's "Death and the Compass" - it had that kind of hallucinogenic world view, as though all of life were some lugubrious somewhat-bad dream.

However, when Ash finally makes it to the final level of the game - I must admit THAT blew me away. And I'm going to be spoiler here so you might want to avert your eyes if you want to see the movie and experience it the way it's meant to be:

the explosion of colour. Sepia and chiaroscuro swiftly drains away as her face opens the door on a bright fresh world full of colour and people and light and smiles. Gone are the huddled figures standing solitary on lonely trains; here now are vibrant streets with buses and couples holding hands and laughing and talking in animated conversations.

At this point, the movie could even become an allegory about the difference between Soviet Bloc nations and the more vibrant and lively Western Europe. In fact, I did rather have a question as to why this Japanese director chose a Polish cast. Perhaps this was Oshii's real point, rather than simply "what is real?" but to create the contast between the dismal communist empire and now, when the former bloc nations are inundated with Western culture and tourism. Who knows? It would probably take a true film critic to sort that out.

But all in all, a satisfying movie, even with some points hammered home. And again: the cinematography FAR overshadows the writing. Heck, I'd rather see a collection of stills from the film rather than read the screenplay.

And that's saying something!

VG