I'm not your - Critic

fiLM
tHe DARK
KnIgHt RIses
Director: christopher nolan
The story picks up sometime after the end
of The Dark Knight. “Batman” is a spurned
memory from a darker time in Gotham City's
recent history, and billionaire philanthropist
Bruce Wayne is a recluse. Christopher Nolan
starts this episode of the Batman legend by
planting the seeds of this story in the fertile soil
of the past, recalling Harvey Dent, who went on to
become Two-Face, the source of the Gotham City
Police Department's standing prejudice against
the capped crusader.
Nolan clearly enjoys the process of story
building and execution. His style of shooting
letteRs to
FAtHeR JAcoB
Director: Klaus Härö
38
both puts us in the middle of the action and
focusses very strongly on the characters, whose
conflicts and journeys drive the story relentlessly
forwards. In essence this Batman story is about
redemption, not only for Bruce Wayne and
Batman, but also in some strange way for Bane
himself. One feels almost as much for the bad
guy as one does for the hero, and we see that
Bane is much more than a mindless thug bent
on destruction and mayhem. Meanwhile, Bruce
Wayne must face his own fears and demons,
literally climbing out of a pit of despair in order
to redeem himself and his alter-ego.
Letters to Father Jacob is a Finnish subtitled
film set in the 1970s, about a thick-skinned
ex-convict named Leila and her experience
working with Father Jacob. The recipient of a life
sentence (presumably murder, though it is never
explicitly stated), Leila is given a pardon (much to
her disgust) and freed from prison. With nowhere
to go, a live-in position is arranged for her in
a rundown old house where she is assigned to
assist an old visually impaired clergyman, Father
Jacob. Jacob appears to have a good reputation,
and receives mail each day from troubled individuals
asking for prayer. Leila’s job is to read
this mail out to him and answer them as he
directs her.
What you expect to follow is a heart-warming
tale of redemption, renewal, and rehabilitation
of a formerly remorseless convict. What
actually follows is 74 minutes of static and
unsympathetic character development as we
watch Leila hide the Father’s mail, leave him
stranded alone in an old church for hours, and
Film editor | sarah Baillie | film@critic.co.nz
I would recommend this to fans of the
Batman franchise as well as to fans of Christopher
Nolan. Nolan forces the established set
of Batman characters to play out a more introspective
story rather than pursuing action for
action’s sake.
I loved The Dark Knight Rises, unlike the
cynical bastards sitting behind me who complained
that it was cheesy. This was character
driven drama all the way. Go and see this film.
By Daniel Duxfield
generally treat a nice old man like a leper. Leila
has no respect for humankind, let alone the
importance of the letters in Jacob’s life, and
makes no effort to sugar-coat this fact in his
presence. What starts out as a boring film soon
becomes a burden on everyone watching it, as
we are forced to endure the aggravation of the
film’s main protagonist. The lucky guy sitting
two seats away from me managed to fall asleep
at the start and saved himself the torture as he
snored loudly for the duration of the film.
Frankly, the trailers before the movie
were the most entertaining part of my visit to
the cinema, before we were all subjected to an
inconsequential snooze fest.
By Taryn Dryfthout
zero stars