“A Love Divided” has the structure of that sort of movie. Yet it would be
just as accurate to describe it as the tale of a neurotic who forces her
emotional conflicts on the lives of her neighbors.
The picture, based on a real incident, is set in an Irish village in the
late 1950s. Sheila and Sean are a married couple with little girls. She’s
Protestant, he’s Catholic, and the kids are being raised in the Catholic
Church, the dominant religion in their area. Everything’s great until the day
comes when it’s time for the oldest daughter to go to school.
The local priest, Father Stafford (Tony Doyle), assumes that the daughter
will go to the Catholic school. He’s arrogant about it. Sheila doesn’t seem to
care what school the child goes to, but she doesn’t like his attitude. She
insists it’s a decision that she and her husband should make on their own.
From this simple contest of wills, a whole drama enfolds, escalating to the
point that the Vatican in Rome eventually weighs in.
Rather than let her Catholic daughter enroll in a Catholic school, Sheila
breaks up her marriage and inflicts on her children an exhausting odyssey
through Northern Ireland and Scotland. She’s not a heroine. She’s more
interesting than that — a self-possessed woman unwittingly in the midst of a
prolonged nervous breakdown. Orla Brady plays Sheila with intensity and
commitment, using the gaps in the script to fuel a sense of mystery.
Brady is ably matched by Tony Doyle, who plays Father Stafford as the only
person in the small town glowing with confidence. Stafford is sure of his
authority, his rectitude and his judgment. Sheila envies Stafford’s smugness
enough to upend her life, just as Stafford fears that Sheila might undermine
his grip on the community. On both sides, it’s all about power, nothing to do
with principle.
Advisory: This film contains strong language and violence.
– Mick LaSalle
‘TUVALU’
Comedy-drama. Starring Denis Lavant and Chulpan Hamatova. Directed by Veit
Helmer. (R. 86 minutes. At the Lumiere.)
“Tuvalu” is a German film, but there are no subtitles, nor is there a need
for them. The picture, aside from a few random words, is without dialogue, a
silent film with musical accompaniment.
Anyone who knows silent film — indeed, anyone who sees the extended silent
sequence in “Ocean’s Eleven” — can testify to the emotional power of images
combined with music. But “Tuvalu,” an extended attempt to make a film of this
kind, is a disappointment, a precious and grotesque exercise reminiscent of
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Delicatessen,” only less amusing. On the plus side,
those who loved “Delicatessen” are likely to find “Tuvalu” interesting.
The picture, shot in black and white and then tinted (a technique common in
the early silent days), takes place at a broken-down public swimming pool.
Denis Lavant plays Anton, the dutiful son of a blind lifeguard. Chulpan
Hamatova is Eva, who involves herself with Anton in the hope of stealing a
piston for a motorboat. She wants to go places. Along the way, the two seem to
fall in love, smiling and acting fey. She undresses, and he spies on her from
a hole in the floorboards. She doesn’t mind.
The villain of the piece is Anton’s brother (Terrence Gillespie), who has
hair like Lyle Lovett and a smile like Ray Davies. The brother wants to close
down the bathhouse. Somehow this is considered a wicked ambition, even though
the movie, in scene after scene, trades on the dilapidated condition of the
place. The showers, toilets and dryers don’t work, and there are few customers.
On duck.fm you can find full length songs, listen music online and download mp3 for free.
“Tuvalu” is the sort of movie that would contain a running gag involving a
middle-aged lady who likes to chew other people’s chewing gum. Perhaps this is
meant to be emblematic of the human condition: Some chew new gum; some chew
old gum; some don’t chew all. Perhaps it’s meant to be ugly, and yet arouse a
feeling of sympathy for striving, imperfect humanity. Or perhaps it’s just
meant to be amusing — but no, that can’t be. That’s impossible.
Advisory: This film contains nudity.
– Mick LaSalle