STANDOUT CINEMATOGRAPHY
– Katie Kasperson ANEMONE
Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Ronan Day-Lewis, Anemone – starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean – has a surrealist style all captured in camera by Ben Fordesman, BSC. Based in the isolated areas of northern England, the film follows two estranged brothers, one of whom (Day-Lewis) has exiled himself for having committed a war crime during The Troubles. Filled with purposeful silence, Anemone is told visually and explores the relationship between the world and how we see ourselves within it. Ronan Day-Lewis’ background in studio art likely lent itself to Anemone . The film’s painterly quality is evident from the first frames; the camera pans across a child-like drawing that, less innocently, depicts death and suffering. Landscapes look ethereal, the weather supernatural, with mystical creatures also making an appearance, thus categorising the film as a work of magical realism. It’s Fordesman, though, who holds the paintbrush, treating each frame like an individual work of art. Due to its lack of dialogue – apart from two unforgettable monologues – the story had to place an even stronger emphasis on imagery. Day-Lewis delivers a debut feature that’s visually striking, naturalistic and at times haunting; Anemone benefits from his willingness to take artistic risks.
JEUNES MÈRES (YOUNG MOTHERS)
– Oliver Webb
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne returned to the big screen earlier this year with their latest film Young Mothers . The film follows five women: Jessica, Perla, Julie, Naïma, Ariane and their children, who are all housed in a centre for young mothers. Benoît Dervaux, SBC served as cinematographer, reuniting with the brothers after their collaboration on Tori and Lokita . Notoriously, the Dardennes like a handheld approach and to shoot in documentary style. When I spoke to Dervaux earlier in the year, he explained that the cinema of the Dardennes is one of research in progress that takes certain aesthetic risks. “Through its own grammar – long takes, poorly positioned camera, indirect contact with actors/ actresses, absence of reverse shots, naturalistic lighting – it deconstructs the codes of a language still too fixed by the industry,” he explained. “Admittedly, the harshness of this cinema does not necessarily appeal to all audiences.” Dervaux chose RED V-RAPTOR and Leitz HUGO lenses to shoot the film. Due to their weight and size, they were the ideal solution. For Dervaux, these lenses are some of the most advantageous, alongside the ZEISS T2.1 and Ultra Primes, which he used on the Dardennes’ previous films. I’m excited for what the Dardennes and Dervaux make next.
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DEFINITIONMAGS
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