TD 1
Greta Director: Neil Jordan Talent: Chloë Grace M
oretz, Isabelle Huppert, Stephen Rea Released: 19 April Loro Director: Paolo Sorrentino Talent: Toni Servillo, Eleana Sofia Ricci, Riccardo Scamarcio Released: 19 April On paper Greta seems like a pretty classy production. It’s directed by Neil Jordan, shot by two time Oscar nominee Seamus McGarvey and starring arthouse darling Isabelle Huppert. So how, with their powers combined, have they made a generic stalker flick straight out of the ‘90s? Greta follows Frances (Moretz), a sweet young woman who’s recently moved to New York after the death of her mother. Upon finding a handbag on the subway, she dutifully returns it to its owner Greta (Huppert). It isn’t long before the two begin an odd friendship, but is Greta as benign as she seems? What do you think? Greta wastes no time revealing how batshit insane its titular character is, which some might consider refreshing. But once the film tips its hand, it has little to offer but predictable stalker histrionics. It’s frustrating because the film’s early scenes illustrate an interesting dynamic between the two women; in Greta, Frances sees a surrogate mother. Likewise Greta eyes her young friend as a substitute for her errant daughter. However, as Greta becomes obsessed with capturing Frances and keeping her as her own, any hint of nuance is jettisoned for a maternal riff on Fatal Attraction. But Greta’s mortal sin is its lack of camp value. Huppert flutters around like a homicidal ballerina or careens through a fancy restaurant like a wounded animal, but she can only do so much. The sole moment of inspiration comes from a dream-within-a-dream sequence, a double fake-out so excessive that it borders on parody. By the time, Jordan is throwing Moretz into a free falling elevator you sense that he’s finally having fun. If only the rest of the film exhibited such demented glee. JOH A decade after Sorrentino tackled former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti in Il Divo, he returns to the political fray in Loro, his biopic of another former PM Silvio Berlusconi, someone who is almost beyond parody given the shadow he cast over Italian media and society serving in four governments. Of course, he is also uniquely Italian encapsulating all the chauvinism and tawdry sexism one might associate with a wolf whistling, puffer jacker wearing, moped head. Loro follows two main threads. In the first, a young, regional businessman (Riccardo Scamarcio) who uses escorts to bribe and corrupt local officials seeks access to Rome and Berlusconi, hoping to acquire greater power, while the second sees Berlusconi (Sorrentino stalwart Toni Servillo) battling personal and political difficulties. This is ‘bunga bunga’ era Berlusconi which saw him host lavish sex parties. Originally released as a two-part film in Italy, its condensed version highlights editing suite issues. Occasional scenes jump, like one of the many models, under water only to resurface in a modified sense of location. Loro does bear all of Sorrentino’s seductive fashion-shoot glamour with a tremendous soundtrack (including a Villagers collaboration with Nico Muhly on Fortunate Child) but with a running time of 150 minutes, patience with this beautiful sprawl begins to wear thin. Meanwhile, Italian magistrates have opened an investigation into a possible murder after the mysterious death of a Moroccan model on 1 March who was a regular guest at Berlusconi’s ‘bunga bunga’ parties. Berlusconi (82) intends to run for the European Parliament in May. MMD 77