giovedì 1 settembre 2016

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2005: Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener

Rachel Weisz won the Oscar from her only nomination for her performance as Tessa Quayle in The Constant Gardener.


The Constant Gardener is a very strong film about a man trying to get at the bottom of the murder of his wife, a political activist who was investigating on a powerful pharmaceutical company shortly before her death. I liked the movie just fine the first time I saw it but on a rewatch I found it surprisingly haunting, also thanks to Ralph Fiennes' compelling leading performance. It's a nicely shot movie with a well-written screenplay that sends the message home without ever feeling heavy-handed.

The role of Tessa Quayle is a very difficult one under many points of view and one that is very easy to get all wrong. She is an empathetic, altruistic woman who deeply cares about the lives of poor people in Africa but at the same time her actions are sometimes a bit careless if not downright puzzling - in more than one instance, she loudly insults influential, powerful people, endaring her own life rather than helping the people she cares about. But Rachel Weisz somehow manages to sell completely the character - she brings a lot of intelligence to the character but also a great deal of passion which explain her sometimes irrational behavior. Her first encounter with the diplomat Justin (Ralph Fiennes) in which she passionately condemns the needless violence carried out on African countries is a particularly excellent scene in which Weisz perfectly builds the foundation for the character of Tessa - she is passionate and she is not afraid of speaking her own mind but at the same time she is completely rid of any arrogance or pretentiousness. From her first minute on screen, Weisz is a radiant and captivating presence, making Tessa an endearing character we care about. 

Her chemistry with Fiennes is particularly excellent as the two actors are just incredibly sweet in their tender, intimate moments together. Weisz again has the difficult task of conveying both her genuine love towards Justin as well as the reasons she approached him in the first place - convince him to take her to Africa. Incredibly, Weisz pulls it off: she is excellent in the scene in which she asks him to take her there with him as she so perfectly shows the underlying determination behind her calm, controlled plea; on the other hand, she is completely convincing at portraying Tessa's sincere, deep love for her husband. One of Weisz' most effective moments is in the scene in which she breastfeeds an orphan newborn after the death of her own baby - it could have been an unbelievable, even forced moment and it might have even made look Tessa as indifferent towards the death of her own baby. But, again, Weisz understands so much her character that she manages to make this scene completely believable: she is absolutely heartbreaking in the scene as she poignantly portrays her grief over the loss of her child but also her selflessness and willingness to help people even when she is facing a tragedy herself. Her plea to Sandy (Danny Huston) to help her is another excellent moment that shows perfectly Tessa' determination to get what she wants. 

One of the most interesting questions the movie makes is how far would Tessa actually go in order to accomplish her goals? It's a very interesting question that puzzles the viewer for a large chunk of the movie, particularly due to a scene in which Tessa accepts to eventually have sex with Sandy if he gives her an important letter she wants to read. It's a brilliantly acted scene by Weisz who doesn't quite make clear what Tessa's intentions are - is she really willing to have sex with Sandy or is she just lying in order to get the letter? Weisz' portrayal leaves the question with an open answer which makes her character extremely fascinating even after she leaves the picture. When later on Justin reads a letter she finds in Tessa' room, it is revealed that she had no intention of keeping her word and Weisz' voice-over is absolutely heartbreaking as a guilt-stricken Tessa asks herself if she has gone too far and if, ultimately, the end justifies the means.

Tessa Quayle is a tricky character but Rachel Weisz manages to pull it off wonderfully: while the character itself can be seen as a set-up for Justin' eventual search of the truth, Weisz makes her a three-dimensional, complex human being and even when she is off-screen you can still feel her haunting, vivid presence hanging all over the movie. When we finally see her again at the end of the movie, we truly realize the greatness of Weisz' achievement and how much she made out of Tessa' character. It's a great work deserving of its Oscar by a wonderful (and, in my opinion, underrated) actress.

4.5/5

16 commenti:

  1. What are your ratings and thoughts on Fiennes and the rest of the cast?

    I didn't like her at all, I thought she overacted in each scene, I'll give her a 2,5/3

    Fiennes: 4
    Sumpter, Huston and Postlewaite: 3

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Sad you didn't like her, but I actually sort of understand your point of view.

      Fiennes - 4.5 (I thought he was terrific in his scenes with Wiesz and, as I mentioned together, they shared a truly wonderful and realistic chemistry. After her demise, Fiennes is heartbreaking at portraying his grief for his wife's death as well as a certain discomfort he, wrongly, doubts her honesty and loyalty towards him. He is compelling in his portrayal of Justin's determination to find out the truth about his wife's murder and to give her memory justice: I found a capivating lead and one I wanted to follow throughout his journey. His final moments in particular are extremely moving)

      Huston - 2.5 (I have to admit I don't care very much for Huston in general: I thought he was rather weak in Birth, Big Eyes, American Horror Story the few episodes I saw of Magic City and basically every other film or tv show he was in except for The Proposition, and even there I liked him less than most people. Here is a little better than usual and I thought he did an okay job at portraying both Sandy's more vicious qualities as well as his sincere love for Tessa, but I still thought he was sort of bland and that the role allowed for a far greater impact than the one he left)

      Sumpter - 4 (I actually really liked his performance. He is effective in portraying a certain cynism in his character who doesn't understand Tessa's, and then Justin's, willingness to die for their beliefs but also shows a rather sympathetic side of Donahue in his final scene with Fiennes)

      Postlethwaite - 3.5 (Very short role but I thought he manages to leave quite an impact. He is properly warm and nice in his first interactions with Fiennes and brings the needed emotional weight to his shocking revelation to Fiennes at the end of their scene togetheir)

      Nighy - 3 (He added both the right amount of selfishness and viciousness beneath his classy façade but he didn't leave a particularly huge impact)

      McCabe - 3.5 (I thought he made the most out of his role. He was quite moving at portraying his grief over Tessa's death and his interactions with Fiennes are properly warm developing with him a rather nice chemistry. Then he is really quite terrific in the final scene and is part of what makes the ending of the movie work so well)

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  2. Just have to say, she looks adorable in this shot.

    Anyways I look forward to seeing her in The Light Between Oceans soon!

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. In the movie it's even more adorable, it's such a heartwarming moment.

      I too look forward to see her in The Light Between Oceans. I've read the book and she really seems like a perfect choice for the role of Hannah (who's a fantastic character).

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  3. I watched this again a few nights ago and Weisz has grown on me, I liked her on re-watch even though I still care little for the film (weakest Le Carre adaptation I've seen). I'd give her a 4. I'd go lower for Fiennes, but agree completely about Huston.

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    Risposte
    1. I'm really glad you liked her more this time around! As for the movie, I think it's very good but I can see why you don't care for it. I'm also glad we agree on Huston, I just can't warm up to him as an actor. I find him either very dull or very mannered or both.

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    2. Indeed. He has a great voice though, I'll give him that.

      I saw Rabbit Hole, you were right it is very good, I like how it naturally allowed the story to flow and the emotions to come out. Kidman I'd give a very strong 4.5 verging on a 5, she was really understated for the most part which I loved, and her louder scenes were extremely well earnt.

      Kidman - 4.5/5
      Eckhart - 4.5 (terrifically understated as well)
      Wiest - 3
      Teller - 4 (really impressed, wish he'd go back to stuff like this soon)
      Blanchard - 2.5
      Oh - 2.5

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    3. I'm glad you liked Rabbit Hole! Can't talk about Kidman yet, as for the others:

      Eckhart - 4.5 (I thought he was absolutely excellent in his portrayal of his character's grief and I love the dynamic he built with Kidman. I love how the two actors portray the opposite reactions of their two characters to their tragic loss, with Eckhart's character trying to keep the child's presence always with him and Kidman's trying to get rid of everything that reminds her about him. Their chemistry is terrific as they show that although their relationship is strained there is still some love left between the two. In his individual moments, Eckhart is heartbreaking as he tries to cope with his loss and his troubled marriage and overall gives just a realistic depiction of his character's grief)

      Wiest - 4 (I remember being quite impressed by her but I haven't seen the movie in quite a bit. Anyway I thought she was very good in her scenes with Kidman conveying her character's own sorrows as well as realistically portraying their rocky relationship. Their quiet, final scene together when the two of them question if the pain for the death of a child ever goes away is one of the movie's highlights, thanks to both actresses being so touching)

      Teller - 4 (He is very good at showing his character's guilt regarding the accident and then he develops an amazing chemistry with Kidman as the two just naturally realize the odd friendship between the two)

      Blanchard - 2.5 (She's okay but doesn't do all that much)

      Oh - 2.5 (I think Oh is fantastic whenever she gets the chance to be, like in Grey's Anatomy. Here she is very underused even if she's completely fine nonetheless)

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  4. Since you've seen The Proposition, what are your thoughts and ratings on the main cast?

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    Risposte
    1. Winstone - 5 (To begin with, I really quite loved the movie. Winstone is a very strong reason for that as he gives an amazing performance carrying his own side of the story impeccably well. He brings the needed command, presence and gravity to the role of Captain Stanley but besides this he is also extremely moving at potraying his character's noble and honest intentions and he shows that Stanley genuinely wants to make things better in his town. I particularly loved his reaction in the whipping scene, which I thought was even more devastating than the graphic images. I also loved his understated chemistry with Emily Watson as I thought that they conveyed so well their characters' love for each other)

      Pearce - 4.5 (Mostly a reactionary performance but a good example of that kind. Pearce manages to be extremely compelling in his quiet, restrained performance which is quite a great feat considering that the character has much less dialogue than the others and he is often paired up with much louder performers, such as John Hurt and Danny Huston. Pearce is never overshadowed by those two performance, instead he acts as a great counterpart for both, and he brought a great deal of emotional weight to the final act making Charlie's choice have the proper impact)

      Hurt - 4 (He was over-the-top for sure but it suited the part just fine. I thought Hurt was extremely entertaining at first at portraying a seemingly wacky, demented man and then he is chilling as he reveals his character's ulterior motives. He doesn't get much screen-time but he sure leaves quite a lasting impression)

      Huston - 4 (The only performance from him that I like and he's indeed very good here. Huston uses some mannerisms in the role but for once they actually work very well for his characterization of Arthur and never feel forced or overcooked. Huston brings the needed viciousness to the role and I like how for most of the performance he brings an underlying menace which makes him an umpredictable and interesting presence. When his character's cruelty comes out then he's downright terrifying, which I never thought he could be considering how bland and boring are is villains on American Horror Story: Coven and Magic City. He might go up on a future rewatch)

      Watson - 5 (I like her a lot in general and I'm sad she's so often underused. Thankfully here she gets a strong part and she makes the most out of it: Watson is incredibly fascinating in her depiction of her character's gentle demeanor that hides an emotional turmoil. I love how she subtly conveys Martha's unease with her new life in Australia and her trauma due to her friend's rape and death while keeping most of the time a proper, calm façade as she represses those emotions. In the few moments in which Martha's feelings come out Watson is absolutely incredible, particularly in her amazing monologue in the bathtub which is simply heartbreaking in its quietness)

      I've also seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and A History of Violence.

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    2. Glad you loved it. Which would be your top 5 for 2005 films?

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    3. 1, Brokeback Mountain
      2. A History of Violence
      3. The Proposition
      4. Match Point
      5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

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    4. Not a fan of Match Point (though Jonathan Rhys Myers is VERY good in it), but I like A History of Violence and love the other three films on your list.

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    5. I actually think Match Point is one of Woody Allen's very best movies. Jonathan Rhys Myers is indeed very good, and Johansson is terrific, her best performance aside from Under the Skin. And I absolutely loved A History of Violence, I thought it was amazing. But I'm glad we both love Brokeback Mountain, The Proposition and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

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    6. Mortensen - 5 (Mortensen is fantastic in the early scenes of the movie at portraying his character as a quiet, ordinary man. As the story progresses and the suspicion around his true identity arises, Mortensen does an amazing job as he keeps his performance consistently fascinating: he suggests in his performance that he might be the man Fogarty says he is but also that he might not be. It's a compelling, intriguing performance as he keeps giving clues without ever giving answers and when in the end his true identity is revelead all the pieces of his performance come together. What I love the most about the third act of the movie is that Mortensen suggests that his character, regardless of his name, really is not just Tom or Joey but rather a little bit of both. It's an incredible performance from a great actor)

      Bello - 4.5 (I thought she was great in what could have easily been a standard role. Bello shares a terrific chemistry with Viggo Mortensen and both actors are wonderful as they make us believe in their mutual love for each other from the very first scene. After that Bello is heartbreaking as she portrays Edie's progressive loss of faith in her husband and fear that her whole life was nothing more than a lie. What I love the most about her work is that even in the moments in which they seems the most distant from each other, Bello still shows the undeniable attraction Edie feels for her husband, making the sex scene on the stairs quite powerful on an emotional level. Also her final reaction is fantastic)

      Ed Harris - 5 (Harris makes for a great villain as he just exudes such a lot of menace in each of his line-deliveries. He is an incredibly disturbing and haunting presence whenever he appears and he makes the most out of his limited time on screen. He is excellent at showing the reasons behind his behavior making his character three-dimensional as he explores the trauma he endured and he even manages to be somewhat funny in a rather twisted way at certain times. It's an unforgettable and unique performance of a brilliant villain)

      Can't talk yet about William Hurt as he was nominated.

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