Savage Grace | Review

It might have been several sunsets since Tom Kalin directed his last and only feature-length film with indie hit Swoon, but this fasincating portrait of a son who loves, and in some measure loathes his mommy dearest is guided by an assured hand that evokes a cinematographic and atmospheric style that some might liken to Euro-cinema flavors in the realms of Visconti. With weighty references to Freud, this Greek tragedy in haute couture clothing has the sort of twofold scandalous climax that in more ways than one explains why Savage Grace might have taken its sweet time to find production money. Headlined by another brilliant performance by Julianne Moore, such psychological mayhem should be geared towards select audiences who take pleasure in dark headspaces that are so rarely visited in American cinema.

Commencing with a descriptive key first sequence that displays the normality of being un-normal, one needs not to look too far into the storyline to see how this cookie will crumble. Unlike the 99 percent of the rest of society, the Baekelands are socialites that play by their own set of rules and are guilty of isolating those directly involved. That initial sequence shows the father played by an unaffectionate Stephen Dillane, his wife the hard to live with red-headed Moore with maid in tow and newborn that becomes the principle cause for the change in the dynamics. The adult voice over by the only child (newbie Eddie Redmayne) sheds light into the possible reasons why later in life the tragic events that were to take place actually took place.

Originating from Natalie Robins and Steven ML Aronson’s novel that perhaps details the crime and family riches in more depth, this is based on a true case of a family that is born into money and have all the time in the world to linger. The narrator of this tale is livid towards a father who distances himself at birth, but when it is his mother who suffers the same smack-in-the-face fate played out beautifully during the airport sequence, then what transpires is that the distance between mother and son (a relationship that is already too close for comfort) becomes fractured. Tony’s sexual preferences for the same sex show an adolescent like behavior, he lacks maturity even during a ripe age but it is his mother’s response that makes this into an unhealthy cesspool type. One poignant scene has gay son sharing a lover played by dapper friend of the family (Hugh Dancy) with his mother – this shot is just one item among many that reveal this strange tendencies. In as film like this shot selection is key and the dialogue exchanges make the film’s slow pace managable.

The screenplay allows time for all this to dissipate, thus focusing less on the actual crime aspect to come about and more into the kind of mind games that occur when frolicking around Europe, picking up new languages and new lovers. Like traveling salesmen, the flurry of new characters all trim and proper will on some level remind audiences of the privileged few in The Talented Mr.Ripley.

Excellent choices for Moore’s character in terms of costume design with euro-styles helps in establishing the story’s three decade span which is structurally devised in about a half dozen acts – it adds weight to suffering and withdrawal in the freckled face pairing of Moore and Redmayne. Look for the division of different sequences and time periods to point to the subtle differences in emotional cues.

Accompanied by a cavorty unassuming score, this Director’s Fortnight selection at Cannes is a poetic rendering of antithetical bourgeoisie distractions and self destruction. Daggers aimed from the eye level, brushes with nudity and plenty of polite social banter before heading into uncharted waters will guarantee that most viewers squirm.

May 18th, 2007- Cannes’ Quinzaine de Realisteurs/Directors’ Fortnight

Rating 3.5 stars