A Tale of Persephone: Movie Review
Apr. 1st, 2011 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I recently went to the premier of A Tale of Persephone, a microbudget production by Fleem Productions, recasting the Greek myth as a magical realist modern day fable. The film does not (yet) appear to have much web presence, but it's a fine achievement for a very small budget, and I encourage anyone interested in Greek myths to check it out if you get the chance.
Before I launch into my brief review, I'll disclose that I am personally acquainted with the writer, Kom Kunyosying, and director/editor, Emily West Afanador, and have been cheering for this film for years, so I'm hardly objective. That said, I'll attempt a useful review.
A Tale of Persephone is an "amateur" film. It has the telltales: some bits of weak acting, fuzzy-sounding lines, a very small number of scene transitions that aren't wholly clear. But this doesn't matter much. The story is interesting and well told, and I got thoroughly caught up in it.
Indeed, it miffs me that the characteristic that most marks the film as "amateur" signals no lack of skill but only a lack of money: the soundtrack has not been completely dubbed over. That means we hear actual sounds as recorded, and they sound completely appropriate; they're simply not what we're used to hearing, so it stands out as "not a real movie." This is a shame because it says nothing about the quality of the movie, yet like a lower class accent, it marks it as "inferior."
The story itself is excellent. It depicts Persephone as a nineteen-year-old woman newly on her own in the adult world, caught between an overprotective mother (Demeter) and overprotective, much older boyfriend (Hades). The moral of the story, of course, is that she can make her own decisions as an adult. This moral is skillfully illustrated throughout the film. Despite a tantalizing veneer that Persephone may be heading for trouble (enhanced by the source myth, which has her being captured and dragged to the Underworld), she is never really out of control. She is a sensible young woman, holding down a job, maintaining good friendships, renting a nice apartment, partying/dating/adventuring, sure--she's nineteen. Once in a while she drinks too much, but basically she has her life in hand. She doesn't need Mom to dog her every step. She doesn't need her boyfriend to either. And when she tells them so, she can do so with responsible actions to back up her words.
The script, in the main, is excellent, including some fine moments of comedy, mostly involving Pan (the Star Wars riff is pure gold), and lots of shout-outs to various Greek myths and mythological characters that form erudite "Easter eggs" for the classically inclined viewer.
In a couple of places, I think the script would have benefited from a bit more groundwork. The ending has Persephone averring to her mother that things are going to be different now (presumably that Demeter will no longer stifle her). I wish we had seen what preceded this "difference." The film opens with Persephone and Demeter already estranged, so while we can infer things about their prior relationship, we never actually see the contrast. Likewise, Persephone's confrontation with Hades over his controlling behavior seems mostly predicated on one instance of his sending his thugs to "protect" her from making a "bad" decision. Her speech would have carried more force for me if I had seen more rising action as his behavior towards her slowly becomes more controlling. (I suspect this may have been the intent, but it did not come through very clearly for me.)
The editing and camera work are excellent. Pacing is good, transitions (almost always) are clear, shots are varied and sometimes quite clever. This is a great achievement for a microbudget, which has--almost by definition--limited filming time and, thus, limited footage to work with.
The music is amazing. Several outstanding artists contributed their talents in several different styles, ranging from jazz to rock to more international and classical feels. The music is well integrated into the story, enhancing the atmosphere exactly as it should.
The acting, on the whole, is good enough that the viewer can get caught up in the story and care about the characters. I would say it seldom looks quite "professional," though it has its moments. It also has weaker moments, particularly in minor roles (as one might expect in parts that are almost certainly under-rehearsed). In the main, it tells the story ably.
The film also makes good use of stylized computer animation to emphasize the mythic qualities of the story.
I highly recommend the film to fans of Greek mythology and/or microbudget, independent filmmaking.
Before I launch into my brief review, I'll disclose that I am personally acquainted with the writer, Kom Kunyosying, and director/editor, Emily West Afanador, and have been cheering for this film for years, so I'm hardly objective. That said, I'll attempt a useful review.
A Tale of Persephone is an "amateur" film. It has the telltales: some bits of weak acting, fuzzy-sounding lines, a very small number of scene transitions that aren't wholly clear. But this doesn't matter much. The story is interesting and well told, and I got thoroughly caught up in it.
Indeed, it miffs me that the characteristic that most marks the film as "amateur" signals no lack of skill but only a lack of money: the soundtrack has not been completely dubbed over. That means we hear actual sounds as recorded, and they sound completely appropriate; they're simply not what we're used to hearing, so it stands out as "not a real movie." This is a shame because it says nothing about the quality of the movie, yet like a lower class accent, it marks it as "inferior."
The story itself is excellent. It depicts Persephone as a nineteen-year-old woman newly on her own in the adult world, caught between an overprotective mother (Demeter) and overprotective, much older boyfriend (Hades). The moral of the story, of course, is that she can make her own decisions as an adult. This moral is skillfully illustrated throughout the film. Despite a tantalizing veneer that Persephone may be heading for trouble (enhanced by the source myth, which has her being captured and dragged to the Underworld), she is never really out of control. She is a sensible young woman, holding down a job, maintaining good friendships, renting a nice apartment, partying/dating/adventuring, sure--she's nineteen. Once in a while she drinks too much, but basically she has her life in hand. She doesn't need Mom to dog her every step. She doesn't need her boyfriend to either. And when she tells them so, she can do so with responsible actions to back up her words.
The script, in the main, is excellent, including some fine moments of comedy, mostly involving Pan (the Star Wars riff is pure gold), and lots of shout-outs to various Greek myths and mythological characters that form erudite "Easter eggs" for the classically inclined viewer.
In a couple of places, I think the script would have benefited from a bit more groundwork. The ending has Persephone averring to her mother that things are going to be different now (presumably that Demeter will no longer stifle her). I wish we had seen what preceded this "difference." The film opens with Persephone and Demeter already estranged, so while we can infer things about their prior relationship, we never actually see the contrast. Likewise, Persephone's confrontation with Hades over his controlling behavior seems mostly predicated on one instance of his sending his thugs to "protect" her from making a "bad" decision. Her speech would have carried more force for me if I had seen more rising action as his behavior towards her slowly becomes more controlling. (I suspect this may have been the intent, but it did not come through very clearly for me.)
The editing and camera work are excellent. Pacing is good, transitions (almost always) are clear, shots are varied and sometimes quite clever. This is a great achievement for a microbudget, which has--almost by definition--limited filming time and, thus, limited footage to work with.
The music is amazing. Several outstanding artists contributed their talents in several different styles, ranging from jazz to rock to more international and classical feels. The music is well integrated into the story, enhancing the atmosphere exactly as it should.
The acting, on the whole, is good enough that the viewer can get caught up in the story and care about the characters. I would say it seldom looks quite "professional," though it has its moments. It also has weaker moments, particularly in minor roles (as one might expect in parts that are almost certainly under-rehearsed). In the main, it tells the story ably.
The film also makes good use of stylized computer animation to emphasize the mythic qualities of the story.
I highly recommend the film to fans of Greek mythology and/or microbudget, independent filmmaking.