[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.0″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.6″ z_index_tablet=”500″ border_color_all=”#ffffff” use_border_color=”off”]Dear Cinephiles,<\/p>\n
Cecilia: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing left for you to take. You\u2019ve already taken it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
By far, one of the best films of 2020 is \u201cThe Invisible Man.\u201d It was released in late February – coincidentally or appropriately – during the same week of the sentencing of an infamous sexual predator movie mogul. Cosmic karma? It was the last experience I had in an actual movie theatre. I have since gravitated to it a few times since it\u2019s begun streaming at home. Yes, it\u2019s that good. Last night I showed it to my companion, and he was stunned. He\u2019s not into horror movies the way I am, but this extraordinary reboot of the classic monster premise plays more like a Hitchcockian thriller with an up to the minute timely subtext. It\u2019s devilishly fun \u2013 its scares are about getting under your skin \u2013 and boasts a stellar performance.<\/p>\n
This is smart filmmaking. The first eight visceral minutes set the tone. We watch our heroine \u2013 Cecilia – looking at the clock by her bedside at a seaside mansion. It\u2019s 3:41 am. The lighting is lowkey. The only sound is of the crashing waves outside. With a good sound system, you will hear the rumble \u2013 reflecting the inner turmoil. She\u2019s sleeping next to Aidan. She lifts the bedcovers to reveal that he\u2019s got a tight grip around her waist. She\u2019s medicated him with a glass full of diazepam. She scrambles to sneak out of the house without making a noise. She makes a frantic getaway out of the house through the garage only to be met by a Doberman named Zeus. \u201cSorry I can\u2019t take you with me,\u201d she tells him \u2013 and she bumps the car door next to her setting off the alarm. Running towards the fence, we can see the light upstairs turning on. She runs towards the street in front, her sister Holly pulling over to pick her up. She frantically gets in and he smashes the passenger car window. They drive away from him and to safety. She\u2019s broken free. Or so, she thinks. Or so we think. In those eight minutes director Leigh Whannell has given us everything we needed to know and care about \u2013 and it\u2019s played out like a silent film.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s escaped from the controlling and manipulative relationship with Aidan \u2013 a wealthy optics inventor. \u201cHe was in complete control of everything. Including me. He controlled how I looked, what I wore, what I ate. Then he was controlling when I left the house. What I said. Eventually what I thought,\u201d Cecilia explains. She takes shelter with her cop friend James and his teen daughter Sydney \u2013 but is afraid to step outside the home. Holly informs her that she has no more reason to fear because Adrian has committed suicide \u2013 distraught by her abandonment. But did he really take his life? \u201cHe said that wherever I went, he would find me, walk right up to me, and I wouldn\u2019t be able to see him,\u201d says Cecilia.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s suffering from some major PTSD, and the horror in the film goes beyond what she sees. The abuse she\u2019s undergone won\u2019t easily shake off. Her sanity will come into question. Elisabeth Moss joins a group of women who deliver major performances in psychological horror movies \u2013 Mia Farrow in \u201cRosemary\u2019s Baby,\u201d Essie Davis in \u201cThe Babadook,\u201d Toni Colette in \u201cHereditary,\u201d among others. I\u2019ve admired Moss ever since her breakout role in \u201cMad Men,\u201d but this is on another level. She deserves some serious Best Actress consideration. Alas, Oscar doesn\u2019t take this genre seriously enough.<\/p>\n
It should. Whannell working with Stefan Duscio as cinematographer does some unsettling and deeply suggestive visual work. I recently was explaining to my students about motifs in movies which help almost subliminally hint at the deeper themes a director wants to address. \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d has two color palettes being used in every frame \u2013 blues and gold tones. They stand side by side on the screen \u2013 alluding to the two opposing forces that Cecilia has to battle and break away from.<\/p>\n
They also create an atmosphere of dread around her by emphasizing the negative space in the composition. Notice how there\u2019s always an area on the screen that is left empty around her. The camera becomes voyeuristic \u2013 following her as she moves \u2013 stalking her. The production design by Alex Holmes \u2013 who worked on \u201cThe Babadook\u201d \u2013 is fantastic.<\/p>\n
There are some really nasty twists. Violence comes unexpectedly. Cecilia\u2019s journey towards emancipation is a thriller \u2013 and so is Moss\u2019 turn.<\/p>\n
Cecilia – \u201cOne night I was sitting and thinking about how to leave Aidan. I was planning the whole thing in my mind. And he was staring at me. Studying me. Without me saying a single word, he said that I could never leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love,
\nRoger[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.4.0″][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.6″ border_color_all=”#ffffff” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]The Invisible Man
\nAvailable to stream on DIRECTV, HBO MAX, HBO NOW and HBO via Prime Video and Hulu.<\/p>\n
Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell
\nStarring Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen
\n124 minutes<\/p>\n
Writer and Director Leigh Whannell on Writing \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d
\n\u201cThe first thing I started with is just the title \u2014 and I didn\u2019t have a storyline or characters or anything \u2014 just that \u201cInvisible Man\u201d title. Usually, when I\u2019m writing, I like to extend the period of time when I\u2019m not writing for as long as possible and procrastinate for a while. I feel like research and preparation for writing a script is guilt-free procrastination. The first thing I wrote down in my notebook was, \u201cHow do you make the \u2018Invisible Man\u2019 scary?\u201d After a couple of days of thinking, I realized we\u2019ve got to tell the story from the point of view of his victim. To make him the central character is to demystify him in my view. All of a sudden now, I\u2019ve got this story about a woman who\u2019s escaped this relationship. And as I was writing it, it just felt organically like it was rolling in that direction of gaslighting and stalking and psychological abuse. I just followed it where it wanted to go. I started doing research and I was interviewing counselors who worked at domestic violence shelters in LA, and basically just following the film down that path…As I was writing, I realized that the Invisible Man, as a character, is a perfect metaphor for this issue of gaslighting and of women feeling like there\u2019s this unseen threat that no one else can see. It just seemed to wrap around that naturally. It wasn\u2019t like I was forcing it, like shoehorning in: making a zombie movie, but it\u2019s really about the refugee crisis. I didn\u2019t feel like I was shoehorning anything in it. It seemed to dovetail well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing the Female Perspective to “The Invisible Man”
\nWhannell wrote \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d screenplay, which is rooted in the perspective of a female abuse victim, so when Moss boarded the project in the lead role he was adamant about getting her thoughts on the script to ensure the movie would not just be a women\u2019s story told from a male\u2019s perspective. Whannell encouraged Moss to make any change needed to ensure his \u201cInvisible Man\u201d did right by a female point of view. \u201cI think most men who are intelligent want to,\u201d Moss recently told Esquire when asked about the importance of men watching film and TV projects about women. \u201cI mean, this was written by a man. He wrote it brilliantly. It\u2019s a beautiful script and what\u2019s on the screen is very, very close to what he wrote. But he also had the intelligence to ask me, as soon as I was cast: \u2018Can you please tell me what I did wrong here? What did I miss? You\u2019re a woman, you\u2019re coming at this from a completely different perspective. What can I put in here that will be true to being a female?’\u201d Moss continued, \u201cMost men that I\u2019ve dealt with, and worked with, have that frame of mind. So, I think that is important, and I think that most smart men know that. But there are some dummies out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Moss, Whannell personally spoke to abuse victims before writing \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d screenplay so that his narrative would reflect the reality of being a victim of domestic violence and harassment. Moss had previously done her own research on the topic during her Emmy-winning run on Hulu\u2019s drama series \u201cThe Handmaid\u2019s Tale,\u201d but \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d continued to teach her about abuse and victimhood. \u201cThere were a couple things that I learned on this journey that I thought were interesting, especially about stigmatisation,\u201d Moss told Esquire. \u201cVictims feel like they\u2019re stupid, or that somehow it\u2019s their fault and they deserve to be in a relationship like that. I felt I had to address my own bias, even judging other women. Like, there have been times when I\u2019ve looked at a woman in a relationship, even just a toxic relationship, and you\u2019re like, \u2018What is she doing with him?\u2019 or \u2018What is he doing with her?\u2019 It\u2019s really not creating a safe space for that person.\u201d (indiewire.com)<\/p>\n
Cinematographer Stefan Duscio on \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d
\nDuscio worked with Whannell on his last film \u201cUpgrade\u201d (2018) which the pair shot in Melbourne in 2017. \u201cWe had a great time working together and really enjoyed creating a unique visual language for that film,\u201d says Duscio. The pair employed a great amount of in-camera motion tracking to the lead actor during action sequences in Upgrade, and Whannell was interested in evolving that for \u201cThe Invisible Man,\u201d which obviously features a character you can\u2019t see. \u201cOur initial discussions focused on the problem of making a suspenseful film centred around a person being pursued by someone who may or may not be there,\u201d says Duscio. Together, the pair watched films that they thought might be stylistically relevant including \u201cPrisoners\u201d (2013, cinematography by Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC), \u201cPersonal Shopper\u201d (2016, cinematography by Yorick Le Saux) and \u201cA Ghost Story\u201d (2017, cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo). Also films that the pair thought were masterfully made such as \u201cThe Exorcist\u201d (1973, cinematography by Owen Roizman ASC) and \u201cHereditary\u201d (2018, cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski). \u201cCollaborating with the director and the art department on \u2018The Invisible Man\u2019 was very thorough and intensive,\u201d says Duscio. \u201cI was booked for more pre-production than I\u2019ve ever done on a movie, about ten weeks. We had time to do a lot of location scouting and workshopping sets together. We all wanted to make a clean, contemporary thriller. Using art direction and lighting, we were able to give Adrian\u2019s house (Cecilia\u2019s ex-boyfriend) a cool steeliness, and contrast that with James\u2019 house (her adopted dwelling), which was warm, familial and comforting.\u201d Duscio was very excited to be using the ARRI Alexa (LF) Large Format and Signature Primes on \u201cThe Invisible Man.\u201d \u201cI\u2019d used this combination on a few commercials and after reading the script, I felt it really suited a modern thriller,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of what Roger Deakins and Denis Villeneuve achieved on \u2018Prisoners\u2019 and \u2018Sicario.\u2019 I felt this film needed a similar approach in both clarity and naturalism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were very interested in Cecilia\u2019s highly paranoid point-of-view, and suggestively filmed empty spaces, letting the camera hauntingly linger on mundane corners of a room,\u201d explains Duscio. \u201cWe also framed characters in an unusual way that would suggest someone else could be inhabiting the negative space in the frame. Focus might push past a foreground character, into an unlikely area of the frame.\u201d Some of these techniques might feel \u2018wrong\u2019 or unusually composed to a cinematic eye, but Duscio\u2019s aim was to create unease and tension. He also hoped it would engage the audience, and encourage them to search the edges of his frame for any movement or hint of our lurking predator. \u201cIt was very challenging to design coverage for these scenes,\u201d he says, \u201cand required a lot of imagination on behalf of our cast and crew to trust that these sequences would be suspenseful.\u201d…Adrian\u2019s house was a mix of three real locations that the filmmakers combined to make one. The character\u2019s home needed scale and wealth, and the audience needed to believe it belonged to a tech millionaire. For this reason, Duscio and the filmmakers extensively searched to find an austere space that could feel threatening and cinematic.<\/p>\n
\u201cFloor to ceiling glass windows were both beautiful and challenging, as it meant they were giant mirrors when filming night interiors, and made hiding crew and lighting difficult,\u201d says Duscio. \u201cWe also tried to film many dusk for night interiors, to try and take advantage of the beautiful ocean vista out the windows. The challenge was to darken those dusk skies in post-production to make it feel believably night.\u201d Early in pre-production the decision was made to build James\u2019 house on stage, as there were many complex scenes and stunt work to achieve. Also, with the ability to remove ceiling pieces and walls, this gave Duscio freedom for lighting and camera work. \u201cMy gaffer Matt Hoile and I are big fans of ARRI Skypanels,\u201d says Duscio. \u201cWe created several soft boxes above key rooms. Surrounding windows were illuminated with a mix of space lights and traditional tungsten fixtures. I tried to motivate as much of the lighting for day interiors from the windows as possible, and tried to use the interior soft boxes very sparingly, to try and avoid that \u2018studio\u2019 feeling. I often tried to ask myself how we would have lit a room on a practical location, and not rely on too many studio luxuries.\u201d To limit his use of greenscreen, Duscio worked with 4K video rear-projection and Rosco soft drops out the windows. This gave the cinematographer more freedom to compose frames without worrying about excessive green screen coverage. It also meant he could capture the look in camera. \u201cA lot of my favourite filmmakers are using rear projection and LED walls on much bigger productions, so I was excited we were able to dip our toes into that world,\u201d says Duscio. (acmag.com.au)<\/p>\n
About Writer and Director Leigh Whannell
\nBorn in Melbourne, Australia, Whannell began his career as an actor. He was also a presenter on the cult hit TV series Recovery, which he later went on to host in its last two seasons. As a film critic on Recovery, Whannell interviewed names such as George Clooney, Jackie Chan, and Tim Burton. The co-creator of \u201cSaw,\u201d he studied film at the prestigious Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology where he met filmmaker James Wan. They collaborated on the 2004 Lionsgate release \u201cSaw,\u201d which Whannell wrote and starred in. In addition to his work on the screenplay for \u201cSaw II,\u201d Whannell wrote and starred in \u201cSaw III\u201d and is an executive producer on the \u201cSaw\u201d franchise. He is also a creative consultant on its video game. The franchise is recognized as one of the most successful horror movie series and was named so by the Guinness World Records in 2010…In 2020…Longtime Blumhouse writer\/director Leigh Whannell has signed an overall deal with Blumhouse for film and television. Over the course of 10 years, Whannell and Blumhouse have collaborated on seven projects, including \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d…The two-year, first-look deal will cover projects that Whannell proposes to write, direct or produce. Jason Blum, Blumhouse CEO and founder, praised Whannell\u2019s vision. \u201cLeigh creates movies which not only build franchises but fundamentally change the landscape of their genre. After he and James Wan made \u2018Saw,\u2019 it launched dozens of copycats. Their work with Blumhouse on \u2018Insidious,\u2019 founded not just a franchise but dozens of classical proscenium PG-13 supernatural horror films. I have no doubt that will be true for \u2018The Invisible Man\u2019 and for anything else he wants to create. I just want to be there with him when he does!\u201d Whannell also reflected on the deal. \u201cTen years ago, I walked into Jason Blum\u2019s office thinking that I was having a general meeting with a producer who liked horror movies,\u201d he said. \u201cLittle did I know that a decade long partnership and friendship was about to begin. I have since watched his then-infant company, Blumhouse, grow into a powerhouse of genre films; a nurturing place that is willing to take risks on people. Indeed, they have taken plenty of risks on me and I look forward to taking many more with them as they continue to grow in the world of film and television.\u201d (deadline.com)[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Cinephiles, Cecilia: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing left for you to take. You\u2019ve already taken it all.\u201d By far, one of the best films of 2020 is \u201cThe Invisible Man.\u201d It was released in late February – coincidentally or appropriately – during the same week of the sentencing of an infamous sexual predator movie mogul. Cosmic karma? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1778,"featured_media":36507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[214],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1778"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbiff.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}