Megan McLachlan continues her coverage of the 53rd Telluride Film Festival, with reviews of Fjord, Club Kid, and Gentle Monster.
On the third day of the Telluride Film Festival, I quickly discovered a common theme among the films on my Sunday schedule: Child Protection Services.
That was the magic keyword used in each film, with children in “peril” in Fjord, which follows a Christian family in Norway facing abuse allegations; Club Kid, Jordan Firstman’s coming-of-age story where a gay party promoter discovers he has a son; and Gentle Monster, Marie Kreutzer’s dark drama about a woman who fears for her son after learning devastating things about her husband.
Fjord Might Be the Most Controversial Narrative Film of the Year (Complimentary)
Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner will certainly get people talking, which is what I love most about it, that it dares to live in the gray areas. The Gheorghiu family, a clan of seven including two parents (Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve), moves to a Norwegian community for the father’s job. They also just happen to be uber-Christian; the children aren’t allowed to use phones and share Bible verses instead of TikToks. When one of the children shows up to school with bruises, the teachers alert the headmaster and quickly make assumptions about what’s going on with the family (even though this school has brutal wrestling matches in gym classes!).
For a country known for personal space and the cozy idea of hygge, Norway in Fjord is painted in a different light from what I’ve seen in other films. These school administrators really get up in the business of this family without truly investigating the circumstances, which makes the Land of the Midnight Sun feel more tyrannical than utopian. While hitting a child is never appropriate, Mungiu does raise the issue of spanking, with Mihai (Stan) admitting to authorities that he slapped his children’s bottoms. But if it’s akin to slapping hands not to touch a stove, how far is too far? While a subplot concerning the lawyer’s father could have been cut, Fjord builds tension while asking its audience to examine their own preconceived notions.
Club Kid Ushers in Jordan Firstman as a New Auteur Voice to Be Reckoned With
If you’ve seen I Love LA or The English Teacher (seriously, watch both if you haven’t), you know Jordan Firstman as a second banana on these comedies. The sidekick who makes the joke and retreats. With Club Kid, not only does Firstman get to play the lead, he also wrote and directed this sweet but sometimes raunchy (my favorite genre!)
coming-of-age comedy. Think Raising Helen but good, or Big Daddy but without the misogynistic jokes at the expense of Hooters waitresses.
Ten years ago, party promoter Peter (Firstman) partied a little too hard and hooked up with a woman (he’s gay!) who ended up having his son. Now, that 10-year-old son shows up at his door (with a hilarious Kirby Howell-Baptiste) after losing his mother, and Peter has to decide whether he’s ready to take on this responsibility.
Club Kid has a familiar premise, but Firstman’s voice and humor make it feel fresh, as if you’re watching this kind of story unfold for the first time. Firstman’s dynamic direction is another reason why, the opening uber sequence inviting you to take a spin with this crew. I’m unsure if the Academy will embrace a comedy that might feel extremely youthful and out of their reach of understanding, but that really doesn’t matter: Club Kid is a sweet, fun film that reveals Firstman as a true talent. Plus, the supporting cast, including icon Colleen Camp, is hilarious.
Gentle Monster Goes Places Many American Films Wouldn’t Dare Go with a Quietly Intense Performance from Léa Seydoux
Imagine the police show up at your house and arrest your husband of many years. . .for something unspeakable. That’s the premise of Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster, starring the great Léa Seydoux as a wife/mother/pop musician (I could watch a whole film about THAT unexplored aspect!) who wants to believe her husband’s innocence even though everything is telling her he’s guilty.
Joey Moser said something really interesting after we watched this one with me: That in an American film, the wife character would be loud and angry, throwing tables and screaming at the situation. Here, Seydoux expresses so much with just her eyes, whether she’s watching the happy couple at the wedding or staring down the female police officer on the case. Seydoux’s quiet performance really centers this film. Despite his horrific actions, her Lucy still loves her husband, and I’ve never seen this subject been treated with such blurred edges, that you don’t stop loving someone even when they do the unfathomable, that you promised to love them for better or worse.
Where Fjord’s subplot about an ill father feels misplaced, Gentle Monster‘s secondary storyline involving the cop Elsa (Jella Haase) adds interesting commentary on doing what is “right.” In her job, Elsa picks up the bad guys (all while vaping), but in her personal life, she’s desperate to find a caregiver for her own predator. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.
For more Telluride coverage:
Wild Horse Nine, Elsinore, Tender Loving Care, and The Debut
