Christine

I have a confession to make. I saw this during the Halloween period and wanted to watch the classic horror movie Christine from 1983. Instead I saw this film and by serendipitous good luck came across a powerful and sad drama that made me cry (to confuse matters this drama is set in the late 70s and is filmed with a filter to make it feel authentic. When a possessed car did not turn up around 20 minutes in, I knew then it was a different film!)

This is a powerful film because it tackles depression and lost hope but does not dwell in the melancholy of the situation. The ending is tragic and it dawned on me that Christine Chubbuck death was probably the provenance for the story in Network which followed 2 years later.

Rebecca Hall is supported by a wealth of talent and the acting is excellent from everyone. It felt so real, like watching a fly on the wall drama.

I am glad I saw this film because it reminded me that people (and I include myself) may look OK on the outside, but they could be screaming in the inside. A lot of dramas avoid mental health and well being because in many quarters it is still considered to be taboo, but more films like this need to me made and watched.

Christine, one of the best films I've seen this year, might appear at first to be about a feminist issue - set in 1974 at a small TV station in Sarasota, Florida, a woman named Christine Lubbock (Rebecca Hall) has to contend with her male co-workers and male boss, and where they get preferential treatment (at least seemingly, ultimately) despite being told by her own boss she's the smartest on there - but it's strongest as a depiction of mental illness. This is the subject that actually makes for more compelling subject matter, though it is harsher to see depicted; I cringe watching this film, it's uncomfortable to watch, and despite/because of this it's a brilliant depiction of a bi-polar person and the interior struggle of her life.

There are two fronts this film is successful. The first is the technical aspect. This looks, feels, acted, sounds like a movie from the period in the 70's (you know, back when American cinema was king as far as getting deeper into character and mood and technique and showing a reality moviegoers hadn't been exposed to much before outside of foreign cinema) with Campos and his DP using zoom lenses and shots that linger maybe just a little too long, and audio that sometimes (no, often times) can put us into the state of mind of the character: when Christine is laser-focused, nothing else can detract from her. When she is wary, she may hear the sounds outside that make her a little distracted (there's one scene between Christine and George, played by Michael C Hall, in a car that made me see/hear this). Not to mention the clothes, the music (so much bad 70's pop on the precipice of disco), and how people talked to one another.

The other thing that makes it authentic is how Christine and everyone talks, The dialog here is all about showing the realism of the TV station, and finding the nuance and what surrounds this woman who is very smart. It could be said she has a touch of Asperger's along with the bi-polar, if one wanted to go into a diagnosing-on-the-couch approach. But that takes away from what Campos and Rebecca Hall accomplish with this character. One may be reminded of Nightcrawler from two years ago, also about an ambitious being in the world of news (also, one should say, with a mental or personality disorder of some kind, and access to a police radio for the latest scoop), only while Gyllenhall in that film was a pure sociopath and no lack of communicating what he thinks/feels/sees, Christine's problems are an inability to come out with something all the time.

To be sure she's surrounded by the kind of news culture that has only multiplied exponentially over the past four decades; "If it bleeds, it leads," Christine's boss says, to which Christine reminds him that's a BS catch-phrase. No matter: the pressure is on to get things that people want to see, that brings ratings, and the same "human interest" stories about locals with Strawberry farms or chicken coops won't cut it. But what drew me in to this film was how potent the point of view was for Christine in this world. It's hinted at (or flat out spoken) that she had some previous anxiety/personality/bi-polar disorder issues back in Boston where she used to work, and now being in Sarasota isn't being much of an improvement. So among this news team, where she tries to find her own path and is up against resistance (some understandable, some not), and with friends (Maria Dizza as Jean is as good a supporting performance as from Michael C Hall, and he's really great here), she makes her own problems but never in a way that makes her unsympathetic.

Christine is closer if anything to Taxi Driver as far as a story of someone on the edge of an existence, and it's all the more painful because of what Christine is able and ready to do, her talents and intuition and in her way mix of innocence and cynicism (though mostly disbelief) at the world around her, which includes her own pot-smoking hippie mother. Hall taps into the ball of contradictions in this character, and I was often on the edge of my seat like this was the most intense thriller in years.

And it's in fact all based on a true story; I had known a couple of the broad strokes of the story, the climax in particular, and I almost wish I hadn't. I won't mention what happens to the sometimes awkward, full articulate but "not easy to approach" (as George says to her at one point) Christine by the end of her story, but even knowing it the filmmakers and Hall draw us in so inexorably to her interior and exterior struggles through such precise and heartbreaking storytelling that I can't shake the feeling this will be with me for a while.

The tragic story of a young, promising reporter struggling with depression.

For anyone reading this and suffering, you are not alone. Many people go through hard times in life and in their own heads. You MUST remember that circumstances and states of mind can change for the better and even quickly. Please don't make a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

"Christine" (2016 release; 115 min.) is a movie about the final days of TV news reporter Christine Chubbuck. As the movie opens, we see Christine conduct an imaginary interview with President Nixon, who is under fire for Watergate. It is the summer of 1974, and Christine is a reporter at a small TV station in Sarasota, FL. She is not happy with her role at the station (dreaming to be promoted to a bigger anchoring role), and not happy with her life in general (living with her mom, no romantic interest in her life, etc.). At this point, we are 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie, "based on true events" we are reminded at the beginning, is a stunning look at the downward spiral of a lonely but ambitious woman, who is determined to make it 'big' in the TV news business, yet seemingly can't catch a break. Director Antonio Campos does an excellent job, capturing the zeitgeist of the nation at that time, replicating the looks and feel of the summer of 1974 almost to perfection (including a bunch of radio hits from that era--now sounding pretty horrible). Even though Christine finds some outlets (volunteering at the local children's hospital), it isn't nearly enough to prevent the sad and horrifying ending. Since we all know going in how this is going to end, it makes for a pretty depressing experience, even though the movie itself is quite good. Rebecca Hall shines as Christine, and she carries the movie on her shoulders from start to finish, but equally outstanding is Tracy Lets as her boss Michael, the TV station's manager who keeps urging Christine to "just make your stories juicy" and "if it bleeds, it leads". Guess he never imagined Christine would take that to its ultimate conclusion...

"Christine" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay, somewhat to my surprise. It looks like there is some interest out there to find out what drove this woman to do what she did. I don't know that I can recommend this movie all that strongly, since this is an utterly depressing viewing experience, but let me be clear that "Christine" is a well-made and well-acted movie for sure.

I'm going to write this review as if you had not heard the sensational and tragic story of Christine Chubbuck. If you are unfamiliar with Christine's story then I suggest you do not read into it before seeing this film. I shall reveal very little of it here.

The story concerns the real life story of Christine Chubbuck, a reporter in Florida in the 1970s. As an opportunity opens up at a bigger news station, Christine finds herself attempting to adopt the station manager's sensationalist approach to the news. The film details her struggle with depression and it's impact on her personal life and work.

The depression is seen as both the result and cause of Christine 's difficulty in connecting with others. Many characters throughout the film reach out to her only for her to pull away. The cyclical nature of depression is all too familiar but what's interesting here is that each character who reaches out to Christine is well meaning but insist on viewing her depression in their own way instead of actually speaking with Christine.

At one point Christine screams "why is no one listening to me?!" and it's true. No one listens to Christine. Her mother is certain that she just needs a man. The anchor on her news show is certain she just needs therapy. Her friend at the station is certain that she just needs ice cream. Everyone is so quick to offer possible remedies and solutions that Christine is actually overlooked.

This is exemplified in the "Yes, but" game as seen in the trailer for the film. In the game the speaker tells the listener their problems. The listener then suggests a solution to which the speaker replies "yes, but" and points out the issues with that solution. The idea may be to get to the heart of the speaker's problems or for them to simply run out of problems and start thinking about solutions but the effect is clear. The issues and concerns of the speaker are being dismissed, one by one. Often with just a few words.

This portrayal of the isolating effects of depression is very affecting. We see Christine attempt to bury herself in work, buying a radio scanner to listen in on police frequencies in an attempt to find the gruesome story she needs to gain recognition. As we see her hunched over her notepad listening to two police officers brag about sexual conquests, we can see the cracks starting to appear.

The entire film hinges on Rebecca Hall's ability to play a character who is simultaneously spiralling out of control and deeply sympathetic and fortunately she accomplishes this extremely well. She is magnetic to watch even as she shrinks into the backgrounds of the scenes in which Christine finds herself. Her awkwardness and frustration are told through tiny movements and gestures.

The film takes some liberties with the real life of Christine Chubbuck. Some people on her life have been omitted and some incidents have been made to occur later than they actually did for dramatic effect. However if you walk into this film without knowing how Christine's story ended then I am sure you will be as shocked as the world was back in 1975 and hopefully you will reflect on how you personally react to depression, in yourself and others. If you're anything like me you will emerge from the cinema desperate to know more about this enigmatic and tragic young woman.

The film is a very tense and uncomfortable slow burn with some surprisingly funny moments. Performances are excellent all round but this really is Hall's show and is an excellent showcase for her talents as a screen presence.