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" (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.

Most people who have ever heard of Christine Chubbuck already know how her story ends; She's been attributed to glimpsing into the future of television journalism with her final statement, the story turning into a morbid urban legend in the over forty years since the incident occurred. I admit, the first time I heard the story almost ten years ago, it sounded so bizarre, I almost couldn't believe it.

Christine sets out to humanize Christine Chubbuck, and elicit empathy from an audience that might already see her as someone who is monstrous. Yet, somehow, the movie accomplishes it's goal, giving her humanity that was lost in the headlines. Much of that credit is due to Rebecca Hall who transformed herself completely, throwing herself into the role so thoroughly that it's almost frightening.

The first time we see Christine she is filming herself doing a mock interview, and then later on, we see Christine examining every little gesture, picking herself apart in order to remake herself into something better to gain that elusive feeling of perfection, yet no matter how many times she's assured by Jean Reed (Maria Dizzia), the only person at WZRB that could probably be considered a friend, there's still that look of dissatisfaction with herself etched on her face.

It's been written that Christine Chubbuck used to give puppet shows to mentally challenged children so the screenwriter incorporated that into the film, but it's utilized as little glimpses of what she's thinking: 'Be Bold, Be Brave' she tells them, a fairly innocuous phrase, but for the viewer who knows what's to come later on, it has chilling connotations.

The moment that made Christine Chubbuck famous is shown in all of it's brutal and devastating impact. The film even shows her mother watching as it all unfolds. I don't know if Christine Chubbuck's mother, Peg, was actually watching the day Christine did what she did, but the possibility of that actually occurring, is heartbreaking.

It's a testament to the filmmakers that, though Christine can often come across as incredibly difficult and unlikable, the audience still has a great deal of empathy for her. Yes, she has fights with her boss about 'blood and guts' television, and her mother about the state of her life, but it's carefully contrasted with moments of quiet desperation, like the sequence when the head news anchor, George (Michael C. Hall), takes her to a transactional analysis meeting where they play a game of 'Yes, but…" and Christine slowly reveals the things that she feels make her life impossible to live.

Overall, Christine is a portrait of a woman desperately trying to make something of herself but because of a chemical imbalance, she can't seem to sync with the people and world around her. Anchored by Rebecca Hall who gives an Oscar-worthy turn, Christine is also supported by an excellent supporting cast (Maria Dizzia and J. Smith Cameron in particular), strong direction and an incisive script. Highly recommended.

I hadn't really read anything about the plot of the film. I only heard the praise for Hall and so I decided to give it a go. A few minutes in and I realized what real-life event it was going to be about and it really soured my mood. It's just not a fun film to watch at all. I've read so much about the real life person that the whole thing was just a very depressing experience. It's hard for me o accurately judge the film as a whole but I can say that Rebecca Hall is devastatingly effective here. There are no false notes in her performance at all and I am tempted to say that it is one of the finest portrayals of depression I have ever seen in a film. She makes you absolutely feel her pain and her sorrow and it all becomes so powerful that it makes the whole thing even more grim. She should be getting all of the award nominations possible and the fact that she has flown so under the radar is absolutely criminal.

This film left me speechless and crying in parts, even though I mistakenly researched the film before watching it, is was still left with a number of mixed emotions. I can't remember a film having such a deep and traumatising effect on me, it is truly one of the saddest stories on film. Obviously don't research anything about this film before seeing it because it will probably shock you.

Firstly the film as a whole, is good / OK, its fine but it can get a little slow here and there. It was a story that I'd never heard of which is unbelievable really, but probably due to the fact it was before my time and didn't happen in my country. As mentioned I researched the film a little before watching it due to its really good trailer and yep ruined to ending and all the overbearing issues in the film, but was still interesting in how it was going to be brought to screen. The directing is OK nothing groundbreaking but I think a very personal and thought provoking film like this doesn't need anything out of this world. The supporting cast are all fine and average characters that you can sort of connect with, some obviously more than others. There is a really good close, family like feeling in the news station that the characters have with each other, which is an interesting dynamic. So overall the film is good, I can now see why this isn't getting as much buzz as I thought it was because this film stands on one performance.

Rebecca Hall in my opinion is a very talented and often underrated actor, who deserves bigger roles, this film only backs up my claim. This is personally the best performance I think she has done in her career so far, due to the complexities of the character she is portraying, Christine. Whether you are a man or woman, or have dealt with some of what she is going through or all of what he is going through, this film will hit you very hard. I can say from personal experience some of her social situations or mannerisms are perfectly portrayed on screen because I can see myself in that situation doing the same thing. If you have never suffered from depression or any mental health issue this film might make it easier for you to understand it a bit more. There is so much to this character that can't be put into words the sorrow and surprising anger that I personally had towards her. I never ever had a film made me shout out loud in anger because I want the character to do something so badly or just speak to someone about her problems, but I also know how difficult that is. This character is easy to connect with as the audience because she genuinely wants to be happy and you want her to be happy as well, she is in now way a horrible person who had done something wrong, she has done nothing to deserve the situation she finds herself in. It actually made me sick to my stomach the ending to the film and how easy to it could have been to change and find help, it is truly a social injustice. Your mind will be overwhelmed with emotions, like mine is now, that you want to express and can't. 100% this film will make you cry or make you just feel horrible and if you don't then you aren't human.

All in all this film banks on the performance of Rebecca Hall which is fantastic and should be championed more than it is, however the rest of the film can be a little lack lustre. I think this film needed a couple of more characters to be a bit more interesting or relatable or for the story at the news station to be a bit more, meat to the bone. Saying that, if that is what happened in the true story then it should be changed for entertainment purposes. Finally I think the ending of the film could have been tackled a little better instead of just grinding to a halt, like the film makers run out of time. 70% out of 100 the performance of Rebecca Hall, the story and the emotional reaction I had to film make it a good watch, I will never forget the first time I watched this film. You should definitely watch this film for the social injustice it is and the risks and dangers surrounding metal health issues.