Just
Like A Woman (2013/Cohen
Media Blu-ray)/Margarita
(2013/Wolfe DVD)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B/C+ Extras: C Films: C
As
you read this upon its first posting, it is again awards season and
the debate once again is about if women are properly represented in
film and filmmaking, including a hit about two lesbian women that
some are saying plays it too safe. The discussion is worth it, but
the answers are far more complex than most of the debate has let on
which surfaces in these two new releases, both directed by women.
Rachid
Bouchareb's Just
Like A Woman
(2013) has Sienna Miller as a belly dancer with a no good man who may
be cheating on her who befriends a married woman (Goshifteh Farahani)
who is not totally happy with her life and has a mother-in-law that
hates her. Sick of it all, they leave their men on their own, at the
same time, no knowing they have done this at the same time until a
chance cell phone call between them. So what to do? Run off like
Thelma
& Louise!
Though
not a rip-off of that film, the comparisons are hard to avoid, but he
angle that they have to belly dance to survive is an interesting one
and we buy the friendship, but the screenplay has very little new to
offer and the actors actually make this more watchable than it should
be. The ladies to not have an affair either, but the good moments
help and we occasionally get nice visuals. Too bad this is
restricted by an old narrative structure, holding back a chance for a
female discourse to breathe.
The
only extras are a Photo Gallery and trailer.
Dominique
Cardona & Laurie Colbert co-directed Margarita
(2013) is about the title character (Nicola Correia Damude) who is an
undocumented Mexican nanny suddenly out of a job because her working
rich employers made some dumb mistakes. She likes the family enough
and is having a love affair with a woman (she looks like Annie Lennox
meets Susan Powder, in a good way...) but is suddenly challenged by
everything collapsing as all was getting good.
Unfortunately,
the co-directing is uneven, everyone acts too childish to be
believed, everyone talks at each other, everyone is not very bright
and this was shockingly poor, as was the short film by the same
people. The actors are actually cast well, but the writing makes
everyone a cartoon, caricature or near-stereotype, so it is a sad
failure all around. Odd though too because this should have worked.
A
trailer and short film Below The Belt are the only
extras.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Woman
has slight softness throughout due to its style, but is
a consistent shoot and easy enough to watch and enjoy, even if it
never achieves a specific
look. The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on Margarita
is softer and that is due to the standard definition format and maybe
more styling. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Woman
is dialogue-based, yet is surprisingly well recorded, mixed
and presented
throughout in impressive ways we were not expecting. The lossy Dolby
Digital
5.1 on
Margarita
is not bad, but it is on the flat side and does not offer much of a
soundfield.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
