Ben Richter is a sophomore telecommunications major and writes film reviews for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Ben at brichter@bsu.edu.
“The Revenant,” Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s highly anticipated follow-up project to "Birdman", experienced its share of publicity. There was much controversy regarding the high rate of crew turnover during production and the expectation of awards buzz following its release. But does the film merit this expectation?
The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter. Set in 1820s' northern frontier, the film follows Hugh Glass, a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition. Surrounded by Arikara Native Americans, bitter cold and the native wildlife, the company works assiduously to return to their home fort. The journey is plagued with difficulty, and the film excels at emphasizing the chaos and uncertainty of traversing a dangerous environment.
Those familiar with the recent work of Iñárritu will recognize some familiar elements. Paralleling his 2010 film, "Biutiful," the film circles around the relationship between a father and child. Additionally, the scattering of supernatural elements throughout the film at varying levels of intensity echo the drum set and flight scenes in “Birdman.”
Comparisons in style aside, The Revenant blows past the director’s previous works in many aspects. First and foremost, this film is one of the most visually appealing of the year. It was interesting to see a movie filmed with only natural light and the landscape cinematography is jaw dropping, especially juxtaposed with the intimate shots of a weak and injured Glass. Although it would have been easy to demonize the landscape visually, the sweeping landscapes remain beautiful throughout the film. Under the pale light of an overcast sky, they appear to be absolutely indifferent, which creates an implication of almost existential loneliness.
The contrasting sequences of human (and non-human) interactions are strikingly intimate. At one point the fourth wall is broken as Glass breathes heavily, fogging the lens of the camera. Even as the feeble Glass crawls along the snow (there is much of this), the audience stays near him, feeling every grunt and wince. But not every scene is quiet, and these scenes punctuate the cold emptiness with an extreme.
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Further along in the movie, the company is raided at a camp, and the execution of the scene is exquisite. Arrows fly, not in the cliché style of vast overhead screaming clouds, but instead as whispering daggers. The randomness displayed as the company reacts to the “Ri” attack captures the sheer horror and arbitrariness of frontier combat.
But accompanying these stunning visuals is the real star of the film, the sound design. From whispered promises to a son and wife, to the rush of wind through the snowy canopy, to the almost nautical groan of the woods, the film perfectly infuses the intensely realistic soundscape with strokes of surrealism. One example of the former would be the harrowing bear attack, which will remain undescribed in this review, as it should be experienced in person.
Lastly, I should mention the cast. This team delivers its very finest. DiCaprio’s performance is exhausting for the audience as it so beautifully captures the intense physicality of the character’s condition. Hardy stuns as Fitzgerald, a fellow fur trader, and delivers an antagonist who creates uncertainty in the mind of the viewer. Most surprising, however, is the starkly raw performance of Poulter. Having only seen him in 2013’s “We’re the Millers,” his performance in this film is shockingly good.
So does this film deserve all the awards buzz? Yes. “The Revanent” is a film that begs to be seen in theaters. I’ll definitely be going again.
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