The Revenant (or the unexpected virtue of what bothers me about The Revenant)
There is a lot going on and talked around Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s movie The Revenant and its place in this year’s Academy Awards for many reasons. If The Revenant is to win any of the different categories in which it is nominated, many would be very significant beyond the award on its own. For starters, if Leo DiCaprio (finally) wins the Oscar for Best Actor, the internet and social media will go crazy and be flooded with memes; if the award is given to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki he would be the first one to win his third Oscar in a row after Gravity (2014) and Birdman (2015); if Alejandro G. Iñárritu wins Best Director and/or the movie Best Picture, it will be the second consecutive year in which the Mexican is given these awards and probably all of the country would declare February 28th a national holiday for the pride our fellow countryman has bestowed on “us”.
I have no idea if all or any of these events will happen, and to be honest I don’t care much, though it would probably make a hell of a fun one-day-celebration, and give everyone an interesting topic for conversation and, lets admit it, useless debate. But beyond all the Oscar buzz which is meant to make the loudest noise, what has captured me is its cause, that is to say, the movie itself and which, I could bet, will not be as acknowledged.
The tweet I published (“joking”) as soon as I came out of the theatre was: “Take away Birdman’s Oscar from Iñárritu and give it back to him for The Revenant”; and with this I could ad: “Forget his 20-year-long career and the performances for which DiCaprio hasn’t won an Oscar and let this one be for its own”; and I would never ask to “take away the other two Oscars from Lubezki” because he deserves each and every one of them. All of this to say that this movie, for once and oddly enough, is much bigger than the multiple controversies and buzz that surround it. With that said, I would not want to do the exact thing I am “criticising” and not give all of my attention to, actually, The Revenant; but it was of a big deal for me to make this remark given that (I found out) it was the one thing bothering me the most; awards may come and go but independently from winning them or not, I can’t stand the thought that, by doing so, this will have more attention than the movie itself.
To begin with, Leo. Yes, I can bet my ass he is going to win the precious Oscar and this will sadly be the end of all Oscar-DiCaprio memes and jokes (not before internet breaks for the amount of them about him winning). Still, putting this aside, I don’t know what other recognition can any actor get for giving a hell of a good, visceral, compelling and emotional performance; so if an Oscar is it, then, by all means, give the man an Oscar! But to get deeper into all the reasons for which I believe DiCaprio’s acting was amazing I should need to discuss first the spinal column of the movie, which for me is where all of its richness and value lies.
Last year’s movie discussion revolved around the gimmicks; for Boyhood (which should have won) was the 12-year-long production, for Birdman was its great one-take shooting (Lubezki my love ❤); this year The Revenant’s is how Iñárritu, Lubezki, Leo, Hardy and the whole production went through the hardest conditions in Canada, Argentina and others to film this movie using only natural light. Indeed, these really were extreme conditions, and there is so much to it, and it is all probably much more easier said than done, but … by doing this not only did Iñárritu achieved a beautiful, impressive and really well-done movie; the process became a part of it, of its meaning and its journey.
The film tells the story of Hugh Glass a fur-trapper who, after being furiously attacked by a bear, is left behind by his fellow hunters and therefore will have to travel a fearsome journey through unwelcoming territories and against the most extreme conditions to survive and get his revenge. This “Odyssean” kind of tale is not at all new to the film industry; people are so concerned about spoilers this days for being able to enjoy a movie or series, and with good reason, but for The Revenant I could very well describe everything that happens, how it all ends and the movie will not be ruined (don’t worry though, I won’t). The greatness of this film is in that which you will hear Iñárritu and all of the cast say 100 times and will strike you as just some strategy to sell tickets; about going into the nature, how hard it was to shoot, etc. etc. moving forward; but the thing is … this really is what the movie is about, and most importantly, it is the experience that it coveys to the viewer.
Though the screenplay was written mainly by Mark L. Smith and Iñárritu, it is “based on a book, based on a true story” of this courageous Hugh Glass guy, such a hero who against all odds seeks to survive. Survival; basic human condition and our most primitive drive. We all fight to survive each day “in our own jungle”, don’t we? So none of us should be a stranger to the feeling, though is amazing how easily we can forget. The Revenant explores the cliché of survival, but accurately enough, Iñárritu tells:
“If we ended up in green-screen with coffee and everybody having a good time, everybody will be happy, but most likely the film would be a piece of shit” .
What this statement has to it is that: it is true. Not only for technical and visual reasons, but for what the movie says about itself; it was a decision of the filmmakers not to take the easy way. Living for a year or so within unholy conditions of extreme weather was not the easy way, but it showed the landscapes and the true environment which Glass had to fight; filming with natural light at expenses of the now-even-more-temperamental nature was not the easy way but it allowed Lubezki to catch every nuance of shadow, colour and light for the most beautiful cinematography; Leo did not have to eat a real bison’s liver for the take, which would have been much easier and way less gross, but his real reaction is on screen. The cast, crew and the story immersed themselves both with and against nature, fighting to survive, even if “surviving” was only not to loose the $135 million invested on the film.
What does all this tell us as spectators? “Hooray! Give them the Oscars! It was a really hard film.”? Probably yeah … but it gives us even more. This movie, this experience, is human-beings at their most raw: fighting for survival; but also at their most brilliant: yes, lets survive, but the way in which we survive does matter. All this could be so poetic and filled with good intentions and morals but the movie could have turned out to be mediocre; needless to say it didn’t. I love movies and still one thing I always do (even with my favourite ones) is checking how long it has for it to end. For The Revenant’s 156 minutes of Leonardo DiCaprio struggling with whatever got in his way, I didn’t. It is one long crusade also for the audience but an incredibly enjoyable, delightful and emotional one. The care and passion of every person involved in the making of this film shows in every detail: from the meaning of the costumes, to the use of real carcasses, from the language spoken (That DiCaprio had to learn for his few lines) to the native american actors involved; it all can’t help but to permeate every part of the movie whether this is recognised (by either spectators and Academy) or not.
There wouldn’t be an end to me talking about the different layers The Revenant has to it (and if anyone wants to, I’d be delighted); so many metaphors, undertone meanings, connections and references, the appraisal of nature as an uncontainable force, the mundane and spirituality of men, the beauty of Lubezki’s godlike-work, life and death’s never-ending dance, etc. But for now I just have to say that in spite of even my personal restrains against it, Iñárritu’s work truly amazed me and touched a deep, core string about what I think real art is meant be and do.
