The Founder is something of a biographical docudrama, telling the story of Ray Kroc, the man who founded McDonald's as we know it today. The golden arches have become embedded in popular culture as the McDonald's empire has supplanted itself in countries around the world. Adapting its menu to suit its market, the Big Mac giant has certainly drawn its fair share of lovers and enemies from health gurus to documentaries like Supersize Me. One thing's for sure, this brand is here to stay, making The Founder a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of its origins, bringing a curious business case study to life.
Kroc may have passed on, but the gregarious spirit of entrepreneurship and persistence has been documented in this brand's coming-of-age tale. Much like The Lego Movie, you'd imagine that McDonald's would be punting its own product and using this film as a marketing tool. Apart from the nostalgia of the original McDonald's store and ethos, the constant references to McDonald's or the retrospective heydays, the branding experience becomes secondary to the actual story. It had to do this to come across as a credible drama and to lure actors like Michael Keaton and directors like John Lee Hancock.
The casting of Keaton is a boon to the drama. Having made a sweeping return to form on the back of Birdman and Spotlight, he's regained much of the respect he lost as an actor over the last two decades. His trademark quirks make him unpredictable and constantly surprising, the sort of currency that actors like Robert Downey Jr. have been trading on. While not as charming as Downey Jr., this fuzzy and divisive demeanor works for him in the role of Ray Kroc. Originally, a milkshake blender salesman, Kroc's sheer determination ties into the values of the American dream and makes him admirable from a Capitalist standpoint.
"It's all about cutting costs, ribbons and ties."
Yet, The Founder isn't a feel good drama about a little guy making the big time. It's a story about a little guy becoming "the Man". His questionable "business is war" strategy made Kroc ruthless like many corporate back stories. From the lowly ranks of ambitious salesman, he recognised the company's potential and channeled his tenacity into the enterprise taking it from local to national in a short space of time. The Founder deals with this chapter in the history of McDonald's from Kroc's perspective. His devil-may-care attitude underwrites his dogged swagger and compels this film on the back of a well-balanced performance from Keaton, whose charming smile makes way for a sinister sneer.
The film benefits from strong production values as we're given a less romantic depiction of the golden age of burger joints and American diners. Authentic cars, wardrobe and scenes transport us to the days before fast food and faster lives when American values centred on family and white picket fences. It's refreshing for its drivethru of American pop culture. Hancock finds a balance between extrapolated product placement and worthy coming-of-age drama, yet there's an ugly hollowness to The Founder as we're forced to identify with the villain. Much like Jobs and The Social Network, we're dealing with a success story that has been tainted by the backroom politics. This undermines the overall enjoyment value and explains why Oliver Stone made Gordon Gekko a supporting character in Wall Street.
You can appreciate the film's fine qualities, the authentic backdrop, the sincere performances and the intrinsic value of the strategic management case study, yet there's no escaping the mixed feelings and emotionally unsatisfying spirit it engenders. The Founder doesn't glorify or condone its lead's smug and cutthroat nature, yet this film's moral compass doesn't appear to have a true North. Trying to excavate the true story without taking sides, makes it seem resigned to a "that's life" standpoint. This safe tack makes it seem more objective and while The Founder doesn't sympathise for Kroc, it becomes hardened to the point of being callous and emotionally distant.
Spling reviews Johnny is Nie Dood Nie, Bypass and Denial as broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Catch Talking Movies on Fridays at 8:20am and Saturdays at 8:15am every week on Fine Music Radio.
Johnny is Nie Dood Nie, adapted from a play by Malan Steyn, is a reunion drama in the tradition of The Big Chill as four friends gather for a braai on the Sunday after Johannes Kerkorrel's suicide to reminisce about their student days. Set in 2002, Johnny is Nie Dood Nie flips back-and-forth in time to the late '80s when they were young, rebellious Stellenbosch students during the time of the Voëlvry tour. Embracing the protest music of Kerkorrel, Koos Kombuis and Bernoldus Niemand, these hedonistic rebels carved a path in opposition to the National Party government and conscription. Now, more than a decade later, they've grown accustomed to the vibacrete walls of suburbia, haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of their varsity friend, Johnny.
This is a wild and restless coming-of-age drama, which juxtapositions the evolution of a group of friends and two ages in South African history. We are introduced to four people at a braai, who with some reluctance are brought together to rehash the past. Through flashbacks, we get a clearer picture and background to the relationships at play and how they have influenced each other. Discussing some of the banal details of their diluted lifestyles with much longing and a solemn atmosphere, they reminisce about the good times and reconcile the past as if they were attending Johnny's wake. Through the lens of Afrikaans pop culture and alternative folk music, we get immersed in student culture and the South Africa of the '80s.
Director Christiaan Olwagen makes his feature film debut seem effortless. He's created an actor's film, giving his talented ensemble enough screen time and depth of character to thrive. This is a good thing considering the majority of the film happens in one location and focuses on their fractious, almost incestuous relationships. A playwright and an actor, this director has a comprehensive understanding of drama and uses this to leverage strong, committed performances from his actors.
"Don't stop living, Johnny..."
Rolanda Marais has a similar intensity to Radha Mitchell - she is unassumingly beautiful and able to navigate a steady median between the worlds of comedy and drama. Her leading role as Lise demonstrates her range as an actor and will undoubtedly serve as her calling card for years to come. Roelof Storm's enigmatic take on Johnny makes it seem like he was inspired in part by Kurt Cobain and Joseph Fiennes. Ludwig Binge has great screen presence and seethes with unchecked rage as Hein. Ilana Cilliers delivers a spirited performance as the no-nonsense Anja, while Albert Pretorius keeps things down-to-earth in a key role as the breezy, consistent and ever-present nice guy, Dirk.
Olwagen must have been inspired by the behind-the-scenes play within a film, Birdman. He's opted for a core cast and continuous shots, allowing the camera to roam freely around his subjects. While it hasn't been edited to create the illusion of one shot, this is the primary shooting style of Johnny is Nie Dood Nie. While the cinematography makes moments more authentic and spontaneous in one sense, the fluidity of movement does detract from the intimacy of the performances and also draws one's attention from story to technique on more than one occasion. This choice does raise the film's profile, elevating it from a local production into something more artful and international, and while a little gimmicky at times - it works!
Careful planning and forethought give the drama a natural rhythm, which together with solid performances, enable Olwagen to establish a free-flowing sense of reality. Johnny is Nie Dood Nie could easily be adapted back to stage, yet justifies its film status by virtue of execution, harnessing a similar pent-up sense of the spontaneous and unpredictable. This is evidenced by a meandering party scene, which demonstrates the power of this vicarious walkthrough reality. As impressive as it is, there are a few moments when the swirling camera does get a bit monotonous.
Johnny is Nie Dood Nie is a bit raw when it comes to the non-stop party lifestyle of the friends, who are in each other's pockets. The hard edge makes it difficult to empathise for the self-destructive characters and as a result its a rather hollow and detached film experience. While verging on gratuitous at times, the use of bad language, drugs, alcohol and sex is frequent, which is to be expected in a movie about sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. It's rough and angst-filled, yet the natural dialogue-heavy format is similar to dramas from Richard Linklater, making it more niche and art house in its approach. The visual decadence and detail will keep the Instagram generation happy as the film oozes with retro cool, while older viewers will be transported by the nostalgic mood and music.
Christiaan Olwagen has burst onto the scene with an artful, moody, stylish and refreshing coming-of-age reunion drama that brims with spirited performances, lures with the recklessness of youth and immerses with inspired cinematography. While a little repetitive, alienating and in search of its core, Johnny is Nie Dood Nie captures the Zeitgeist and uncertainty of South Africa in the '80s through free-flowing dialogue, and powers home with an angst-riddled, haunting and self-reflective vigor.
Bypass is a medical thriller, directed by Shane Vermooten and starring Natalie Becker, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Greg Kriek and Deon Lotz. It centres on, and creates awareness about the controversial criminal world of human organ trafficking. We journey with Dr Lisa Cooper, a renowned cardiac surgeon, who is forced to take desperate measures in order to secure a future for her son, Sam. After giving her consent for Sam to undergo an illegal procedure at a clinic in East Africa, she begins to realise that she may have inadvertently endangered both of their lives.
While there have been a handful of good medical thrillers, exposing the darker side of hospitals, medicine and surgery... most of them have approached the subgenre from a psychological standpoint. While Bypass deals with a mother's mindset in response to being separated from her child, it's one of the few medical thrillers that actually takes place in a hospital. This setup would usually involve horror, and while Bypass was influenced by horror thrillers, this isn't its primary currency, staying true to its positioning as "Africa's first medical thriller".
A first for Africa, it also marks the feature film directorial debut for Shane Vermooten, a passionate young filmmaker who has a bright future ahead of him. Together with his team, they've managed to present a respectable big film on a small budget. Through talent, hard work, resourcefulness, networking and partnerships, they have pieced together a visually-enticing film with good production values, compelling sound design, convincing special effects and a solid ensemble in a timely story with positive social implications. Unfortunately, while Bypass checks many boxes, it's undermined by a thin script and some naïve decision-making.
"One organ donor can save 8 lives."
Dr Lisa Cooper features prominently enough for Bypass to have been a character portrait. While we understand her emotional journey, it all seems like one-way traffic without giving her the time to form relationships with any fully-formed characters. The story is primarily event-driven and there aren't enough meaningful interactions with other characters to truly excavate her inner world. This impacts on perceived nuance and subtext, making the story straightforward and seem as two-dimensional as a graphic novel. Some moments seem staged, failing to accommodate or reason with possible external forces and allowing our heroine to go through the motions with perceived rather than actual opposition.
Without the rich dialogue to help develop each character's unique disposition, Bypass becomes action-orientated forcing us to glean character details on-the-run. While it maintains good pacing, this makes for a fairly lightweight and painless medical thriller. It's easier to enjoy thanks to the beautiful and elemental Natalie Becker, whose fascinating face graces almost every scene. The wealth of character actors do what they can to ground their supporting performances, yet without the necessary exposition, we have to make do with broad brush strokes.
It's wonderful to see Natalie Becker taking on a lead role as the determined actor grinds out a gritty performance with emotions rippling across her face. Up-and-coming actor, Greg Kriek, tackles the duality of a man constantly subjugating his identity and sense of morality. Hakeem Kae-Kazim is a dependable actor and turns out a composed and well-balanced performance as Dr. Chris Moanda. Shoki Mokgapa embodies the word 'clinical' as the serene Sister Mmaya and could've been given more story responsibility. Joel Brown is sweet-natured and innocent as Sam, while Deon Lotz gets a grip on his Dutch accent and adds some maniacal joy to his role as Dr Wright, who was worthy of more exploration.
Without a fully-fledged emotional connection to the characters, the story becomes obscured and safe from a distance. While the quick pacing keeps one entertained with a constant flow of crisp visuals peppered with twists-and-turns, the screenplay doesn't dig deep enough into the inner worlds of the characters, or organ trafficking racket to truly engage the audience on an intellectual level. For its budget, Bypass is ambitious and even commendable within its context, however one can't help but feel that the script would've benefited from more time in the incubator. Then, while it aims for international appeal... the production needed to be tighter, more cautious and more focused.
While Bypass struggles to overcome its inherent flaws, Vermooten delivers a competitive production and a cohesive story with style. A lightweight feature, it's easy enough to adjust to the world of Bypass and enjoy the film for what its worth. Being a competent, female-led, low budget film about organ trafficking with a sharp South African cast, there's much to admire, it's just a pity that it all just seems a bit too rushed.
