The Legendary Actor - Chapter 71

Since the birth of “Pulp Fiction” in 1994, independent cinema has become an important force in the film industry that cannot be ignored.

From “American Beauty” to “Brokeback Mountain” to “No Country for Old Men”, the attention to the independent films is constantly rising, and almost every year, we can find a batch of independent films of outstanding quality, which are praised by both academics and critics. Last year’s “Hurt Locker” is one such example.

“Buried” is a typical independent film.

It tells the simple story of a construction contractor from the United States who is attacked while working in Iraq and wakes up in a coffin, buried alive.

The most daring part of the film is that the entire film is shot in a coffin without any other images involved, starting with the coffin and ending with the coffin, and the world outside the coffin and the relationships between the characters are completely outlined by the dialogue, putting all the weight on the actor.

Not only did the script required the most demanding dialogue – filling the space with information, how to show what happened inside and outside the coffin, how to present the story before and after entering the coffin, and how to restore the original background of the characters’ relationships in a critical situation – these were all challenges; it also required incredible acting.

Survival is the only instinct in a situation of extreme hardship, panic, fear and despair, but the actor must show the whole range of emotions, bringing the audience’s mind into the closed space, avoiding the tedium of long single scenes and the boredom of repetition due to limited camera cuts.

As a matter of fact, there are not many works that use monologues to tell the story, but there are even fewer works like “Buried Alive” in which the main character is the only one on screen. This is a daunting challenge, and the difficulty is unimaginable.

Similarly, but in a more opportunistic way, “127 Hours,” directed by Danny Boyle, focuses on Aron Ralston, who survives a near-death experience. While hiking, Aron Ralston is stranded in the same place for five days, that is one hundred and twenty-seven hours after he falls off a cliff in a remote valley. He is crushed by a boulder, leaving his arm immobilized.

However, Danny adds context to the film, not only in terms of Aaron’s preparations before he sets out – the pleasure of meeting his friends on the trek -, but also in terms of the rescue and hope that follows his eventual self-redemption, and the flashback to Aaron’s life to add to the bondage.

This is indeed a one-man show, but a one-man show with many people involved.

“Buried” is more experimental, more independent, and more difficult than “127 hours”. All scenes take place in a coffin, which is the crucial part of the film.

Filming “127 Hours”, Danny was already an accomplished director who not only made such famous independent films as “Trainspotting”, but also won an Oscar for Best Director for “Slumdog Millionaire”. Even then Danny still dared not to try to have only one scene throughout the movie, because anyone knows that such a method easily makes it become boring, too monotonous, and too sluggish. If you are not careful, you will be criticized by the audience and film critics. You will have to watch out for vegetables as they will come hurling at you expressing the boos.

Yet, “Buried” was able to accomplish it.

The film’s director and screenwriter were both newcomers, with director Rodrigo Cortes, who had been active primarily in short films until that point.

The short film and the feature-length film are two very different systems, and just as a sprinter may not always be able to excel in the marathon, “Buried” was only his second feature-length film.

Screenwriter Chris Sparling was an unknown dude, and it was only his official screenplay debut.

These two inexperienced rookies, with limited space to work with, have produced an amazing piece of art! The film holds the audience’s attention, allowing one to follow the plot, to empathize with the characters’ fates, and to truly feel the intricacies and ups and downs of human emotions: pain, terror, panic, calm, self-denial, violence, fear, hope, grief, pain, anger, apathy, self-deprecation …, and finally, despair. All this makes the movie-going process a torment and a pleasure.

In comparison, “127 Hours” fully demonstrated the three-dimensionality of a character, praising the human spirit of never giving up under the situation of life and death. This is not only inspirational, as it also shows Alan’s family as his shackles and his source of motivation. Undoubtedly, it further digs into the core of the movie.

“Buried” focuses on the struggle and pain on the edge of death, emphasizing the emotional details that are magnified to the extreme under the enclosed space, and the horror and fear run through. The experimental film is undoubtedly a breakthrough, but it is slightly inferior in terms of the depth of thought.

It can be understood that “127 Hours” was shot for awards season. Once upon a time, Danny Boyle showed sharpness and audacity in “Trainspotting”, but it had gradually disappeared as he moved from independent to the mainstream; while “Buried” was shot by the director to explore new territory. “Buried” is still a true testament to the sharpness and daring of independent cinema.

This can be seen in the treatment the two films received at the end of the year awards ceremony. “Buried” was almost ignored and didn’t win any nominations, let alone an award, while “127 Hours” was highly praised and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.

Of course, a big part of the reason for this is the “Buried” lead actor Ryan Reynolds, a Canadian actor.

The handsome Canadian actor is better known for his good looks, which have made him famous in Hollywood with “The Proposal”, “Green Lantern”, and “Deadpool” among others, but his looks are so striking that people tend to overlook his efforts in acting, and many even think he is rigid.

In fact, in the early part of his career, Ryan won a lot of acclaim for his performances, which can be seen in works such as “The Nines” and “The Voices”. The madness and vulnerability hidden in his eyes, that sensitivity wrapped up in a veneer that often touches the heart. He may not be a top-notch actor, but when given the right role, he does have a couple of things going for him.

“Buried” is one such work.

In “Buried”, Ryan truly shows the chaos, struggle and pain of human beings in desperate situations, and the complex and fragile emotions that grip the audience’s heart and mind, making them feel what he is feeling. Admittedly, Ryan has done his job well and has become the most important piece of the “Buried” puzzle.

However, Ryan’s work is far from stunning, and if his performance were to be placed in “127 Hours”, it might have been sufficient, as “127 Hours” is packed with flashbacks and clips that fill out the character’s image with plot material and give the audience a more direct experience of the character’s three-dimensionality, but “Buried” does not have these parts, resulting in a performance that is emotionally adequate but lacking in extension.

It can be understood that Ryan shows the emotions needed for a thriller movie, but not the story needed for a drama movie. For example, in the movie, when he calls his wife, what really happens between the two of them is; when he calls his colleague, his attitude implies that there is something wrong with him; when he asks the government officials for help, there is not much change in his attitude, and his psychological ups and downs are not clear enough; at the last critical moment, what was the content of his last words?

“127 Hours” completes these puzzles through memory, while “Buried” requires Ryan’s performance to complete them on his own, and when he fails to do so, it affects the film as a whole. The sublimation of quality.

One is the family crisis of the American middle class, the conflict between the hero and his wife, the opportunity for the hero to go to Iraq to work, the hero’s own mid-life crisis before the accident, all these details influence his later call for help, especially in the desperate circumstances of survival.

The other is a condemnation of capitalist bureaucracy. On the one hand, the hypocrisy and shirking of responsibility of the company where the main character works, which cares more about not having to pay more compensation than human lives, and on the other hand, the constant prevarication and incompetence of the relevant departments of the government, where the slogan “never give up a single citizen’s life” rings loud and clear, but the real actions make you chilled to the bones, and the core idea of profit above all else alludes to the real purpose of the US war in Iraq.

The film is far more digestible and watchable than one might expect. However, compared to “127 Hours”, “Buried” had inexperienced director and screenwriter who put all the burden on the actor, and once Ryan’s performance failed to gain enough height and depth, the overall quality of the film could only decline.

In fact, this is also one of the typical characteristics of independent films, where experimentation is particularly strong.

But this is undoubtedly a perfect fit for Renly, and it’s the kind of performance he’s been dreaming of: a chance to really put his heart and soul into acting, a chance to really challenge his own limits, a chance to really test the limits of his talent, and a chance to really demonstrate his acting skills aplomb!