By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.375
Director: Sally Potter
Starring: Joan Allen | Sam Neill | Shirley Henderson | Simon Akbarian
Country: united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2005
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381717/combined
Michael says: “YES is a challenging and ambitious film. You would expect no less from Sally Potter, the director of ORLANDO and THE TANGO LESSON. It has been a couple of weeks since I saw the film and I still haven’t decided how successful a film it was, but it was certainly thought provoking and original. Outwardly YES is a romance, with many of the romantic conventions that can grate on my nerves. Yet at its core, it is much more, tackling issues of race, religion, and global outlook. Joan Allen plays a scientist, born in Belfast, raised in America, living in England, unhappily married to Anthony, played by Sam Neill. At a dinner party she meets a waiter/sous chef from Beirut who is and his flirtatious banter leads to a deeply passionate affair. This waiter, played by Simon Abkarian (ARARAT), was a surgeon in Beirut, who fled to England to escape the social challenges of his homeland. About halfway into the film, Abkarian’s character (they main characters are never given names) has an altercation with a fellow kitchen worker that forces him to reevaluate his decisions and his life in England. This puts him into conflict with Allen’s character who tries to make him understand that she is not an ideaology, but an individual. It is this central conflict that forms the core of YES.
“Filmed in England, Ireland, Beirut and Cuba, YES traverses the globe physically as it does ideologically. I found the film to be effective and powerful when dealing with the broad issues of how we interact with each other personally and as members of a culture. Yet Potter doesn’t stop there. She adds another stylistic layer by having her characters speak in verse. Iambic pentamenter to be precise. While this annoyed me at times, it was also a fascinating form to have people express their inner thoughts in a structured way. Potter also allows us to hear some of what goes on in people’s heads by having internal and external dialogues run together.
“In addition to the strong performance delivered by Allen, Shirley Henderson steals the movie in a smaller role as Allen’s domestic. Henderson speaks only to the camera, talking about dirt and cleaning as a metaphor for the human condition. She masters the verse most effectively. In fact, during the opening scene of the film, an extended monologue by Henderson’s character, I didn’t even realize she was speaking in verse. Henderson is a talented actor to watch.
“I was fortunate enough to attend a screening with Sally Potter present for a Q&A. She is clearly a brilliant woman and a visual stylist, and her insights about the film certainly provoked deeper contemplation than I might have given it. YES is certainly a film to explore, but it may not be to everyone’s liking. Upon much reflection, I give YES 3 ½ cats.”
Diane says: “Sally Potter’s rhyming existential romance will get a number of acting noms: Sam Neill for his flowing moves and air guitar, Simon Abkarian for his sad, angry, in love Lebanese cook; Samantha Bond as the goddaughter. Also for cine: angles of shots, missing frames and unfocussed effect. But I only give it 3 cats overall. Still don’t get the dirt metaphor…”
Chris says: “Sally Potter’s latest highbrow experiment isn’t all that different from the only film of hers I’ve unconditionally loved, THE TANGO LESSON, except it’s not about dance. And all the dialogue is in iambic pentameter. While I wasn’t completely taken by the love story between an American biologist (Joan Allen, who could act out the phone book and still compel) and a Middle-Eastern chef (Simon Abkarian), I thought the film’s language (both literal and visual) was daringly poetic and not as pretentious as I feared. Shirley Henderson is a hoot as a one-woman chorus of sorts who’s easily the most human figure here. 3.5 cats”