Matt Johnson and his band of merry nerds bring their DIY filmmaking toolkits to "Blackberry," imbuing this big story with ample indie heart and the unique technical genius of its director.
It's a tour de force that resurrects the nostalgia of a bygone era when Blackberry ruled the mobile landscape, and writer/director Matt Johnson guides viewers through the sky-rocketing highs and plummeting lows of this once extremely successful business, with humour just as sharp as its intelligence, and performances as captivating as the film's real life source material.
Not only is this a story about the two men that charted the course of the spectacular rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone, it's also a complex tale of friendships coming to an end, and a heartbreaking portrait of good men succumbing to ego and the desire to keep what they built alive.
How far will you go to save the empire you have built? Would you sacrifice your friendships, your pride, your ethics? Would you go against everything you stand for, and lose everything you care about, just to keep your dream alive? The many times I thought about it, I couldn't honestly say I wouldn't do the exact same thing as Jim and Mike, if I were in their shoes. So kudos to Johnson for making it extremely hard for me to judge these guys! That's one of the many aspects I love about this film; while these two people may seem like antagonists at times, they're just human beings, fighting to keep their dreams alive. They make mistakes, but the majority of the time, they act out with good intentions, not with malice. When your daily diet consists of stress for breakfast, pressure for lunch, and no sleep for dinner, you're not exactly going to be making the most astute choices.
Courtesy of the UK's terrible distribution for any movie that isn't a blockbuster, I knew I would have plenty of time to watch Johnson's "Operation Avalanche" beforehand, and I'm so happy I did. He employs that exact same hand-held claustrophobic filming style here, giving the film a spy/thriller edge. Viewers feel like they're covert agents sent by IPhone to spy on Blackberry. The camera is always hiding away somewhere in the distance, capturing practically everything in zoom. The tracking shots are spectacular. Intense and energetic. The snap zooms are done so well the cinematographers on Succession would be gobsmacked. So big shout out to Jared Raab for absolutely knocking this out of the park! That final shot. Chefs kiss. And the tracking shot of Jim through the airport. Wow.
I grew up around all the buzz of Blackberry, so this was wholly satisfying to watch, for selfish reasons that may or may not revolve around the fact I was one of the kids in school whose parents weren't rich enough to get them one. When "Blackberry" originally came under my radar give or take a year ago, it was because of two things, the first, as I just mentioned, was my hate towards the rich kids, and the second was because of the Golden God Glenn Howerton. As an Indie connoisseur, I'm ashamed to say I wasn't familiar with Johnson's work until only recently, but after now seeing two of his films, he will also be on my radar in future.
Now, onto the man himself! I couldn't be happier for Glenn. I have been an avid fan of his for years now, and I absolutely love his work on Sunny. He's my favourite actor out of the bunch because of his effortless ability to channel rage and transition seamlessly between comedic and dramatic skins. I've seen all of his supporting performances in film, but for years I have been asking WHY ISN'T HE STARRING in something? Anything? Well thank you Matt Johnson! And to everybody else who has been blind to his talent, you're welcome, but now I expect to see him in bigger roles, more often, so pick up the phone guys, and get to dialling. The rage of Dennis follows Glenn from Sunny, but he applies that to somebody far more human, and a lot less psycho, making for some real edge of your seat moments and monologues. I was surprised in how removed this performance was to Glenn's work on Sunny, as I was expecting a lot of the same. Even I didn't suspect Glenn had these drama chops in his locker. My expectations were met, and then some. I was hooked every time he entered the frame, sometimes he didn't even need to speak, because his mere presence was enough to make my hands shake. His facial expressions and the way he conveys so much feeling from his eyes knocked me sideways. There's plenty of awkward laughs to be had at this characters expense, and Glenn delivers every comedic cue to perfection, but the laughs are secondary to the dramatic tones the narrative express, and Glenn's delivery in those scenes are what make this character truly shine. This is by far my favourite performance of the year so far, and this might just be my favourite film of the year so far!
Jay Baruchel was another surprise, also turning in the best performance of his career, worthy of award noms, just like his co-star. During the first half of the film, Mike's timid and meek nature was no match for Jim's fiery presence. Mike and Doug were the heart, and Jim was the fire. But toward the latter half of the film, Mike's character makes a transformation so radical, and so far removed from the person who started the company, that by the end, you might even mistake him for the cold-blooded Jim.
Matt Johnson is just as capable behind the camera, as he is in front of it. He has such a gleeful energy, oozing charm and comedy at every chance he gets, you can't help but smile every time he's on screen. Just as this perfect film wouldn't have happened without Johnson, "Blackberry" wouldn't have happened without Doug!
"Blackberry" is an absolute triumph in every sense of the word. Howerton, Baruchel and Johnson transport us to the heart of technological history in this indie masterpiece that captures the essence of the phone's history with unwavering precision. A must-watch!
10/10
Add comment
Comments