Films about saving are very attractive generally to a wide variety of audiences as they appeal to a sense of heroism found in all of us or at least in most of us on some level.
To be someone's hero or to be saved by one has all the elements of opposites attracting one another and surmounting their differences in order to reach a mutual level of emotional understanding and fulfilment. It's Yin and Yang, good and bad, beauty and beast, the two balancing sides of the same coin, the puzzle pieces that fit and the workings of a magnet scenario.
What it is that we like specifically about films such as Leon or Nikita, or even the Hunger Games or Twilight, as slightly differing genres of course to the first two listed but with the same 'being saved' theme.
Essentially, we identify with the dynamics which lead two very different human beings from starting out as foreign to one another to ending up becoming part of one another's life. There is mystery and magic in this journey and this cinematic formula works well. Salvo is another one of these themed films of salvation and redemption and so is the latest 'My Hero' released for the first time at the Raindance film festival this year with the support and leadership of it's instigator Elliot Grove.
The idea and plot in 'My Hero' are close enough to similar films in this genre: female and male protagonists from different worlds meet and they help each other on some level. Whilst one protects and physically defends, the other teaches love, nurtures goodness and thus saves the other 'raw' character from him/herself. This latter more savage character among the two brings the story to a successful end one way or another by taking the lead in terms of action and thrills.
'My Hero' does in fact present us with strong characters and well developed ones. They are separate well defined entities in that the actors play roles that portray very autonomous human beings with their own specific emotional profile, past background and experiences.
It does show us how they come to be who they are well enough and the dialogue and role playing are very engaging.
What I personally found lacking due to perhaps too much editing done on the film or because it is indeed a little too short (film time around 80 minutes), is the justification for how the two characters-the rough drug dealer and the young innocent girl from a broken home- actually build their relationship and begin to love one another. The emotional transition is too quick and not deeply satisfying because the relationship is not given enough incidents or time to develop.
A scene in the beginning where he finds her standing on high ground and worries about her safety is believable enough if we think of him as a big brother who is well brought up and cares for children, but then where do they go from that point on? What other incidents are brought forward to justify their growing love? How is this portrayed? They seem to be thrown in situations without emotional exploration or development. These are questions which leave us guessing and wanting more. The scenes between them are dramatic and touching but not supported enough in a linear way, exposing the relationship thoroughly enough.
On a more positive note, the acting is good, and a few violent scenes are dramatic, surprising, eye catching and are carved in the mind well enough. This is because the message in those images is about the fact that the world of drug dealing, corruption and crime is ever present in certain social circles, is perilous and creates a vicious circle of life for those who inherit this from their forefathers.
The women in the film are not overly developed and although they are only there to support and nurture, they are at least given plenty of respect and are portrayed as the positive influences on the men-even when they are absent completely or hardly there.
The criminal characters are visibly cynical or mad so quite entertaining, and the 'florist' is an especially good character if only in terms of the comical word puns he provides in the movie because of his job and surname/nickname.
The hero of course is a criminal too but is also the defender of the girl because of his redeeming features and his white soul, at the same time as being the recipient of the saving grace bestowed upon him by the little girl and her unconditional love for him.
The music in the film is well used; at the right time and the right places, with the right 'feeling' to convey the emotions in the scenes and is not overly done or overly heard.
All in all an enjoyable film, well done to the creators and executors, but again I honestly say it would have been a great one and not just a good one, if only the emotional aspect of the relationship between the defender and the little girl were slightly better developed to justify their growing love for one another. This would need less editing and more reel time perhaps but would be worth it.
Someone at the post screening cleverly suggested a sequel and this could work very well if the second film exposes scenes from both the protagonists' points of view. This could be done as narrative perhaps or with the aid of a few voice overs, in order to tell the tale of how and why their love for one another comes into life and ultimately saves them both.
We await a sequel then in the fashion of those sequels that tell the same tale but in a strong albeit different voice.
To be someone's hero or to be saved by one has all the elements of opposites attracting one another and surmounting their differences in order to reach a mutual level of emotional understanding and fulfilment. It's Yin and Yang, good and bad, beauty and beast, the two balancing sides of the same coin, the puzzle pieces that fit and the workings of a magnet scenario.
What it is that we like specifically about films such as Leon or Nikita, or even the Hunger Games or Twilight, as slightly differing genres of course to the first two listed but with the same 'being saved' theme.
Essentially, we identify with the dynamics which lead two very different human beings from starting out as foreign to one another to ending up becoming part of one another's life. There is mystery and magic in this journey and this cinematic formula works well. Salvo is another one of these themed films of salvation and redemption and so is the latest 'My Hero' released for the first time at the Raindance film festival this year with the support and leadership of it's instigator Elliot Grove.
The idea and plot in 'My Hero' are close enough to similar films in this genre: female and male protagonists from different worlds meet and they help each other on some level. Whilst one protects and physically defends, the other teaches love, nurtures goodness and thus saves the other 'raw' character from him/herself. This latter more savage character among the two brings the story to a successful end one way or another by taking the lead in terms of action and thrills.
'My Hero' does in fact present us with strong characters and well developed ones. They are separate well defined entities in that the actors play roles that portray very autonomous human beings with their own specific emotional profile, past background and experiences.
It does show us how they come to be who they are well enough and the dialogue and role playing are very engaging.
What I personally found lacking due to perhaps too much editing done on the film or because it is indeed a little too short (film time around 80 minutes), is the justification for how the two characters-the rough drug dealer and the young innocent girl from a broken home- actually build their relationship and begin to love one another. The emotional transition is too quick and not deeply satisfying because the relationship is not given enough incidents or time to develop.
A scene in the beginning where he finds her standing on high ground and worries about her safety is believable enough if we think of him as a big brother who is well brought up and cares for children, but then where do they go from that point on? What other incidents are brought forward to justify their growing love? How is this portrayed? They seem to be thrown in situations without emotional exploration or development. These are questions which leave us guessing and wanting more. The scenes between them are dramatic and touching but not supported enough in a linear way, exposing the relationship thoroughly enough.
On a more positive note, the acting is good, and a few violent scenes are dramatic, surprising, eye catching and are carved in the mind well enough. This is because the message in those images is about the fact that the world of drug dealing, corruption and crime is ever present in certain social circles, is perilous and creates a vicious circle of life for those who inherit this from their forefathers.
The women in the film are not overly developed and although they are only there to support and nurture, they are at least given plenty of respect and are portrayed as the positive influences on the men-even when they are absent completely or hardly there.
The criminal characters are visibly cynical or mad so quite entertaining, and the 'florist' is an especially good character if only in terms of the comical word puns he provides in the movie because of his job and surname/nickname.
The hero of course is a criminal too but is also the defender of the girl because of his redeeming features and his white soul, at the same time as being the recipient of the saving grace bestowed upon him by the little girl and her unconditional love for him.
The music in the film is well used; at the right time and the right places, with the right 'feeling' to convey the emotions in the scenes and is not overly done or overly heard.
All in all an enjoyable film, well done to the creators and executors, but again I honestly say it would have been a great one and not just a good one, if only the emotional aspect of the relationship between the defender and the little girl were slightly better developed to justify their growing love for one another. This would need less editing and more reel time perhaps but would be worth it.
Someone at the post screening cleverly suggested a sequel and this could work very well if the second film exposes scenes from both the protagonists' points of view. This could be done as narrative perhaps or with the aid of a few voice overs, in order to tell the tale of how and why their love for one another comes into life and ultimately saves them both.
We await a sequel then in the fashion of those sequels that tell the same tale but in a strong albeit different voice.
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