Morvern Callar

[bix171]

Lynne Ramsay’s small picture seems designed solely to impress critics and art-house aficionados but it’s empty and enigmatic for no real purpose. Samantha Morton plays the title role, a Scottish grocery store clerk who steals her boyfriend’s unpublished novel after his suicide and uses his burial money to take a drug- and sex-filled vacation in Spain with her best friend (Kathleen McDermott). That’s really about all that happens. Ramsay is out to make a character study but with Morton delivering a blank and passive performance (she quietly observes all that goes on around her but comments infrequently), there isn’t much to study. Instead, there are long, lingering takes of Morvern coming to terms with a lifeless body or wandering lost through the Spanish countryside or having meaningless sex. It ends pretty much as you expect but since you’ve been observing a bystander, you’re not much interested in the story yet to be told. Everything seems indifferent, from the screenplay (written by Ramsay and Liana Dognini, based on Alan Warner’s novel, unread) to the cinematography by Alwin H. Kuchler.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by bix171
Lynne Ramsay’s small picture seems designed solely to impress critics and art-house aficionados

Ms. Ramsay has no need to impress anybody anymore. Her two shorts and both of her features have won a ton of awards at prestigious film festivals, including three at Cannes. Then again, maybe I am a so-called "art-house" aficionado.

it’s empty and enigmatic for no real purpose.

It's enigmatic, but "empty" only in the sense that Ramsey refuses to impose an artificial plot just to entertain those not interested in Morvern as a character. What does the boyfriend's suicide say about his feelings for Movern? What is the significance of their belonging to different classes? What do the boyfriend's instructions imply about the nature of their relationship? What does her appropriation of his novel say about their disparate educational levels? How to explain away her behavior post-tragedy? Can escapism be a constructive step in the grief process? Ramsey and her contributors leave clues all over the place, often visually, as Morvern is not the type of character who uses language precisely and expressively. Moreover, I don't think the young lady has reached the necessary level of self-awareness. Ramsey wants us to figure Morvern out by ourselves and she's above imposing her own interpretation on viewers.
Morvern Callar is a subtle character study about a working-class girl who is not smart, educated, graceful or very attractive. Admittedly, not everyone's idea of fun. Just don't call it empty.

[bix171]

{maybe I am a so-called "art-house" aficionado}

So am I but not every "art-house" film works and I couldn't help but feel that this was a bit of pandering to "our" crowd.

{Ramsey refuses to impose an artificial plot just to entertain those not interested in Morvern as a character.}

If she's not interesting as a character (and she obviously doesn't have to be decent to be interesting) then the context of a plot would be most helpful, I think. If there's no plot or interesting character, then what is there?

{Morvern is not the type of character who uses language precisely and expressively. Moreover, I don't think the young lady has reached the necessary level of self-awareness.}

Her actions underscore what I took to be total impassivity about her reactions. You're right: she hasn't reached a necesary level of self-awareness, hence her near-fetishizing over discovering a corpse. But I contend her going about her business of partying, drug-taking (immediately after discovering the corpse, in fact) and going to work implies her disinterest, before and after death, of her relationship with the deceased. Her cohorts at the pub deride her boyfriend and she does nothing to correct them; her absconding with his burial money implies a lack of respect; and her appropriation of his novel is a way out, not to escape and come to terms with death, but just so she can go somewhere else.

{their disparate educational levels}

She's probably aware of their levels of education but doesn't seem to care; she got what she wanted out of the relationship, only sooner. Her indifference to finding out about her lover's infidelity provides her with an opportunity to punish her best friend but that strikes me as less of an act of self-awareness about her relationships than mererly an example of her youthful, unlikable self-centeredness.

{Can escapism be a constructive step in the grief process?}

In this case, I don't think it's really dealt with. It's a question we may ask ourselves but, again, I think death provides her a motive to escape, not a reason. I wish I could've sensed more subtle shadings than this but I couldn't.

I'm also not conviced Ramsay isn't above revealing her own interpretation of her subject. The closing scenes with the publishing representatives, besides making them look pretentious, make her look stupid. Though they're the film's livliest sequences, that they come at the end led me to conclude Ramsay had very little respect for Morvern and was content to let her get on with her uninteresting little life.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by bix171
If she's not interesting as a character then the context of a plot would be most helpful, I think.

It's entirely valid and understandable that you find Morvern not interesting as a character. But whether something is interesting or not is not an absolute. It's like the cliche states: "on the eye of the beholder".
People like Morvern Callar do not lead lives that lend themselves to beginnings, middles and ends. She is on hold, stuck on neutral. (Roger Ebert)
I've spent countless of work hours alone with people who are similarly stuck. It can be frustrating but I'd hate my job if I found them "not interesting". This is probably why most people I meet would rather do something else, or actually anything else. I bring this up as a way to disclose how my training and vocation may predispose me to find Morvern Callar compelling. I also admit to being a huge fan of Ms. Morton.

I contend her going about her business of partying, drug-taking (immediately after discovering the corpse, in fact) and going to work implies her disinterest, before and after death, of her relationship with the deceased.

That's basically how I saw it, bix. I agree with Ebert's explanation as to why: By killing himself he has, from her point of view, shown how unimportant she was to him and how lightly he took their relationship (This is further supported by the fact that her boyfriend appears to have done nothing to make it possible for her to quit the job she clearly hates).
By signing her name to his novel, she is sending a message beyond the grave:"I will not clean up this mess and finish your life for you" (Italics again by Mr. Ebert in a rare moment of lucidity).

I'm also not conviced Ramsay isn't above revealing her own interpretation of her subject.

Me neither. I know from experience that total neutrality and objectivity are simply ideals.

[bix171]

Oscar,

You know, after reading your reply, I thought about the film I'd just finished watching, "Intimacy" by Patrice Chereau, and the contexts in which one can interpret "Morvern Callar" seem just as keen in this film. "Intimacy" worked, though, (not as well as I would've liked but well enough) and the idea of not really knowing the characters but knowing what they were not by virtue of their circumstances (you're right--most of the world is unhappy doing what they do) seemed equally apt. I think the execution in "Intimacy" was far more focused than in "Movern Callar" even though the story was also being advanced in a similarly indirect, ambiguous manner.

[oscar jubis]

I also liked Intimacy, most of all for Kerry Fox's brave performance. Chereau has had an interesting film career, in between directing plays and operas. I'm happy to report that his feature L'Homme Blesse(1983) has just been released on dvd. It's one of the first films to deal frankly with homosexual desire. I've been reluctant to see it because the vhs available is reportedly very poor in quality. His most widely distributed film is Queen Margot but I prefer the ensemble dramedy Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train. His last movie will not (apparently) be released in the US. It's called His Brother, about a gay man taking care of his terminally ill, heterosexual brother. No doubt about Chereau's next being released widely. It's in English, with J. Binoche and Al Pacino, and it's called The Monster of Longwood.
None of the films mentioned compare to Ramsey's masterpiece Ratcatcher, deservedly available on a Criterion disc that includes her Cannes-winning shorts.

[SteveSW9]

I love these type of films.
I will defend them to the hilt.
But Morvern Callar?
What does she want?
Sub-text?
Empty?