Review: Beanpole and Song Without a Name

A Double Feature Review!

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Beanpole

Beanpole (Дылда) is a haunting and bleak picture of the tragedy of war. Russian director Kantemir Balagov studies the heartbreaking realities of lives shattered by war and the toll it takes on oneself. Through daunting greens, yellows, and reds, we see broken lives trying to survive each day and slowly picking up the pieces they have left behind. One of 2020's best films. With heartache and heavy-handedness, Beanpole will strike you to your core. It's emotional ravenous cutting one from the inside out. Balagov's historical drama follows two women fighting to survive and longing for hope. The film follows the conclusion of World War II in Leningrad, however, wreckage remains in the besieged city, and lives are broken. Iya (a strong Viktoria Miroshnichenko) is a tall blonde nurse who struggles with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) after being recently discharged from the military. Her nickname throughout the film is beanpole — due to her thin frame and tall stature. During Iya's episodes of paralysis, her body stiffens and is trapped in a state of being frozen in time. Iya also takes care of her son, Pashka (Timofey Glazkov), while living in a communal apartment.

Then suddenly, tragedy strikes and turns Iya's world upside down. After Masha (a captivating Vasilisa Perelygina) returns from the front, she reveals to Iya (her close friend) that she wants to have children but cannot because she is barren. This emotional dynamic between Iya and Masha coils back-and-forth through jealously, guilt, and confusion. Shown as somewhat symbolically, we see the wallpaper in every room slowly peeling away, representing the broken fragments of life. Beanpole is a hard film to look away from — captivating through sadness and shattering realism. We watch our two main leads (Iya and Masha) push through the unbearing weight holding them down. This engrossing film will linger on your soul, eating away at your last hope for humanity. Yet, Beanpole provides us with a message of perseverance and solace at the end. As the wallpaper continues to peel, Iya and Masha manage to pick up their fragments of healing and slowly put them back together. Hope finds a way.

At 28-years-old, Balagov's film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Balagov received the Cannes Best Director Award and FIPRESCI Prize. Beanpole was also selected as the Russian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, making the 2019 December shortlist. 

Beanpole is rated NR (Not Rated).

Directed by Kantemir Balagov

Starring Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina, Timofey Glazkov, Olga Dragunova, Andrey Bykov, Ksenia Kutepova, Igor Shirokov, and Konstantin Balakirev.

Song Without a Name

A beautiful and heartbreaking black-and-white Peruvian film; that depicts an Indigenous story. Song Without a Name (Canción sin nombre) is a hidden gem from writer-director Melina León; that will bury itself inside your psyche and will never let go. Song Without a Name is a haunting and tragic story of loss. It's incredibly impressive that this was León’s directorial debut, and it is also one of the best films of 2020. León's masterful film receives a five-star review from me. Song Without a Name is a desperately sad but ultimately important story. Striking a chord through dreamlike black-and-white shots, we see an emotional narrative being pulled at our heartstrings. Set in the 80s, we follow Georgina (a captivating Pamela Mendoza), an Indigenous Peruvian woman who is heavily pregnant and is expecting to go into labor any day now. Georgina has heard of a supposed "charity clinic" offering free maternity services through a radio ad. Being that Georgina and her husband Leo (Lucio Rojas) are poor, this route would be the best financially suitable for them.

Georgina is grateful to have found a place offering free maternity services, and after she has her baby there, she is told to go home. Confused, Georgina demands to see her newborn daughter. The doctors say that she has gone to the hospital for checkups, and they force Georgina out of the building, locking the door. Georgina pounds the door, kicking and screaming to see her newborn daughter. It's an agonizing scene because you know something is not right deep down, just like Georgina. She and Leo return the next day, pounding and kicking at the locked door. Yet, Georgina notices that the clinic is now an empty shell, cleaned out. Being that Georgina is of Indigenous status — unfortunately — makes her less than human in the eyes of authority figures. Once Georgina finds out that her baby has been sold for adoption to wealthy buyers from abroad through fake papers, she decides to go to the journalists for help. She contacts Pedro (a versatile Tommy Párraga), a journalist; who is put on this human interest story by his editor. Pedro is also a gay man in secret and could be killed for it if word got out. León's narrative was inspired by her father, who was a reporter and investigated a similar child trafficking case.

As Pedro digs for answers to find Georgina's baby, he discovers a devastating revelation of corruption and deception. Shot through the eyes of minority figures, we see their struggle against racism and oppression. Just like director Alfonso Cuarón showed us in his 2018 masterpiece, Roma. In Cuarón's Roma, we follow the story of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), an Indigenous Mexican woman, who's a domestic worker. León, like Cuarón, are telling stories of minority groups too often left in the shadows. Aparicio more recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, where she talked about how "a role in Alfonso Cuarón’s film showed me how art can provide a voice for the disenfranchised." I think why Song Without a Name also struck an emotional chord with me was because my wife Glynis is Peruvian, and we recently experienced two miscarriages. I am also heartbroken when León's masterful film did not make it onto the 93rd Oscars shortlist for Best International Feature Film. This black-and-white gem needs to be seen, and I'll help try to be a voice for it. Your psyche and soul will be aching for Georgina and her journey to make peace with tragedy. A waterfall of tears will succumb you by the end of this film. 

Song Without a Name is rated NR (Not Rated)

Directed by Melina León

Starring Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas, Ruth Arma, and Maykol Hernández.