Culture

Rating: 4/5

Forty-eight years since Woody Allen’s film debut What’s New Pussycat? and the reedy-voiced director is still bloody going. His latest film, Blue Jasmine, was promised by early reviews to be one of the best of his career. Though I doubt I’ve seen even half of his work, Blue Jasmine is certainly an impressive film for Allen to make this late in his life. While they may not always coalesce, the calibre of the direction, dialogue, story and performances is consistently high.

Blue Jasmine follows the rocky road of the titular character Jasmine, masterfully played by Cate Blanchett, as she attempts to leave a dark past behind and settle into a happy, stable middle age. To my surprise, the film reveals at an early stage that it follows two narratives. One is set in the past, where Jasmine is young, wealthy and happily married to multi-millionaire Hal Francis (played by a smooth-talking Alec Baldwin). Over the course of the film, it is revealed that Hal is both unfaithful and a financial criminal. The other narrative is set in the present, in which Jasmine and Hal are divorced and Jasmine has moved in with her adopted sister Ginger until she “gets back on her feet.” After living so many years in luxury, Jasmine struggles to adapt to the life of work and modesty that Ginger has always known. Sparks naturally fly.

For obvious reasons I won’t disclose how the “past” narrative leads into the “present,” or how the “present” narrative concludes, but rest assured that both are exciting and engaging. I will say, however, that the manner in which the film jumps between the two is a little confusing, and it can take you a moment to realise that one scene is set a decade before the last. Generally, the setting or the dialogue establishes which of the two narratives is in play fairly early on in a scene, but in a couple of cases the result is rather jarring. A little colour-grading to distinguish the two wouldn’t have hurt.

But that’s a fairly minor qualm, all things considered. Despite its leisurely pace and lack of “oomph,” Blue Jasmine is an engrossing, amusing and occasionally heartbreaking film. You are made to invest in the characters, and follow them attentively through all of their daily ups and downs. This is particularly true of Blanchett in her mercurial lead role – I wouldn’t hesitate to call it the best performance of her career.