Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★★

Guilt is an overbearing emotion that we all must come to grips with at many points in our lives. How we handle guilt is where our differences in character come into play. Derek Cianfrance explores the power of guilt in his harrowing film “The Place Beyond the Pines.” The “Blue Valentine” filmmaker has once again delivered a powerful exploration of raw human emotion that resonates long after the film has finished.

Cianfrance reunites with his “Blue Valentine” star Ryan Gosling who plays Luke, a motorcycle stunt driver in a traveling circus. He has a troubling past from which he’s continually attempting to escape. Upon a visit to his former stomping grounds, he discovers he has actually fathered a son with an ex-flame, Romina (Eva Mendes). The thought of not being around for his son drives him to leave his spot in the circus and stay around to provide for him.

How does one provide for their child without a job? Well, robbing banks would be one way. With the assistance of new local friend (Ben Mendelsohn), Luke begins robbing banks using his motorcycle skills to evade the police. Luke’s presence back home, and the large sums of money he now hands off to Romina, creates some tension between he and Romina, along with her boyfriend (Mahershala Ali).

Elsewhere, recent Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper shows that his masterful performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” was not an accident. He plays Avery, a patrol cop also attempting to put a bit of his own guilt behind him. Both Cooper and Gosling portray their respective rolls in a somber tone, easily identifiable with any viewer.

            

Cianfrance and his cowriters Ben Coccio and Darius Marder have delivered a complex screenplay, full with the same dark emotional power that made “Blue Valentine” such an intoxicating story. Cianfrance set his sights high with this one. The film is delivered in a very ambitious way that challenges the audience to be absorbed for all 140-minutes in order for the themes to be driven home. His ability to wrap such raw emotion and ambitious storytelling into a beautifully shot and brilliantly acted film makes Derek Cianfrance a talent to behold in modern American cinema.

            

I found myself identifying with each character in each section of the film. Gosling’s character spends the film riddled with guilt over how he hasn’t been there for the first year of his son’s life. He is, however, determined to be there for the rest of it. But he is a criminal with a violent past. Can any of us successfully change who we are and masquerade through life as someone we are not?

            

Cooper is the same way. A moment in his career causes him to question weather or not he’s fit to be an officer of the law. Another moment that involves some dirty cops (including a small but powerful role by the great Ray Liotta) causes him to question it even further.  Can he change, or not? These types of questions are what make characters come to life. Most films these days refuse to ask such difficult questions and rely on flashy visual effects to rescue the entire film. Sorry, but that doesn’t work.

           

Without going into any details that would risk spoiling the elements of this movie that make it brilliant, two great performances are turned in by Emory Cohen (TV’s “Smash”) and Dane DeHaan (will be a known name after next summer’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” sequel).  Screen time for these two is limited, but they help bring this emotional whirlwind of a ride to spectacular finish.

            

While it may be a challenge for some, “The Place Beyond the Pines” is a welcomed stroke of genius so early in the calendar year. Derek Cianfrance is one of the most talented writer and directors to emerge in recent years. Filmmaking is about more than just filming actors in front of a green screen and creating a vast landscape behind them. It’s about bringing out raw emotion from your audience. That’s one thing computers can’t do. As long as there are auteurs out there like Cianfrance, true filmmaking isn’t going anywhere.