Icarus at the Edge of Time at the Royal Festival Hall

The tale of Icarus gets a "science in fiction" overhaul as Brian Greene's book is transformed into a multimedia experience.


Narrated by David Morissey, featuring a film by Al + Al and an original score by Philip Glass, the European premiere at the Royal Festival Hall started with the Dr. Atomic Symphony by John Adams. It was a fine start, fit for the main event, as it is an opera about the life of Dr J Robert Oppenheimer, who is behind the atomic bomb. Considering the heavy physics behind the concept of the event, there was a quick lecture on how black holes function and what effects they produce given Einstein's theory of relativity, and then it was time for the main event.


In Greek mythology, Icarus uses the wings constructed by his father from wax and feathers to escape from Crete. His curiosity gets the better of him when he flies too close to the sun and his wings melt away. As such, Icarus falls to the sea and drowns. Brian Greene's book, published in 2008, reworks the myth and situates it in deep space. Icarus is the son of the captain of a ship sent out to deep space to investigate alien life forms. On their way, they encounter an unchartered black hole. Icarus, overtaken by his curiosity and eager to try his prototype spaceship, flies out to the black hole to show his father that he can make it there and back. He does achieve this fantastic voyage, but he fails to factor in the effect of the black hole on time, slowing it to such a degree that a second near the black hole translates to hundreds of years in the normal fabric of space-time.


The premise of the story deserves a lot of interest as it's scientifically accurate, hence "science in fiction",  and yields great dramatic value. There are undertones of personal struggle as well, as Icarus slightly disdains his ancestors for making the decision for him to be born into this spaceship only to ensure continuity of the mission since it takes many generations to reach its destination. Philip Glass' original score has the right tones and intensity to deliver this emotional weight of the story. However, I can't say the same for the film, which lacks the artistry of the music or the narration.  


As the main drawback of the event, the film simply comes off as unprofessional. The simple geometric shapes and the use of flashing colors may all be well intended, but the experimental approach taken in the production of the film unfortunately diminishes the overall effect and clashes with the narration, which is rather straightforward.  It almost seems like the different elements of the production are at odds with each other. An unsettling aftertaste.


Film is the right medium to tell Icarus' story, especially with Glass' fantastic score, but it needs more maturity especially considering the fact that there is narration involved. A better way to present this story though would be through a feature length film where the director can really explore the emotional depth of being born into a traveling home with a mission. Having that huge decision made for you would anger anyone, and a kid would most likely respond in the manner Icarus does. It propels him towards the black hole, from which there is no return even if you survive. Black holes can warp time and slow it down, but time always travels one way - into the future. And what awaits at the end of your journey is even more fantastical.

A Study of Guilt

Please Give (2010) - dir. Nicole Holofcener - 3 stars

It's been a while since I saw Friends with Money (2006), the film that introduced me to the Holofcener name.  I hadn't realized until then that I had already seen her work before, alas on TV.  She had directed many episodes, some for Sex and the City and Six Feet Under, but it was with her 2006 film that I came to connect the dots between her TV and film work. Her focus on female protagonists, wry humour, money and generosity coupled with her fascination with actress Catherine Keener all resurface with Please Give.


Kate (Keener) and her husband own a vintage furniture shop in NYC, where most of their stock comes from families trying to get rid of furniture owned by their passed-away relatives. They are embroiled in the quest to make big profits, as they enjoy the thrill of the thought of money. While their teenage daughter gets further obsessed with her looks and skin, they continuously make plans to expand their apartment, which depends on the old tenant dying.  Andra, the old tenant, is taken care of by two sisters, one of whom is devoted, shy and introverted whereas the other is self-centered, shallow and mean.  All characters in the ensemble suffer from some sort of guilt, and as such Holofcener is able to show guilt and how we deal with it in its many shapes and forms.  Some try to counter it by forcing themselves to be charitable while others keep their guilt at bay by ignoring it or even drowning themselves in it. 


The film's intricate story connects these characters in a higher emotional level than any of them expect. Sense of resolution is abound throughout the last 20 minutes of the film. This, in a way, dispels the plausible atmosphere created all along as it feels a bit too good to have everything come full circle at the end, but then I've gotten very used to expecting films to drop me off a cliff so take it with a grain of salt.  All things considered, Friends with Money also ended in a similar fashion so it says more about Holofcener's storytelling habits than anything else.


Holofcener is rather good at developing her scripts and keeping a nice pace throughout her films, despite several approaches that harken back to her TV work. The film mostly consists of short scenes and punch lines, which feel episodic, but they also add a sense of realism as if we're watching reality TV.  Her characters tend to understand themselves at the end and accept what they need to do to change. This sense of self-realization is very central to Holofcener's scripts and provides very low-key, quiet moments of epiphany.


Unfortunately, this results in a low-key feeling at the end of the film as well. Holofceners' films never engross the viewer in deep emotion. At the most, she tickles our feelings and makes a dash for resolution.  So, even though the film is rather good, it makes you feel a bit underwhelmed at the end.