Idlewild

[Argent'horn]

I finally saw Idlewild on Saturday, September 9. I had promised to post my impressions and feelings after seeing it, but as the entry has scrolled off the current entries list on Dar Kush, I suspect no one would see a comment there. Hence, I am putting my comment here.

For context, I am a 62 year old, white university professor of southern Appalachian origin who lives in Delaware.

I loved the movie. The sex scenes were good, and essential to the plot, although the last one was too abstract and stylized for my taste. They did not give me a "flinch" reaction. The anachronisms were delightful. Probably there were a lot I missed, but they provided comic relief in a novel way.

I must admit, however, that the violence DID give me a flinch reaction, and very strongly. The violence in Star Wars, by contrast, did not. I have been thinking about this difference, and I do not understand why. It may be that it was so unexpected and sudden. Or maybe there IS some sort of racial feeling that I harbor around this. I just do not know. But if anyone here has not seen it, hurry before it leaves the theatres. It is worth the trip and the money.

[Steven Barnes]

The violence in "Star Wars" is PG or PG-13 level violence. Idlewild is "R", and therefore more jarring and bloody. I don't know what the limits of that "flinch response" are--much speculation here. But the fact that I've been able to predict box-office success for 30 years says that SOMETHING is going on...

[Argent'horn]

Sadly, you seem to be right about that Steve. It is most disturbing.

[dlr123456789]

I saw it last weekend and loved it. (Pertinent biographical information: white male from San Jose, California). I thought both the sex scenes and the violence were well done. That first gunshot does make you jump out of your seat, which is, to my thinking, intentional: it's the signal that the movie is getting serious.
I have a fascination for that time period, and I'd wanted to see the movie since the first commercial. I thought it was interesting, though, that I didn't see any more commercials, and no one I talked to seemed to have heard of it. And there were only about 5 other people in the theater - but I caught a matinee, so that might be a factor.
In regards to otherness - the main point of the movie, to me, wasn't sex or violence, but the choices we make in defining who we are, about accepting the call to become adults ... and that is a message anyone can identify with. It's an ancient story, dressed in a new set of clothes. I identified at some point with both of the male characters, with the problems they wrestled with that I see in my own life.
There was one unusual moment: in Percival's final number, when the camera pans from the dancers to the audience, there is one jarring moment when you see this ... sea ... of white faces. It was a very strange disconnect, and for that one moment, that white audience definitely felt like The Other.
The fantasy sequences were wonderful, as well. In fact, the movie that I felt Idlewild most resembled was another period movie: Heavenly Creatures, with Kate Winslet. In both, the fantasy sequences and musical numbers serve to create a richly detailed world, which contrasts nicely with the grittier realistic elements of the story.
I felt (I don't get out to the movies much, so maybe I'm completely wrong) but Idlewild charts a very different path than the standard movie. One thing I really liked was that the required "character exposition" was glossed over - there are no long soliloquies or flashbacks attempting to explain a character's motivations, no tedious arguments between father, son, husband, wife ... I felt myself, on several occasions, bracing for those, and the discovering the story had moved on. Instead, it let the characters show themselves by their actions.
An example: when Percy's father throws Angel out of the house, most movies would spend 10-15 minutes with the characters arguing. Instead, we move to the next scene. And yet ... I never felt that I was deprived of any essential characterization.
Definitely recommend this to everyone. I'm also looking forward to any new films by them.

[nancylebovitz]

I mostly liked Idlewild, but left it with a sick feeling. It wasn't a racial issue, it was that the woman who tries to step into a larger world gets killed, apparently just so emotional points can be made about the hero.

[Steven Barnes]

I can understand that. It would definitely jar--women aren't usually killed in films to make a point. I don't remember whether I thought there was another intent to that event.