To describe a recently released film as a new cinema classic is a big word, but anyone who enjoys a story like Those Who Remain , which is already a favorite for the Oscars , will not hesitate to apply this qualification. This film starring Paul Giamatti , Dominic Sessa , Da'Vine Joy Randolph and directed by Alexander Payne ( Sideways , The Descendants...) , offers us a Christmas story of those that we always want to enjoy on these dates, although not just any one. , rather one that breaks with the conventions of this type of cinema with a bittersweet comedy capable of waking us up from our worst mood .
Those Who Stay revolves around a Christmas celebration, but not one of those full of good vibes, happy wishes, fabulous family gatherings or dream experiences about the meaning of these holidays. We are placed in a boarding school in the '70s where a very grumpy teacher must spend Christmas taking care of a group of students who have nowhere to go . This will lead to each person's traumas forging unexpected bonds, which will make it easier for them to face the black side of this holiday.
We are presented with profiles of characters who, due to issues of class, family, race or due to dramas of the time such as the Vietnam War, carry internal conflicts due to which these dates choke them, people and realities that we often find difficult to understand when staying in the superficiality of, for example, this type of celebrations. The film uses Christmas in a symbolic way to talk about society , how incomprehensible and frivolous it can be and how sometimes it takes us to cloister ourselves in order to later label ourselves and leave ourselves aside.
Thanks to an overflowing humanity, all it needs is to lovingly develop its protagonists to weave the story and conquer us . There are no highlights or speeches to convey its message, simply a journey through the experiences of its characters that, thanks to the virtues of dramatic comedy, becomes enjoyable and very identifiable for viewers. Those who know Alexander Payne's films will know what I'm talking about, because The Leftovers draws on the same approach as the director's other acclaimed films such as Sideways or Nebraska .
His rocket to the Oscars
In fact, this primary focus on its protagonists gives a vehicle of golden brilliance to its performers, which is being quite a rocket for Those Who Remain in the race towards the Oscar . Paul Giamati won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actor and is positioned as one of the great favorites for the award, while Da'Vine Joy Randolph is sweeping all the recognition from critics and academics and practically has the statuette in her hands. The same for his script, which after Barbie's departure from the Best Original Screenplay category is the great favorite for victory. It is no wonder, because these sections contain the soul of the film and the key to making it such an exciting experience.
Personally, having seen it in the middle of Christmas and feeling some of its close situations, it was really overwhelming to enter the depths of this story and characters, whom you feel are people as close as your family and who awaken an emotion of hope before the many injustices that life puts before you. It's one of those movies that you want to see when you're down, one of those stories that make you finish with a smile on your face, make you rethink things and provide a ray of light when you feel overwhelmed.
Valuing all these ingredients, and especially its approach as a groundbreaking Christmas movie, I believe that Those Who Stay is destined to become a modern classic that we will all want to see again and again every time this festive season arrives, in these dates where society confronts us with an artificial universe of happiness that is ultimately pure superficiality and that many, due to the infinite social or personal problems in which they may be involved, can get stuck. The other side of Christmas that cinema needed and that leaves us with one of the most complete and exciting dramatic comedies of recent years . I hope it stands out at the next Oscars , because it is undoubtedly one of the films that deserves it most.
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