San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

REEL 2 REAL: ‘Rachel Getting Married’

Courtesy of Sony Pictures

It’s the kind of film that gives hope that good filmmaking is still alive and kicking in the midst of so many films created for a Hollywood-dependent society.

Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme returns to a style that once defined him long before making it in the Hollywood scene with films such as ” The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia” and “The Manchurian Candidate.”

“Rachel Getting Married” is shot documentary-style on handheld HD cameras, a format Demme is also known for. It gives the film a home movie quality with its long scenes focusing more on the characters than on the story, and this aspect definitely sets it apart from other films.

The cinematography is absolutely rich with bold colors of the human spirit. The characters are so real that the story they’re telling could be yours. “Rachel Getting Married,” written by first-time screenwriter Jenny Lumet, is told through the sorrowful eyes of the bride’s sister, Kym, played by Anne Hathaway, as she returns home from rehab to a house alive with music and people preparing for her sister Rachel’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. Accustomed to receiving most of the attention because of her addiction, Kym struggles to heal as she fights for a place in her family.

Live music is woven beautifully into the film and dances around the family’s melodrama. Many of the characters are musicians, including their father Paul, (Bill Irwin), a music industry executive and Rachel’s groom Sidney, (Tunde Adebimpe), a record producer.

Demme wanted to add the musical dimension to the film without the traditional scored music, so he enlisted violinist Zafer Tawil and other musicians to make music in the moment, which was performed throughout the picture from different parts of the house. They would be outside on the porch, in the lawn area or in another room flooding each scene with music, even in scenes where nothing happens. Music just drifts into the scenes and haunts the moment.

The story is a celebration of family and friends. To truly accomplish this, Demme enlisted the company of his friends and colleagues in lieu of extras to create a sense of people getting together and really having a great time, something that is difficult to act out with a group of strangers.

There are two stories being told. One is of a gathering for celebration, the wedding, and the other is of the struggle these characters are facing with one another, as wells as themselves. At times, it looks like organized chaos, which in essence, captures what a wedding is at its core. Their pain is so emotionally honest. During a long scene, you may become anxious for it to move on, but Demme won’t let you off that easy. At least not until he shows you through these characters’ expressions – after all the script lines are read – just how beautiful these people are. He has an incredible ability to connect with the audience and ask us to feel for these characters.

This film is just buzzing with Oscar predictions and was a favorite at the Toronto International Film Festival. All that can be said is buzzzzzz …

Get out and see this movie. Hathaway gives one of her best performances and although she has many, this one truly shows her strength as an actress. She’ll leave you feeling like you took the journey with her. You may even find yourself still seated in the theater long after the credits begin to roll, void of humorous clips, but wallowing in the feeling that only a good movie that no one wanted to end can give.

Film: Rachel Getting MarriedDirected by: Jonathan DemmeDistributed by: Sony Pictures ClassicsGrade: A

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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
REEL 2 REAL: ‘Rachel Getting Married’