When Harry Met Sally

Director: Rob Reiner

1989

“Against the backdrop of the most cinematic of cities, New York, scene upon scene is either a classic or features memorable dialogue and is played expertly by the two leads: Sally’s fake orgasm in the deli, after which a woman at a neighbouring table (played by Reiner’s own mother) says, “I’ll have what she’s having,” and the store karaoke session when Harry bumps into his ex-wife are just two examples.” (765, Joanna Berry, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

How did it take me so long to get round to watching When Harry Met Sally?!?! It’s such a great film with some awesome actors in it and a truly delightful script that actually sounds like the sort of things real people would say. The city is an additional character which I absolutely love – New York is such a rich city and this film shows it off perfectly.

For anyone who has been friends, especially very close friends with a boy there are so many elements of this film that are relatable. My best friend is a boy, and although we have never been romantic, there are definitely moments that I absolutely recognise and connect with. The easy back and forth between Meg Ryan’s Sally and Billy Crystal’s Harry makes the film extremely enjoyable to watch. Billy Crystal for me, is one of those actors that you either love or hate. There are very few films that I actually enjoy his style of acting in, mainly his voice work as Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. (2001, Pete Docter) and Monsters University (2013, Dan Scanlon), and thankfully When Harry Met Sally proved to be probably the best I have ever seen him. He is genuinely funny and also oddly attractive which is something I never thought I would say. I love that their journey takes place over a number of years as it once again makes the film feel more realistic.

“When Harry Met Sally provides indisputable proof, if it were needed, that all the right ingredients – a skilled comic director (Rob Reiner), great script (Nora Ephron), and brilliant casting (Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan) – do add up to a damn-near perfect piece of film entertainment.” (765) I found When Harry Met Sally a really easy and enjoyable watch. However the most important thing about When Harry Met Sally is the lasting impact it has had on the genre that we have come to know and love (and sometimes loathe or think of as a guilty pleasure) as the romantic-comedy. It’s little things like using an everyday but spectacular in its own right location such as New York as the setting or the wonderful, easy dialogue that epitomises Nora Ephron’s writing.

Shame

Director: Steve McQueen

2011

Michael Fassbender is one of the most captivating actors currently working. Every performance commands your attention (and I should know having recently gone on a Fassbender film marathon) and amongst all those powerful performances his role as Brandon in Shame is one of the stand out roles – if not his best to date. “As Brandon he is physically and emotionally exposed, delivering an honest and brave performance of a man trying to find a lie from transitory and disparate parts.” (927, Simon Ward, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) There’s a quiet intensity to Brandon, well Fassbender too, that makes his character so intriguing … and yes attractive! He’s not a big talker which actually makes his performance all the more mesmerizing. He conveys a wealth of emotion, admittedly with lust being the predominant emotion, with his eyes and facial expressions.

More than anything Brandon is a conflicted character. He’s trying to maintain the appearance of his outward life – a young man with a successful job in New York City – while at the same time trying to deal with his sexual addiction. Sissy’s unexpected appearance forces Brandon to begin to deal with, or confront, many of his issues, predominantly his sexual addiction. His home is not longer his own and his sanctuary, where he can be himself, has been removed.  As Simon Ward says “his cold but functional life is thrown into disorder with the arrival of his sister, Sissy, a superbly damaged Carey Mulligan” (927) And she is so very superbly damaged! I’ve said before I think that Carey Mulligan is one of the most talented rising stars to come out of cinema in recent years. She is the perfect foil for Fassbender’s Brandon. Where he has internalized everything, keeping it all under tight control, Sissy has become an extrovert. Their relationship is a strange one that has some underlying sexual tension to it.

McQueen has said that he kept the film very open-ended which is true, it is. As such it throws up a multitude of questions like where do Brandon and Sissy go from here? Does Brandon every get a handle on his addiction? But it also made me wonder what had happened to Brandon and Sissy when they were younger. There are moments when you see through the cracks in Sissy’s cheerful facade to the damaged person underneath.

From the subject matter of the film there is a lot of nudity as you would expect. Both Fassbender and Mulligan seem perfectly at ease with it. There is a somewhat voyeuristic nature to McQueen’s choice of shots. A number of scenes are shot from behind the characters creating the feeling that we are overhearing a private conversation. It makes for an interesting visual tone.  “Shot in long takes, many scenes play out in real time.” (927) And his New York has a different feel to it too – striking a careful balance between being a seedy underworld and the bright over the top tourist traps. In essence he creates a realistic feel to a big city.

The subject matter of this film, sexual addiction, is one that is still very much in the shadows and could it could easily have become a sordid film. However that hasn’t been the case thanks to McQueen and Fassbender who handle a delicate subject with a directness that is refreshing. They maintain a sense of realness without passing any judgement on either the addiction or the sort of lifestyle it can lead to. Shame is a really interesting film with masterful performances from its two leads.