August: Osage County
Adapting a play to the screen is a tentative one. While musicals actually succeed because of their already grandiose antics flitting perfectly onto screen, plays have the added dilemma that the claustrophobic aspect and the confines of a stage may actually not stretch that far on the big screen. However, when Tracy Letts adapted her darkly comic stage play to August: Osage County the freedom of the location, the house and everything in between just breathed more life into an already on point play. Combine this with the phenomenal acting talents of Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, then this is a tentative drama that is captivating and complex.
August: Osage County revolves around a family who live in the Southern Plains of America. When Beverley Weston, the main patriarch, disappears and commits suicide the whole family gather around to support one another and mourn their loss. Unfortunately, this would be a lot easier if troubles and tensions weren’t brewing underneath. And to make matters worse, the new matriarch Violent is a pill popping venom spitting mother who likes nothing more than to twist the knife in with her “truth telling.” Will the death of her husband bring everyone together or push them further apart?
Tracy Letts phenomenal writing here draws us in to the complex world of estranged family members. Focusing particularly of three generations of women, Letts work is brilliant at layer the drama so gradually the source of anger and frustration comes out. While not stereotyping her characters, she, in facts, gives them room to explore their present and past troubles. Where they could easily fall into caricature traps, each have a gentle exploration that brings them to life on screen. This helps that Director John Wells has a keen eye for location, bringing the hot heat of Olkahoma in to add extra heat to the family affair.
It also is a plus when you have Meryl Streep as a leading lady. Playing the vile Violet (a role she had previously wanted to turn down,) Streep brings the deftly weight of her talent and transforms into this beast who strikes with her tongue. At the same time, she adds these layers of vulnerability with a flicker of an eye or a movement. It’s Streep, perhaps one of the most famous actresses to date, but you are so absorbed in her performance that she becomes Violet. Roberts, too, is just as appealing as Barabra and as her character decends further into the chaos, Roberts shows just what we have been missing from her and exudes this masterpiece of acting. Added to the already stellar cast that sees Chris Cooper, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Juliet Lewis all as heavily weighted characters, this is an impressive feast of talent. The only down side is that a lot of stories open and characters introduced that you want to explore more such as Ewan McGregor as Barabara’s husband Bill and Benedict Cumberbatch as Little Charles. With both, you want them to have more to say and more background for them to shine, rather than plot devices (funny, I am so used to it being the other way, it's a breath of fresh air seeing it this way) but it is nice to see them nevertheless.
August: Osage Country isn’t an easy ride, there is death, incest and pill popping antics coming out of the woodwork. But this is an intriguing character story that revolves around one focus point and descends into verbal brutality. At the centre, you may think it is the funeral but it is more about the women and their interactions. The emotions here come rapid fire off screen and each performance is strong, captivating and above all, real. The heart of this film is down to the extraordinary skills of Streep and Roberts who deserve their nominations for not just acting, but seamlessly become this awful mother and daughter relationship. Constantly changing the playing field, this is one film you don’t want to miss.
August: Osage County is in cinemas now.