He had a vision for the end of the world. Of course, it had to be a musical

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As a film enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of cinematic storytelling over the years, I find myself deeply moved by Lukas Dhont’s masterpiece, “The End.” This film, with its hauntingly beautiful narrative and exceptional performances, is a testament to the human condition under extreme circumstances.

The initial moments of “The End” can be quite surprising, even if you’re prepared for it, as Michael Shannon breaks into song alongside George MacKay.

MacKay sings of a ‘wonderful morning,’ elongating the ‘o’ in ‘morning’ as he completes an intricate miniature setting of a dreamt-up American scenery, featuring pine trees, train tracks, and the iconic Hollywood sign. ‘No one is awake yet / If I were a cat, I’d be contentedly purring.’ Shannon, with glasses and business attire, examines his son’s craftsmanship and joins in, singing softly in a high pitch: ‘Imagine all this leads to us / It’s breathtaking just to consider…’

In a soothing musical arrangement, their heartfelt singing shines. It’s genuine, not a joke or mockery, even though they’re praising the splendor of dawn within a sunless chamber deep beneath the earth, six miles under the surface.

It soon becomes clear that they are not only deceiving others but also themselves – finding ways to cope, disconnect, and comfort themselves. And one of the most effective methods for telling such a deception is through the medium of a musical.

Another surprising fact is that “The End” (hitting theaters this Friday) – a postapocalyptic drama with a strong soundtrack, also featuring Tilda Swinton, Bronagh Gallagher, and Moses Ingram – was not only written and directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, but he’s the same filmmaker renowned for his emotionally charged documentaries about the Indonesian genocide of the 1960s, “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence.

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Discussing the production and impact of his Academy Award-nominated documentary ‘The Act of Killing,’ is Joshua Oppenheimer, its director.

As a movie buff, I’d put it this way: During a Zoom call from the serene Catskills over Thanksgiving week, Oppenheimer, age 50, a profound thinker, delved into the idea that my films revolve around the chasm between the narratives we construct for ourselves and the enigma and marvel of our true selves. He eloquently referred to it as the cosmic dance between emptiness and abundance, the universe stirring to consciousness.

Following the premiere of “The Look of Silence” in 2014, none other than Werner Herzog suggested that Oppenheimer consider making a work of fiction next.

According to Oppenheimer, he responded firmly with a straightforward “No” when recalling the conversation. Earlier, he had been contemplating a new documentary featuring a wealthy Japanese family involved in the oil business, who were considering purchasing a luxury bunker for survival purposes. After visiting their doomsday facility equipped with amenities such as a wine cellar and swimming pool, Oppenheimer was left feeling bewildered.

He ponders, how might this family manage their regret over the disaster they were escaping? How can they handle the sorrow of leaving loved ones behind? In what way will they bring up a new generation in this place untouched by the outside world – a place where they could essentially rewrite their past?

In that particular mood, he chose to watch one of his beloved comfort movies, the jazz-infused 1964 French musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” and all of a sudden, an inspiring realization struck him – akin to Oppenheimer’s famous breakthrough.

One effective way to rephrase this statement in a more natural and easy-to-understand manner is: “One advantage of creating a movie like ‘The Act of Killing,’ which can be described as ‘Death squad members create a musical to portray their recollections of genocide,’ is that it allows you to propose even the most outrageous ideas, and people will actually consider them seriously.

In my perspective as a film critic, Oppenheimer, with his soft-spoken, scholarly tone, treated his concept with unwavering seriousness. The subject matter he wished to delve into seemed to demand an artistic expression through song.

He explains that the optimistic portrayal of chaos often found in musicals is what has consistently attracted him to this art form.

The director understands that the golden age for American musicals, both live performances and films, took place during times of significant historical events such as the Great Depression, World War II, the Holocaust, and the threat of nuclear destruction. Interestingly, while the U.S. detonated atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, “Carousel” was enjoying tremendous success on Broadway.

In the final song of that performance, they croon, “As you journey through tough times, keep your chin up and don’t fear the shadows.

As a movie enthusiast who’s deeply into musicals, I can’t help but notice that these joyful and uplifting productions often conceal a darker side. In many instances, they seem to emerge from periods marred by conflict and destruction. The genre is often referred to as the “wolf of despair disguised in the sheepskin of hope” by none other than Oppenheimer, a fitting choice of surname given its connotations.

In 2016, he contacted Marius de Vries, a renowned British music arranger and producer known for his work on films such as “Moulin Rouge!” and “La La Land”. De Vries was immediately captivated by the concept: “I thought, ‘You don’t need to say any more.’ The idea of blending a post-apocalyptic movie with a musical is just so unconventional and fascinating.

Initially, a significant move involved selecting the ideal musician. Oppenheimer chose Jeanine Tesori, a Tony Award winner renowned for her works in “Shrek the Musical” and “Kimberly Akimbo.” Impressed by her persuasion, the writer-director decided to write the lyrics himself, an uncharted territory for him, which he acknowledges was quite daunting.

Tesori was in the process of turning some of her concepts into music when her mother fell ill with cancer. She chose to abandon the project to concentrate on nursing care instead. She recommended Oppenheimer to Joshua Schmidt, a composer from Milwaukee who has created music and sound design for live theater in Chicago, New York, and London. He’s also written seven musicals, such as the off-Broadway production “Adding Machine” and two anthology operas.

In a preliminary meeting over Skype, Schmidt encountered Oppenheimer. Upon reviewing the script, Schmidt opined that the tale held an underlying message of optimism, which seemed to cause the director to visibly lose some air.

Oppenheimer remarked, “I believed he was an unsuitable composer for that reason.” He then questioned, “What do you mean there’s ‘hope’? Did you perhaps misconstrue the story and its conclusion?” To which he responded, “No, no — I’m not speaking of a literal hope. Instead, the music symbolizes theirs hope. It might be a false hope, but it’s what motivates them to rise each day. So, the music should have an uplifting, aspirational, and soaring quality that grows from tiny sparks or hints of optimism.

All of a sudden, they were in perfect sync, and Schmidt was given the job on March 5, 2020 – just a week before everything closed down globally. “Then I went into my bunker,” Schmidt, aged 48, jokes, reminiscing about an exceptionally self-referential episode that showed him directly how rapidly people can lose their minds when confined indoors during times when the world outside becomes uninhabitable.

Why wouldn’t people start singing their feelings?

In many musical theater productions, characters break into song when expressing emotions too profound for normal speech. However, in this case, the songs stemmed from uncertainty. These high-ranking survivors, who we discover were instrumental in causing the climate disaster and abandoned their loved ones to perish, have been maintaining narratives of their own virtue and bravery for over two decades. As these self-crafted tales begin to unravel, as Oppenheimer puts it, “The characters are akin to shipwreck survivors adrift at sea, desperately grasping for debris to fashion a lifeboat.

He clarifies, ‘Those are the tunes.’ They’re striving to find melodies that will birth fresh hymns of optimism – but it might not be genuine.

Joshuas Oppenheimer from Copenhagen and Schmidt from Milwaukee connected on Skype daily during the pandemic over seven months, creating a book of 12 songs in the unique rhythm of their speech and thoughts. Swinton’s character, known as “Mother,” sings about how the world was once filled with strangers, while Shannon’s “Father” croons about the stunning blue sky. The “Son”, portrayed by MacKay, struggles to come to terms with kicking out the “Girl”, Ingram, who mysteriously shows up in the bunker; eventually, she’s allowed to remain, and her first song, an emotional wail without words, marks the beginning of honesty.

The lyrics frequently lack depth, being similar to overused political phrases like “thoughts and prayers,” according to Oppenheimer. And, in many instances, characters seem to lose their train of thought during a song, resorting to a different tune mid-song. Repetitive parts get mixed together, and Schmidt designed the piece as a “recurring loop” that mirrors the enclosed environment.

Oppenheimer and Schmidt sought actors capable of singing, rather than established singers – an important difference. These roles were character-driven songs, and when Swinton joined the team, she likened it to a magical task: The actor who was willing to accept such an unusual, daring assignment was the one they should choose for the part.

As a movie reviewer with a passion for music, I must confess that my love for singing has been a constant companion since my days growing up in Lexington, Kentucky. In the choral group of my hometown, I found a platform to express this affection. I wasn’t your typical musical theater prodigy, but I did get a taste of the stage when I strummed the upright bass in our high school production of “Bye Bye Birdie.

As a lifelong enthusiast, I’ve found myself deeply captivated by this topic since my teenage years. To me, Oppenheimer’s concept is not merely timely but critical, and I relished the opportunity to delve into it from an unconventional perspective – one that stimulates thought rather than merely hammering facts.

For four weeks prior to filming, the cast underwent rehearsals in Ireland, with Fiora Cutler, a renowned vocal coach from Hollywood, present to ensure everyone felt comfortable and secure. Schmidt anticipated that he might need to modify his intricate, wide-ranging tunes for these non-professional singers, and he inspired them all to discover the ideal voice for their character.

According to Schmidt, Tilda takes delight in singing high up in the atmosphere. He describes this region as an unusual, melodious tool for music, and it’s where she feels most comfortable performing. In contrast, Michael spans from the lowest note to the highest one he can reach, yet his singing is tailored to fit his portrayal of the Father.

“Still,” he adds, “you’d be surprised how little we had to change.”

The actors primarily sang live, while they heard a straightforward piano tune through their earpieces. Complex staging and synchronized camera work enabled extended shots featuring several actors singing simultaneously.

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Four decades have passed since these filmmakers, responsible for “The Day After,” “Testament,” and “Threads,” brought their groundbreaking works to light – works that left audiences stunned and influenced the perspectives of political leaders.

Shannon expressed, “During our practice sessions, I found it incredibly challenging to grasp how you manage such extended periods underground without losing your sanity. I think one method they use is by means of this music. Now, I don’t believe any of them are paragons of mental health, but they find a way to persevere. They persist through this music.

Oppenheimer notes that his movie seems even more relevant today as skeptical views on climate change are becoming more common. In the director’s words, “With the president-elect being surrounded by the world’s wealthiest individuals, whom he is indebted to, I foresee an era of oligarchy ahead.

He maintains a friendly demeanor, speaking softly as he shares all this information. Oppenheimer has faced some of humanity’s most hideous aspects, fully aware of how precariously close we are to our own destruction. Yet, he contends that “The End” serves as a warning and thus carries a fundamentally optimistic message in the long run.

He implies that the topic concerns the future,” he says, but it’s more accurately described as a grim reflection of the present. This perspective is based on the belief that although the family in the movie may have missed their chance for change, we still have an opportunity to adopt authentic hope. Authentic hope differs from false hope, as it represents the conviction that if we honestly confront our issues, we can indeed find solutions – and there’s still ample time left to do so.

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2024-12-06 03:01