Maybe I’m giving the film too little credit. What is this “place” that the title alludes too? In the film, Avery Cross (played by Bradley Cooper) is taken deep into a forest twice, both under the assumption that his life is at risk. The silent serenity of the towering trees juxtaposes against the intimidating wrath that threatens Avery’s life, keeping the audience in suspense… allegedly. While I was watching this, however, the film’s lack of focus prevented me from developing any empathy for the characters. Even if I do understand the motives of every individual, the film feels like a series of character profiles rather than an actual overarching story.
Well, how is the film as the “father-son” odyssey that it claims to be? The better question is, “How does The Place Beyond the Pines convince us that all fathers and all sons share something in common?” Before, Cianfrance proved that all couples share similar problems with Blue Valentine. In this film, one of the fathers, Luke (Ryan Gosling), steals from banks and gives the money to his illegitimate baby child, who is under the custody of his ex-girlfriend and her husband. The other father, Avery, works as a police officer while providing for his family. So far, it’s not too bad. However, their children are completely different: one is an irresponsible junkie, and the other ends up following his father’s footsteps despite never meeting him. Furthermore, they spend equal amounts of time on all four character (the two fathers and the two sons). As a result, all the elements of the film clutter up into an incoherent stew of meaningless ideas.
I wish I can defend this movie. Mainstream cinema is already chock-full of computer-generated action and teenage romantic comedies; it’s hard to find something that wants to overcome the genre formula. Though I am glad that filmmakers like Cianfrance have an audience, movie buffs are mistaking the quality of their films with their faith in such filmmakers. People don’t want to see Cianfrance experiment with new ideas, they just want a spiritual successor to Blue Valentine. This forces Cianfrance to turn a crime drama with a promising premise into a lacklustre paternal love story. And in this scenario, we should be patient: let Cianfrance find his own voice, not force him to repeat his previous successes.
A great crime drama, like The Godfather, takes you on an adventure through places saturated with fear and guilt. The Place Beyond the Pines, on the other hand, is just a field trip about the dreary chores of raising a kid.