2020 Sleepers

                                                                    Part 2

Herewith the second, and last, installment of 2020 movies that didn’t get much attention but that I thought are quite good.

Let Him Go stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as grandparents determined to rescue their grandson. After their son dies in a riding accident, their daughter-in-law remarries. The new husband takes her and the grandson away to his distant family, not even saying good-bye. The grandparents decide to see how things are at the grandson’s new home. Not good. Leslie Manville, as the dreadful new grandmother Blanche, is totally poisonous, as is the rest of her toxic brood. An attempt to extricate their daughter-in-law and grandson goes spectacularly wrong and lots of violence ensues. 

There is nobody in The Photograph you’ve ever heard of, but they’re all good. It tells a rather complicated story about how a single picture taken long ago unlocks the truth of a relationship too long kept secret. The entanglements of the plot and the time shifts can be daunting, but it’s worth sticking with it. 

Rebecca with Lily James as the new Mrs. DeWinter, has a brand new and incredibly complicated plot. Frankly, it is most interesting to compare it with the 1940 version directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.  The earlier film follows Daphne DuMaurier’s novel much more closely and is better for that. Still, the new one is worth watching and coupled with the original would make a fine double feature. 

The Way Back features Ben Affleck as a former star basketball player who has become a heavy drinker. He is asked to coach the basketball team at his former high school when the head coach has a heart attack. With few, and inferior, players he builds the team around a full court press and fierce defense. But his drinking continues. Not your usual film about a guy trying to beat alcoholism,  but well done by the screen writer and Mr. Affleck. 

I realize that including a movie that won the Oscar for Best Screen Play and was nominated for four others is a bit of a stretch in an article about sleepers.  I liked this movie so much I decided to stick it in here. Carey Mulligan is Cassie,  the Promising Young Woman of the title. While in college her best friend is brutally raped by another student. Neither the school nor the authorities do anything about it, and the friend becomes a suicide. Cassie vows revenge and her methods are interesting and effective. She designs a plan to totally humiliate the rape perpetrator and goes all out to achieve it. You would not want to mess with this sweet-faced young woman! But you would want to watch this stellar film.

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and are for grown-ups.