Displaying items by tag: Naomie Harris

BLACK BAG

US, 2025, 93 minutes, Colour.

Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Marisa Abela, Rege-Jean Paege, Naomi Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Gustaf Skarsgaard.

Directed by Steven Soderberg.

Black Bag is a film from Steven Soderberg, now a veteran director, early on the scene at a young age, winning at Cannes, 1989, with Sex, Lies and Videotape. He won an Oscar for Best Director in 2004 Traffic. Now, 35 years later, that title does describe key elements in this 21^st-century story of bureaucratic spies, agents, secrets, lies, 21^st-century surveillance technology.

Soderberg is a very hands-on filmmaker and with most of his films, as here, he uses the pseudonym, Peter Andrews, for his role as cinematographer and Mary Ann Bernard (his mother’s actual name) for his role as editor.

The writer of this film is also a veteran, David Koepp, with a range of films from Jurassic Park to Spiderman and, for Soderberg in recent years, Kimi and the ghost story, Presence.

In many ways, this film could be described as intellectual. The setting is London, the key characters generally behind the scenes in their agency. The setting is London, the screenplay takes place over a week, each day indicated. There is very little on screen action (a drone exploding a car on a Polish road), with more talk, discussion, testing, polygraph sequences, cant-and-mouse games and an eruption of truth at the end.

At the centre is top intelligence agent, George, played precisely by Michael Fassbender, meticulous in manner and order (sometimes looking like OCD touches), informed that there is a traitor, the disappearance of information which could trigger explosive results, his quest to find the traitor. And, his link indicates that that could include his wife, Katherine a surface-assured agent, Cate Blanchett. He invites for over collaborators to a dinner, playing a game to try to determine who with a traitor could be. And the game is rather intelligence intriguing, each guest voicing a resolution for the future for the person sitting to their right. Of course, quite a number of secrets and lies, and a dramatic plunging of a knife into the hand of one of the guests.

As the week goes on, we are introduced to the top administrator, played by a silver haired Pierce Brosnan. We get to know the other dinner guests will, bread, a bluff agent played by Tom Burke (Cormorant Strike from the Robert K Galbraith stories and television series), Clarissa, his partner, by Marisa Abela (TVs industry in a striking performance as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black), Bridgeton’s Rege-Jean Page as James, a Colonel and Naomie Harris, veteran of many films from Moonlighting to being Miss Moneypenny and the Daniel Craig bond films) as Zoe, the in-house psychologist.

And so the week continues, Katherine going to Zürich for a contact, George using Clarissa for deep surveillance on her meeting. There are also counselling sessions with Zoe for Katherine and Steve, more secrets and lies.

Then George tests the dinner guests with the polygraph and then organises another dinner, more games and revelations, placing a gun on the table – and, with the pressures of the discussion, the decision that whoever lunges for the game is the traitor. Yes.

So, an espionage story but an exploration of motives and actions rather than non-stop activity – no, there is quite an unexpected shootout!

1. The world of security, agents, spies? The code of secrecy, lies, cover-ups, the symbol of the black bag?
2. A story of spies rather than a thriller? Secrets, plans, betrayals, testing, unmasking? Not an action spy thriller?
3. The London setting, interiors, the home and the dinner, the official officers, meeting rooms? Zürich, the airport, the square, the road through Poland, the fishing? The atmospheric score?
4. The work of Steven Soderberg, for 35 years, the title of sex, lies and video tapes, and the reprisal of equivalent themes in the 21^st-century? His photography, his editing?
5. The introduction to George, serious, meticulous, the camera following him in the street, the club, the contact, the issue of a traitor, his commission to find the truth? His relationship with Katherine, with her on the list? At home, no lying, each prepared to life of the other, kill for the other? His cooking, detailed, the stain on the shirt, changing his clothes, the touch of OCD?
6. The arrival of the guests, the spiking of the drinks, ready and Clarissa, the initial impressions, James and Sally, the relationship? Their meeting at the cafe, Freddie late, bringing the drinks, suspects? The conversation during the meal, George playing the game, each making the resolution for the other, truth and denials, Clarissa and her anger, Freddie and his affairs and denials, the knife in his hand, the relationship between Zoe and James? The end of the dinner?
7. The structure of the film, the indication of day by day?
8. The character of Freddy, passed over, the lies about his relationships, meetings with Zoe? Yet the relationship with Clarissa? Her background, family, their skills in espionage?
9. The character of James, the relationship with Zoe, her breaking it, his anger, Zoe and her psychology role, the meeting with Katherine, their exchanges, their attitudes towards each other?
10. George, going fishing, the meal? At home with Katherine, her going to Zürich? George and the office, Clarissa and the technology to home in on Katherine, her meeting, the issues, sales, the Russian? The supervisor glancing at the screen? Katherine and her return?
11. Suspicions of James, George taking him fishing, the gun, the conversation?
12. Stiglitz, in charge, the issue of Cerberus, disappearance, sale, money? The capabilities of each character? Suspicions on Stiglitz? His manner?
13. The lie detector, the questionnaire each of the suspects, truth and lies, covers?
14. Katherine, the connection with the CIA and information?
15. The murder of Philip Meacham, Georges contact, his death, suspicions?
16. The meeting for the final game, revelations, the gun on the table, the exposes, Clarissa not lying, James grabbing the gun, his being identified as the traitor, the story of the money, the deals, the CIA and the killing of the Russian and his contact? Katherine shooting him? The disposal of the body?
17. George and Catherine, working together, Katherine and her confrontation with Stiglitz and challenging him?
18. In espionage film of words rather than action?

THE WASP

UK, 2024, 96 minutes, Colour.

Naomie Harris, Natalie Dormer, Dominic Allburn, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds, O;ivia Juno Cleverly, Rupert Holliday-Evans.

Directed by Guillem Morales.

Audiences who enjoy a 90 minutes psychological thriller will be intrigued by The Wasp. It is basically a two-hander, based on a stage play by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm who adapted the play for the screen. This is a film of very strong dialogue, interactions between two women, gradual revelations of the characters both in the past and in the present.

In the early part of the film, there are scenes outdoors, views of an English city, walking in the streets, visits to a supermarket. However, the main part of the film takes place in the house, in one room in the house. But with the dialogue, the performances of the two actresses, the intriguing developments, the claustrophobic atmosphere, the audience becomes involved and does not notice the limitation of action within the room.

Critics have been very strong in their admiration for the performances by Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer, British actresses who stro have had ng screen presence in films for almost two decades. Naomie Harris plays Heather, wealthy, seven years married to Simon, his response to her rather brittle, she more sensitive, house proud, but obsessed with a nest of wasps in the house, creating an embarrassing scene during one of Simon’s business socials.

Wasps, with the title, have some symbolic significance, framed photos of wasps on the staircase – and Heather explaining the symbolism of the tarantula wasp, the small wasp inside the tarantula, growing and eating away the spider will it finally emerges free. Which, of course, is the final image of the film.

The two women meet, conspire, but, ultimately remember the past, their childhood friendship, some terrible experiences of bullying and the consequences, and step by step further revelations, twists, continually intriguing, leading up to a battle of wits. And a tribute to the quality of the screenplay which keeps us interested and very much involved.

And, the aftermath of reflecting on each of the women, their experiences, the good and the bad, responsibilities of children, responsibilities of adults, and the consequences of vengeance.

1. The focus on wasps, the plague, Simon’s personal interest, the framed pictures? The story of the tarantula wasp in the final images and meaning?
2. The British setting, Heather sitting and looking over the city, Carla later sitting in the same place? The overview? The scenes in the street, the supermarket, the women walking to work? But the focus on the house, the main room, the second half of the film within the room, moments upstairs? The musical score?
3. Heather, her age, the marriage, Simon and his brittle behaviour, her responses, the issue of the wasps? Her sitting at the mirror, the make up? The social, the guests, Simon’s hopes, Heather and her battering the wasp nest, Simon upset? His ambitions, going out…?
4. Heather, on the computer, the files, the contacts, the ironies and revelations about her setting up fictitious characters, entrapment of Simon, entrapment of Carla?
5. Heather and the memories of Carla and the rocks for the wounded pigeon? Her decision to contact Carla? Motivations? Meeting with Carla, the restaurant, the proposition, their walking, at the supermarket checkout, the proposition, the money, Carla’s second thought? Pity about the money?
6. The portrait of Carla, at the checkout, slovenly, antagonistic towards customers, at home, her children, television, asking permission, her partner sitting in the chair, his gambling? Her going out, being picked up, with James? The money?
7. The return to the house, the drama with the two women? Heather, upper-class, Carla, working class, contrasts, the taunts? The proposal, Carla’s acceptance, working on the plan, something in the drink, the weapon for battering, Heather and talking of cutting up the body and disposing of it? The theory of the burglary? protective of her possessions? The time frame?
8. Carla’s return, the discussions, Heather and the flashbacks and memories, from the rock and the pigeon, to the various scenes at school, the range of bullying, torment, humiliations, nicknames, Dirty Heather, the scene in the toilet, the physical abuse, the consequences? Heather and the emotional impact of these events, not able to have children, the attempts, IVF, her sense of something within her?
9. Drugging Carla, tying her up, telling her the stories? Carla’s story, the abuse at home, that as did Heather knew what was happening her mother, their not intervening? The limitations of children’s experience?

• Carla, the explanations, the viciousness in the past, the behaviour of children, bullying, friends, her apologies, continued attempts?
• Heather going upstairs, the red dress, the knife, Carla’s attempts to be free, the final confrontation, Heather and her bitterness, Carla and the excuses, the revelation about James, his affair with Carla?
• The background with Ruby, the neighbour, looking in the window, , h her mother, Heather putting the letter in the box?
• Heather taunting Carla, the knife, whether to be violent or not, Carla with the knife, stabbing Heather, Simon returning home, tending Heather, Carla watching, Ruby and her mother, giving the letter to Simon, his reading it, Carla with the knife, the audience seeing the letter? Heather and her death and revenge, entrapment of Carla and Simon?
• The final image of the tarantula wasp, the wasp emerging from Heather’s body, her being the tarantula, it way by the wasp which escaped?