YEAH AGAIN FOR NETFLIX

     Netflix films made during the Pandemic had some peculiar and provocative traits as this blog indicated several months ago. The new year again presents at least two worthwhile Netflix movies with  challenging plot structures and open endings; they also deliver unexpected twists and themes.

      Consider initially "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal  and starring Oscar- winning Olivia Coleman. However, it's surprising that the work is critically appreciated in the first place because the story is confusing and presents more questions than it answers. For example, the resort's isolated location leaves us asking, where is this place any way? Maybe England, or is it possibly Cape Cod?   ( Actually it was filmed in Greece. )

     The primary character ( Olivia Coleman ), appears to be a lonely woman with very little "back story. " Therefore , we know hardly anything about her or her motivations. She is, in a word,  ambiguous. We don't know if we like her or not. We  feel both sorry for her yet question her ethics. We also keep trying to figure out where the plot is going: does Olivia kill someone? Does she herself die? And most intriguing of all, what does the neighbor's doll have to do with any thing? ( The object may be merely a "red herring. )

     It's apparent that the viewers are busy trying to keep ahead of the story and its theme instead of really getting involved, although the actors, including Ed Harris as the handy man, are quite engaging. In the end, yours truly failed to solve the plot puzzle. Maybe that's the point. We are not meant to learn the answers; we are meant to remain confused. Thus, we can experience what Olivia's character is experiencing. Every step of the way.

     "Tick, Tick Boom"  ( directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda ) is another film that does not follow the traditional Hollywood narrative, resembling, instead, a non-narrative pattern that skips around time- wise.  Yet it does not confuse the audience like some non-narrative movies do : quite the opposite. In fact, we watch with abandonment the nearly real-life story of  "Rent's" musical theatre composer, Jonathan Larson, especially becoming involved with Andrew Garfield's portrayal of  Larson.

     While this movie concerns Larson's earlier  work, "Tick, Tick Boom," the musical numbers are interwoven with the plot in a meaningful way: the songs actually become the plot itself, not  an extension of the story. The music comes and goes, often with the same song being performed with different singers and in different settings. Thus, we have continuity of  both Larson's life  ( although he passed away  just before "Rent's" opening night ) and musical theatre itself. 

    Another point: the idea of  an open ending ( the film not revealing that Larson would write "Rent" or die before it opened ) combined with the concept of continuity certainly seemed unexpected to this critic.

     Finally, "Downton Abbey," a PBS Masterpiece movie first broadcast this past Christmas, shares similar traits with the described Netflix films, although it's not apparent at first glance.

While the work is coherent and chronological, unlike the non-narrative previous two films, its open ending  is particularly salient. Not that we are surprised that the family's future and  royal legacy  will be called into question ( all the more reason for a sequel ).  Rather, it's the subtle political issues which become the ending. Thus, the slow downfall of the upper class and the rise of a working  and middle class are suggested as two servants exit through the front door of Downton Abbey for the first time.

     Nevertheless, the movie's denouement still has it both ways when it comes to the class system: the family and servants have reconciled their petty differences with Great Britain's King and Queen who were quests at Downton Abbey. 

     Long Live the Monarch, no matter what.