Black Bear (2020)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Black Bear is not only an intriguing concept, but it contains Aubrey Plaza’s astounding performance as a woman toying with the power of manipulation and investing in one’s own self-worth.
While not everything adds up here, Lawrence Michael Levine’s third feature has a lot of interesting takes on how we interact, what we give and take in relationships, and how far we are willing to go to please a partner.
The structure of the film is going to appeal to indie fans, while Plaza deserves to bring the film into the awards conversation when looking back at the best acting performances of 2020.
NO
The bickering on display may grow to aggravate viewers and there is a cynicism about all of this which will be off-putting to some viewers.
Is anyone likable? Does that matter?
There is an open-ended ambiguity to all of this and a lack of resolution that will frustrate audiences who don’t need a story tied up in a perfect ribbon, but would like to at least know there’s some tape holding all the wrapping together.
OUR REVIEW
While I am not entirely sure that Lawrence Michael Levine’s third film, Black Bear, ties together its two distinctive halves, there is an intensity that permeates through each and every moment that makes this a puzzle worth trying to solve.
The pieces lay out most interestingly. We see Aubrey Plaza sitting and contemplating, alone on a dock, wearing a red bathing suit. There’s a couple, prone to bickering with one another, welcome an awkward Plaza to their wilderness Bed and Breakfast retreat, designed for artists to use when they need an escape. There’s also the shifting dynamics that unfold when the three crack open a bottle of wine and share a joint. Later, a film crew is trying to wrap up the last day of a film shoot with a temperamental female actor swimming in a bottle of whiskey.
Black Bear gives us a lot of things to listen to, chew on, and ultimately swallow or spit out. It becomes one thing, then a completely different reinterpretation of that one thing and leaves lots of questions (perhaps too many questions) to answer and consider.
Spoilers are touchy here, so I will try and tread with caution. Levine’s film begins with Allison (Plaza) arriving at that B&B, welcomed by Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon). The B&B is an inherited obligation for Gabe and he and Blair are expecting their first child together. Allison is a filmmaker, arriving at the getaway to clear her mind and forget about her work. She makes small, independent movies she claims everyone hates and is surprised to learn that Gabe and Blair actually watched her movies prior to her arrival.
Over the course of the evening, the three share that bottle of red and engage in spirited, caustic debate over gender roles, feminism, the society at large, and Blair grills Allison on her craft and process. Things escalate, tempers rise, and conflict enters into the evening.
Then, Black Bear becomes something else entirely when the titular creature appears unexpectedly. After that, Allison is again in that red bathing suit, sitting on the dock, on a towel, quietly contemplating things, but now with a camera crew surrounding her. Gabe is now directing her and trying to get her to shoot a second take of a scene he is trying to capture.
Blair is here as well, playing a co-star of Gabe’s film who agrees to stoke Allison’s emotions to generate better energy in an upcoming scene together.
To say anymore ruins some of the interesting twists and maneuvers Levine’s film makes. It has a very pointed take on the role men and women play in relationships, in roles of authority and leadership. The respecting of one another’s existence is a key component of Black Bear and the ease with which people can willingly manipulate others is at the forefront with much of what transpires during the film.
But does this work? That’s open to debate. The performance from Plaza is exceptional, and she provides the through-line between the different stories being told. Allison is a provocateur in the film’s first half – stoking fires and then diffusing them, only to stoke them again to watch the spectacle of everything before her. In the second half, she is a different kind of provocation - struggling and consumed with every vice imaginable to frustrate and create tension and angst among the film crew and cast members.
Remarkably, Plaza never dominates the film, but we simply cannot take our eyes off her. She gives space to her co-stars and transforms into a completely different person from the first part of the film to the second half. There is an awesome moment where Plaza cuts one quick look directly into the camera, serving as a perfect summation of everything she has left on screen from the opening moment to the last.
Gadon and Abbott go toe-to-toe for the film’s first half and wring every last drop of tension out of Levine’s script. Shifting their roles in the second half, they prove less effective and are far more reactionary to Allison’s behavior, but the trio creates a nexus that makes the film engaging and always interesting.
But again I ask - does this work?
By the end, we are left trying to tie up events and exchanges and emotional outbursts and apologies and make sense of how these interactions fit together. Perhaps a second viewing will help bind the threads of Levine’s thoughts tighter and more securely and make the puzzle more clear. Art is at the core of what drives these characters’ motivations, in either story, and these are undoubtedly tortured, troubled souls who are crippled with anxiety, self-esteem, and finding their worth in a world they feel increasingly isolated from.
Levine certainly can create mood, atmosphere, and tension exceedingly well. He can write a great barb or cutting remark. Levine also has a penchant for infusing recurring bits of comedy, which offer a respite at times in the film’s second half. How these moments ultimately fit into the bigger context of the story being told is unclear, but seeing multiple individuals find inventive and creative ways to spill fresh cups of coffee is just flat out amusing.
With career-best work from Plaza, Black Bear is a movie most should still proceed towards with some caution. Levine’s ambition and talent are clearly undeniable. His storytelling sharp and pointed, but feels unnecessarily evasive. He lulls you into this world, but then sneaks away once you get inside and leaves you to fend for yourself.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon, Paola Lázaro, Grantham Coleman, Lindsey Burdge, Alexander Koch, Jennifer Kim.
Director: Lawrence Michael Levine
Written by: Lawrence Michael Levine
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Momentum Pictures