THE STORY – For Rita, a workaday life as an assistant bank manager, wife, and mother of two approaching empty-nest status has just collided with the re-emergence of a very painful chapter of her family history. She finds various ways, all frustratingly temporary, to cope with her anxieties — that is, until a mysterious new client, Ricki, walks into Rita’s bank.
THE CAST – Carrie Coon, Lily James, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, Tracy Letts & Jaime Ray Newman
THE TEAM – Guy Nattiv (Director/Writer) & Noa Berman Herzberg (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 124 Minutes
Many directors have made autobiographical films, telling stories about or inspired by their family history. Not many have told one as dark and vulnerable as “The Liberation.” Guy Nattiv, the Oscar-winning director behind “Skin” and “Golda,” shares a film heavily inspired by his grandmother Rita, who left her family to join a cult in the 1980s. While many details are fictionalized, Nattiv makes it clear in the film that viewers should see it as an attempt to understand what happened to her and what drove her to leave. The result is tremendously disturbing, yet endlessly compelling, largely thanks to Carrie Coon’s breathtaking performance.
Coon plays Rita, assistant bank manager, wife to Reuben (Tracey Letts), mother to Ella and Jo (Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young). But of course, Rita is much more than just her job or her relationships. She’s also a holocaust survivor who lost her mother and siblings, who never truly processed the pain; she’s overworked in a job she hates; she’s the caretaker of her ailing father. It’s a lot. The stress and trauma compound over and over, leaving Rita feeling empty, a shell of herself. A loud ticking clock ominously plays as the soundtrack to her life, as though counting the seconds she has left before she implodes. It’s no wonder that when Ricki (Lily James) entered her life, Rita could so easily become enraptured with promises of a new life, and for all her misery to be taken away.
Every heavy moment of “The Liberation” rests on Coon’s shoulders, and she delivers a knockout, tour de force performance. While the audience knows not to buy into the alluring promises of a cult leader, Coon plays Rita’s pain so authentically that we believe her choices every step of the way. The emptiness she feels is palpable, the weight on her shoulders evident in the way Coon carries herself. As she gets further and further pulled into Ricki’s orbit, Rita begins to morph into a completely different person, yet Coon never loses the thread of what got her there.
The film is occasionally held up by its structure, which weaves between her life before and after leaving with Ricki. It develops so much backstory that, while it may be true in some respects to the real Rita, it bogs down an otherwise straightforward story. And yet, this back-and-forth also heightens the tension as Ella and Jo arrive at Ricki’s compound to try to reach their mother. Rita’s downward spiral is riveting, propelling the movie forward at every turn.
Ramsey (“The Last of Us”) especially shines as a daughter desperate to reclaim her mother. While Jo is more apt to let their mom be who she wants to be, Ella knows this isn’t freedom. She’s the true audience surrogate, putting us in her shoes as she fights relentlessly, refusing to put up with any bullshit so she can finally have her mom back. Her performance perfectly counterbalances James’ Ricki, the enticing spiritual leader. Ramsey and James are opposing forces in Rita’s world, pushing and pulling her in their own ways. James is perfectly cast, delivering exactly the right amount of mystery and charm to pull Rita in without playing all of her cards too early. Frankly, it’s quite believable that she would be able to gather up a group of women who would hang on her every word.
Despite Nattiv telling the story of his own grandmother, he doesn’t shy away from how disturbing this tale can get. Like the cult leader at the center, the film grabs hold of you and never lets go, unraveling with palpable dread. The movie builds magnificently to the titular “liberation” moment: the women dancing around a gigantic campfire, a scene that, while familiar, burns the house down with its propulsive score and intense editing. Dascha Dauenhauer’s score works well in the more mundane sections of Rita’s life too, matching the tempo of the ticking clock that refuses to quit. Cinematographers Tudor Vladimir Panduru and Fabian Gamper give the film a slightly faded atmosphere, with highlights of blues and browns. There are sporadic moments of odd camera choices, like chopping food in hyper-close-up, a choice that never comes back elsewhere.
While many films explore cults and cult leaders, both true and fictional, Nattiv’s desire to understand Rita’s choices sets “The Liberation” apart. Coon’s dazzling performance never lets the audience believe she’s a fool, or just dumb for getting sucked into this cult. We feel her pain at every turn, while never justifying her most painful decisions. This is the story of a woman at the end of her rope, reaching for the only lifeline she could find, leaving devastation in her wake. A tragic, avoidable, unsettling story, and Nattiv’s best film yet.
