Ambition can sometimes be a dirty word, depending on its reach and underlying intentions. A riveting film following fatherhood and its generation-spanning consequences, The Place Beyond the Pines is certainly no stranger to aspiration. Though a narrative triptych that throws its net a little too wide, the latest film from Derek Cianfrance, the director of indie darling Blue Valentine, is nevertheless a rarity in its ability to touch on themes of novelistic proportions.
Introducing the story of mysterious motorcycle driver Luke (Ryan Gosling) as its central focus, the film explores issues of class and masculinity in the seedy backwater Schenectady, N.Y. When Luke discovers that he is a father as the result of a fling with diner waitress Romina (Eva Mendes), he resorts to robbing banks to support his fledgling family. He must also deal with the child’s surrogate father and with rejection from Romina’s mother.
In the midst of all this, the audience is immersed in a derivative story involving the local police department and a rookie named Avery (Bradley Cooper) converted to corruption by detective Deluca (Ray Liotta). Avery is also a father ,and when he and Luke eventually cross paths, the consequences from the encounter linger, affecting even their children many years later.
The film keeps you guessing what will happen next, and when the big plot twists finally happen, it reaches a palpable level of depth. Still, the film’s first act is where it truly shines. It’s when you feel the most empathy for the protagonists and are most engrossed in their trials because, especially with Luke, that’s when they’re best demonstrated. There are no big fights between Luke and Romina about raising the child, no breakup scene or overly romanticized moment; melodrama is unnecessary in the face of raw emotion.
The acting is phenomenal as well, with Cooper giving his best performance, perhaps better than that in Silver Linings. Though it might seem like he is resigned to the dark side, he resists acting as a caricature by displaying complexity and ambivalence about his loyalties. Gosling is as smooth, quiet, and reserved as ever, but, as with Drive, it suits his character well.
The Place Beyond the Pines is by far the best film to hit cinemas yet this year. If there is any criticism I have, it’s the unusual “humming” score of the movie that plays in some scenes, since it is hardly consistent with the film’s flow. The heavy use of shaky cam is also a cinematic cliché that is difficult to endure, though it makes the chase scenes visceral and energetic.
Though the film is not without its flaws, they are worth forgiving for the sake of its exquisite mood development and emotional layers. A saga that would have benefited from narrowing its focus, its failures nevertheless seem to reflect those of the fathers it portrays—despite their best intentions, their human fallibility will always outlast them.
