Blue Jasmine

I don’t like Woody Allen at all, although I admit he has made some good films. As a director and writer he’s definitely talented, but when he acts he talks so much that the word “acting” loses its meaning and becomes something I simply can’t handle, something I can’t enjoy in any way. Especially when I’ve seen actors express incredible emotions and meaning just through their eyes or subtle facial movements.

I never managed to finish Annie Hall which is otherwise considered a masterpiece. I just couldn’t stand listening to Woody Allen talking endlessly, so I always stopped the film around the thirty minute mark. I tried two or three times.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let’s get to the main point. In Woody Allen’s film Blue Jasmine where he participated as both director and writer, Cate Blanchett won the Oscar for Best Actress.

For the plot, the imdb summary is enough:
“A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks like a million dollars, but brings no money, peace, or love.”

Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, the New York socialite, manages to make you feel the crushing difficulty of her situation while at the same time preventing you from feeling any real sympathy for her. On the contrary you almost feel a sense of dislike. And all these feelings keep shifting ever so slightly, blurring the boundaries inside you. In doing so, she passes on the crystallized confusion the protagonist is trapped in. It’s very hard to like or dislike someone who has nothing left standing inside. Someone who, beyond the polished shell, is empty. Blanchett conveys this human condition through her performance.

Is the film a masterpiece
It didn’t impress me in terms of directing or writing. I’m also negatively predisposed toward Woody Allen. What did impress me were the performances, first from Cate Blanchett as Jasmine and also from Sally Hawkins as Ginger who was nominated for an Oscar for this supporting yet crucial role.

For these two performances alone, Blue Jasmine is worth watching.