The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines is one of those exceptional films that exceeds the expectations of its genre. If you are going to watch it (it is available on Netflix), watch it without any knowledge of the plot other than what I am going to tell you right now. I knew what was going to happen, I research a lot about certain films, and I was not as emotionally connected, as I would have been if I saw it blind.

This film’s plot is an epic, with three stories interwoven with each other until the very end, and it is a refreshing and moving experience. The first story is in the perspective of a biker, played by Ryan Gosling, who has just found out he is a father. The second story is about a cop, played by Bradley Cooper, who is trying to do his job when his partners reveal their corrupted agendas. Like a Shakespearean play and other classic tragedies before it, this film is a flawless example of tragedy under the power of fate and destiny. Ryan Gosling’s story is a classic anti-hero story, and Bradley Cooper’s 'cop trying to get out of the system’ is also familiar, but how these events shape their kids is what makes this film so special. To add to the emotion, the directing and editing gives subtle hints that slowly build up, so when the third act begins to fall apart, you know why. The composition in several shots shows a contrast between the town and the forest, a correlation with certain characters, all elevated by unforgettable music. There are certain scenes where the music takes control of the narrative wheel, even the shot-to-shot transitions fade into one another, and it is breathtaking. There were moments when the story completely brought me in, and when there was a twist I was knocked out of my senses.

If you paused the film forty-eight minutes before it ended, it would be a completely different story, without a doubt. These first two stories are the majority of the film, but they are the set up for the third act, which shows the true meaning the director is trying to tell: what happens when a father is not there for his son, and the inevitability that the son will become his father. I thought the first two acts were the best when it came to excitement, but when events and characters returned in the third act there was a sense of revolution in a continuous circle that gave more depth and reason than the first two acts combined. The third act is what makes this film so narratively rich and unique, twisting every plot point before hand and revealing the true consequences right in front of your eyes. There is no heavy-handed narration or backstory, what controls the characters and follows them on their path is made clear from the performances. Several things are left unclear on purpose, in our own personal lives there are things we will never know, and this film emphasizes the value of the truth. Several of the characters we see are trying to find the truth, or justice, and they follow their goals even when they have to abandon everything they own: their identity, their friends, their family, and sometimes their entire future. The actions they take only push them deeper into the shadow of fate, and when they realize what they have done, there is no escaping their destiny. Every protagonist in a story can be analyzed on what they do and why, but the fact that there are at least three characters in this film with that capability is astounding.

This film is available on Netflix. Please watch it. Look up what ever you need to, but I recommend seeing it with no knowledge other than what you just read. It is shot beautifully and written masterfully. The actors, especially Ryan Gosling and his partner, Ben Mendelsohn, are unforgettable, and the music is the icing on the cake for their performances. There are only a handful of films that are narratively superior to this, and even if you do not see what is happening, your brain still understands it subconsciously, so when the hammer eventually falls, you understand what is about to happen.

Story Rating: 10/10

Character Rating: 8/10