The Brave One~

by Mona Ammon
nerable at the same time. Throughout this film she veers back and forth between the two. At the beginning of the film she is smart, confident and happy. Mter the attack, lying in the hospital bed, she looks so small and broken. Slowly she comes back to life. We watch her struggle to pull her life/herself back together. She manages to get out of that hospital bed but once home is incapable of making it out of the door of her building. The look of terror on her face while she tries to navigate the hallway of her building is heartbreaking. Eventually, not only does she make it out of her building but finds herself prowling the streets at night, alone, something she never used to do. She does this under the auspices of finding material for her radio talk show, "Street Walk". Is she trying to take back her sense of security-to say to the city-the world-you can't break me? Or is there a darker purpose to her nocturnal ramblings? She begins to find herself in dangerous situations. The question is, is she seeking out these encounters or is she just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Disclaimer: While I try to keep the ''mystery" ofa film intact it can be difficult to adequately review a film without giving away some ''secrets': It is always possible to come across unintended spoilers when reading a review.
September has arrived. For me this means celebrating my birthday. Sometimes it also means that I get a special gift in the form of a new Jodie Foster movie. This year was one of the special gift years with the arrival of a new Jodie Foster film, The Brave One. What made it an even more special gift was that The Brave One is probably the best Jodie Foster movie in years. Both the film and Foster are heart rending, thought provoking and riveting. The Brave One starts rather unusually for a Jodie Foster film. It starts with Jodie's character, Erica Bane, laughing, flirting, kissing and smiling with her boyfriend. Jodie rarely has romantic relationships in movies. When she does it is fairly fleeting and not very physical. While The Brave One does follow the pattern of the "boyfriend" not being in the picture long, in the short time that you do see her with her boyfriend, David Kirmani (Naveen Andrews) you get a sense of two people deeply and passionately in love. The film quickly turns dark and intense, something typical for a Jodie Foster film. The couple is attacked in Central Park one night while walking their dog. The attack is brutal and incomprehensible. What we get from here on out is a standard Jodie theme, the survivor's journey. How will she deal with the loss of a loved one, her sense of safety, her ability to control her life and ultimately her identity? One of the things that makes Jodie Foster so compelling to watch is that she is often both strong and vulOCTOBER 2007

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Ultimately, the film becomes a debate on the ethics of vigilante justice. Some may see shades of Death Wish (the 1970s Charles Bronson film) about a man who dispenses his own justice after his family is killed by street thugs. The difference is that while Death Wish suggests that Bronson's actions are justified The Brave One questions whether Foster's actions, particularly as she gets more and more gun wieldy, are righteous. We see that questioning in the voices of the callers to her radio show as they debate the rightness of the actions of the vigilante, we hear it in the voices of the cops who understand the frustration of a city tired of crime but loathe the actions of someone who takes the law into their own hands, and we hear it in Erica's voice as she swears after each incident she will not pull the trigger again, yet finds herself traveling closer and closer to the edge. I was watching an interview with Jodie on Biography--she commented how she often takes roles written for men and turns them into a role for a woman. By turning them into a role for a woman, I mean that the name and thus the gender may change but the characteristics (strong, brave, smart) stay the same. If any female sensibility is added it is compassion. Her Erica Bane is not some righteous man taking the law into his own hands without remorse, anger his only feeling, but a woman torn by conflicting feelings trying to find her way back to herself after an incomprehensible tragedy. In addition to Jodie's first-rate performance there are several excellent supporting performances. Terrance Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) as Detective Mercer is

a great complement to Foster's, Erica Bane. They have really good chemistry and you root for them to get together, really. He is smart, sensitive and full of integrity. Haunted by his failures both personal and professional he is drawn to the survivor in Erica Bane. His partner, Detective Vitale (Nicky Katt) is also quite a character. The comic relief, he has all the best lines. His timing is so good that these little comic asides don't feel like an intrusion in the midst of this high drama but flow as a natural part of the dialogue. My only issue with this film is the ending. I would have liked something more ambiguous. The two people I went with did not have that issue. Still, as I said earlier, this is the best Jodie Foster film in some time. First, she is front and center, unlike Inside Man where she had a small and ultimately superfluous part. The plot is firmer and the story more compelling than Flightplan. Don't get me wrong, there is no such thing as a bad Jodie movie but The Brave One is the meatiest role and film we have seen her in, in a while. Go see this film. Bring a "friend" so you have some one to "protect" you during the scarier parts and someone to debate with when the lights go up.

Lesbian feminist psychotherapist interested in wholeness rather than "curing" you.

Especially sensitive to struggles with dysfunctional families of origin, orientation, gender and relationship issues. Specializing in couples and individuals.

Sal Risinger, Lcsw

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