Besieged (1998) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com/ Member: Online Film Critics Society
*** out of four
Starring Thandie Newton, David Thewlis. Rated R.
What we have here is one of that rare breed of movies that can flaunt both style and substance; visual éclat as well as thoughtful thematic undertones. Coming to us from the famed Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, Stealing Beauty), Besieged is an involving, artful love story and a meditative look at lives lost and lives gained as one moves to a higher social existence.
The film begins with African folk music, and a young woman named Shangurai (Thandie Newton) riding her bike along a bumpy road in what seems to be South Africa. Menacing-looking cars pass her, and before long she sees her husband, a local schoolteacher, being dragged to jail. Devastated, Shangurai relocates to Rome (the move happens in a flash: I missed it), where she becomes a live-in housekeeper for an eccentric American man named Mr. Kinsky (David Thewlis).
Kinsky falls in love with the beautiful Shangurai and passionately asks for her hand in marriage, saying that he will do anything to make her love him, to which she responds "Get my husband out of jail!" The impeccably well-intentioned Kinsky backs off, and unbeknownst to her starts a campaign to set Shangurai's hubby free. Evidently, she figures it out and is shocked, because he sells everything, including his beloved piano to make his love happy.
The significance of Besieged lies in the transition between Shangurai's two lives. Her first is the one she led in Africa, and the culture and memories stick with her. She has trouble letting them go; this is manifested through music and her faith for her lost husband. And yet as her life in Rome progresses, she is mesmerized by Kinsky and his existence until finally, in the ending, their heretofore affair erupts and leaves Shangurai's previous life outside the front door.
This is at the core of Bertolucci's film, which actually consists of minimal dialogue. What it does have, however, is visuals aplenty; a cornucopia of gorgeous images and deft camerawork. Bertolucci has a way of moving the camera at blazing speed yet having the film flow smoothly. Watch for this during Shangurai and Kinsky's first main conversation: the lens moves frantically from one face to the other creating a level of tension while at the same time maintaining the film's consistently hypnotic mood and pace.
I liked Thandie Newton (Beloved) as Shangurai, with her achingly expressive eyes and her trembling yet assertive voice. I likewise enjoyed the underused David Thewlis in the Kinsky role, although neither performance will earn any formal recognition because of the lack of dramatic dialogue involved.
Besieged is a solid, unpretentious arthouse dweller (is there such a thing?) that doesn't aim very high and hits the target. It's a light endeavor that doesn't stay with you for long (although the ending is powerful) but it's nevertheless an effective love story all the while being a thoughtful meditation on the social differences of life in two separate worlds. ©1999 Eugene Novikov‰
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