Malmö

Biopics about artists rarely impress. Most often, these films act as “best-of” compilations of musicians’ careers, where the feeling is that the scriptwriters have gone through appropriate Wikipedia pages to efficiently, but often without feeling, assemble longer periods of time into two-hour feature films. Instead of following the trend goes Bob Marley: One Love its own path, and structures a focused narrative. Here it is noticeable that the filmmakers want to say something valuable, rather than just dump information.

The effort is appreciated, but unfortunately the final result does not live up to the ambition – because despite clear direction, the focus Bob Marley: One Love simply on the wrong things. Where the story picks up, Marley is already an influential figure in Jamaica, meaning his rise to fame is overshadowed. Instead, we follow Marley during the part of his life when he became most famous, when he recorded the incredible album “Exodus”. The vibes are right when ‘Bob Marley & The Wailers’ jam in the studio to their unbeatable hits, but a more thorough review of the earlier stages of the reggae legend’s career would have been preferable – Bob Marley: One Love almost feels like a sequel to a movie we never got.

Maybe it’s my personal taste, but the time period in focus is without the urgency I think Marley’s earlier life could have delivered on film. Regardless, this is a serviceable biopic, lifted by solid performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob himself, and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita. In its subgenre, it is definitely a better than average film.

Just outside Auschwitz, SS officer Rudolf Höss lived with his wife Hedwig and their children. There they lived an idyllic life, in a big house with a grandiose garden – indifferent to the holocaust crimes against humanity, going on next to their home. IN The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer portrays the life of the German family, where their happy existence is contrasted with the inhumane reality within the walls of the concentration camp.

The film almost exclusively follows the Höss family as they live an easy-going family life, filled with fishing trips, fine dinners and birthday celebrations. Auschwitz is presented primarily through sound in the form of gunshots and screams, an aspect of the background, but whose presence hits hard. We never get to see what goes on inside the walls, but the subtle presentation and, of course, what we know about real life events is enough to understand the contrast between the family and the camp.

That Jonathan Glazer takes the perspective of the perpetrators with an objective lens through the static and sterile photo makes the portrayal even more unpleasant. It’s impossible to understand or sympathize with either Rudolf, Hedwig, or any of the other adult characters that appear throughout the film, but as a study in banal evil, it’s as interesting as it is deeply nasty.

The gorgeous photography appeals as it accurately lives up to the tonality of the script, and the hair-raising sound design further contributes to the film’s consistently icy feel. All together make a unique film experience, which depicts history in an innovative and valuable way.