The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, March 30, 2016 — 5A

Unconventional rom-
com ‘Doris’ a success

By ANA LUCENA

Daily Arts Writer

An elderly woman pursu-

ing her hot, younger coworker 
could sound like a straightfor-
ward, 
uncre-

ative 
story, 

but “Hello, My 
Name Is Doris” 
creates an arc 
as much about 
an 
endearing 

woman explor-
ing society as 
it is about her 
lust.

The film is 

about 
Doris 

Miller, a shy 
packrat in her 
late 60s who works at a hipster 
fashion company in New York 
City, played wonderfully by 
Sally 
Field 
(“The 
Amazing 

Spider-Man 2”). She hasn’t had 
much of a chance to live freely 
as she has been dutifully living 
with her mother, a hoarder who 
passes away at the beginning 
of the film. After attending 
a lecture by a motivational 
speaker, Doris is inspired to 
make a change. Right from the 
get-go we see Doris’s internal 
conflict. Her world is turned 
upside down with the timely 
arrival 
of 
new 
handsome 

coworker John Fremont (Max 
Greenfield, “Veronica Mars”). 
After being sensually squished 
together in a cramped elevator 
at work, Doris becomes smitten 
with John.

At first I was concerned she 

would wreak havoc on John’s 
life as she becomes obsessed 
with her love for him, like in the 
2003 French film “He Loves Me 
… He Loves Me Not” that also 
has a plot sparked by a chance 
encounter. Thankfully, Doris’s 
integrity as her own person is 
consistent throughout, keeping 
her from seeming silly as she 
chases a man decades younger 
than her. The way she falls 
in love at first doesn’t feel 
so cliché after knowing her 
restrained past, keeping the 
focus on Doris growing. With 
her tough best friend Roz (Tyne 
Daly, 
“Judging 
Amy”) 
and 

Roz’s granddaughter (Isabella 
Acres, “Sofia the First”) by her 
side, Doris successfully enters 
a friend group of millennial 
coworkers 
who 
appreciate 

her interesting fashion sense. 
These 
millennials 
provide 

much needed insight into the 
younger 
generation 
as 
she 

navigates spending time with 
John. The plot takes dramatic 
turns, 
keeping 
Doris 
from 

feeling wacky. It also grounds 
her in the real struggles of 
reaching old age, making her 
story go beyond the surface 
humor to incorporate striking 
perspectives on aging as well.

Sally Field is completely 

lovable as Doris, one of the 
best elements of the film in 
spite of her eccentricities and 
far-fetched goals. Not even 
her 
addiction 
to 
romance 

novels can make the way she 

tackles her affection for John 
predictable, nor the outcomes 
of her attempts to pursue him. 
Her frequently amazed face 
conveys a delightful optimism 
you would expect to have been 
extinguished by her age. Seeing 
an older woman so resolved to 
enjoying life and loving more 
reminds me of another talented 
actress, Ruth Gordon as Maude 
in “Harold and Maude.” I’m 
happy that Field is able to land 
another stellar role in her long 
career as she nears 70, knowing 
that actresses tend to struggle 
to find leading roles as they age.

Though Field is very funny, 

the humor of the film fell flat at 
times. As Doris makes friends 
with 
young 
adults, 
there 

were jokes about the growing 
reliance on technology and 
the increased visibility of the 
LGBTQ 
community. 
While 

never 
mean-spirited, 
they 

did a poor job of showing the 
difficulty of Doris’s dream to 
get with her young coworker by 
illustrating how wide the age 
gap is between them.

The 
most 
exciting 
thing 

about 
“Hello, 
My 
Name 

Is Doris” is Field’s return 
as a leading lady. The film 
revolving 
around 
Doris 
to 

incorporate its commentary on 
millennials and New York City, 
is successful overall, though 
not overwhelmingly so. But 
with the lead being as comic yet 
realistic as Doris, rooting for 
her is entertaining from start to 
finish.

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
SMTD performs 
adapted ‘Invalid’

By KELLY MARTINEK

Daily Arts Writer

The School of Music, Theatre 

& Dance’s Department of Theatre 
& Drama will close their 2015-
2016 
season 

in the coming 
weekends with 
a production of 
“The Imaginary 
Invalid,” direct-
ed 
by 
Daniel 

Cantor, associ-
ate professor of 
Theatre, Acting 
and Directing.

“The Imagi-

nary Invalid” is 
a farce written 
by 17th century 
French 
play-

wright Molière, 
one 
of 
the 

“iconic playwrights of the West-
ern canon,” according to Cantor. 
The play tells the story of Argan, 
a severe, albeit fiscally cheap, 
hypochondriac who devises a 
plan to receive free healthcare 
by marrying his daughter off to 
a doctor.

SMTD will be performing a 

1999 translation and adaptation 
of the piece by James Magruder 
for the Yale Repertory Theater. 
Since 
Magruder’s 
adaptation 

includes musical interludes that 
reference New Haven, Connecti-
cut and other specific references 
to the Yale Repertory Theatre, 

Cantor and his team got permis-
sion to change those references 
to pertain to their production on 
campus.

Cantor has 30 years of profes-

sional theatre experience under 
his belt, both acting and direct-
ing. He has chosen to set this pro-
duction in the period of the Belle 
Époque, between 1890 and 1900, 
instead of the 17th century, in 
which it was originally written.

“Based on my interpretation of 

the themes in the play, it encour-
aged me to set it in this period,” 
Cantor said. “This period has a 
particular kind of aesthetic, so the 
set, costumes, the music are all 
influenced by that period and that 
aesthetic.”

To create the aesthetic, Can-

tor has the help of an artistic team 
made up of both undergraduate 
students and faculty. According to 
a press release, the show’s lighting 
designer is School of Music, The-
atre & Dance junior Abbey Koji-
ma and the costume designer is 
School of Music, Theatre & Dance 
senior Lindsay Balaka. Both are 
BFA design & production majors 
in the Department of Theatre & 
Drama. Vincent Mountain, associ-
ate Professor of Theatre & Drama 
Vincent Mountain is the play’s 
scenic designer. The sound design 
is by School of Music, Theatre & 
Dance and Business senior Billy 
Cedar with music direction by 
School of Music, Theatre & Dance 
senior Alex Bonoff.

After the performance on Fri-

day, there will be a “Curtain Call,” 
a post-performance discussion 
about the play with Cantor and 
members of the cast and produc-
tion team, which will be free and 
open to all.

On stage, the cast is made up of 

18 actors, including an ensemble 
of seven who will sing, dance and 
play instruments during the musi-
cal interludes throughout the play. 

“It’s a heightened style. It’s 

somewhat broad; it’s pretty fast,” 
Cantor said. “It requires a cer-
tain degree of actors really hav-
ing chops, like having technical, 
mechanical chops to be able to 
perform almost with a kind of 
athleticism, and it’s very physi-
cal, too, so you need physically 
skilled performers. So it requires 
a high degree of skill, but like with 
any comedy, there’s the style of it, 
and then inside the style of it you 
still have to be a character who is 
trying to get something and who 
wants something and who really 
feels things.”

The play includes elements of 

true satire and social commentary, 
but most of all, Molière is known 
for his comedy. 

“He’s one of the greatest comic 

writers who ever, ever lived,” Can-
tor said. “So if you do his plays 
well, and hopefully we’ll do them 
well, it is just an absolutely great 
time … I think seeing a really high-
energy, vital, hilarious, smart, fun 
play makes you feel good.”

Evolving Cardiknox

By CATHERINE BAKER

Daily Arts Writer

“Just another girl from a 

small town with big dreams / 
Just another wild heart who’s 
looking to break free / And the 
locks on the doors only make me 
want more of the crown / In the 
black of the night, there’s a hum 
you can feel in the ground.”

The 
opening 
lyrics 
of 

Cardiknox’s 
breakthrough 

full-length album Portrait set 
the stage for the inventive and 
experimental tracks that follow. 
Breaking free of traditional pop 
guidelines, the New York-based 
electronic pop duo set a new 
precedence of mixing ’80s beats 
with modern pop elements. 
Raised in the suburbs of Seattle 
and 
introduced 
through 
a 

mutual friend, Lonnie Angle’s 
classical piano training and 
Thomas Dutton’s punk roots 
combined to release the synth-
infused Portrait on March 11, 
2016.

Starting off soft and steady, 

“Earthquake” tests out new 
instruments 
and 
electronics 

to find Cardiknox’s voice. As 
Angle’s vocals soar over the 

background 
beats, 
multiple 

layers and echoes make the duo 
sound like a full band. “Doors” 
leads with a cappella and a steady 
drumbeat, slowing things down 
for a vocal showcase. With 
untraditional and catchy hooks, 
the methodical and repetitive 
chorus puts the listener in a 
trancelike state as Angle sings, 
“I cannot be defined by the 
present or the past.”

Channeling The 1975, “Into 

the Night” mutes its intro and 
speaks of regrets and moving 
on. As Angle croons, “Baby, I 
remember everything you forgot 
to say to me / Left me feeling 
blue / I’m thinking that maybe I 
was looking for something that 
could save me / But it wasn’t 
you,” the juxtaposition between 
simple verses and a heavy, ’80s 
inspired chorus is the perfect 
example of the kind of music 
Cardiknox makes.

“Bloodlust” takes on the role 

of an experimental rock song 
with dense electric guitars 
and constant drumsticks. It’s 
seductive 
and 
captivating, 

using quick-witted lyrics like, 
“I see you in my sleep / A vision 
in the heat / I want to see what 

you’ve got,” to draw the listener 
in.

Closing 
with 
piano-based 

“Shadowboxing” gives Angle 
a chance to showcase her 
classical training while still 
adding 
electronic 
elements 

to supplement Dutton’s style. 
The swelling vocals feel like 
an appropriate culmination to 
the edgy and innovative album, 
bringing the listener down 
from the preceding fast-paced 
tracks and providing a chance 
to reflect on the experience. 
The sweet and clear vocals 
talk about fighting off demons 
as Angle sings, “I’m fighting 
someone / But no one’s there 
/ I’m throwing punches into 
the air / I’m shadowboxing.” It 
simultaneously feels nostalgic 
and hopeful and leaves the 
album on a bittersweet note, 
ready for Cardiknox’s next 
project.

“Earthquake’s” closing lyrics 

about sum up Cardiknox’s next 
move when Angle proclaims, 
“And when my feet land on the 
dirt / You’ll feel the ground 
shake / I’m gonna make my 
mark / I’m coming like an 
earthquake.”

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Stacey’s grandma has got it going on.

FILM REVIEW

B+

Hello, My 
Name is 
Doris

Michigan 
Theater

Roadside 

Attractions

The 
Imaginary 
Invalid

Mar. 31 & April 

7 at 7:30 p.m., 

April 1, 2, 8 & 

9 at 8 p.m. 

April 3 & 10 at 

2 p.m. Arthur 

Miller Theater

$28 GA, $12 w/ 

Student ID

UK sex-fueled meta- 
horror comedy ‘Nina’

By MADELEINE GAUDIN

Daily Arts Writer

Your exes will haunt you forever 

— literally. In the debut film from 
directing duo brothers Chris and 
Ben 
Blaine, 

“Nina Forever,” 
the 
afterlife 

meets this life 
in the bedroom. 
Emotionally 
haunted by the 
untimely death 
of his girlfriend 
Nina (Fiona O’ 
Shaughnessy 
“Outcast”), Rob 
(Cian 
Berry 

“Help Point”) finds love again 
with his coworker Holly (Abigail 
Hardingham “Sasquatch”). Then 
the emotional haunting becomes 
literal haunting, as Nina returns 
every time the couple tries to have 
sex.

For a horror/romantic drama 

with a whacked-out plot, “Nina 
Forever” is shot beautifully and 
cleverly. Shots of the three leads 
in bed show the messiness of their 
relationship. Holly and Rob are 
always, in some way, obscured by 
Nina. As the two bicker about what 
to do with the corpse in the room, 
the 
classic 
over-the-shoulder 

shot is played with, shooting the 

dialogue over Nina’s shoulders.

The film begins dangerously 

close to Manic Pixie Dream Girl 
territory. 
Holly 
thinks 
Rob’s 

suicidal 
depression 
is 
totally 

hot. The pair first interact in the 
storeroom of the grocery shop 
over a shared pair of headphones. 
Rob is dark and brooding. Holly 
is desperate to show him how 
dangerous and free she can be. 
At first, the looming question in 
“Nina Forever” is “when is Zooey 
Deschanel going to show up?”

But then things get weird and 

it’s great. After the initial horror 
of ghosts not only being real, but 
also watching you have sex sinks 
in, the three fall into a weird, semi-
polyamorous relationship. Oddly 
enough, Nina’s bloodied corpse 
lying on the bed next to them 
doesn’t seem to be a mood-killer.

But what haunts them more 

than Nina’s physical presence is 
the implications it carries. What 
happens when someone you love 
dies? What happens when you try 
to love again?

Through 
attempts 
at 

answering these questions, “Nina 
Forever” 
transcends 
campy 

horror and becomes something 
philosophically charged. While 
it asks more questions than it 
answers, when the film does come 
to terms with the harsh truths of 

love, it soars.

The pair must grapple with 

how to both honor Nina and move 
on from her. Holly gets Nina’s 
name tattooed on her lower back 
(weird) and the pair try having 
sex on Nina’s grave (even weirder). 
There is no real resolution for 
this problem, and that is why 
“Nina Forever” is so wonderful. It 
doesn’t have all the answers and it 
doesn’t pretend to.

While most of the questions 

“Nina 
Forever” 
leaves 

unanswered 
are 
large 
and 

profound, some simple plot points 
are left untouched. There’s quick 
mention of a weird flirtation 
between Rob and Nina’s mom 
and a glazing over of the large 
age gap between Holly, who 
seems to be a college freshman, 
and Rob, who already has a PhD. 
Yes, these aren’t the questions 
“Nina Forever” wants to spend its 
time answering, but why further 
complicate an already twisted 
plot?

The elevator pitch of “Nina 

Forever” 
could 
easily 
sound 

like another sex-fueled horror-
comedy of the post-“Scream” era. 
But because it chooses to wrestle 
with the hard questions that 
underlie any film in this genre, 
it becomes something beautiful, 
heartbreaking and wholly its own.

FILM REVIEW

B

Nina 
Forever

Jeva Films

Google Play, 

iTunes, Amazon 

Instant Video

WARNER BROS. RECORDS

They should faceswap. 

ALBUM REVIEW

JEVA FILMS

“Paint me like one of your French girls.”

