Dementia Ascending

Author(s): AJ Bell (TN)
Dementia Ascending

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED by Sean Penn

Main Cast

Ewan McGregor as Private Till
Christian Bale as Captain Wade
James McAvoy as Private Kearney
Colin Farrell as Private Hughes
with Geoffrey Rush General Pine
and Ewan Bremmer as Charles Scout

Tagline: "IN THE DARK BEAUTY OF EMPTINESS, WHO CAN SEE THE LIGHT?"

Synopsis: Private Till has always looked up to Captain Wade. When they attacked the British embassy, he was right there. In fact, Wade had even saved his life there. There was no mention of this afterward, of course, because Wade didn't think anything of it. "This is war, and in war we do what we must," he would always say. But deep down, hidden by all that pride, Till knew that it meant something to him. When his homeland of Ireland declared war on England, he knew now, that he could prove his worth to his Captain. Show him that he too, could be a hero.

Four years into the war, General Pine delivered Wade a special assignment. British Prime Minister Laughlin would be traveling to an encampment near the border of Russia, and he gave him the honorable task of executing the assassination. His crew, which consisted on Pvt. Kearney, Pvt. Hughes, himself, and Pvt. Till, would complete the task. But before they know it, they must flee for their lives and end up crashing their helicopter into the middle of the Russian wilderness. With all communications systems out, they would have to rely on no British finding them, and their own countrymen locating them instead.

Trapped in the icy, dark, forest-like tundra of the U.S.S.R. they soon lost all hope of ever being found. They began to build shelter, and hunt for food, while also trying to fix what little communication devices they had. But the dark, and vast emptiness of the terrain was too much to bear for some, and over time, Wade and Hughes start to lose themselves to isolation.

While hunting for their dinner, Till spots something among the trees. He looks a little closer and notices that it is an English Scout. He fires a round into the scout's leg, and he falls. They capture him, and Wade tries desperately to get information out of him. Kearney becomes friends with the scout, and they talk about how the scout was originally an Irishman, but moved to England as a teenager, and was drafted for the war. Then Wade bursts into the conversation and takes the scout out in front the entire troupe. With the devil burning in his eyes, he executes the scout. This upsets Kearney, who lets Wade know that that is not the way to treat a POW. Wade only replies with, "This is war, and in war we do what we must." Kearney and Wade get into a dispute, ending in Kearney being shot alongside his friend, the scout.

Till cannot take Wade anymore, with his dementia ascending at the rate it is, he fears that they will all be dead soon. He tries to tell Hughes, but Hughes is just as crazy as Wade. The conclusion Till can see is to kill Wade. He stands over him while he sleeps, holding a gun to him. He just can't find it in himself to shoot a man he admires so much. He walks out of the tent, just as Hughes pulls a gun on him. Hughes tells Wade what Till was about to do, and they prepare Till for an execution. Seconds before he would've pulled the trigger, an Irish helicopter flies in from the distance. General Pine is seen standing near the doors, but it is too late. Pine watches as Wade finally loses all control, and fires a round into Till.

What the press would say:

Sean Penn's masterful adaptation of the classic novel, Lord of the Flies, is beyond words. Penn crafts the haunting tale of a not so distant future in which Ireland and Britain are at war. Private Till (Ewan McGregor in what is indeed his finest performance since Trainspotting) is torn between his mentor and father figure, and doing what he in his heart knows is right. Christian Bale gives on hell of a performance as the crazed Captain Wade. When he is sitting alone in the woods, Bale's expressions just ooze psychotic mess. This is the one performance this year that is sure to rack up award after award. Ewan McGregor is fantastic as the young, naïve protégé of Bale, and when he is debating whether or not to kill Wade, it is truly heartbreaking. McAvoy shines as the one person who stands up to Wade and pays for it dearly. And Farrell gives one of his best to date as the right hand man in the crazy whirlpool that is Wade. Bremmer has a brief cameo, and it is scene stealing. And Rush is terrific as the General who was the cause of all this turmoil. Penn's stylistic and artful direction is astounding, and he truly shows the isolation these characters are going through. Dementia Ascending is the one to beat this year, and it will prove difficult to any of those who try.

BEST PICTURE
BEST DIRECTOR – SEAN PENN
BEST ACTOR – CHRISTIAN BALE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – EWAN McGREGOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – JAMES McAVOY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY