Blue Jasmine Review

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 American film directed by legendary director Woody Allen, the film is Allen's much publicized return to North America after spending a few years dallying in Europe. The film stars Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, a woman who has a nervous breakdown after her husband is arrested for financial fraud, and goes to live with her sister. The films plot follows the story of A Streetcar Named Desire, updating the plot and relocating New Orleans to modern San Francisco. The film is essentially a deep and involved character study, with Blanchett's characters mental disorder and breakdown being explored. The film is set mainly in San Francisco, with multiple flashbacks showing Jasmine's life in New York with her ex-husband Hal.

The film begins on an airplane, similar in fashion the the beginning of To Rome With Love, with Jasmine recounting her story to a stranger she has met, the film then continues with Jasmine going to her sisters apartment, and details her attempts to get back on her feet and study to be an interior designer. Throughout the film Jasmine has various flashbacks detailing her life in New York, her relationship with Hal, and the cause of her downfall. Jasmine lived in a world dominated by her husband, she went to public events with her husband, and was molded to hang off her husbands arm and look appropriate. Upon being thrust into downtown San Francisco, Jasmine finds herself unable to cope with having to find her own identity, she is so used to being permanently tied to her husband that she finds herself babbling on about her husband to total strangers, as she really has little else to talk about, her husband may have been the cause of her downfall, but he also gave her an identity.

Jasmine is unstable, erratic and crazy. She often talks to herself, stares into space and drinks heavily, throughout the film Jasmine self medicates with a mixture of Xanax and Stoli Martini's, her drinking becomes heavier and heavier as the film goes on, and flashbacks reveal to us that Jasmine's drinking started long before her breakdown. Jasmine tends throughout the movie to have two personalities, the broken, crazy and erratic personality who drinks heavily and talks to herself, and a well kept, warm breezy and casual persona, that she tends to adopt when she is in public, these two personas are present also in the flashbacks, however they are perhaps more heightened after her breakdown.

The costuming of this film is fantastic, Jasmine continually wears the same clothes, a Chanel jacket, and a tan burkin bag, the costuming is consistent of someone with no money for new clothes, constantly wearing the same wardrobe, but changing around small things. Set decorating is also very noticeable on this picture, the contrast between Ginger's San Francisco apartment, and Hal and Jasmine's new york penthouse, Gingers apartment is warm, friendly and homely, a word Jasmine uses derogatorily. Whereas Jasmine's apartment is cold, empty and over designed to the point of having no personality.

Cate Blanchett offers a tour de force performance in Blue Jasmine, a performance that may go to be known as the beast of her career, with every twitch, every shudder and every martini Blanchett's Jasmine is as real as is humanly possible, and shows us a picture of a woman who is literally unraveling, Cate Blanchett provides us with a window into the soul of a woman who is falling apart, and who manages to be likeable without being particularly nice or pleasant. Give Blanchett the Oscar now.

Overall, Blue Jasmine is a fantastic character study, showcasing fine performances, and attention to detail, and is a strong film in the canon of Woody Allen pictures, Cate Blanchett's star, as always, shines particularly bright. Rating: A