Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
[Reader disclaimer: there will be spoilers discussed. This piece also contains material of a sensitive nature].
Third film on my list of Best Picture nominees is the "critically acclaimed" Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), a long awaited biopic that focuses on band Queen's late frontman, Freddie Mercury (played almost to perfection by Rami Malek).
Admittedly, I was wary of watching this film. I had heard rumours within the cesspool of opinionated film snobs (otherwise known as Twitter) that the film was riddled with so many inaccuracies that one could even claim it to be an injustice to Mercury's memory. I was also horrified to hear of its original director, Bryan Singer, being completely unprofessional and rude on set, as well as later being arrested for sexually assaulting young men.
But we're not here to judge that. We're here to judge the film. And, to put it politely, it did not deliver on its promise of an exhilarating crash-course through Freddie Mercury's life: it was more of a stumble through the hedges of glorified nostalgia.
I think the main reason this film was nominated for Best Picture was Rami Malek's performance: there may be aspects of this film that are lacking but no can deny that Malek as Mercury is absolutely sensational. From the eccentric mannerisms down to the almost perfect recreation of iconic scenes (such as Live Aid 1985), he truly embodied the late frontman.
The film also does a fantastic job of representing Mercury's heritage and culture, his tendency to be gender non-conforming, the reason behind his immaculate voice, even the emotional elements of the narrative that dealt with grief, loneliness and compensating for such with artificial extravagance were handled wonderfully.
So why is it that I genuinely didn't enjoy this film as much as I was supposed to?
The dialogue felt formulaic and inconsequential at the best of times. The pacing was entirely off in a lot of scenes, pulling the viewer out of immersion and slapping them in the middle of montages that felt rushed and poorly edited.
Two things also stuck out like a sore thumb to me and both are linked to the theme of sexuality. Now, I'd been led to believe that the inclusion of Mercury's sexuality in the film had been out of the question and subsequently removed, hence my aversion to watch it in the first place. But then it came out that not only had they included it but they had also touched on the subject of his later years, when he was diagnosed with AIDS.
Okay, I thought, I suppose it's worth a shot.
Firstly, the scene in which Mercury admits to possibly being bisexual was so strange in so many ways. The interactions, again, felt obviously structured and it was as if Mary's (played by Lucy Boynton) feelings were just shoe-horned in through expositional dialogue: you only arguably become emotionally invested due to being sympathetic to Mercury's internal struggle, whereas Mary felt like she was there to be a plot device and nothing more.
Secondly, there is the demonisation of Paul (played by Allen Leech) and the queer groupies. Just when I thought the film was being progressive, it took a 180 turn and did what so many other films have done in the past: used the trope in which queer = villain.
In the final act as well, Mercury leaves behind Paul and the others but is shortly after diagnosed with AIDS, making it feel as if it was set-up to be some kind of punishment for indulging in Paul's world of homosexuality and flamboyance. This is also wholly inaccurate in terms of chronology, as Mercury would not learn of his illness until two years after Live Aid, in which the film closes on.
The film takes liberties with real life, as I would assume it would, but there's adding fiction to reality and then there's fabricating storylines just to be dramatic. The way they handled Mercury's sexuality in this film is, in my opinion, rather distasteful, both as a film-goer and a queer person.
What's it nominated for?
Currently, Bohemian Rhapsody is nominated for:
- Best Picture - Graham King
- Best Actor - Rami Malek
- Best Sound Mixing - John Casali, Tim Cavagin and Paul Massey
- Best Film Editing - John Ottman
- Best Sound Editing - Nina Hartstone and John Warhurst
Should it win?
Best Picture? Short answer: no. In comparison to films like BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Black Panther (2018), Bohemian Rhapsody just doesn't make the cut for me. It's undoubtedly an interesting biopic, executed through a phenomenal performance from Malek, but I don't think it's up to Best Picture standard.
Although I'd love to see Willem Dafoe win, I am almost 99% certain that Rami Malek will win Best Actor this year, and I think it will be well-deserved if he does. However, I wouldn't want to see this win Best Picture when there are some clear frontrunners that supercede Bohemian Rhapsody.
Overall rating: 6/10
- K
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