Jane Eyre and the 3 People that Indeed "Tranfix" You

*At the premiere: Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Cary Joji Fukunaga

The new Jane Eyre movie is one of many adaptions of a beloved book written in the 1800s. But the movie also beholds the talents of 3 up-and-coming stars - here's some background and what else to look forward to from each of these Hollywood newcomers that I'm really rooting for - hard.

Let's start with Jane Eyre herself, Mia Wasikowska (whose name I will prolly never be able to spell right). This isn't the 21year-old's first time playing a title character, she's probably better known as Alice in the Tim Burton recreation of the world of Alice in Wonderland.  She also plays the college-bound daughter of a lesbian couple in the Oscar nominated The Kids Are Alright.

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of her in these movies. For all I had heard about her, I thought all the talk was pretty hyped up. I didn't quite see anything that exciting or interesting about her. In short, she was just too plain. And pale, very very pale. What's with these Aussies with porcelain skin (a la Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts)? Isn't there a desert and sun down there?

*Jane Eyre (2011)

Anyway, my opinion of her changed within the first 10 minutes of Jane Eyre. Maybe precisely for the reasons I disliked her before. Jane is plain, pale (they are in foggy England countryside of course) and quiet. Perhaps it was just really great casting, but Wasikowska is able to bring great depth and emotion to the character with the simplest of expressions - in a glance, in a gesture, in the slightest sniff of a jacket. And thank goodness for that, because the film depends on her to carry it. It's her story from beginning to end, so we need to see the world through her eyes and how she experiences it. From here she show's great promise, especially in her next film Restless, directed by Gus Van Sant. Let's hope its Cannes premiere bodes well for her.

Why, yes that is Michael Fassbender as a Spartan in 300.

Yes, that's him again as activist Bobby Sands in Hunger.











And look here he is again in Inglourious Basterds.
Add a few mutton chops and wily hair to this pic, and you've got him as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. The 30something Irish actor has been around, but he's a good bet to be a house-hold name.

His roles have a great range, from contemporary drama, and adventure-action flicks, and period pieces. So he's no stranger to small indie flicks or big-budgeted fares. While he started out doing supporting, but memorable roles (having a 300 line with something to do with 'fighting in the shade' don't hurt) he really caught people's attention with his leading role in Hunger. It's a hard movie to watch, witnessing Fassbender himself wither down to nothing. No CGI here, he went on a 600calorie a day diet in order to portray the political activist during a hunger strike. The role showed not only his talent, but also his absolute dedication.

He presents complex characters - both the type you love to hate, and the ones you want to/should like but are a bit off, if not disturbing. Testament to that is his role in Fish Tank, as a new boyfriend to a reckless mother who strikes a questionable relationship with her troubled teenage daughter. Devilishly charming is just about how I'd describe each of his characters, including the mysterious and brooding Rochester. And I can't wait to see more. Delving more into the mainstream, leading man roles, here he is in the upcoming X-men movie as an early Magneto.

 

To the left, dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga

Finally we have the film's young director, Cary Joji Fukunaga. I actually heard of Fukunaga long before Jane Eyre and even of Fassbender and Wasikowska.

I saw his feature film debut almost 2 years ago, called Sin Nombre. It follows a young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster as they ride on top of the Mexican railways past the US border and the friendship they build along the way. It's hard to believe it was written and directed by such a young first-time filmmaker, or that he himself rode on top of Mexican train-tops to research for the movie. Even more hard to believe is how similar he makes Mexico look to the English countryside in Jane Eyre - both wild, green and grey. He seems to have an acute sense of ambiance and pacing. But he also is able to put the audience in the perspective of his characters, to feel what they feel, and experience the journey along with them. Indeed both of his films are journey films, following the characters from their roots to wherever their choices lead them, and perhaps even how they transform them.

He's Bay Area-born (giving me more reason to like him), and is of Japanese and Swedish descent. He's gone to school in Santa Cruz for History, France, and NYU Film, and is fluent in English, French, and Spanish. With such an established and eclectic background and 2 acclaimed films under his belt, Fukunaga has a big and bright future ahead of. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.