Danish director Susanne Bier goes all-out wide-screen epic Hollywood. The result lacks focus. As they lustily fell whole swathes of North Carolina’s forests during the Depression, young, dashing timber-empire scion George (Cooper) and glamorous wife Serena (Lawrence) show scant regard for early conservationism, but with a mythical tree-man egging on a far-fetched plot and an overly metaphorical ending involving a surfeit of animal imagery, Bier hints heavily that nature will seek revenge. Timberrrr!
Serena | Directed by Susanne Bier (USA, France, Czech Republic 2014) with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence. Starts Dec 18
Originally published in issue #133, December 2014.