Galveston

Cancer should not exist in any form. Even if we wish that every cancer patient would be healed completely we know that is not the case. Hopefully when i am much older, we will be able to remove almost all cancer from the body with the help of science. This may sound impossible, but i believe that the future of medicine may have a lot more to offer, than what we have today. I have lost family members in cancer, i also had surgery for cancer. It was not a big operation for me ( luckily ) but of course i was nervous. I am happy i did the surgery, because they removed the cancer from the location of my body. I am aware that it could come back, and if it does, all i can do is win over the disease. When it comes to film that brings up the disease cancer, we have a lot of different titles to choose between. And i would like to mention two films that actually are really strong films about this disease. Let´s begin with the 2010 Movie known as Beginners. The story of a man named Oliver Fields ( played by actor Evan McGreggor ) who finds out his 75 year old father Hal Fields ( Christopher Plummer ) is gay. Their relationship becomes better, before Hal passes away. in cancer. Beginners is a heart warming film, and Christopher Plummer is absolutely brilliant, and he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2011. The second film that came to my mind is the comedy drama 50 / 50 released in 2011. The film 50 / 50 tells the story of a young man named Adam Lerner, who is only 27 years old when he is diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his spine, and must be treated with chemotherapy. This film is both sad, but also funny at times thanks to the cast of Joseph Gordon-Lewitt and Seth Rogen, who both do great performances. Right after Christmas while i was strolling around on VOD movies i came across a title called Galveston. Never heard about the film before, but the story sounded interesting about a man who is struggling with cancer. Since TV was showing only old classics during Christmas ( not even Kung Fury was showing on Christmas Eve, that should be a tradition every year in Sweden ), i decided to give an unknown film a chance. A thriller drama that is supposed to take place in 1988 with a great cast, is Galveston an unexpected highlight, or a film that no one will remember at all ?

Roy ( Ben Foster ) is a professional hitman who finds out that he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. His life falls apart, and he have no idea how to deal with this. The only thing he knows is to do his job. One problem for Roy is that he is an alcoholic, that cause problems for him in his personal life. During a assassin mission, he is set up in a double-cross scheme. Roy survive the shootout, and find a trapped girl inside the house named Rocky ( Elle Fanning ). He takes Rocky with him on a road trip, as they also pick up her sister on the way. Rocky don´t know that Roy is seriously sick in lung cancer, while they continue their journey. Can this journey go on if Roy´s health gets worse, or will he be tracked by people who want him dead ?

Galveston is not only a movie about 2 very different personalities with a lot of personal issues, but also a story of a man struggling with cancer. To see a man who have lost so much of his time as a criminal, finding out he is diagnosed with cancer, is of course an enormous tragedy. And this is where Galveston becomes even more sad, seeing him trying to help a young woman and her little sister getting a better life, while his health is not in looking good. The journey we follow these characters is filled with destructive behavior, sadness and lost souls. The lead character Roy ( really good performance from actor Ben Foster, who also made a really powerful performance in Hell Or High Water ) is clearly a man with alcohol problems, and is stuck in his past. Ben Foster really manage to bring out the destructive behavior of this former convict. I also really enjoy the powerful performance of actress Elle Fanning ( as you may have seen in the movie The Neon Demon ) as the young woman Rocky, who have lived a very rough life of abuse. Galveston starts off as a a pretty ordinary thriller, but change direction and become a much better independent film than you would expect. And i have to say, the performances is the key to why Galveston manage to make such a powerful impact. I would not say this film is original in any way, since we have seen other films with a similar story, but this is a much more deeper story that will affect you. This film feels very realistic, when it comes to portraying people who have lived very rough lives. Director Mélanie Laurent ( known for her acting performances in films such as Beginners and the brilliant thriller Enemy with actor Jake Gyllenhaal ) have managed to make an independent thriller film that feels more intelligent than what the story might seem to be. She especially manage to make the characters very realistic, and give them a depth that will make you affected. Galveston may not find a big audience out there, but this is a film that should be seen if you love movies that shows how rough life is and don´t go with the typical cliches of Hollywood. I have no problem saying this, Galveston is a really good start for me this new year, and have a lot to say about how hard it is living with a disease and an addiction.

Rating: DDDD