«Uncut Gems: a loser with a winner's smile

Saturday's Netflix & chill - Loris S. Musumeci

«They say you can see the whole universe in opals.» 

What's the difference between a colon and a gemstone? None, according to’Uncut Gems. The film opens in an Ethiopian mine where, after an accident that distracts the site managers, two miners discover and seize a precious stone, an opal. Rough, it nevertheless reveals colors brighter than vivid between the earth that covers it. Gaudy. Crazy. Colors that seem to reflect all the light in the universe.

And the camera explores the interior of the opal. In a psychedelic odyssey, with a synthesized soundtrack, the viewer's gaze is totally immersed in this world of colors. It's a scene that's sure to develop a cult following, so unique is it that it's not so unique at all. It is a clear and unique tribute to Jupiter's entry into the sphere in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Stanley Kubrick.

The journey gradually shifts from variegated hues to more monochrome tones. The music, following the rhythm imposed by the colors, also calms down. Then reddish, pink washed out with white. Then a screen: numbers and letters. These are the results of a colon analysis. The gastroenterologist removes his miniature camera from the patient's anus. No cancer in sight. Howard Gartner is reassured.

A story of shit and precious stones

He wants to preserve his health. He cares so much about his life. And yet he seems to want to throw it away at any moment. He has the art of getting into trouble, But above all, it's because of an opal that will change everything. Uncut Gems is an exceptional feature film by the Safdie brothers, starring an equally exceptional Adam Sandler, about a man in trouble with a precious stone.

This Howard Gartner, who had his colon examined by a camera inserted into his anus, owns a jewelry store in New York. Like a good Jew, he's got a head for business. Or he thinks he does. Because despite all his bets, all his tactics, all his transactions, all the gold that passes through his hands, he's always penniless. So much so that he has to borrow money from his brother-in-law, who doesn't look bad, but who has a habit of sending his rather large, rather armed men to settle his affairs. Howard owes these criminals money. But now he's out of trouble - he's on to something big!

The famous opal, whose magical interior has been compared to his colon, arrives straight from Ethiopia in a package hidden between fish - perhaps not the most legal of acquisitions. One of his young employees brought an NBA star into his jewelry store. As soon as the basketball player sees the opal, he wants it. It's a sign. He feels a spiritual and bodily connection with the mineral. Even though it's already reserved for auction.

But the basketball player insists: «Lend it to me, just for tonight; it'll make me a winner», and Howard, as an unconditional fan of basketball and of this player, lends it to him, on condition that he returns it the next day so that he can take it to the auction, so that he can make a lot of money, pay off his debts, and finally succeed too. Make a good point. A good point! May he live the good life, between the chicks and the cocktails. May he be happy. He's sure of himself. He's never been so confident. He can't contain his excitement. And nothing, oh nothing, is going to go as planned. It's all very well to say that a loser can also be given a chance. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, a loser remains a loser.

«Why does it always go wrong? I'm pathetic!»

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A history of loser

Howard embodies the loser in all its excellence. American actor Adam Sandler, known but not always recognized for his comedy roles, transforms himself into a masterful performer with Howard. He's absolutely perfect. And if the roles of thedare are the best, the deepest, the most human and the greatest in cinema - Roberto Benigni in Life is beautiful, Menashe Lustig as the other father loser in Brooklyn Yiddish, Marcello Fonte in Dogman, Bourvil in Le Corniaud,Daniel Auteuil in The Belle Epoque and in almost all his other roles, Clint Eastwood in The Mule, etc. - they are also the most difficult to play.

How do you avoid doing too much while doing enough? How do you aim for the main feature of the loser, It's about being tragic, without being too dramatic, without being too comic? A role for loser exactly loser demands excellence. Adam Sandler was simply excellent. Quite simply loser. He may have been so loser that he wasn't even nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Even though Joaquin Phoenix, who won the Oscar for Best Actor, did not fall short in his portrayal of the pathetic clown in Joker.

Oscar or no Oscar, Adam Sandler manages to elicit the most guttural laughter as well as the most emotional tears throughout Howard. This idiot is chasing glory. And what he doesn't realize is that he's got it right here in front of him. A business that could work, a wife so sexy she'd disgust even the most sex-obsessed of adulterers, a mistress so kind, generous and thoughtful, but above all so good - in every sense of the word - that she justifies adultery, endearing and conniving children, a grand luxe grand charme house. In short, everything.

But Howard is one of those dreamers who always wants to dream more. Howard is a kid in constant wonder. A big kid for whom life is a game that sometimes goes wrong. Howard smiles despite it all, with a blissful, frozen smile. A smile that earns him the mockery of his wife, who hates him to say the least. She doesn't see him as anything more than a clueless, permanently out-of-step man; she sees him for what he is: a loser. But she doesn't see the colors, the light, the precious stone hidden inside her. loser; In other words, she despises him. Just like her daughter. Women may have a sixth sense, but unfortunately they often lack the eyes of the heart, so dear to Saint-Exupéry.

A story of loser to the smile of winner

And if Adam Sandler excels as XXL by Howard, it's also thanks to the work as a whole. A stroke of luck, but above all a stroke of genius, the Safdie brothers have succeeded in uniting their characters with the film's form and atmosphere. In terms of atmosphere, it's an absolute mess. Howard can't utter a word without screaming. And New York is a city that screams all by itself. All that traffic, all those yellow cabs, all those people, all those towers, all that chaos, all that teeming life, all that misery, all that Howard dreaming. American Dream. We need you!

America is so wide - America, America I want to have and I will have -everything is so wide in New York, and yet so narrow in Howard's eyes and the plans for’Uncut Gems. So much so, in fact, that it makes you want to squeeze between the buildings and the jewelry stalls. This shithole. Where everything seems so small, oppressive and frightening. Provided you're not claustrophobic, because there's a real risk of being stuck for hours on end in the doorway between the store's entrances.

The premises, the city - in short, the whole setting of the shots is oppressive. So are the noises. As if Howard didn't yell enough already. Between doors that need fixing, windows that break, horns that honk, advertisements that honk, bells that bark, dogs that ring, music that beats, a drummer who sings, a ball that clatters, a ball that bounces, a referee who whistles, a whistle that blows the end. At last! The noises fit in perfectly with the tight shots and Howard's character. Through him, we hear all the noises and experience all the tightness. Through whom we end up shouting with joy, because the loser won. And that victory ended with a ball, a basket, a hole, and a beautiful smile from winner, as luminous as an opal.

Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credits: © Netflix