Blue Jasmine (2013) – “Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own…”

Actors: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard

Director: Woody Allen

Writer: Woody Allen

Edge and Back: 8/10

You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

(Mel Torme – Blue Moon)

After shooting in Europe – You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, Midnight in Paris and To Rome With Love – Allen comes back home with a twist. The eternal character of his pictures, New York is left behind and San Francisco and its eclectic residents are present in the story of Jasmine French (Cate Blanchett) formally known as Jeannette, a woman who had all she could ever desire: a rich husband, prestige, fame and a charming family and has lost everything, drowning her sorrow with hopeless dreams, Xanax and Stoli cocktails.

“Blue Jasmine” could be resumed as a modern attempt from Woody Allen at Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire. There’s a pessimistic tone in the story. We have the classical quarreling couple but with much more dept than we’ve seen in Vicky, Christina, Barcelona. Ginger ( Sally Hawkins) and Chili (Bobby Cannavale) are the ones who endures through time. They’re not perfect and Ginger could have picked someone better, a standout man who could provide for her and the children yet Chili is the soul, the life, the love, the madness. It’s not perfect but nothing in life is perfect.

Jasmine is a typical Manhattan wife, the type of wife men like Hal (Alec Baldwin) want to have around but cheat on just because they can and feel like it. Jasmine ignores the signs, she pretends and acts like all is well until the moment she snaps and her perfect life is torn apart. Gone are the jewels, the wealth, the furs, the prestige yet she dreams. Like in the song “Blue Moon” that becomes her.

For Cate Blanchett this is the movie and the role of a lifetime. From Elizabeth to Galadriel and Katherine Hepburn in “Aviator” to Jasmine, a woman who dares to dream big and lies to herself with a smile on her face while taking pill after pill and wiping her tears away. They say if you want an Oscar you have to go above and beyond on the tough roles. Mad women, powerful women. It matters on how convincing you act, on how natural you expose yourself and let the character take over.

We might see Cate Blanchett nominated for an Academy Award or a BAFTA, from what we’ve seen this year in cinemas she raised the bar with grace and poise. We can’t help but wonder what else Woody Allen will bring next. What story? On what tone? The frisky irony, the glimpse of hope seem to fade away as the years go by and we could witness some of his best works in the years to come.

Blue moon…without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own