Cassian Andor - Transcendentalism

Watching Andor the brand new Star Wars series streaming exclusively on Disney+ one is struck by the balance between two worlds inhabited by Andor, that of nature and outer space.

The brilliant new series created by Tony Gilroy that tells the origin story of the hero, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) of Rogue One and how he became the spark to light the fire amidst the rebellion versus the Galactic Empire.

The first series is following a story arc structure of twelve episodes split into three part arcs. The first three part arc ended with Cassian being taken from his homeland, Kenari, by Maarva Andor (Shaw) where he eventually learns languages, interaction and beliefs of his own away from the indigineous life he was living previously.

The second arc ends with Cassian succeeding in his first rebel mission on behalf of Luthen (Stellen Skarsgaard) as they kidnap a galactic payroll to bankroll the rebels. This again involved Cassian flying in a ship at the conclusion heading to the sky which is never attainable.

This threw me back to the conclusion of the much loved Rogue One, the first film following the purchase of Lucasfilm by Disney, that told the story of how the rebels obtained the plans to destroy the first Death Star in the 1977 film A New Hope.

At that film's conclusion, Andor and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) are on the beach of Scarif, they have succeeded and the plans are away in the hands of Princess Leia providing hope to the rebellion. While that portion of the mission is completed, Andor and Jyn are about to be destroyed by the Death Star itself. They stand together embracing each other, knowing that despite their impending doom they are confident that what they have done will change the course of the galaxy.

Yet it is this closeness to nature, the rich green of Scarif to be the last resting place of Andor is fitting as he was born on a leafy planet such as Kenari - in essence it is a return to Paradise for him.

So for me, Andor in the new series is being portrayed a salt of the earth soul as very much, high on morals but looking out for himself firstly, tired of the empire he thinks a difference can be made and is eager to do so at any cost. He does not discriminate when using his blaster, we knew as much at the commencement of Rogue One when he very much went Of Mice and Men on an informant of his. Already he has killed three people in cold blood in six episodes when he feels threatened by someone's rationale.

Yet for me, it is no coincidence that Andor is comfortable in any climate or is so fond of nature he is most at peace when in nature, it also got me thinking about Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem 'Nature' where he lays about the essence of transcendentalism and gaining a divinity through nature, you can only understand reality through studying nature.

Andor is a proponent of this due to his being born within nature and being nutured by nature somewhat - how to live and survive - before he is taken from his planet by a starship and absconded halfway across the galaxy via hyperspace. That episode at the end of Ep 3 'The Reckoning' shows us Andor like we have all before staring into the vastness of space, a new sort of nature for Andor to explore and attempt to touch the untouchable but forego the relationship he has built up previously with the wood and trees. He would now live in a world of greys and darks, built up environments of cement and concrete, with buildings as tall as redwoods and animals are scared of people and do not live in harmony.

And so begins Andor's journey

But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. In the woods, is perpetual youth 

And so begins Andor's journey into this beauty, one that he must have thought unattainable. The stars smile upon him and they promise him much, but it is down to him/man to obtain his reward. Emerson goes on to mention that the stars are unattainable, yet with technology at his disposal, they become reachable. Nature evokes poetry, simplicity and childlike wonder - the advent of technology to Andor is a shock to the system as Fiona Shaw's character first meets Andor smashing up consoles of a crashed spaceship, his fear of the new immediately strips away his innocence to create this now young adult full of anger and rage at this new way of life.

In the woods, is perpetual youth 

This could have been written for Cassian. Born within nature, and part of it. Emerson writes, in the woods we return to reason and faith. And at the start of the series, Cassian is looking for his sister a meaning or relic of his past life, and in the series so far he is surrounded by builidngs but nature is not far away. The Scottish Highlands substitute for Aldhani, and you can feel the howling gust of winds in this Star Wars galaxy - yet Andor looks at home and comfortable; as Emerson writes, he finds something dear and connates with the wilderness far more than in streets and villages.

The need to reach the horizon is as beautiful as his own nature, and for Andor that is an attempt to return back to his wilderness and a place of belonging. This is indicative of his rebellious character, someone who is unsure when his reckoning shall occur, but nevertheless always looking over his back, gun at hand.

The remaining six episodes of Andor promise a lot and I for one cannot wait to see his relationship with nature bloom further.

Rogue One

Not the next episode of the franchise but instead listed as a Star Wars story, Rogue One tells the story of how the rebel alliance stole the plans to destroy the first Death Star featured in Star Wars: A New Hope.

Directed by British filmmaker Gareth Edwards whose movies have slowly got bigger in terms of budget and scale from Monsters to Godzilla to now the biggest film franchise in history. Edwards is a solid filmmaker big on visual stimulus combined with the small minutiae of characterisation.

Rogue One is a film full of characters ranging from the young girl who grows up vengeful of her mother's murder and father's disappearance; a lack of loyalty is juxtaposed with the need to belong to a group. Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, with the correct blend of feistiness you expect from a rebel but is very on trend at moment with strong independent female roles leading mega-blockbusters.

Jones who is in a hot streak at moment is ably supported by an eclectic and culturally diverse group of rebels from Diego Luna's Cassian Andor the leader of rebellion crew who break Jyn out of jail. On their travel across the galaxy they stop on Juhha, where they encounter Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Wen Jiang) as they combine to escape the clutches of the Empire.

The film is a major spectacle and Star Wars fans will not be disappointed by this first story out of the order of the still ongoing franchise.  Edwards has acquited himself well and made a film that is both entertaining and is overtly political, it is not afraid to state the case that all war is futile and costly. This is the cruelest of war films as the people you have fought with and seen fighting for what they believe in all suffer unwelcome ends.

As a film it is not without its flaws, the first twenty minutes are a bit of a grind with the constant jumping from star system to alternative star system is a bit confusing and annoying, coupled with the silly story thread of Forrest Whittaker's role as Saw Gerrera who is a bombastic Caribbean rebel who is old and not that wise, the scenes he appears in are slow and grating especially when his pet space slug attempts to extract information from Riz Ahmed's turncoat pilot.

This is a seriously awful moment that nevertheless does not jump the shark thanks in part to the later scenes with Chirrut and Baze; however, it felt like the filmmakers wanting you to remember this may be a war/spy film but within a science fiction universe.

Ben Mendelsohn a solid performer in Bloodline, gives a good performance as the Director and creator of the Death Star who is feeling shunned by the higher powers and must fight for recognition; in what is essentially limited screen time but sufficient enough for us to boo and hiss him, he conveys enough of a villain with his mere presence alone.

At times it is as if the film wants to be a film that borrows the Star Wars mystique and oeuvre ('I am one with the Force', Darth Vader, Jimmy Smits!) without ever saying we are a Star Wars film.

This reviewer might be nit picking but I was pleased with how the film neatly brought it up to the beginning of A New Hope, especially on the day that Carrie Fisher died. The image of Princess Leia stating hope was both a touching tribute to the legacy her role has been to the cultural landscape and made me want to go home straight away and put on A New Hope.

Personally, I would appreciate more stories such as this rather than the incoming swath of origin movies we will have coming our way in the next five years ranging from Han Solo to Lando to Boba Fett.

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Abel (Diego Luna, Mexico, 2009)

Mexican actor, Diego Luna, most famous for Y Tu Mama Tambien, makes his directorial debut with Abel  a script by Augusto Mendoza, with executive production from Gael Garcia Bernal and John Malkovich.

Abel is played by Christopher Ruiz-Esparaza, is a young boy who after the abandonment of his father from the family home has fallen silent and been confined to a mental institute for two years. His mother, Cecilia, feels that a reunion with his siblings Paul and Seline will lead to an improvement in his behaviour and speech.

Granted a week's sabatical by the doctor, Abel's speech returns but only in the form of an adult - and the belief he is his own father, the same father who left home. Cecilia feels it is best to encourage such behaviour, so Abel talks to his siblings as if they are his children, and Cecilia dotes on him like any loving wife would.

This leads to funny proceedings and exchanges between the much older Seline and the younger Abel, whilst there is a touching connection between Abel and Paul (played by real life brothers). The doctor comes and states it is okay to carry on, as long as he takes the requisite medication; that is until his father unexpectedly returns to the home. Abel does not recognise the father, believing himself to fit that role; tensions mount as a solution is looked for Abel's condition.

This Oedipal story is told with great deftness and a lightness that marks Luna out as a genuine talent, and the use of the camera at a child's level throughout in the family home and emphasising an adult's presence with the use of low angle to show their height and threat.

Not surprisingly, considering he is a talented actor in his own right, Luna elicits commendable performances from all the cast especially Ruiz-Esparza in the titular role; who is both commanding and affecting.

A film that is both intelligent and entertaining, continuing Latin America's recent renaissance in the cinematic field.

Abel is released by Network Releasing and is Out Now for £19.99RRP, and the DVD is packed with extras: a booklet by London Film festival programmer Maria Delgado; footage of the film's premiere at the LFF in 2010 and a Q&A from the VIVA! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival at Manchester in January 2011 with Luna and producer Pablo Cruz; Chile premiere video diary; stills gallery; trailer. More extras than is usual for such a small title, and an unusual pleasure.