“Always have faith, unwavering faith.” Lucy (Jennifer Connelly) struggles to record these words on her whiteboard during her “semi-silent retreat” inside the center premises. Understandably, the tension in the room coupled with Lucy’s agitation and frustration diminishes the entire ethos surrounding a retreat. Motivational tapes also seem to play a role for Lucy, as she has listened to them during her commute and the fact that she has willingly attended this retreat indicates how deeply involved and immersed she is in the world of self-help. But judging by the current situation, nothing seems to work. “Always have faith, unwavering faith.” is indeed the most depressing statement one could ever form, but as we find out much later, she was simply quoting the ‘guru’ that was invited for the session, Elon Bello (Ben Whishaw) who during the session adopts the role of a manic smiling sage. Who knows, maybe Lucy is simply attempting to picture herself inside the enchanted circle owned by Elon that is surrounded by enlightenment and bliss. Perhaps she is doubtful of the entire premise. Perhaps she wants to be picked by Elon and therefore quotes him so she can gain favor. Such matters are difficult to discern.
It’s rather difficult to give an in-depth critique of Bad Behaviour while also discussing Alice Englert’s writing. The movie is quite intense due to the exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, which is fraught with old wounds that have left both women with a lingering sense of distrust toward one another. In one half, there is Lucy at the retreat, and in the other half, Lucy’s daughter Dylan, who is currently a stuntwoman grasping the best of New Zealand. Lucy’s journey is far more captivating than Dylan’s, who was largely a giddy and flippant person, idolizing a fellow stunt actor, only to turn off the phone when her mother called. Unfortunately, this synthesis disassembles the moment A Dylan’s portion starts. At times, I feel this feature of my greatest fear renders me helplessly late.
The focus of ‘Bad Behavior’ lies in Lucy’s story which is completely gutsy and satisfying as the character is supposedly the best Lucy has played over the years and still with a lot of poise stands tall against Dasha. While we restate this whole section we only want to fix the structure as best as we can so while Dasha poses as Lucy’s character she actually puts all the important layers in her defense mechanisms. Due to her physicalities, Lucy is never able to blend in with the rest at the retreat where they are supposed to understand the questions posed for them. Lucy remains indifferent towards three teenage girls where to her astonishment they seem to be pacified with the label of being her ‘ideals’. She looks at life through the lens of immunity and weekends. If the roles were reversed, Connelly would have risen to the top of everything. But from the inside, she appeared exhausted as Duplic looked like a stern lesbian, and on the outside, she conquered everything. At times she doesn’t feel like herself, which is usually very surprising.
In a bit of a convoluted layer, Dasha Nekrasova, in the role of nameless cliched Beverly, is self-satisfied without doing anything, saying some complementary words to Elon, and remaining indifferent to everything else. Cilia would never be able to compare to Dasha who instantly became Elon’s “favorite”. He laughs with pleasure when he sees her and tells the other participants to just follow Beverly’s lead. Who will be able to stand and beat among them such a righteous woman who is prepared to beat them? Often, Elon’s words simply amaze Lucy. Undeniably, he seemed so wow. Encourage them that they are all feeling lost in another world until someone suddenly joins the world and then it’s clear there’s smoke and mirrors in every direction.
How can Dylan jumping around and somersaulting down the corridor and scrolling on her phone be any measure to Lucy collapsing? She cannot. There is a mother-daughter bond that is said to be crucial, at least the notion exists, but by the time Dylan and Lucy are reunited, it’s quite impossible to see the whole picture. There is something that seems off and does not quite sit well. For every sequence that has Lucy in it, we learn a little more, while for Dylan’s scenes, the images are just blank and the walls do not convey much meaning.
Englert has not transformed the raw footage into anything coherent and this makes “Bad Behaviour” an irritating film to sit through. This retreat is ripe for ridicule and in fact it is one that longs for ridicule (albeit not as much as “Semi-Tough”). For crying out loud, the guru’s name is Elon! It’s a “retreat” not a “silence” session. What makes it hilarious is the fact that the retreat is supposed to be silent. The irony may be unintentional, but there is no significance in any of it. Unless you count a few shots of Elon spilling the secret sauce of practicing what you preach, there’s no coverage of the retreat and the motivations behind such initiatives. There is a real absence of perspective in the work. This leads to an overall slumped, indignant sensation in the film.
The only game around is Connelly’s powerful depiction of a woman who is in the very process of decomposing, who entirely sheds societal norms as well as the boundaries that have been placed upon her throughout life. It is pleasing to observe Connelly take on the role of a more abrasive unfriendly individual, someone who is guarded yet remarkably shrewd. There is no warmth in her gaze. She does not stare; she glares. She is intense and captivating, even though her portrayal would be best suited in an alternate, more deliberate motion picture.
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