Father Geek here with a report from the Chicago film fest that I've been waiting for a long time. Harry and I have been talking for ages about
how to get some news on foreign films worked into our site. The world is
our reader and we don't want to give the impression that US films are all we are interested in. Now thanks to agent Sunil we have a group of new foreign movies to throw out to our readers. Give us more! AICN is heavily read in the non-English speaking world. We've been covered on the news in Mexico, Brazil,
Germany, Holland, France, Austria and many other countries. Let us know about your films and your motion picture industry, we really want to know.
Sunil here. Regular reader and second time contributor. This will be my
first of two reports from the Film festival covering 10 movies. I plan to
see another 13-14 movies and will get reports on those next week.
First a word on how I choose the movies I watch (with 111 movies showing,
there is a lot of choice). I generally choose those movies that will not
get released in multiplexes or regular art houses (that eliminates movies
like Pleasantville & The Mighty, movies I can always catch up later).
Movies with Indian themes obviously get included in the list. I try to
balance out various world cinemas to get a feel for other cultures.
Here is the list of reviews of varying lengths (depending on how strongly I
feel about the movie) in order of decreasing quality.
1. Celebration A+ (Thomas Vinterberg, in Danish)
Simply one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. It is every bit
as good as "Breaking the waves" by Lars von Trier who is Thomas
Vinterberg's fellow director on the Dogma document. I pretty much agree
with the review posted on your site a couple of days back. I slightly
disagree about the reviewer's comments on technique though. While at many
points it enhances the quality of the film, I also felt it was distracting
at times. The Dogma doctrine which I believe is a stupid publicity stunt
imposes unnecessary limitations on a director's imagination. Thankfully,
this movie is so powerful, not even technique can overwhelm it. I cannot
praise the quality of scripting, acting and direction that went into this
movie. The ending is quiet- just a few soft words from a son to a father
at a breakfast table. You can see hearts breaking and hearts healing.
There are no words to describe how everything comes together. I had to go
home after seeing this movie- there was no way I could sit through any
other movie after this.
2. Out of Range A (Julien Vrebos, in Flemish/French)
Two great movies in two days. Way to go! This movie which recently won
the Best film and Best actress awards in Belgium starts out more like an
empty stylish exercise before settling into a gripping story about
corruption in high places. Based on an unsolved shooting spree in the 80s
which left 32 people dead in supermarkets and at ATM machines, the power of
this movie can be gauged by the fact that the French portion of Belgium
still refuses to let this movie be shown publicly. (For those who do not
know, Belgium has Flemish regions and French regions and there are some
tensions between the two peoples). A lot of the right wing conspiracy
potrayed in the movie is from the director's imagination- he manages to
link the supermarket killings, recent child pornography scandals, royalty,
banking and the gendarme in a convincing script. I had an opportunity to
talk to the director after the movie and was impressed by learning that
this is his first movie and he is 51 yrs old! Hope he has a lot more left
in him 'cause he has a style that is stunning. Wide screen static camera
compositions that take your breath away, extreme close-ups that are
mesmerising, mis en scene that is nothing short of brilliance, music that
leaves your nerves tingling. An almost perfect marriage of style and
substance.
3. Welcome Back Mr. McDonald B+ (Koki Mitani, in Japanese)
A knowing and utterly hilarious look at the backstage antics of a radio
play. There is a game-for-anything spirit that pervades the whole movie.
The Indy movie song "Anything goes" would fit right in. If you want to
know how a nice proper radio play can be massacred by the outsize egos of
the performers and the puny defences of the producer, this is the movie to
watch. Even though the slapstick comedy is a bit uneven at times, when it
is good the film soars. It is not often that the same movie reminds you of
both "Bullets over Broadway" and "Singing in the rain", but this movie did.
Film enthusiasts will particularly love the comedy bits with a Foley
artist.
4. Hold you tight B+ (Stanley Kwan, in Chinese)
A solid art house movie that is unlikely to find mainstream audience. All
the characters in the movie (set in Hong Kong, 1997) are struggling with
their sexual orientation- some are more sure than the others. Sexual
orientation becomes a metaphor for Hong Kong at the time of the Chinese
takeover with a confusion in its identity. With parallel stories, same
actress apparently playing two roles, interconnections that never seem
obvious this is one movie that will keep you on your toes. Every single
shot in this movie is a tad askew- something is always happening in the
corners or may happen suddenly. There is a breathtaking early morning mist
shot from a train window that is worth walking miles to see. With all that
excellent technique, I was surprised how much I cared for these apparently
metaphorical characters. Credit the director and actors for that.
5. Of freaks and men B (Alexie Balabanov, in Russian)
Bizzare is the first word that comes to mind. Rapturously shot entirely in
sepia tones to match the early 20th century setting, this is the Russian
"Boogie Nights" in that it chronicles two families in the grip of
pornographic pictures. It however lacks the sheer effervescence that
marked "Boogie Nights". To underscore the fact that pornography was an
underground business, all the outdoor shots of characters prowling around
St.Petersburg are bereft of people. The only "crowds" we ever see are
lecherous men who come to watch "dirty pictures". The title "freaks" are
Mongloid twins who are pretty much the only characters I really cared
about. This is definitely a movie in which style overwhelms the substance.
6. Friendly Fire B (Beto Brant, in Portuguese)
Four friends who were together in the revolution and the guy who caught
them and was supposed to be dead but isn't. How a once strong freindship
dissolves under the strain of hunting for their tormentor formes the crux
of the story. Competently told and well acted, this movie probably has
more emotional resonance for the Brazilians. The movie incorporates a lot
of politics that I could not really appreciate. A solid genre piece.
7. Steam : The Turkish Bath B (Ferzan Opetek, in Italian)
the title and the publicity blurb in the festival guide made it soung like
gay soft porn ("baths... where men can explore their deepest sexual
desires"!). But this was a sweet movie with really well drawn characters
and a nice literary plot (might have been based on a book, didn't catch the
credits). The hero Francesco inherits a strange Turkish bath in Istanbul
and goes to Turkey to sell it. bUt he gets more and more drawn into a
world that helps him discover himself. In the second act, his wife joins
him in Istanbul to find herself in a strange dilemma. The two acts are
connected story wise but the charcter focus shifts to produce a
complementary effect. What was most fascinating about this movie was that
Istanbul the city itself is a major character- an exotic, entrancing one.
With its gay subject matter, it will probably do well in the arthouses, I
certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again.
8. Sitcom B (Francis Ozon, in French)
An edgy captivating look at some of the talk show issues that dot the
morning TV landscape. Laced with orgies, incest, S/M (except for one
graphic comic scene, nothing is explicit) this is a bizzare movie. but the
payoff is worth it.
9. Once we were strangers C+ (Crialese, English)
Ah, finally an English movie! Not a very good one, I'm afraid. Follows
two emigrants one Italian (very very HOT) and another Indian. The Indian
gets a bride from home and the Italian falls for a radio talk show host.
The premise is intriguing, the screenplay unfortunately is all over the
place. The first time director shows some visual flair and deft touch with
the actors, but has no concept of pacing. Vincent Amato as the Italian
shows real promise (think young Antonio Banderas) and would be someone to
look out for.
10. Loves D (Oliveira, in Portuguese)
A total waste of time. Plays like a third rate soap opera which does not
know when to stop. The 90 min movie was atleast 45 minutes too long.
That's it for now. Will report back on the others later.
-Sunil.
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