September 14
Forever Mine
Directed by Paul Schrader
Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Ray Liotta, Gretchen Mol
U.S. Distribution:
** / C-Forever Mine is a huge departure for Schrader, and very nearly the polar opposite of his underappreciated last film, Affliction -- about as steamy and mushy as Affliction was cold and hard-edged. I found it hard to believe that Schrader, the legend who wrote such tough-hitting scripts as Taxi Driver could (or, for that matter, wanted to) write this gushy melodrama about a cabana boy (seriously) engaging in torridly romantic affair with a politican's wife, resulting in a volatile longstanding feud between the two men. Filled with scenes of sweaty naked bodies writhing on white sheets as Angelo Badalamenti's jazzy score wails in the background, it's the stuff of Douglas Sirk melodramas -- or at least bad made-for-cable movies. I was searching for some sign of an ironic wink embedded in the film, but it seems that Schrader's intentions for this film were straight, which makes the result seem all the more dismal. (Early/late scenes that call for a disfigured Joseph Fiennes to pass himself off as a mysterious Arab are so laughable, so flat-out bizarre that they seem to have escaped from a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker picture.) And while Fiennes and Gretchen Mol are beautiful people and reasonable actors (I thought Fiennes fared well in Elizabeth and Shakespeare In Love, and Mol has been comptent in everything I've seen of hers) and probably very charming to boot, I was curiously uncompelled watching them together on the big screen; they lack that indescribable sort of look-at-me screen presence that commands viewer attention; some people refer to it as Star Power.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: director/writer Paul Schrader, actor Gretchen Mol (hiding in the back, presumably out of shyness rather than embarassment)
[U.K. / 115 minutes / Special Presentation / Varsity 8]
The Girl Of Your Dreams
Directed by Fernando Trueba
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Antonio Resines, Neus Asensi, Jesús Bonilla, Loles León, Jorge Sanz, Rosa Maria Sardá, Johannes Silberschneider
U.S. Distribution:
** / CSome funny bits involving the cultural incongruity of the troupe of Spanish actors developing their latest opus in the heart of Nazi Germany, and Penélope Cruz is well-cast as the sultry bombshell that catches everyone's eye (even Joseph Goebbel). Still, it's far too slapsticky a picture to successfully slap on the serious themes involving anti-Semitism and facism running throughout which come to a head during its final half hour. The decision to make all of the characters cartoonish results in a certain distance imposed between the film and the audience; I followed the adventures of the Spanish group as they squabble their way through the picture, but there's no real rooting interest here.
[Spain / 121 minutes / Gala / Varsity 8]
Show Me Love
Directed by Lukas Moodysson
Cast: Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecca Liljeberg, Erica Carlson, Mathias Rust, Stefan Hörberg
U.S. Distribution: Strand Releasing
*** / BEssentially a Swedish, grainily-shot John Hughes-type film, complete with angst-ridden teen heroines, "I hate my life!" / "I want to die!" declarations, and appopriately-timed bursts of bouyant pop music on the soundtrack. It's an amiable picture which demonstrates a keen eye on teen behaviour and has some nice comic bits; Dahlström's frequent wails of exasperated despair register nicely. I was impressed that the lesbian angle of the film was played so matter-of-factly rather than exploited; it was if Agnes' status as a social outcast was even more of an impediment for a relationship with Elin than the fact that she was also a girl. I somewhat wish that the picture's focus remained on Agnes -- this ultimately is Elin's film in spite of the fact that Agnes' crush is the driving force in the narrative -- but it's a little charmer; compelling (although I couldn't quite invest the amount of rooting interest in the romantic plights of the two leads that would've completely won me over) and good fun. Already a huge hit in Sweden and their (unsuccessful) Oscar representative for last year.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: Director/writer Lukas Moodysson
[Sweden / 89 minutes / Contemporary World Cinema / Varsity 1]
License To Live
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Koji Shimbashi, Shun Sugata, Lily, Kumiko Asou
U.S. Distribution: none as of this writing
*** / BVery strange, episodic film filled with moments of explosive hilarity. Its exploration of the theme of family though a young man emerging from a 10-year coma is very unorthodox and strangely effective, and its offbeat comic sensibilities are distinctly Japanese.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
[Japan / 109 minutes / Spotlight / Cumberland 3]
The Color Of Heaven
Directed by Majid Majidi
Cast: Mohsen Ramezani, Hossein Mahjub, Salime Feizi, Elham Sharifi, Farahnaz Safari
U.S. Distribution: none as of this writing
*** / BNot as commercially accessible as his last film, The Children Of Heaven, or as mesmerizing as the similarly-themed Mohsen Makhmalbaf picture The Silence, Majid Majidi's latest picture centers around a young blind boy and his journeys throughout the countryside. As in The Silence, Majidi conveys the beauty of natural sounds as a means which his young protagonist is able to relate to the outside world. Also crucial in Majidi's celebration of natural life is the texture of living things; ostensibly interpreting the nubs and bumps as braille, the boy runs his hands over people's faces, animals, plants, sand. A little flat at spots due to a lack of real emotional resonance, but the final images are wonderful.
More comments upcoming.
[Iran / 90 minutes / Contemporary World Cinema / Royal Ontario Museum]
Random Notes: Technical problems (ie. no sound) marred the screening of Forever Mine -- they had to start over from the beginning ... this year's spotlight director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, was one of the most gracious and humble Q&A participants in recent years, and, as programmer Noah Cowen (who has been gushing over him) indicated, will give lengthy, detailed respones to questions posed -- while some directors will fire off snappy, vaguely contemptuous one-liners, Kurosawa cheerfully gives detailed five-minute answers to straightforward questions ...
Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca)
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