September 15 (aka Uptown Day)
The Third Miracle
Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Cast: Ed Harris, Anne Heche, Armin Mueller-Stahl
U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics
** ½ / C+Dramatically low-key, this film approaches its treatment of religious phenomena with a degree of solemnity uncommon in Hollywood films. Centering around a campaign to canonize the late Helen O'Regan into official sainthood, the picture contains all the standard clichés -- the investigating priest himself (Harris) suffers from crumbling faith in Catholicism, exacerbated by the introduction of O'Regan's fiesty daughter (Heche) as potential love interest material. (And, of course, there's the statue which weeps tears of blood.) While it's all familiar stuff, the material doesn't necessarily feel overly tired due to the fine acting by the principles -- Harris is, as always, good, and Heche offsets the picture's heavy tone with her chirpy sprite. While much of the investigation narrative could have been structured in sharper fashion and the picture's conclusion isn't especially satisfying (the element of the priest's shaky faith carries less weight than the filmmakers seem to believe), it's a solid diversion and competently-made. Nothing to get excited about -- this would make a better TV-movie than theatrical release, really -- but a reasonable time-filler.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: director Agnieszka Holland
[U.S.A. / 120 minutes / Special Presentation / Uptown 2]
The War Zone
Directed by Tim Roth
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe
U.S. Distribution: Lot 47
*** ½ / A-While Tim Roth's directorial debut effectively addresses the theme of incest in uncompromising fashion, I was particularly impressed with his adept use of widescreen -- he really knows how to place the camera. Some of his shots are held a bit too long for my taste, but in addition to being an emotional powerhouse, the bleak The War Zone is a technically superb picture. The ensemble cast is excellent, but special note should be made of Lara Belmont in the pivotal role of the daughter. She's absolutely remarkable here, particularly in one scene where she's called upon to react to the chaos unfolding around her in the kitchen -- I was stunned to learn that this was her first attempt at acting.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: director Tim Roth, actor Lara Belmont
[U.K. / 99 minutes / Contemporary World Cinema / Uptown 2]
Rosetta
Directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Cast: Émilie Dequenne, Fabrizio Rongione, Anne Yernaux, Olivier Gourmet
U.S. Distribution: USA Films
*** / B+It's uncanny how thoroughly Rosetta's elements align with my own pet faves -- a cinema verité exploration of miserablism focused on a young French woman as she struggles to cope and survive in contemporary society. Given this remarkable convergence with my own preferences, I was actually somewhat disappointed with the Dardennes' Palme D'Or-winning follow-up to La Promesse; it didn't engage me on an emotional level to quite the degree I had expected (hoped?). Still, it's a fascinating picture, briskly-paced and well-edited (developments in the final third effectively evoke genuine tension), with an engrossing and challenging performance by newcomer Émilie Dequenne in the title role; she shared the Best Actress prize at Cannes 99. Onscreen virtually the entire running time, she captures the raw desperation and blindingly-focused determination of Rosetta; while the introductory sequence of Rosetta's adamant refusal to leave the workplace upon termination plays as almost light-hearted, we quickly realize otherwise, and a subsequent scene which closes with a screaming Rosetta desperately clutching a heavy sack of rice as her boss tries to physically drag her out is revealing and disturbingly poignant.
More comments upcoming.
[Belgium/France / 95 minutes / Contemporary World Cinema / Uptown 3]
julien donkey-boy
Directed by Harmony Korine
Cast: Ewen Bremner, Chloë Sevigny, Werner Herzog, Ewan Neumann, Joyce Korine, Chrissy Kobylak, Alvin Law
U.S. Distribution: Independent Pictures?
** / C-In many ways reminiscent of Gummo, with a parade of bizarre characters (julien donkey-boy features an armless drummer and a man who simultaneously smokes an entire package of cigarettes and then eats them while still alit) and even a parallel to the Gummo chair-wrestling scene; here, Ewen Bremner's lunkheaded Julien attacks a plastic garbage can. Korine's film is the first American picture to be certified as Dogma 95-complaint (his explanation of the explicit use of recorded music is that he fed the signal from a DAT to the camera while shooting the scene -- hmmm, is this a valid work-around?), and in many ways he's an obvious choice to join the Dogma clan; as already seen in Gummo, his unorthodox experimental style is one which is least encumbered by the restrictions emposed by the Vow of Chastity decreed by Mssrs. von Trier, Vinterberg, et al. -- with a few minor changes during the shoot, Gummo itself could've possibly qualified. In general, I found Gummo to be a more interesting, provocative and well-rounded piece of work overall than Korine's latest effort, but julien donkey-boy benefits enormously from the casting of Werner Herzog as the father, who's incredibly funny in every onscreen appearance -- his recounting of The Scene in Dirty Harry alone is a veritable showstopper. Here's hoping that Korine pens Herzog alongside Sevigny as regulars in his future casts. At this point, though, I'm rapidly arriving at the conclusion that Korine's filmmaking style simply isn't my cup of tea.
More comments upcoming.
In attendance: director/screenwriter Harmony Korine, actors Ewen Bremner and Chloë Sevigny
[U.S.A. / 94 minutes / Contemporary World Cinema / Uptown 1]
No One Writes To The Colonel
Directed by Arturo Ripstein
Cast: Marisa Paredes, Fernando Luján, Ernesto Yáñez, Rafael Inclán, Salma Hayek
U.S. Distribution: none as of this writing
** ½ / C+It's a joy to see a film with such meaty parts for older actors, as in No One Writes To The Colonel. This film hinges on the performances of Marisa Paredes and Fernando Luján as the elderly protagonists; while the acting in the picture is very solid, I found it difficult to become involved in the narrative, which tonally runs the gambit from melancholy to light comedy.
More comments upcoming.
[Mexico/Spain/France / 118 minutes / Masters / Uptown 2]
Random Notes: During the Q&A for The Third Miracle, it was nice to see some challenging (though typically Toronto-polite) questions issued towards Agnieszka Holland (ie. "How is this movie not a propaganda film for Catholicism?") instead of the traditional softball queries directed at filmmakers ... interesting (to me) trivia: Anne Heche was considered for the shrewish leading role in Washington Square, eventually given to Jennifer Jason Leigh -- I can't see lively Heche in this repressed role, myself ... a new Q&A axiom: anyone who begins a question with "As we approach the beginning of a new millenium.." can be disregarded -- I'm calling this the Bulworth axiom ... Tim Roth moderated his own Q&A session in support of The War Zone like a consumate pro (Donahue-ian, really -- Phil, not Heather), and demonstrated great energy and enthusiasm during his interactions with the audience. Many filmmakers treat the Q&A sessions like an obligation, halfheartedly going through the motions, but Roth seemed to be engaged throughout, invigorated to the point of posing questions to the audience in the form of an informal survey. I also appreciated his sidestepping of those inane "How am I supposed to interpret this scene/moment in the movie?" questions by telling them to draw their own conclusions. Damned straight. All in all, a splendid Q&A subject ... I was rather surprised to find that Roth apparently doesn't see too many films -- he mentioned having not watched Todd Solondz's Happiness nor Anjelica Huston's Bastard Out Of Carolina ... an audience member was booed by her comments in The War Zone Q&A -- cool (she opined that incest wasn't that big of a deal if the child was over 16) ... the groans which greeted the (completely appropriate) conclusion of Rosetta suggest that this was not a crowd pleaser; apparently this audience wanted to be spoon-fed a nice pat ending, like a group hug or something ... Harmony Korine's Q&A for julien donkey-boy was reassuringly as expected, based upon what I'd seen from him during the '97 Gummo Q&A -- he didn't do a goofy walk onto the stage this time, though; I did laugh, however, when Korine shrugged off a "Yeah" response, and the exasperated questioner prompted "Could you elaborate on that Yeah?" If there were any doubt (and I have none -- for some reason, I've received more e-mail about my Gummo review than any of the others), Korine clearly has a following; his pre-screening introduction was greeted by cheers from many in the audience... more sound-related (or lack thereof) problems during the screening of No One Writes To The Colonel ...
Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca)
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