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September 6th, 2002 Day Two |
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First full day of films and I am off to a bad start. I knew when I made my selections that choosing a film Friday at noon was only asking for trouble. I was asked at work to come in for the morning with the understanding that I was out the door by 11 am. Of course as it came down to the wire I was left with two options, coming back in next week to finish up the work or sacraficing my first film of the day and staying to get it done. I decided on the latter and skipped The Conversation (1974) which was featured as part of the Dialogue - Talking with Pictures which was introduced by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje who had written a book related to the film called The Conversations: Walter Murch & The Art of Editing Film. I did make it to my remaining two films of the evening a Scottish Morvern Callar and an Austrian Step On It. On with the reviews...
Title: Morvern Callar Summary Based on the novel, Morvern Callar by Alan Warner the story follows Morven a young, super-market employee who wakes one December morning to find her boyfriend has committed suicide and lies dead on the kitchen floor. As part of his legacy he leaves Morvern an finished manuscript for a novel and a list of publishers with instructions for her to have it published and keep the money. Morvern's reaction to her boyfriends suicide is unconventional and it sets of a chain of events that leads Morvern and her best friend Lanna on a bizarre journey. What I liked about the film Samantha Morton is riveting as Morvern Callar carrying the story with her perfomance. Morton most recently turned up in this summer's Minority Report as the female precog Tom Cruise's character rescues. Director Lynn Ramsay takes the audience on a surreal journey with Morvern and her friend Lanna as they explore a trippy Christmas Party and a sun-drenched Mediterraen vacation spot. Not having seen Ramsay's previous work Ratcatcher I can't comment on how the two works compare. What I didn't liked about the film The lack of a narrative structure and traditional plot makes Morvern Callar a difficult picture for most to assimilate. The audience is very much left to trust the director and go along for the ride. While it works for the most part, you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to view it. I think for me the lack of understanding Morvern's attitude towards her dead boyfriend that left me baffled throughout. Intriguing and challenging -- I really liked this movie even if I didn't understand it all.
Title: Step On It (Vollgas) Summary A pretty basic tale of an alcoholic's battle to try and straighten out their life, Step On It is set against the back drop of a resort town in the Austrian Alps. The fast paced nature of the resort that requires the staff to work hard and gives them an excuse to play even harder causes friction in the main character Evi's life. As a single mother, Evi's sole interaction with her daughter involves walking her to her school bus in the morning after a night of binge drinking. What I liked about the film Director Sabine Derflinger gives us an interesting glimpse into the fast paced environment of a resort community and the demands placed on its staff. I also found it interesting the way in which Evi's friends would go to great lengths to help her cover up her drinking problem, but when Evi tries to actually do something about her friends and family withdraw and leave her to her own self-destructive devices. As well the female lead Henriette Heinze gives a good performance as Evi. What I didn't liked about the film I don't know if its the tired drug/alcohol abuse plot that bothered me or perhaps it was the pacing, but something about this film made me want to yawn. It never fully captured my attention and despite generating sympathy for the main character. Barely Tolerable -- Contemplated walking out but curiosity kept me there against my better judgement. |