... where it's been raining you know what...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Milan
- The Last Supper 
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Duomo di Milano
- Duomo di Milano
- Teatro alla Scala (La Scala Opera House)
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Final reflection
I was fortunate to be a member of the Ecumenical Jury for this year’s 61st Locarno International Film Festival. For ten days this sleepy town located on the waterfront of Lake Maggiore at the base of the Swiss Alps was transformed into a magical showcase for world cinema.
The town of Locarno and its surrounding villages truly make a concerted effort to support this event. The festival’s leopard logo was prominently displayed in, and on, virtually all of the area’s public buildings and local shops. Part of this festival’s unique and special appeal, especially among cinema lovers, can be attributed to the nightly outdoor screenings of select films in the heart of the city’s Piazza Grande. These films, depending on the weather, were attended by as many as 8,000 filmgoers each night. This festival, with overall attendance of more than 123,000 this year, is considered to be one of the major film festivals of Europe. It is a truly welcoming event, without any of the pretentiousness that you might find at some of Europe’s other major festivals.
Our Ecumenical Jury was comprised of six jurors, three representing SIGNIS (Catholic) and three from INTERFILM (Protestant). I immediately recognized the geographical and cultural diversity of this jury, which included members from India, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, Austria, and the host country, Switzerland.
This year’s festival showcased a total of 372 films (including short and mid-length films), of which 18 feature films were considered for the International Competition, the slate of films upon which our jury was to deliberate.
Filmmaking is truly a global art and venture now, as exhibited by the entries in the International Competition, which consisted of films from Mexico, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, South Korea, Peru, Canada, Ireland, Russia, Germany, Portugal, and Italy. Our jury’s task was to choose one film from the Competition that best represented our criteria, which covered a number of aspects including artistic quality, the message of the Gospel, Christian responsibility, inventive expression, and universal impact.
The overall theme for this year’s Competition films became apparent to me on Day One. Whether intended or not, this was to be a festival of films that showcased in some way the heavy weight and deleterious effects caused by loneliness and isolation. Whether it was emotional isolation or geographical isolation, the theme remained consistent throughout the entire slate of eighteen films.
We began with two films about prison, one set in the mountains of Turkey concerning a young man trying to find his future following a decade behind bars (“Sonbahar”), the other (“Parque Via”) set in Mexico City about a family servant who finds a unique and questionable solution in order to maintain his secluded and ordered life. And we ended the festival by experiencing a visual love story (“Sleep Furiously”) for the isolated farmlands of Wales and witnessing the lonely struggle of a Chinese son (“Feast of Villains”) who submerges himself in the medical black market in an effort to save the life of his dying father.
In between these sets of films we experienced the emotional aftermath of a small village as they refuse to deal with their grief following a recent group suicide (“März”), watched an alienated young girl (“Katia’s Sister”) who finally receives her own identity, observed the isolation of a violent, rural Quebec (“Elle Veut Le Chaos”) in black and white, and shared in the lonely road trip of a young South Korean man (“Daytime Drinking”) whose girlfriend recently left him.
We also traveled with two runaway Irish kids (“Kisses”) as they escape their broken homes searching for some kind of human connection, and finally realizing that they can turn to and rely on each other. In another French-Canadian film (“Story of Jen”), a lonely teenage girl seeks human connection after the recent suicide of her father.
We ventured once again to Turkey, this time to the isolated eastern part (“The Market – A Tale of Trade”) as a man battles his ethics in order to support his family, and then on to Poland (“33 Sceny Z Zycia”) to observe the spoiled isolation of young artist as she loses first her mother to cancer, and then her father to illness, in rapid succession.
The Locarno Film Festival has a historic reputation for showcasing talent from first time directors, telling stories that may not be as polished as more veteran filmmakers but often more raw. In a shrinking world caused by increasing globalization, disappearing borders, and immediate communication, we often find ourselves more isolated, more lonely, and more in need of human connection. Whether the isolation is psychological or geographic in nature, each of the films in Competition resonated on some level this prevailing theme.
Our jury met on a number of occasions to remain focused solely on those films which best exhibited the nature of our criteria. Our final decision was not an easy one. In fact, it was quite difficult.
In the end we awarded our Ecumenical Jury Award to “Mar Nero” (“Black Sea”) for its well-crafted, universal reflection on tolerance, forgiveness, and most of all, hope. Based on a tightly-woven script by 65-year old Ugo Chiti, this film, directed by Federico Bondi, featured excellent performances by the two leading actresses, giving added weight and credibility to this tale of an Italian grieving widow. Set against the backdrop of Romania’s integration into the European Union, this film features specificity, nuance, and emotional honesty like no other film in the Competition. It also raises valid issues regarding growing old, being alone, and what "family" truly means. It was a deeply moving and most worthy film experience.
Our jury also elected to give a Special Commendation to “Yuriev Den” (“Yuri’s Day”). This was a well-polished Russian production with an abundance of metaphorical imagery. It is the story of a narcissistic, successful opera singer whose petulant son disappears while they are on a visit to the mother’s Russian home town of Yuriev. As the mother searches for her son, she takes a lyrical and humbling journey of her own, becoming a more caring and compassionate human being. At one point losing her voice, she eventually finds it again, but now it is only one amongst a choir of others as she continues her wait for the return of her son.
In a place where three languages prevail -- Italian, German, and French -- this native-English speaker found Locarno to be a most welcoming environment to experience the world of cinema. As the lights went down, whether inside the theaters or outside in the Piazza Grande, the cultural barriers disappeared as we repeatedly experienced these films of isolation and loneliness. The International Competition films of the 61st Locarno International Film Festival served as a not-so-gentle reminder that what human beings need most is a healthy human connection to survive, and to thrive.
The town of Locarno and its surrounding villages truly make a concerted effort to support this event. The festival’s leopard logo was prominently displayed in, and on, virtually all of the area’s public buildings and local shops. Part of this festival’s unique and special appeal, especially among cinema lovers, can be attributed to the nightly outdoor screenings of select films in the heart of the city’s Piazza Grande. These films, depending on the weather, were attended by as many as 8,000 filmgoers each night. This festival, with overall attendance of more than 123,000 this year, is considered to be one of the major film festivals of Europe. It is a truly welcoming event, without any of the pretentiousness that you might find at some of Europe’s other major festivals.
Our Ecumenical Jury was comprised of six jurors, three representing SIGNIS (Catholic) and three from INTERFILM (Protestant). I immediately recognized the geographical and cultural diversity of this jury, which included members from India, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, Austria, and the host country, Switzerland.
This year’s festival showcased a total of 372 films (including short and mid-length films), of which 18 feature films were considered for the International Competition, the slate of films upon which our jury was to deliberate.
Filmmaking is truly a global art and venture now, as exhibited by the entries in the International Competition, which consisted of films from Mexico, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, South Korea, Peru, Canada, Ireland, Russia, Germany, Portugal, and Italy. Our jury’s task was to choose one film from the Competition that best represented our criteria, which covered a number of aspects including artistic quality, the message of the Gospel, Christian responsibility, inventive expression, and universal impact.
The overall theme for this year’s Competition films became apparent to me on Day One. Whether intended or not, this was to be a festival of films that showcased in some way the heavy weight and deleterious effects caused by loneliness and isolation. Whether it was emotional isolation or geographical isolation, the theme remained consistent throughout the entire slate of eighteen films.
We began with two films about prison, one set in the mountains of Turkey concerning a young man trying to find his future following a decade behind bars (“Sonbahar”), the other (“Parque Via”) set in Mexico City about a family servant who finds a unique and questionable solution in order to maintain his secluded and ordered life. And we ended the festival by experiencing a visual love story (“Sleep Furiously”) for the isolated farmlands of Wales and witnessing the lonely struggle of a Chinese son (“Feast of Villains”) who submerges himself in the medical black market in an effort to save the life of his dying father.
In between these sets of films we experienced the emotional aftermath of a small village as they refuse to deal with their grief following a recent group suicide (“März”), watched an alienated young girl (“Katia’s Sister”) who finally receives her own identity, observed the isolation of a violent, rural Quebec (“Elle Veut Le Chaos”) in black and white, and shared in the lonely road trip of a young South Korean man (“Daytime Drinking”) whose girlfriend recently left him.
We also traveled with two runaway Irish kids (“Kisses”) as they escape their broken homes searching for some kind of human connection, and finally realizing that they can turn to and rely on each other. In another French-Canadian film (“Story of Jen”), a lonely teenage girl seeks human connection after the recent suicide of her father.
We ventured once again to Turkey, this time to the isolated eastern part (“The Market – A Tale of Trade”) as a man battles his ethics in order to support his family, and then on to Poland (“33 Sceny Z Zycia”) to observe the spoiled isolation of young artist as she loses first her mother to cancer, and then her father to illness, in rapid succession.
The Locarno Film Festival has a historic reputation for showcasing talent from first time directors, telling stories that may not be as polished as more veteran filmmakers but often more raw. In a shrinking world caused by increasing globalization, disappearing borders, and immediate communication, we often find ourselves more isolated, more lonely, and more in need of human connection. Whether the isolation is psychological or geographic in nature, each of the films in Competition resonated on some level this prevailing theme.
Our jury met on a number of occasions to remain focused solely on those films which best exhibited the nature of our criteria. Our final decision was not an easy one. In fact, it was quite difficult.
In the end we awarded our Ecumenical Jury Award to “Mar Nero” (“Black Sea”) for its well-crafted, universal reflection on tolerance, forgiveness, and most of all, hope. Based on a tightly-woven script by 65-year old Ugo Chiti, this film, directed by Federico Bondi, featured excellent performances by the two leading actresses, giving added weight and credibility to this tale of an Italian grieving widow. Set against the backdrop of Romania’s integration into the European Union, this film features specificity, nuance, and emotional honesty like no other film in the Competition. It also raises valid issues regarding growing old, being alone, and what "family" truly means. It was a deeply moving and most worthy film experience.
Our jury also elected to give a Special Commendation to “Yuriev Den” (“Yuri’s Day”). This was a well-polished Russian production with an abundance of metaphorical imagery. It is the story of a narcissistic, successful opera singer whose petulant son disappears while they are on a visit to the mother’s Russian home town of Yuriev. As the mother searches for her son, she takes a lyrical and humbling journey of her own, becoming a more caring and compassionate human being. At one point losing her voice, she eventually finds it again, but now it is only one amongst a choir of others as she continues her wait for the return of her son.
In a place where three languages prevail -- Italian, German, and French -- this native-English speaker found Locarno to be a most welcoming environment to experience the world of cinema. As the lights went down, whether inside the theaters or outside in the Piazza Grande, the cultural barriers disappeared as we repeatedly experienced these films of isolation and loneliness. The International Competition films of the 61st Locarno International Film Festival served as a not-so-gentle reminder that what human beings need most is a healthy human connection to survive, and to thrive.
Thank you...
I would like to thank my beautiful wife, Karen, for her ever-present friendship and support... and for helping to make this a fantastic and memorable festival experience...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Ecumenical Jury Prize goes to...
(Ecumenical Jury President Serge Molla, "Mar Nero" director Federico Bonda, jury member Alexander Deeg)
... "Mar Nero"
This was my favorite film in the international competition. It was the only film experience that truly moved me.
This was a difficult decision for our jury. However, we awarded Mar Nero our Ecumenical Jury award for its universal reflection of tolerance, forgiveness, and hope.
Based on a well-crafted script by 65-year old Ugo Chiti, this film featured excellent performances by the two leading actresses, Iiaria Occhini and Dorotheea Petre, giving added weight and credibility to this tale of a grieving widow.
Nice touches of humor and subtle but soulful music interweave this intricate story of integration, which asks valid questions concerning growing old, being alone, and what "family" means.
A wonderful and worthy film.
Jury Deliberations
Our jury met officially on four occasions prior to our final deliberation. We used these opportunities along the way to narrow our focus on those films which we considered worthy of our award.
We were more or less in agreement with the four films that we will discuss as candidates for our top prize. In no particular order, they are:
- Katia's Sister
- Kisses
- Mar Nero
- Yuri's Day
Streets of Locarno
(Ecumenical Jury member (bottom left) Felipe Espinosa Torres speaks with fellow Mexican (top and bottom right), Nolberto Coria, who played "Beto" in "Parque Via")
Another nice aspect of the Locarno Film Festival is the lack of pretentiousness. You never know who you will meet in the street, in the audience, or while waiting in line for a film screening.
We happened across the lead actor from "Parque Via" one day in the streets of Locarno. What a treat this was to spend time with this joyous man. He's not a professional actor, in fact, his day job is that of a janitor. He was asked to play this part by the director because of his ability to realistically portray the character of a servant.
Friday August 15th
"Liu Mang De Sheng Yan" ("Feast of Villains")
The final film in competition, this is a sad tale of a gentle son's quest to raise money to pay for his father's medical bills to keep him alive.
Set in present-day China, the young man works as a delivery person, struggling to make ends meet. Forced to find a way to raise quick money for his father's illness, he resorts to selling one of his kidneys in a black market transaction.
In a journey that can be likened to what Dante wrote about centuries before, this young man descends into the bowels of China's subculture, loses a kidney, and is ultimately cheated out of the money owed him for his missing organ.
When he returns to his hometown, penniless, he realizes that his father passed away while he himself was recovering.
This sad tale continues as the son struggles to obtain an official death certificate to deliver his father to the crematorium.
Casting a long shadow on modern China, this is a film that most likely will be unwelcome in its home country.
"Sleep Furiously"
A Welsh documentary, which is essentially a love story about a particular region and people of Wales.
Beautifully shot and perfectly paced, this is a strong reminder of the country that I will soon return to... Ireland.
Threaded together by a mobile librarian traveling to the region's numerous farms via mini-van, this doc shares with us the visual wonders of this land in a most poetic way. Sheep herding, piglet birthing, calf birthing, milking machines, hay-making mechanics, choir singing, dogs, and county fairs.
I'm not sure what the title refers to but this is a land of people known for their musical and artistic abilities.
Beautiful.
Nanni Moretti
Very famous in his Italian homeland, Nanni Moretti may not be as well-known to others outside of Europe. He is an accomplished actor, writer, and director. Here is an extensive list of his film work.
He was a central figure at this year's Locarno Film Festival, which hosted a Nanni Moretti retrospective. His film, "Quiet Chaos," was also an official competition entry in this year's Berlinale.
He is shown here being greeted by fans after one of his media events in the Forum in Locarno.
Thursday August 14th
"Mar Nero" ("Black Sea")
This was a true treat of a film.
A tightly-woven story of an aging Italian woman, Gemma, who has just recently lost her husband. Harsh and bitter in her treatment of others, she reluctantly accepts her Romanian immigrant caretaker, Angela, into her life. We journey with Gemma as Angela helps her overcome her grief and open her eyes once again towards an unknown future.
Set against the economic and political backdrop reflecting Romania's integration into the European Union, this is a film about tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, and most of all -- hope.
There is a masterful scene in this film which is wordless but speaks volumes. Gemma awakes in the middle of the night to an unknown buzzing sound. We follow her as she discovers that the sound is emanating from her deceased husband's electric shaver, in its case in a bathroom cabinet. At the kitchen table she cleans and collects her husband's whiskers from the shaver, clutches them tightly in the palm of her hand, and then throws them away in the garbage, indicating her readiness to now move on.
There is not a wasted element of this story. Both actresses are wonderful in this beautiful film.
A deeply moving and universal film.
"Story of Jen"
Another French-Canadian film set in the isolated rural region of Quebec.
This story revolves around the aftermath of a father's suicide, leaving behind a wife and a 14-year old step-daughter. Bathed in isolation, this film loses focus as it is actually the story of everyone but Jen.
The departed father's estranged half-brother enters the world of these surviving females, causing a stir in the community. A "consentual" rape occurs involving this man and the girl, which leads to the grandfather's pursuit and final consequence for the half-brother.
This is another film that feels biographical in nature (in fact, it is).
The theme of loneliness and isolation continues unabated at Locarno 2008.
Wednesday August 13th
"Kisses"
A modern gritty Irish fairy tale set in the mold of a present day Huckleberry Finn.
A young boy and girl, neighbors in the council flats region in West Dublin run away from their respective troubled homes. Grabbing a lift from a local barge driver scavenging the River Liffey, the two escape into the playground and troubles waiting for them in the streets of Dublin.
Unable to find the boy's older brother who ran away from home years earlier, the two shop, eat, and enjoy their escape into the city. However, once their money runs out, they resort to stealing food and sleeping in cardboard boxes in the backstreets. The two wearily make it through the ugly threats of the city night.
Shifting from the bleak black and white perspective of their home life to gritty color once they escape outside, the director expertly portrays the shifting inner feelings of the two kids onscreen. Learning that a kiss, like life, can be either "given" or "taken," the lesson is clear that it is better to give.
Ending with a message of hope, the two safely make their way back home, unsure of just what changes, if any, await them. Both isolated within their respective home lives in the beginning, they now, at least, have each other.
"The Market - A Tale of Trade"
Set in Turkey, this is a story of a family man trying to make a living through basic economics -- buying goods for less money than he can sell them, whatever the goods may be. He is a trader.
More a story of economics, this is also a moral tale. The two are deeply intertwined here as he gambles, drinks, makes deals with God, and steals drugs from a hospital to fulfill a business deal gone bad.
Set in 1994 just as cellular phones are becoming prevalent in Turkey, he makes an expensive and risky bet to become the sole provider for one of the phone networks in his small town in Eastern Turkey.
The director utilizes elements of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage in elevating this tale in capturing a worthy and respectable story of money vs. morality in a place considered to be the bridge between east and west.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Rain
Because of our location in the lower alps, in a climate of high humidity, it sometimes rains.
The rain, when it comes, usually doesn't last too long... except for today.
The Mountains
We had some free time on Monday morning to explore more of Locarno.
And so we went up into the nearby mountains...
Breathtaking.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday August 12th
"Yuriev Den" ("Yuri's Day")
Set in the cold harshness of a Russian winter, this film focuses on the transformation of a successful Russian opera singer as she searches for her missing son.
An arrogant and materialistic singer takes her spoiled son on a trip back to her humble beginnings in a distant Russian village. The son disappears and we join the mother as she searches for her son, first in the morgue, then a nearby monastery, and finally a local tuberculosis hospital.
Expertly shot and extremely well-acted, this is the most professional production I've seen yet in competition. Filled with a plethora of visual and verbal metaphors, this film haunts you long after the final credits stop rolling. The heavy soul of Russia lingers...
The mother, at the end of the film, has not yet found her son, but she has become a more grounded and giving human being.
Jury Meetings
Our jury has met twice thus far to deliberate the competition films we've seen. We try to meet every two or three days or so to discuss the films and decide which films to keep in consideration for our main prize.
Of the first eight films we've seen, two remain in consideration for our top prize -- which includes guaranteed distribution in Switzerland and a check for 20,000 Swiss Francs (approximately $20,000).
Of the first eight films we've seen, two remain in consideration for our top prize -- which includes guaranteed distribution in Switzerland and a check for 20,000 Swiss Francs (approximately $20,000).
Ecumenical Reception
The Ecumenical Jury was honored with a luncheon on Tuesday. This was attended by perhaps 150 including the festival director, Frederic Maire.
(from left to right: yours truly, Sham P. Thomas, Frederic Maire, Hans Hodel, Astrid Polz-Watzenig)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday August 11th
“Elle Veut Le Chaos”
A French Canadian film set in the rural area of Quebec. This was the first film that I almost walked out of so far in Locarno. But I endured...
Shot in black and white, this felt like an insignificant imitation of “At Close Range,” which was a much more engrossing American film with similar themes (starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken).
This film meandered for far too long in a haze of pretentiousness. A poorly acted story of neighboring petty criminal families. Male machismo, Russian prostitutes, ping-pong tables, pick-up trucks, ex-cons, isolation, and loneliness...
Shot in black and white, this felt like an insignificant imitation of “At Close Range,” which was a much more engrossing American film with similar themes (starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken).
This film meandered for far too long in a haze of pretentiousness. A poorly acted story of neighboring petty criminal families. Male machismo, Russian prostitutes, ping-pong tables, pick-up trucks, ex-cons, isolation, and loneliness...
“Dioses” (“Gods”)
An upstairs/downstairs tale set in modern day Lima, Peru.
A very wealthy titan of industry lives in a beautiful home on the Pacific Ocean. His two spoiled children rebel against their father’s recent divorce by drinking, philandering, and partying day and night. The 21-year old daughter gets pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is. The son, incestuously in love with his sister, can't handle her sudden disappearance (to Miami to have her baby) and rebels against his father by moving to the slums to live with one of their maids.
This story glosses over the economic disparity between the classes and misses a great opportunity to tell a meaningful story with depth and lasting significance.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday August 10th
“Daytime Drinking”
A South Korean road movie from a first-time director.
A young man is heartbroken from his recent breakup with his girlfriend. His friends, in an effort to console him, challenge him to a few days out of Seoul, in a pensione. The young man reluctantly accepts.
The next morning, when he arrives to meet his friends for their escape, he realizes that he’s the only attendee. The others, hung over, don’t show and so he proceeds on his own.
His solo journey ultimately allows him to escape the memory of his girlfriend, but in the process he loses his pants and almost loses his best friend.
Very long but the nice twist of an ending makes this ultimately a cute road trip through the outskirts of Seoul, Korea.
“33 Sceny Z Zycia” (“33 Scenes from Life”)
A Polish film centered around a female photographer artist as she loses both of her parents in a short period to death.
This is a film about a spoiled young woman of privilege who remains spoiled and a girl even after the loss of her parents. With her mother dying, she submits the MRI scans of her mother's cancer for a festival art exhibition. She's more upset when her submission is rejected from the festival than she is by having to attend her mother's festival. The widower has difficulty handling life without his wife and succumbs to death soon thereafter.
This is an autobiographical tale from a director who lost both of her parents in a similar manner. As Aristotle teaches, a story, to be effective, must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This story has only a middle, with no beginning, and certainly no end.
Saturday August 9th
“Un Autre Homme”
A Swiss film shot in black and white which (apparently) pays homage to past European directors.
A film from the head rather than from the heart.
A young man takes a job as a film critic for a small country newspaper. He knows next to nothing about film and decides to plagiarize his articles from other film periodicals. Over the next few months he develops a sexual relationship with another film critic, smokes a lot of cigarettes, poses for the camera, runs over a fox, gets fired from his job, and gets hired at a larger, more prestigious newspaper.
Lesson learned? There isn't one...
“Marz” (“March”)
An Austrian film set in a small town near Innsbruck.
The film opens with the suicide of three male college students as they rig the exhaust pipe of their car, allowing them to succumb to the carbon monoxide. We don’t really get to know these individuals (in fact, we barely even see them) as an audience and so it is difficult to develop any feeling for the aftermath, which this film focuses on.
This is a tale of how these stoic families and friends deal with the death of their loved ones. A stagnant and stifling film because there is no forward movement enabling the characters (or us, the viewer) to come to terms with their grief. One scene which best represents this film is when the mother of one of the boys agrees to meet with another affected surviving family member to discuss their feelings... they meet for coffee and cake and can only comment on the ingredients of the cake.
The Ecumenical Jury
From left to right: Sham P. Thomas (India), Yours Truly (Ireland), Astrid Polz-Watzenig (Austria), Jury President Serge Molla (Switzerland), and Alexander Deeg (Germany). Not pictured here, Felipe Espinosa Torres (Mexico).
Friday August 8th
“Het Zusje Van Katia” (“Katia’s Sister”)
A Dutch film set in Amsterdam focusing on a thirteen-year old girl who identifies herself primarily as the sister of her seventeen-year old charismatic sister, Katia.
A Dutch film set in Amsterdam focusing on a thirteen-year old girl who identifies herself primarily as the sister of her seventeen-year old charismatic sister, Katia.
Katia is following too closely the path modeled for her by her prostitute and alcoholic mother. Katia’s sister clearly idolizes her sister as she is forced to endure the constant bickering and struggles between Katia and her mother until her mother finally moves out of their apartment. Katia’s sister develops a friendship with an earnest street evangelist, John Turner who tries to teach Katia's sister certain lessons from the Bible but it is John's friendship that Katia's sister needs most.
After a downwards spiral that lands her in the hospital, Katia asks only for her sister. It is only in the final few moments that we realize that the caterpillar has become the butterfly as we first hear the name of Katia's sister, Lucia ("light").
Lucia has finally attained her own identity in this tale of a big-hearted girl marching towards adulthood.
“Nulle Part Terre Promise“ (“Nowhere Promised Land”)
A French film set partly in France and partly in Hungary telling three crossing tales of a young female art student traveling across Europe as she videotapes her encounters, a group of Kurdish emigrants making their way illegally across Europe towards England, and a French middle manager charged with relocating a factory from France to Hungary.
Very polished filmmaking from a technical standpoint, especially the cinematography and sound design. However, this lacked a cohesive throughline to link the three disparate stories together. Part commentary on the state of immigration regarding the European union and part voyeuristic gaze from the viewpoint of a constant traveler always in motion.
I think the filmmaker was too ambitious by trying to force a connection with these stories. This approach unfortunately muddled the telling of the tale.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday August 7th
Our first two films... "Parque Via" and "Sonbahar"...
A Mexican film centered around the routine life of a manual laborer looking after an empty mansion house located on one of the city’s most illustrious boulevards.
The man, Beto, has lived alone in this house for many years, taking care of it until its matriarchal owner is able to sell it. His life is rigidly focused on his laundry, the upkeep of the house and garden, and the nightly visits of his favorite prostitute.
This, too, is a film of isolation and loneliness. Beto, however, is comfortable with this ordered life and actually becomes ill when forced to leave the confines of the property to visit a cemetery on the Day of the Dead or to go to the market with the female owner.
Encapsulating the structured and ordered existence of a servant, this film pays respect to the life of a manual laborer. However, when the house is finally sold, Beto is confronted with an uncertain future.
A supposed crime is committed that lands Beto in prison, but he has only recreated that which he yearns for, an ordered life of regular meals, a controlled environment, and plenty of television to keep him company.
The man who played Beto (as well as the other actors in the film) is not a professional actor. He was chosen specifically because he is actually a manual laborer in "real" life. This was quite refreshing because it is sometimes painful to watch an educated thespian try to replicate the physical manifestations of someone whose body has been calloused and bent from a life of hard manual labor.
"Sonbahar" ("Autumn")
Set in Turkey, this is a film which follows a young man recently released from ten years in prison. He was punished as a student socialist anarchist and contracted a lung disease while incarcerated, allowing him to be released.
Traveling back to his mother’s home in the mountainous country, he struggles to find his place in a world that has moved on without him. A story of a man in quiet isolation and solitude, this film struggles for a strong through line with which to carry it dramatically. Far too many lonely shots of the main character smoking, gazing into the distance.
The main character develops a possible relationship with another lonely figure, a Georgian prostitute who reads Russian novels and works in Turkey to support her child back home.
Ultimately a story that doesn’t meet the expectations of the film it could have been.
The beauty of Locarno
Locarno is a lakeside town set against the southern alps of Switzerland. What a majestic setting for one of Europe's oldest film festivals.
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