I saw five films yesterday – three in competition and two documentaries:
• Lake Tahoe
• Julia
• Gardens of the Night
• My Winnipeg (doc)
• Be Like Others (doc)
Lake Tahoe
This is a second effort from a Mexican film director Fernando Eimbcke. Seems to be a favorite among our jury members so far but I’m the lone dissenter at this point. We experience one day in the life of a teenage son as he deals with the grief of recently losing his father. Slow paced and awkwardly directed at times. It has a heart but it requires quite an effort from the audience to find it.
Julia
Directed by French director Erick Zonca. Tilda Swinton gives a tour de force acting performance in this, playing an alcoholic on a fast track to self-destruction. It’s hard to watch at times as she continues to make one bad decision after another. Watch for her to pick up some acting hardware for this one.
Gardens of the Night
Continuing with the children theme so far, a disturbing tale of child abduction and molestation. Tom Arnold as the creepy molester “Uncle Alex.”
My Winnipeg
A Canadian’s homage to his hometown of Winnipeg. Absolutely brilliant artistically but put many audience members to sleep… including this one.
Be Like Others
A documentary on transgenders in Iran as they struggle with the decision to undergo sex change operations. Islamic law in Iran supports these types of operations whereby the penalty for homosexuality is death. Most who choose the operation know that they will be disowned by their families and friends.
Up at 6 a.m. and in bed by 1:30 a.m... knackered.
