Month: September 2017

Angels Wear White (Jia Nian Hua)

Posted on by victorfraga

This modern-day Chinese parable offers a detailed portrait of the gender gap in the most populous country in the world. This is a major accomplishment for director Vivian Qu, who also wrote the rich and profound script about two female teenagers dealing with very different issues. Their problems are somehow intertwined, and they fluctuate between the roles of oppressor and oppressed, always carrying the burden of being a woman.

In the opening of the movie, Mia (Wen Qi), a young cleaner in a seaside Hotel admires a gigantic resin statue of Marilyn Monroe recently erected on the beach promenade. She’s donning the emblematic white dress fanned from below, from The Seven Year Itch (Billy Wilder, 1955). She’s a symbol of female emancipation in the West. Mia dreams of becoming a receptionist. Then one night she witnesses a middle-aged man assault two young girls. The problem is that Mia is an illegal worker, and she does not report the event because she fears being punished for her status. Wen (Zhou Meijun), one of the victims, sees her life collapse after the incident, being subjected to a shabby and biased investigation combined with a family breakdown.

Mia and Wen lead very different lives, but they have in common the fact that being a woman puts them at disadvantage. “I don’t want to be reborn a woman. Not ever again”, says the receptionist to Mia after being dumped by her boyfriend. All the male characters in the film are very intimidating. The girls are not weak losers, instead they are anti-heroines facing an uphill struggle; they are willing to take responsibility for their actions, however dear the price may be. The two leads deliver very confident performances of complex characters, and every single actor has a part instrumental to the functioning of the narrative.

Vivian is a feminist filmmaker stirring a very urgent debate about women’s rights in China. And this is the only film in the Competition in which female issues are the centrepiece, as is Vivian the only woman director. Coincidentally or not, the President of the Jury Annette Bening has spoken out about the topic of female representation in film: “There is a lot of sexism, of course that exists. There’s no question. But I think things are changing. We have a long way to go, in terms of parity – production, directors, writers, actresses, appearing in festivals and all of that.” She added, “I think the direction we’re going is positive.” These factors and the grandiosity of Angels Wear White might make it the Festival’s big winner.

Angels Wear White showed at Venice International Film Festival in September, when this piece was originally written. It’s showing at the BFI London Film Festival taking place October 5th to 15th.

mother!

Posted on by mjbstaging

His house burned up in a fire. Then he (Javier Bardem) found her (Jennifer Lawrence) and as he began to rebuild his life, so she began to rebuild the house. Her work is well on its way to completion. Outside the house lie tranquil, golden fields. He is an acclaimed poet and hasn’t written anything for a long time. The couple live in an hermetic bubble. At least she does.

That all changes when a stranger (Ed Harris) turns up and bonds with him. Suddenly she feels excluded. More new characters are soon to arrive – first the stranger’s attractive wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) then their two argumentative adult sons (real life siblings Domhnall and Brian Gleeson) then funeral guests.

He becomes increasingly obsessive recalling the writer in The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980). As he overrides her wishes she becomes increasingly isolated recalling paranoia from Repulsion and Rosemary’s Baby (both by Roman Polanski, 1965 and 1968 respectively). By the end, the house has been overrun by party-goers and riotous crowds behaving like the group elements from the highly controversial The Devils (Ken Russell, 1971). From the moment Ed Harris first appeared, this was obviously going to end badly.

The narrative is presented throughout in often lengthy takes from her point of view, either directly owing much to subjective camera experiment Lady In The Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1947) or through shots of her acting within/reacting to the situation as it unfolds around her. There’s something of Hitchcock here too in the way the film constantly tortures its female lead.

Leaving aside the rather too neat book ending which sidesteps the need for backstory by some sleight of hand which doesn’t work too well, the film divides neatly into three acts which could be labelled: home building, pregnancy, motherhood. Yet each section follows roughly the same path: her idyllic existence is upset as more and more people arrive and she becomes more and more agitated.

It’s a film which might be viewed differently by men and women – and by introverts and extroverts. But as it builds, you wonder whether piling more and more outsiders onto the couple’s private world can really sustain the proceedings and, sure enough, although the film starts off very well, at some point as the numbers mount it gets rather tedious. Much of the time you can’t help feeling that the writer-director could have done more with less and done it quicker.

I’m all for Aronofsky being given the chance to make the movies he wants. When he’s good, as in Pi (1998), The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), he’s very good. He can even be good when derivative, Black Swan being in all but name a remake with ballerinas of anime epic Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1997) to which film Aronofsky owned the rights. (Perfect Blue is due for rerelease in cinemas on 31st October, so you’ll have the chance to judge for yourself then.)

So I don’t complain that mother! is derivative, only that it’s overly self-indulgent. Performances, production value and everything else here are top notch. It’s an interesting experiment and while I defend the director’s right to make it, I’m not especially enthusiastic about the end result.

mother! premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival and is out in the UK on Friday, September 15th.

Carmen on the Lake

Posted on by victorfraga

Opening with a cinematic prelude to previous famous operas held at Lake Constance in Bregenz (Austria), Carmen on the Lake works within the category of some of the most spectacular operas to grace planet Earth. Still, for the first time in cinemas, this sensational piece of art can be basked in on the big screen with visuals and audio to fill anyone with delight. Captured live from the Bregenz Festival in July.

Based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée, Carmen follows the story of the eponymous character, a young gypsy girl in 19th century Seville whose love proves too destructive towards a young soldier, Jose. Although initially a ploy to help her travellers bring in a contraband. When his infatuation leads him to kill a fellow guardsman in order to prevent her arrest, he becomes a wanted fugitive. Carmen resents his possessiveness and leaves him for a famous bullfighter in Seville.

Obsessed and frustrated, a distraught Don Jose follows her to the bullring with tragic consequences. Though necessary narrative waffle, the true star of the show is production designer Es Devlin – who works across film, theatre and music. Recently designing sets for the likes of Kanye West and Beyoncé illustrates her stature in the industry. However, taking four years to create, the stage is an Alice in Wonderland esque layout with floating cards caught between two gigantic hands.

Initially, Act I is filled with natural light and the sexual tensions between both male and female factions in Sevilla. As the plot literally thickens from lust to death and violence, the natural surroundings succumb to the darkness and all that is left is the glorious stage. This transition from light to dark is captured evidently through the use of extreme long shots. The spectacle of the sun setting behind the man-made objects creates a visceral experience that some fictional filmmakers struggle to ever produce. The themes of man versus nature reflect the constant battle between Carmen and Jose of Eros and Thanatos, or sex and death. The opera’s literal representations of its values et al shine bright in the cards of the stage; Carmen is the holder of such cards and hence playing those around her.

With the original libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, music director’s Paolo Carignani and Jordan de Souza do not change the brilliance of Habanera and Seguidilla and Escamillo‘s Toreador‘s Song. These melodies speak for themselves and to not alter them proves the right artistic direction.

Although I’m not an opera fan per se, Carmen on the Lake’s sheer spectacle cannot be ignored. At the root of the opera, the compelling tale of love and passion works in harmony with the visual aspects to engage an audience throughout every act. As a piece of film its cinematic qualities are clearly absent, however the live recording captures the beauty of Bregenz and the grandeur of the set and occasion.

Carmen on the Lake is out in UK cinemas on Thursday, September 14th.

Dennis Skinner: Nature of the Beast

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There’s absolutely no doubt that Dennis Skinner has made a tremendous contribution to the British political establishment since he first joined the British Parliament nearly five decades ago, in 1977. The MP for Bolsover – often described as a prominent representative of the “hard-left”- is a fiery and vocal champion of social causes conveniently neglected by his peers to the right. He’s also a very controversial figure adored by most of his constituents but also despised by some within his very own Labour Party as well as everywhere else in the political spectrum.

Daniel Draper’s doc takes a very romantic and personal look at Dennis Skinner the politician as well as Dennis Skinner the human being. The film starts off with Dennis himself talking about his childhood in Derbyshire. His image is accompanied by magnolia flowers and daffodils blooming, and supported by piano keys and other strings. The symbolism of the daffodil couldn’t be more accurate: the flower is a variety of the narcissus, while Dennis Skinner has a vast cult following. Both represent admiration in one single individual.

Not that Dennis is a shallow and narcissistic boaster. On the contrary, he’s a very down to earth man of the people, with a genuine concern for the well-being of his fellow Brits. He believes in solidarity as a reflection of the working-class roots. In many ways, he’s the essence of socialism minus the champagne paradox. He takes enormous pride in representing not just his constituents but also many marginalised groups. The doc investigates his exhaustive campaigning for miners, Alzheimer’s patients and stem-cell research, amongst other causes.

Dennis’s relationship to Richmond Park of London is also a central topic, where the politician seems happy and at ease. But the Park trees are not the only verdant element in the movie. Dennis is also very much at home in the green seats of the House of Commons, where he has eloquently delivered a number of explosive speeches throughout the decades. Despite his outspoken republican and ardent anti-war stance, Dennis remains a respected figurehead in Parliament. He’s also elegant and witty. He’s the perfect combination of avuncular and formidable.

The film claims that Dennis has “a contempt for tradition and authority” and that his demeanour has made him “feared on both sides Parliament”. The problem is that the filmmaker opted never to delve into more detail and to reveal who these people are, let alone have them talk. None of his critics are ever interviewed, and we are left with an entirely one-sided representation of a very divisive figure. This is a missed opportunity to investigate a very complex politician in all of his grandiosity, but also in his contradictions. This is a timid and conventional film about a very subversive man. Filmmaker Daniel Draper is never vociferous and inflammatory like his subject.

The film also strangely opted not to touch on Dennis’s views on Brexit: he is a Eurosceptic, and his position has put him at odds with the majority of people within his own Party. Whether you agree with him or not, you must recognise that this not a minor topic to be ignored. Plus, his relationship to the equally controversial Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is hardly discussed. Two very large gaps in the documentary.

Dennis Skinner: Nature of the Beast was out in selected UK cinemas on Friday, September 8th. It’s out on DVD on December 19th, just in time for Christmas.

Caniba

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QUICK SNAP: LIVE FROM VENICE

Unlike most screenings at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, this one does not end with a full house, or anywhere near that. Not everyone will stick to the end of this grotesque and gruesome movie. We are faced with the question: should we carry on watching this movie in the name of curiosity, or should we walk away from such repulsive imagery?

The aesthetic choices made by French director Véréna Paravel and British filmmaker Lucien Castaing-Taylor are very controversial. They opt for extreme close-ups throughout most of this doc, which tells the story of Issei Sagawa, a Japanese man who murdered and cannibalised his Sorbonne classmate Renée Hartevelt in 1981. This is an innovative twist and a step away from the more traditional talking heads interviews used in most documentaries. Instead, we are offered images with a texture resembling Renoir paintings. We become trapped in our own feelings and mental ramblings on cannibalism.

At a certain point, a clever device invites us to think outside the box. What is it like to kill, to eat human flesh, and what are the possible implications? This is the poetry of chaos questioning our very own primal urges. Are we all potential cannibals? The two European directors dissect Sagawa and we eat their projection. It’s a bit like reading 2666, the last novel by late Chilean poet Roberto Bolaño. He describes the female murderers from Santa Tereza, Mexico, in harrowing detail. Fascinating yet sickening.

There is a particularly challenging scene in the movie, evoking profound reflection. The directors show old VHS tapes of Issei and his brother Jun in their childhood. At one moment, the two boys are given injections in their arms. No further revelations are made, but these images explain a lot about the present. Jun still enjoys self-flagellation in the same arm, while Issei is mostly unable to express pain. “Could you eat me?”, he asks his cannibal brother at the end of the film. Caniba is about discovering and “digesting” your darkest fantasies, and also about our ambiguous, voyeuristic relationship to repulsiveness.

Caniba is showing this week at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, as part of the Orizzonti section.

Invisible

Posted on by victorfraga

QUICK SNAP: LIVE FROM VENICE

Mora Arenillas, the actress behind the pregnant teenager Ely in the film, has a such a firm grip on her character that at times you might feel like you are watching a documentary. The loneliness of the character is extremely palpable, and she has a very tough and irreversible decision to make: whether to give birth or to abort her child.

She lives such a mediocre, sad and downcast life that her problems are likely to be invisible even to her mother, who suffers from depression. Cuba and Uruguay are about the only place in Latin America where abortion is legal. In Argentina, there is little security for a young and unwed pregnant woman. Ely has to face up to a number of insecurities and to make life-defining, heart-breaking decisions at a time that’s not far from her very own childhood years. Counselling is only available until she decides whether to keep the baby or to give it up for adoption, while the decision whether to walk down the dark and dirty tunnel of abortion remains entirely in her hands. A tunnel full of hypocrisy and heartless, greedy people.

The script is very candid and straightforward, almost entirely focused on the emotions of the character. The political side of abortion is always present, if in the background. Ely’s journey through the underworld of abortion is very graphic and detailed, even descriptive. Perhaps the director intends to use his film as an educational tool for young women grappling with the same issue.

This is Pablo Giorgelli’s second film. His first endeavour Las Acacias was selected for Cannes Critics’ Week in 2011 and it went on to win the Camera d’Or for Best First Film, as well as two other awards at Critic’s week competition. Invisible is a low-budget movie, and also a co-production between five countries: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany and France.

This is a movie about respect towards the choices a woman makes, regardless of what they may be. The State, family and religion should not decide what’s right and what’s wrong on our behalf. Despite all of her isolation and lovelessness, Ely can still teach us a lesson or two about hope. After all, no one is cursed by the universe. And flowers can blossom on infertile soil.

Invisible is part of the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival taking place right now.

First Reformed

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This is a film competent enough to hook you from the very first minute. Perhaps not for people alien to the sudden changes across the planet right now, but certainly for those connected with our fast-spinning world. There are so many issues: global warming, social woes, religious extremism, plus despair and hopelessness in the air. What does the future hold for us? Are we heading towards the end of times? Would you risk bringing a new life into an overpopulated world with little perspective of a bright future?

Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) provides counsel to a young environmental activist by trying to answer these questions. He wants his wife (Amanda Seyfried, pictured above) to abort their child because he’s concerned about the apocalyptic possibilities ahead. This talk, which lasts no more than 5 minutes, is immediately riveting. These are the sames questions many of us ask ourselves everyday at the face of so much adversity in the world. So we join Reverend Toller in his existential journey in life seeking answers and a meaningful mission.

There is a revelation in the movie that feels like a punch in the face, when Reverend Toller questions the very purpose of priests and reverends: is it all just about reading out mass sermons? The script reveals a deep theological conflict: on one hand there’s our allegiance to God, Mother Earth and the constant search for personal amelioration, while on the other hand there’s forgiveness as a consequence of our sinful nature.

The film is mostly set around the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the First Reformed Church, a religious institution sponsored by a private firm. While the Church is heavily reliant on such sponsorship in order to survive, it becomes apparent that this business doesn’t care about the environment and God’s creation – another conflict highlighted in the film.

These conflicts drive Reverend Toller to a place of desolation, guilt and revolt. And yet more philosophical questions are raised. What’s missing in our search for a more settled life? And what can we do? The answers might be obvious to some of us, but they are not as crystal-clear to the people in the film, many of whom have recently grappled with traumatic experiences.

The end of First Reformed is particularly thrilling. The unanswered questions pile up, the tension escalates. You will hold firmly to your seat while your adrenaline pumps up. Finally, Schrader delivers a very twisted and unexpected solution. And it’s up to you to decide whether you would do the same in real life.

Ethan Hawke’s delivers a superb performance, and he might get an Oscar nomination for it. This might be one of the greatest roles dealing with existentialism in the history of cinema. Amanda Seyfried is also very convincing: she carries not just a baby inside her womb, but she also personifies hope.

First Reformed premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017, when this piece was originally written. It showed at Sundance London in May/June 2o18. It is out on general release on Friday, July 13th. It’s out of Rakuten and other VoD platforms on Monday, November 5th

Blade Runner 2049

Posted on by victorfraga

Dennis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is probably the most eagerly awaited film this year, and there’s a lot of pressure one the French-Canadian movie director. Development of a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) began in 1999 – that’s nearly two decades in the oven! Scott’s piece isn’t just a masterpiece, but widely regarded as a watershed in the history of cinema, and the first movie to embrace post-modern aesthetics.

The sequel is described as a neo-noir science-fiction, and it will feature the Hollywood veteran Harrison Ford (who also starred in the original) plus the Canadian actor Ryan Gosling. It tells the story of a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, who discovers “a dark secret that could bring an end to humanity”. The discovery leads him to Rick Deckard, a former blade runner who disappeared three decades earlier (Ford’s character, naturally aged!!!).

The trailer looks indeed very promising. Villeneuve has retained the dark post-modern looks of the original, with post-apocalyptic settings contrasted against colourful visions and attire, plus eerie humanoid figures. There will be action, but the elegant sci-fi feel nostalgic of a functional earth will also be preserved. it seems. But will Villeneuve succeed at creating a dirty twist to the sci-fi masterpiece, or will be slip into the predictable action movie platitudes?

The release date as well as the duration of the movie have finally been announced this week. The movie will run at 152 minutes (more than two hours and a half) it will be released globally October 6, 2017, in 2D, 3D and IMAX.