A Separate Wind allowed me to end this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival on a high after the disappointment of Kyoto Elegy. It tells the story of Omar and Karina, two naive young teenagers from Mexico City who suddenly find they have to confront the reality of life in the rest of a country that they barely know and which has as much disdain for their sheltered ways as the siblings have discomfort to be away from home.
The pair are sent on this journey when their mother has a stroke on a beach holiday, some 500 miles or so away from home. Their father won't allow them at the hospital and instead tells them to pack up and make their way home to Mexico City alone, a journey that will expose them to violence, poverty and reality.
Through the eyes of Omar and Karina, the film takes us on a cross-country trip exploring race, class, violence and politics in contemporary Mexico. Having grown up in an isolated bubble, they have little knowledge of this world. Their self-centredness and arrogance alienates them from the people they meet, but these qualities also gradually erode as they are forced to grow up.
The two lead performances are remarkable for such young actors, naturalistic and nuanced with no false notes. And there is fantastic support from the various characters who take them on part of the journey, all making a deep impact in a short piece of screentime. It is also beautifully shot, giving the stunning Mexican landscape an eerie and alienating feel.
A Separate Wind is an excellent achievement, gripping and tense and also interesting and intelligent, held toghether by two very talented young actors, making for a road trip that is a real journey in every sense.
Monday, 29 June 2015
Kyoto Elegy - a misfiring attempt to tackle gender relations in Japan
Kyoto Elegy was a film that I did not take to at all. It may well be that there was a cultural divide at work here and my lack of understanding of Japanese society was at fault. Maybe it just wasn't that good a film.
Kyoto Elegy visits a series of years in the life and relationships of an unlikable trainee lawyer, Watabe. Watabe is the person we spend most time with, but his character felt inconsistent and didn't ring that true, perhaps because of the gaps in time between each section. The female characters are worse, though. None of them make sense as human beings and their entire personalities seem to be based on how, and only how, they relate to men, without any agency of their own. It's a shame, because Kumahori in particular had the potential to be a different and interesting character, potential that is disappointingly mismanaged and thrown away.
I was surprised to read afterwards that Kyoto Elegy was written and directed by a woman, as sometimes I wasn't exactly convinced whoever created these characters had spent much time with women. Even more bizarrely, director Kiki Sugino is actually the actress playing Kumahori.
I think the film is trying to say something about gender relations and perhaps was even conceived as a piece of feminist film-making. However, by totally misjudging its female characterisation so badly, it ends up feeling weirdly misogynist and borderline offensive.
It's not a terribly made film, though I wasn't convinced the overly dramatic score, or the shooting style, really went with the tone of the film.
Like I said, I think, and I hope, that this was a film that just didn't bridge the cultural divide and is one who was actually trying to say something different to what came across. I kept waiting for some revelation that would pull everything together and make the characters make sense, but unforunately, I was kept waiting for something that never came.
Kyoto Elegy visits a series of years in the life and relationships of an unlikable trainee lawyer, Watabe. Watabe is the person we spend most time with, but his character felt inconsistent and didn't ring that true, perhaps because of the gaps in time between each section. The female characters are worse, though. None of them make sense as human beings and their entire personalities seem to be based on how, and only how, they relate to men, without any agency of their own. It's a shame, because Kumahori in particular had the potential to be a different and interesting character, potential that is disappointingly mismanaged and thrown away.
I was surprised to read afterwards that Kyoto Elegy was written and directed by a woman, as sometimes I wasn't exactly convinced whoever created these characters had spent much time with women. Even more bizarrely, director Kiki Sugino is actually the actress playing Kumahori.
I think the film is trying to say something about gender relations and perhaps was even conceived as a piece of feminist film-making. However, by totally misjudging its female characterisation so badly, it ends up feeling weirdly misogynist and borderline offensive.
It's not a terribly made film, though I wasn't convinced the overly dramatic score, or the shooting style, really went with the tone of the film.
Like I said, I think, and I hope, that this was a film that just didn't bridge the cultural divide and is one who was actually trying to say something different to what came across. I kept waiting for some revelation that would pull everything together and make the characters make sense, but unforunately, I was kept waiting for something that never came.
Remake, Remix, Rip-Off - how the Turkish cinema improvised a whole new way of making films
Remake, Remix, Rip-Off is an entertaining and unexpectedly involving documentary about Turkish pop cinema from the 1950s to the 1990s. This film industry was underfunded and heavily censored, but got by on improvisation and energy to try entertain the Turkish masses.
The industry at its peak churned out hundreds of films, but with only 3 scriptwriters. It created huge domestic stars, but ones who then had to do their own dangerous stunts (one tale was told by a leading action star about when he got caught on a wire between two tall buildings, 30 feet up, when they realised that no-one had brought a safety net). Films were made in a week or two, usually with only one take to save on limited film stock.
Audiences flocked to huge and sold-out screens and the industry later became sustained by video exports to the Turkish diaspora, particularly in Germany. But a mixture of factors gradually shut the industry down and the centrepiece cinema in Istanbul was recently demolished to make way for new developments, despite angry protests. The factors that caused the demise included television, increasing government censorship and a bizarre trend in which distributors and cinema owners would insert clips from porn films into even family features to try boost audience numbers.
Much of the film is very funny, and one of the most amusing parts was how filmmakers took advantage of the lack of copyright laws to borrow from popular Hollywood films. This was not just by stealing plots and dialogue (well, that wouldn't be very different from parts of the Hollywood industry). One director had a crew member steal prints of Star Wars from a cinema, and cut the special effects scenes to paste direct into his own sci-fi adventure epic. Another showed off his collection of soundtrack LPs, noting how a different film's score was suitable for car chases, or romance or fight scenes. Not Blade Runner though, he explained how he couldn't find a use for that score....
Directed Cem Kaya cleverly edits together clips and interviews for maximum comic effect but there is also genuine affection for these very inventive directors, which shines through. And there is pathos too, as many of these directors had to choose pure, populist and cheaply made entertainment over the films they dreamed of making, partly because of the oppressive censorship and also because of the lack of financing and stable income.
Although intrigued by the concept of Remake, Remix, Rip-Off, I was not expecting it to be so interesting and so funny. It really was a joy to have the door opened on a very different film industry.
The industry at its peak churned out hundreds of films, but with only 3 scriptwriters. It created huge domestic stars, but ones who then had to do their own dangerous stunts (one tale was told by a leading action star about when he got caught on a wire between two tall buildings, 30 feet up, when they realised that no-one had brought a safety net). Films were made in a week or two, usually with only one take to save on limited film stock.
Audiences flocked to huge and sold-out screens and the industry later became sustained by video exports to the Turkish diaspora, particularly in Germany. But a mixture of factors gradually shut the industry down and the centrepiece cinema in Istanbul was recently demolished to make way for new developments, despite angry protests. The factors that caused the demise included television, increasing government censorship and a bizarre trend in which distributors and cinema owners would insert clips from porn films into even family features to try boost audience numbers.
Much of the film is very funny, and one of the most amusing parts was how filmmakers took advantage of the lack of copyright laws to borrow from popular Hollywood films. This was not just by stealing plots and dialogue (well, that wouldn't be very different from parts of the Hollywood industry). One director had a crew member steal prints of Star Wars from a cinema, and cut the special effects scenes to paste direct into his own sci-fi adventure epic. Another showed off his collection of soundtrack LPs, noting how a different film's score was suitable for car chases, or romance or fight scenes. Not Blade Runner though, he explained how he couldn't find a use for that score....
Directed Cem Kaya cleverly edits together clips and interviews for maximum comic effect but there is also genuine affection for these very inventive directors, which shines through. And there is pathos too, as many of these directors had to choose pure, populist and cheaply made entertainment over the films they dreamed of making, partly because of the oppressive censorship and also because of the lack of financing and stable income.
Although intrigued by the concept of Remake, Remix, Rip-Off, I was not expecting it to be so interesting and so funny. It really was a joy to have the door opened on a very different film industry.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Melbourne - trapped in a horrific situation when all you want is your new life
Melbourne is a near-unbearably tense film set almost exclusively in a single apartment, that as an audience member you want to leave as much as the characters. Not because Melbourne is a bad film (it really isn't) but because it is one of the claustrophobic dramas I can remember.
In Tehran, Amir and Sara are packing up their life to move to Melbourne. But a favour for a neighbour leads to a horrible tragedy, one which they can't fully face dealing with and the consequences of which gradually trap them more and more deeply. The oppression and tension generated by using a single setting is a reflection of the skill of director Nima Javidi in telling this story, which effectively plays out in real time so there is no relief.
The heart in mouth feeling of much of the film is exacerbated by the early scenes, full of laughter and hope for the future, where the only tensions that need to be dealt with are minor family ones with relatives disappointed that the couple are moving away.
The two central performances (and supporting cast flitting in and out) are brilliant. Amir and Sara are not the most sympathetic characters and are believably cowardly and selfish in the situation, while still remaining sympathetic. These are not bad people, just wholly unprepared for the situation, particularly on this day of all days.
Melbourne is a fantastic example of how you can create a brilliant and gripping human drama out of a small number of ingredients - a smart idea, a familiar location and good characterisation. It is not one I feel ready to go through again any time soon but that just shows how deep a mark the film leaves.
In Tehran, Amir and Sara are packing up their life to move to Melbourne. But a favour for a neighbour leads to a horrible tragedy, one which they can't fully face dealing with and the consequences of which gradually trap them more and more deeply. The oppression and tension generated by using a single setting is a reflection of the skill of director Nima Javidi in telling this story, which effectively plays out in real time so there is no relief.
The heart in mouth feeling of much of the film is exacerbated by the early scenes, full of laughter and hope for the future, where the only tensions that need to be dealt with are minor family ones with relatives disappointed that the couple are moving away.
The two central performances (and supporting cast flitting in and out) are brilliant. Amir and Sara are not the most sympathetic characters and are believably cowardly and selfish in the situation, while still remaining sympathetic. These are not bad people, just wholly unprepared for the situation, particularly on this day of all days.
Melbourne is a fantastic example of how you can create a brilliant and gripping human drama out of a small number of ingredients - a smart idea, a familiar location and good characterisation. It is not one I feel ready to go through again any time soon but that just shows how deep a mark the film leaves.
Meet Me in Montenegro - nearly finding romance across Europe
'In Search of a Midnight Kiss' is one of my all time favourite EIFF films, so I both couldn't wait for Alex Holdridge's follow up Meet Me in Montenegro and was worried it wouldn't live up to my excitement. Although it wasn't quite as good as 'Midnight Kiss', it was still a lovely film, much more personal but with the same simultaneously romantic and unromantic approach to relationships.
Holdridge and co-director Linnea Sassen (partners in real life and who wrote and star in the film too) have created something that feels like a firend telling you a story, a funny, sweet, sometimes happy, sometimes sad story about nothing much and about everything in the world. Part of this comes from the homemade feel, with freezes to sketches and drawings, shooting on lowish-tech digital and incorporating their own real-life holiday photos.
Holdridge and Sassen are engaging leads, Sassen the more charismatic and scene-stealing. Holdridge anchors the film with an open, honest performance. His character, Anderson, could easily have become annoying, but the film-makers don't let him wallow too much in self-pity and the self-deprecating voice over makes you root from him. Running alongside the central relationship is that of Anderson's friends Stephen and Friederike, seven years, rather than seven weeks into their relationship. Jennifer Ulrich as Friederike is smart and layered and Rupert Friend is unexpectedly hilarious as Stephen (the Homeland script writers might want to let him crack the occasional joke in the next season).
The film never gets too sentimental (and if it does stray there, it does so knowingly) and the film is as much a love letter to Berlin and Montenegro (both are virtual characters in the film) as it is to unexpected relationships.
The film was inspired by real life and it always feels authentic and truthful throughout, an honest look at romanticism and risking stability for something potentially more exciting.
Holdridge and co-director Linnea Sassen (partners in real life and who wrote and star in the film too) have created something that feels like a firend telling you a story, a funny, sweet, sometimes happy, sometimes sad story about nothing much and about everything in the world. Part of this comes from the homemade feel, with freezes to sketches and drawings, shooting on lowish-tech digital and incorporating their own real-life holiday photos.
Holdridge and Sassen are engaging leads, Sassen the more charismatic and scene-stealing. Holdridge anchors the film with an open, honest performance. His character, Anderson, could easily have become annoying, but the film-makers don't let him wallow too much in self-pity and the self-deprecating voice over makes you root from him. Running alongside the central relationship is that of Anderson's friends Stephen and Friederike, seven years, rather than seven weeks into their relationship. Jennifer Ulrich as Friederike is smart and layered and Rupert Friend is unexpectedly hilarious as Stephen (the Homeland script writers might want to let him crack the occasional joke in the next season).
The film never gets too sentimental (and if it does stray there, it does so knowingly) and the film is as much a love letter to Berlin and Montenegro (both are virtual characters in the film) as it is to unexpected relationships.
The film was inspired by real life and it always feels authentic and truthful throughout, an honest look at romanticism and risking stability for something potentially more exciting.
Tu Dors Nicole - one long summer to figure things out.... when you'd really rather not.
Nicole is a 20 something living at her parents, passing the summer with a boring job. her parents are away on holiday but her peace and quiet is interrupted when her older brother decides this will be the location all summer for band practice. Nicole has a new credit card and just has to make it through a few weeks more until she goes to Iceland on holiday with her best friend Veronique. And, bar a very funny sub plot about the young boy she babysits, is about the sum of the plot. Of course there is much more to this interesting and funny film than that.
Tu Dors Nicole is shot in black and white and has few period clues to give any idea about when in the last 20 years it is set. This contributes to a more universal feeling of a girl drifting through her early 20s, probably deep down realising that life can't stay like this forever but trying to hold on for at least one more summer. Summer is stuffy, slow and hot, and time meanders on. The film frequently fades to black at the end of a scene which gives the film an episodic feel and adds ot the sense of time slowly ticking over and ebbing away.The film really does capture that feeling of a long summer when there is not much to do, but enough time to do anything you can find.
Reviews I read before the festival made some comparisons to Frances Ha, and it doesn't quite live up to that, just because Nicole is quite as interesting a character as Frances. But Julianne Cote does give an excellent performance with what she has to work with. the film is gently winding its way to a minor explosion and Cote's performance is what takes us there in a believable way, and stops Nicole from become irritating or unsympathetic.
The soundtrack is awesome too, mixing with stylish cinematography for a film that is down to earth, relaxed, wry and cool, just like Nicole.
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements - one small mistake in the wrong place and the wrong time
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements is an enjoyable, low budget Palestinian film, although it feels like maybe a slight missed opportunity to be as excellent as its premise.
Mousa is a bored car thief, warn down by living under occupation, with an opportunity to get out of Palestine if he can get together $5000. Unfortunately, one day he steals the wrong car, and this leads to an increasingly desperate spiral of circumstances.
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements begins really strongly. The film is in black and white, and with no dialogue for the first minutes, it introduces a surreal air of silent comedy. It is frequently funny and frequently tense and unpredictable. The slight missed opportunity is that it isn't quite consistently enough of both or either. The dark humour works well when present, but doesn't always knit with the more serious side. TI feels like the humour is being held back a little and with a bit more bit, it would have been a slightly more satisfying film.
The film is definitely at its best at its most comic, and a scene with a blind old woman and a missing goat is an awful lot funnier than that sounds.
It also does a good job of making an entertaining film that doesn't shy away from the way that the conflict surrounding people living in Palestine pervades every day life and how wearying it is to live in such a situation. It doesn't hit you over the head with a message, but instead lets it seep into all the background and specific parts of the plot.
Overall the film has promise and potential that it perhaps doesn't fully deliver on, but it was still an enjoyable and original take on something that is normally most present in our culture as the subject of grim headlines.
Mousa is a bored car thief, warn down by living under occupation, with an opportunity to get out of Palestine if he can get together $5000. Unfortunately, one day he steals the wrong car, and this leads to an increasingly desperate spiral of circumstances.
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements begins really strongly. The film is in black and white, and with no dialogue for the first minutes, it introduces a surreal air of silent comedy. It is frequently funny and frequently tense and unpredictable. The slight missed opportunity is that it isn't quite consistently enough of both or either. The dark humour works well when present, but doesn't always knit with the more serious side. TI feels like the humour is being held back a little and with a bit more bit, it would have been a slightly more satisfying film.
The film is definitely at its best at its most comic, and a scene with a blind old woman and a missing goat is an awful lot funnier than that sounds.
It also does a good job of making an entertaining film that doesn't shy away from the way that the conflict surrounding people living in Palestine pervades every day life and how wearying it is to live in such a situation. It doesn't hit you over the head with a message, but instead lets it seep into all the background and specific parts of the plot.
Overall the film has promise and potential that it perhaps doesn't fully deliver on, but it was still an enjoyable and original take on something that is normally most present in our culture as the subject of grim headlines.
Dope - an exciting, funny and occasionally heartbreaking film about subverting expectations
Dope is the entertaining and dramatic slice of American life that doesn't often get show on screen, well not like this. Setting out to subvert expectations of what a film about black high school kids getting drawn into the drug trade in a poor suburb should look like, it gives us the story of Malcolm, brilliantly acted by Shameik Moore, who himself wants to subvert the expectations of those around him.
Dope is slickly and smartly made and manages to handle the sudden chops and changes between brilliant laugh out loud humour and deep and dark drama well. It has a message about expectations, stereotypes and racism, and for the most part delivers this by entwining the message into the fabric of an exciting and entertaining film, which gets the point across in an effective and engaging way, without making this feel like an earnest message film.
This is why I had quite a strong disappointed feeling with the one time the film seems to lose the courage of its convictions (not about the message but the means of delivery) towards the end. Although powerful in isolation, the short essay by Malcolm at the end, where he basically sets out in more simple terms what we have just absorbed through the film, sticks out like a sore thump. It is a poetic and forceful speech and I can understand why the film makers wanted to include it, but it feels a bit heavy handed after the energetic and assured way director Rick Famuyiwa handled the rest of the film.
It is forgivable that the other characters aren't particularly developed given how brilliant a character Malcolm is, and how well Moore portrays him. The film itself is a great combination of energetic and exciting film making, a cool soundtrack and forceful humour and I look forward to seeing what Moore and Famuyiwa do next.
Dope is slickly and smartly made and manages to handle the sudden chops and changes between brilliant laugh out loud humour and deep and dark drama well. It has a message about expectations, stereotypes and racism, and for the most part delivers this by entwining the message into the fabric of an exciting and entertaining film, which gets the point across in an effective and engaging way, without making this feel like an earnest message film.
This is why I had quite a strong disappointed feeling with the one time the film seems to lose the courage of its convictions (not about the message but the means of delivery) towards the end. Although powerful in isolation, the short essay by Malcolm at the end, where he basically sets out in more simple terms what we have just absorbed through the film, sticks out like a sore thump. It is a poetic and forceful speech and I can understand why the film makers wanted to include it, but it feels a bit heavy handed after the energetic and assured way director Rick Famuyiwa handled the rest of the film.
It is forgivable that the other characters aren't particularly developed given how brilliant a character Malcolm is, and how well Moore portrays him. The film itself is a great combination of energetic and exciting film making, a cool soundtrack and forceful humour and I look forward to seeing what Moore and Famuyiwa do next.
Liza the Fox Fairy - an absurd, dark and funny fairytale
Where do you start to describe a film about a nurse in a fantasy-parallel 1970s capitalist Budapest who becomes cursed as a fox-fairy by the ghost of a deceased Japanese pop singer in a green satin suit who also murders any man who might be interested in her in a fit of jealousy? Well that is the beginning of the plot of this surreal fairy tale and probably just about conveys the tone of this very funny and very inventive film.
The director absolutely revels in his exaggerated 1970s setting, mining it for visual wit and coupling it with super-ironic and very funny soundtrack cues - in the Q&A following the film, he noted that quite a lot of the humour gets lost in translation, but when you have this precise a sense of physical comic timing and the look of your film is so cleverly amusing, then language barriers do not matter.
This is a properly funny film, performed in a delightfully dead pan way, knowing but not insincere. Somehow the running gags don't become tired and the comic violence is used sparingly to provoke semi-shocked laughter rather than horror. I could list a million examples, but on the off-chance it gets a UK release, do not want to spoil any surprises.
It feels completely original, the story line takes tropes of many other films but finds a fun way to mash and remake them. The visuals are so detailed and so well thought out but never feel fussy, but just give the feeling of pure enjoyment in filmmaking. All in all, this film is truly delightful and very memorable.
The director absolutely revels in his exaggerated 1970s setting, mining it for visual wit and coupling it with super-ironic and very funny soundtrack cues - in the Q&A following the film, he noted that quite a lot of the humour gets lost in translation, but when you have this precise a sense of physical comic timing and the look of your film is so cleverly amusing, then language barriers do not matter.
This is a properly funny film, performed in a delightfully dead pan way, knowing but not insincere. Somehow the running gags don't become tired and the comic violence is used sparingly to provoke semi-shocked laughter rather than horror. I could list a million examples, but on the off-chance it gets a UK release, do not want to spoil any surprises.
It feels completely original, the story line takes tropes of many other films but finds a fun way to mash and remake them. The visuals are so detailed and so well thought out but never feel fussy, but just give the feeling of pure enjoyment in filmmaking. All in all, this film is truly delightful and very memorable.
Above and Below - a visually stunning portrait of physical and social isolation
Above and Below tells the stories for five people living in physical isolation: on a NASA programme in the desert simulating a mission to Mars; in an abandoned army bunker, also in the desert; and in the storm drains of Las Vegas.
It is beautifully cinematic with some absolutely incredible and striking images and a fantastic use of cinematography and music. The desert at Mars camp really does feel like nothing on earth and the rest of the scenery, from a polluted lake to the storm drains are given an incredible beauty and poignancy.
But it is not just physical isolation that is depicted, but social isolation as well. The subjects of the documentary have families but are close to being estranged; for some contact is just looking at photos on Facebook and no more connection than that. The film was at its best when exploring this disintegration of social ties, uncovering how this led to these people to live in physically extreme situations. This is when the subjects' characters most shone through and was the most emotionally involving part.
Above and Below made for an interesting contrast in documentary style with All of Me. The slight let down of Above and Below was that I wasn't quite hooked into these people's lives and perhaps the film needed something more, such as a bit more of a narrative impetus or something that made it feel a bit more universal or connected to humanity. It was stunning to look at but the aesthetics were almost a barrier to me connecting with the subjects and it did not quite stir my emotions as much as I would have expected. So although much of the imagery will stay with me, I don't think I will remember it for as long as I will All of Me.
It is beautifully cinematic with some absolutely incredible and striking images and a fantastic use of cinematography and music. The desert at Mars camp really does feel like nothing on earth and the rest of the scenery, from a polluted lake to the storm drains are given an incredible beauty and poignancy.
But it is not just physical isolation that is depicted, but social isolation as well. The subjects of the documentary have families but are close to being estranged; for some contact is just looking at photos on Facebook and no more connection than that. The film was at its best when exploring this disintegration of social ties, uncovering how this led to these people to live in physically extreme situations. This is when the subjects' characters most shone through and was the most emotionally involving part.
Above and Below made for an interesting contrast in documentary style with All of Me. The slight let down of Above and Below was that I wasn't quite hooked into these people's lives and perhaps the film needed something more, such as a bit more of a narrative impetus or something that made it feel a bit more universal or connected to humanity. It was stunning to look at but the aesthetics were almost a barrier to me connecting with the subjects and it did not quite stir my emotions as much as I would have expected. So although much of the imagery will stay with me, I don't think I will remember it for as long as I will All of Me.
All of Me - inspirational documentary about people giving all they have for those with nothing
All of Me is a truly inspiring documentary about some of the most awe-inspiring women imaginable.
La Patrona is poor rural town in Mexico, and its people mostly work in poorly paid factory jobs or cane farming, hoping that their kids can have a better life. Some of the women have survived domestic abuse or other personal traumas. But instead of feeling down about this, they have channelled all their energy into helping people with even less than them - those clinging to the trains up through Central America to the US-Mexican border in the hope of getting out of poverty. Many of the people of La Patrona think of joining them, but for now their focus is on providing what help they can to the people on the trains.
The women and men of La Patrona therefore fill discarded bottles and cook donated and left over food to hand out to the people of the train, so at least they have something on their journey. They raise money for their cause by selling bottles of chilli paste, even though that money could have gone to improving their own lives. They gather donated clothes and give lifts to the next junction to anyone who falls off. Two of the most remarkable scenes and stories are completely contrasting, and both demonstrated the all round kindness of these women.
Firstly, there is a memorable scene shot in night vision where we overhear the phone call of a young Honduran woman. All that has happened is that they have lent her a mobile phone, but this is clearly the first time the woman has spoken to her mother in days or weeks, and she is crying with joy as she is able to speak to her and arrange to meet other relatives and friends who are separately making the same journey.
Secondly is the tale of one of the people who fell off. There are two stories of particularly horrific injuries, and in both cases, the women stayed with these young men in hospital, looked after them, kept their families updated and became a surrogate family. Most memorably, one of the women, who had struggled through the poverty of her early life, tells of how she was depressed after having cancer. She was asked to go to hospital and support the young man who had lost both of his legs after falling trying to get back on the train. She is so upset for him, but he tells her how he is not going let this get him down and that he is grateful to be alive. She talks of how it inspired her to put her own problems into perspective and pull through her depression and get back involved in her family and the work of La Patrona. Well that certainly put my problems in perspective!
As a film, the documentary itself was clearly made on a low-budget and is not the most cinematic. However, it does a fantastic job of letting the individual characters of these remarkable women shine through. They are not just brilliant and awe-inspiring, they are funny and smart and strong-minded and have amazing depths of kindness and compassion. The scenes where the trains pass by, often at some speed, with hands hanging out snatching at food parcels are smartly shot and edited to make these scenes horrifically tense.
And when you have this kind of amazing story, what isn't necessarily needed is fantastic cinematography or well-crafted sound, but the ability to portray the humanity of remarkable individuals and connect the audience to the story as deeply as possible. On both of these things, All of Me completely delivers.
La Patrona is poor rural town in Mexico, and its people mostly work in poorly paid factory jobs or cane farming, hoping that their kids can have a better life. Some of the women have survived domestic abuse or other personal traumas. But instead of feeling down about this, they have channelled all their energy into helping people with even less than them - those clinging to the trains up through Central America to the US-Mexican border in the hope of getting out of poverty. Many of the people of La Patrona think of joining them, but for now their focus is on providing what help they can to the people on the trains.
The women and men of La Patrona therefore fill discarded bottles and cook donated and left over food to hand out to the people of the train, so at least they have something on their journey. They raise money for their cause by selling bottles of chilli paste, even though that money could have gone to improving their own lives. They gather donated clothes and give lifts to the next junction to anyone who falls off. Two of the most remarkable scenes and stories are completely contrasting, and both demonstrated the all round kindness of these women.
Firstly, there is a memorable scene shot in night vision where we overhear the phone call of a young Honduran woman. All that has happened is that they have lent her a mobile phone, but this is clearly the first time the woman has spoken to her mother in days or weeks, and she is crying with joy as she is able to speak to her and arrange to meet other relatives and friends who are separately making the same journey.
Secondly is the tale of one of the people who fell off. There are two stories of particularly horrific injuries, and in both cases, the women stayed with these young men in hospital, looked after them, kept their families updated and became a surrogate family. Most memorably, one of the women, who had struggled through the poverty of her early life, tells of how she was depressed after having cancer. She was asked to go to hospital and support the young man who had lost both of his legs after falling trying to get back on the train. She is so upset for him, but he tells her how he is not going let this get him down and that he is grateful to be alive. She talks of how it inspired her to put her own problems into perspective and pull through her depression and get back involved in her family and the work of La Patrona. Well that certainly put my problems in perspective!
As a film, the documentary itself was clearly made on a low-budget and is not the most cinematic. However, it does a fantastic job of letting the individual characters of these remarkable women shine through. They are not just brilliant and awe-inspiring, they are funny and smart and strong-minded and have amazing depths of kindness and compassion. The scenes where the trains pass by, often at some speed, with hands hanging out snatching at food parcels are smartly shot and edited to make these scenes horrifically tense.
And when you have this kind of amazing story, what isn't necessarily needed is fantastic cinematography or well-crafted sound, but the ability to portray the humanity of remarkable individuals and connect the audience to the story as deeply as possible. On both of these things, All of Me completely delivers.
100 Yen Love - Ishiko gets out of her pyjamas and into the ring.
100 Yen Love is the story of Ishiko, a total slacker and someone struggling to finding motivation in life, who after a horrible personal event decides to train to be a pro-boxer.
Now I think if you're going to draw inspiration from the film, it is supposed to be when you see Ishiko take control of her life and transform herself to achieve her goal. It probably says more about me than the film that I found the early scene where she "borrows" a chopper bike to go buy late night alcohol in Snoopy pyjamas more aspirational.... There is something endearing and awesome about Ishiko's don't give a crap attitude, but is also an example of just how well the character in the film is realised.
This attitude though compensates for Ishiko's inarticulate shyness and lack of self confidence. Ishiko is monosyllabic and hides behind her hair and has no idea where her life is going. The lead performance from Sakura Ando is terrific, completely varied throughout and really bringing out the different aspects of Ishiko's personality as it develops and transforms through the film.
Some of the training scenes and montages drift a little close to cliche. What does save them, and give them a sense of something different to the norm is the way that these scenes feel like a form of expression for Ishiko and a way for this shy and reserved person to communicate. The fight scene itself is brutal and doesn't shy away from how inexperience and unready Ishiko is for this.
Although the other characters are not strongly realised, Ishiko is such a layered character that this doesn't matter. This is Ishiko's story from start to finish.
Overall, the film does just about get its balance right between quirky absurdist humour and heart-shredding drama. It is stylistically shot, with a cool soundrack and in Ishiko has a memorable and fascinating character, who is the subject of a strong storyline, that may inspire some people out of their Snoopy pyjamas
Now I think if you're going to draw inspiration from the film, it is supposed to be when you see Ishiko take control of her life and transform herself to achieve her goal. It probably says more about me than the film that I found the early scene where she "borrows" a chopper bike to go buy late night alcohol in Snoopy pyjamas more aspirational.... There is something endearing and awesome about Ishiko's don't give a crap attitude, but is also an example of just how well the character in the film is realised.
This attitude though compensates for Ishiko's inarticulate shyness and lack of self confidence. Ishiko is monosyllabic and hides behind her hair and has no idea where her life is going. The lead performance from Sakura Ando is terrific, completely varied throughout and really bringing out the different aspects of Ishiko's personality as it develops and transforms through the film.
Some of the training scenes and montages drift a little close to cliche. What does save them, and give them a sense of something different to the norm is the way that these scenes feel like a form of expression for Ishiko and a way for this shy and reserved person to communicate. The fight scene itself is brutal and doesn't shy away from how inexperience and unready Ishiko is for this.
Although the other characters are not strongly realised, Ishiko is such a layered character that this doesn't matter. This is Ishiko's story from start to finish.
Overall, the film does just about get its balance right between quirky absurdist humour and heart-shredding drama. It is stylistically shot, with a cool soundrack and in Ishiko has a memorable and fascinating character, who is the subject of a strong storyline, that may inspire some people out of their Snoopy pyjamas
Saturday, 27 June 2015
Our Family - a warm and wonderful portrayal of a dysfunctional family in crisis
Our Family is a lovely Japanese domestic tale, which mixed drama and humour to really good effect. It almost exclusively focuses on four characters, of a somewhat dysfunctional family. Mother, father and two grown up sons all have their lives thrown off course when the mother, the only one who can relate to any of the others, is diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The film generally focuses on one member of the family for a stretch of time, and instead of feeling artificial, this is a genuinely and sweetly convincing way of establishing each character and then allowing each to develop into someone new, changed by the circumstances they found themself in. Both sons travel on a compelling arc, from opposite poles of personality to a much closer centre, but this is handled well in a way that doesn't feel trite or reductive. There is an undercurrent emotion of life unfulfilled with every character, but this is always mixed in with a sense of optimism and genuine love for each other, even when there isn't understanding.
The skill of the film is, not only is it both genuinely tense and dramatic - and also funny - but that it is sincere and heartfelt without being sentimental. Emotion, whether under the surface or breaking through, is handled deftly by both director Yuya Ishii and the talented cast.
The stoic but hopeful Kasuke in particular is a brilliantly realised and sympathetic character, one that you cannot help but want to find a way through. Through him, and the others, particularly as he brings out the best in his brother and father, I was pulled into this refreshingly lovely, honest and warm family drama.
The film generally focuses on one member of the family for a stretch of time, and instead of feeling artificial, this is a genuinely and sweetly convincing way of establishing each character and then allowing each to develop into someone new, changed by the circumstances they found themself in. Both sons travel on a compelling arc, from opposite poles of personality to a much closer centre, but this is handled well in a way that doesn't feel trite or reductive. There is an undercurrent emotion of life unfulfilled with every character, but this is always mixed in with a sense of optimism and genuine love for each other, even when there isn't understanding.
The skill of the film is, not only is it both genuinely tense and dramatic - and also funny - but that it is sincere and heartfelt without being sentimental. Emotion, whether under the surface or breaking through, is handled deftly by both director Yuya Ishii and the talented cast.
The stoic but hopeful Kasuke in particular is a brilliantly realised and sympathetic character, one that you cannot help but want to find a way through. Through him, and the others, particularly as he brings out the best in his brother and father, I was pulled into this refreshingly lovely, honest and warm family drama.
The Gulls - isolation and drama at the edge of the world
The Gulls has some similarities, thematically, to The Lesson, in that it is about a woman trying to make something of life when life is trying to stop her, including a husband who makes things worse. But the difference with this film, and what made it stand out, is the atmosphere of the film and the striking sense of place.
This is achieved both with beautiful, contemplative cinematography and a superb use of sound and music to create something tangibly claustrophobic. There is an enveloping sense of isolation, both personal and geographical. It is stunning and brooding, the light, the mist and the winter weather working together to feel truly unsettling and chilling.
The actress playing lead character Elza gives a poised and restrained performance and is supported by mostly non-professional actors who are all convincing, and who add to the sense of a real community that the film portrays, despite also having a slightly dreamlike quality too.
The Gulls is set in the Russian republic of Kalmykia, which I admit I had never heard of before the film, and which sits on the shore of the Caspian sea. Although the plot is not the most interesting, there is enough interest from how director Ella Manzheeva portrays the world of the film. Manzheeva makes Kalmyk culture seem both familiar and distinct at the same time. There is a truly convincing sense of the town being its own world and a feeling of being at the very edge of the world. The sense of place comes across as being both oppressive and in some ways freeing to the characters.
Overall, although not completely compelled by the story, I was captured by the atmosphere of the film and particularly by the ability to conjure up this fully realised world, that was haunting and strange and real.
This is achieved both with beautiful, contemplative cinematography and a superb use of sound and music to create something tangibly claustrophobic. There is an enveloping sense of isolation, both personal and geographical. It is stunning and brooding, the light, the mist and the winter weather working together to feel truly unsettling and chilling.
The actress playing lead character Elza gives a poised and restrained performance and is supported by mostly non-professional actors who are all convincing, and who add to the sense of a real community that the film portrays, despite also having a slightly dreamlike quality too.
The Gulls is set in the Russian republic of Kalmykia, which I admit I had never heard of before the film, and which sits on the shore of the Caspian sea. Although the plot is not the most interesting, there is enough interest from how director Ella Manzheeva portrays the world of the film. Manzheeva makes Kalmyk culture seem both familiar and distinct at the same time. There is a truly convincing sense of the town being its own world and a feeling of being at the very edge of the world. The sense of place comes across as being both oppressive and in some ways freeing to the characters.
Overall, although not completely compelled by the story, I was captured by the atmosphere of the film and particularly by the ability to conjure up this fully realised world, that was haunting and strange and real.
Friday, 19 June 2015
The Lesson - Playing by the rules doesn't always help you win in life
In the Bulgarian film The Lesson, teacher Nadya tries to
play by the rules, but unfortunately for her, this means she always seems to be
the loser. Quite reasonably, she feels
like since she does what she is supposed to be, she deserves to keep some
semblance of pride and dignity, but still the world doesn’t seem to want her to
catch a break.
The Lesson is quite a slow film, with a slight over reliance
on long scenes of mundane life that maybe didn’t add as much as they could
have. The opening scene has a promising sense of discomfort and unease, but the
film doesn’t quite hold the tone and becomes a little more staid and static.
The one thing the pacing did do was intensify the most dramatic scenes, but it
perhaps could have done with a bit more impetus at times to really grip the
audience. I’m not sure the documentary
style, hand held camera work helped, as it gave the film a restless feeling
which didn’t quite match the content.
Black humour sometimes broke through, and had this been more prominent,
the film could have been a little more compelling.
What it really does have going for it, and what means the
film does hold your interest enough, is an excellent central performance. Margita Gosheva as Nadya does a great combination of
patience, stoicism and politeness in the face of the world trying to knock her
down, that is genuinely credible and empathetic. She has an optimism and faith
in the fundamental reasonableness of other people but at the same time you get
a convincing sense that there is something ready to burst out just under the
surface. It is this characterisation and
performance that keeps the audience rooted in the film as you do genuinely warm
to Nadya and want something, anything, to come through for her. Some of the
most interesting schemes are when she does break out of her placidity and try play
the world back at its own game, just a little, but always without enough
conviction so that it backfires on her. You get the sense that maybe she isn’t
ready to be a rule breaker.
Nadya is a more memorable character than The Lesson is a
memorable film, which is at its best as a character piece. It has some moments
of genuine drama and tension and an interesting surrounding cast meaning I did
hold my interest and enjoy it as a film. But perhaps it just needed to pack a
bit more of a punch or find a bit more of a distinctive feel or style to really
elevate it to something special.
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