One can count on Belgian director Lucas Belvaux to deliver a film of
uncommon sensibility no matter what the genre. Here he is doing the
bitter-sweet romantic dramady genre about as well as it can be done.
It's the story of Clément, a Parisian philosophy teacher and author who
has commitment issues. He has been exiled for a year working as a
teacher in a small provincial town; and there he meets a vivacious
blonde woman named Jennifer, a single mother who cuts hair and is every
bit the hick that he abhors. But there's this undeniable
mutual attraction...
It's no accident that her name is Jennifer (pronounced with an
English "J". ) Her hero is plucky Jennifer Anniston (and of course the
professor has never heard of that actress.) Along with her best buds
from work, Jennifer does disco karaoke...and she's really good, in an
enthusiastic amateur fashion. As portrayed by lovely Émilie Dequenne,
she's a fireball of enthusiasm, a ray of light.
Handsome, 30-ish actor Löic Corbery plays stalwart Clément...and he's
quite good here. I don't think I've ever seen him in a film before; but
I expect this to lead to other film roles. The film is notable for its
resolute anti-Hollywood take on the rom-com genre. However, maybe
there's a good reason for the traditional Hollywood ending, since I was
prepared to rank this film much higher until the closing scenes. Also,
despite holding my interest throughout, the film could use a little
judicious pruning. At two hours, it seems a little padded. Still, the
superb central performances and the smart script make this a film to
watch for.
The film takes place presumably present day in a rural valley where
the inhabitants are all involved with raising and handling horses. In a
series of connected vignettes introduced by action being reflected in
various horse's eyes, we experience a variety of tragi-comic stories,
which show the symbiotic connection between horse and man in this
isolated environment. The scenery is stunning, the sound mix, the
cinematography outstanding. But I have to say the subject matter left me
questioning the psychology of these characters. I was left with the
impression that I had watched an affectionate satire that went over
my head.
One Chance
★★½
Overweight, schlubby operatic tenor Paul Potts actually did enter and
win the first season of Simon Cowell's tv show "Britain's Got Talent."
This somewhat involving biopic explains how he did it despite everything
and the kitchen sink being thrown against him. Or so the screenplay
would have us believe. Even more than the usual
up-from-nothing-to-the-top-of-the-world story of pluck and talent, this
one stirs the heartstrings. Predictable, yes; but sometimes true life
really does play like pulp fiction. I cried "Uncle" and enjoyed the film
despite myself.
A daring and profane Israeli officer nicknamed Bambi, during one of
the early wars against the neighboring countries returns from battle and
sells his "place in heaven" to the religious cook in return for a month
of scrambled eggs. That is the jump-off point of a forty-year saga of
Israel's secular and religious history through the tale of the rise and
fall of this officer and his relationship with his Yemenite wife, and
especially his son who grows up in revolt against everything his father
stands for.
This is a powerful film which presents its father/son story with a
kind of Old Testament savagery, something of Isaac and Jacob, or David
and Absalom. Except this is in the realistic milieu of contemporary
Israel. Director Yossi Madmon has an incredible eye for interesting
compositions and a sure hand with his actors. He deftly combines the
intimate family story within the sweep of real historical events; and
makes the innate religious contradictions within Israeli society come
alive as few films ever have. I was impressed by this film, by its scope
and its emotional wallop.
Salvation Army
★½
The place, Casablanca, Morocco late 20th century. 15-year old Abdella
is growing up secretly gay in a large strife-torn family. He encounters
older men and is exploited sexually (although it isn't clear whether he
is doing it for money or just part of his passive nature.) After an
uneventful trip to the seashore with his two brothers, the film shifts
10 years into the future where Abdella is now an impoverished exchange
student wandering the streets of Geneva, Switzerland and moving into a
Salvation Army hostel.
That's about it for story. Apparently the film is somewhat
autobiographical...the director Abdella Taïa scandalously came out in
2007. The film does present an interesting aspect of what a gay Arab boy
goes through in an oppressive society of shame and transgressive
homosexuality. But despite looking authentic, the film just failed to
deliver anything more than a moody character study. And for all that,
the main character remained a cypher throughout the entire film.
Tom, a young ad-man from Montreal fetchingly played by director
Dolan, travels to the farm where his recently deceased lover, Guillaume,
grew up. He's there to attend the funeral; but he encounters an
unexpectedly weird family: Agathe, distraught, clueless mother (another
of Dolan's remarkable mother figures played here by Lisa Roy). And
previously unknown to Tom, the menacing brother, Francis, an imposing
performance by Pierre-Yves Cardinal. Gradually over the course of the
film, Tom infers his lover's back story, which is never explicitly one
of abuse, but explains why Guillaume fled the farm at age 16, leaving
his mother clueless about his sexuality.
Xavier Dolan is working from a play by Michel Marc Bouchard. I think
this is the first time the former wunderkind has adapted someone else's
work. I know nothing of the original play; but Dolan has obviously
opened it up fairly successfully. And it certainly fits in with the
director's previous oeuvre exploring dysfunctional family dynamics from
the gay son's point of view. In my humble opinion, Dolan is the most
interesting young director working in film today. And in this film he
proves his mettle as an actor, with his most subtle portrayal yet of a
character's strong moral backbone hidden behind a fey facade.
Huang Yu-siang is apparently a real-life blind piano prodigy from
Taiwan. In this film he plays himself as a young man starting college,
with all the problems that a blind person would have in such a
normalized situation. That Siang (the character and actor) is quiet,
friendly and super talented helps. The rather formulaic biopic story has
him falling for a girl for her nice voice, who works in a fast food
delivery place and aspires to be a dancer. OK, this all sounds really
lame; but for some reason the film works. Part of it has to do with
Huang's personality itself, where innate goodness shines through in
every frame. Another factor is his co-star, the Eurasian actress
Sandrine Pinna, who may not be a convincing dancer (every shot is done
in close-up and we never actually see her in full body movement); but
she is a lively and interesting actress. And I also have to give credit
to first-time director Chang, who brings just the right amount of
pizzazz to this old fashioned tale, with artful shots and fine montages.
The sum total is an utterly charming musical romance. Who'd a thunk it.
Walesa. Man of Hope.
★★★
This is a straightforward biopic of Lech Walesa from about 1970
through 1989 as he came to lead "Solidarity" and underwent various
trials and tribulations on the way. The story is framed as part of an
interview of Walesa by famed journalist Oriana Fallaci, which is a
clunky narrative device, but works well enough. The film deftly combines
B&W news footage with the re-created material. Robert Wieckiewicz
made a convincing Walesa, looking the part. However, for all the film's
glossy production values, it's hard to believe that this was made by the
same filmmaker who made Man of Iron. This film
confulingly jumps around the time line, and is just too episodic for an
audience unfamiliar with the historical events.