MSPIFF 2010: Day 8

I'm going to slog through these before my memory escapes me, so bare with me.

The Misfortunates (2009) Felix Van Groeningen - Take It or Leave It
The title of this film is like a set up: it is almost asking to be used against itself. Fortunately, the film is not overall misfortunate, just sort of. Gunther is a 13-year-old boy who has a higher maturity level than his father and three uncles who all debauch and raise havoc all under the same roof. Parental guidance for Gunther is a misnomer, only finding kindness from his grandmother who patiently cleans up after her adult sons. Like a gang of mongrels, the Strobbes are reviled and regarded in town for their antics. Gunther's life is at a crossroads where he is either fated to inherit the deadbeat lifestyle of his father and uncles or is able to beat the odds before everyone drowns himself in liquor. There are incredibly funny moments in The Misfortunates, but they are overshadowed by the reality of alcoholism in a young persons life: waking up your dad with vomit dripping out of his mouth or becoming the victim of bender induced rage is nothing to laugh about. The film's biggest achievement is constructing these mullet men who you can almost smell from your theater seat into completely likable but totally repugnant men. Our unfulfilled desire to find either a hero or a villain is similar to young Gunther's schizophrenic emotional tugs of love and disappointment from his various father figures. The Misfortunates honesty is a very bitter pill. The story is told in flashback, giving us small glimpses into Gunther's dysfunctional adult life. The present tense tries too hard to correlate with the past and even does a little unwanted social commentary on free will. The Misfortunates is about as fun as waking up on a sticky barroom floor.

Zero (2009) Pawel Borowski - Recommended
My favorite thing about the film fest is being able to walk into a theater with no expectations and be pleasantly surprised. I knew Zero was from Poland and I knew it was just under 2 hours. Although I was prepared to see a bad movie, Zero was far more entertaining and clever than I had anticipated. In his directorial debut, Pawel Borowski exploits the familiar territory paved with large casts and the gimmick of six degrees (or less) of separation. You're introduced to the businessman who calls the surveillance man who spies on a woman who is having an affair with a man who is threatened by a thug who makes pornos with a woman who...well, you get the idea. I thought I had a pretty good idea where this film was going and how it would get there, but 45 minutes into the movie we are still being introduced to new characters. I would liken the film's form to that of a Ferris wheel where the characters stay on for about three revolutions and then move on. Zero maintains this formula for the entire film eventually ending where it started. Sort of. The litany of characters stay interesting, but, for obvious reasons, are never very engaging. The story moves on before we can get very attached to anyone, but it hardly matters. These are more than just mere sketches; Zero is about as polished as a film can get. Perfectly paced with high production values, Borowski makes the ride completely painless.

Ward No. 6 (2009) Karen Shakhnazarov and Aleksandr Gornovsky - Recommended
All I have to say is that slotting a dialog heavy Russian film based on story by Chekov at 10:00pm is like a very cruel joke on someone who has already worked eight hours and seen two movies. The merits of this film were definitely there, but let's just say I missed most of them.

MSPIFF: Day 2

St Anthony Main was very tranquil when I showed up at 11:30am. Film fans were absent as the river walk was taken over by runners, walkers and bikers enjoying Spring. I was early, but still, where are my fellow Film Goats!? That was the feeling for most of the day, until it picked up in the evening. I certainly can't back this up, but there seems to a lot less traffic at the Film Fest. Maybe tomorrow's rain will send more people to the movies...

My five film plan for Saturday started with the first screening offered at noon. Here's how my day shook down:

The Necessities of Life (2008) directed by Benoit Pilon

Necessities of Life got four stars from Daniel over at Getafilm, and I took that recommendation to heart and made the film a priority. The drama takes place in 1957. Tivii (played by Natar Ungalaaq from The Fast Runner) is an Inuit stricken with tuberculosis. He is suddenly taken from his Baffin Island home to Quebec where he can be treated for his illness. They take his clothes, they cut his hair and they speak French to him even though they know he can't understand. Tivii is both culturally and socially isolated. Necessity underlines not only an absurd cultural insensitivity, but also a general lack of human kindness that I would cynically say doesn't just exist in 1957. When Tivii stops eating, a nurse takes him under her wing. Although her concern is initially sparked by duty, she eventually forms a bond of understanding with Tivii. The Necessities of Life (seals, caribou, and geese, if you are wondering) is a somber and often painful film that cherishes our differences while emphasizing our similarities as human beings. Ungalaaq's performance is played with a fierce dignity that never wavers. And although the narrative follows a predictable trajectory, Necessities is incredibly moving. It was a sobering way to start my day, but I'm glad I caught this film while I could. The Necessities of Life screens again Monday, April 25 at 4:00pm. Recommended.

Teddy Bear (2007) directed by Jan Hrebejk

As I approach mid-life (or maybe I'm already there) I get more and more annoyed by the whole mid-life crisis myth. Isn't life just one big crisis, mid-life or otherwise? Who cares if it is half over? Teddy Bear is full of the mid-life crisis types. If their career isn't failing then their marriage is. (Hmmm, maybe that's it - I don't have either one of those things...) Six friends/three couples find themselves at a crossroads. The men are jerks and the women, well, they just carry on. As much as I wanted to not like this film, I didn't hate it. The characters are well drawn and the film doesn't bow to easy answers and pat endings. No other screenings at MSPIFF. Take it or leave it.

The Window (2008) directed by Carlos Sorin

Carlos Sorin's Historias Minimas (released in the US as Intimate Stories) was a film that stuck with me for some time, and I could kick myself for missing it on the big screen. I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass once again with Sorin's new film, and I am glad I didn't. The Window is full of big screen moments of silent beauty. The aesthetic reminded me of Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light, with its silences, horizons, stillness and elegance. The simple story is about Don Antonio in the waining hours of his life. Bedridden from illness, he waits for the arrival of his son, a famous pianist living in Europe. His preparations are less for his son than they are for himself. Although I'm getting sick of hearing myself calling films poetic, The Window is nonetheless very poetic. The Window screens again Sunday, April 19 at 1:15pm. Highly Recommended.

Rumba (2008) directed by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy

Given the overall somber theme of the day, the ridiculous Rumba was kind of the film I needed to do a little cleansing. I'll take the evidence that the two leads are also credited as directors as proof that this spoofy film is a little self-indulgent. The absurdist tragi-comedy relies on the physical comedic abilities of Gordon and Romy. The introduction was a hoot and the crazy blue screen driving was pretty hilarious, but after about 45 minutes, I was a little tired of the skit that wanted to be a movie. Rumba screens again Monday, April 20 at 9:00pm. Take it or leave it.

Lion's Den (2008) directed by Pablo Trapero

Put a woman in jail and she is either a victim or a martyr. The brilliance of Lion's Den is that Julia is neither. Julia was one of three people involved in a violent incident that leaves one person dead. With one person's word against another, Julia, for whatever reason, ends up taking the guilt for the dead man (who happens to be the father of her unborn child.) Julia is sent to jail and must learn how to survive by completely different rules. Trapero cunningly leaves the audience in the dark about the actual goings-on at the time of the murder. The fact that pieces do not fit together, leaves Julia's guilt hanging in the air, even to the sympathetic viewer. Martina Gusman give a gut-wrenching portrayal of a woman refusing to give up. Treading unknown waters, Julia has to navigate not only her new life as a prisoner but also as a mother. Except for a strange segue involving a music montage, this film was perfect. Lion's Den screens again Sunday, April 19 at 9:30pm. Highly recommended.