On day 3 I witnessed 3 drastically different films. A dystopian, ominous turkish flick, a visually soothing Russian film & a razor sharp political thriller directed by George Clooney.
Le Diner Les Monstres/ The Monsters' Dinner
Language: English (Turkish actors)
Year: 2011
Director: Ramin Matin
The monsters' dinner is as dark, ominous & psychologically challenging a film as they come. In fact I would even slot it under 'horror' in my book even though there are no ghosts present. Well at least not the "physical" kind. Psychologically though, there are monsters galore.
It's hard to say whether you "like" or "dislike" a film like this. Because the only intent here is to make a profound impact on your mind. And it does that quite convincingly.
The film is set in a dystopian universe, a satiric reflection of our contemporary global society manifested in the near future, in which two seemingly ordinary couples sit down for a dinner party. The film cruelly and comically shows how our contemporary culture might transform into a world of extreme hedonism, violence and desensitization.
It's a world where evidently "normal' things that liberate us for example, painting, reading fiction, smoking or even tasting the sweetness of sugar are illegal, but ostensibly preposterous things like infidelity & "buying" children are the order of the day.
The entire film has just 4 characters, is shot entirely in 1 house, takes place more or less in real time & has lots & lots & lots of dialogue, as that's the only tool through which we derive the time, & environment the film is set in.
The film relies very heavily on creating the dark, mysterious feel, by generating a plush yet cryptic ambience. A special mention to the sound designer Oguz Kaynak, as the background "score" (I wonder if you can call it that because it sounds more a melange of sound effects & jarring music) had me very intrigued. The photography too is top notch. If you want to see how many different ways a character can be captured within limited confines of space watch this.
This film reminded me of Kubrick's 'A clockwork orange' which is set in a similar dystopian universe. There's a sequence in the film where the characters while having normal chit chatter are also slapping a small child with ferocious intensity just for fun. It makes you cringe in your seat.
All I can say is if any formal dinner you attend starts resembling the dinner in this film, run like hell & don't look back.
First time for everything
Language: Russian
Year: 2011
Director: Leonid Fomin
It's thanks to film festivals like MFF that I get to see a small Russian independent film like 'First time for everything'. It might never make it big in the commercial arena, might not even make enough waves to get a cult following, & might be very difficult to even dig out on the internet (WHAT?!).
It's a simple story of a little boy, Kolya, who accidently meets his father for the first time in his life. Father and son rediscover each other, overcoming inner misunderstandings as well as numerous obstacles in their life path.
The film is visual poetry. In complete contrast with 'A monsters' dinner', this film has very minimal dialogue. It's all about images & visuals & expressions & body language & things that are left unsaid.
The cinematography by DOP Alexey Korovin is breathtaking despite it being quite apparent that the film was made on a tight budget. Whether it's a forest, a lake, the warm & cozy interiors of a wooden house, the cold rain, the glowing sunlight, or even the plush confines of a flat, everything is picturised beautifully. The charming music by Andrey Zubetc adds effortlessly to the milieu.
It's a film that creates a halo around you & expects you to be "in the zone" to enjoy it thoroughly. I surely did.
The Ides of March
Language: English
Year: 2011
Director: George Clooney
The George Clooney directed 'The Ides of March' had the longest que. For an 8:15 p.m show people had started lining up outside the auditorium since 6 p.m, so I was doubtful whether I'll be able to get in, but luckily I did. And I'm glad that I did for 'The Ides of March' is one of the best films I've seen this year.
George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Geoffery Wright.
Whoa!
Nothing. Just wanted to get the load of that exceptional star cast off my chest. With that amount of talent involved, a film can either soar to the skies or crush under the pressure of its excellence. Thankfully in this case, it's the former.
Now, politics is dirty. You know that & I know that. There's a whole lot of shady work done by political parties behind the scenes at the time of elections to make us, the general public, believe that their candidate is squeaky clean. But of course they're not. So the premise of Clooney's film & the revelations it makes might not be anything brand new, yet Clooney makes his points within the guise of a pulse-racing thriller. And what a move it is.
The central character is Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), who as a press secretary is required to more or less lie for a living. he works for Pennsylvania Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney) an idealistic liberal. Paul Zara (Hoffman) is his seasoned campaign manager. Also on Moriss' campaign is a young intern Molly (Wood) who Stephen gets cozy with. Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell) is Morris' opponent & Paul Giamatti is Tom Duffy, Pullman's campaign manager. Marisa Tomei plays the inquisitive New York Times reporter Ida Horowicz.
Both Moriss & Pullman are in the race for President & the state of Ohio will decide the game.
Taking this premise Clooney who's aided on the screenplay by Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon sets up a tale of sex, deceit & doublecrossing.
To give away anything more would be a shame. All I can say is that the film throws twists & turns galore that are a treat to watch unfold.
I never realized when the 100 odd minutes raced away while watching the film & when that happens you can be rest assured the film has struck a chord. It's sure to get a wide release in India soon & when it does I recommend you go & watch it.
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