MAMI 2013: The Final Day

Heli
Language: Spanish
Director: Amat Escalante

"Heli' was the most disturbing & depressing film I saw at the fest, but that in turn only reminded me of the power of cinema to sometimes make us sit through experiences that shake us up.

An innocent family gets embroiled in a drug trafficking case in the outskirts of Mexico. This results in the local paramilitary force picking them up from their house & what follows then is an extensive torture set piece both physical & cerebral. Instead of trapping the audience in a torture chambers & making it a 'torture porn' flick the film explores the aftermath of this horrific incident & how it changes the lives of the scarred individuals probably forever.

The harsh sun-parched rocky terrain of the region seem to be mirroring the turmoil of the characters.

This was the perennial film festival mindfuck for me.

Don Jon
Language: English
Director: Joseph Gordon Levitt

Well made, smart & funny but ultimately a predictable film. I felt there was a better movie in there somewhere.  Levitt shows a deft hand at handling the material he's working with & for the most part I kept hoping the film would go beyond where it was intended to but it was not to be. 

Johannson looks gorgeous but I felt was a strange choice for this role, Julianne Moore on the other hand is a treat. My favourite though were Tony Danza & Glenn Headley as Jon's parents. 

Despite it's cliche ridden ending I enjoyed watching it, was just expecting something more.

On My Way (Elle S'en Va)
Language: French
Director: Emmanuelle Bercott

For the first 15 minutes it seemed like this would be a woman-dealing-with-mid-life-crisis film like 'Gloria' but then it picked up & turned into a road movie-cum-family dramedy that follows the events occuring in the 48 odd hours in the life of Bettie, an ex-beauty queen of an era gone by where she makes amends with her daughter and connects with a grandson she never knew. Filled with humour & pathos this was a pleasant surprise. Sweet film












Brave Miss World
Language: Hebrew & English
Director: Cecilia Peck

A former Miss World Linor Abargil turns to activism & her Jewish heritage to overcome the trauma of rape in this documentary by Cecilia Peck. 

Dealing with a serious issue like rape & sexual harassment that occur the world over the film has to be commended for giving a voice & platform to previously silent victims to expose the horrors they have gone through & in some cases continue to go through. That said however there seemed to be a tad excess of self-praise & the sections dealing with Abargail's family life mirrored a reality show. Mixed feelings about this one. Serious issue but an obtuse portrayal.  








Amen
Language: English
Director: Costa Gavras

As a part of the Costa Gavras retrospective I chose to watch this 2002 flick on the big screen as I am fascinated by films based on Nazi Germany.

Based on real events & (partly) real characters 'Amen' plays out like a tense thriller about the lengths to which  two individuals, one a Nazi army officer & the other a Jesuit priest went in order to reach out to the Pope to let the world know about the atrocities being committed on the Jews.  Alas! to no avail.

This may not rank very high in the pantheon of WWII movies but is still riveting nonetheless.

MAMI 2013: Days 5 & 6

For Those In Peril
Language: English
Director: Paul Wright

No film festival is complete without that one 'weird' film. This was that weirdo for me. The film deals with the protagonist's loss of his brother in a boat accident which he himself survived. The entire movie is consciously haphazard. Scenes inter-lap & juxtapose into each other to give the audience a heady experience & there is no discernible 'narrative'. A lot of figuring out is left to do on the audience's part. What I could get from it was how the loss of someone close changes everything-your internal feelings as well as your external outlook to see things including relationships, how the line between insanity & sanity starts to blur due to the grief.

It's all very stylistically shot though, I especially appreciated the sound design. All the film's flashbacks are shown through grainy footage that mirrors those shot by a cell phone or handycam, which may (or may not) be a comment on how memories quite literally become 'grainy'.

Despite this I really found a lack of emotional connect & the ending's just bizzarre. I was really put off by it, but there's a niche audience out there for this kind of a film & that's cool with me.

Another House (L'autre Maison)
Language:- French
Director:- Mathieu Roy

I felt this was an uneven film but when it worked it worked quite well. It questions our treatment of those that brought us into this world after they have reached an age where they find difficult to sustain themselves. There's a note of melancholy throughout the film but it never transforms into garish melodrama, the heart strings are tugged gently.

Despite dealing with a despondent subject it ends rather optimistically (or as optimistically as a film involving Alzheimer's, old age homes & war can end). The last 5 minutes are a meditative experience.

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)
Language: Italian
Director: Paulo Sorrentino

Okay, time to bring out the superlatives: Exceptional, brilliant, dazzling, par-excellence, gorgeous take your pick, 'The Great Beauty' is all that & more.

IT. BLEW. MY. FUCKING. MIND.

What terrific writing! Some of the best dialogue I have heard/read in quite a long time. Razor sharp wit. Quoting lines from this is going to be my next obsession. A central character that deserves his own mantle piece in cinematic time capsule & so many themes explored that listing them out would take up the rest of this post. Every scene, every frame, every sentence has been incorporated for a reason with meticulous detailing. 

This crisis of existentialism flows like poetry & hits like an arrow. Hard to find a flaw here, even the music is so magnificently used where opera rubs it's shoulders with indie pop. This is powerful cinema, it almost energized me & I cannot wait to revisit it. This movie alone was worth coming to MAMI for. Easily one of the best.

A Touch Of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding)
Language: Mandarin
Director: Jia Zhangke

This is a very cool movie. 4 mildly interrelated stories where the protagonists encounter death in one way or another in their journey. Basically the subject matter explores whether violence is something that is inherently human or something that only swells up when we're pushed to the extreme? The violence depicted isn't very grotesque but the sheer boiling intensity built around it makes it very striking. 

I personally like the leitmotif of captured animals running across all the 4 stories. It's the 'every man''s tale of revenge & crime. Visually eye catching & emotionally turbulent.

The Scorsese & Tarantino type fans may also dig this one. 







Gloria
Language: Spanish
Director: Sebastian Lelio

58 year old divorcee having a mid life crisis. That sounds depressing but the film is not. On the contrary it's uplifting & at times funny with an outstanding performance by leading lady Paulina Garcia. If this was a Hollywood film there'd be Oscar buzz around her name. Unfortunately it isn't (she did win the Silver Bear at Berlin though). What's noticeable in 'Gloria' is how deftly the intimate moments of everyday life are captured. I loved the way music is incorporated, there's no soundtrack to the film, music only comes into play when someone turns on the radio, plays music in a party or inside a club. it is very cleverly incorporated into the screenplay. This is a compassionate film.









Ilo Ilo
Language: Chinese, English & Tagalong
Director: Anthony Cheng

"Ilo Ilo is a small Singaporean film with a big heart" described director Anthony Cheng. Those words couldn't have been truer. I love this film. Inspired by the director's real life it's about a 10 year old boy forming a bond with his Fillipino maid against the backdrop of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Chen has amazing eye for detail for the time period & the film exposes how each of us in our own ways are flawed yet we have the tendency to go beyond them. This film is a fine example on how to keep it low budget yet create something compelling & lovable. There are just 4 major characters throughout & a majority of it is shot indoors. Yet there's absolutely no sense of monotony. The casting decisions are excellent almost as if these roles were created for these actors & vice versa. It's wonderful to see such an affectionate film coming from this part of the world. 






Bakrapur
Language: Hindi
Director: Janki Vishwanathan

A social satire set against the backdrop of rural India. This film instantly reminded me of  Marathi film 'Deool' I saw at MAMI 2 years ago about blind devotion that leads to discrimination & divide. As far as satires go the whole mountain-over-a-molehill subject has been dabbled with numerous times before still the director provides enough interesting material to stay engaged. The film falters at times though, the depiction of politicians is caricaturish & the ending's slightly abrupt. Despite it's flaws it's a film with honest intentions, I hope it gets a wide release.

The Little Mermaid 3D
Language: English
Director: Ron Clements & John Musker

I had a chance to watch the remastered 3D version of this Disney classic on the big screen & I took it. We had a Disney representative take a small class before the screening explaining briefly with the help of slides & videos how they transformed the feature to 3D. Very interesting.

The film's still as enchanting as ever although another perspective did arise as the last time I watched this was many years ago when I was 12 or 13. Isn't it sexist that Ariel wants to give up her royal lineage and become a human just because she's fallen for a prince who is and I quote "sooo handsooome!" & why does the lobster have to be Jamaican? Are there Jamaican lobsters? Thought for another day perhaps.

MAMI 2013: Day 2

On day 2 I witnessed the prestigious Palm d'Or winner from Cannes, an enticing Coehn Brothers flick. Michael Gondry's wildly imaginative feature & er...Sofia Vergara shooting bullets out of her bosom. 

Inside Llewyn Davis

Language: English

Director: Joel & Ethan Coehn

Any Coehn brothers feature is a must watch & this one is no different.

 Set in 1961 it portrays a week in the life of struggling  out of work folk singer Llewyn Davis played wonderfully by Oscar Isaacs (eerily resembling 60's era Cat Stevens). Any creative person trying to make a living with his art will relate with Llewyn. It's a classic case of how when one decides to stick by his principles the whole world seems to be selling out. The dialogue is funny & sharp especially during the early parts of the film. Cinematography is great. From the cramped spaces that struggling singers are living in, to plush studios to estranged highways everything is captured fabulously. Another aspect that is noteworthy is the taut editing & how the director's employ it to portray the passage of time in varying degrees. Of course music plays an essential part in the film and by cleverly casting actors who're pretty much established singers in their own right the makers make every performance scene raw & heartfelt. A special mention to Carey Mulligan who is a scene stealer as Llewyn's acerbic mistress, she's every guy's worst nightmare. ILD may not be one of Coehn brothers' best but it's still very good. Watch.

Mood Indigo (L'Écume des jours)

Language: French

Director: Michel Gondry

No matter how many words I write I cannot do justice to the visual spectacle of this film. You just have to watch it to believe it.To give you a vague example, try & imagine your wildest, most bizarre dream portrayed on screen. now multiply it by 10, that would probably be the starting point of Gondry's imagination. On the plot level it is a simple story of love & loss between a man & a woman but the treatment is dazzling. I was spellbound. Watch it to see how a simple story can be elevated to a completely new level owing to wonderful use of visuals, set design, VFX, colour etc. It exemplifies how fantastic visual storytelling can get. Absolutely loved it.

Watch the trailer to get only a small glimpse.

Machete Kills
Language: English (some Spanish)
Director: Robert Rodriguez

What can I say? I am a Rodriguez fan & I could not resist it. I knew Indian censors wouldn't allow this to release anytime soon so I shamelessly jumped on to the bandwagon to catch it. Film festival prestigiousness be damned ;)

Pretty much the same deal as it's prequel only this time the body count has increased, so have the celebrity cameos with a tad bit more badassery. It was good to see a film that did not take itself seriously at all for a change at the fest. 











Blue Is The Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle) 
Language: French
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Undoubtedly the film with the most amount of buzz at MAMI as it arrives after winning one of the most illustrious honour in cinema, the Palm d'Or at Cannes. 

I would love to do a detailed, longer post about the film perhaps sometime in the near future, for now though I'd just say the film is intense involving multiple layers dealing with themes of love, passion, sexuality, adolescence, youth & art. Aided by powerhouse performances by it's 2 leads. 

With a running time of 3 hours the film does test your patience but the pay off is well worth it. I didn't mind most of the films often long & elaborate scenes between the characters because the director creates an 'environment' such that I want to share head space with them. 

That said this might not be a film for everyone. The lovemaking scenes are very graphic & may seem a little drawn out. Also the film requires commitment and concentration on the viewer's part. 

The reason the acting for me is so praiseworthy is because (without giving much away) the lead character is a completely different person than she is at the beginning of the film, and throughout almost all of the film we see her through tight shots & close ups, & to bring about that change with facial expressions & body language gradually & convincingly is no mean feat. 

There's a lot more I had going through my head after watching this that is yet to be processed, but maybe I'll save it for that longer post. All in all though BITWC is bold, heartbreaking, heartwarming, disturbing, & moving & I believe any good piece of cinema is bound to make you journey through a range of emotions as you sit there in that chair. 

MAMI 2013: Day 1

It's Mumbai Film Festival time again & as I did the last time I attended I intend to blog about the films I see everyday to keep a neat document of my cinematic memories. Now since I run around all day to catch screenings & come home late it doesn't leave me much time to write an in depth frame-by-frame detailed post about the films. Hence these are just my basic thoughts about what I felt about these movies.

So without further ado let us begin.

Day 1

Closed Curtain (Pardé)

Language:- Persian

Director:- Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi

What starts out as a film seemingly about a man spending time alone at his beach house with his dog for peace of mind soon turns into a film about the invasion of privacy & the travails of living under exile with the arrival of new characters. And then mid-way through the film, director Jafar Panahi enters the movie as a character. He is playing himself. From this point on the difference between what's happening in 'reality' & what's occurring in the director's mind becomes paper thin. It fondles with this interesting idea of how a creation views it's creator. Though heavy with subtext & surrealism it is handled deftly. There are long stretches of scenes that required patience to watch especially as the film incorporates no music whatsoever. By the end the film leaves the audience to unravel the sequence of events that may or may not have taken place, the good thing though is each viewer may find his/her own conclusions.  

The Immigrant

Language: English 

Director: James Gray

Confession: I chose to watch 'The Immigrant' mainly because I have a big time crush on Marion Cotillard.

But with Joaquin Phoenix in the mix & a Palme d'Or nomination at Cannes I expected a first rate feature. Well, I was wrong.

'The Immigrant' is bland & boring. Apart from the splendid art deco & costumes which recreate the 1920's there's very little to keep you hooked here. Joaquin Phoenix overacts with aplomb as the oleaginous pimp, Marion Cotillard is not bad as the conflicted central character but her 'victim-of-circumstance' act borders on monotony. The only bright spot is Jeremy Renner who shines in his performance as a sprightly magician but unfortunately does not have enough screen time. Treatment wise there is a sense of lethargy all through. A plot like this sounds Oscar bait on paper but it just doesn't convert on screen.

Watch 'The Immigrant' when it's playing on TV someday on a lazy afternoon & you have nothing better to do. Actually don't, take an afternoon nap instead.

Fandry
Language: Marathi
Director: Nagraj Manjule

Fandry is an amazing movie. You know you've seen good cinema when you've been entertained yet educated, laughed yet felt a lump in the throat, sensed devastation yet felt a sliver of hope trickling through.

Social evils are alive & thriving in our country no matter how much we try & put a blanket over them, & to a greater extent in our villages where more than 70% of our population still lives. 'Fandry' is the story of an adolescent boy called 'Jabya' belonging to a lower caste in a Maharashtrian village. A story of his lofty aspirations as well his crushing reality.

There have been numerous films about the horrors of the caste system but none quite like this one. There's never a dull moment here, Through the story of the boy we are more or less coming face to face with our hypocrisy and ignorance. This does not mean that the film is deeply depressing. The subplots about Jabya trying to woo a classmate (belonging to a higher caste) with the help of his friend & having a boyish obsession with catching a black sparrow (which is his means of fanciful escapism) provide enough occasions for hearty laughter. Really though the film addresses the core issue without being preachy & to say that that is commendable is putting it mildly.

The acting all around is top notch & a special mention to the wonderful soundtrack by Aloknanda Das Gupta. I had the privilege to hear the director speak post the screening where he said it's a personal film for him as most of the things are based from his real life experiences and it shows.

Picasso's Gang (La Banda Picasso)
Language: French
Director: Fernando Colomo

The comedy genre is seriously underrepresented in film fests in my opinion, more often they're not considered 'on par' with gritty hard hitting cinema & hence I made it a point to watch this light hearted comic caper.

It is shot excellently with a brisk & bouncy screenplay & fantastic performances by all the actors. If you're an art & literature connoisseur of the early 1900's there's even more for you to love here as you might be able to spot the references & "in" jokes better. The 'gang' here refers to a group of artists which went on to revolutionize the world with their art but before that they were but youngsters trying to make ends meet, sometimes by not very healthy means and how they get embroiled in a theft at the Louvre museum.

A heavy handed topic like early 19th century art is lovingly repainted with a comical brush and it's much fun while it lasts. Time well spent.

Mumbai film fest: Day 4

On day 4, I was only able to squeeze in time for 1 film. But that 1 film was an experience I shall not forget for a very, very long time.


The Artist

Language: Silent film with English intertitles
Year: 2011
Director: Michael Hazanavicius


'The Artist' was the first time that I watched a silent film in a movie theater. It was an experience to behold. It made me feel like I had traveled back in time to the golden silent-era of Hollywood.


The film depicts a time period from 1927 to 1931 & is shot in pristine black & white. In these times of high definition colours, microscopic clarity & surround sound there is something trustworthy about a black & white silent film that makes us instantly connect with it. Every frame is so lovingly decorated that you just can't stop your heart from fluttering with joy. Even the screen aspect ratio is the classic 1:1:33 format. 

The story is that of a dashing & rather arrogant superstar George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) of the pre-talkie era who is caught off guard by the arrival of sound in films. He dismisses it in the early stages ("If that's the future, then you can have it" is his snobbish reply to the producer). Obviously, he is proven wrong. Over the next few years, his roles dry up, he goes broke, ventures into directing but fails miserably, his wife leaves him & so do his palatial comforts.


Around the same time there's another star on the rise, the lovingly named Peppy Miller (Berinice Bolo) who was spotted by George & whom he had fallen in love with before her career went into an overdrive. She's known for a little beauty mark that Valentin penciled with love & care. 


So while Valentin goes down in the dumps & Peppy soars to the sky, would she remain loyal?


I guess you know the answer. Yes, it is the grand retelling of the quintessential 'fall of the artist' story, but the manner in which it is told makes all the difference in the world. One can see all the fondness & affection that Haznavicius has for the silent era burst out in tenderness & glory here.


Of course the acting is unparalleled. There are certain mannerisms which were so prominent in the actors of the silent era that are on full display here & leave you in magnificent awe. No wonder Dujardin won the best actor award at Cannes earlier this year (Not to mention even the adorable Jack Russell terrier in the film won the Palm dog award!)


In a silent film, the music are the words & Ludovic Bource does a terrific job of eliciting the desired emotions out of us.


'The Artist' is a film that is in a league of it's own. It's unfair to try & compare it with any other film that I've seen in the festival. It made me fall into a certain state of enchantment & reverie that no other film did. 


Somewhere along the way as technology advanced, the movies lost their soul. 'The Artist' resurrects that soul.