Choi Voi (Adrift)

I believe that I decided to watch this movie for the wrong reasons but can't take all the blame as film has been promoted as a lesbian interest film since won the FIPRESCI prize at the 2009 Biennale and stimulated my interest more for being a Vietnamese film in the genre than anything else. The wait was long and expectations grew after watching trailer and continue reading about film, while skipping reading reviews as don't like spoilers. Always say that having expectations is not good and now add, watching a film expecting to see something specific is worst as if you don't find it you will not be able to objectively appreciate it. Sigh.

Let me start by saying that yes film has some lesbian interest, not only has one character (Cam) that you can deduce is lesbian but also you get enough clues to realize that she is in love with Duyen, the main character in the film. But Cam is such an unpleasant character that you really don't know if she did not attended Duyen wedding because the not-corresponded love, her neurasthenic cynicism and/or her later diabolically persuasions that suggest revenge to Duyen's not loving her more than a friend or perhaps just because she's sour and unhappy. Not a pleasant character and not a pleasant story.

But basic story is all about Duyen sexual awakening that marries Hai three months after meeting him and in the wedding night Hai gets so drunk that does not consummate their marriage; as weeks go by Hai, a night shift taxi driver, sleeps and sleeps and continues his sans sex marriage. Thanks to Cam devilish machinations, neglected Duyen meets Tho, a handsome lothario tourist guide, who seduces her the minute he meets her. Is Cam who convinces Duyen to take temporary job as a translator on one of Tho's tours knowing what will happen. Nothing is shown on the screen but you can deduce that she is traumatized by her sexual awakening in the hands of Tho. There is more to the story, but you have to watch film to learn it. Also not a pleasant story to see.

No doubt that this film is trying to show an "evolving" Vietnamese society that is trying to postively and more humanly transform their traditional family values, where male chauvinism in a matriarchal world prevails and women impose their rules everywhere apart from sex, but in my opinion film does it in with so much restrain that kills the emotions and you end-up not feeling for any of the characters.

So why do I say that watched for the wrong reasons? As you can see I definitively saw the story but I didn't saw much of the film. If I had been paying more attention to the film then maybe I could have enjoyed it more as surely film is very visual, with slow pace, many silences, performances that speak more with face and body expressions, many symbols to decode -like the use of water-, etc. Exactly the kind of film that mesmerizes me. I know film has all this elements because I realized it after reading about film and recalling scenes that exemplified everything I read. Sigh. No, will not see it again, as the story spoiled film thanks to being so unpleasant.

Can't recommend film to my regular readers that enjoy the lesbian interest genre as probably will not enjoy the unpleasant story; but I know that some of you also enjoy art house movies and if you decide to watch film suggest to try to forget about your lesbian interest expectations and maybe then you will be able to enjoy this restrained melodrama, discreetly lyrical and mildly erotic that yes, has many interesting visuals.

Believe film is suited for those that like art house films, specifically Southern Asian-cinema characterized for a very particular subtle lyrical style.

On second thought maybe I'll watch movie again, but will wait a long time before doing it hoping that time will erase my terrible experience with this film.

Sigh.

Watch trailer @MOC

28th Amanda Awards Winners

A few minutes ago award winners were announced and from news here are the winners. Winners are in *BLUE.

To read winners in all categories go here.

--//--

6/20
Yesterday the Amanda Committee announced the nominations for the yearly Norwegian awards and I can't be more happy as 'rediscovered' a movie with Noomi Rapace that went out of my radar for a while, as matter of fact movie has the most nominations, eight, including one for Rapace in the Best Actress category. These are the nominees.

Best Norwegian Film in Theatrical Release
Babycall (The Monitor), Pål Sletaune
*Få meg på, for faen (Turn Me on, Goddammit!), Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
Kompani Orheim (The Orheim Company), Arlid Andresen
Pushwagner, Even Benestad and August B. Hanssen

Best Director
Morten Tyldum for Hodejegerne (Headhunters)
Arlid Andersen for Kompani Orheim (The Orheim Company)
*Joachim Trier for Oslo, 31. august (Oslo, August 31st)

Best Actress
*Noomi Rapace in Babycall (The Monitor), Pål Sletaune
Helene Bergsholm in Få meg på, for faen (Turn Me on, Goddammit!), Jannicke Systad Jacobsen

Best Actor
*Kristoffer Joner in Kompani Orheim (The Orheim Company), Arlid Andersen
Anders Danielsen Lie in Oslo, 31. august (Oslo, August 31st), Joachim Trier
Sven Nordin in Sønner av Norge (Sons of Norway), Jens Lien
Aksel Hennie in Hodejegerne (Headhunters), Morten Tyldum

Best Foreign Film in Theatrical Release
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
*Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn
Hugo, Martin Scorsese
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson
Play, Ruben Östlund

To check nominees in all categories go here.  Award ceremony will be on August 17 in Haugesund at the opening of the Norwegian International Film Festival, that runs from until August 23.

Mr. Nobody

Sometimes I make really bad decisions. Deciding to skip this film was one of them. I don't like the genre (fantasy/sci-fi), cast -especially lead- did not appeal me and most confusing, an European/Canadian production in English. So I forgot about it even when film did quite good in the 2009/2010 festival season. Big mistake.

This Jaco Van Dormael film is visually stunning, excellent production values, especially fabulous special effects; but what really blew my mind was the story. Then story is told with nonlinear narrative so well-told that have to mention the outstanding editing, that in my opinion and in this case, absolutely facilitates "understanding" the evident plus the not-so-evident chaotic story. Yes movie and story is chaos, fantastic, beautiful-to-watch, engaging and food-for-thought chaos. Last, is impossible not to notice the fabulous soundtrack with recognizable songs/music placed at the right moments to ease all the turbulence you're watching. Bravo! Truly an out of the ordinary cinematic experience.

So after pouring out praise for the movie as a movie let's plunge into the outstanding story written also by Jaco Van Dormael. One word of advice, if you have not seen the movie please stop reading as what follows has inevitable spoilers.

The evident story -told here in a linear way, which is NOT how you will see it in film- is about Nemo, who as a boy has to make a hard choice, a choice that allows the filmmaker to explore two different outcomes. One storyline follows Nemo going with his mother, in the other he stayed with his father. Then no matter the path he follows, narrative is anchored in how Nemo interacts with three women: Anna, Elise and Jean. Add that story spans for about 118 years as "ends" in the year 2092 where the "last mortal" is about to die in live television, which is actually the beginning of the movie and story, where a very old man called Mr. Nobody (Jared Leto) -he doesn't remember his name- tells his story to a reporter. So by now you can say that this story is about parallel lives and is all about choices as in each of the two paths you will find more choices that will split story further. Confused? As far as I read, many viewers stay with this story and end up confused; nevertheless, I found this story fascinating as also is peppered with young Nemo fantasy hammered into an old typewriter while you're able to see it portrayed in the screen. One of the few movies where I find "evident" story to be as good, complete, sufficient and fascinating as the "other" story.

But to me what makes film and story outstanding is that this complex story goes well-beyond the choices/consequences and parallel lives themes. There are a few films that have explored one or the two themes and perhaps one of the best choices-theme film is Tom Tykwer's Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) while Peter Howitt's Sliding Doors represents well the parallel lives theme. Also and even if film is about dreams I believe that Christopher Nolan's Inception not only looks and feels like this movie but also shyly travels similar themes. But what distances Van Dormael film and story from these and other similar movies is that story is deeply rooted in science. So, if you recall (or as a recall-aid pay particular attention to one adult Nemo) your knowledge about several real mathematics, time, and more theories, film story not only uncovers more dimensions but becomes eerie, unsettling and well, philosophical. Then, for me, movie and story transforms from fantasy into possible reality. Amazing and absolutely out of the ordinary. I simply LOVE what I call the "other" story and definitively the merging of both stories makes film quite an intense emotional, yet very brainy, playful ride, being playful the key word.

I could write pages about story and movie production values, but is enough to give a brief idea of how impressive is Van Dormael imagination as a writer but also as a filmmaker that so successfully and amazingly dealt with such a complex story.

Casting and performances are also outstanding and surely is the best I have seen from Jared Leto; but young and adult actors perform quite well as they disappear into their roles and do not interrupt narrative flowing; well, there is one exception. Sarah Polley's character and role perhaps is the most disturbing with her bipolar disorder and she makes it more disturbing with her performance, she's really good performing disturbing characters. Polley (adult Elise) in the screen was the only character that for me interrupted the amazing narrative but was a positive yet disturbing interruption. Kudos to Toby Regbo (Nemo age 15), Juno Temple (Anna age 15), Rhys Ifans (Father Nemo) and less impressed but was good casting, Diane Kruger (Anna adult).

Obviously I recommend movie but not sure if general audiences will enjoy it as this movie first and foremost is an European production with a style that mixes successfully a few European non-commercial styles plus a bit of American commercial style. So if you haven't seen movie yet because you decided to skip it, like I did, suggest you contemplate watching and maybe you will be as surprised as I was.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

2012 World Film Festival

From August 23 to September 3 the A festival will run in Montreal with 432 films from 80 countries: 212 feature films (110 world or international premieres), 16 medium films (12 world or international premieres), 144 short films (94 world or international premieres) and 60 films in the Canadian Student Film Festival.

Festival opening film is Million Dollar Crocodile by Lisheng Lin from China, a comedy that reportedly is China's first monster movie.

The festival has the following sections:

World Competition (features and shorts)
First Films World Competition (features)
Out of Competition (features)
Focus on World Cinema (features and shorts)
Documentaries of the World (features, medium-length films, shorts)
Canadian Student Film Festival (short films)
Loto-Québec Movies Under the Stars (features)
Our Cinema – Review of a year of hits (features)

To read the official press release go here or check the following schedule and film info catalog available in French and English.

Open publication

1st Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum - 60th San Sebastian International Film Festival

In the fest business framework Industry Club one of the events that will take place on September 25 and 26 is this forum open to film projects at the development stage from Latin America and Europe that have a direct link with Latin America: involvement of a Latin American producer, filming locations or another similar formula. Seventeen (17) projects were selected this year from 104 projects entered from 18 countries and project creators will have the opportunity to find contributors to help them in the production and distribution of their films.

Also, by way of continuation to the San Sebastian Forum and thanks to collaboration with the Festival de Cannes Marché du Film and Argentina’s National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), some of these projects will have the opportunity to continue their international trajectory with participation in the Ventana Sur market and in the next edition of the Cannes Producers Network. These events will decisively boost the international promotion of the participating projects.

These are the selected projects.

Aire Libre, Anahí Berneri, Argentina
Claria, Luis Angel Ramírez, Spain and Mexico
Cuando Los Caballos Aprendieron a LLorar, Nicolás Pereda, Mexico and Spain
Chico Ventana También Quisiera Tener Un Submarino, Alex Piperno, Argentina and Uruguay
El Elefante Desaparecido, Javier Fuentes-León, Peru, Colombia and Spain
El Escuadrón de la Muerte-Una Comedia, Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala
Las Malcogidas, Denisse Arancibia, Bolivia
Mi Amiga del Parque, Ana Katz, Argentina
O Homem que Matou Minha Amada Morta, Aly Muritiba, Brazil
El Palomar, Daniel Hendler, Uruguay
Pensé Que Iba a Haber Fiesta, Victoria Galardi, Argentina
Pietá, Iñaki Elizalde, Spain
La Puta Realidad, Gabriela Calvache, Ecuador
Que Viva La Música!, Carlos Moreno, Colombia
Sexo Fácil y Películas Tristes, Alejo Flah, Spain and Argentina
Sin Memoriam, David David, Colombia
Tuya, Edgardo González, Argentina

Can't help but to comment that for me is quite strange that in the above list there is no project from Chile, odd. Nevertheless, let's hope that most of these projects find the much needed resources to finish their films.

60th San Sebastian International Film Festival News

This year the fest reaches a milestone with the celebration of the 60th edition, making it what seems to be the oldest (*) while being the most prestigious festival in the Spanish-speaking world. The fest is the fourth largest in Europe after Venice, Cannes and Berlin.

To honor their anniversary here is a brief fest history.

This year the Festival will be celebrating its 60th consecutive edition with the same enthusiasm felt the day it first saw the light on September 21st 1953. Conceived as an International Film Week for the purpose of screening and marketing films, it was not long before the FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) or IFFPA in English, granted it B status (non-competitive), thanks to the success of its first edition. A year later it was called the International Film Festival, and in 1955 the IFFPA recognized the festival as competitive, specializing in color films. In other words, it could now grant official prizes. This marked the emergence of the "Concha", or shell - at the time only awarded in silver - determined by an international jury.

In 1957 the festival was granted "A" status and the Shell awarded in the main categories turned to gold. The festival symbols became increasingly recognizable, as did the direction the festival was aiming for and still strives for to this day. That is, a tendency towards liberalization, shying away from the corseted censorship of the past, still alive today. The festival's primordial role is to serve as a showcase for each year's most disquieting and innovative films.

Today, the Company FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN is made up in equal parts of the City Council of Donostia-San Sebastian, the Basque Government, the Gipuzkoa Regional Government and the Ministry of Culture, and the chairmanship is held by the Mayor of Donostia-San Sebastian, Mr. Juan Karlos Izagirre. In 2011 José Luis Rebordinos became the director of the festival after being a member of its Management Committee for the previous 15 years.

The 2012 Edition

The festival will run from September 21 to 29 and some films have been already announced but will post lineup when all films are published at the fest official site. While we wait, let's review what festival sections are all about.

Official Selection
A selection of feature films produced worldwide over the year, not yet screened, that meet the conditions established by the FIAPF for festivals classified as “competitive non-specialized”.

New Directors
An international competition for first and second works by their directors. All are examples of the most recent in not-yet-released film production worldwide.

Zabaltegi
An open, heterogeneous section showcasing the biggest and best movies of the year; has two sections.
Zabaltegi Pearls
A selection of the year’s biggest films including some already presented at other festivals.
Zabaltegi Specials
A hugely varied selection of proposals not bound by format, genre or length, where strong cinematic interest prevails.

Horizontes Latinos
A competition between the most interesting Latin American features of the year not previously screened in Spain.

Made in Spain
Non-competitive selection showcasing Spanish films of the year, including productions previously premiered or not in Spain. The Festival offers these films an excellent international launch-pad.

Zinemira
A section on Basque film with the following subsections: Zinemira Premieres (Selection of world premieres mainly produced in the Basque Country), Zinemira Panorama (Overview of the best Basque films of the year), Zinemira Kimuak (selection of Basque short films), Zinemira Works Restored by the Basque Film Library.

Culinary Zinema
Section created in collaboration with the Berlin International Film Festival and jointly organized with the Basque Culinary Center to unite cinema, gastronomy and activities related to food in education, science and agriculture. This section offers a non-competitive selection of gastronomy-related films accompanied by themed dinners.

Velodrome
A hugely popular section screening big premieres to packed sessions in a cinema with seating for an audience of 3,000, cutting-edge screening systems and a giant 400 m² screen. Every morning, the Velodrome is set aside for a kids’ audience. Thanks to an agreement with Basque primary and secondary schools, the Velodrome offers an exclusive programme treating schoolchildren to a film in Basque on the giant screen.

Movies for Kids
A non-competitive section with film premieres specially chosen for younger audiences.

International Film Students Meeting
The meeting gathers students from film schools all over the world to attend screenings of their previously selected shorts, discussions and master classes given by industry professionals. A competition between the short films presented at the meeting will also be called where a student jury, chaired by a prestigious filmmaker, will choose the winner of the Panavision Award and the Agencia Freak Award. The jury will similarly decide the names of the three directors given the opportunity to participate in the Short Film Corner at Cannes.

Retrospectives.
Already announced the Classic retrospective for French filmmaker Georges Franju.
Thematic retrospective will be on New American Comedy with a cycle that includes 20 titles.
Thematic retrospective to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Films in Progress section and Ten Years with Latin American Cinema that will showcase 18 titles from among all those screened at festival during these 10 years

As has become a tradition the fest has very colorful posters for each of its sections and this year perhaps the one that stands among all is the Thematic Retrospective. In Progress. Ten Years with Latin American Cinema section that has an outstanding photo from the film Norteado by Rigoberto Pérezcano. Also is "interesting" that two posters have been released for the New Directors section, one for male directors and other for female directors. These are some of the 2012 posters.

(*)Was not able to confirm from reliable sources if the fest is the oldest in the Spanish-speaking world; but as far as I was able to read, in the Spanish-speaking world there is NO other festival founded before 1953, so probably it is.

65th Locarno Film Festival Award Winners

This year I followed the fest with their mobile apps as well as with the social sites plus the official site; even do they implemented an extensive internet strategy, I believe that they somehow forgot about making more accessible the fest info as the only way you could see the competition and other sections list was with an arid .pdf file. Hope next year they come back to a more user friendly format with info available in a more traditional way. Sigh.

Today the fest had their awards ceremony and here are the winners that you can check at the official site here.

International Competition

Golden Leopard for Best Film: La Fille de Nulle Part (The Woman from Nowhere), Jean-Claude Brisseau, France

Special Jury Prize: Somebody Up There Likes Me, Bob Byington, USA
Silver Leopard for Best Director: Ying Lian for Wo Hai You Hua Shuo (When Night Falls), South Korea and China
Silver Leopard for Best Actress: An Nai in Wo Hai You Hu Shuo (When Night Falls), Ying Liang, South Korea and China
Silver Leopardfor Best Actor: Walter Saavel in Der Glanz des Tages (The Shine of Day), Rainer Frimmel and Tizza Covi, Austria

Special Mention: To the extraordinary character CANDY from the film A Última Vez Que Vi Macau (The Last Time I Saw Macao), João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata, Portugal and France due to her powerful presence through absence which resonated for the Jury as representing the immense courage of Portuguese cinema in times when the failures of government and social systems threaten the cinematic arts worldwide.

Cineasti del Presente (First or second film)

Golden Leopard: 祈 Inori, Pedro González-Rubio, Japan
Best Director: Joel Potrykus for Ape, USA
Special Jury Prize: Not In Tel Aviv, Nony Geffen, Israel
Special Mention: Tectonics, Peter Bo Rappmund, USA

Opera Prima

Best First Feature: Ji Yi Wang Zhe Wo (Memories Look At Me), Song Fang, China
Special Mention: Ape by Joel Potrykus, USA

Other Awards
Audience Award: Lore, Cate Shortland, Germany, Australia and UK
Variety Piazza Grande Award: Camille Redouble, Noémie Lvovsky, France

Independent Juries Awards

FIPRESCI Prize: Leviathan, Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, UK, France and USA
CICAE: Museum Hours, Jem Cohen, Austria and USA

FICC/IFFS Prize: Der Glanz des Tages (The Shine of Day), Rainer Frimmel and Tizza Covi, Austria
Special Mention: Leviathan, Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, UK, France and USA

Ecumenical Prize: Une Estonienne à Paris (A Lady In Paris), Ilmar Raag, France, Estonia and Belgium
Special Mention: Der Glanz des Tages (The Shine of Day), Rainer Frimmel and Tizza Covi, Austria

Junior Jury Awards
First Prize: Startlet, Sean Baker, USA
Second Prize: Mobile Home, François Pirot, Belgium and Luxembourg
Third Prize: Compliance, Craig Zobel, USA
Environment is Quality of Life Prize: The End of Time, Peter Mettler, Switzerland and Canada
Special Mentions
Image Problem, Simon Baumann and Andreas Pfiffner, Switzerland
Berberian Sound Studio, Peter Strickland, UK, Germany and Australia

Cinema & Gioventù Jury Prize - Concorso Cineasti del presente: Boa Sorte, Meu Amor (Good Luck, Sweetheart), Daniel Aragao, Brazil

Semaine de la Critique: Vergis Mein Nicht, Davic Sieveking, Germany
Premio Zonta Club Locarno: Dance of Outlaws, Mohamed El Baoudi, Finland and Norway

Pardi di Domani (Short Films)

International Competition
Golden Pardino -Best Short Film: The Mass of Men, Gabriel Gauchet, UK
Silver Pardino: Yaderni Wydhody (Nuclear Waste), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine
Special Mention: Los Retratos (Portraits), Iván D. Gaona, Colombia
Locarno short film nominee for the European Film Awards: Back of Beyond, Michael Lennox, UK
The Film und Video Untertitelung Prize: O Que Arde Cura (As Flames Rose), João Rui Guerra da Mata, Portugal

National Competition
Golden Pardino - Best Swiss Short Film:  Radio-Actif (Radio-Active), Nathan Hofstetter, Switzerland
Silver Pardino: L'Amour Begue (Stammering Love), Jan Czarlewski, Switzerland
Premio Action Light for Best Swiss Newcomer: Il Vulcano (The Volcano), Alice Riva, Switzerland

Cinema & Gioventù Jury Prize - Pardi di domani
Best International Short Film: Back of Beyond, Michael Lennox, UK
Special Mention: Serce Do Walki, Tomek Matuszczak, Poland
Best Swiss Short Film: L'Amour Begue, Jan Czarlewski, Switzerland

To read all awards you have to download a .pdf file with the official selection plus the Independent Juries awards.

I'm a bit surprised with the top award as unless film is absolutely different to his previous films it's impossible for me to imagine how Jean-Claude Brisseau could win the top award at any festival. But there are a few interesting movies like Song Fang's Memories Look at Me produced by Jia Zhangke, the audience winner with a puzzling story that calls my attention, and Inori that I read a few days back that is produced by none other than Naomi Kawase with Mexican Pedro González-Rubio directing.