Mouton (Sheep). by Gilles
Deroo and Marianne
Pistou, France, 2013, is a leisurely film, that begins with a young man
with the title's nickname, working as a chef's assistant in a restaurant in
a small seaside town in Normandy. We watch his daily working life, meet his
friends, and his girlfriend, and watch the time go by. A tragedy occurs,
which changes his life. It is a slow moving, interesting view of a small
town existence.
Dear
White People, byJustin Simien,
USA, 2014, take place on the campus of a fictitious university, where blacks
and whites appear to live separate lives. In this overlong, pretentious
film, every cliche about black and white relationships is uttered. The
actors are attractive, but the acting is mediocre.
The
Babadook, by Jennifer
Kent, Australia, 2014, is a horror story about a mentally deranged widow
and her spoilt small child, who thinks their are monsters in his bedroom.
After she read him a children's book Mister
Babadook, the monster begins to appear. It is quite a scary film, and
people who have nightmares should be warned in advance. The acting is first
rate, and the film is unforgettable
History of Fear (Historia de Miedo), by Benjamin
Naishtat, Argentina/Uruguay/France/Germany/Qatar, 2014, jumps from scene
to scene without any apparent meaning. It is supposed to be about rich,
sheltered families, being isolated in their gated, guarded communities, and
possibly afraid of outsiders, but the characters and their actions make very
little sense.
The
Japanese Dog, by Tudor
Cristian Jurgiu, Romania, 2013, is about a lonely widower (a lovely
performance by Victor
Rebengiuc), whose house was damaged by a flood. His estranged son, now
married to a Japanese wife, with a young son, returns to the little village
to visit his father. Slowly, they reunite in this charming film, whose title
refers to a small, robotic toy that the grandchild gives to his grandfather
as a parting gift. The film is one of the highlights of the festival
Quod
Erat Demonstrandum, by Andrei
Gruzsniczki, Romania, 2013, takes place in 1983 in the communist
controlled police state. A mathematician wants to have his theories
published abroad, and hopes to have a friend take his papers to France,
where she hopes to be reunited with her husband. The pressure for her to
receive a passport, and the investigation by the secret police which
suspects everyone of harmful activities against the state, is the theme of
this intense drama. It is an excellent, well acted film, and another
highlight of the festival.
To
Kill a Man, by Alejandro
Fernandez Almendras, Chile/France, 2014, is based on a true story, about
a working class family being harassed and bullied by a big lout, who seems
to be obsessed with making their lives miserable. After the daughter is
sexually abused and the police action is ineffective, the father takes his
revenge. It is another grim tale, that is not particularly interesting.
Stop
the Pounding Heart, by Roberto
Minervini, Belgium/Italy/USA, 2013, is like a documentary, which focuses
on a home schooled adolescent girl, who lives in Texas with her goat rearing
family. We see her milk the goats, deliver the milk, sell cheese at fairs,
and she hangs around a group of young cowboys, who ride bulls in local
arenas. We assume she might marry one of them in the future. Their Christian
beliefs are emphasized during the film, where it is the duty of the wife to
submit to the husband, and we see the mother constantly indoctrinating the
family with quotes from the bible. It seems like propaganda for a certain
way of life.
The
Double, by Richard
Ayoade, USA, 2014, is a grim, gloomy nightmare of a story, as Jesse
Eisenberg plays a nervous
worker in a miserable office inhabited by elderly workers. The depressing
atmosphere changes slightly with the arrival of his extroverted, aggressive
double (also played by Eisenberg), who seeks to take over his life. It is a
another silly, unbelievable story.
A
Spell to Ward Off the Darkness, by Ben
Rivers and Ben Russell,
Estonia/France, 2013, is film in three parts, none of which seem to be
related to each other. There are many moments of silent scenes, some
photographically beautiful,
but mainly boring. When the unattractive naked hippies have banal
conversations, it only adds to the boredom. I have not the slightest idea
what this film is about
Buzzard, by Joel
Potrykus, USA, 2014, is about a worthless young man, who works as an
office temp in a company, where he steals equipment to resell, and other
people's checks, which he fraudulently cashes. When he fears that the police
will be after him. his downward spiral follows. He is not a particularly
likable person, but it is interesting to see what happens to him.
MoMA is
presenting Vienna Unveiled: A
City in Cinema through April 20. Oh...Rosalinda,
by Michael
Powell and Emeric
Pressburger, Great Britain, 1955, is a thoroughly delightful, updated
film version of the beautiful operetta Die
Fledermaus, by Johann
Strauss. It features many wonderful stars of that period, Anton
Walbrook, Michael Redgrave, Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Dennis Price and
the adorable Ludmilla
Tcherina. It takes place during the four Allied Powers' occupation of
Vienna after World War II, and much of the music is maintained, performed by
superb singers and dancers. It is a splendid production.
MoMA's ongoing An Auterist
History of Film presented The
Servant, by Joseph
Losey, Great Britain, 1963, with a screenplay by Harold
Pinter, is clever, intelligent film, about an upper class single man (James
Fox), who hires a servant (Dirk
Bogarde) for his new house. The servant brings his supposed sister (Saran
Miles) into the house as a maid, where she seduces the master. We see
the change take place between master and servant, where the roles are
reversed as alcohol plays a role. Indirectly, the film is an attack on the
class system in England. It is a very fine film.