Here's what I viewed 8-10 June.....
SCENT OF MANDARIN---France---A bodice ripper set in the early 1900's has a nurse with an illegitimate daughter being hired by a one legged military officer--forced into retirement due to his injury. She has a feminist sensibility, and as their relationship grows, they finally decide to marry, with a major prenuptial agreement (sex on Tuesdays only!) and other restrictions. Scarred by war (she lost her lover and daughter's father to the Great War, too) the two manage to find some semblance of love and happiness while struggling through their personal demons. This film has "passion" as it's theme, along with humor, drama, suspense, infidelity and a sumptuous setting with great music and photography. GRADE------- A-
BEING 17---France---Marred only by some hand held camera segments in the first half hour, this splendid coming of age drama features two teen boys who cannot stand each other when they first meet, and spend most of the first year fighting, literaly, while being forced to share time together as one lives far from school in the country and his mother is frail with a pregnancy and in the hospital. His mother's doctor is the other teen's mother, so it is decided that both boys will live with her in the city. The doctor and her son must deal with the absence of their husband/father, away in the military. The tensions between the teens slowly melt, and as the old saying goes, there is a thin line between love and hate. This subtle, refreshingly honest and intelligent portrait seems to trandcend subject matter, and is one of the strongest films (visually and dramatically ) at SIFF this year. GRADE------A-
THE BACCHUS LADY---South Korea--Actress Youn Yuh-jung gives an heroic portrayal as a mature prostitute trying to make ends meet in her golden years. Along with her efforts to find a young boys mother, and taking care of her neighbors, she finds that along with sexual services, there is a growing need for another type of service among her older male clients, which she handles with respect and dignity. The final shot of the film is sadly shocking, a reminder that those living on the fringes of society, despite having lived a purposeful life, are doomed to lonliness and soon forgotten. GRADE------B+
DRAGON INN--Taiwan---1967---One of director King Hu's early successes as he combines fine storytelling with exciting martial arts sequences. This one doesn't depend so much on special efforts like flying through the air or gigantic leaps (although there is a bit of that by one character) but is more grounded in reality, and became for me a terrific entertainment. GRADE------B+
CHICKEN PEOPLE---U.S.A----An unlikely crowd pleaser, this documentry about chickens and the people who breed them with the hope of winning Best of Show awards at chicken competions, was informative and exciting and entertaining. Did you know that there are over 150 different types of chickens in the world, and many of them are gorgeous creatures. GRADE-------B
AWAITING--aka LA ADOPCION--Spain/Lithuania--A fine story of a Spanish couple who travel to Lithuania to adopt a healthy child, and are greeted along the way with missing baggage, changes to their wish list, corrupt and lying officials, language barriers, and personal stresses. Having been involved in the process, and knowing several couples who have gone through the experience, I can plainly state that this film hits the nail squarely on the head, although it could have used some artistic flourishes to put over the tensions, since it almost feels filmed like a documentary, which it is not. GRADE-----B
MIDDLEMAN---U.S.A.---We are in dark, comedic Coen brothers here---think BLOOD SIMPLE, FARGO and NO PLACE FOR OLD MEN, although I'd say Coen light would be more appropiate. A devoted middle aged son, his mother recently dead, takes to the road toward stand up heavan, specifically Las Vegas, but is detoured in a small town about 100 miles away, where he gets involved in murder, bodies, blood and horror. I enjoyed the (sometimes sick) humor and the plot is at times clever, although the pacing felt a bit slow, and the believability factor waivers from right on to no
way at times. GRADE-------B-
THE FITS---U.S.A.--Set in a community center, a young black teen age girl joins a dance group of older peers, but strangely, one by one, these girls come down with seisures while practicing, something like an epileptic fit. Poisoned water from the pipes is blamed, but the mystery remains. I enjoyed watching these frenetic dances, and the young lead is terrific, but the film feels under developed and the story is slight. GRADE-----------C+
THE COOP--Turkey--A woman with three children--one an infant--is diagnosed with tuberculosis and told she has not long to live, so she begs her husband to marry a healthy woman to raise her kids. He does so, but a few months later she recovers and comes back to live in the house, where naturally tensions arise between the two women. The film is OK but a bit underwhelming. GRADE----C+
ARIANNA--Italy---We are told at the beginning of this film that Arianna was "reborn" three times. First as a boy, then three years later as a girl, and another rebirth before turning 20. She is discovering that she is different from other girls, and uses this summer vacation (at a lovely summer home) to try sex, and ultimately learns about her body. Intersexuality is an important and interesting subject, but in this film, the discussions are oblique and the really important scenes like the medical discovery moment are NOT in the film. The viewer is left to ponder discussions that never take place, and we seem to already know what Arianna does not. Unfortunately, a bit of a bore. GRADE--------C
ALL THE BIRDS HAVE FLOWN SOUTH---U.S.A---If you see the trailer for this film, you will have seen the whole film. A peeping Tom pervert fantasizes about a white trash, drug addicted, married waitress, and insinuates himself into their lives. The film is unpleasant to watch, partly because there is no one to root for, and partly because the characters themselves are so disgusting--the sick husband is abusive, and has weeping sores on his feet. The wife snuffs drugs in every other scene, then snuffs her nose continuously in other scenes. Camera work and actors are fine, but ----Yuck. GRADE-----------D+
DAWN--Stunning black and white photography and creative camera tricks cannot save this chaotic, hysterical story of a young boy who turns in his father for murdering his mother. Sound good? The first 30 minutes consists of a constantly screaming baby in the back ground, the drunken father smashing all the dishes in the commune, beating his housemates and son, and then there is a lot of running and screaming through fields, into mud, climbing mountains, all the while screaming slogans denouncing communism, praising the "collective farm commune" about a dozen times, and there are literly hundreds of people in these scenes, running and screaming every which way. At that point I fled the theatre for some sunshine. GRADE-------D
MUCH LOVED--Morocco/France--A group of whining prostitutes live together and complain about sex, men, clients, and life. Most of the men in the film are brutal abusers and pigs, yet these women continue to service them at drug induces parties and on the street. There is no hope, answers, enlightenment or solutions here. Worst of all is the continuous and obnixous hand held camera work that is miserable to watch. GRADE-------D
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