The Troublesome Remake
I would not normally like to write such a reactionary piece, I know that because I have not seen, nor will I see, the film in question: Nine, that my point will be considered void by many people. I might be making assumptions about the film, and I may be proved wrong, however this argument goes beyond the film which caused this debate. While remakes are rife in the industry and have been for a long time, I only want to speak up now because they are doing something I thought would never happen, Hollywood is remaking my favourite film: 8½.
M (1931) Film Focus
Renowned German director Fritz Lang took his first steps into “the talkies” with M; a frightfully honest depiction of psychological and social unrest. Possibly one of Fritz Lang’s greatest achievements in cinema history, M was a significant junction is his career. After Lang’s silent science fiction Woman in the Moon (1929) was a failure due to sound cinema being in full swing, he needed to move forward and introduce sound into his art. Released not long before the rule of Nazi Germany (which would find Lang leaving his homeland), M embodies the dramatic changes to come politically within Germany and within cinema itself.
Mental (2008) Review
Kazuhiro Soda’s documentary on a mental health clinic in Japan observes patients and staff in great depth. Patients gradually unravel their stories and how the clinic has helped them. Never relenting the films shows all, the camera never quits. Dr. Masatomo Yamamoto is seen as a God in the eyes of his patients and a hero to everyone else, he has sacrificed everything to give those with mental illness the care and attention they need. If Mental has one objective, it’s to make it clear that the world (or at least Japan) needs more people like Dr. Masatomo Yamamoto. Even Kazuhiro Soda is given a God like quality for he is one of the few individuals not afraid of them and willing to listen to their tales. Most of the patients stories are unextraordinary apart from a charismatic poet’s insightful and well expressed views on life, they’ll fill you with wonder.
While too much time is spent capturing every moment no matter how mundane, through the madness there is still a desire to live, and to live as easily and peacefully as possible. With money and the quality of mental health care being cut in Japan, Mental is a final cry for help to stop ignoring those who are most vulnerable, to give them a voice and listen to everything they have to offer. It’s not all completely crazy.
Easier with Practice (2009) Review
Davy Mitchell is your stereotypical geeky intellectual. He totes glasses, has an uneven haircut and inept social skills. He’s just released a collection of short stories called ‘Things People Do to Each Other’ and is on a road-trip with his brother to promote the book. Davy’s brother is his polar opposite, he’s cocky and always gets the women who Davy is unable to pull himself. Fate plays Davy a hand and one night he receives a phone call from a sultry woman who, much to his surprise, initiates phone sex. A relationship evolves from these mysterious phone calls and Davy begins to learn about what it is to love and to live.
Being witness to Davy’s skills with the ladies is often cringe-worthy, but that’s half the fascination, watching something you secretly wish to avert your eyes (and ears) from. Easier with Practice is soft and sweet, a tender glance at every aspect of Davy’s tragic life, from his old grey sweater to his tiny apartment where he eats froot loops. It’s easy to laugh at this antihero, however it’s easier to sympathize with his complex emotions and the dilemmas he has to face.
Unflinching long shots bring tension to what Davy admits to being a boring road-trip. Instead of finding freedom, he finds himself suffocated by a love that can never be real. Easier with Practice offers an ambiguous character study with natural casting and dialogue which leads exactly where you expect it, clinging to the cliché that love is blind.
Tulpan (2008) Review
Dreamer and eternal optimist, Asa embarks on his goal of owning a steppe, herd, and finding a wife to aid him. To Asa the desolate landscape of rural Kazakhstan is awash with opportunity, in reality it’s depleted of available women. Tulpan is the name of the only unmarried woman left and she’s not very fond of Asa, she refuses to see or speak to him. Nonetheless, Asa falls in love and aims to woo her so he can begin the life he’s always dreamed of.
Documentary director Sergei Dvortsevoy naturally brings a touch of realism when capturing life on a Kazakh steppe. Every character (and animal) is lovingly crafted, no matter how minor, and given a memorably unique personality which radiates amongst the harsh conditions. Even the vicious and beautiful landscape is given a life of its own via the roar of the wind and the dance of a sandstorm.
Gentle comedy, served deadpan, slips seamlessly into an already heart-warming story. Charismatic performances help you sympathize with Asa’s desires and the pleasures of living on barren plains. Tulpan might not knock you over with feel-good feelings, however it gets under your skin as a film about a way of life, one where no matter how tough, you should never give up on your dreams. In a wondrous moment, as we witness a lamb’s birth, Tulpan breathes new life into the film and it becomes more than a light-hearted comedy about unrequited love, it transforms into a serious piece of cinema.
Treeless Mountain (2008) Review
Treeless Mountain is a picturesque portrait of childhood at its most painful and delightful. Sisters Jin (Hee-yeon Kim) and Bin (Song-hee Kim) are left at their aunt’s house while their mother attempts to find their father. Their mother gives them a large red piggy-bank and the children are told if they’re well behaved they’ll get coins, and once they’ve filled the pig, she’ll come home. With little support from their aunt they are left to their own devices as they attempt to find money for their piggy and bring their mother home.
The acting from the children is phenomenal. Jin, the eldest, carries the heaviest burden when her mother leaves, having to care for her little sister while she grieves for her loss. The wealth of emotions she experiences are not expressed through words, but are drawn from her face and amplified by close-up cinematography. Jin’s face fills the screen with feelings of hope and longing for her mother’s return.
Free from any explosive drama, Treeless Mountain slowly casts its lens over poignant memories of barbecued grasshoppers, climbing heaps of rubble, peeling garlic, and the ever changing appearance of the sky. The plot is limited, with little motivation and no strong conclusions, it may be prone to lull viewers to sleep. However, should you allow you’re eyes to be drawn into Jin and Bin’s lives, Treeless Mountain is abundant with cherishable subtleties to be enjoyed.
Desire (2009) Review
Ralph (Oscar Pearce) is an agoraphobic writer who desperately needs to complete his screenplay. His wife is preoccupied with her career as a soap-star, but he has new plans for her: a part in his film. She will be playing herself in a story based on their life, and she will play alongside their new au pair, Nene (Tella Kpomahou), who is the object of his desires. The moment Ralph hits the keyboard and the writing begins, the film begins, and the line between fact and fiction is blurred.
Desire attempts to discover the power of desire and how it effects our lives and creativity. Nene becomes an obsession for Ralph, and so does the idea of desire, how it both inspires and destroys. The tease of not knowing what is reality and what is Ralph’s script is intriguing and a platform for quickly delivered comedy. The moment it attempts to confuse you it throws in a witty line to great comedic effect. However, the confusion really lies in the motives of the characters which are simply unbelievable. Ralph is egotistical and all his desires are focused on Nene’s flesh. He contemplates the nature and meaning of desire, but while it remains only a sexual one, its depth is shallow. Desire fights its way through the claustrophobic sexual battlefield, but due to frequent unbearable dialogue and deplorable characters, Ralph’s screenplay becomes more soap-opera than cinematic masterpiece.
Navidad (2009) Review
Aurora (Manuela Martelli) and Ale (Diego Ruiz) are a young couple who are escaping their families this Christmas, they break into an empty house and make themselves at home. The two have grown distant and they fight and bicker over their feelings for one another. When they find a sick girl hidden in the greenhouse they take her under their wing and the three begin an unconventional relationship. Together they help each other through their problems and discover where their lives should go from there.
Navidad lingers on precious moments of troubled and inhibited adolescence. Sebastián Campos exposes beautiful teens taking those tentative steps into adulthood with maturity and sensitivity. The three teens are not only the central characters, they exist in the film almost entirely alone, meanwhile the camera is flirting with them just as much as they are with each other. Stunningly shot, Navidad offers a picturesque view of family issues and young love. While such a subject has already been explored numerous times in cinema, Navidad might not offer anything new, but it does present three strong individuals with enough quirky nuances to hold your gaze. Depth quickly unfolds from nothing and as each character’s personal narrative is gradually chipped away at, it brims with empowerment and warmth. The film is filled with endless musing, shot at a leisurely pace, with a threesome of daddy-issues aided by a superb cast; it all comes together as a neatly wrapped gift tied tightly with a ribbon.
The Agent (2008) Review
‘Black’ is the latest novel by Stephen Parker: a nervous, timid writer who’s desperate to see his book published. Just one man stands in his way: the agent, an egotistical number-cruncher who has no time to read manuscripts and has no interest in the soul that lies within the novel. Stephen has battled long and hard to get a meeting with his agent, and now he’s finally there, he won’t back down without a fight. The two set off on a day long battle of wit and determination, each will use whatever tricks they can muster to seal a deal.
A sharp criticism of the cruel publishing industry, The Agent becomes a relentless rant on how a desire for profit blinds the industry to possible works of art. As The Agent makes clear, because of the tribulations an artist has to go through to get noticed, it’s almost terrifying to think of the body of work that remains unrecognised. However, both characters invoke sympathy and animosity, each a victim of the industry rather than the perpetrator.
For a film which is nothing more than a barrage of conversation on the deplorable state of the publishing industry, it’s strangely compelling. Once everything that could possibly be said on the subject has been said, the events that unravel become immensely satisfying. The Agent is imbued with passion and anger, and like Stephen Parker, after seeing the agent, you’ll be seeing red.
Cambridge Film Festival 2009
As of today, the 17th Septermber 2009, the 29th Cambridge Film Festival will be underway. 11 days of some of the best new independent and foreign cinema with a dash of old favourites revisited, short films, documentaries, and special features. It’s one of the largest film festivals in the UK and worth visiting for anyone in or around the area. The Film Festival website says:
First established in 1977, the Cambridge Film Festival Festival has been committed to delivering high quality independent films to the widest possible audience. Bold and imaginative in its presentation of films, the Festival embraces the latest technology, while also showcasing its passion for the heritage of cinema.
Since 2007, the Festival has been run by a registered charity, the Cambridge Film Trust, as the highlight of a year-round programme of events that aim to bring challenging and provocative cinema to Cambridge and the Eastern region.
I will be visiting as it’s an event I have attended for many years and is partially responsible for my passion in cinema. Sadly I can only see as many films as my budget and time will allow me, but I will be attempting to report on everything I see. I will also be reviewing some films for the Film Festival Daily, where you can get full coverage on the entire festival.
