TIFF08—CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

With yesterday's official announcement of the full line-up for the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, I can finally begin to effectively obsess. And with 312 films from 64 countries screening at TIFF08, including 249 feature-length films, 76 per cent of which are world, international or North American premieres, and 61 of which are feature directorial debuts … well, needless to say, there's a lot to obsess about.

Never let it be said, however, that I am not methodical in my obsessions. I begin with a preliminary review of the Contemporary World Cinema sidebar, with special thanks to Bay Area filmbud Carole Rutherford whose raids on IMdb and Wikipedia got me motivated. I also shout out to my Evening Class cohort Michael Hawley, the Twitch and Row Three teams, Dave Hudson at The Greencine Daily, Darren Hughes at 1st Thursday, the crew around Girish Shambu's water cooler, and Anthony Kaufman at indieWIRE for their welcome recommendations. This will be a slightly amoebic entry that gains mass as recommendations pour in. That being said, recommendations welcome!

Off the cuff—being an avid supporter of Spanish cinema—I'm intrigued by José Luis Cuerda's Blind Sunflowers (Los Girasoles ciegos), primarily because it features one of my favorite Spanish actresses and spooky Simón from The Orphanage (Maribel Verdú, Roger Príncep). Also, I found Juan Carlos Tabío's Strawberry and Chocolate both sexy and hilarious so I'm primed for more sensuous laughs with Horn of Plenty. And after the visually stunning Bonbon El Perro, I'll look through any cinematic window with Carlos Sorin.

Having seen both Ramin Bahrani's Man Push Cart and Chop Shop, I'm keen to his compassionate observations of marginalized lives and anticipate that Goodbye Solo will not disappoint. With a cast that includes Juliette Binoche, Jérémie Rénier and the incomparable Edith Scob, I'm curious what kind of B-movie vibe might be present in Olivier Assayas's most recent L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours). Impressed with last year's Jar City, and appreciative of his production credits on The Amazing Truth of Queen Raquela, I'm inclined to check out Baltasar Kormakur's Brúðguminn (White Night Wedding). As a board member on The Global Film Initiative, I'm steeped in Indonesian auteur Garin Nugroho (Of Love & Eggs, Opera Jawa) and am anxious to follow through with Under the Tree to monitor his strengthening creativity. Upon Anthony Kauffman's recommendations, I've become interested in Two-Legged Horse and Treeless Mountain; the latter especially because Girish Shambu introduced me to So Yong Kim's In Between Days, which I very much enjoyed.

I could roost fully in the World Cinema selection and will have to make some difficult decisions to sample TIFF08's multiple sidebars.

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33 Scenes from Life (33 chwile z życia)—Malgoska Szumowska, Germany/Poland. Szumowska's debut film, likewise written by the director, is set in Cologne and stars German actress Julia Jentsch (Sophie Scholl). Though her performance required dubbing, Szumowska earnestly defends her casting of Jentsch in an interview granted Gazeta Wyborcza (translated by Euro/topics via The Greencine Daily). At its world premiere at the 2008 Locarno Film Festival 33 Scenes won the Grand Prix-Silver Leopard (Special Jury Prize) and the Youth Jury Second Prize. Synopsis: Julia is a beloved daughter and wife, and a successful photographer. But the pieces of her happy life begin to fall apart all around her, beginning with the death of the family dog. When Julia's mother is diagnosed with cancer, her husband—a famous composer—is of no help, spending most of his time abroad, while her father seems to need help even more than she does. Sickness and death from a close perspective are much more absurd, nonsensical and ridiculous than Julia expected. Cineuropa offers an alternate synopsis. Dispatching to FIPRESCI and taking the film straight into her heart despite some noted flaws, Emma Gray Munthe praises how Szumowska makes creating real life look easy, capturing "life as it is."

$5 a Day—Nigel Cole, USA. When Nat (Christopher Walken)—a free-spirited hustler who boasts he can live on $5 a day—calls to say he's dying and needs a drive to New Mexico for a dubious cure, his son Flynn (Alessandro Nivola) reluctantly agrees. Also starring Amanda Peet and Sharon Stone. Cinematical profiles the casting of Christopher Walken in the lead role. Bad jokes abound about how he's lowered his rates. World Premiere.

Acne—Federico Veiroj, Uruguay/ Argentina/Spain/ Mexico. At age 13, Rafael loses his virginity thanks to arrangements made by his older brother. His first kiss, however, proves harder to get. Featured in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes 08. "Familiar themes get a fresh spin in well-crafted coming-of-ager Acne, an assured feature debut from Uruguayan writer-helmer Federico Veiroj," writes Alissa Simon in Variety. "Low-key serio-comic drama about a 13-year-old Jewish boy adjusting to bad skin, raging hormones and dysfunctional family builds on his prizewinning short As Follows. It also displays influence of the Control Z production team responsible for 2004 charmer Whisky." In the Hollywood Reporter, Peter Brunette finds Acne "modest to the point of invisibility, but not without its small charms."

Adela—Adolfo Alix Jr. (Donsol), Philippines. Adela is celebrating her 80th birthday. She tries to treat it like any other day, going out on her normal daily routines. But, desperately longing for her family, Adela cannot hide her loneliness. A deeply compassionate portrait of the plight of the elderly in the Philippines, anchored by a bravura lead performance by veteran actress Anita Linda. Notes Francis Cruz: "Ever since Alix debuted his first feature film Donsol in the 2006 edition of Cinemalaya, he has never stopped working, directing at least nine feature films during the span of three years. The screening of Alix's Adela coincides with the festival's tribute to Anita Linda, an actress who works just as hard as Alix, having appeared in more than a hundred movies since before the early 40's up to the present."

All Around Us—Ryosuke Hashiguchi, Japan. At work, Kanao, a courtroom portrait artist, silently observes the highest-profile crimes and scandals of the 1990s. At home, amid the joys of marriage, he quietly observes his wife's first pregnancy. But when their child dies, Kanao must support his ailing spouse as she sinks into depression, guiding her toward recovery in the face of tragedy. Jason Gray blogs on the film from Tokyo.

Blind Sunflowers (Los Girasoles ciegos)—José Luis Cuerda, Spain. A year after Spanish Civil War, a family is forced to lie and keep up appearances as they become divided by internal struggles and external pressure. Explores the darkness of the post-civil war era, the effects of repression and the terrible consequences of the abuse of power.

Cloud 9 (Wolke 9)—Andreas Dresen (Summer in Berlin), Germany. Inge, a happily married woman in her 60s, finds herself one day tumbling into the arms of another man. Rejuvenated by a passion she has not felt in years, Inge informs both her husband and her daughter of the affair, but does not know how to handle their appalled response to the shocking news. At The Greencine Daily Dave Hudson gathers reviews from Cannes where Cloud 9 screened as part of the Critics Week. North American Premiere.

The Country Teacher—Bohdan Sláma (Something Like Happiness, Wild Bees), Czech Republic/Germany/France. When a gifted young teacher takes a job at a grammar school in the country, he quickly forms a strong bond with Marie, a local farm owner. But their friendship is challenged by the arrival of the teacher's jealous ex-lover from the city, who, upon discovering that the teacher is harboring a secret affection for Marie's 17-year-old son, plots to expose him.

Country Wedding (Sveitabrúðkaup)—Valdís Óskarsdóttir, Iceland. A motley crew of wedding guests is loaded onto two buses bound for a remote church one hour outside of Reykjavík. But no one actually knows where the chapel is, and everyone is either too proud or too embarrassed to ask for directions. International Premiere.

Dernier Maquis—Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, France/Algeria. Dubbed "Mao" for his crafty management strategy of feigned benevolence, a truck yard owner (director Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche) decides to build an on-site mosque for his mostly Muslim employees. When debate and division begins to spread among the workers, their varying personality quirks and competing philosophies begin to emerge. Screened in the Directors Fortnight, Cannes 08, where it was reviewed for Screen Daily by Howard Feinstein and The Hollywood Reporter by Duane Byrge. North American Premiere.

L'Empreinte de l'ange (Mark of an Angel)—Safy Nebbou, France. While picking up her son at a birthday party, Elsa (Catherine Frot) finds her entire world turned upside down. Believing Lola, a little girl at the party, to be her daughter, Elsa ends up in a head-to-head confrontation with the girl's mother (Sandrine Bonnaire). Reviewing the film for Screen Daily, Lisa Nesselson states this psychological duel "packs a punch." International Premiere.

Un Été sans point ni coup sûr—Francis Leclerc, QC. Montreal's got a new baseball club. A 12-year-old boy dreams of making the neighborhood team. When he gets cut, his dad steps in, sets up a team, and they spend a summer to remember—for both of them. Reviewed by Simon Laperriere for Twitch.

Fear Me Not (Den du frygter)—Kristian Levring (King Is Alive), Denmark. Desperate to change his life, 42-year-old Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) signs up for clinical trials for a new anti-depressant. But when tests are abandoned due to discovery of serious side effects, he decides to continue the experiment on his own. Intoxicated by a new sense of self control, he feels an urge to take control of other people's lives as well. Slowly, his minor psychological games grow more drastic and frequent, until Michael makes a discovery that forces him to view his actions in a terrifying new light. World Premiere.

A Film with Me in It—Ian Fitzgibbon, Ireland. Mark, a struggling actor, has just been through the ordeal of yet another fruitless audition. With his girlfriend about to walk out and his landlord ready to evict him, Mark has only his friend Pierce and their joint ambition of writing a career-breaking film to keep him going. Leslie Felperin reviews this "gleefully cruel Irish black comedy" for Variety; Genevieve Savage for Picture Show Pundits; Scott Morris for The Oneliner. North American Premiere.

Firaaq—Nandita Das (Before the Rains), India. Directorial debut of actress, traces emotional journey of those caught up in the religious clashes that took place in early 2002. Set one month after the violent events came to an end, story unfolds over 24 hours, exploring the impact of violence on the human psyche, on relationships, and on one's ability to remain hopeful in the face of tragedy. World Premiere.

Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen)—Ole Christian Madsen (Kira's Reason—A Love Story), Denmark/Germany. The true story of two resistance fighters—code-named Flame and Citron—in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, charged with the task of killing informers. But any sense of just cause is challenged when Flame is ordered to execute his girlfriend, Ketty. Highly anticipated by Todd Brown at Twitch. International Premiere.

The Ghost (Domovoy)—Karen Oganesyan, Russia. Hatching a most unusual plan to overcome his writer's block, successful writer Anton hires "Ghost," an assassin whose exploits Anton hopes will reinvigorate his moribund imagination. But little does he know, Ghost is setting him up to take the fall for a murder. Todd Brown at Twitch is impressed by the initial teasers. International Premiere.

Goodbye Solo—Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop), USA. Dramatizes the friendship between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William, who will be played by Elvis Presley "Memphis Mafia" member Red West in his first starring role. The cab driver tries to convince the elderly man not to go through with his plans to jump off a mountain. Kauffman recommendation. North American Premiere.

El Greco—Iannis Smaragdis, Greece/Spain/Hungary. Epic tale of an uncompromising artist and fighter for freedom, known to the world as El Greco in 16th-century search for liberty and love across Europe. Never backing down, led on a quest to confront his greatest adversary: the Holy Inquisition. Story of unusual heroism, betrayal, love and the power of one man to battle barbarity and ignorance. Dispatching to The Greencine Daily from the 48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Ronald Bergan describes El Greco as "monumentally bad." "The variety of Greek, Spanish and British actors struggle manfully against unspeakable dialogue in English and a dreadful screenplay, in which the narrator tells you throughout what you can see. It never for a moment suggests what made El Greco a great painter, and an upbeat ending is one that even Hollywood at its most puerile would have turned down." Variety's Derek Elley says this "16th-century potboiler emerges as a mash of Greek patriotism, Spanish Inquisition nastiness and painting-by-numbers dialogue." North American Premiere.

L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours)—Olivier Assayas (Clean, Boarding Gate), France. After siblings Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), Frédéric (Charles Berling) and Jérémie (Jérémie Rénier) return home to the countryside for their mother's (Edith Scob) 75th birthday, an unexpected event threatens family unity and forces them to face up to their past. As Michael Hawley mentioned in his recent "tabulation of deprivation", along with Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon, L'Heure d'été was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Musée d'Orsay. North American Premiere.

Horn of Plenty—Juan Carlos Tabío (Strawberry and Chocolate), Spain/Cuba. In 18th cent., a group of Castiñeiras nuns deposited treasure in a British bank. Buoyed by the promise of wealth, Castiñeiras descendents throughout Cuba band together to try to prove their eligibility as legitimate heirs. A wonderfully crafted comedy that reflects on the socio-economic difficulties of contemporary Cuba with corrosive wit. World Premiere.

In the Shadow of the Naga (Nak Prok)—Phawat Panangkasiri, Thailand. After hiding a large sum of money on temple grounds, three robbers return to find that a monastery has been built on top of their stash. To retrieve their booty, they have no choice but to become ordained as monks. But can Buddha's teachings free them from their dark impulses, or will their violent nature force them into drastic measures? With tense action and charismatic leads, this film arrives at an answer that is as unexpected as it is thrilling. Wisekwai has written twice about the film, first regarding its controversial portrayal of "monks with guns" and secondly highlighting an interview with the director where he justifies his intentions.World Premiere.

Jerichow—Christian Petzold, Germany. Tension and intrigue unfold between three characters caught in a love triangle: Ali, a Turkish entrepreneur who is preoccupied with his business; his wife Laura, who shelters secrets from her past, and Thomas, a young man dishonorably discharged from the army. Inspired by Vincent Minnelli's 1958 film Some Came Running, starring Frank Sinatra, Shirley Maclaine and Dean Martin, Jerichow is a story of love, honesty, deception and betrayal. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the critical response at the 2008 Venice International. Also at the Daily, Ronald Bergan dispatches: "Up to now, the selection [in competition] has been slightly redeemed by Christian Petzold's Jerichow, though the plot is rather too reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice and its variations." TIFF08 Program Capsule. North American Premiere.

Katia's Sister (Het Zusje van Katia)—Mijke de Jong, The Netherlands. After emigrating from Russia to Amsterdam with her mother and older sister, a thirteen-year-old girl plunges into a harsh adult world. With no opportunity to develop her own sense of identity, she even resigns herself to the name everyone uses for her—"Katia's sister." North American Premiere.

Khamsa—Karim Dridi, France. Thirteen-year-old Khamsa flees his foster family for the Marseilles gypsy camp where he was born. Embraced by his old friends, Khamsa's innocence begins to vanish when he and his friends become involved in a series of increasingly serious crimes. North American Premiere.

Knitting (Niu Lang Zhi Nu)—Yin Lichuan, China. Daping hates Haili, who strode out of nowhere into her apartment, her life, and her blossoming relationship with Chen Jin. Though Daping tries to be a kind and honest person, Haili bullies her mercilessly. Then Chen Jin disappears, leaving Daping pregnant and alone. Having experienced many hardships in her life, Haili might be just the person to help Daping during these troubled times. Harry Tuttle at Screenville: "We find reminiscence of early Hou Hsiao-hsien (The Boys of Feng-Kwei) or early Jia Zhang-ke (Xiao Wu, Unknown Pleasures) without reaching a comparable plot development. It tells us about the broken lives of our contemporaries in China, the issues of having to seek work away from your home, to leave behind your family, to overcome uncomfortable situations and disappointing dreams." At Variety, Derek Elley complains: "The promise and freshness Mainland writer-director Yin Lichuan showed in her debut feature, The Park, including an ear for natural dialogue and a feel for subtle emotions, are nowhere to be found in sophomore outing Knitting, which ties itself up in arty affectations from the get-go." Maggie Lee concurs at The Hollywood Reporter. Yin Lichuan was the first Chinese woman director to break into Cannes when Knitting screened during the "Director's Fortnight" at Cannes08, making these disappointments all the more noteworthy.

Laila's Birthday—Rashid Masharawi, Palestine/Tunisia/The Netherlands. A Ramala cab driver is intent on getting home in time to bring a gift and cake for his daughter's tenth birthday. But the challenges of day-to-day life in this conflicted region will become formidable obstacles to his mission. World Premiere.

Linha de Passe—Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, Brazil. In the heart of São Paulo, four fatherless brothers try to find a way out from their preordained paths. Best Actress (Sandra Corveloni) at Cannes 2008. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the reviews from Cannes 08. At Film Comment, Richard Peña complains: "Well produced and certainly watchable, the film is also too schematic—it simply never comes to life, as the burden of each character to represent some stratum of Brazilian society deflates any dramatic tension."

Lion's Den (Leonera)—Pablo Trapero (Born & Bred, Rolling Family, El Bonarese, Crane World), Argentina/South Korea/Brazil. Co-prod: Walter Salles. A pregnant woman, Julia (Martina Gusman), wakes up one morning to find the dead body of her boyfriend and the wounded body of his boyfriend. In an instant, her life becomes that of a single mother in prison. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers reviews from Cannes 08. "It is in this particularly harrowing environment of dirty cells, barbed-wire and promiscuity inhabited by women and children that the somehow helpless and abused university student slowly reappropriates her own life," Barbara Lorey writes for FIPRESCI, "When her mother tries to take her baby away, she fights like a lion for her son and finally finds a way to escape." This presiding image of a "trapped lioness" and "animalistic maternity" is explored by Miguel Ángel Farfán in his brief interview with Trapero, conducted for FIPRESCI at the Lima International Film Festival.

Lost Song—Rodrigue Jean (Yellowknife), QC. Couple and their newborn move to a cottage in a remote area north of Montreal. Isolation and difficulty coping with her new situation/surroundings send Elisabeth into a spiral of depression. Beautifully and sensitively rendered. World Premiere.

Machan—Uberto Pasolini, United Kingdom/Italy/Germany/Sri Lanka. Convinced that submitting a bogus application to the German Embassy is not the worst thing one can do, a group of young Sri Lankans set out to assemble the Sri Lanka National Handball Team from a mismatched collection of friends, colleagues, creditors, policemen—anyone willing to stretch the truth in exchange for a one way ticket to the West. Based on a true story, Machan is the first film from The Full Monty producer Uberto Pasolini.

Maman est chez le coiffeur—Léa Pool, QC. Infused with Léa Pool's celebrated personal vision, a heart-warming and heart-wrenching family drama that chronicles a separation seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Élise (Marianne Fortier). After the sudden departure of her mother (Céline Bonnier), Élise is left to deal with her despondent dad and troubled younger brothers.

Middle of Nowhere—John Stockwell, USA. New friends Dorian (Anton Yelchin, Charlie Bartlett) and Grace (Eva Amurri) begin selling pot as a way of reconciling their very different financial situations and freeing themselves of their disagreeable parents. Also starring Susan Sarandon and Willa Holland (Genova). World Premiere.

Mothers & Daughters—Carl Bessai, BC. Touching and often hilarious look at the strained relationships three women have with their daughters. Stems from a collaborative and mostly improvised script. World Premiere.

My Mother, My Bride and I—Hans Steinbichler (Winter Journey), Germany/Romania. Going to Bucharest to meet prospective wives from a catalogue. Erwin is a mama's boy, and mama isn't into sharing. This becomes distressingly clear to Irina, the shy young woman Erwin brings back from the city. While Mother sharpens her claws and Irina transforms from meek to manic, he must decide if this truly is his idea of "happily ever after."

The Narrows—François A. Velle, USA. Brooklyn-born Mike (Kevin Zegers) lives with his dad Vinny (Vincent D'Onofrio), a sanitation worker w/low-level ties to local mob boss Tony. A talented photographer, Mike secretly applies to college, taking a job from Tony in order to pay his tuition. Torn between two worlds that threaten to collide, Mike learns the far-reaching consequences of personal choices. World Premiere.

Native Dancer (Baksy)—Guka Omarova, Kazakhstan/Russia/France/Germany. When a petrol station is burned to the ground, the developers blame the land owner, Batir, and kidnap his son. Batir has no choice but to seek out the one person who can help him find his missing boy: Aiday, an old shaman whose house once stood on his land. International Premiere.

O'Horten—Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories, Factotum), Norway/ Germany/France. In the driver's cab of a train journeying through the Norwegian countryside, Odd Horten is on his penultimate journey from Oslo to Bergen. Tomorrow he'll make his last trip. But, for the first time in almost 40 years, he will arrive too late and miss his last departure. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the reviews from Cannes 08. Add to that batch Michael Sicinski's assessment that "although [O'Horten] exhibits a relaxed, uncluttered pace and a typically clean visual atmosphere (not nearly as fussy as Kitchen Stories, but then again not nearly as precise), there's nothing at all unique or distinguished about it. It's basically another 'pensioner's progress' film", which he then dismisses as "completely forgettable." As the film has already picked up Sony as a distributor, I'll most likely wait until it arrives Bayside and not forfeit a valuable TIFF slot.

Once Upon a Time in Rio—Breno Silveira, Brazil. Falling in love on Ipanema's beach, Dé—a hot dog vendor and slum dweller struggling to maintain his dignity—and Nina—the only child of a wealthy family—must stake their romance against deeply entrenched attitudes of prejudice and intolerance. International Premiere.

Pandora's Box—Yesim Ustaoglu, Turkey/France/Belgium/ Germany. When three 40-something siblings in Istanbul receive a call that their aging mother has disappeared from her home along the Eastern Black Sea Coast, they put aside their problems and set out to find her. As the siblings come together, the tension between them becomes apparent, they are forced to reflect on own shortcomings and ignorance of each other's lives. World Premiere.

Patrik, Age 1.5—Ella Lemhagen, Sweden. Goran and Sven have been approved for adoption. Patrik, age 1.5, is on his way! But, because of a misplaced decimal point, they'll be forced to re-examine their dreams of the perfect family when a homophobic 15-year-old and his criminal past arrive at their door. World Premiere.

Pedro—Nicholas Oceano, USA. Diagnosed as HIV-positive at a young age, Pedro Zamora gained attention in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World. Following the true-life story of Zamora and his family, Pedro aims to honor their heritage, fight for equality, and love for life. World Premiere.

Radio Love—Leonardo de Armas, Spain. At 36, Carolina leads glamorous life as creator/host of successful fashion program "Radio Love". The discovery of her first wrinkles and appearance of a beautiful young woman ready to take her place at work drive her into a profound existential crisis. Hilarious reflection on Western society's obsession with self-realization and the constant search for happiness. World Premiere.

Restless—Amos Kollek, Israel/Germany/Canada/ France/Belgium. Recently discharged from the Israeli army, Tzach travels to New York to confront his father Moshe, a struggling artist who left his family behind some twenty years ago. Dispatching to The Greencine Daily from the 2008 Berlinale, Dave Hudson writes: "Amos Kollek's Restless semaphores its dramatic climax right from the beginning…. Moshe (Moshe Ivgy) is a disaffected Israeli who's been bumming around New York City since leaving his wife and young son back home umpteen years ago. The son (Ran Danker) is a soldier in the Israeli army, well-regarded for his sniping skills. Which is to say, he's a professional assassin. Just as Moshe's life starts coming together (his bawdy political poems, laced with bile, are a big hit in a local bar), his son's starts falling apart. The army's noticed he's pretty tightly wound—father issues, don't you know—and then there's a fatal accident. Once he's discharged, guess where the son goes. New York City! I'm sure you can take it from there." BERLINALE.

The Rest of the Night (Il Resto della notte)—Francesco Munzi, Italy. After being accused of stealing from a wealthy Italian couple, a young Romanian maid is forced to return to her ex-boyfriend, recently released from jail and living in squalor with his younger brother. Joined by a cocaine addict who is making inroads on a life of petty crime, this desperate group of outcasts plots a brazen robbery of the Italian couple's villa. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the reviews from Cannes 08 where The Rest of the Night screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight. North American Premiere.

Return to Hansala (Retorno a Hansala)—Chus Gutiérrez (El Calentito), Spain. In 2001, an inflatable dinghy with Moroccan migrants shipwrecked off the Spanish town of Rota. 37 drowned, 13 of whom were from Hansala. Inspired by this tragedy, a touching road movie follows Martín, manager of a struggling funeral home, and Leila, the sister of one of the drowned boys, in their journey to bring the bodies back to Hansala. World Premiere.

Revanche—Götz Spielmann (Antares), Austria. Alex is an errand boy; Tamara, a prostitute. Entwined in a forbidden love affair, both are determined to escape the Viennese brothel where they work. But carrying out their plan proves fateful once police officer walks into their lives. "A meandering first half gives way to a spectacular psychological portrait of the deafening silence of pain and loneliness in Austrian writer-director Götz Spielmann's Revanche," writes Boyd van Hoeij at european-films.net. At indieWIRE, Shane Danielsen writes: "Revanche starts out in Ulrich Seidl territory, among a group of Russian and Ukrainian prostitutes, held prisoner in a Viennese brothel, but soon shifts gear, becoming something else entirely—first a doomed love story, then a drama of revenge and redemption, one whose stifling provincialism and inexorable sense of fate recalled nothing so much as Fassbinder's The Merchant of Four Seasons." At Auteur's Notebook, Daniel Kasman: "[Revanche] shows just how successfully one can transpose the plot and character based drama of Hollywood to the refined style of European art-house cinema without hampering it with a sense self-importance." BERLINALE.

Skin—Anthony Fabian, United Kingdom/South Africa. Based on true events, Skin tells the remarkable story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), a black woman struggling with unique issues of discrimination and identity upon being born to white parents (Alice Krige and Sam Neill) in 1955 apartheid South Africa. World Premiere.

Sugar—Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA. Dominican baseball player Miguel Santos struggles to make it big in order to escape poverty and create a better life for his family. But after making it to the U.S. minor leagues, he must pit his calling against his loneliness as a displaced immigrant in small-town Iowa. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the reviews from Sundance. International Premiere.

Teza—Haile Gerima, Germany/Ethiopia/France. Germany Univ. grad returns to Ethiopia during 1990s. Hoping to put his knowledge to good use, eager to strengthen and rebuild his homeland, impoverished under junta, he both inspires hope and faces disillusionment, feeling estranged from his own people.

Three Wise Men—Mika Kaurismäki (LA Without A Map), Finland. Acclaimed Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki offers a raw and often hilarious drama about a trio of antiheroes—an expectant father, a ladies' man and a failed actor—who escape their family woes for a karaoke bar on Christmas Eve. World Premiere.

Toronto Stories—Sook-Yin Lee, Sudz Sutherland, David Weaver and Aaron Woodley, ON. A tribute to the city, a passionate collection of four stories witnessed by a nameless boy in the course of a single day. (Sook-Yin Lee acted in Shortbus, Hedwig, 3 Needles; Sudz D: Love, Sex & Eating the Bone). World Premiere.

Treeless Mountain—So Yong Kim (In Between Days), South Korea. Inspired by her own life, the story of Jin, a feisty six-year-old who lives with her mom and little sister in a cramped apartment in Pusan. When mother decides to leave in search of estranged father, girls are forced to spend the summer living with their alcoholic aunt in the rural countryside. indieWIRE interview. Kauffman recommendation. World Premiere.

Two-Legged Horse—Samira Makhmalbaf, Iran. In exchange for one dollar a day, Mirvais must carry a disabled boy on his back—like a horse—to and from school every day. But his rider is unhappy. His wish for Mirvais to turn into a real horse has not yet come true. Kauffman recommendation. World Premiere.

Under the Tree—Garin Nugroho (Of Love & Eggs, Opera Jawa), Indonesia. Three women coming to terms with issues of paternity: Maharani, an adopted child, who seeks true meaning of motherhood; Nian, who is in search of a new father figure; expectant mother Dewi, who faces a tough choice regarding her unborn baby. Set entirely on the mystical island of Bali, intercut with mesmerizing dances from five choreographers. World Premiere.

Wendy and Lucy—Kelly Reichardt, USA. Wendy (Michelle Williams) is driving with her dog Lucy to Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the fish cannery. When her car breaks down in Oregon, the thin fabric of her financial security comes apart, and she faces a series of increasingly dire challenges. At The Greencine Daily, Dave Hudson gathers the reviews from Cannes 08. In her Cannes report to Film Comment (July/August, 2008), Amy Taubin calls Wendy and Lucy "the loveliest of these perhaps small films" and affirms that "Michelle Williams gives what may emerge as best female performance of the year." In that selfsame issue (p. 62), Larry Gross reports that Wendy and Lucy "establishes Reichardt, beyond question, as one of the few masters now working in American independent film." Why so? "Reichardt's predilection for observing [Michelle Williams as Wendy] in motion and from a distance, intensified by an intriguingly asynchronous soundtrack, gives the film a certain controlled abstractness, placing it closer to the spiritual atmosphere of Kiarostami than, say, the socially conscious humanism of the Dardennes." TIFF08 Program Capsule. North American Premiere.

White Night Wedding (Brúðguminn)—Baltasar Kormakur (101 Reykjavík, Jar City), Iceland. A middle-aged professor, is about to embark on marriage number two. His bride-to-be? A former student half his age. Not everyone thinks that this "blessed union" is a good idea, among them the parents of his future wife. As the guests flock to the island where the marriage is to be held, the groom begins to get cold feet.

The Window (La Ventana)—Carlos Sorin (Historias Minimas, Bonbon: EL Perro, Road to San Diego), Spain/Argentina. The last day in the life of Antonio, an 80-year-old writer awaiting the visit of his estranged son on his hacienda in northern Patagonia. As he takes stock and reminisces, he looks out the window at his fields, the sun, the buzzing life that beckons him even as it fades before his eyes. Distinguished Argentine filmmaker Carlos Sorin once again trains his camera on the small stories written by life, on the humanity behind human beings. By casting the great Uruguayan writer and scriptwriter Antonio Larreta in the lead role, Sorin establishes a link between fiction and reality that makes the protagonist's fears, hopes and wishes even more palpable. Larreta won the Premio Planeta (the second most valuable literary award in the world after the Nobel Prize) for his 1980 novel Volavérunt. World Premiere.

Cross-published on Twitch.

MALAYSIAN CINEMA—The Elephant and the Sea

A few years back at the 48th San Francisco International Film Festival the organizers shone a spotlight on a sextet of films representing an emergent wave of independent film coming out of Malaysia, a multi-cultural society where the development of digital video and the growing sophistication of a new, cine-literate generation had taken the international film festival circuit by storm. For me, the showcase was a thrilling exposure to the social realities and divergent voices of Malaysia's diverse ethnicities. Included among that showcase was the world premiere of Woo Ming Jin's Lampu merah mati (Monday Morning Glory, 2005).

Dispatching to indieWire from the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival, Dennis Lim reiterated that "[t]he growing diversity of Malaysian film reflects the irreducible complexity of Malaysian society, which is composed of not fully integrated Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic groups and where identity is intricately bound up with race, religion, class and stark differences between rural and urban experiences." The world premiere of Woo Ming Jin's sophomore feature The Elephant and the Sea proved to be the discovery of the Rotterdam International for Lim who praised the film's "economical storytelling, evocative details, dry wit, and ample visual intelligence" and who concluded that—with any luck—the film would have a festival life in its future.

Luck prevailed. The Elephant and the Sea went on to screen at roughly 30 film festivals, winning the "Best Director" and "Critics" Awards at last year's Cine Digital Seoul Film Festival; the "Special Jury Award" at the Torino Film Festival, and another "Best Director" Award at Spain's recently concluded DIBA Digital Barcelona Film Festival.

Along the route, the praise has been uniform. Los Angeles critics Robert Koehler and Doug Cummings both wrote glowingly of the film when it screened in last year's International Showcase at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Writing for Variety, Koehler deemed it "brilliant" and "the work of a striking new voice on the East Asian film scene." Drawing comparisons to the films of Tsai Ming-liang, Koehler asserted the film stood alone "as one of the most resonant expressions of the strife and misfortune experienced by southeast Asia's rural poor, but framed by an exceptionally developed—some would say demanding—aesthetic that stresses visuals over polemics." At Film Journey Cummings concurred: "Elliptically told through static long shots that convey the setting's natural–if dilapidating–beauty, the characters attempt to patch up their lives after an unseen disaster." He praised the film's "unforced humor" and "its significant visual and structural wit."

The Elephant and the Sea's East Coast premiere at the 2007 New York Asian American International Film Festival earned further kudos from festival programmers who described it as "a contemplative and intoxicating drama that bristles with wit and visual acuity" and whose "aural background" proved as "expressive as the off-kilter dialogue and gorgeous cinematography." Writing for The House Next Door, Andrew Chan contextualized the film's numerous accomplishments. Though dubbing the film as "Tsai-lite" with such characteristic trademarks as "the resolutely static camera; minimal dialogue and music; the disaffected and practically mute male lead; obsession with sexual longing and dissatisfaction; and tension between an ascetic style and narrative unpredictability", he distinguished Woo Ming Jin's effort for his "consistently intelligent camerawork, instinct for ellipsis, and hypnotic pacing" and for "smoothing away most of the shock value that scared viewers off from films like Vive L'Amour and The River", even while faithfully emulating Tsai Ming-liang's aesthetics. "Though it might be difficult to recognize from the arm's length at which the film holds you," Chan writes, "there is a soft-heartedness here that can humanize the difficulty of Tsai's style for a whole new audience."

With yet a little more luck this festival darling will spin away from its art house champions to continue around the dance floor with theatrical audiences when the film opens this Thursday for a two-week run in Malaysia, and hopefully stateside. Producer Edmund Yeo has done a fine job of shaping the film's edit to public appetite. "[I]t appears that Woo has a more consistent, industry-friendly understanding of how to sell an art movie," Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang has emphasized at Cinema Online "or perhaps that is the work of producer Edmund Yeo, who is responsible for this 96-minute version with tighter scenes and more music?" Yang stresses: "An art movie paced properly will find converts."

Certainly one wants to believe so. After so much critical praise, I'm hoping audiences will lessen narrative expectations to allow the film's visual charm to wash over them. As Woo Ming Jin explained to Twitch teammate The Visitor: "What inspired The Elephant and the Sea was the JE (Japanese Enciphlitis) outbreak in Ipoh (my hometown) during the 1999 period, where all the pigs died, and also many farmers. People stopped eating pork for like a year. That was the starting point. I was living in Ipoh then, so it was something I took away."

Similar to Tsai Ming-liang's environmental and epidemic concerns, The Elephant and the Sea is a cautionary and surreal apocalyptic tale about two men—Yun Ding a twenty-something layabout and Ah Ngau an elderly fisherman (both performed to understated perfection by Berg Lee Seng Wan and Chung Kok Keung, respectively). Both are affected by the deaths of people close to them from an unspecified seaside contagion. Though their narrative trajectories run parallel, they never converge, though—as Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang phrases it—"the duality of their destiny is gorgeously conceived." And it is gorgeous. You can practically feel the tropical air of Malaysia's western coast. The dire consequences of unexpected death are punctuated by moments of such tender humor that—rather than becoming mired in tragedy—promise is revealed through whimsical perseverance. Even as a hungry little boy caught in a bear trap is scootered away to be sold into lord-knows-what kind of slavery, he is grinning from ear to ear, happily fed and enjoying the sensuous wind. Hopefully, audiences will feel the same way.



Cross-published on Twitch.

MICHAEL HAWLEY'S SECOND ANNUAL 2008 TABULATION OF DEPRIVATION

He's baaaaaaaaaack! With more knotty hands-on-the-hips complaints about Bay Area film programming.

* * *

Summer is here and the time is nigh for an annual accounting of the Bay Area film scene—and as far as new international cinema goes, I'd say we've done quite well in the past 12 months. Using Cannes as a barometer, I see that 18 of the 21 films in 2007's competition eventually found their way here (although you needed to go all the way to San Jose's Cinequest to catch Naomi Kawase's Grand Prix winner, The Mourning Forest). This spring's San Francisco International Film Festival did a great job of shrinking my own personal movie wish list, and it looks like their Sundance Kabuki screen is starting to program more Bay Area premieres (Yang Li's Blind Mountain was a good start). Two special programming shout-outs go to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, for bringing us Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light and Jia Zheng-ke's Dong and Useless, and to the Smith Rafael Film Center for their annual "For Your Consideration" series, which saw the only local screenings of Baltasar Kormákur's Jar City and Suo Masayuki's I Just Didn't Do It.

But I'm here today to ungratefully kvetch about what we haven't seen, not reminisce about what we have. Looking back at last year's tabulation, I notice that out of 50 films, only 12 eventually played the Bay Area and an additional six had Region 1 DVD releases. Let's hope for better results when we look back a year from now.

The following films are all 2007 releases that were screened somewhere other than their country of origin in 2007. None have appeared in the Bay Area (roughly defined by Berkeley to the east, San Jose to the south and San Rafael to the north) or been released on Region 1 DVD. Their prospects, unfortunately, look dimmer by the day. One or two may have been shown on pay-per-view, but until the majority of those films start being broadcast in a format other than full screen pan-and-scan, for me at least, they just don't count. These films are a reflection of my own tastes and interests only, which makes the following lists certainly less than exhaustive.

12—Nikita Mikhalkov's Russian adaptation of 12 Angry Men was one of 2007's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominees, and one of the more compelling films I saw at this year's Palm Springs International Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics picked it up some time ago, but there doesn't appear to be a release date.

24 Measures (24 mesures)—One of my favorite young French actors (Jalil Lespert) makes his directorial debut with a film starring two of my other favorite young French actors (Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila).

Afghan Muscles—Andrea Dalsgaard's film about Afghanistan's obsession with competitive bodybuilding won Best Doc at last year's AFI Fest.

Angel—François Ozon's tale of an Edwardian-era lady novelist got pummeled by critics when it closed 2007's Berlin Film Festival. Still, I like Ozon and want the chance to judge for myself.

Après lui—Catherine Deneuve stars as a mother obsessed with her dead son's best friend in this new film from Gaël Morel (Full Speed, Three Dancing Slaves). Co-written by Christophe Honoré, with bonus points for co-starring Élodie Bouchez (whom I haven't seen in a film since Roman Coppola's CQ).

The Banishment (Isgnanie)—Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev's The Return was one of my 10 favorite films of 2004. Based on a William Saroyan story, this 2007 Cannes competition entry got a lukewarm reception, but still managed to garner a prize for its lead actor, Konstantin Lavronenko.

Blue Eyelids (Párpados azules)—This debut feature from Mexican director Ernesto Contreras has won a slew of festival awards, including a Special Jury Prize for World Cinema at this year's Sundance.

The Dictator Hunter—Klaartje Quirijns' documentary about the bloody 1980s reign of U.S.-backed Chadian dictator Hissene Habre.

Disengagement—Israeli director Amos Gitai received great reviews for his latest film, which stars Juliette Binoche and Jeanne Moreau. A very surprising omission from this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

Dr. Plonk—Rolf de Heer follows up his delightful Aboriginal fable Ten Canoes with a silent B&W comedy in which a scientist/inventor in 1907 tries to prevent the world from ending in 2008.

Eat, for This Is My Body (Mange, ceci est mon corps)—Michelange Quay's quasi-surrealist poem to Haiti and its turbulent past. Starring Sylvie Testud.

Ex Drummer—This Belgian film is the offensive black comedy about handicapped people that didn't make it to the Bay Area. Norway's The Art of Negative Thinking is the one that did.

It’s a Free World…—Despite winning a Palme d'Or in 2006 for The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Ken Loach found his latest film thrown into IFC Films' "Festival Direct," an On Demand dumping ground for stuff they have no intention of releasing theatrically. Actually, you can rent this film today if you don't mind kissing the ass of the Great Satan Blockbuster. In what is probably the most revolting piece of film distribution news of 2008, IFC Films struck a deal with Blockbuster giving them an exclusive 60-day VOD and DVD rental window. After 60 days the films will be available elsewhere for retail or VOD purchase, but for THREE YEARS Blockbuster will be the only place you'll be able to rent them, effectively shutting out Greencine and Netflix from IFC product. Oh well, it's a free world…

The Last Lear—Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan plays an aging thespian who takes on the role of King Lear, in this new film from Indian arthouse director Rituparno Ghosh (Lady of the House, Choker Bali: A Passion Play).

A Lost Man (Un homme perdu)—Melvil Poupaud stars as a photographer working in the Middle East in Lebanese-born director Danielle Arbid's follow-up to 2004's extraordinary In the Battlefields.

M—In 2000, I flipped for Korean director Lee Myung-Se's ultra-stylish policier, Nowhere to Hide. I was less taken by 2005's thin, but still jaw-droppingly gorgeous Chosen Dynasty martial arts flick, Duelist. Unfortunately, reviews indicate that his latest is another triumph of style over substance, but I won't miss it should it come our way.

Munyurangabo—Of all the films on the list, this one's absence from Bay Area's screens is perhaps the hardest to explain. Premiering to unanimous acclaim at Cannes, this tale of Rwandan reconciliation went on to receive accolades at dozens of subsequent festivals. The fact that it was directed by a Korean-American, Lee Isaac Chung, should have made it a natural for the SF International Asian American Film Fest. But it didn't show up there, or at the SF International. What gives?

Nightwatching—This was another one of my favorites from Palm Springs, in which Peter Greenaway delves into the mystery behind Rembrandt's painting, "The Nightwatch." To the best of my knowledge, the Bay Area hasn't seen a Greenaway film since 1999's 8½ Women. A tradition continues.

The Pope's Toilet (El baño del Papa)—Yet another Palm Springs favorite, this arch comedy follows one man's efforts to profit from a 1988 papal visit to Latin America. The film was Uruguay's Oscar submission for 2007.

Promise Me This (Zavet)—It appears that two-time Palme d'Or winner Emir Kusturica's new film is destined to suffer the same fate as the one before it. One of the very few 2007 Cannes competition films not to have come our way.

Sad Vacation—We haven't seen a Shinji Aoyama film in these parts since 2000's 216-minute endurance test, Eureka. This one appears to be a sequel of sorts, and stars Tadanobu Asano.

A Secret (Un secret)—Nominated for 11 Cesar awards, Claude Miller's latest tells of one Jewish family's survival of WWII and the effect it has upon the next generation. Starring Mathieu Amalric and Cécile De France.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story—Jeffrey Schwarz' tribute to the supreme master of B-movie horror schlock won last year's AFI Fest Audience Award.

Sukiyaki Western Django—I stopped keeping up with Takashi Miike's prolific output ages ago, but this samurai spaghetti western sounds like it's worth seeking out (and not just for the Quentin Tarantino cameo). Since its world premiere at Venice, Miike's released three more features.

The Sun Also Rises (Tai yang zhao chang sheng qi)—Jiang Wen is considered one of China's best actors, and this is his first time behind the camera since 2000's masterful Devils on the Doorstep.

This next batch of anticipated films all hail from 2008 film festivals leading up to, but not including Cannes (i.e., Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, Guadalajara). All await their Bay Area debuts. While there's no reason to fret at this point, it's not too early to begin keeping a wary eye on them either. Again, hats off to the San Francisco International Film Festival, which screened a number of semi-obscure Berlin titles that would have otherwise appeared on this list (such as Robert Guédiguian's Lady Jane and Yousry Nasrallah's The Aquarium).

Absurdistan—I adored Veit Helmer's 1999 nearly-silent, Denis Lavant-starring, Bulgarian bathhouse comedy Tuvalu. His latest is set in a remote Azerbaijani village where the pissed-off womenfolk go on a sex strike.

Ain't Scared (Regarde-moi)—Teen drama set in the low-income housing projects of Paris, written and directed by 23-year-old Audrey Estrougo. The story is told twice—from the male point of view in the film's first half, and then from the female POV in the second.

Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis—The film that's en route to becoming the biggest box office comedy in French film history. It was the opening night film of this year's City of Lights/City of Angels festival in L.A. and I'd love to see it before the already-announced Hollywood remake arrives (tentatively titled Welcome to the Sticks).

Charly—This well-reviewed film from Tribeca is the second feature to be directed by young French actress Islid Le Besco.

Desert Within (Desierto adentro)—Mexican director Rodrigo Plá follows up his acclaimed La Zona with this Guadalajara Film Festival top prize winner.

Don't Look Down (No mires para abajo)—The latest from veteran Argentine director Eliseo Subielo (Man Facing Southeast, The Dark Side of the Heart).

Downloading Nancy—Maria Bello jumps off the deep end in what Variety's Todd McCarthy calls a "forbidding and morbid piece of psycho-sadomasochism." Co-starring Rufus Sewell and Jason Patric, and shot by the great Christopher Doyle "in greenish blue hues that make everyone look like they've got full-body gangrene." Can't wait!

Elite Troop (Tropa de Elite)—José Padilha's first feature since 2002's Bus 174 was seen by 11.5 million Brazilians on pirated DVD before it ever opened in a single theater last fall. This hugely controversial tale of police and drug dealers battling it out in the slums of Rio went on to win the top prize at Berlin. It was bought by The Weinstein Company for U.S. distribution, and word is that Harvey's completely re-editing the film for American audiences (something about switching the film's protagonist to one that's more sympathetic). The film is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on September 19, and the listed running time is 96 minutes (22 minutes shorter than the version shown in Berlin). Bah!

Julia—This is Erick Zonca' second feature since 1998's career-making The Dreamlife of Angels, and unfortunately the critics at Berlin were not kind. But Tilda Swinton is supposed to be absolutely fearless as a slutty, middle-aged drunk who gets herself involved in a child kidnapping.

Lake Tahoe—This is perhaps the film I'm anticipating more than any other, Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke's follow-up to 2004's hilarious and completely original deadpan comedy Duck Season. It world premiered at Berlin, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and Alfred Bauer Award.

The Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)—Eran Riklis' follow-up to 2004's The Syrian Bride, in which a Palestinian widow fights to keep Israeli security forces from ripping up her ancestral lemon grove. Panorama Audience Award winner at Berlin.

My Marlon and Brando (Gitmek)—This docudrama about a Turkish actress' journey to rejoin her lover in Iraqi Kurdistan won a Best New Narrative Filmmaker prize at Tribeca for its director, Huseyin Karabey.

Night and Day (Bam gua nat)—Hong Sang-soo makes a "Hong Sang-soo film" in Paris.

Paris—Cédric Klapisch (Auberge Espangnole, Russian Dolls) also makes a film in Paris, with his favorite actor Romain Duris.

Somers Town—Shane Meadows follows his critically acclaimed This is England with another film about British working class youth—this time set in the present and filmed in B&W (and once again starring This is England's Thomas Turgoose).

Sugar—From the directors of Half Nelson comes this story of a Dominican Republic baseball player who finds himself playing for a minor league team in Iowa. This was a Sundance favorite, and for some reason Sony Pictures Classics is delaying the film's release until 2009.

Summer Hours (L'heure d'été)—Olivier Assayas' tale of three siblings (Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche and Jérémie Renier) deciding what to do with their late mother's noteworthy art collection. Like Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon, the film was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Musée d'Orsay.

They Killed Sister Dorothy—This documentary about an American nun killed by wealthy Brazilian ranchers over a sustainable development project in the Amazon won both the Audience and Jury prizes at this year's SXSW.

United Red Army (Jitsuroku rengô sekigun: Asama sansô e no michi)—Kôji Wakamatsu's three-hour plus docudrama about extreme leftist Japanese radicals in the early 70's was The Greencine Daily's Dave Hudson's favorite film from Berlin.

It'll be interesting to see how many films from both lists show up at one of our fall festivals, such as the Mill Valley Film Festival (Oct. 2), the Arab Film Festival (Oct. 16), SF Indie's DocFest (Oct. 17), the Latino Film Festival (Nov. 7) and the 3rd i Festival (dates TBA). I also see that the SF Film Society is initiating a French Cinema Now series at Landmark's Clay Theater from October 8 to 12. I've been squawking for years about how the Bay Area needs a separate French festival similar to NYC's Rendez-Vous with French Cinema or L.A.'s City of Lights/City of Angels—I mean, even Sacramento's got a French Film Festival. As far as international cinema showing up in local art houses this fall, things certainly couldn't be worse than last year. That's when Ang Lee's Lust/Caution was literally the only foreign language film in release for nearly three months. Landmark's printed fall calendar is encouraging, with films like Claude Chabrol's A Girl Cut in Two, Chris Smith's The Pool and Gonzalo Arijon's Stranded: I've Come From a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains. All three passed through town earlier this year, but are great films nonetheless.

STREETS OF NO RETURN: THE BURGLAR—Introductory Remarks by "Noirchaeologist" Eddie Muller

Eddie Muller noted that The Burglar (1955) was something of a homegrown production, in that David Goodis and Paul Wendkos, the film's director, were both from Philadelphia. The producer Louis Kellman wanted to shoot a film in Philadelphia in the late '50s and turned to Goodis who—at this point in his career—had fallen from grace in Hollywood. This reinvigorated Goodis who was excited about working on a film outside of Hollywood and making it with people he knew; in this case Dan Duryea and Martha Vickers, who came to Philadelphia and Atlantic City to shoot this big deal low budget film.

Though IMdb lists the release date of The Burglar as 1957, the film was actually shot in 1955 but didn't achieve a distribution deal for two years, which is important primarily because The Burglar features Jayne Mansfield before she was "Jayne Mansfield." Hailing from Bryn Mawr, Pennyslvania, Kellman "discovered" Mansfield while she was shooting Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) where he observed that every guy on the crew was going nuts over this woman. When The Burglar was finally released, it coincided with the explosion of Jayne Mansfield with The Girl Can't Help It (1956) and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957). "Believe me," Muller quipped, "[The Burglar] was not sold as a David Goodis production; it was sold as a Jayne Mansfield film." She was full-figure on every poster.

Dan Duryea gives a terrific performance in The Burglar, playing a bit against type, less of a weasel and obvious villain as in most of his film noir performances and much more in David Goodis terrain. Though Paul Wendkos went on to have a fairly successful career—primarily as a television director among several feature films—The Burglar was his first directorial effort and exhibits telltale signs of a young director obsessed with the movies, missing no trick in the book that he can trot out. You get it all. You get the camera in the wall safe and every conceivable match cut. All things considered, The Burglar is an exciting piece of filmmaking.

Appreciating Steve Seid's earlier comments about his directorship of the Noir City film festival and his active efforts to locate and restore film noir prints, Muller admitted that sometimes the noir universe can make your head want to explode. But every now and then he receives a letter that makes it all worth while and—to that effect—Muller read a piece of correspondence he received from a fan in Iran who had stumbled onto the Film Noir Foundation website. Muller had already admitted to this guy that he didn't "get" how someone in Iran would be interested in American film noir. The fellow responded in somewhat broken English: "Dear Mr. Muller: When I received your mail, it exhilarated me to some extent that it almost woke me up all through the night, all sorts of ideas and thoughts without clear focus came into my mind. One thing is very sure: you made me very happy and thank you for that. It was like a signal from beyond space. In the morning before writing these lines, I was reading morning papers. The possibility of war increases every moment. The lunatic people who are running this country are pushing the nation to another disastrous situation and it seems like nobody cares anymore. Iran has two different and opposed cultural and social layers. One: brute, ugly, uneducated, dangerous, fanatic and corrupt. And the other: intellectual, deeply cultural, decent and advanced in every aspect of life. But the first layer—at least in the world's view of Iran—covers the intellectual side. Every day it casts a darker shadow on the lives of decent people. It's completely a noir plot on a very huge scale, almost apocalyptic. It seems nobody cares if the U.S.—or more possibly Israel—attacks the country because most of the people think this isn't their country anymore. They think they would parade on the streets and welcome American soldiers like what the French people did in 1944. Yes, this is an occupied country. The only difference is it is occupied from the inside. The country under the Islamic Republic rule since 1979 is what I call a perfect noir world: complex paradoxes, nightmarish life, hidden sexual relations, all kinds of bootlegging and illegal activities, political corruption, underground lives—from different variations of criminal life to underground artistic life—reminds us all of the Nazis, and all based upon fate and destiny. Nobody knows about tomorrow. Nobody cares about tomorrow. An existential choice in building a moral world is each individual's cause and brings serious attention to all kinds of arts. Regarding cinema or music in this country, it's equal to finding a murderer in a noir world. It's an inward journey from the surface. Finding meanings from this battlefield of life—as Samuel Fuller calls it—made me stick to cinema almost maniacally. If one more time the flames of war break out in this country, God knows what will happen. The other day I was talking to a friend about how many years I have spent on American arts—movies, jazz and architecture—and if anything happens here and a military confrontation is unavoidable, I will suddenly turn in a second into the enemy. First of all, an enemy of the Americans. Then, if I show any sympathy to Americans, I'll be the Islamic Republic's enemy. This is a noir plot. Now I deeply understand what German immigrants felt in the U.S. during the war and when they came back to their country after the war and what really was the mental foundation of all those great noir masterpieces by Lang, Ulmer, Siodmak, and Wilder. Sometimes when things look so bad and we smell another stupid war near us, I think about Roberto Rossellini's Paisan (1946) when American troops land in the south of Italy and as they're moving north nothing remains but crying babies, dead bodies and dying dogs on the bare ground. Anyway, this daily paranoia is my answer to 'Why film noir in Iran?' "

Cross-published on Twitch.

STREETS OF NO RETURN: NIGHTFALL—Introductory Remarks By Curator Steve Seid and "Noirchaeologist" Eddie Muller

To illustrate the problematic nature of adapting a Goodis novel to film, especially a black and white film, PFA curator Steve Seid read aloud a passage from Nightfall. To set the stage, he explained that the protagonist Jim Vanning is sitting in his apartment in Manhattan—a location not used in the film—and it's steamy and hot outside. Because he's in hiding, Vanning is too nervous to seek relief outdoors. He remains in his room and slips into a fragmented reverie: "It was a pale blue automobile, a convertible. That was a logical color that pale blue; logical for the start of it because it started out in a pale, quiet way, the pale blue convertible cruising along peacefully, the Colorado mountainside so calm and pretty, the sky so content; it all of it seemed pale blue in a nice, even sort of style. And then red came into it, glaring red, the hood and fenders of the smashed station wagon, the hard grey of the boulder against which the wrecked car was resting. Black remaining as more colors moved in. The green of the hotel room. The orange carpet. Or maybe it wasn't orange? It could have been purple. A lot of those colors could have been the color but the one color about which there was no mistake was black. Because black was the color of a gun. A dull black, a complete black, and—through a whirl of all the colors coming together in a pool gone wild—the black gun came into his hand and he held it there for a time impossible to measure and then he pointed the gun and he pulled the trigger and he killed a man."

Seid then introduced Eddie Muller, familiar to Bay Area audiences as the Director of the Noir City Film Festival (backed by the Noir Foundation), but also a novelist, an essayist, a columnist and a filmmaker [whose recent short film The Grand Inquisitor has just become available online through Underground Film]. Seid qualified, however, that being the director of a festival isn't just an administrative task, or the vocation of someone with a love for film, Muller has over the years actively developed working relationships with the studios who have granted him access to their vaults where Eddie has spent enormous amounts of time—not just going through studio catalogues—but physically going into the vaults and actively hunting for and locating films, and convincing the studios to strike new prints. This enormous unseen and unknown effort precedes Noir City's programming and is—in a sense—a form of archaeology.

Eddie Muller, ever clever with words, realized while listening to Seid's introduction that this made him—in effect—a "noirchaeologist." He's amazed he hadn't yet coined that term. He thanked his audience for coming out on such a lovely weeknight to be thoroughly depressed by a Goodis film. In 1947—the year that Dark Passage and The Unfaithful measured Goodis's brief Hollywood stint—Goodis wrote Nightfall. Why it took 10 years for Nightfall to be adapted to the screen is anyone's guess, though it is interesting to note that during the course of that decade the whole noir wave crested in Hollywood, subsiding by the late '50s. By the time Nightfall (1957) was filmed, Hollywood was at the tail end of the film noir era. The film itself has been neglected, though not necessarily maligned, and—truth be told—Nightfall reflects Goodis's writing at its most coherent. Goodis wore two different hats as a writer: he could write stream of consciousness on the page but also write coherent crime novels like Nightfall. As such, in Muller's estimation Nightfall is a much better book than Dark Passage, and possibly Goodis's best novel. At stream-of-consciousness Goodis was more a poet on the page, writing about personal demons, his alcoholism, full of strange peccadilloes. Barry Gifford already detailed how cheaply Goodis lived in Hollywood and how shabbily he dressed, but Muller added that—as a big jazz fan—Goodis would troll the jazz clubs and spend an inordinate amount of time in the blackest neighborhoods of Los Angeles looking for large women to verbally abuse him.

Eventually, Goodis tired of Hollywood and Hollywood tired of him—it was not a match made in heaven—and he returned to Philadelphia where he moved back in with his family, cared for a handicapped brother, and paid the rent by churning out crime novels for Gold Medal Books. Some of these paperbacks are extraordinary for being professional, stream-of-consciousness, beat-style crime writing; the passage read by Seid being a good example of the pulse and rhythm of that period of writing. Generally what happens in a Goodis novel is that a man is torn between either a woman that he thinks he's supposed to love or a woman obsessed with him who tortures him and drives him to Hell. Basically, that's it. These stream-of-consciousness novels include Of Tender Sin, Cassidy's Girl and The Moon in the Gutter, whereas crime novels like Nightfall, The Burglar and Black Friday are more coherent and less about Goodis getting his personal demons down on the page.

As mentioned, by the time Nightfall was produced in Hollywood the heyday of noir had peaked; but, unfortunately, because Nightfall was directed by Jacques Tourneur people want it to be another Out of the Past. Yet how could it be? By the late '50s films weren't shot on a sound stage anymore, the extraordinary glamour was gone, and instead of Robert Mitchum the film starred Aldo Ray. Though some people find Aldo Ray a problem in the film, Muller is not one of them. He feels Ray gives a terrific naturalistic performance in Nightfall. The naturalistic acting styles in the '50s had replaced the theatricality of the '40s.

The end of Goodis's life is unusual in that he became involved in a complicated lawsuit and sued ABC for ripping off the idea for their hit series The Fugitive from the premise of Dark Passage. By the time he was in his late forties and early fifties Goodis's screws had started to become a bit loose and he became obsessed with pursuing this law suit, which he had little chance of winning.

Nightfall is a terrific late-period noir film. Screenwriter Stirling Silliphant was quite young at the time, and though he'd written Five Against the House (1955) for Phil Karlson, he had yet to write The Line-up (1958) for Don Siegel and to become a hugely successful A-list screenwriter in the '70s writing The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974).

Like Raymond Chandler, Goodis is one of the more colorful noir writers and—though James Vanning in his novel is described as an artist with a vibrant palette—this is minimized in Burnett Guffey's black and white cinematography for Nightfall.

Concluding his introduction, Muller asked his audience not to compare Nightfall with Out of the Past and not to compare Aldo Ray with Robert Mitchum or Anne Bancroft with Jane Greer; to enjoy Nightfall on its own terms and for what it is: one of the best adaptations of a Goodis novel.

Of course, comparing Nightfall to Out of the Past is precisely what Ryland Walker Knight set out to do at Vinyl is Heavy, measuring transitions of light and shadow with upstart enthusiasm. His approach is validated more fully in Chris Fujiwara's study Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall (John Hopkins University Press, 2001): "Before we know his name or his story," Fujiwara writes, "the film establishes Vanning as a stranger extremely sensitive to the transition between dark and light, no doubt because he himself is in some sort of transition…. Throughout the film, Vanning continues to serve as a kind of medium between dark and light (2001:236-237)."

At Text of Light Max Goldberg comments: "Despite Tourneur's sensitive direction and editing, [Nightfall] flies its 'B' colors in its TV-like match cutting, limited coverage of certain dialogues and the outsized supporting players." Goldberg thereby traces structural and visual resemblances to the "on-the-run scenario … gripped by the same irrational logic" as in the Coen Brothers No Country for Old Men, where the chance encounter of a satchel filled with money likewise leads to dire consequences. "Tourneur," Fujiwara suggests, "makes no attempt to conceal the role played by coincidences and the arbitrary in the plot of Nightfall; he even highlights this role. …Throughout Nightfall, chance and unconscious processes determine key events. …In the world of the film, happenings are always accidents: the characters are under the spell of what André Breton called 'objective chance,' the congruence between fate and desire (2001:237)."

As for comparing Anne Bancroft to Jane Greer, there's no purpose. Though it is interesting for me to compare Bancroft in the '50s with Bancroft in the '60s, when she came into her own. In Nightfall, as with many of her films in the '50s, she is a competent supporting actress, though her resourceful performance nowhere reaches the level of anguished disempowerment for which she was awarded a decade later.

Continuing to ignore Muller's plea to resist comparisons, Chris Fujiwara comes up with some quite good ones. Nightfall, Fujiwara writes, "has striking similarities to Out of the Past: the mapping of the dualism of past and present onto that of country and city; the hero's flight from destiny by relocating and changing his name; his attempt to overcome his destiny by reentering an earlier situation (2001:235)." Vanning likewise shares Jeff's flaw of bad timing as Red (Rudy Bond) gleefully points out: "You're unlucky, fella. You're not lucky at all…. One more minute, two maybe at the most, we'd have been gone. Oh, yeah. You got a bad sense of timing." (Though unlike Jeff in Out of the Past, Vanning vindicates himself and survives his ordeal.) Fujiwara also notes: "Nightfall shares with Out of the Past a narrative structure in which the motives and circumstances of the protagonist are revealed in flashback. Whereas Out of the Past has a single flashback section, Nightfall distributes its flashbacks over the course of the film, so that the issues underlying Vanning's predicament are revealed progressively and become clear only fairly late in the film. This delay permits Tourneur to expand on the narrative ambiguity so crucial to his cinema (2001:239-240)."

Cross-published on Twitch.

MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA

For an allegedly Christian country, the United States seems to have forgotten the lesson of Eve's apple, which is not only that Edenic ignorance is bliss; but, that consciousness is a painful but necessary act that leads to hard work. Foisting that hard work on others in an effort to regain the bliss of the Garden is not only hypocritical but misses the point of conscious discernment altogether; which is as serviceable a definition of globalization as any. In his first film, Mardi Gras: Made in China, David Redmon infers that the flip side of prideful excess is shameful impoverishment. Inference, in style, is his editorial strategy and it works—at least in part—by an astute focus on something as simple as following a string of party beads from the Chinese factory where they're produced to the Bourbon Street revelry where they're thrown away. Through such a simple premise, Redmon stares unflinchingly into the frightening face of complex socio-economic processes, providing obvious answers that provoke even more probing questions. Not only does his documentary expose exasperating facts; but, Mardi Gras: Made in China exasperates further for revealing no ready solutions. Then again, the Biblical injunction is that mankind has to toil for its consciousness. Let the work begin.

I missed Mardi Gras on its original roundelay and am thus quite appreciative that Redmon's distribution company Carnivalesque Films was willing to forward the recently-released DVD. It's a valuable film to own—not only for the initial emotional agitation it induces—but, because it is full of intertitular information that warrants repeated viewing and studious argument. The DVD also contains post-Katrina bonus features, including deleted scenes and a worker's diary. I also heartily recommend James Van Maanen's recent Greencine interview with Redmon, which provides insight into the energized naïvete that motivated Redmon to learn about filmmaking by making a film. Imagine! His heart is clearly in the right place.

The film's official website does a comprehensive job of providing a critical overview, especially favorable reviews, so there's really no need for me to repeat the film's well-deserved praise; but, likewise, some of the film's detractors do Redmon's theme an important service by questioning his thesis and methodology. For example, I found the pointed criticisms of Haro Online particularly pertinent, especially his assessment that Redmon's inspired examination of the draconian working conditions at the Tai Kuen Bead Factory "deserves attention", whereas his protracted focus on the partying in New Orleans weakened the film's overall thrust because asking people on the street, especially drunk people, never yields great results. It only served to—as some critics put it—kill the buzz. More importantly, in its original theatrical distribution, Redmon's decision to repeatedly show the act of women exposing their breasts (without pixelating them) belied a voyeurism that prevented the film from being potentially instructive in an educational setting. Showing the burnt fingers of one of the factory workers was profoundly effective; whereas repeatedly showing drunken women flashing their breasts was less so. It's heartening and commendable that the DVD features a PG version to rectify this initial shortsight.

At The Boston Globe Janice Page likewise complained: "Redmon is attracted to this tale because it exploits an obscene and visually titillating gulf between the haves and the have-nots." So how then to circumvent such apparent titillation to arrive at a working solution? Or—as Slant's Ed Gonzalez poses the question—"Is there a way of significantly offsetting the problem of globalization or is its engine of power—fueled by a profiteering trade of commodities and labor that's been stewing and building to a boil since time immemorial—too hot to tamper with?" To Redmon's credit, Gonzalez continues, "the documentary understands our differing cost of livings and the scarce opportunities afforded to people without educations, and as such doesn't naïvely advocate that we stop consuming products acquired by third world countries under shady circumstances." As Matt Cale states relatedly at Ruthless Reviews: "It's the dilemma we face: the desire to treat the world's workers with dignity and respect, with the simultaneous recognition that idealism, for all of its virtues, can also destroy economies."

By raising these questions, Mardi Gras: Made in China "practices politics"—as Robert Koehler writes at Cinema Scope—"Watching it, in fact, is a political act." Then again, so is the very real work of consciousness. Kudos to David Redmon for reminding us of that human inheritance.

Cross-published on Twitch.