Shadows: Arthouse Films ’03
NOI THE ALBINO | SWIMMING POOL | THE TIME OF THE WOLF
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More mainstream art films have their own pages.
Even more offbeat films are at the SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL.
last update
31.Jul.03
ANGELA
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dir-scr Roberta Torre with Donatella Finocchiaro, Andrea Di Stefano, Mario Pupella, Erasmo Lobello, Tony Gambino, Matteo Gulino, Maria Mistretta, Guiseppe Pettinato release UK 15.Aug.03 • 02/Italy 1h31  REVIEW BY RICH CLINE |
Writer-director Torre films all this in a darkly austere style--black is the dominant colour, with shadows lurking everywhere like a horror film in which we never know when something might leap out to devour one of the characters! In some ways that's exactly what it is, with sneaky cops and vicious mobsters everywhere. Yet while it looks fascinating, it doesn't really help the story much, because it mutes the life and energy needed to make the relationships spring to life. The meandering structure is a bit alienating as well, with lots and lots of small scenes, some of which are quite confusing. That said, Finocchiaro is excellent; even though it's difficult to identify with Angela, watching her cope with the events is fascinating and surprisingly moving. Di Stefano is also superb as the darkly mysterious stranger who charms his way into everyone's life. But the most sympathetic character is the wronged husband, nicely played by Pupella. His scenes with Finocchiaro are brilliant--deeply touching and steeped in the emotion that seems missing from the rest of the film. [15 themes, language, violence] 31.Jul.03
MINIMAL STORIES [Historias Minimas]
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dir Carlos Sorin; scr Pablo Solarz with Antonio Benedictti, Javier Lombardo, Javiera Bravo, Julia Solomonoff, María Rosa Cianferoni, Rosario Vera, Aníbal Maldonado, Carlos Montero, Mario Splanguño, César García, María del Carmen Jiménez, Armando Grimaldi release Argentina 24.Oct.02; UK 25.Jul.03 • 02/Argentina 1h31  REVIEW BY RICH CLINE |
Director Sorin and writer Solarz tell a truly delightful interwoven tale about three people taking miniature epic journeys. Each has a specific task, and each will discover something completely unexpected both along the way and at the end of the road (strangely, the filmmakers leave most of Maria's trip off screen). All together the film has a relaxed comical tone and lively, strong characters who are all hiding something. This lets the film layer what's happening on screen with what's really going on inside each person's life. As a result, it's both engaging and utterly gripping, making terrific use of the bleak Patagonian landscape and the lively faces of the superb, mostly non-professional cast. It's absolutely packed with fantastic scenes that are funny, moving and surprising. A real gem. [15 themes, language] 14.Jul.03
NOI THE ALBINO [Nói Albinói]
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dir-scr Dagur Kári with Tomas Lemarquis, Throstur Leo Gunnarsson, Elin Hansdottir, Anna Fridriksdottir, Hjalti Rognvaldsson, Kjartan Bjargmundsson, Petur Einarsson, Greipur Gislason, Gerard Lemarquis release release Iceland 28.Feb.03; UK 14.Nov.03; US 19.Mar.04 • 03/Iceland 1h33  REVIEW BY RICH CLINE |
Obviously a Jim Jarmusch fan, writer-director Kari creates an astonishing tone that brilliantly blends dry humour with impending tragedy. The film pokes along randomly (just like Noi), observing each quietly comic scene and building an overwhelming sense of nature out of balance. Like a tragic hero, Noi is stubbornly unaware of his moral blindness, refusing to acknowledge the consequences of his behaviour. Yet even as life begins to bite back with a vengeance, we're never prepared for where Kari takes us! Performances are spot-on from the entire cast; each memorable character is finely detailed and full of eccentricities that are beautifully underplayed. And even though it moves at an extremely slow pace, the film looks fantastic, with a wacky 1970s-style design (clothing, decor, cars) contrasted against the bleak wasteland around the snowbound village. And it's in the ironic conclusion that Kari delivers his powerfully resonant punch. A terrific feature debut from a filmmaker to watch. [15 themes, language] 4.Aug.03
SWIMMING POOL
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dir François Ozon; scrEmmanuèle Bernheim, François Ozon with Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Marc Fayolle, Jean-Marie Lamour, Keith Yeates, Sebastian Harcombe, Mireille Mosse, Emilie Gavois-Kahn, Michel Fau, Jean-Claude Lecas, Lauren Farrow release release US 2.Jul.03; UK 22.Aug.03 • Canal+ 03/France 1h42 REVIEW BY RICH CLINE |
Everything about this film is carefully and expertly assembled, giving fascinating insight into the vivid characters while making wry observations on English versus French cultures, female solidarity and, most of all, the origins and effects of artistic inspiration. In some ways this touches on the same themes as Adaptation, although it's nowhere near as wacky and frenetic! Rampling gets into the skin of this lonely, set-in-her-ways woman remarkably, while Sagnier's Julie is so sensual and naively seductive that we're almost afraid to watch her. Ozon holds everything in firm control throughout, revealing little details in every scene with finely tuned direction and a minimalist script that lets us put the pieces together. In this way the film itself feels like a literary English novel! It's absolutely fascinating, touching on themes of revenge and compatibility, all while dropping hints galore that lead to an unusual--and unusually provocative--conclusion.
[15 themes, language, nudity, sex, brief violence] 15.Jul.03
THE TIME OF THE WOLF [Le Temps du Loup]
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dir-scr Michael Haneke with Isabelle Huppert, Anais Demoustier, Lucas Biscombe, Hakim Taleb, Olivier Gourmet, Beatrice Dalle, Patrice Chereau, Brigitte Rouan, Maurice Benichou, Marilyne Even, Rona Hartner, Florence Loiret-Caille release France 8.Oct.03; UK 17.Oct.03; US 28.May.04 • Canal+ 03/France 1h53  REVIEW BY RICH CLINE |
What ensues is intensely involving and almost unbearably abrasive as Haneke tells the story without frills--no background music, frequent long takes, naturalistic lighting and performances. This is stark, creepy filmmaking with moments of sheer terror that violate all the rules of horror or sci-fi filmmaking, two genres Haneke seems intent to reinvent. Huppert gives another staggering central performance--strong and brittle at the same time--while the young Demoustier and Biscombe are superb, especially as both take seriously interesting journeys all their own. Surrounding them is a strong ensemble of desperation, greed and surprising flashes of kindness. As an examination of the depth of our "civilisation", this is brilliant filmmaking. So it's a shame that Haneke seems unsure where he's going with it; the story starts to meander, gets repetitive and concludes on a note that's both a stroke of genius and a wasted opportunity. Haneke's films may be very difficult to watch, but they're also impossible to turn away from. Or to forget. [15 themes, language, violence] 29.Jul.03