The film begins with a scene that shows Theresa supervising a group of mentally-challenged children as they entertain themselves on a bumper car ride. It is the type of scene that insights shameful laughter, perfectly setting up the tone of the rest of the film. Teresa needs a break from her life, so she packs her bags for Holiday and heads to Kenya. From her immediate arrival it is apparent that this is a beautiful place to spend relaxing in the sun but it's also known throughout the region for it's large sex trade tourism industry. Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Love is certainly a provocative film exploring the sex trade tourism which takes place in Africa but it certainly isn't an exploitative piece of filmmaking like some seem to proclaim. Like almost all of Seidl's films, Paradise: Love feels more like a documentary than a narrative feature, blurring the line between the two. Seidl doesn't demonize these woman, rather Teresa's encounters with these various men are surprisingly endearing. Teresa is someone who is seeking more than just carnal desires and the film does a good job of showcasing her desire for companionship just as much as erotic pleasure. In Teresa's case, this concept is strengthened even more later in the film when we see the sadness she has after her daughter doesn't call her for her birthday. While sex and race are a major theme of the film, Paradise: Love is really more a commentary on Colonialism. These African men rely so heavily on these woman for money almost as if they expect it for no other reason then the fact they have been conditioned to think like this through years of colonialism- relying on these woman to fulfill their needs. This two viewpoints constantly conflict with each other which often leads to eventual conflict and/or misunderstanding. As one would expect from a Ulrich Seidl film, Paradise: Love is beautifully photographed with fantastic compositions but the way the film uses visuals to show these barriers is exceptional. Some obvious (the roped off areas of the beach), and some subtle (the bar where the two white woman chat with the bartender), the film conveys the barriers which exist between these two cultures, particularly in terms of colonialism. Paradise: Love is at times humorous, touching, repulsive, and sad, and while it certainly isn't a film for everyone, it is a thought-provoking experience. 8/10
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Irina returns home one day to find her parents murdered by a group of rebels who proceed to sexually abuse her and move on to the next town. With nothing left to live for in her present life, Irina flees her war-torn country to Berlin where she becomes a prostitute as a means of survival. While working the streets of Berlin, she meets Kalle, a young homeless man who spends his days begging for money. Through this chance encounter the two of them find solace in each other and quickly start living together in Irina's apartment. As their relationship blossoms, a horrific event threatens to destroy their happiness with each other, which forces Kalle to extreme measures in an attempt to save their love. Doris Dorrie's Bliss is an unconventional love story that understands its characters and beautifully captures the idea of love with the happiness, sadness, and sacrifice that come with it. Both Irina and Kalle are incredibly well-dimensioned characters who come from checkered pasts. Irina is a character whose hidden her sadness and despair of her tragic past deep inside herself, even resorting to physical pain in an effort to shield herself from the emotional anguish she deals with on a daily basis. On the other hand the viewer isn't given much detail about Kalle, but it's apparent that he is someone who never sees things through to the end, routinely running away from any type of conflict or trouble which presents itself as an obstacle to him. The relationship which these two share shields them from their past trauma and the film continually reminds the viewer as to the precarious nature of this situation. For example, Irina's pastoral upbringing is represented in the apartment which she shares with Kalle, another reminder of how her past and present commingle regardless of how much she shuts herself off to the past. There is a meditative aspect to the film as well, as the film routinely hints at a higher presence above, routinely showing beautiful shots of the skies if to suggest that love itself is watching over this young couple. There is almost nothing about Bliss' story that isn't motivated by the characters of Kalle and Irina, with the final major conflict serving as a unique and surprisingly grisly yet beautiful reminder of the true love they share for each other. In a way, Bliss reminded me a lot of Leos Carax's Lovers on the Bridge in that both are unique loves stories that beautifully capture the ups, downs and inside outs of what love and relationships entail. 8.75/10 In the opening scene to Mark Romanek's Static, Ernie, a keyboardist, quits his band in the middle of a set and walks off stage. He ends up at a small town in the bible belt where he works at a crucifix factory assembling them. When he is fired from his job at the factory, Ernie builds a very special type of TV set in which he claims can tune in to images of Heaven. Initial frustration and confusion abounds from Earnie when no one sees anything but static on the screen. In a last ditch effort to prove that his TV can see heaven, Ernie hijacks a bus full of elderly people with the purpose of getting media attention and proving that his invention really works. Mark Romanek's Static is a stylish, offbeat genre-bender which satirizes religion, ultimately touching on human's desire to prove or disapprove god. The film also has something to say about human natures ability to corrupt and exploit religion, commonly treating it more like a business than anything else but this isn't all that fleshed out. Static is a very fun experience and Romanek injects the film with a very bright and colorful visual palette, using strong colors like oranges and blues which really aid in creating this quirky, oddball world. The film is loaded with these interesting ideas about religion and while it isn't as clear as it should be, Static is a pleasure to watch for its originality alone. Being Romanek's first film and coming before his music videos, Static is an extremely low budget feature and there are some pretty blatant snafus - most notably how the boom mic is visible too a degree in which I even began to suspect it was intentional for comedic purposes. I must mention, Bob Gunton as well, who really steals this film as Frank, an evangelist who spends his days preaching the gospel in front of the local motel and his nights planning for the apocalypse. Mark Romanek's Static is a unique, offbeat experience that showcases a filmmaker still honing his visual style. 7.5/10 Jojo is a lively 10-year-old who lives at home with his father. Jojo doesn't have the typical life, his mother, a musician, is away on tour leaving him alone with his father, a volatile man who has trouble keeping his emotions in check. Jojo's one bit of solace comes an abandoned baby bird he finds one day on his way to water polo practice. Boudewijn Koole's Little Bird is a powerful piece of filmmaking about grief and a young minds inability to comprehend tragedy. This is a film that is entirely shown from young Jojo's point-of-view, perfectly capturing the world from the viewpoint of such a young child. Little Bird is a well-crafted film that features beautiful imagery aiding in creating a meditative feel which showcases this boys mixed emotions. The loneliness, isolation and anger which this young boy feels throughout the film is felt and comprehended, even if he himself doesn't understand the pure weight of the situation around him. The way the film deals with the father is masterful, almost always appearing on the edge of the frame with very few instances where the viewer can even see his face. He is often shown out of focus, with the camera locked in on young Jojo, which effectively captures the young boys point of view. In fact, the only times in which the father is presented in a clear and succinct shot involves scenes with a third person, beautifully illustrating the neglect which young Jojo feels from his father. About two thirds into the film, there is a massive reveal which perfectly explains much of both Jojo and his father's strained relationship. Jojo is a boy who is feels all alone because of his father's inability to deal with his own demons, with Jojo's one bit of solace coming from the friendship he forms with this bird. By the end of the film we come to realize that the bird is really a symbolic representation of Jojo's love for his mother, with his inability to communicate and find solace with his father being the catalyst. Little Bird is an emotional experience that perfectly captures how a tragic situation can be perceived by a young mind. 8.75/10 Navdav Lapid's Policeman is a film examining the sociopolitical issues of Israel, and while it at first seems to be pertaining to the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the film's true message about violence is subtlety in-twined throughout. It's a film which follows two narratives on a collision course with each other in a powerful conclusion. The first part centers around a man who works as a policeman for the anti-terrorism unit of the Jerusalem police force. His wife is about to give birth any day now, his buddy is fighting cancer and he is in the middle of an internal investigation where four civilians were killed yet he is as cool as a cucumber, a man who has been trained to be cold, calm and confident. The other half concerns a group of young revolutionists whom are young and naive, they shout to the rooftops of social injustice, yet they themselves grew up in the upper middle-class. They want a revolution and naively turn to guns as their source of power in a world in which they want to be heard. Policeman follows these two distinct groups of individuals, the young revolutionists and the anti-terrorism unit, effectively showing how while they may appear very different, they are almost exactly the same. We routinely see the rituals of machismo on display among the police officers, as they perform their daily tasks seemingly drawing this false sense of power from their status as soldiers. On the other hand, the the young revolutionists treat their weapons as a source of power to be heard. The key to understanding Policeman is in understanding that this is a director who is highly critical of his countries obsession with violence. Nearly every scene in the film, even mere greetings among friends, is brooding with violence and weaponry. These people view it as a sense of power and control and the ending of the film perfectly captures how this mentality is what is cause of violence, not the guns themselves. These characters view guns as their power, their protection, their resolve yet when they are presented with the death and the outcome of violence their world is shattered, as the policeman specifically sees the humanity which is so easily erased. I don't think the Policeman is top notch storytelling in the progression leading up to its climax but it certainly is a powerful message about the false sense of control and power which weapons such as guns can provide. 8.25/10 The more of Phil Karlson films I explore, the more I am beginning to think he is truly under-appreciated filmmaker who just doesn't get the credit he deserves. Rampage is the story of a world-renowned animal trapper (Robert Mitchum) who is commissioned to track down, The Enchantress, a mythical Malaysian tiger/panther hybrid. He is teamed with an old but skilled hunter (Jack Hawkins) and his young, beautiful wife (Elsa Martinelli). This film is full of great relationship dynamics between these three characters to the point that the actually hunt is really just a backdrop for the deadly game of carnal desires. From the onset it's clear that their is sexual tension between Mitchum and the young woman, who makes no bones about the obvious attraction. Jack Hawkins character's plight is by far the most interesting aspect of the film. This is a man whose skill and dominance in his profession slowly decays away due to father time, leaving him wanting nothing more but to prove that he still has what it takes. Of course this is just one of his problems as he is also dealing with the fear of losing his wife to the skilled-trapper in Mitchum. While the film centers around the hunt for the tiger, the real meat comes in the cat and mouse game which both Mitchum and Hawkins play for this woman's affection. I guess some may have a problem with how Elsa Martinelli's character portrays women- an individual whose attraction to power and expertise makes her question her love and respect for Hawkins. I personally don't see a problem with it, as the script covers its basis and demonstrating that from a young age this Hawkins character is all she has ever known, which explains why power means so much to her. The script is good if not great, loaded with lots of great innuendos and subtle aggressive commentary between the two men, also slightly commenting on the simple fact that man is the most dangerous creature of all. Phil Karlson's Rampage is a film of multiple layers, further proving how underrated of a filmmaker he really was. 8.5/10 Robbie is a man who has been in and out of trouble his whole life. After his latest criminal offense, Robbie is able to narrowly avoid jail, citing his soon-to-be born son as the inspiration he needs to become a better man. Instead of jail, Robbie is sentenced to over 300 hours of community service. Harry, the man who runs the service program, routinely invites the various roughnecks, including Robbie, on trips as a way to show them what life can truly be about. On a visit to a whiskey distillery, Robbie becomes inspired, with him and his mates concocting a plan to get out of their hopeless lives. Ken Loach's Angel's Share is a story of redemption for these men and woman who have sketchy pasts. Angel's Share does a good job at showing how hard it can be for someone to leave this type of lifestyle behind, particularly with Robbie, whose criminal past mirrors that of his fathers, adding significance to the doubts of his ability to start over. He must break this cycle of hooliganism and almost everyone, including his girlfriend's father has their doubts. Early in the film we see how Robbie struggles to break away from his checkered past. He is routinely attacked by various hooligans for reasons which aren't important, unable to escape this violent lifestyle. Ken Loach brings such a warm-hearted poignancy to these types of films and it's really impressive how he is able to keep things poignant with a story that could easily become sentimental fluff. My biggest problem with The Angel's Share is that the plan which Robbie and his fellow roughnecks concoct isn't exactly moral, which for me, clouded the overall message of the film. These men steal this whiskey in an effort to better themselves and maybe that is Loach's point, but it certainly feels counter-productive to the message of not judging someone because of their past. 7/10 Fifteen year old Sumida lives with his mother in a small shack where they run a small boat rental business on the outskirts of town. His mother completely neglects him, paying far more attention to the television than her own son. His father is never around, only routinely showing up to ask for money and berate Sumida, sometimes beating him until Sumida turns over the little money he has. Sumida is a teenager who just wants the chance to be something more than a complete waste of human life like his parents. He doesn't dream big, he just hopes for an ordinary life in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Sion Sono's Himizu is a film meant to inspire not only the youth of Japan, but a nation which in the aftermath of the tsunami, is facing major obstacles. Sumida's story of perseverance symbolizes the country of Japan, a boy who has been beaten down by everything around him to the point where he wants to lash out, yet ultimately learning that he is in control of his own destiny. The behavior of his parents seem to symbolize the disinterested elite in a country which sorely needs them. While Sono's message about perseverance is a strong one, I would argue that Sono goes a little overboard in shoving the message down the viewers throat. From Sumida's teacher who continually tells his students "You are one and only flower in the world", to the very end where Sumida repeatedly screams "Don't ever give up" while images of the aftermath of the tsunami are shown, the film lacks subtlety. Typical of Sono's films there are quite a few inscrutable characters that really slow the pace down. These characters on top of bloated storyline make the film about 30 minutes longer than it should have been. From a visual perspective there is lots of nice imagery, with Sono really capturing the emotions of not only these main characters, but of a nation. Himizu is a film that wears its message on it's sleeve and while the film is a bit overlong and lacks subtlety, it's a strong message from a strong filmmaker. 7.5/10 George and Anne are a loving retired couple who are now in their eighties. They are well educated, retired music teachers who spend a lot of their time listening to music and keeping in contact with their former students. One day, seemingly like any other, Anne has a stroke, leaving her paralyzed on the right side of her body. With the doctors unable to help, Anne's condition continually worsens leaving George to care for her, his love being tested as he is forced to watch Anne slowly drift away. Michael Haneke's Amour is a hard film to write about, as it deals with the topic of death, something which everyone will experience. Amour is a very genuine and honest portrayal of growing old, capturing the inevitability of death. Cinematically this has got to be one of Haneke's most toned down films, but this more subdued and simple style certainly fits this story well. The film doesn't hold back in showing all the small details of how Anne's deteriorating health affects George, from both an emotional and physical point of view. Sure helping Anne in and out of her wheelchair is something which Georges would do gladly but we see the emotional effect this has on him - seeing the love of his life so helpless to do anything on her own. One of the more stylistic decisions revolves around George's pov, as he routinely sees the healthy version of Anne, living and breathing around the household, as he tries to cope with the inevitability of her worsening condition. As Anne falls farther and farther away from her true self, she becomes very self-conscious about the people in her life seeing her in such a condition. Essentially using Anne's story, Amour questions the moral constructs of assisted death, questioning why someone who is so far removed to the point where they are barely conscious and unable to perform the simplest of tasks would even want to stay alive. Amour is not an easy film to watch, but it's a film that beautifully captures the inevitable sadness that is a part of growing old, and in doing so, coming face to face with your own mortality. 8.5/10 Ali is a single father, who is struggling to make enough money to support himself, let alone his 5 year-old son. After leaving Northern France, Ali and his son are given permission to stay with his sister, who he hasn't seen in over 5 years. He is able to land a job as a bouncer, where he meets Stephanie, a woman who clearly doesn't have things together in her personal live. When tragedy strikes, leaving Stephanie confined to a wheelchair, the two strike a unique bond which changes both their worlds forever. Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone is a film that wears its emotional weight on it's sleeve. Stephanie and Ali are both damaged souls and even though they don't necessarily realize it, particularly Ali, they are destined for each other. I personally found Ali to be an incredibly compelling character. He is a primal creature and really at the films core this is a film about his inability to understand compassion and love, even when it is right in front of him. Marion Cotillard & Matthias Schoenaerts both give great performances but what makes this film so compelling, is how natural and genuine these characters feel. There is no denying that Audiard is a visual filmmaker, and Rust and Bone is full of beautiful compositions in which it balances handheld and static shots very well. I really love the film's attention to detail, with the visuals routinely telling the viewer things about the character's inner turmoil or in rare occasions, joy. This is beautifully illustrated in a scene soon after Stephanie's accident where Ali takes her into the ocean. The water is one of the few things that makes Stephanie truly happy, and Audiard uses the sun and how it sparkles vividly and alive off the water to express Stephanie's joy. While Stephanie's sense of freedom from a savage world lies in the water, Ali's lies in the ring where he begins to conduct bare-knuckled fights as a way of income. He feels free and in control in the ring, essentially the complete opposite of how he feels anywhere else. While much of the marketing depicts Stephanie as the lead character, this is really Ali's story. He is extremely kind to Stephanie, and helps her overcome her disability, yet he pushes her way when she gets too close. The ending really wraps up this perfectly, showing how Ali is able to find his compassion and love, by supplanting the freedom he has from fighting, with what really matters in Stephanie and his young boy. Rust and Bone is an emotional roller-coaster ride that succeeds in telling a beautifully story of two battered souls, who find solace in each other. 9/10 |
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June 2023
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