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Showing posts with label Béla Tarr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Béla Tarr. Show all posts

Sunday, August 21, 2022

The Films of Miklós Jancsó

I had seen a few films of Jancsó long before I had seen any film by Béla Tarr. Now, having revisited some of Jancsó's films, Tarr’s words make more sense because I can clearly see the influence of Jancsó on Tarr’s films.

The sweeping camera movements, the sideways camera pan, found in Jancsó’s films clearly has an influence on Tarr’s films in terms of shot composition. Although, Tarr’s camera rhythm and pan speed is slighter slower than Jancsó's and that is due to the differing focus and topics the two directors want to cover. 

Jancsó’s films are concerned with the fate of a society or nation in general and as a result, characters in his film are involved in debates between capitalism vs socialism, industrial vs agricultural ways of live. Depiction of these debates are shown via sweeping camera movements as the camera moves across a diverse array of characters, rival groups and fighting armies who are debating these lofty ideals and the fate of society. 

The camera has a lot of ground to cover in Jancsó's films because there are multiple viewpoints that need to be shown and these beautiful measured camera movements engulf an entire universe as individuals slowly blend into a larger mosaic. Jancsó also shows the impact of authoritarian rule which crushes individuals and his films depict the sexual abuse committed by men (soldiers or those in power). On the other hand, Tarr’s camera wants us to focus on 1-2 characters in its movements. Sometimes, Tarr’s camera wants us to focus on objects as the characters are not in the frame. There are crimes committed in Tarr’s films as well but those are mostly individual in nature or undertaken by a few against a small community.

Another difference between the two directors is regarding the mood in the films, which includes the colour palette and background noise. The sound of the landscape, rain and environment, filters through more in Tarr’s films whereas in Jancsó’s films, it is songs, music, spirited debates and gunfire that come through. Tarr’s films feature dark or grayish palettes with rain and gloomy skies. On the other hand, Jancsó’s films are packed with bright lively skies in the four colour films in the above set (
The Confrontation, Winter Wind, Red Psalm and Electra, My Love). This is true even in Winter Wind where the snow doesn’t appear gloomy at all.


Miklós Jancsó’s films take real life events in Hungarian society and bring them to life. However, the manner in which the films are shot have a universality to them. This is due to the films being shot in open fields which turns the focus more on the words and actions of the characters. The crimes the men commit and their unflinching loyalty to their cause are still applicable in today’s world as the world is more divided than ever with men willing to go to any lengths to justify their cause.


There is plenty of good writing on Jancsó’s films. Here are just a few worthy ones:


1. Richard Brody in New Yorker

"Jancsó crafted a primordial form of slow cinema, but made it full of action. “Winter Wind,” for instance, is famously made of only twelve or thirteen elaborately choreographed shots, with the camera weaving around a host of actors, passing from one to another, and observing groups form and dissolve; these hypnotically abstract patterns of movement depict concrete and often violent events. "

"Jancsó’s films relentlessly stage cruelty, ruthlessness, and sadism—the use of power as spectacle to cow freethinkers into submission. The sexual abuse of women is a constant of tyrannical and repressive forces, and women’s resistance to them takes heroic forms, "

"What’s more, he elevated irony to a matter of cinematic form. The films in the Metrograph series are all trees, leaving it to viewers to draw their own forest. With his pointillistic vision of microhistory, of an overwhelming profusion of details, Jancsó radically decontextualized historical events and turned them into abstract symbols. The heroism of revolutionaries in “The Red and the White” makes Bolshevism look like a suicide pact, a death cult; in “Red Psalm,” soldiers purporting to side with the people are bloody murderers of those they claim to defend. "

"Jancsó also evoked the unique psychological horrors of life under tyranny—in style as well as substance—in his depiction of people enduring brutal and horrifying political events that, owing to mass censorship and individual intimidation, go undenounced and even unnamed. Jancso’s foregrounded vision of turbulent action rendered it both overwhelmingly complex, with its Kafkaesque snares and deceptions, and blankly Beckettian, with the absurd cold opacity of its violence, of the nerve-jangling proximity of life to death.
"

2.  J. Hoberman in Film Comment

"First manifest in The Round-Up (65), Jancsó’s boldly stylized film language appeared to be a synthesis of Antonioni (elegant widescreen compositions, austere allegorical landscapes), Bresson (impassive performers, exaggerated sound design), and Welles (convoluted tracking shots, intricately choreographed ensembles), even as his free-floating existential attitudes and “empty world” iconography evoked the theater of the absurd, albeit without the laughs. Jancsó’s subject or, rather, his prison, was history. His narratives recalled the literature of extreme situations-pivoting on cryptic betrayals, mapping the seizure of power, dramatizing the exercise of terror- and his politics were ambiguously left, perhaps crypto-Trotskyist."

3. Patrick Dahl in Screenslate:

"Circularity runs through all six films in the series. Circles, mostly made of bodies, collide, surround, break and absorb one another as power shifts between the masses and agents of control. "

"Jancsó’s encircled masses and long takes reached their apex with Red Psalm (1972) and Electra, My Love (1974, pictured at top). Featuring only a few dozen shots each, the films offer a nearly impenetrable array of historical symbols and folklore in which groups of singing, dancing and naked peasants lock arms in solidarity against tyrannical forces.
"

Sunday, May 01, 2022

Top Hungarian Films of All Time

Hungary has a rich cinematic history and has produced many stellar films over the past seven decades. However, many classic films from Hungary aren’t as widely distributed or available online as those from other Eastern European countries such as Czech Republic or Poland. For example, Criterion has done a great job with releasing Czech and Polish films but their Hungarian film release stands at just 1. And this solitary title only came recently in March 2022 with Márta Mészáros’s brilliant Adoption. Thankfully, Kino Lorber has more Hungarian titles on offer and their upcoming release of 6 Miklós Jancsó films is certainly welcome. In addition, a lot of these Kino Lorber Hungarian titles are available online via kanopy.com. In my case, I have two labels in UK to thank for seeing some classic Hungarian films: Artificial Eye’s release of Béla Tarr’s Sátántangó and Second Run. Still, for the most part, it is tough to stream Hungarian films online. There was a brief period of few months in 2020 when Hungary's National Film Institute showcased 40 classic films for free online. I missed seeing these films in 2020 although some of them are still available online on You Tube or Vimeo but without English subtitles. However, the Eastern European Movies website has a selection of these films available to stream with English subtitles for a fee.

The availability of these films via the Eastern European Movies website still doesn't end up covering all the films tabulated by Hungarian critics as the best films ever. There have been two lists of 12 films each put out called the ‘Budapest Twelve’ outlining essential Hungarian films.

In the first case, a list was put out in 1968 for top 12 Hungarian films from 1948 - 1968.

Frigyes Bán: Treasured Earth
Miklós Jancsó: The Round-Up
Zoltán Fábri: Merry-Go-Round
András Kovács: Cold Days
Félix Máriássy: Budapest Spring
Zoltán Fábri: Professor Hannibal
Imre Fehér: In Soldier's Uniform
Károly Makk: The House Under the Rocks
Ferenc Kósa: Ten Thousand Days
István Gaál: Sodrásban
Márton Keleti: The Corporal and the Others
István Szabó: Father


There was a New Budapest Twelve list put in 2000.

Miklós Jancsó: The Round-Up
Károly Makk: Love
Zoltán Huszárik: Szindbád
István Szőts: People of the Mountains
Géza Radványi: Somewhere in Europe
Péter Gothár: Time Stands Still
István Székely: Hyppolit, the Butler
Zoltán Fábri: Merry-Go-Round
András Jeles: Little Valentino
Ildikó Enyedi: My 20th Century
István Szabó: Father
Zoltán Fábri: Professor Hannibal

I have only seen half of the above 2000 list so I still have some work to do. Although, one glaring omission from the above list gives me pause. There isn’t a single title by Béla Tarr. By 2000, he had directed 8 films including Sátántangó. Werckmeister Harmonies was released in 2000 so perhaps if that was not seen, then surely 7 of his titles of would have been considered. This omission doesn’t seem like a mistake.

In András Bálint Kovács' book ‘The Cinema of Béla Tarr’, Kovács references the lack of Tarr’s films in the 2000 list and elaborates:

“But the discrepancy between the appreciation of Tarr’s films on the international and on the national level is striking. And I am not talking about the discrepancy between an elite’s taste and the popular taste. This would be obvious and needs no explanation. What I am talking about about here is a discrepancy within a Hungarian art-film audience, which right from the appearance of the Tarr style in 1988 became divided about its value.” page 172, ‘The Cinema of Béla Tarr’, András Bálint Kovács

This gap between directors who are popular locally vs internationally isn’t isolated to Hungarian cinema but takes place in many other nations as well, where some directors find much more appreciation internationally as opposed to locally. Some examples such as Carlos Reygadas (Mexico), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand) and Lav Diaz (Philippines) come to mind while a handful of Indian directors do well at international film festivals yet hardly ever get their films shown locally.

While I still have some catching up to do for Hungarian films, here is my current list.

Top 10 Hungarian Films of All Time

1. Sátántangó (1994, Béla Tarr)

Béla Tarr’s almost 7.5 hour Sátántangó is a cinematic wonder. The film is hypnotic and an immersive experience which showcases the best elements of Tarr’s cinema: long takes, sweeping camera movements, harsh realism, artistic compositions and unforgettable sounds (howling winds, relentless rain).

2. Adoption (1975,  Márta Mészáros)

It is easy to see why this is the first film by a woman to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The film’s creative camerawork brings the material alive and lends a high degree of intimacy with the characters.

3. The Round-Up (1966, Miklós Jancsó)

The setting is 1880s Hungary but the abstract depiction of events has parallels in our contemporary world. This was also true back in 1966 when the film came out as it echoed 1960s Hungary and also implied events in Hungary during WWII. This is because the film shows how power is held and abused while highlighting those who will do or say anything to survive.

On another note, the film’s set coupled with the discussions remind me of the morality battles shown in Glauber Rocha’s parched Brazilian landscape.

4. The Fifth Seal (1976, Zoltán Fábri)


A dizzying film packed with philosophical ideas some of which will always be relevant due to how people align with differing ideologies.

5. The Witness (
A tanú, 1969, Péter Bacsó)

Banned for over a decade in Hungary, Bacsó's wicked satire about communism is also a rare humourous film on this list. The Witness shows how the changing political situation also changes what is acceptable behaviour and what is deemed appropriate. Unfortunately in the film, József Pelikán (Ferenc Kállai) finds himself on the wrong side at all times. The film also features the famous Hungarian director Zoltán Fábri playing a politician.

6. Current (
Sodrásban, 1964, István Gaál)

István Gaál’s Current has a different look and feel from the other Hungarian films on this list. The depiction of friends spending a lazy afternoon swimming initially evokes French cinema. However, when one of the friends disappears, the introspection that the others go through feels like something out of Michelangelo Antonioni’s films.

7. On Body and Soul (2017, Ildikó Enyedi)


Ildikó Enyedi won the Golden Bear at Berlin for this smart film which depicts our isolated contemporary society where real connections are hard to come by.

Enyedi’s film My 20th Century was named on the 2000 'Budapest Twelve' list but I prefer On Body and Soul instead.

8. Kontroll (2003, Nimród Antal)


A wild film that follows the lives of the Budapest underground subway metro staff on their daily routines. The humorous first half looks at the insanity, the male power games, the inner turmoils, and hilarious passengers but the second half shifts gears and explores the shades of darkness lurking beneath the surface.

9. Angi Vera (1979, Pál Gábor)

Using the main character Vera (Vera Pap) as a lens, the film shows how one can assimilate in a party structure and convince leaders of their dedication to the cause. In addition, one can use the examples in the film to extrapolate how easy it would have been for neighbours to turn on each other not only in Hungary but across multiple regions (Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East to name a few) over the last few decades.

10. The Turin Horse (2011, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)


Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky craft their unique end of the world scenario with a few bare essentials: an old man, obedient daughter, rebel horse, untrustworthy visitors, an angry wind, potato, bucket, well, table, chair and a window. The film features an array of reverse and sideway shots that manage to open up space in a confined house setting.

Honourable mentions (alphabetical order as per English titles):


The Falcons (1970, István Gaál)
Mephisto (1981, István Szabó)
Son of Saul (2015, László Nemes)
Son of the White Mare (Fehérlófia, 1981, Marcell Jankovics)
Werckmeister Harmonies (2000, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)

Monday, October 08, 2007

Dispatches from VIFF



Cinema, Cafes, Crêpes, Curry, Beer and plenty of rain:

24 films in 6 days!! That total is even more remarkable considering I only started with two films on Day 1 and only viewed a single entry on my last day. I missed out on a further 10 days of the festival which would have enabled me to catch even more vintage films. For now, 6 rain soaked cinematic days was a perfect tonic.

Day 1: The journey starts:

5 am. Quiet, silent sleepy city. The drive from Calgary to Vancouver took a shade under 10 hours because of the lack of traffic encountered leaving that early in the morning. A few snow flurries on the way, some rain but other than that, it was smooth driving. Luckily, I was not the one behind the wheel as my good friend drove me to the promised film land.





Two films -- Silence vs Noise, Inner vs External conflict:

Films seen:




  • In Memory of Myself (2007, Italy, Director: Saverio Costanzo)
  • Soo (South Korea, 2007, Director: Sai Yoichi)

    7 pm: I could not have picked a more difficult movie to start my film experience with. The Italian film In Memory of Myself is set inside a monastery and shows a man's (Andrea) struggle to give up the outside world for a life in religion. The long silent takes allows one to fully contemplate the spiritual difficulties Andrea is going through. A captivating film that forces one to think about the relevance of a life spent in devotion to religion.

    Soo on the other hand is the complete opposite of In Memory of Silence. The first few minutes of the film offer some quiet before the loud car crashes, bullet firing, slicing, dicing and chopping take place. The film clearly has been influenced from Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance but Park Chan-wook's films have a solid framework within perfectly encapsulates the violence. Whereas, in Soo the needless scenes of killings reduce the film's dramatic impact and end up turning the movie into a cartoon where the bad guys refuse to die despite being sliced in half and shot multiple times. The story of a brother avenging his twin's murder has been covered before as well.

    Day 2: 5 films, Asian delight:

    Films seen:

  • Times and Winds (Turkey, 2006, Director: Reha Erdem)
  • Slingshot (Philippines, 2007, Director: Brillante Mendoza)
  • Ploy (Thailand, 2007, Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang)
  • Foster Child (Philippines, 2007, Director: Brillante Mendoza)
  • Secret Sunshine (South Korea, 2007, Director: Lee Chang-Dong)


  • All 5 films were very good but the two Mendoza films are simply outstanding. Both films are shot in a verite documentary style outlining everyday life in the shanty slumps of Philippines. Slingshot depicts how corrupt politics can thrive on the backbone of poverty while the slum residents struggle to make a living. Foster Child looks at foster families not only in Philippines but how such families inter-relate with their American counterparts.

    Tony Rayns along with Brillante Mendoza:




    The films are remarkably shot with the camera smoothly flowing between long shots and close-ups. The visual style seems even more impressive considering that Slingshot and Foster Child took about 11 and 12 days in shooting time respectively, which is just an incredible feat as the films were shot in location in tight quarters of a real slums. In the Q&A session, Mendoza mentioned that he and his crew found a way to integrate some of the actors with the slum residents to produce such free flowing films. I could not help but think of Jeffrey Jeturian's brilliant The Bet Collector (Kubrador) which is shot in a similar manner in a slum. As film critic and VIFF programmer Tony Rayns highlighted that it is truly remarkable that one person managed to make two such outstanding films in one year!

    The day got off to a very good start with the Turkish film Times and Winds. A beautiful film which looks at simple village life during different times of day and through the passage of seasons. The film mainly focuses on three children and how they learn to adapt to the changing world around them.

    In between the two Mendoza films is another balanced work from Thai filmmaker Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Even though Christopher Doyle has not shot this film like Ratanaruang's previous efforts (Last Life in the Universe, Invisible Waves), the visual images (shot by Charnkit Chamniwikaipong) still convey the cool bluish tint as Doyle's previous collaborations with Ratanaruang did. The main story of Ploy revolves around a marriage in a flux and takes place mostly in a hotel room. Like his previous films, a touch of murder hovers over the film but it is far more delicate than in his older ventures. What is interesting this time around is that Pen-ek Ratanaruang blurs the line between reality and dreams as each character's dreams are spliced with the cinematic reality that is taking place. Initially, the dreams and reality may seem confusing but gradually it becomes easier to distinguish between what is fabricated and what really is happening.

    The night ended with a well tuned Korean flick, Secret Sunshine. The film starts out with a single mother, Shin-ae(Jeon Do-yeon) moving to Miryang (the town name translates to secret sunshine) with her younger son. Shin-ae is shown to be carefree and some of her decisions lead to tragic incidents. This is where the film takes us on a roller coaster of a journey as we literally see her character break down on screen. The acting is fabulous and no wonder Jeon Do-yeon was awarded as best actress in Cannes. Even when we think that her character might get some hope, events happen which shake her foundation and leave her in a worse situation than she found herself in to begin with. To director Lee Chang-Dong's credit, he has included the wonderful character of Jong Chan (Song Kang-Ho) in the story. No matter what the situation is, Jong offers support to Shin-ae and as a result provides a positive ray of light in her otherwise dark life -- he is the counter balance to all the negativity that takes place in the film.

    Day 3: 6 films + 1 short, Documentary galore

    Films seen:


  • The Man from London (France/Germany/Hungary, 2007, Director: Béla Tarr)
  • Drowned in Oblivion (Belgium/France, 2006, Director: Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd)
  • My Winnipeg (Canada, 2007, Director: Guy Maddin)
  • Keepers of Eden (USA, 2007, Director: Yoram Porath)
  • The Counterfeiters (Austria/Germany, 2007, Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky)
  • Useless (China, 2007, Director: Jia Zhangke)
  • Our Ten Years (China , 2006, 9 min, Director: Jia Zhangke)


  • The short running time (approx 80-85 minutes) of three docs (Drowned in Oblivion, My Winnipeg and Keepers of Eden) allowed me to pack in 4 films before 5 pm. Although, watching these movies involved plenty of rushed walks between the Empire 7 Granville theaters to the Pacific Cinematheque. Overall, it was a good balanced film day which covered a few different genres and story ideas.

    Béla Tarr's The Man from London is a stylish black and white film with a touch of noirish elements. The film is too gorgeous to remove one eye's from even for a minute and the leisurely moving camera ensures we soak up every element within the frame. Although, I preferred Tarr's previous film Werckmeister Harmonies because in that movie the tension kept mounting until a chaotic climax. Whereas, in The Man from London very early on the clock starts ticking down to an expected climax after a man recovers a mysterious brief case of money.

    The Belgian documentary Drowned in Oblivion is the story about a group of men captured and tortured during Mauritania in the 1980's. The men narrate their experiences while the camera shows us black and white images of the path via which the men were captured and eventually tortured. This simple tactic of showing us the locations from where the men were taken hostage while their voices in the background describe the experiences allows us to fully grasp the horror of their situation.

    I never lived in Winnipeg but lived in a small town 1 hour from Manitoba's capital. Going to Winnipeg was a big thing in those days because it was the big happening city. Over the years, I have returned to Winnipeg a few times and I always find myself relieved to leave the city. So with those sentiments in mind, I found Guy Maddin's poetic documentary My Winnipeg quite funny. The film contains some typical Canadian humour which could relate to other Canadian cities as well. Minus the sleep-walking though. And, yes the winter in Winnipeg was brutal. So I can understand Maddin's repeated urge to leave the city as that was something I often found myself saying while walking bundled in the freezing cold streets.

    There have been a handful of documentaries in recent years that have showed the exploitation of natural resources in South America. Keepers of Eden goes a step further and shows the environmental damage that results when oil companies have free reign over land development. The footage of oil corrupted rivers and land is nauseating as are the scenes of the locals bodies infected by the presence of petroleum in their water supply. Such films are relevant as they help bring to light issues otherwise ignored by the media.

    The Counterfeiters is a well made film about a forger who made plenty of money while producing counterfeit currency during World War II. After the Nazis imprison him in a concentration camp, he is forced to produce fake American and British currency to help in the Nazis quest to destroy their enemies economies.

    I was looking forward to Jia Zhangke's documentary Useless and it does not disappoint. But before the film I found a real treat in Jia Zhangke's short film Our Ten Years. In a few minutes, Jia Zhangke manages to show how the progress of time may not eliminate loneliness but leads to the disappearance of art thanks to advances in technology.

    Useless looks at clothing in china through three avenues, clothing industry who manufacture the same clothes at a rapid pace, a fashion designer who strives to create unique clothing and the individuals who tailor clothes designed to fit an individual. We are also given a beautiful look at clothes without a human body and even the naked body without any clothes. Such poetic shots only highlight the relevance of clothes in some people's lives.

    Day 4: Music and the pursuit of women

    Films seen:


  • Great World of Sound (USA, 2006, Director: Craig Zobel)
  • Help Me Eros (Taiwan, 2007, Director: Lee Kang-sheng)
  • The Girl Cut in Two (France, 2007, Director: Claude Chabrol)
  • Dans la ville de Sylvia & Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia (Spain, 2007, Director: José Luis Guerin)


  • The day started off with a pleasant surprize in the form of Great World of Sound. I had no idea what to expect from this film but it is a satiric look at a small American music producing studio. We came across young men trained to be music producers in search of raw talent but the film shows how these men are encouraged to act more like car salesmen, only looking to extract money from eager musicians.

    I was eager to see Help Me Eros. The movie is directed by Lee Kang-sheng whose plays the lead in most of Tsai Ming-liang's movies. I was curious to see how Lee Kang-sheng would do on his own. But unfortunately, the film still carries a huge stamp of Tsai Ming-liang (who produced this film). Lee Kang-sheng plays a more confident version of the same character seen in Tsai Ming-liang's films. His character is still lonely and suicidal but is more bolder and reckless -- he picks up hookers with ease and is not afraid to take risks with his money. The difference in the character is evident from the sex scenes which are much more adventurous than the ones in The Wayward Cloud. Although, there is an awkward self-gratification scene included in the movie which really should have been left out. But as uncomfortable as that scene is, its presence highlights the loneliness of a female character and the lengths she would go to satisfy herself.

    The Girl Cut in Two is a refreshing and entertaining film that looks at the complicated relationship between men and women. The first hour is playful as we see the sexual games between the male and female characters. Even though the film takes on a serious tone after the hour mark, it is an engaging watch.

    The ghosts of Sylvia -- the two films of José Luis Guerin

    Three pics of Guerin (center):





    The highlight of the night had to be the two Guerin films. Simple yet beautiful! Dans la ville de Sylvia looks at a man's return to the city where he met the lovely Sylvia 6 years ago. It is clear that the man is haunted by memories of Sylvia as he seems to encounter her ghost in every female he comes across. Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia is a collection of black and white pictures mixed with text which shows how Guerin's film developed.

    While Dans la ville de Sylvia is like a short story, Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia is a personal travel diary which contains Guerin's thoughts, feelings and photos. Vancouver was lucky enough to have the world premier of Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia and before the film was shown, Guerin mentioned that he was hesitant to show this to a public because it was such a personal work. After watching the film, it is clear why Guerin was a bit cautious. fotos really gives an insight into his mind as he muses about women, literature and even managed to capture some of them in pictures.

    Both films are equally enjoyable on their own but are connected in an inseparable way as well. In Dans la ville de Sylvia the man keeps a diary about Sylvia. We only get a full look into this diary in fotos while Dans la ville de Sylvia transforms the still fotos into a moving picture. But the entire film Dans la ville de Sylvia can be found within fotos whereas, we only get a brief look into the fotos diary in Dans la ville de Sylvia. In that sense, fotos is a larger work while Dans la ville de Sylvia is only a subset of the complex world of Guerin's Sylvia. It is hard to say which I prefer -- Dans la ville de Sylvia is a rich visual work while fotos is a living breathing photo journal. So if I am in the mood for some graphic literature, I would opt for fotos but if I want pure visual imagery, then I would go with ville.


    Day 5: Lust and border crossings

    Films seen:


  • Euphoria (Russia, 2006, Director: Ivan Vyrypaev)
  • Bad Habits (Mexico, 2007, Director: Simón Bross)
  • The Duchess of Langeais (France, 2007, Director: Jacques Rivette)
  • Sounds of Sand (Belgium, 2006, Director: Marion Hänsel)
  • Import Export (Austria/France, 2007, Director: Ulrich Seidl)


  • Simplicity won out again. The story of the Russian filmEuphoria could not be more simple -- an affair and a husband's quest for revenge against his wife and her lover. But pulsating and lively music combined with breath-taking visuals made this film such a delightful experience. If the characters were not speaking Russian, one could have mistaken the plain farmlands to be that of Saskatchewan.

    Bad Habits is an interesting look at a few characters who lust for food and sex. We see a nun who can't control her urges for sinful cakes and pastries while a little girl can't stop herself from having desserts. The little girl's mother suffers from anorexia and tries to force her daughter to lose weight. While the husband can't fight his urge for sex.

    Even though I knew that The Duchess of Langeais would be completely different from all the films I saw at the festival, I could not ignore this work by Rivette. As expected, the film contains perfect performances and impressive set design. But I can't see the relevance of this film in this day and age. The film focused on the sexual games between the countess and the general, something which has been covered enough times before. The political games that I am sure existed in Balzac's book are not even mentioned.

    Sounds of Sand is the story of an African family's journey across the sub-Saharan desert in search of water and a better life. Along the way, they come across hostile gangs on either side of the border who have no hesitation in firing bullets or kidnaping people. There are some amazing visuals of the barren white sanded deserts of Djibouti.

    Import Export vs Edge of Heaven:

    Import Export is an engaging look at the lives of two characters who cross the border to make a living -- Olga leaves Ukraine for Austria while an unemployed Austrian youth heads to find some work in Ukraine. The film is shot in a documentary style which gives realism to many of the sequences. But I can't talk of this movie without thinking about Fatih Akin's Edge of Heaven. Both Cinema Scope (Issue 31) and Cineaste (Fall Issue) compared the two films and trashed Edge of Heaven. The two articles complained about Akin's screenplay and lack of subtleness. Now some of the criticism is justified. Akin's film is too neat and tidy with the screenplay appearing to tie all the loose ends appropriately. Also, in many scenes, Akin makes sure the camera turns back on a spot again just to ensure the audience didn't miss the obvious. Yes, this is not subtle. But neither is Ulrich Seidl's film. In Import Export, Seidl keeps the camera focused in between a woman's leg in the internet porn office. We know what happens in this office and we didn't need to see all the detailed shots of women going about their business.Ulrich Seidl has shot his sequences without much dialogue in a verite style. But he has purposely included sequences which push the poverty and helplessness of the character (for example, the choice of jobs that Olga gets helps one to sympathize with her). So his screenplay can also be considered manipulative.

    While Import Export is a distanced cold look at the struggles of people in two countries, Edge of Heaven is an emotional look at the connections between two nations. Import Export starts with life and ends with death. Seidl makes sure the last words we hear before the screen fades to black is "death". The manner with which the film ends with such a word is clearly contrived. But in Edge of Heaven death is never shown at the end yet it is clearly implied. Akin ensures that the film ends on a poetic note which is in keeping with the emotional focus of his film. Whereas, Seidl's film is emotionless -- it starts and ends in utter coldness. I prefer both movies and liked what each director did. I just can't put one movie down compared to the other as both films approach their topics in completely different manners.


    Day 6: Final day:

    I only planned one early morning movie (10 am) before catching my flight in the afternoon. And it was a perfect choice to end the festival with. Abdullah Oguz's Turkish film Bliss is a wonderful shot love story set against the backdrop of honor and old traditions.


    Film Ratings and Preferred movies:

    The quality of most movies was such that ratings seem meaningless. There were some clear masterpieces and the rest made for some very good viewing. In the end, I didn't regret seeing any film at the festival.

    Rating (out of 10) and films in order of preference:


  • Foster Child -- 10
  • Dans la ville de Sylvia & Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia -- 10
  • Slingshot -- 10
  • Our Ten Years (short film) -- 10
  • Euphoria -- 9.5
  • Bliss -- 9.5
  • Secret Sunshine -- 9
  • In Memory of Myself -- 9
  • The Girl Cut in Two -- 9
  • Import Export -- 9
  • Times and Winds -- 8.5
  • Help Me Eros -- 8.5
  • Ploy -- 8.5
  • Bad Habits -- 8.5
  • Sounds of Sand -- 8
  • Useless -- 8
  • The Man from London -- 8
  • My Winnipeg -- 8
  • Drowned in Oblivion -- 8
  • Great World of Sound -- 8
  • The Counterfeiters -- 8
  • Keepers of Eden -- 7.5
  • The Duchess of Langeais -- 7
  • Soo -- 6.5


  • Cafes:

    Vancouver is packed with cafes. I have not come across any other Canadian city with as many cafes in downtown as Vancouver has. In that sense, it was appropriate that this city had the world premier for José Luis Guerin's film Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia. If it were not for cafes, the core of that film would not have existed.

    While the big coffee chains dominate most street corners, it is still possible to find independent places. One of my goals was to find a new cafe everyday. I managed to do so and not miss a single film in the process either.





    Crêpes:

    I first came across Cafe Crepe in Vancouver back in 2000. That time, there was only one location on Robson street. But when I visited the city last year, I found a second location across from the Empire 7 Granville theaters where most of VIFF's screenings were held. The venue was open late and I managed to snack on some sweet crepes after a late screening. This time around, I found myself having a breakfast crepe on more than one occasion for the 10 am screenings. Yummy!



    Curry:

    The international cuisine in Vancouver is second to none. Another goal of mine was to try as many different types of food during my stay. But I could not go to proper restaurants as I often had less than an hour in between my shows. Still I managed to find time for some great Japanese and Brazilian food. But one of the highlights had to be the delicious Indian food found at Rangoli. Rangoli is owned by Vij's and located right next to their famous Granville street location. Getting into Vij's is not an easy task as they don't take reservations and are only open for dinner. I found locals who claimed to have waited almost 2.5 hours before they got in. So the owners started up Rangoli, a quick sit down place open for longer hours, with the idea of making their food more available. It is much easier to get a place in Rangoli and the food is quite similar to the menu in Vij's.

    If I had more time, I might have lined up for Vij's. But instead I found curry bliss at Rangoli where I dined on Day 1 before I saw any VIFF films and on Day 6 after seeing my final VIFF film.




    Beer:

    One of my favourite beers is Granville Island . Unfortunately as of last year, I can't get this beer in my city (for reasons unknown). So the only way I can drink this is on a trip to Vancouver. I made sure to only have this beer on every occasion in the city and made it out to the brewery's taproom where I sampled all their four beers in season.



    And lastly......

    Rain:

    What would Vancouver be without rain? It has rained atleast once on all my previous visits. But this time around, it rained on all 6 days with the sun only making a brief appearance for a few hours. That didn't matter much as most of my time was spent inside a warm cinema. Although, there were quite a few occasions I was soaked waiting in line for my tickets. In the following pictures, film fans waited for almost an hour in the rain to see 4 Months 3 weeks 2 days for the 10 am Sunday morning show.



    Well that's it! Amazing trip with some fascinating films. The 14 days of consecutive film festival movies has finally ended. Time to recover now.....