Spotlight on Turkey

pics from Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul

Turkey has always fascinated me ever since I first learned of the nation via history books -- Constantinople was always an interesting city given its geographical location as being a link city between Europe and Asia. And it is nice to see that present day Istanbul still occupies a measure of that charm. But Turkey is more than just Istanbul. Even though looking at Turkish soccer and cinema, one can be forgiven for not looking beyond Istanbul as the league soccer is dominated by the three teams from Turkey's largest city (Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe & Beşiktaş) and most movies shot in Turkey feature the required shots of the gorgeous Bosphorus river and the impressive Hagi Sophia. I can't any remember any features shot exclusively in Turkey's capital, Ankara.

In political terms, Istanbul may be responsible for all future decisions but it is events in the country-side and other Turkish cities that may force a change. Orhan Pamuk's engaging book, Snow, may be a work of fiction but recent political events have mimicked the novel's tale and show that what happens outside of Istanbul can't be discounted if Turkey is to move ahead.

In that regards, my idea to feature a spotlight on Turkey was to find topics/themes that looked at life both inside and outside of Istanbul.

Migrations:

One moves to a big city in the hopes of a better future. As it happens often, such a change is difficult to navigate -- the big city is not very welcoming and offers very little in terms of housing and jobs. A person can struggle to find their feet.

Such is the case of Yusuf in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's poetic 2002 film Distant. He comes to Istanbul in search of a job and stays with his cousin, Mahmut. But Yusuf struggles to find a job, although he is not very enthusiastic about trying to find work anyhow. The movie touches upon the topic of loneliness as that is what a big city can induce in a person.



Both Mahmut and Yusuf can't communicate their feelings. In fact, Mahmut goes to great lengths to hide his real interests and alienate Yusuf. There are some amazingly realistic scenes where Mahmut wants Yusuf to leave the room so that he can watch tv in peace.

And this gorgeous film features the only cinematic shots I have seen of Istanbul covered in snow.


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In Yesim Ustaoglu's 1999 feature Journey to the Sun Mehmet also heads to the city in order to find work.



But over there, he is mistaken as a terrorist and put in jail. When he is released from jail, he finds himself a marked man and can't resume his normal life. He returns home to find a giant "X" on the door. His room-mates urge him to leave as they don't want to stay with such a person.


Even when Mehmet heads to a motel with his girlfriend, the symbol follows him.


***Spoiler notes:*** Tired of the big city, Mehmet heads out to the country-side to his only real friend's (Berzan) house. But Berzan is a kurd and political events lead to his death. In order to fulfill Berzan's last wishes, Mehmet takes Berzan's body back to his home village of Zorduc. But Mehmet is shocked to find the village flooded (aside: these images of a flooded village reminded me of Jia Zhang Ke's Still Life).



The political mark:

The topic of the Kurdish issue make this a relevant movie given current events in Turkey. The movie shows how Kurds are treated as second class citizens and have to live a marked life. One of the film's most striking sequence is when Mehmet is getting closer to the Kurdish region of Turkey. He comes across villages in ruins but his eyes can't miss the red "X" sign on the shattered walls. So it does not matter if it is a village or a city, the sign of the outsider can't let a person live in peace.



Hamams:

Hamams form a well known Turkish symbol and a thing to do during a visit. Ferzan Ozpetek's 1997 feature Hamam centers around the charm and exotic pull that a traditional Hamam holds for Francesco, an Italian man of Turkish origin. Francesco only returns back to Istanbul to sell his dead aunt's assets and properties, one of which was a shut down Hamam. But Francesco finds love & peace amid the Hamam and the Turkish air starts to breathe new life into him.

Music:

Music plays an important part of any culture's identity. Turkey has always had a rich musical background thanks to its location between Asia and Europe. Fatih Akin's well made documentary Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul shows the modern sounds that echo throughout Istanbul from classical music to Turkish rap, hip-hop and fusion music. Even though the music in Istanbul is a central focus, the documentary reaches out to give a glimpse of the music that resonates throughout the nation. And the film also gives an insight into how the struggles that Kurdish culture had in trying to keep their music alive.

Everyday life:

Reha Erdem's calm and peaceful film Times and Winds showcases the everyday life in a small Turkish village. Life in the village is shown through the passage of the changing seasons and through the different time shifts in a day such as morning, afternoon and evening.

Old traditions:

As Turkey moves towards modernity, conflict will arise because of old traditions. Abdullah Oguz's emotional film Bliss showcases the struggle a military man has to go through to acknowledge his love for a village woman against tradition and his father's wishes. The movie also features the memorable lines "Every Turk is born a soldier" and shows the military side of Turkish life.

A magical romantic tale:

One can find the seeds of Edge of Heaven in Fatih Akin's 2000 film In July. Like Edge of Heaven, In July starts in Germany and ends in Turkey and features overlapping romantic tales. While Edge of Heaven had a serious tone to the film, In July is a magical romantic story. All the coincidences in the script can be forgiven if one buys into the film's portrayal of emotional victory of love winning over any rational explanations. The story feels a bit like Paulo Coelho's amazing journey tale The Alchemist. In July also features the romantic appeal that Turkey has to outsiders.

Overall ratings:

Distant (2002, Nuri Bilge Ceylan): Rating 9.5/10

Bliss (2007, Greece/Turkey, Abdullah Oguz): Rating 9.5/10

Times and Winds (2006, Reha Erdem): Rating 9/10

Journey to the Sun (1999, Yesim Ustaoglu): Rating 8.5/10

Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005, Fatih Akin): Rating 8.5/10

In July (2000, Fatih Akin): Rating 8/10

Hamam (1997, Ferzan Ozpetek): Rating 7.5/10
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Bugs, Fast Cars & Mysterious Objects

Bug (2006, Director William Friedkin): Rating 9/10

Bug is a fascinating character study into a fragmented mind. Even though this is a topic that has been covered many times before, Bug takes a different approach. Other films about a fragmented mind such as Spider, Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Mara (I didn't kill Gandhi) or Woh Lamhe (Those Moments) looked at how an individual self destructed and collapsed. But Bug looks at how a fractured mind can influence other people -- as bugs can multiple and spread diseases, so can a person's poisonous ideas.

The movie is based on a stage play and that is evident by the tight quarters and the dialogue. In terms of acting, Ashley Judd has put in a riveting performance. We see her character, Agnes, go through a complete range of emotions. At the film's start Agnes is already on edge and a bit vulnerable. But as the film progresses, her character truly implodes.

Even though this is not an easy movie to watch nor is it happy, it makes for an engaging viewing. Credit for that must go to Friedkin, who has ensured that the camera only moves to what we need to see. While the majority of the movie is inside a motel room, there are moments when the camera hovers beautifully over the motel giving a sense of the isolation that Agnes and Peter (Michael Shannon in a very good performance) find themselves in.
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Grand Prix (1966, Director John Frankenheimer): Rating 9/10

The true test of a great film is if it lasts the passage of time. In that regards, Grand Prix, a movie about the dangerous and complicated world of Formula-One racing, is still fresh and relevant almost four decades later. In fact, almost all of the scenarios regarding the racing sequences have occurred in one form or the other over the last year or so in the current Formula-One season.

I am not a full fledged Formula-One or car racing fan but I do admire the diverse personalities of the racers that exist. Since it is such a dangerous sport, a specific kind of characteristic is required to race these cars. In fact, just by looking at a particular car being driven, one can tell who the driver is based on their off the track manners.

Grand Prix gives us 4 very different characters as the rival racers:

-- We get the tough, no-nonsense Pete Aron (James Garner), a former American World Champion with plenty of racing experience.
-- Then we have the British driver, Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford), who is driving to erase the ghost of his dead brother who was killed during a Grand Prix race.
-- The French driver, Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), is the ultimate realist (or even existentialist), a driver who questions the meaning of driving and even life itself.
-- Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato), the Italian, loves to drive fast cars and changes lovers frequently; he believes he is "immortal" and nothing can touch him.

Besides these interesting characters, the film also gives us a look at the different women in these men's lives. The entire relationship aspect gives this movie plenty of depth and makes it more than just a racing movie. Also of note is the calm and intelligent role for Toshirô Mifune (Seven Samurai to name just one of the many classic films) as the car owner who gives a second chance to Pete Aron.

The biggest strength of this movie are the breath-taking racing scenes. It is hard to believe how the film-makers managed to pull this off back in 1966. Using multiple cameras was not a common thing back then but they used almost 12 cameras at one point. We get helicopter shots, side road shots and footage from cameras mounted on cars. What is amazing is that the film crew managed to get real Formula-One and Formula-three cars with actual recorded sounds of F-1 gear changes and raced on the Grand Prix tracks for the film shoots. Such a thing would not be possible nowadays with restrictions from the different car companies. In the DVD interviews, James Garner mentioned that they were able to race their cars on the Monaco Grand Prix 15 minutes before the actual Formula-One race.

The Races -- Monaco & Monza:




The deadly oval track at Monza:




The women: Forced to go through agony at every race.



Post-race: The crowds are gone and the hero walks alone.


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Mysterious Object at Noon (2000, Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul): Rating 8/10

Even though this is only the second Weerasethakul film I have seen, I can't help admire his easy flowing style. Tropical Malady (2004) was such a hauntingly beautiful film with one of the best cinematic moments I have seen in recent years (the shot of the tiger, staring, no glaring at us, the audience, was both scary and yet majestic). In Mysterious Object.. you can see Weerasethakul develop his style. Apichatpong started the film with a loose script but packed it with plenty of improvisations along the way. Weerasethakul held auditions for the movie and cast non-actors. Instead of feeding them lines, he asked the non-actors to narrate a story to the camera for many of the scenes. He then found a way to link these simple stories with mythical and even a sci-fi thread as he traveled deep into the Thai country side, away from the buzzing cities. When a movie is free flowing as this, how do you end it? Simple. You end the movie when the camera breaks down! Weerasethakul mentions in the DVD interview that the final scene is when their old camera finally gave way. And in reality, the camera could not have ended at a better time. The movie was close to hitting a dead wall with nothing more to reveal and just then, the lights go out.

The Cinema of Tsai Ming-liang

Back in the summer, I wrapped up a spotlight on Taiwan with an extended look at Tsai Ming-liang's films. At that point, I was missing two features & one short film from his Lee Kang-sheng collaborations -- The Hole (1998), I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006) and his debut short feature Youngsters (1991). I was lucky enough to find his 1998 feature (The Hole) recently.

Lee Kang-sheng has played the same lead character of Hsiao-kang in all Tsai Ming-liang films I have seen (Goodbye, Dragon Inn was an exception but Lee Kang-sheng only had a small cameo) . So when I started watching the The Hole I believed I was watching the same character Hsiao-kang. But one crucial scene changed my mind. Tien Miao plays Hsiao-kang's father in all movies but when he appears in The Hole, Lee Kang-sheng's character does not recognize him. Tien Miao has only a few minutes screen time before he disappears. In that sense both The Hole & Goodbye, Dragon Inn stand apart from the other Tsai Ming-liang & Lee Kang-sheng films because the same character is not examined.

The Hole (1998): Rating 8/10

On the eve of the year 2000, Taiwan is getting pounded by heavy rainfall. Most apartments are suffering from leaky ceilings. A plumber comes to a man's (Lee Kang-sheng who is credited in the movie as just "the man upstairs") apartment to check for leaks. But the plumber makes a big hole in the man's living room.

One night, the man from upstairs returns home terribly drunk. After he stumbles in his apartment, he throws up over the hole.




The results of his drunken exploits find their way to the apartment below. Needless to say, the woman living downstairs is not amused. "The woman downstairs" is played by Kuei-Mei Yang, another familiar face found in Tsai Ming-liang films.

Both the man upstairs and woman downstairs are lonely. Eventually, the two find a common bond with each other. The hole which initially is cause of dispute between the two, ends up being a salvation for both.



Musical numbers:

This is the first Tsai Ming-liang film where musical numbers make an appearance. Such musical dances showed up in The Wayward Cloud as well but they got a start here. The numbers provide some humour and respite away from the bleakness of the character's situations. The dance songs are shown from the woman's perspective as her feelings are mirrored in the song lyrics.



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At VIFF, I caught the Tsai Ming-liang produced & Lee Kang-sheng directed film Help Me Eros. Even though the character (Ah Jie) played by Lee Kang-sheng is different, one can still find some similarities with the one he portrayed in all the other Tsai Ming-liang movies. Loneliness is the one trait that stands out. No matter which movie Lee Kang-sheng is found in, his character is always lonely and constantly looking for a companion. In all the films, his character strives to establish a bond with another person and tries to maintain that relationship.

In Help Me Eros, his character of Ah Jie finds a connection with someone on the internet. That virtual communication helps him express some of his pent up inner feelings. On the other hand, he is able to satisfy his sexual urges with a trio of women. But despite these two avenues of internet and sex orgies, Ah Jie's loner personality prevails and alienates the women who want to reach out to him.

A quick look at Japanese Cinema

Anime, Yakuza, Motorcycle gangs and Samurai:

Paprika (2006, Director Satoshi Kon): Rating 9/10

Paprika was a movie I had been eagerly awaiting since late last year when I came across it's web site. And it does not disappoint. The film is a visual feast of fascinating animation and striking images powered by an engaging story of dreams and reality. Watching the film made me think of David Lynch's Inland Empire. Both these movies blend dreams and reality to some extent. In order to understand the reality, one has to interpret the dreams. But if the dreams are based on reality, then one is caught in an endless loop. In the end, Paprika is a relatively easier (and more satisfying) trip compared to Inland Empire.

Note: The idea of entering the mind of a criminal via a dream machine seems similar to Tarsem Singh's The Cell. But The Cell came a few years after Yasutaka Tsutsui wrote the original Paprika manga in 1993.
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Both Kamikaze Girls and The Twilight Samurai were screened as part of a 4 movie free Japan Film Festival sponsored by the Japanese Consulate in Calgary. Such free screenings were also shown in other North American cities, such as Vancouver.

Kamikaze Girls (2004, Director Tetsuya Nakashima): Rating 6.5/10

The film starts off with Momoko, a self-proclaimed ordinary girl living a simple dull life outside of Tokyo. Momoko's only joys are dressing up in old Lolita like clothing and dreaming she was born in 18th century France, as she believes that time period was more suited to her tastes. But her simple life is given a real jolt when she runs into Ichiko, a member of an all girl motorcycle gang. Despite their differences, the friendship between the two women gives them courage to face their fears.

The first hour of the film is packed with hilarious flash-backs and sub-plots revolving people around Momoko. However, after a while it becomes apparent that the numerous sub-plots are only being used to extend the movie's running time as the film is thin on material. Still, plenty of laughs to be found in this film.

The Twilight Samurai (2002, Director Yôji Yamada): Rating 8/10

A widower, Seibei, is content to live a quiet life looking after his mother and two young daughters. His colleagues repeatedly make fun of him and nickname him the Twilight Samurai as he does not stay out late and runs home immediately after work to look after his family. But an incident reveals his trained sword fighter past. After that, he is expected to save his village from the wrath of an unbeatable villain. A nice delicate movie that looks at the roles Samurai occupied in Japanese society. Like Kurosawa in Seven Samurai, the film shows how the people neglected the Samurai until a need arose and only then treated them with a measure of respect.

Promises, Weddings and a Black Book

Eastern Promises (2007, Director David Cronenberg, Writer Steven Knight )

Russian Prison Tattoos, Mafia, Crime, Prostitution -- all in London. But one can't look at London and ignore soccer, especially the Russian factor in the English game today.

Follow the game. The film starts with a barber, Azim, forcing his son (Ekrem) to slit the throat of a Russian mobster. A little while later, we see Ekrem excited to get tickets for the Chelsea game. At this point, it appears that Ekrem may be a supporter for Chelsea. But that belief is dispelled when later in film, he goes to a Chelsea game cheering for Arsenal. One is clearly asking for trouble supporting Arsenal in Chelsea's stadium. Even a police officer tells the drunk Ekrem to quieten down. He does not listen and continues to voice his love for Arsenal. While he is relieving himself, his throat is slit by two men who are avenging their Russian comrade, killed at the film's start by Ekrem. These scenes may seem pointless but they are not, especially when penned by someone who understands London as well as Steven Knight, the same writer who brilliantly uncovered the messy layers of London in Dirty Pretty Things

The rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal is well documented. But that hatred took on a new turn when the Russian, Roman Abramovich, bought Chelsea in 2003 and splashed millions to make Chelsea rival Arsenal as London's and even England's best soccer team. The gates were opened. Over the years, more Russian billionares started buying up shares in English soccer teams and investing in property. And last year, reports of a Russian spy being poisoned while in London for a soccer game made headlines. English Soccer, Russia and the mafia?

In Eastern Promises, the soccer rivalry is mirrored with the mafia power play. Ekrem and his father are both Turkish while they do business with the Russian mafia. A few scenes indicate that Azim is not thrilled at doing business with the Russians but he is forced to do so. Azim's son, Ekrem, is killed while on Chelsea's turf, a Russian owned property. The climatic knife fight takes place in a Turkish bath house in Finsbury. Finsbury is in North London, home of Arsenal. So Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), the Russian, is forced to defend himself on his opponent's turf. It seems appropriate really. The gang wars take place on a soccer territory.

While I really admired the soccer tie-in, I can't help question the worthiness of this movie. Even though all the acting performances are very good, the film appears to offer nothing interesting. It shows a simplistic story about a few Russian individuals; it is not making any general statements about Russian mafia in London. A few examples of prostitution driven by poverty across the Eastern-Western borders are shown (Import Export, Iska's Journey made similar references but in more depth). But the film moves about in a cold and calculated manner. The screenplay is driven forward by too many coincidences, no natural flow, just contrived meetings resulting in subsequent events taking place. And then there is the knife scene in the end. What really is the point of it? Now, if one follows the soccer angle, it makes sense that the scene took place in a Turkish bath house in North London. But the scene appears against the flow of the rest of the movie.

Rating: 8/10

After the Wedding (2006, Director Susanne Bier): Rating 8/10

An interesting film shot in a Dogma 95 filming style. The film opens in India where Jacob (an exiled Dane) is working in an orphanage. But the orphanage is in financial trouble and on the verge of shutting down. In order to save the place, he has to fly to Denmark to meet a potential financial sponsor. Over there, an unexpected series of events engulf Jacob. Susanne Bier piles on the drama with multiple layers of complicated scenarios. While there are plenty of engaging moments, at a running time of 2 hours, the film drags on longer than it should.

Black Book (2006, Director Paul Verhoeven): Rating 6/10

I was looking forward to this film but I was shocked to find it so sub-standard. Even though the story might be inspired by true incidents, it has gone through a Hollywood style production process -- stereo-typical characters, dramatic explosive scenes and contrived escape/revenge sequences. Some scenes really defy belief. For example, an evil character escapes Amsterdam via road. How to catch such a man? Easy, just get in a car and head out onto the road. Since there is apparently only one road that leaves Amsterdam, one is bound to run into the villain! And another scene: a Nazi informer is shot in plain view a block from a Nazi headquarters. The killing is loud with many bullets fired. But all that noise does not draw the Nazis. But in other sequences, a slight pin drop alerts a full Nazi army into action.

A director's film vs a studio film with a director:

Fellini once commented that film producers were not interested "in making a Fellini film" but instead wanted "to make a film with Fellini". In that sense, both Eastern Promises and Black Book are studio films made with reputable directors and not a true Cronenberg or Verhoeven film! Even though both films contain some signature scenes of the directors, they are clearly cleaned up for a larger multiplex audience. There is some promise offered by either movie but I didn't find them engaging enough to warrant too much attention once the final credits rolled.

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.....