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  Editor
Robert J. Lewis
 
  Senior Editor
Mark Goldfarb
 
  Contributing Editors
Bernard Dubé
Diane Gordon
Robert Rotondo
Sylvain Richard
Marissa Consiglieri de Chackal
 
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Serge Gamache
 
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  Film Reviews
 
  Bowling for Columbine
Shanghai Ghetto
Talk to Her
City of God
Manic
Magdalene Sisters
Dirty Pretty Things
Barbarian Invasions
Fog of War
Blind Shaft
The Corporation
Station Agent
The Agronomist
Maria Full of Grace
Man Without a Past
In This World
Buffalo Boy
Shake Hands with the Devil
Born into Brothels
Head-On
The Edukators
Samsara
Big Sugar
Tsotsi
C.R.A.Z.Y.
A Long Walk
An Inconvenient Truth
Sisters In Law
Send a Bullet
Banking on Heaven
Chinese Botanist's Daugher
Ben X
La Zona
The Legacy
Irina Palm
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
XXY
Poor Boys Game
Finn's Girl
Leaving the Fold
The Mourning Forest
Zift
Beneath the Rooftops of Paris
Truffe
Assembly
Before Tomorrow
Paraiso Travel
Necessities of Life
For a Moment of Freedom
 
     

2009 FESTIVAL NOUVEAU CINEMA

Festival Nouveau Cinema de Montreal, Oct. 7-18, 2009, (514) 844-2172

http://www.nouveaucinema.ca/EN

THE RATINGS

So far, A & O film critics Robert J. Lewis and Sylvain Richard have seen the following films. Here are their ratings and comments, always out of 4, reserving 2.5 or more for a noteworthy film, 3.5 for an exceptional film, 4 for a classic.

________________________

Among Robert J. Lewis' best ever films = (Io Non Ho Pauro (I'm Not Afraid), Life Is Beautiful, Death In Venice, Babel, Days of Heaven, A Long Walk, Amadeus, Secrets and Lies, Monsignor Quixote, Babette's Feast, Fitzcarraldo).

2.5 -- DIRTY MIND, Peter Van Hees
After an accident resulting in brain damage, a wimpish, fearful man with low self-esteem wakes up to his opposite, now working as a stuntman. He loves his new self but his medical team considers him dangerously ill (his behaviour is wreckless and unpredictable) and they want to operate on his brain and return him to his former self. Formulaic plot but with enough twists and turns to sustain interest. Grainy texture didn't help; subtitles at times difficult to read. Within the genre, doesn't compare to "Fearless" (Peter Weir).

3.1 -- PERSONA NON GRATA, Fabio Wuytack
Documentary. Power one of man, Franz Wuytack, activist priest, to inspire hope and political change for the wretched of the earth in Caracas, Venezuela. Spectacular, shocking (ŕ la Slumdog Millionaire) arial photography of the hillside barrios that surround modern, downtown Caracas. Exquisite, haunting guitar score. An exemplary, must see documentary whose only flaw might be its lack of objectivity: the director-son paying homage to his revered father.

3.2 -- LEFT HANDED, Laurence Thrush
A film -- about a boy who has locked himself up in his room for 18 months -- that doesn't flinch in its harrowing examination of a growing problem in Japan: self-incarceration. A languidly paced docudrama whose unsuspected lyricism is a function of its relentless but ingratiating (affective) melancholy. What does voluntary self-incarceration tell about the world (its pressures and imperatives) disaffected young are rejecting? An at once illuminating and disturbing film that will go nowhere commercially while more and more of the world's troubled youth find themselves at the cross roads two nooses before the abyss.

2.7 -- PRINCE OF BROADWAY, Sean Baker
The unwitting star of this engaging, low-budget film is a child not old enough to speak, who is rudely handed over to the care of his no-papers Ghanese father, a Broadway street hustler hawking counterfeit brand name clothing and runnning shoes. The stakes are high: the child's future as predicted by the cycle of poverty and illegal immigration. Fine acting performances throughout in a script that allowed for considerable improvisation.

1.5 -- HOLLAND, Thijs Gloger
Sexually graphic, experimental (no dialogue) film about a morose Hollandaise looking to relieve her ennuie through one gratuitous sexual encounter (with both men and women) after another. The repetitive sex is sterile, the vomiting scenes explicit, the characters thoroughly dislikeable, which means this film isn't for everybody, especially I Love Lucy fans. One suspects the director either holds his people (their mores) in utter contempt (à la "Caresses" by V. Pons) or he is indicting the catastrophic effects of post-modernism on its devotees.

3.0 -- LES SIGNES VITAUX, Sophie Deraspe
In no small way, this remarkable low-budget film is an homage to the women and men (
Angels of Mercy) who are there (in palliative care) for the dying. Outstanding performances throughout. Warning: shot in Montreal's bleakest winter days, the film is relentlessly (invasively) depressing, and it includes 30 seconds of totally inappropriate graphic nudity that I hope the director will see fit to cut before it comes to a theatre near you.

2.5 -- HANDSOME HARRY, Bette Gordon
During the Viet Nam War, five Navy buddies beat the living daylights out of a sixth -- almost killing him -- when they learn he is gay. Thirty years later, this film explores their guilt, confession and deepest secrets. Despite a somewhat fractured script and several awkward, implausible scenes, the characters are sufficiently developed to carry what could have been a good film. Excellent jazz score that recalls Tavernier's masterpiece, "Round Midnight."
 

2.8 -- SLOVENIAN GIRL, Damjan Kozole
She's sleazy, manipulating, a pathological liar, also a student selling her body to make ends meet; and we like her better than the scum that provides for her. Sartre has said we are responsible for our first choices and what follows is often out of our hands. This fine film explores that hypothesis. Fine performances from daughter and father. Excellent casting of secondary characters.

2.8 -- MARK, Mike Hoolboom
A documentary, a poetic rendering/appreciation of Mark, a film maker and animal rights activist who took his own life. Hoolboom, close friend and collaborater, weaves into a single "why" question the disparate fragments of deceased's life asking how is it that someone who held as sacred all of life regarded his own not worth living. Film includes gripping 1st-person testimony and narration.

2.8 -- MEN ON THE BRIDGE, Asli Özge
A docudrama that follows the life of three sets of people of varying social/economic circumstance. While the characters are mostly sympathetic, the film somewhat suffers from a lack of ambition. It includes memorable, eye-arresting shots of Istanbul in both its beauty and busyness.

2.6 -- GOODNIGHT IRENE, Paolo Marinou Blanco
Is Irene a woman for every man's season or a metaphor? A cantankerous and terminally ill old man makes that question the central issue of his life which evolves into a philosophical quest of the highest order. Good attempt marred by occasional lack of focus and somewhat predictable ending.

2.5 -- SHE, A CHINESE, Xiaolu Guo
About a young woman whose world view is forever changed after being raped in her rural village. Her good looks take her far (London) and also get her in trouble. Like herself, the men she meets are out to get what they can take. The use of clipped dialogue to tell a tough story is effective.

2.2 -- THE TIME THAT REMAINS, Elia Sulleiman
An often funny film about the very unfunny Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Film explores the sometimes odd and bizarre coping mechanisms that emerge in the face of despair. A good idea that wears thin half way through.

1.5 -- NEW DENMARK, Rafael Ouellet
A painfully slow developing film about a 16-year old girl looking for her sister who has been missing for a month. Far too many inane, non-sequitorial scenes; no information (verging on affectation) given about how or why the sister went missing; characters woefully under written.

2.6 -- AN EDUCATION, Lorne Scherfig
Oxford-bound 16 going on 17-year old girl is seduced by charming man twice her age who isn't what he seems to be. Refreshing look at a familiar subject abetted by intelligent, witty script and excellent performance from Carey Mulligan.

2.4 -- GUTS, Samuel Mateos & Andrés Luque
Stylistically, the Spanish variation of "El Mariachi" or "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," about a crazy, fearless ex-con who cons his way up the hierarchy of a crime syndicate. Will his ambition be rewarded? The inventive making and method of the film is not enough to overcome what is formulaic in its conception.

3.0 -- ANTICHRIST, Lars von Trier
About a couple trying to cope with the loss of their child. Never in the history of cinema has a relationship been so artfully, grotesquely, passionately, psycho-sexually rendered. Informed by Bergman with a nod to Jodorowsky, "Antichrist" is descent into the Boschian netherworld of the damned. The symbolism, through which the story unfolds, is excruciatingly graphic and violent. A memorable film one would like to forget in its no holds barred baring of two souls-on-ice in a hell spawned in guilt and recrimination.

1.5 -- CANINE, Yorgos Lanthimos
Far-fetched satire on the Greek bourgeoisie, who are so isolated from the harsh realities of the real world they emerge mentally, socially, sexually and developmentally arrested. As a dumb, ridiculous comedy, the film might merit a 2.5. As a satire I could not take seriously, a 1.5. Warning: graphic sex.

2.3 -- BANDAGED, Maria Beatty
Rebelling against a strict father, the beautiful daughter attempts suicide and disfigures her face. The father hires a nurse to look after the 'bandaged' one. Falling madly in love, they begin a passionate, steamy affair until the father finds out. Despite minuscule budget, the film is remarkably well made and features breathtaking same-sex love scenes, but the characters never rise above their stereotypes. Maria Beatty is a very capable director whose best work lies ahead.

3.0 -- COLE, Carl Bessai
Cole, an aspiring writer from a broke-back dysfunctional family, falls in love with the ravishing Seraphina, a Black student from the bourgeois side of the tracks. His friends, trapped in a nowhere life, under the influence of beer and the local bud, feel threatened by the written word but won't let him go. Shot in the pulchritudinous interior of B.C. (Lytton), the film benefits from solid performances from the five leads (is MEisner Canada's answer to Dustin Hoffman?), excellent casting, and ear-arresting homegrown soundtrack. So far, my FNC pleasant surprise.

2.7 -- STILL WALKING, Hirokazu Kore-Edo
Under-achieving son, always being compared to prodigal brother who died tragically young, visits parents with wife who has son from her first husband, now deceased. Dysfunctionality Japanese style: polite language, unforgiving, judgmental parents that guarantee barbs sharper than wire -- and a family get together that may or may not see the dawn's early light.

2.5 -- FAUSTA: LA TETA ASUSTADA, Claudia Llosa
In the unforgettably dessicated hillsides of Lima, Fausta, a shadow of a person reduced to the sum of her fears imparted by her deceased mother who was raped during the military junta, finds work as a servant for a volatile classical woman pianist. Fausta, invested with an aura of magic realism, sometimes a person, sometimes a symbol, isn't always convincing as a character.

2.6 -- TWO LINES, Selim Evci
In Istanbul, a young, hip husband and wife are experiencing relationship tedium but neither seems inclined to do anything about it. To change the dynamic, they decide to take a small trip. They end up in a small hotel where they embark on role-playing in the the bedroom -- the consequences of which take them both by surprise. "Two Lines" is moody piece that reveals a Turkey, for better or worse, losing siginificant contact with its past.

2.9 -- LA MERDITUDE DES CHOSES, Felix Van Groeningen
The Strobbe family is from the bottom of the barrel: low class, ignorant, vulgar and alcoholic. Is 13-year old son Gunther doomed to repeat what is predicted by his degraded milieu? This unpretty film will leave an impression thanks to its excellent editing, sympathetic directing and brilliant in-your-face camera work which takes on a life of its own. From the spilled drinks, the slobbering, the puking, the snide remarks, the violence, the camera doesn't miss an ugly moment in a family dynamic that has turned a home into a zoo. No surprise "Merditude" has already garnered several awards.

2.5 -- NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, Bahman Ghobadi
The oppressive Iranian regime as seen through the eyes of a local Indie group trying to perform its Western influenced music both at home and abroad. Indicting not Islam but absolute power, the film is a lesson on the freedoms we in the West take for granted. Evocative sound track that mirrors the struggle against and despair of being trapped in a police state.

2.7 -- UNMADE BEDS, Alexis Dos Santos
In foggy London town, film follows the highs and lows of two unmade young lives looking for meaning and connnection in life. Dead-on, totally integrated sound track that captures the getting wasted scene and fear/anxiety that linger when the day breaks. Sympathetically drawn characters.

2.5 -- THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD, Radu Jude
Not yet old enough to drive, Delia wins a car and chance to do a commercial in Bucharest. Her poor parents want her to sign over the car so they can build a boarding house. The daughter refuses and the arguments and recriminations begin, often humorously. Well scripted, promising directorial debut.

2.7 -- CONSCIENCE, Erden Kiral
In factory town Turkey, a woman discovers her best friend is having a steamy affair with her husband. But contrary to the norm, this knowledge brings them closer to together. One invites the other to a secret women's club, where they can dance, sing and exercise freedoms normally off limits. How will the men react to their daring? Are the women prepared for their brave new secular world? While subtlety isn't the films most conspicuous virtue, the male lead is under-written and the final frames are a letdown, "Conscience" manages to be more than the sum of its uneven parts. It includes an unforgettable belly-dancing/percussion segment and a wedding scene that will register like shattered glass. Winning performances from both female leads.

3.3 -- TEARS OF APRIL, Aku Louhimies
During the 1917 Finnish Civil War, a 'White' soldier is bringing in a female 'Red' soldier (Communist) for treason. During an altercation, their small boat sinks, they are temporarily ship-wrecked, she offers herself to him, and later in the film to the humanist judge-turned-executioner. "Tears" forcefully explores war's savage imperatives, the blurring of right and wrong, making soldiers (for sometimes better, mostly worse) strangers unto themselves. The good guys/bad guys binary is 1917's first casualty. Set in Finland's austere outback, the film's deliberately sparse dialogue asks the largest questions of lethal conflict and human nature.

3.0 -- UNITED RED ARMY, Koji Wakamatsu
A sometimes confusing mix (first 30 minutes) of documentary and fiction that pries open the mind-set of Japan's JRA terrorist group (sympathetic to Mao) at one of their training camps. A unforgettably harrowing account of the implementation of doctrinaire (by the book) Communism and and the fanaticism and sadism it engenders. This 190 minute must-see film was 70 minutes too long.

2.0 -- ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLOND HAIR GIRL, Manoel de Oliveira
A moral tale about a hard-working, dignified, honourable man with one flaw: he assumes everyone else, including his the woman he has fallen in love with, is like him. Script was a bit too cartoon-like; main characters more archetypes than real people.

2.3 -- BARBE BLEUE (BLUE BEARD), Catherine Breillat
"Fairy tales can come true it can happen to you." A children's story that unfolds in real life, we think? Blue Beard's wives keep disappearing. One sister is reading the story of Blue Beard to the other, now Blue Beard's latest bride. Will the telling of the story alter her fate? A well-paced period piece that will appeal to genre afficionados.

1.0 -- 8000 MILES, Yu Irie
About small-town, Japanese rappers trying to make it big. This strictly amateur effort, not without moments of humour, has become a cult film in the East. It won't here.

2.9 -- AMER, Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani
An experimental (almost no dialogue), realm of the senses film that uses amplified audio and invasive camera work (magnified close-ups) to hyper-intensify and exteriorize our most guarded interior life: our fears, desires, social coping mechanisms, fantasies. A sometimes fascinating, highly stylized film that overwhelms the incidental, albeit brutal, plot. If you've never had the opportunity or desire to experiment with LSD, try "Amer" -- the template for a new genre of cinema?

3.1 -- KINATAY, Brillante Mendoza
By film's end, you'll know you have been to Manila. Under Mendoza's heart-stopping, feverish direction -- getting out is the next challenge. A just married man, training to become a cop, is introduced to the seedy, under belly of Manila, where corruption rules and life is just another commodity for trade or hire. The groom is invited to witness the fate of a prostitute who can't pay her debts. His life, and hers, will never be the same. His descent into 'the horror' is superbly wrought from a hand-held, nervous camera that rips open the many facets of Manila. The film's architecture recalls "The Deer Hunter," where after the wedding the protagonists are thrown into and become the permanent possessions of 'the situation' and its no-exit nihilism. Very affecting, outer-limits sound track.

2.4 -- LES DERNIERS JOURS DU MONDE, Jean-Marie Larrieu & Arnaud Larrieu
Viruses and radiation abound; the world is coming to an end; men and women, often humorously, are living out their fantasies, decadence because there are no consequences. Like the young, who dwell in the NOW, they are finally free. The film couldn't decide if it wanted to take itself seriously as a philosophical take on freedom and responsibility or sell itself short for the easy gag and reflux laughter. Allowing for a windfall of gorgeous naked bodies (Omahyra Garcia barely speaks) on many of the sets speaks volumes on the directors' intentions and limitations.

2.6 -- ÉTREINTES BRISÉES (BROKEN EMBRACES), Pedro Almodóvar
An engaging murder mystery that turns on love, jealously, infidelity and revenge. Fine performance from Penelope Cruz. Despite PA's undeniable skills as a director, a keen eye for sets and decoration, he hasn't had much to say since "All About My Mother" and "Talk to Her," -- both masterpieces.

Among Sylvain Richard's best ever films = (Babij Jar, Man Who Wipes Mirrors, Napola, Les Choristes, The Headsman, My Nikifor, Hell in Tangier, Camaron, Who Are You, King of the World).

3.0 -- BANDAGED, Maria Beatty
Slow burning psychological drama involving a desperate and frustrated young woman recovering from an attempted suicide caused by an overbearing father who is a surgeon preparing a weird skin graft to repair her severely damaged face. He hires a nurse with a sordid past to care for her. A forbidden and passionate love affair develops between her and the nurse. Despite abrupt ending, erotic scenes and music poetically rendered.

2.4 -- RAPPING WITH SHAKESPEARE, Michael King
A look at 2005 graduating class of Crenshaw High School in L.A. Features the personal stories of five students and English teacher Andy Molner, who collates Shakespeare with Rap music, and choral music featuring the work of reknowned musicologist Iris Stevenson (inspiration behind film "Sister Act"). Title did not match scope of film; editing and script unfocused.

2.0 -- THE RED RACE, Gan Charo
Documentary portrait of a special school in Shanghai training children to be olympic gold medalists in gymnastics. Strong propaganda appeal, where the line between cruelty and rigorous training is blurred in the 'end justifies the means' philosophy.

2.5 -- DIRTY MIND, Peter Van Hees
Tragi-comedy about shy and low self-esteemed Diego who has a serious accident and awakens asunhibited free-spirited stuntman Tony T. A typical case of Frontal Syndrome -- a deterioration of behaviour and personality often caused by a head injury. Director's intent was to have the film serve as a metaphor that examines the struggle with masculine identity in Western society. He somewhat succeeds. Funny in parts though main character does begin to be irritating.

2.7 -- PERSONA NON GRATA, Fabio Wuytack
Portrait of activist priest and artist Franz Wuytack who fought for social justice in Venezuela in the 1960s. Hard to keep up with all of the reading.

2.5 -- LEFT HANDED, Laurence Thrush
Teenage boy locks himself in his bedroom -- hikokomon (self-incarceration) for 18 months. A serious problem superficially handled. Slow pacing, black and white cinema verité style effectively executed.

1.8 -- KOMA, Ludwig Wust
A Viennese taxi driver leaves his wife and son on his 50th birthday to search for the woman he viewed on an Internet S&M site. Exactly why is unclear. Very low key. Poor character development.

2.5 -- LES DAMES EN BLEU, Claude Demers
For over 50 years Quebec crooner Michel Louvain has been hysterically and obsessively adored by his many mainly female fans. Many are now grandmothers. Director follows five of these fans in their day to day lives. Highly nostalgic for those who have followed the crooner's career from the beginning.

2.7 -- MEN ON A BRIDGE, Azli Ozge
Using non-professionals, director follows the daily grind of various Istanbul residents from all walks of life. Stories are intrically interwoven with the common link being the bridge over the Bosphorus between Asia and Europe.

3.2 -- LES SIGNES VITAUX, Sophie Deraspe
Reflective, sombre drama about a young woman, who, after the death of a loved one, drops everything in order to work as a volunteer in a palliative care unit. Difficult to watch at times yet vital as we must all face death of either loved ones or our own. A work of faith.

2.5 -- D/s, Jacques Richard, Maîtresse Leïa
A frank and revealing documentary that pries open the universe of BDSM (bondage, domination,sado-masochism). At times humourous; definitely not for romantics. Far superior than the film "Graphic Sexual Horror."

3.3 -- HANDSOME HARRY, Bette Gordon
Harry, a Vietnam war veteran, who has been trying to escape his past, has been living a lie for the past 30 years. A phone call from a dying former naval buddy brings back the past, specifically the beating of a sixth by the other five. Thus begins a movement towards the truth and determination to confront demons from the past. Powerful and suspenseful plot that twists and turns with a surprising conclusion. Wonderful jazz soundtrack.

2.2 -- SKIDLOVE, Ryan Arnold
Urban social drama exploring the issues of trust and integrity in relationships. Image anddialogue did not match; editing and plot choppy. Electro-accoustic score was pleasing as were accompanying images.

2.6 -- LES BEAUX GOSSES, Riad Sattouf
High school comedy à la adolescent Charlie Brown/ Peanuts cartoon featuring higher than high hormone counts and parodies of "Entre les Murs" and "J'ai Tué Ma Mere."

2.5 -- VAMPIRES IN HAVANA, Juan Padron
Delightful animated feature that involves two opposing groups of vampires vying for control of a formula that will allow vampires to remain in the sunlight. Set in Havana during the 1930s Cuban revolution. Animation technique a bit simplistic, lacking depth and subtle detail. Not for young children.

2.4 -- UN ANGE A LA MER (ANGEL AT SEA), Fredric Dumont
In a small seaside Moroccon town a 12-year old boy resides with his parents and older brother. For him life is a dream until his severely depressed father reveals a devasting secret to him. A difficult and sensitive subject -- the psychological abuse of children -- not well handled, the script failing to provide impact. Performances from principals were top notch.

3.1 -- MUSASHI - THE DREAM OF THE LAST SAMURAI, Mizuho Nishikubo
Animated history lesson on the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645). Entertaining and informative. Use of multiple animation techniques effective.

2.5 -- MAURICIO'S DIARY, Manuel Perez Paredes
A man on his 60th birthday (Havana, September 2000) reflects on the key moments of his life for the past 12 years, as if they were passages from a diary. Subplot: the situation in Cuba in the 90s. Fuzzy subtitles and poor image made this hard to follow.

2.6 -- MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT, Tomas Gutierrez Alea
Reflections of a bourgeois man who remains in Cuba after the revolutionary takeover in 1961. Shot in B&W and in the collage style that typified Cuban cinema of the 60s effectively expresses the confrontation between bourgeois and revolutionary values.

3.0 -- VERMILLION SOULS, Iwana Masaki
1952 Japan. A boy wanders into a strange mansion where four people are awaiting euthanasia by gas. They have an incurable disease that prevents exposure to sunlight. First feature from well known master of Japanese Butoh theatre. Surreal and mysterious; gripping and intense; grotesques and bizarre -- yet beautiful and poetic.

3.1 -- DEMAIN DES L'AUBE, Denis Dercourt
An excursion into the world of role-playing as obsessive and passionate hobby. Classical pianist -- older brother -- joins his younger brother in a Napoleonic era game which takes a frightening and dangerous turn when the game begins to spill into the real world. Charismatic performances from leads.

2.6 -- KATALIN VARGA, Peter Strickland
A woman and her nine year old son travel in a horse drawn cart to face the men who brutally raped her ten years earlier. Shot in the breathtaking beauty of the forests of the Carpathian mountains in Romania. Though set in modern times, this somewhat predictable film has a mythical, gothic Middle Ages feel. Stellar performances.

2.5 -- LES DERNIERS JOURS DU MONDE (HAPPY END), Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu
The end of the world is approaching yet some continue to hold on to what they have and pursue their dreams and desires. They live in the moment. Surreal, humourous at times bordering on the absurd. High level of decadence. Chronology of story line hard to follow.

0.0 -- VIVA EL CUBEC LIBRE, Francis Cronin Gourd, Melanie Ladouceur
ABSOLUTE WASTE!.

3.2 -- STILL WALKING, Hirikazu Kore-Eda
Japanese drama centering on a family reunion to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the death of first-born. Insightful and full of nuance with tinges of subtle, muted humour throughout. While the film is occasionally dark, it is offset with the Eastern reverence for the butterfly as a symbol.

2.4 -- THE GIRL, Frederik Edfeldt
Debut feature about a ten year old girl (credibly played by first timer Bianca Engstrom) left alone in the course of a summer while her parents are on a aid mission in Africa. Situation and script inappropriately handled. "Home Alone" comedies far superior.

2.2 -- RICH BROTHER, Insa Onken
Documentary tackling the African tradition of sending a family member to Europe with the expectations that he cannot return with nothing. We follow Ben -- The lion of Cameroon -- as he attempts to make it as a professional boxer in Germany. Personalities and situations explored lacked engagement.

2.6 -- KINATAY, Brilliante Mendoza
(Tagalog for "butchered"), this film portrays a reality in Filipino society, an experience more than a story. Like the hero, we are held hostage to what we are seeing unfolding on the screen. Another example of the how the need for money leads one to cross the line. The lighting was insufficient -- images were unclear.

2.5 -- THREE WISE MEN, Mika Kaurismaki
A tale of male friendship, pain and redemption (like "Husbands" by Cassavetes). Three old friends, all at crucial moments in their lives, meet up in a Karaoke bar. Totally improvised, very wordy leaning on the philosophical side; lacked an element of humour.

2.8 -- METROPIA, Tarik Saleh
Hyperrealist, cyberpunk animation thriller. In the near future, all of Europe is linked by a vast metro system. Everything is controlled by a huge conglomerate that wants to control the thoughts and soul of all individuals. Commonplace concept with an original twist.

3.0 -- ÉTREINTES BRISÉES (BROKEN EMBRACES), Pedro Almodóvar
Former film director recounting the events that led to a serious accident 14-years ago that took the love of his life and his eyesight. Thriller and film noir that expresses the director's love for cinema. Top notch performances.

Ratings for 2007 Nouveau Cinema Festival.

Ratings for 2008 Nouveau Cinema Festival.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 




 
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