Nancy
Snipper attended the Festivalissimo Film Festival and recommends
the following films, always out of 4, reserving 2.5 or more
for a noteworthy film, 3.5 for an exceptional film, and 4
for a classic.
Among
her all-time favourite films are:The Island (Paul Cox); Dog
Star (Akira Kurosawa); Ceux qui m’aiment prendront le
train (Patrice Chéreau); El Hijo de la Novia (Juan
José Campanella); Cleopatra (Juan José Campanella);
Les Choristes (Cristophe Barratier); The Seventh Sign (Carl
Schultz); Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg); Wallace
and Gromit series (Nick Park); Avatar (James Cameron).
Preamble
Now in its 15th year, Festivalissimo continues to assemble
superb films representing daring directors committed to revealing
the strife, humour and wonder whirling around the Latin American
world and beyond. From Argentina to Chile, Peru, Columbia,
Brazil, Cuba and Spain, each film frames unforgettable characters
both big and small, who in their own way touch our hearts
and frazzle our senses. Landscapes both savage and serene
spread across the silver screen in hypnotic splendour. ExCentris
must be proud to have hosted Festivalissimo for a second time
within its elegant complex. Fans used to flock to Cinéma
Park to get their Festivalissimo fix. Bravo Elisa Pierna and
your team for bringing fascinating Spanish speaking films
(with English and French subtitles) to an audience hungry
for more. I liked the fact it wasn’t too crowded, that
it was low key and extremely well organized. Most notably,
it gave me a close up view on the way Latin America looks
at its own issues utilizing the brilliant talents of several
directors.
REVIEWS
3.6
-- EL CUERNO DE LA ABUNDANCIA (THE HORN OF PLENTY), Juan Carlos
Tabio
What a delight! Despite the hopelessly poor conditions that
plague the people living in the Cuban village of Yaragüey,
their lives are full of laughter, disappointments, secrets,
escapades and sizzling sexual antics. Life in this little
village turns into a chaotic mess when the chance of obtaining
a huge inheritance for every inhabitant sharing the family
name of Castiñeiras becomes a reality. But like most
things in Cuba, it all falls through. Brilliant acting and
laugh out loud situations perfectly illustrate the great humour
that Cubans have. Titled in English as “The Horn of
Plenty,” the irony is perfect. Tabio's sense of humour
is infectious; he makes us all want to be part of the Castiñeiras
clan.
3.8
-- LUISA, Gonzalo Calzada
Luisa has just experienced the second worst day in her life.
The first one came with the sudden death of her husband and
daughter: how -- the viewer does not know, but we do see flashbacks
and the cremation plaques in the ground bearing their names
on the premises where Luisa works as a receptionist. Spanking
new empty urns for sale sit on shelves behind her desk. She's
been polishing them as they come and go for the past 30 years.
But one fateful day, she is dealt her own death blow of sorts.
Her beloved cat dies, and on that same day, she is fired from
her receptionist job and her second job as well -- cleaning
the home of a famous actress about to retire. Luisa descends
into dark days literally; her electricity is cut off and the
means to support herself leaves her own life also in blackness.
But she has a few cards up her sleeve, including lucky Chinese
ones she distributes with the hope of being handed pesos on
the subway for them. No such luck. She resorts to playing
a cripple and even a blind woman begging in a way that could
earn Luisa her own Oscar. This wonderful film features the
brilliant actress, Leonor Manso. Her portrayal of this homely
woman over the hill in desperate need of a life lift is beyond
words.
3.2
-- LA BUENA VIDA (THE GOOD LIFE), Andrés Wood
Santiago, Chile is rife with people who are miserable, and
this film zooms in on some of them. One is a mother without
means to care for her baby. Another mother, who gives classes
on birth control to girls in the sex trade, finds out her
teenage daughter is pregnant, and to top it off, her ex is
fooling around with prostitutes at a bar. Then there is the
gifted clarinettist whose aspirations to play in the Philharmonic
Orchestra are dashed; he has to settle for playing with the
carabineros (the police band). His clarinet is stolen by another
character, a man who lives with his mother and whose dream
is to get enough money to buy a Ford. His problems are plentiful
and money is one of them. He can't afford the upkeep of his
father's grave, nor does he want to see his dad go up in ashes,
and that is what will happen if he doesn't act immediately.
Marvellous performances and believable life circumstances
earn this film a Festivalissimo competition award.
2.9
-- EL VUELCO DEL CANGREJO (CRAB TRAP), Oscar Ruiz Navia
Life in Columbia's La Barra is a seemingly idyllic place where
coastal waters are impressively alluring. But in fact, life
there is depressingly impoverished. Those who have lived there
most of their life wish to stay and preserve their primitive
way of survival regardless of the lack of fish and other food
that used to be in abundance. There are crabs, but one must
go far to get them. The movie illustrates that no matter how
far off the beaten track a man may go, problems are always
close by. Threatened by the attempts of a young foreigner
to enlarge his shanty hotel and turn the beach into a more
modern lucrative spot, the natives take things into their
own hands. Particularly interesting is the relationship of
Daniel, a young man who comes to La Barra in search of a boat.
There isn't one, so he ends up staying. A little girl who
befriends him ends up being his ticket out of the conflicts
and intrigues he witnesses. Indeed, La Barra is beset with
all kinds of challenges. It is said that once a crab lands
on its back, it can never return right side up. But some manage
to. This movie proves that hardships have their own just resolution,
and sometimes everyone gets what they deserve. La Barra's
raw scenery and the film's slow pace gently take you into
a world that most of us will never experience.
