________________________
3.7
-- NOMADIC
CHILDHOODS, Christophe Boula
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
A
visually stunning film that tells the story of children living
in a hostile world in Central Asia. Each separate story offers
a glimpse of life where peculiar problems affect the family
members, particularly the children. The landscapes of misfortune
are enlivened by the humorous lives of the children seeking
escape from distinct modern encroachments affecting the region
in which they live. We are taken to three different locations:
a single family living in Tibet in the barren landscape of
the country. Their child loves her yak Gulag, but it is taken
away from her to be sold along with their other yaks. Chinese
officials are pressuring the family to relocate to the nearest
village, and send their child to school. Then we travel to
Siberia, where we meet a young mother whose baby falls out
of a sleigh and ends up in the snow-filled forest. Who will
discover the baby, and will her little one be returned to
her? The happy ending is a surprise. Finally, we are taken
inside a Mongolian village where mining companies are invading
the families - all of whom live in yurts. But this film is
a light-hearted love story about two young teenagers in love
who spend most of their time trying to find a place to be
alone and make love. The filmmaker has dedicated most of his
life filming in Asia, and although this film is his first
fiction feature, one would never know this, as the superb
editing, cinematographic brilliance and honesty reach a rare
caliber of excellence that ranks the entire work as a remarkable
film worthy of its Competition status in the festival.
4.0 --
THE MAFIA KILLS ONLY IN SUMMER,
Pierfrancesco Diliberto
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Incredibly funny, and yet this is a film based on true murderous
events that took the lives of policemen, judges, politicians
and inspectors at the hands of the Mafia. Their evil killing
afflicted the city of Palermo years ago, and today, the situation
has improved there. The story starts with the day Mafioso
Vito Ciancimino is elected mayor of the city. It is also the
day Arturo is born. This curious boy has two obsessions, his
young classmate Flora and the Prime Minister of Italy. He
also is obsessed with learning about the Mafia. The humour
arises in how the young boy fails at every turn to capture
ten-year-old Flora's heart and to make a go of it as a budding
journalist. He actually works as a piano player for a TV raving
gay personality host. The director stars as Arturo, the adult.
He has brilliantly merged tragedy with comedy in plot, acting
and dialogue. It's Diliberto's first feature; he honed his
creative acumen under the mentorship of Zeffirelli. He has
his own TV show in Milan, and judging by his wicked rapid-fire
wit, revealed in the Q & A at the festival, one imagines that
the whole of Italy tunes in to watch this loveable laugh-out-loud,
talk-show host-star who makes Italians feel younger while
insightfully dilating on the subject of war and peace. It's
ironic and wonderful.
3.8 --
QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAINS, Sadyk
Sher-Niaz
The
most significant film to come out of Kyrgyzstan that tells
the true amazing heroic story of Kurmanijan Datka, a young
woman whose husband is murdered as he tries to unite his nation
while keeping the mountain way of life intact for his people.
They inhabit the rugged region of Alia in Central Asia. They
are known for their sure-shot arrows, courage, warrior honour
and strength. This brave woman becomes Queen of Kurmanjan,
and makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to stop the continual
warring between all the peoples of the country who fight one
another while railing against repressed by Russian rule. We
are taken on a roller coaster ride over a period of 400 years
that ends in the last century when Kyrgyzstan became independent
in 1901 from Russia, after which a national assembly of all
peoples in the area was formed. Today, school children in
the country celebrate her as an eternal legendary figure whose
tenacity and respect for Mankind has been imparted in the
people -- all united now -- that she left behind. This is
her legacy. The film made with one-and-a-half-million dollars
is the largest budget ever spent on a film from Kurgyzstan.
The producer is a Member of Parliament. It is a stunning epic
piece of history filmed with equally inspiring cinematography.
3.1 --
MATEO,
Maria Gamboa
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Mateo is a 16-year-old disenfranchised teenager who extorts
money for his violent uncle. He shares the dough with his
mother who decides she no longer wishes to have anything to
do with taking dirty money. Mateo's agrees to spy for his
uncle on the theatre group he reluctantly joins, but he soon
finds his way, befriending the group, enjoying the theatre
therapy, and trusting the drama teacher, who is in fact a
priest. This important film is based on the harsh conditions
facing people struggling to live in Columbia's Magdalena River
valley. Theatre groups have sprung up as a serious solution
to the problems facing its young inhabitants, and the film
stunningly details these theatre sessions. What an admirable
way for people to connect. The film is a diamond in the rough.
1.8 -- THE
CHAMBERMAID LYNN, Ingo Herb
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Well acted, but a complete bore, the film has little dialogue
as it takes us into the inner life of a mentally ill 29-year-old
chambermaid who hides under hotel guests' beds to enliven
her life. She meets a dominatrix during one of her secret
under-the-bed-voyeurism ventures and eventually calls her.
She hires her to slap her around and do more with her. It
seems Lynn is seeking love, but no one wants to return it.
A very German film that attempts to dig into a complex troubled
woman who needs a better film script rather than a better
shrink.
2.9--
THE STATESMAN, Pierre
Courège
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
A slick portrayal of political behind-the scenes vying for
power. The plot introduces the outgoing President of France,
Jean-François Vanier who is up for re-election, but is clearly
losing the race, according to the polls. His campaign is failing,
so he hires a young ambitious woman who knows the country’s
adored political icon, Robert Bergman - now retired and living
in the village of Gers. It is Vanier’s intention to get this
influential left-wing non-practicing politician on side with
him. He knows this will boost his rating, and win him the
election. But everything backfires due to betrayal and intrigue.
The twists are rather cunning and novel. Plausible? I think
not, but nonetheless, the film keeps our attention, and this
is not only because the scenery is lovely, but the cast is
great.
2.7
-- PURE LIFE,
Jérémy Banster
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
In
1949, 23-year-old French explorer Raymond Maufrais goes alone
into the Amazon forest on foot in the Guyanese jungle towards
the dangerous Tumac Humac Mountains where he hopes to meet
the native Indians. Unfortunately, his naïve enthusiasm does
little to help him finish his journey. He has no money, poor
equipment and absolutely no previous preparation either physically
or mentally to handle the daunting jungle that eventually
swallows him up; he disappears - never to be found, despite
12 attempts by his father to rescue his son. His only companion
was a dog that eventually ends up in Maufrais’ belly. Only
his journal is what is found by an Indian, and it is via this
journal that this movie could be made. It is compelling biopic,
but some parts were less convincing than others. The main
actor, Stany Coppet was excellent.
3.1
-- SCAMMERHEAD,
Dan Zucovik
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Fast talking high-wired Dragnet-type scam artist and marketer
with huge ideas, Silas Breece, gets involved with a shady
world-wide group of eccentric investors who belong to the
secret Consortium. From conceiving the development of bars
in water towers, a casino over the bridge of Las Vegas to
a floating island casino off Chicago’s waters, called Elbatraz
(a mix of Napoleon and Capone elements), Silas fails to come
through on them all; he left out the legal aspects of making
good on these projects. Zucovic himself stars as Silas, and
he puts in a masterful performance. The film deserves to be
in the Competition category.
3.1
-- LITTLE
ENGLAND, Pantelis Voulgaris Zucovik
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
A masterly crafted Greek film set on Andros Island in the
1930s. Spyros and Orsa are in love, and her younger sister,
Moscha is in love with her English teacher (we never meet
him). Their wicked mother denies them each the right to marry
their beloved; these men have no position in life. She forces
Orsa to marry another man, and when Spyros returns, Orsa finds
out that the man Moscha is to marry is in fact Captain Spyros
– the very man that Orsa loved. Orsa must endure hearing the
love-making between her sister and Spryos, as they all live
in the same house. Tragedy ensues, and this Greek family ends
up shattered in more ways than one. It did become a little
melodramatic at the end, but in all, the film is an enduring
saga that ranks as iconic Greek cinematography.
3.1
-- A DROP
OF THE GRAPEVINE, Yukiko Mishima
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
An
elegiac film that laments the failure of Ao to find the best
way to make his vines produce great wine. This sensitive man
has an axe to grind as he is going deaf. Once an established
conductor, his career came to a halt the day he discovered
he could not hear the orchestra he was conducting. The story
brings us his brother Roku and Erica - a young woman whose
own strange and hurtful past unites the trio and their friends
to eventually produce a wonderful Pinot Noir wine. The earth
is bountiful and ancient. Beautifully filmed with poetic dialogue
and landscapes in Sorachi, Japan, the music of Cavalleria
Rusticana, provides an ethereal backdrop for the entire film
that also profits from Peruvian and cabaret music that helps
the vines grow. A most unusual film that will especially appeal
to wine growers, lovers of the earth and sensual scenery.
3.8 --
SPLENDID BUT SAD DAYS, Hong-Ki
Lee
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
The Bay of Suncheon is South Korea with its reeds and salt-swamps
provides the seafood for the fishermen – including women who
live in the village along the shore. Woo-sukYun is in her
seventies, but no matter. The woman has the strength and stamina
of a 20-year-old, and it is she who supports her family, fishing,
sewing the nets, gathering seeds from the wild plants, cooking
and painting bamboo. Her days and nights consist of work and
more work, but she steps up to the plate. She takes care of
her useless but kind-hearted husband who is an alcoholic.
The landscape is truly astounding in this documentary that
brings us a segment of society that is almost unbelievable
to witness. The hardships are many, and yet the people live
a long life. Physical labour near the sea may be the answer
to longevity.
2.8
-- POLICE
INVESTIGATION, Daniel Aguirre
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Sergio and Dani are trying to be cops, but they aren’t at
all qualified. It’s like a Mr. Bean meets Peter Sellers duo.
Sergio is a salesman and Dani never made it to police school
The movie is hilarious at it shows them pretending to be on
the job; they stake out suspicious locations – in particular
a factory, buy high tech recording equipment and chase down
the wrong people. But as luck would have it, they actually
do nail someone and they become heroes. The comedic dead=pan
banter between them is enough to put the stars of Saturday
Night Live out of work. I’ve never seen such a funny store
where the salesman is trying to sell Serigo toys for his kid
in this laugh-out-loud feel good.
3.1
-- THE LAST
WISH, Namik Ajazi
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
In the 1980s, Albania did away with its most valued higher-ups
loyal to the Communist regime. Deep in the throws of Communism,
the regime showed no mercy to those whose time had come to
take the fall – all expendable pawns in the game of trail
and errors. Mentor, who is head of the Secret Service gets
arrested, and Martin, his son is given tapes by his father
(before his arrest) that bear witness to the atrocities his
dad was part of. Mentor knows his time is coming, and records
everything in these tapes that his son is to smuggle out of
the country. Martin and his mother are sent to Internment
Camp, but martin has a way to escape. The tapes make it out,
and so does Martin, but he pays the biggest price of all -
even when he makes it to Italy. Before he meets his final
moment, he goes on TV to tell his story to the world. His
father is granted his last wish, and both father and son,
their last breath. The music was too overpowering and melodramatic;
the performances were good enough on their own. Still, the
film is important as how many people really know what happened
in Albania. This film tells it all.
2.3 -- THE
BOAR KING, Chen-Ti Kuo
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Based on the 2009 typhoon that hit mountain villages in South
Taiwan, the film shows us how the courage of one daughter
with her step-mother rebuild the beautiful hot spring area
to resurrect it as it was before Ying, the husband walked
right into the typhoon to film it, disappearing for good.
He knows he is going to die soon, as he has been diagnosed
with cancer, and so he sends out invitations for the villagers
to attend his wake once everything is rebuilt. Beautiful and
sad landscapes that show how things were before and after
the disaster constitute the strongest part of the film. The
Boar King refers to the strong villager who helps the two
women rebuild their hotel. He is also great at catching boars,
evidently. The hotel is actually called The Boar Hot Spring.
2.3 -- SCHIMARE,
Alex Sampayo
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
A couple are driving from Bucharest to Spain with an orphan
girl from Romania. The wife is a nervous wreck who has fits
of hysteria which her husband addresses in loving ways. It
turns out the girl is destined for death – both her kidneys
are to be removed in an illegal act of child trafficking.
Too much violence and strange scenes of ‘I love you and I
love you not” from the couple who are clearly in a relationship
crisis as well as in torment about what they are doing. The
ending is not a happy one, and the acting was over the top
from the get-go.
2.2 -- TODAY,
I DID MY LAUNDRY, Zach Patton
[reviewed
by Nancy Snipper]
Canadian 15- minute short that shows how love and marriage
can end in murder. Beautifully filmed, the character at the
centre of the story is a lonely, compulsive counter whose
boring life is about doing the laundry and detailing his daily
routine. The entire film is a voice-over as he recounts his
love-gone-wrong story. He finally meets the lady of his dreams.
He courts her; she returns his love -- for a while, but then,
it all turns sour. No wonder his wife cheats on him. His madness
manifests in more ways than one. It's a taut piece and the
director ought to venture into features.
![Canadian Tire Repair Scam [2211 boul Roland-Therrien, Longueuil] = documents-proofs](../2010_v9_n5/images/mapleleaf.jpg)
