4th-21st November 2010.
Every November, Leeds plays host to an International Film Festival which brings together cinema, documentaries and events from across the globe. New and unseen films are shown at wonderful venues across the city, including the homely Hyde Park Picture House and even the Town Hall. This year’s opening gala included a screening of the Oscar-tipped The King’s Speech and concluded with live folk music and American roots music. In between, we were treated to world drama premieres, amazing animation, recently recovered material from Metropolis, short films, talks, master classes and comic book conventions. With dozens of screenings, it was not possible to see everything, but here are some of the highs (and a couple of lows).
The Bothersome Man is a low-key clash of Orwellian nightmare and icy-cool Scandinavian drama. Following an apparent suicide, Andreas finds himself in a strange city with a job and even a wife. How did he get there and what does his strange world represent? It’s a close, claustrophobic and charismatic film with a mesmerising lead performance – and more than a hint of Groundhog Day. It’s not a new picture but it’s certainly one worth seeking out on DVD.
From the same region of the world, but with a different aesthetic is Kitchen Stories. It’s the beguiling story of a burgeoning friendship set against the background of home economics, pickled herring and a shed full of pepper. It’s both a touching character study and a gentle satire which hinges on two utterly charming performances from the elderly leads.
Thai cinema has enjoyed some recent successes, but these appear unlikely to be boosted by the aptly named Mundane History. A non-linear structure is the most interesting aspect of a film in which nothing very much happens to a particularly dislikeable character. It’s the non-story of a child coming to terms with a crippling disability but ultimately goes nowhere – and not particularly fast. There is the hint that something revelatory might happen, but when it does, it seems utterly incongruous.
The new Anton Corbijn film attempts to build on the success of Control by relocating the director to Italy – along with George Clooney. It’s a beautiful looking film which wears its influences proudly (and none too subtly) on its sleeve. Owing a debt to numerous spaghetti westerns, the plot sees hitman and gun-maker Jack holed up in a small village where – predictably – trouble still manages to find him. As a vehicle for Clooney to show off his Italian language skills and Corbijn’s eye for dramatic framing it’s fine. As a whole, it ticks all the boxes you’d expect from such a picture: tart with a heart; femme fatale; priest with a past. Sadly, The American is the sum of its parts – predictable and slightly dull.
High concept films tend to be either thought-provoking and intelligent or unintelligible gibberish. Sadly, Uruguayan production Hiroshima: A Silent Musical is neither. Instead it’s an even rarer breed of high-concept movie - one without a concept. Choosing to tell its story with no dialogue was a brave move and a difficult one. Unfortunately, the filmmakers backed out of the challenge by having characters talk to one another – we can see their lips moving before the conversation is relayed via old fashioned black-and-white intertitles. Whatever point the movie was trying to make is critically undermined. There are some great moments, as otherwise unnoticed ambient sounds come to the fore – not least a game of 5-a-side played by ‘silent’ footballers – but with little in the way of storyline, this production stands or falls on the strength of its central conceit – and it doesn’t stand up for long.
If Hiroshima emphasised style over substance, Argentina’s The Invisible Eye did the complete opposite. It unflinchingly tackles themes regarding the abuse of power, and did so grittily and effectively. Focusing on the work life of virginal classroom assistant Maria Teresa as she attempts to suppress her sexuality. It rapidly becomes a movie about voyeurism before a visceral and harrowing conclusion which redeems none of the morally ambiguous characters. Not an easy film to watch, but an utterly compelling one.
In contrast to the austere interiors and low key action of The Invisible Eye, Moloch Tropical is brash, brutal – and simply brilliant. Set in Haiti, the film documents the unravelling of a tyrannical dictatorship. Stacked to the brim with comedy characters, torture and political allegory, it’s a colourful rollercoaster ride from the beginning to its inevitable conclusion. Directed by Haiti’s former Minister of Culture, it’s an intelligent – albeit fictional – window into a troubled part of the world, and damned good entertainment to boot.
Anyone with young children will be familiar with the angry feeling which accompanies every ‘illustration’ they do anywhere other than on pieces of paper. In Draw Yourself, French director Gilles Porte turns that feeling on its head in a beautifully crafted film based entirely on the doodlings of an adorable cast of cute kids. Drawn from around the globe, the children are invited to produce self-portraits on a glass screen as the camera peers through it. These drawings are then animated in sweet little vignettes before moving on to the next part of the world. There’s no dialogue, nothing in the way of explanation – just an evocative score and a succession of beautiful, funny, graceful and attention grabbing youngsters offering a heart-warming reminder of the innocence of childhood.
Spain’s Kidnapped offered a stark contrast. From the same stable as [REC], it offers a similarly original take on an old staple – this time a twist on the familiar tale of home invasion. Filmed in twelve long takes, it’s a fantastically well-made, impeccably choreographed movie. At times, it’s almost unbearably tense, occasionally graphically violent, but acted truthfully and with amazing attention to detail. Whilst technically adept, it does feel a little bit like being bludgeoned by the (rather predictable) denouement. It remains riveting, nonetheless, which any fan of the genre owes it to themselves to watch.
Norway’s Elling was a complete contrast. Warm yet darkly funny, it’s the tale of two institutionalised middle-aged men who are unleashed on society after two years of living in sheltered housing. The titular hero is a painfully shy man who has become best friends with lumbering, sex-obsessed Kjell Bjarne. Shacked up together in the middle of Norway, the story concerns their reintegrating into society, relationships and stealth poetry. It’s been a massive hit with audiences and (at the time of writing) is top of the audience polls – and deservedly so. Sweet but never cloying, it wrings humour from the pair’s phobias and foibles without ever mocking, and contains two central performances which are a brilliant mixture of subtlety, comedy and pathos. It’s a film which brings a tear to the eye in the most positive way possible.
Leeds International Film Festival is a glorious celebration of world cinema, which brings a stellar blend of old and new movies to an increasingly global city. It’s expertly run, brilliantly staffed and, above all, perfectly programmed. A fantastic fortnight. RW
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