SPECIAL FEATURE: Film Review: The Sicilian Girl

Film: The Sicilian Girl
Year of production: 2008
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Marco Amenta
Starring: Veronica D'Agostino, Gérard Jugnot
Genre: Crime/Drama
Country: Italy/France
Language: Italian

Review by: Paul Kelly

This film was screened at the Glasgow Film Theatre’s Italian Film Festival, which was staged between 1st and 14th April 2011.

Stories involving the Mafia have long been a fascination in western cinema. From the romanticised bravado of The Godfather to the gritty realism of Goodfellas, organised crime has exercised a stranglehold on the cinema. Removing the air of mysticism and, at times, celebration that surrounds such accounts of the Mafia seems to be the one man mission of Italian film director Marco Amenta, who follows his documentaries One Girl Against The Mafia: Diary Of A Sicilian Rebel and The Ghost Of Corleone with his first feature film, The Sicilian Girl. The film dramatises the real life story of Mafia informer Rita Mancuso, and sees Amenta return to the same source material that he dealt with in One Girl Against The Mafia.

Rita Mancuso (Veronica D'Agostino) has been brought up in a comfortable lifestyle with her family in Sicily, believing that her father, Don Michele (Marcello Mazzarella) is loved and respected by his fellow townsmen because he helps them with their problems. When Don Michele is murdered following a disagreement with Don Salvo (Mario Pupella) she and her brother (Carmelo Galati) are determined to have their revenge.

Six years later, when things are finally in place to have Don Salvo murdered, a tip off sees Rita’s brother instead killed. A furious Rita then flees to Palermo to speak to an anti-mafia prosecutor (Gérard Jugnot) who sees in her meticulously kept diaries a chance to finally rid Sicily of the Mafia. But keeping his witness, and himself, safe proves a difficult task when the stakes are so high…


What is interesting about Marco Amenta’s approach to The Sicilian Girl is its opposition to Hollywood accounts of the Mafia, which, although violent, often try to display their characters as honourable, or adhering to some kind of moral code. Amenta’s Mafia seems far truer to life, portraying its members as backstabbing bullies, murderers and drug dealers. Much of the narrative seems devoted to ridding both Rita, and the audience, of any kind of misinterpretation of their activities, and this leads to a great deal of empathy with her character. Of course, much of this empathy is also drawn from the performance of Veronica D’Agostino, who manages to portray the strength and, at times, arrogance of a young woman brought up in a powerful family, as well as her vulnerability and, as the trial draws closer, deep and painful loneliness. At times her performance is overly theatrical (and very, very loud), but on the whole she deals commendably with a difficult character and some very sombre material.

Gérard Jugnot also draws plaudits as the unnamed judge who takes on the case. His relationship with Rita is given a lot of screen time and develops well over the course of the film, from cold mistrust through reluctant respect to, eventually, affection, as he emerges as a father figure to Rita, offering her a glimpse of what life could have been like if she were not born into the world of organised crime.

The film’s strongest moments are in the dramatic exchanges between its characters, with confrontations between Rita and her mother, who denounces her for betraying her family, a particular standout (aside from one particularly poor line). Amenta is adept at drawing the emotion from these encounters, and adding to the pressure that is mounting on Rita’s young shoulders, and the tension of the situation.

Where the director falters slightly is in providing the kind of action one would expect from such a well paced thriller. Aside from a midnight shoot-out in a graveyard, which is intense and frightening, there is little in the way of prolonged action sequences, which is forgivable for a film which strives to be as realistic as possible, but detracts somewhat from the severity of Rita’s situation. There is also a tendency to avoid explicate violence, which would be taken as a given in a film dealing with the Mafia. There is, of course, no need to be gratuitous in the presentation of the Mafia’s activities, but to turn the camera away in moments when people are shot, or to have the murder of Rita’s brother occur off-screen seem like strange decisions in a film which asks its viewers to come to terms with the real life activities of the Mafia. Far more effective is the slow motion sequence in which Don Michele is shot, and lies dying in his daughter’s arms. This short sequence achieves the kind of dramatic impact that is lacking elsewhere in the film.

If Amenta had allowed his film to digress into more action-packed territory, just a touch more, he could have made a memorable thriller. As it stands, he has made a powerful, emotional and hard hitting drama which faithfully accounts the story of a very brave young woman, and celebrates her legacy, rather than that of the men she helped bring to justice.


Lacking in dramatic flair in parts it may be, but The Sicilian Girl makes a powerful impression nonetheless due to the performances of its cast and the real human interest that lies at the heart of its source material. Marco Amenta is more than familiar with this material by now, and not only does it justice, but presents it superbly. PK

SPECIAL FEATURE: Festival Review: Glasgow Film Festival

Confessions had a profound impact at the festival

Thursday, 17th – Sunday, 27th February 2011

Billed as ‘The return of Cinema City,” the seventh annual Glasgow Film Festival was a fitting celebration of a love affair with cinema which once saw Glasgow house more cinemas per capita than any other city in the world. Although many of these cinemas have been demolished or redeveloped, there is still a great cinema-going culture within the city, and the festival acknowledged this with a wide variety of films and events which had something for all ages and tastes. From the Youth Festival which preceded the main event through to a Ginger Rogers strand, an appearance from Glasgow born comic book artist Mark Millar and a Meryl Streep retrospective, the festival lived up to its billing as ‘the people’s festival’, or as festival co-director Allison Gardner branded it on the opening night: “the punters’ festival.”

In terms of new films, the festival’s major coups included the world premiere of Kevin MacDonald’s swords and sandals epic The Eagle, as well as David Mackenzie’s You Instead, a romantic comedy shot on location at last year’s T In The Park. In addition to the wealth of UK based talent on display at the festival there remained, as always, a strong focus on independent and foreign-language cinema, with a huge range of films either premiered or screened prior to their UK release date. The following is a small selection of some of those titles screened over the course of the event…


Potiche
Things got under way on the 17th with a screening of Francois Ozon’s latest film Potiche, a comedy starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu. Unusually for the festival, there was no appearance from the director or either of his stars, but this did not distract from the occasion as the audience joined in with the spirit of the proceedings, and sat back to enjoy the film, which isn’t released in cinemas on these shores until June.

Potiche is a light-hearted comedy about a middle aged trophy housewife named Suzanne (Deneuve) who takes over her husband’s umbrella company when he is taken ill following industrial action amongst the workers. With the help of local MP Maurice Babin (Depardieu) and her children, Joelle and Laurent, she turns the fortunes of the factory around and creates a happy working environment for the workers, as well as a profitable business. When her husband returns to re-take the reins of his business, Suzanne is determined that she should maintain her position, and a power struggle begins between the couple.

Saturated in colour and alive with bright characters and breezy humour, Potiche is a world away from the Ozon of La Refuge, his previous effort which charted the pregnancy of a drug addict. The film touches on issues such as divorce, fidelity and female empowerment, but never labours too long on such seriousness, preferring a frivolous approach which charms but does drag on after a while. The set design and costumes, as well as the over the top performances are the stuff of pure sit-com, and as a result, the film occasionally feels like an overly long episode of a French version of Frasier. Nevertheless, the humour is effective and the characters engaging, and the sight of Deneuve and Depardieu disco dancing in awkward middle-aged harmony is, in its own right, enough to render Potiche a suitably light festival opener. Something sweet and frothy to cleanse the pallet before delving into the array of more challenging, thought provoking material that the festival would provide in droves.

Confessions
Each year the Glasgow Film Festival has a strand of films dedicated to showcasing films from a particular country. Last year, the focus was on Japan, and the festival’s connection with Japanese cinema continued into 2011, with a screening of Tetsuya Nakashima’s Confessions, a thriller about a schoolteacher avenging the murder of her daughter, and based on the novel by Kanae Minato. The film has already received recognition both at home and abroad, winning multiple awards at the Japan Academy Prize and being put forward as Japan’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Confessions tells the story of Yuko (Takako Matsu) who, having discovered that two pupils in her class were responsible for the death of her young daughter, sets up an elaborate and sinister plot to exact her revenge. Believing that she is teaching the perpetrators, and the other pupils in her class a lesson about how precious and fragile life is, she unknowingly sets off a chain of events that will affect the lives of several of her pupils and their families.

The premise may sound like the stuff of Japanese revenge horror, a genre which has taken off in the last few years, but Nakashima avoids any moral standpoint and instead creates a web of interlinked characters and scenarios which examines the impact of revenge, and questions its justice. This does lead to some confusion about where the viewer’s sympathy should lie, but this in itself, like much of the film, is left open to debate.

Questions like this, along with the film’s stunning visuals, ensure that the film has a profound impact - the stunned silence in the Glasgow Film Theatre following the screening bearing testament to this. Nakashima’s use of slow motion, grey skies and rain mean that each frame is a work of art, carefully crafted and presented, but never lingered on, allowing the film to flow at a steady and exciting pace while drawing every ounce of emotion from the story. Although screened early in the festival, Confessions was unquestionably one of its highlights.

Point Blank
Film festivals are renowned for their preference of art house or independent cinema, and so it was something of a welcomed change of pace to see Fred Cavayé’s Point Blank receive its UK premiere at the GFF. Cavayé’s previous film, Pour Elle, was adapted by Hollywood to make The Next Three Days, and with its strong characters and intense action sequences, it is difficult to imagine Point Blank will not receive the same treatment.

The film is a taut action-thriller about Samuel (Gilles Lellouche), a lowly hospital worker who, when his wife is kidnapped, is forced to ensure the release of wanted criminal Hugo Sartet from his hospital, avoiding the police protection surrounding the injured man. Things take a complicated turn after Hugo is freed, when corrupt policeman Patrick Werner begins his own pursuit of the pair; suddenly neither side of the law is safe for Samuel as he is thrust into a web of lies and cover-ups.

Cavayé’s script may be formulaic and somewhat predictable, but it is carried off with such style that each turn in the story still seems somehow fresh, even if it could have been spotted a mile off. Much of the drama is drawn from Lellouche’s performance, as Samuel he perfectly encapsulates the ordinary bloke in an extraordinary situation that characterises Cavayé’s approach to the genre. He also provides such a likeable character that it is impossible not to root for him as he flees through Underground stations and over rooftops in a series of increasingly frantic and exciting set pieces which, though providing the kind of thrills to be expected of such a film, never stray away from the emotional hook of a man fighting to get his wife back.

It is indeed rare for a festival to include a Hollywood style popcorn thriller, and it is a testament to Cavayé’s style that his film is deemed worthy, as well as an indication of the less formal, celebratory tone of the Glasgow Film Festival. If a Hollywood remake is indeed inevitable then it is well worth catching this heart racing film before the yanks inevitably ruin it by plastering Ryan Reynolds or someone equally airbrush friendly all over it.

Apnea
Lowering the pace considerably after Point Blank was Apnea, the debut feature from former Greek swimming champion Aris Bifaloukas. Apnea is a breathing technique used to enhance lung capacity in swimmers, which allows them to hold their breath under water for more than five minutes at a time. Apnea is known to cause hallucinations, and it is the distinction between reality and fantasy that forms the dreamlike tone of the film, which follows competitive swimmer Dimitris (Sotiris Pastras) as he reflects on his relationship with environmental activist Elsa (Youlika Skafida), who has mysteriously disappeared.

The narrative of Apnea is formed by a series of flashbacks from Dimitris’ point of view, as he practices the technique and relives the time he spent with Elsa. The film is subdued to the point of being almost joyless, and it is difficult to become too emotionally involved in the relationship between the characters, as Dimitris shows barely any emotion himself.

The calm serenity of time spent underwater may act as a hindrance to narrative development, but it presents many visual and aural possibilities which Bifaloukas expertly embraces. The film’s most memorable moments involve shots of Dimitris underwater, his body perfectly still and surrounded by the haunting placidity of the water. Very little music is used on the soundtrack, with lapping waves and swimming pool depths always highlighting the stranglehold that water has over Dimitris, and over the film itself.

The result is a film which, though slight in terms of story, is unsettling and often moving, as the director’s experience of the life aquatic is brought viscerally to life on the screen. More time could have been spent examining the mystery surrounding Elsa’s disappearance, which would have added to the sense of the unknown that the water sequences perfectly capture. Apnea may not have been the most memorable story told at the festival, but the feeling that comes from it is unique and interesting enough to render it worthy of attention.

Love Like Poison
The cancellation of an appearance from director Katell Quillévéré due to pregnancy was undoubtedly the reason for the poor turnout at the screening of her debut feature Love Like Poison. The film has already achieved recognition, winning Quillévéré the Jean Vigo Prize for first features. The film is a coming of age drama about a 14-year-old girl returning from boarding school to make her Confirmation but questioning the very faith she is supposed to be confirming.

Anna (Clara Augarde) returns to her scenic village in Brittany at a difficult time for her family. Her parents are going through a divorce, her mother is left to care for her dying paternal grandfather and her feelings for choir boy Pierre are causing her a great deal of confusion. Her support network lets her down, as the stresses of divorce cause her mother to become alienated, and her charismatic local priest is questioning his own calling as he struggles with the attentions of Anna’s mother.

Coming of age dramas are ten a penny and Love Like Poison does not rewrite the genre, or contribute very much to it at all. Quillévéré has favoured subtlety in dealing with the film’s issues of life, death love and religion and the result is a film which does not say enough about any of them to be worthwhile. Sterling performances from most of the cast, particularly newcomer Clara Augarde, are wasted on a script which lacks the courage of its convictions.

While it is in some ways refreshing to see a film which examines the Catholic faith without condemning it, to suggest the possibility of a priest harbouring sexual desire without exploring it in more detail makes the film seem light and insignificant. Michel Galabru supposedly provides comic relief as Anna’s grandfather, but most of his scenes are uncomfortable and vulgar, exhibiting a sharper edge to the film that could have been better used in other areas.

On the whole, there is not much to recommend about Love Like Poison; it is tiresome, underwritten and instantly forgettable, an unfortunate blip on an otherwise strong festival line-up.

The Christening
Marcin Wrona follows up his well received debut feature My Flesh My Blood with Polish gangster thriller The Christening. Set in Warsaw, the film deals with family, honour and redemption in a detached and understated style as the film is shot mostly on hand-held cameras in naturally lit locations.

Michal (Wojciech Zielinski) has turned his life around from his days as a gangster and eventual arrest, and is now a successful businessman living in a swanky city apartment with his beautiful wife and infant son. In the week leading up to the child’s christening, he invites his childhood friend Janek (Tomasz Schuchardt) to stay with him, and asks him to be the child’s godfather. However, Janek is unaware that Michal’s comfortable home life is teetering on the brink of collapse, and the deal he made with his former gang members will soon cost him everything.

Although dealing with the world of organised crime, The Christening is a far more sensitive and emotional film than it would initially seem; preferring a character driven approach which explores the relationship between Michal and Janek and the choices both men have to make. This exploration is aided by intense, brooding and powerful performances from the two male leads. Schuchardt, in particular, is excellent, presenting Janek as unhinged and dangerous, as well as conflicted and fragile. The film’s subtlety in dealing with its deep themes, as well as its realistic and closely shot style, means that when violence does erupt it does so without warning, its graphic nature coming as a shock to the system and maintaining the unbearable tension in the lead up to the film’s inevitable yet shocking conclusion.

So many films which deal with organised crime create a world so far removed from reality it is difficult to relate to, yet the blissful ignorance of the supporting players to Michal’s situation make the story not only strikingly believable but tragic and affecting. As one of the lesser hyped films of the festival, The Christening is a fine example of the recently rejuvenated eastern European market and a superb thriller by anyone’s standards.

All of these films will either be on general release this year in the UK or already are, and it is important in the current climate of uncertainty that surrounds film festivals that Glasgow is seen to remain current, as well as recognising the cinema of the past. The mix between old and new at the festival was well balanced, as was the selection of British, Hollywood and foreign films on offer.


On the whole, the festival was a success, selling more tickets than any previous year. Considering the financial situation many people find themselves in these days, it is encouraging to note that Glaswegians will still go out of their way to go to the cinema, not only to see the latest Hollywood offerings, but to experience more challenging, original offerings from all over the world. PK

SPECIAL FEATURE: DVD Review: The Big Bang

Film: The Big Bang
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 75 mins
Director: Picha
Starring: N/a
Genre: Animation
Studio: Lace
Format: DVD
Country: France/Belgium

This is an English-Language release.

Belgian cartoonist Jean-Paul "Picha" Walravens has only made a handful of feature films and so this DVD release of his 1987 X-rated animated sci-fi is something of a collector’s item. Dealing with themes ranging from world politics to domestic disharmony in a tongue-in-cheek (amongst other places) style, The Big Bang is the last film Picha made before opting to focus on television.

In 1995 World War III breaks out on Earth. A Mafioso with an overly itchy trigger finger uses a nuclear device to assassinate his target and Libya is destroyed. Libya then destroys Israel. Africa bombs Germany and Sweden annihilates itself. The chain reaction of countries wiping each other off the map continues until the face of the Earth is irrevocably changed and only two continents remain.

In the north, America and Russia have merged to become the USSSR, where all of the world’s remaining men have been horrifically mutilated by the nuclear fallout. The fairer sex has retreated to the south to form the new continent of Vaginia.

When war between the two nations threatens to destroy the universe, Fred Hero is sent by the Council of the Universe to make peace between the warring nations. Armed with a strategically placed light bulb which grants him invincibility, Fred makes his way to Earth to see if he can finally complete a super-hero mission…


If you are the kind of person who considers Family Guy to be a touch crude, or The Simpsons to be overly controversial, do not even consider watching The Big Bang. The film is a nonstop parade of sex gags and foul-mouthed dialogue, which unapologetically lampoons the worst aspects of both sides of the sexual divide.

The characters range from skin-crawling, through baffling to just plain outrageous. The Comrade-in-Chief and Una, the leaders of the USSSR and Vaginia respectively, stand out in particular. The former is a mess of skin and eyeballs who is carried around by a skeletal slave which he uses as a body; the latter consists almost entirely of boobs. Loads and loads of boobs.

Taken at face value, the story and much of the dialogue could have been written by a horny teenager, albeit a particularly demented one. However, there are moments of genuine ingenuity that make the film tolerable. The sparse and murky landscapes are well drawn and vaguely sinister, presenting a suitably bleak and unmanageable post-apocalyptic landscape. There is also something reassuringly real about the soundtrack’s use of gruff voices, footsteps, clicks and wobbles. The animation is incredibly creative and charmingly simple and serves as a reminder of how striking filmmaking of this kind could be in the age before computers did most of the work.

Picha is clearly not aiming for satire, despite his use of themes that were pertinent at the time, and the threat of nuclear war is approached with humour rather than foreboding. Light relief the film may be, but there are not enough jokes for it to carry this off successfully, and the script is full of far more smut than wit. The result is that, with its contorted characters and organised chaos, which vaguely recalls Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Big Bang is often more terrifying than entertaining.

The Comrade-in-Chief is a nightmarish figure and, as such, his aggressive sexual advances towards the nation’s mascot, Liberty, make for uncomfortable, if not stomach-churning viewing. There are entertaining scenes here, a coastal struggle between the two warring nations which takes place over ‘I Get Around’ by The Beach Boys is a particular highlight, and Fred Hero is a humorously narrow minded and incompetent character- he may have all the superpowers in the universe, but lacks even a thimbleful of common sense.

While there are positives to be taken from The Big Bang, the prevailing feeling is one of discomfort. For the most part it is a headache of a film, so bafflingly unfamiliar that every frame is a challenge to the senses. It is, however, difficult not to recommend, if not for repeated viewings then certainly just to see once. This is the kind of madness that Seth McFarlene and Matt Groening can only dream of. It may lead to nausea, nightmares or even insanity, but The Big Bang truly has to be seen to be believed.


It may be hard to watch and lacking in the kind of humour that would have made it a more fulfilling experience, but The Big Bang is commendably anarchic, and demonstrates the kind of sexually charged animation that simply would not get made nowadays. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is open for debate. PK

REVIEW: DVD Release: Red And White

Film: Red And White
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Yadi Sugandi
Starring: Doni Alamsyah, Rahayu Saraswati, Lukman Sardi, Darius Sinathrya, T. Rifnu Wikana
Genre: Drama/War
Studio: Kaleidoscope
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Indonesia

Western history has largely ignored the fate of Indonesia in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The fight to regain the country’s freedom from Dutch colonial rule is the subject matter of Red And White, cinematographer Yadi Sugandi’s debut feature as a director. The film is the first instalment in a trilogy celebrating Indonesian independence, and as the most expensive film in the country’s history, carries a great weight of expectation.

Red And White begins with archive WWII footage, alongside which we are informed that, in 1945, two days after the Japanese Emperor’s surrender in the Pacific, Indonesia declared its independence. In 1947, 100,000 Dutch troops arrived at Indonesia’s coastline in order to re-establish Dutch rule of the country. The archive footage fades and we are deep in the Indonesian jungle, as Dutch troops advance on a poor farming family, and viciously and needlessly murder everyone in sight. Hidden from view, Tomas (Alamsyah) watches as his family is murdered; and a soldier is born.

After this fast paced and intense opening, we are then introduced to a number of characters from various social and religious backgrounds, all of whom are joining the Republican army with different motivations. Amir (Sardi) is a school teacher who dreams of a free Indonesia for future generations, unaware that his wife is pregnant. Marius (Darius Sinathrya) is an arrogant ‘city boy’ who seeks personal glory. As the cadets begin their training, tensions run high between Tomas and Marius, but the two must set aside their differences and focus on the common goal: an independent Indonesia. As the group eventually bond, and graduate as soldiers, they are immediately thrust into the thick of the action, as the bombs start falling…


Red And White are the colours of the Indonesian flag, and there is a patriotism which runs through this celebration of triumph over adversity. This is very clear from the heroic exploits of the Indonesian freedom fighters, and the cold, heartless representation of the Dutch soldiers. Strange, then, that the film is written by American father/son team Rob and Conor Allyn. The older Allyn certainly has experience of working in Indonesia, having spent a large part of his career making television there, and there is a tangible affection for the country in their story. Equally obvious is the influence of American war films such as The Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes, with the camaraderie within the group which gradually emerges as the film goes on. A less positive aspect of these influences is the melodrama which distracts from the historical significance of the story. Soaring, dramatic music plays over scenes of sisters and wives seeing their loved ones off to battle, and enemy soldiers utter such preposterously evil lines as: “these natives, so easy to kill,” which could feasibly be accompanied by an Austin Powers style group mwuhahaha.

Such weaknesses in the script are accompanied by equally stilted battle sequences, particularly in the scene in which the Dutch forces interrupt the cadets’ graduation night. The scene begins well with an explosion, which provides both a jolt in the middle of a mellow party and a huge and impressive pillar of fire. What follows is a series of overly staged deaths, in which extras wait around for their moment to be dramatically gunned down, and characters deliver overly sentimental dying words, all of which is accompanied by explosions quite blatantly provided by studio lights. There is no sense of the frantic, frightening brutality of war here. This is a shame as there are powerful and thought-provoking moments; particularly when a group of villagers tell the soldiers that they would rather take their chances with the Dutch, which raises questions about the nature of freedom.

The actors do a good job of evoking a group spirit and unity in the face of peril, but are again let down by the script which does not provide enough character development to reach the desired levels of empathy. Considering the film is the first in a trilogy, it would have benefited from more time getting to know the characters. A flashback into Amir’s past is well framed, and helps to explain his motivations, but it is the only scene of this kind and, despite being one of the better elements of the film, seems out of place.

Of course, a film which is made specifically to celebrate Indonesian independence is going to be one-sided, but there are questions that are never explored, such as how a nation which had itself been under Nazi occupation could commit such acts of cruelty. Such moral conundrums are not even approached by Sugandi, and we are left with a mediocre, lightweight war film instead of what could have been a thoughtful piece, which not only praised the resistance to oppression but analysed it. There is a remarkable story to tell here, but Red And White fails to do it justice.


Poorly written, well-acted and unevenly put together, Red And White is a mixed bag. The historical situation is interesting enough to hold the attention, but the film is never powerful or dramatic enough to generate any real emotion. While there are enjoyable moments, there is not enough here to make returning to the story for the sequel worthwhile. PK

REVIEW: DVD Release: A Bay Of Blood

Film: A Bay Of Blood
Release date: 20th December 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Mario Bava
Starring: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati, Chris Avram
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy

Italian cinema is notable for periods in which a particular genre comes to prominence, whether it be the neorealist films of the 1940s and 50s or the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s. In the early 1970s, horror was all the rage, particularly the giallo films, which took elements of horror movies as well as mystery and crime fiction. One of the most famous films of this era is A Bay Of Blood (alternatively titled Twitch Of The Death Nerve), Mario Bava’s 1971 blood-soaked entry into the Italian horror canon, now available on DVD.

The opening sequence of A Bay Of Blood, as the sun casts its final heavenly rays on an idyllic bay, offers no indication of the horror and carnage which is to come, but it does not take long for the body count to begin its rapid ascension.

Countess Federica (Isa Miranda) lives in a luxurious mansion beside the bay, and is the proprietor of the land. As she prepares for bed, she is killed by her husband, Filippo Donati (Giovanni Nuvoletti), who has plotted to make the murder look like suicide. Mere seconds after the deed is done, Filippo is stabbed to death by a mystery assailant.

We are then introduced to a series of characters with a financial or personal interest in the ownership of the bay. Renata (Claudine Auger) is the countess’ daughter, and she arrives along with her husband, Albert (Luigi Pistilli), adamant that the property now belongs to her. Estate agent Frank Ventura (Chris Avram) and his lover Laura (Anna Maria Rosati) have other intentions, and have a plotted to take ownership of the bay for themselves.

With the complex tapestry of characters and motivations that are introduced in the opening scenes, it would appear that A Bay Of Blood is shaping up to be a mystery thriller. Think again…


What follows, instead, is utter madness. The film quickly shifts to a style anyone who is familiar with recent ‘slasher’ movies such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer will recognise, as a group of teenagers arrive at the bay and break into a house. As the group party and plan their sexual escapades, they are unaware that they are being watched, a point which is introduced with a wonderful shot in which the sunlit bay is reflected in the eye of the killer who waits in the darkness, preparing to strike. The group are then dispatched in increasingly explicate and gloriously gory ways; a machete is thrust into the throat of one character, into the face of another, and a spear is used to spice things up in the bedroom as two lovers are locked in an everlasting embrace. Bava and his creative team clearly relish these moments of physical horror and the make-up and prosthetic work is ahead of its time in both the skill of its design and the violence which it portrays. The camera work is just as effective in these scenes as voyeuristic shots of the young victims create a sense of unease, and point of view shots of the killer build tension as he stalks his prey. It is these moments of horror which remain both the film’s defining feature and its most successful.

In terms of plot, A Bay Of Blood is, technically speaking, completely bonkers. It achieves the near impossible feat of being both laughably simplistic and impossible to follow. Every character is willing to do anything in order to ensure the bay ends up in the right hands, and they will all resort to murder without even a second’s hesitation. Any pretensions the film had to being a murder mystery are quickly dispelled as there is no mystery to be found. A revelation towards the end about who was responsible for the plot to kill Countess Federica seems unimportant considering the amount of subsequent killings which have taken place. It is also difficult to care too much about the death of any of the characters, as they are all equally selfish and shallow. Not only that, but there is no sense that these are real people we are dealing with. There is no way that a group of intelligent adults would be universally willing to tear each other apart for the sake of a piece of property, even if it is a nice bloody bay.

Mario Bava clearly did not intend to make a serious thriller, and so if viewed as a slapstick comedy-come horror, A Bay Of Blood certainly does its job. There is a lot of technical craft to enjoy; Mario Bava is a renowned director, and the contrast of the beautiful landscape with the depraved acts which take place in it is striking. The film also set the tone for many horror films in years to come, both in its visual style, and in its balance between the gruesome and the comic.


A Bay Of Blood will not be enjoyed by those of a nervous disposition, or by those who enjoy the intricacies of narrative cinema. But if taken at face value, it is an enjoyable, blood soaked piece of horror, as well as a rare example of a film which reflects the insanity of its characters in every aspect of its production. PK

REVIEW: DVD Release: Gainsbourg

Film: Gainsbourg
Release date: 10th January 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 122 mins
Director: Joann Sfar
Starring: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis
Genre: Drama/Biography/Musical
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: France/USA

Gainsbourg is brought to life in circumstances as unusual and creative as the man himself. Directed by Joann Sfar, a comic book writer making his directorial debut, Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) is essentially an adaptation of Sfar’s graphic novel of the same title. Sfar mixes live action with animation and fantasy sequences and Eric Elmosnino takes the title role as the booze addled ladies man who changed the face of French music.

The film begins with Gainsbourg as a child (played by Kasey Mottet Klein), at this point he is known as Lucien Ginsburg, and is scolded by his father for making mistakes while playing the piano. Mozart he isn’t, and that’s the point in the scene, we are not dealing with a musical prodigy with an instinctive flair and passion to play the piano, rather with a boy for whom music is a means of expressing his vibrant, irrepressible imagination.

With the Nazis on their way into France, young Lucien is taken out of Paris and sent to a boarding school where, as a Jew, he can be protected from persecution. With his art and an imaginary friend, a multi-limbed and enormously headed Jew/creature from a Nazi propaganda poster, for company, Lucien begins to express himself as never before, becoming increasingly detached from reality.

The next time we see him is as an adult: he still paints, he plays piano in bars to make a living, and he is still absorbed in his own imaginings - his imaginary friend now being a hideous caricature of his own identity whom he calls his “ugly mug.”

The rest of the film is a flowing and dream-like, booze soaked journey through Gainsbourg’s musical and artistic career as he struggles with his separating identity, and goes through an endless succession of beautiful woman as fast as his cigarette supply, courting controversy wherever he goes…


From the opening credits alone, it is clear that Gainsbourg oozes artistic flair. A surreal animated sequence which features Serge Gainsbourg swimming, cigarette still lit, through schools of fish (also smoking) and underwater cities. It is a mesmerising sequence which makes it clear from the outset that the film is a celebration of the artistry of Gainsbourg, the power of his imagination.

From stylish interiors to avant-garde fashion, from impromptu songs to surreal animated sequences, Gainsbourg is a celebration of art. The visuals are used not only to put across Gainsbourg’s story in an intriguing, hypnotic way; but to paint the picture of a man struggling with the overwhelming power of his own imagination. His inability to concentrate on one thing for too long, because his mind inevitably takes him somewhere else, leads to a disintegration of most of his relationships, as well as, initially, a confusion about how best to focus his artistic prowess - to be a painter or a musician. His ‘ugly mug’ provides not only comedy in the sheer lunacy of his presence, but an unsettling horror in his grotesque appearance. It is suggested throughout that he is the devil on Gainsbourg’s shoulder, constantly leading him in the wrong direction. He is also suggestive of a split personality, particularly in one scene when Gainsbourg visits the home of a young singer, France Gall. While Serge goes to one side of the room and attempts to seduce and corrupt the innocent young girl, his ‘ugly mug’ is at the opposite side playing the piano for her father. This reveals an interesting aspect of Gainsbourg’s character - it is not that his lust for female companionship is getting in the way of his music, rather it is his artistic drive which is getting in the way of the lust which is central to his being.

As interesting as the diverse and experimental stylistic techniques Sfar employs are, they do present a problem. By packing the film so full of musical sequences and psychedelic departures, it becomes quite difficult to follow - we lose track of which woman Gainsbourg is with, how many children he has, where he is, and how many years have passed since the last scene. This is clearly deliberate on Sfar’s part, as the point seems to be to examine the inner workings of the mind of a great artist rather than to provide a traditional life story. The problem is the film is structured, for the most part, in the standard format of the biopic. We see Gainsbourg as a child, the early development of his career and most of the important moments in his life, and while excluding his death from the film is effective in maintaining the power of his influence, there is a lack of clarity to these events of the film, which becomes distracting. Sfar seems to have been caught somewhere in between traditional biopic, surrealist comedy and Felleni’s 8 ½, and while his artistic flair and solid source material means he comes close to striking the perfect balance, there are too many sequences which frustrate to consider it a resounding success.

All of this is a shame as there is a lot to like about the film. Eric Elmosnino is terrific, not only bearing a striking physical resemblance to Gainsbourg, but capturing his genius, his instability and his arrogance in equal measure.

The music is, of course, excellent and having characters break into song with full musical accompaniment gives a sense of how Gainsbourg formed his music - creating complete musical arrangements in his head and launching straight into them. Indeed, there is a lot to be learned from Gainsbourg about the nature of art, how it is formed, how the process goes from visualisation to realisation. What we do not learn, sadly, is enough about Serge Gainsbourg.


A truly innovative, mesmerising film from a first time director with a penchant for great visuals. Gainsbourg is a fascinating portrayal of a great artist. The film may lack the focus to rank amongst the great biopics of our time, but remains a treat for the eyes and mind. Innovative and difficult to follow in equal measure, Serge Gainsbourg would no doubt have approved. PK

REVIEW: Cinema Release: Abel

Film: Abel
Release date: 7th January 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 82 mins
Director: Diego Luna
Starring: Geraldine Alejandra, Karina Gidi, Christopher Ruíz-Esparza, Gerardo Ruíz-Esparza, José María Yazpik
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Network
Format: Cinema
Country: Mexico

Acclaimed Mexican actor Diego Luna makes his feature debut as a director with Abel, a family drama about the love of a mother for her son, which touches on subjects ranging from the pain of dealing with mental illness, to the effect the lack of a father can have on a family. Produced by his own film company, Canana films, Abel represents a labour of love for Diego Luna from start to finish.

Abel (Christopher Ruíz-Esparza) is just 9 years old when, having spent two years in an institution following the departure of his father, he is brought back home to be reintegrated into his family. His mother Cecelia (Karina Gidi) instructs Abel’s siblings Selene (Geraldine Alejandra) and Paúl (Gerardo Ruíz Esparza, real life brother of Christopher) not to challenge Abel or do anything which might upset him. This becomes something of a challenge when Abel starts to believe that he is the childrens’ father, and Cecelia’s husband.

Disturbed by some of his behaviour, yet delighted that her son has begun to communicate with his family again, Cecelia encourages the children to play along with the fantasy. Things become complicated when Abel’s father Anselmo (José María Yazpik) returns to the home, and is less willing than others to take his place in the new familial hierarchy…


The premise of Abel offers many comic possibilities, each one of which is lapped up with child-like enthusiasm by Diego Luna. Scenes in which Abel waits calmly in the living room to size up Selene’s boyfriend, or examines Anselmo’s new car, insisting that he should take it for a spin, are the stuff of sketch comedy - comic and surreal in equal measure, and exposing the characters’ mixed reactions to the tragic humour of the situation perfectly. However, Luna is also aware that viewing the concept from the purely comedic perspective of a child behaving like an adult would be worthy of a ten minute sketch at the most, and he is equally adept at highlighting the stress that the situation causes and the fragility of Abel’s situation.

The possibility of Abel being institutionalised for a second time looms over Cecelia as she struggles with the morality of holding onto her son when he is living a delusion. Much of the emotion of this moral dilemma is drawn out by Karina Gidi’s performance, as she communicates the deep, unconditional love that Cecelia has for Abel, as well as the suffering that the situation causes her.

A lot of pressure was put on Christopher Ruíz-Esparza to play the central character in such an intensely emotional film, especially considering he is a non-professional actor. Diego Luna cast him from open auditions from the children in the area in which the film was shot, feeling that it was important to cast someone who had no acting experience. The results are remarkable as Ruíz-Esparzo not only provides the majority of the film’s comedy - the scenes in which he behaves like an adult are priceless - but provides a character who perfectly encapsulates all of the themes at the heart of the film - seeming vulnerable enough to be so deserving of his mother’s love, but deranged and violent enough that it is difficult to argue against him needing closer medical attention, for his own safety and others. The casting of his brother Gerardo was an unexpected stroke of luck, as the bond between them translates onto the screen and provides some touching, and very funny moments.

For a film with such a bizarre premise, Abel is shot in a very realistic way; most of the dramatic scenes take place in mid to wide shots with limited camera movement. This proves to be a good decision on Luna’s part, as it keeps what is happening on camera very intense and realistic, avoiding alienating the audience by having it seem ridiculous. It is important to Luna that the impact of his story is not lost amongst the more fantastical comic elements, and framing it through a realist perspective stops this from happening. In scenes with less dialogue, however, Luna is allowed to be more experimental, and softly focused close ups of plants, water and bugs provide moments of contemplation, and forefront a theme that runs throughout the film - the wonder of the childhood imagination.

The film would have benefitted from a more developed exploration of Abel’s father, as it was his absence that initially caused Abel’s regression. We are never offered an analysis of his motivations for leaving his family, and, as a result, he is fairly one dimensional. However, as Abel is, at its heart, a celebration of a mother’s love for her son this can be forgiven. Through incredible performances, writing and directing, Diego Luna’s film is a touching, beautiful and heartfelt exploration of a truly unique character.


Comic and affecting in equal measure; Abel is a remarkable achievement for a first time director. The pain of a lost childhood is explored in heart rendering detail, yet there is enough love in the powerful performances of Luna’s cast to ensure that, despite the depths of suffering to which we are taken, Abel remains an uplifting film. PK

INTERVIEW: Director: Diego Luna

If promoting your first feature as a director is a stressful task then Diego Luna does not show it. The laid-back, confident star of Y Tu Mama Tambien and Milk is in Edinburgh to attend a screening of Abel, his first fictional film as a director, having made documentary J.C Chavez in 2007. Of course, promotional touring of this kind is nothing new to him, but approaching it as a director is a different ball game. “It’s a lot more personal, I mean it’s your baby you know? There’s no-one to blame but you so it does feel different,” he says. Different it may be, but Diego Luna is clearly relishing the responsibility: “There’s also a lot of joy in promoting this film because I love the film, I feel proud of what we did and it’s easier in many ways than with many other projects I’ve promoted because it’s part of your contract, it’s what I would like to do the most you know? I want everyone to watch the film.”

Abel tells the story of a young boy with serious problems. After two years in an institution he returns home and starts to believe that he is the man of the house, as his father has also been gone for a long-time. Not wanting to cause a regression in his state of mind, his mother encourages Abel’s sister, Selene, and brother, Paúl, to play along with the fantasy, and a strange new family dynamic is created. Blurring the boundary between childhood and adulthood is something which obviously comes quite naturally to Luna, particularly since becoming a father himself. “On holiday me and my wife were playing with my kid and many people thought it was brothers and sisters playing together, you’re like, ‘Who’s the grown up here?’”

While there may be a childishness to Diego Luna both in his youthful good looks and his fun loving attitude, there is also more of him in the character of Abel than there would initially seem. Following the death of his mother when he was just 2 years old, Luna was raised by his father, an acclaimed theatre and movie set designer. This meant that Luna was raised in a world predominantly occupied by adults, so while Abel is far from being autobiographical he does admit: “I’m a little bit like Abel. I decided that I was an adult before I was, so in a way there is a lack of a childhood there, but at the same time there’s always gonna be an immature part of me that didn’t go through the processes you should. That’s why I do film - film is a world that lives in a fantasy, and that’s definitely a very childish thing.”

Fantasy plays a huge part in Abel, but what is equally striking about the film is the degree of realism with which such a bizarre subject matter is put forward, both in terms of the performances of the cast and in the way that Luna has shot the film. Striking this balance between the fantastical elements and the real human emotion which drives the film is something that Luna was acutely aware of when making it. “I do feel that when you’re watching a film, and you don’t think that what you’re watching is possible, there’s a part of you that gets so far away from the characters that you cannot get affected anymore,” he says. “And I like film when it affects you, when it touches you, when it hits you sentimentally.”

Like his title character, Diego Luna displays a maturity as a director that is beyond his years, particularly when asked about a subject that affects many directors who begin their careers as actors; writing himself into a film. While he opted not to do so for Abel, Luna does not rule out the possibility altogether. “Probably a small part, yeah why not?” he begins. “But being the lead of your own film? No way! A lead needs a director and a director needs a lead. It can’t be the same person; you need someone else’s eyes to watch you.”

Luna clearly has a keen sense of what it means to be a director, but looking back over his acting career this is hardly surprising. Working in both Mexico and the United States, Luna has acted under the likes of Alfonso Cuarón, Gus Van Sant and Stephen Spielberg, and says that each of them has had an influence on him as a director. “Every time I worked as an actor, something happened to me that marked me, and because I never went to school, every director I’ve worked with has become my teacher, mentor, whatever you want to call it.” He goes on to add: “I’m influenced by many of them, not just in my directing but in life, in the way I see cinema, and many others are an influence on what not to do!”

A glittering career as an actor and a promising debut as a director may seem like a lot for a man who only recently turned 31, but clearly this is not enough for Diego Luna - he also runs his own film company. Canana Films was started in 2006 by Luna, Gael García Bernal and their friend, producer Pablo Cruz. What made two young and up and coming actors decide to go down the route of starting their own production company? “Gael and I started this, we said, ‘OK we’re getting so much attention, let’s shift this to the actors who should be should be shooting films in Mexico,’” he reveals. “You get a lot of attention as an actor, a lot of the time for the wrong reasons, so it’s nice to shift that attention to things you think deserve the attention. When you grab a microphone, it’s in your hands what to say.”

Both Luna and Bernal then clearly have no problem with using their success as actors to promote their company, and Luna does not underestimate the importance of having a recognisable name in the crowded Mexican film industry.“In the country I live in there’s a lot of freedom, a lot of free space, the problem is it’s a lot of freedom just for a few,” he says. “That’s the reality in the country, but we are those few, so either we do something or we are wasting our time. We started our company six years ago and today we’ve done more than ten films, we have a film festival, we’ve done a TV series, we own our projects, and it’s such a nice feeling.”

Luna clearly feels a great deal of pride when discussing Canana Films, and as the rapport between himself and Pablo Cruz demonstrates, it is a very close community, which is exactly what Luna had always wanted to create. “As an actor you spend a lot of time jumping into families that already exist,” he begins, “by jumping from one to the other you feel the lack of your own family, that’s why we started building Canana. It’s just a feeling that you always have somewhere to go back that you belong to, that is yours.”

With Canana being a company so close to his own heart, is there a possibility that Luna would ever direct a film in Hollywood if the chance presented itself? “Yeah, why not?” he responds. “As a director, definitely. Having a family doesn’t mean you cannot go and have other friends around the world. I definitely see myself working in many places.”

For now Diego Luna will continue to promote Abel around the world, and seek to gain the kind of exposure that his film and his company richly deserve. But what does the future hold for him? A Spanish-language comedy with Will Ferrell is on its way later this year as are several more films from Canana. So, will we be seeing more of Diego Luna the actor, or the director in the years to come? His response is typically charming: “You’re not going to get rid of the actor, but you’ll see more of me as a director.” PK

SPECIAL FEATURE: Film Review: Skirt Day

Film: Skirt Day
Running time: 87 mins
Director: Jean-Paul Lilienfeld
Starring: Isabelle Adjani, Denis Podalydès, Yann Collette, Nathalie Besançon, Marc Citti
Genre: Drama
Country: France/Belgium

This film was screened at the French Film Festival during its tenure at the Glasgow Film Theatre in November 2010.

Jean-Paul Lilienfeld has certainly ensured his new film Skirt Day will be talked about. Not only is it set in the hotbed of social issues that is Paris’ outer regions, it also sees the return after a five year big-screen hiatus of Isabelle Adjani, one of the most celebrated actresses in the history of French cinema. Lilienfeld’s film takes place in a lower class high school, and deals with some of the biggest issues of the day such as race, class and the French education system.

Adjani plays Sonia Bergerac, a French literature teacher at a high school on the wrong side of the tracks. She is abused and ignored by her pupils daily, taunted for wearing a skirt to work, and has resorted to taking pills in order to cope with the stress of her job.

When Sonia intervenes between two pupils who are arguing over what to do with a gun that has come into their possession, she inadvertently shoots one of the boys on the leg. In her panic she orders her class to get onto the ground, and a hostage situation unfolds.

Initially startled by what is happening, Sonia soon sees the incident as an opportunity to exact revenge on the pupils who have caused her so much grief, and to finally get through to them in a way more conventional teaching methods have so far failed to do…


Skirt Day wastes no time in getting started. Rather than introducing us to Sonia and her pupils before the incident in her class, Lilienfeld instead allows us to come to an understanding of them in the most extreme of circumstances. This works well, as we do not enter into the situation with any pre-conceived notions of who is right and wrong. It may be tempting to assume that Sonia is some kind of psychopath when we see her leer with delight at the terror on her pupils’ faces, but we soon learn that this is only because it mirrors the fear that they have induced in her. Similarly we may take some sadistic pleasure in seeing Mouss (Yann Ebonge), a gun toting sexist ASBO case, have the tables turned on him, but this changes when we learn that he is just a young man in a bad situation, who treats his mother with respect and dreams of being a footballer. Indeed, there is a great depth to almost every character in the film. This is exemplified in a sub-plot involving Labouret (Denis Podalydés), the hostage negotiator who is brought in to talk to Sonia. He has been called away suddenly from his wife’s birthday to be there and, with their relationship already strained, she has decided to leave him. This is paralleled interestingly with Sonia’s own situation as her estranged husband shows up to the school. The message is clear: no-one can avoid taking the stresses of their private lives into work.

In addition to being well written, Skirt Day is an enjoyable film from a visual point of view, managing to employ different styles and techniques to ensure that the film’s small setting does not become a hindrance. Long hand-held shots evoke the tight, nervy conditions of the classroom, and close-ups allow the camera to get the best out of the performers - their faces bearing testament to the gravity of the situation. In addition to this, the camera used by the SWAT team to look into the classroom allows important plot information to be conveyed, as well as offering variety from a visual standpoint - a very clever idea.

This is all well and good, but the question everyone wants answered is simple: is Isabelle Adjani’s performance worth the wait? That it is already award-winning says something, but to leave it at that does not do her justice. Her performance is sensational, starting off as shaken and confused, moving into manic and sadistic, before arriving at genuinely emotional and inspirational. She delivers political opinion with such sincere ferociousness that, given her own early history, we can safely assume there are issues here which are important to Adjani herself. Her performance is certainly aided by an excellent supporting cast who belie their years in their ability to deal with sensitive, important issues in a believable way. Podalydés, too, adds much to the film, as arguably the only character we can truly relate to he provides some light relief, as well as adding to the ever increasing drama of the film.

While there may be some slight drawbacks in terms of how easily the class come to terms with their situation, this is more than forgivable when considering the issues that Lilienfeld is having them deal with. It would have been difficult to discuss race relations and teenage sexuality if the whole class had been running around hysterically or cowering in the corner quietly sobbing. Rather than nitpicking, it is better simply to enjoy a tense, well balanced and exceptionally well performed piece of cinema.


Full of emotion, hostility and dark humour, Skirt Day provides heart-pounding drama and astute social commentary in equal doses. All of this is capped off with a scintillating performance from Isabelle Adjani, who really does teach a lesson to any aspiring actresses. PK

REVIEW: DVD Release: True Legend

Film: True Legend
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Chiu Man-cheuk, Zhou Xun, Michelle Yeoh, Feng Xiaogang, Andy On
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Martial Arts
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: China

Considering some of the classic films Yuen Woo-ping has made over the years, and the sudden and bizarre death of David Carradine following his role in the film, the box office failure of martial arts film True Legend would have come as something of a surprise. Now that the film seems to have signalled something of a resurrection in the career of Vincent Zhao, Woo-ping will be hoping that the film can prove more successful on its DVD release.

True Legend tells the story of Su Can (Zhao), a general of the Qing Dynasty who leads a military group to save their prince from death at the hands of his enemies. To show his gratitude, the prince offers to make Su Can Governor of Hu Bei. Su, however, refuses, saying that he would prefer to live peacefully with his wife and start a family, suggesting instead that his brother in law Yuan Lie (Andy On) be made governor.

Years later, Yuan returns to their home, kills Su Can’s father who has raised him as his own, and kidnaps his sister, Su’s wife Ying (Zhou Xun) and their son, Feng. Su battles with Yuan, but is not strong enough to compete with his new Five Venom Fist technique, and is thrown into a river and left for dead.

When he eventually recovers, he and Ying, who leapt into the river after him, realise that if they ever want to see their son again, Su must train harder than ever and become strong enough to defeat his former friend…


There is a lot to like about the premise of True Legend, featuring as it does many of the ingredients of a classic martial arts film. Yuan’s increased skill upon his homecoming has suggestions of the student out-learning the master; Su Can’s thirst for revenge fits well with the genre’s recent penchant for vengeance films; and the idea of a friend and brother turned bitter enemy seems to never grow old. However, with its Freudian overtones and questions of morality, True Legend seems to bring more ingredients to the recipe than many other similar films. Unfortunately, while these elements are brought up, they are rarely elaborated on, and fade away in favour of a new fight scene, which can prove irritating, at times - just when the story is beginning to become interesting, it veers off in another direction.

The most glaring example of the film’s poor structure is that it reaches its logical and highly effective conclusion while there is still half an hour left, meaning almost a third of it seems as though it has been stuck on to make up screen time. If more time had been taken in looking at the emotional and physical journey undergone by Su Can, in order to reach the climactic battle with Yuan, then the film could have been far more powerful.

Visually, True Legend could best be described as inconsistent. While Woo-ping does make good use of some glorious scenery, the film’s CGI looks cheap and laughably unrealistic. During fight scenes, the editing is jerky and annoying, which is surprising as the rest of the film is fairly polished visually. The fight scenes are difficult to assess, as they do provide some exciting, fast-paced action, yet are not as artistically innovative as the director clearly intends. Woo-ping has clearly been influenced by the gravity defying action of recent successful martial arts films, but while he aims for Crouching Tiger, it comes out looking more Mortal Kombat. This needn’t necessarily have been a bad thing - as the fight sequences are intense and violent - if Woo-ping had kept the action rooted in a more realistic format.

The standard of the fight scenes, and indeed much of the film, is raised considerably by the performances of the two male leads. As Su Can, Vincent Zhao brings emotion, heartache and a real sense of physical prowess to the role. He does an excellent job of displaying the conflicted nature of Su Can’s character, making him believable both as the decorated military leader he begins as, and the pathetic drunk he eventually becomes. Andy On, too, deserves high praise for his portrayal of Yuan Lie, providing a genuinely threatening and disturbing villain, even if he does look a bit like the grim reaper from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Indeed, at times, the performances of both men are so good that they seem out of place amongst all the silliness that is going on around them - this surely is an indication that, with a little more careful plotting and less extravagant ideas, True Legend could have been a far better film.


A frustrating film that never quite becomes as ridiculous as it sometimes threatens, but fails to deliver the promise that its strong cast and interesting premise provide. True Legend is an enjoyable enough watch, but fails to join the ranks of the genre’s recent classics. PK

REVIEW: DVD Release: I Am Love

Film: I Am Love
Release date: 13th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 120 mins
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Pippo Delbono
Genre: Drama
Studio: Metrodome
Format: DVD
Country: Italy

Tilda Swinton’s career, much like her personal life, is nothing if not interesting. From Hollywood blockbusters to independent and art house cinema, her performances have seen her take on a variety of issues and roles. In Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love, she tackles Italian high society in early 21st century Milan, in a story of adultery, wealth and loyalty which delves below the surface of the decadent lifestyle it portrays.

Emma (Swinton) is a Russian born wife of an upper class businessman living in Milan. At a birthday party thrown for her father-in-law, Edoardo (Gabriele Ferzetti), the old man announces that he is to retire from the family textile company and names his son, Tancredi (Pipo Delbono), and grandson, Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti), as his successors.

As the party draws to a close, Edoardo Jr. receives a visit from his chef friend Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini), and Emma seems drawn towards him. Later, she travels to his home to see the site where he and Edoardo intend to start a restaurant together. Here, they begin an affair which reignites Emma’s zest for life, but will have terrible consequences for her family…


As the camera cuts through various shots of a snow-covered Milan, and John Adam’s orchestral soundtrack soars above the skyline, it is clear, right from the opening, that I Am Love is going to be a visual and aural experience. Every shot exudes class and conviction, as the cinematography, lighting and camera work all combine to joyous effect. This is, for the most part, not merely superficial; rather it is a means of visually representing one of the themes of Guadagnino’s story; the lavish, extravagant nature of the world in which his characters live. This is made clear by the way we are first introduced to Antonio, through a window which blocks him from our full view, suggesting that he is an outsider who does not belong in this world, and will thus disrupt it. However, the roaming and predominantly unobtrusive camera does not invite us to judge characters in a particular way; instead it simply lets the story unfold in all its visual splendour, allowing us to formulate our own opinions as we watch.

Sensuality seems to be central to experiencing the film, and it is something that Guadagnino does very well. The contrast between the scenes in winter and in summer exemplify this, as we can almost feel the winter’s chill or the warm, radiant summer sun through the excellent use of light and colour. The use of food is also a way of heightening the sensual nature of many of the scenes and, as well as playing an important role in the plot, food often symbolises the experience of pleasure, particularly for Emma. Food plays an important role in her relationship with Antonio, not only because he is a chef, but because it signifies the change that she has brought about in him, allowing her to rediscover what her passions in life are, and to treasure them.

The plot flows extremely well, and is also well layered, with subplots offering interesting points of comparison to the story of Emma and Antonio’s affair. For example, when Emma discovers that her daughter is involved in a relationship with another woman, it causes her to think about boundaries and conventions, and how defying them in pursuit of love has made her daughter so happy. The story involving the potential sale of the family company suggests that what we are witnessing is not only the end of a marriage, but the end of an entire family - the death of a way of life.

This being said, considering the film deals with such heavy emotional material, it is difficult not to wish that Guadagnino would delve a little bit deeper into his characters. We get a sense through the performances of the actors of the passion that exists between Emma and Antonio, but the reasons for them falling so deeply in love are never looked at in much detail. Characterisation is something that is unfortunately lacking, as we are introduced to several characters, such as Tancredi and Edoardo Jr., who seem very interesting, but we do not learn as much about them as we would like to. The film’s conclusion suffers from being somewhat melodramatic, but this is only in relation to how emotionally restrained the rest of it has been, and had we had a deeper sense of the characters involved in the build-up, the ending may well have worked far better. This is a small complaint, however, as I Am Love is a rich and layered piece of cinema, delivered with flair and style.


Full of elegance and class, and backed up by some powerhouse performances, I Am Love may be, at times, a victory of style over substance; but what an enjoyable victory it is. PK