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Film: Babies
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: U
Running time: 76 mins
Director: Thomas Balmès
Starring: N/a
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France
Thomas Balmès bores and enthrals in his latest documentary about babies – and it’s as much an adventure/comedy to boot. Described by some as “tedious” and “shallow,” has the French director’s affinity for the cute and cuddly got the better of him?
The documentary follows the lives of four babies and their mothers from birth to one year on. Baby Ponijao is a Namibian girl within the Himba tribe. They live in huts away from any modern community, out of choice, and it is the women who cook and look after the children while the father, who is never seen in the film, goes about his business in the bush.
Bayar is a Mongolian baby who lives with his traditional family in a nomadic yurt. They are surrounded by grass hills and open plateaus and keep cattle and horses, as well as other animals.
Mari is a Japanese baby living in the city with her mother and father in a small apartment. They are the ‘futuristic’ family with lots of computers and modern technology around them.
Finally, there is Hattie, an American baby girl who lives in San Francisco with her parents. They are the ‘normal’ family who represent the modern western family today.
The film focuses on the babies’ adventures as they grow up, and contrasts the way in which they experience them within different cultures. With no narration, the format is literally a fly-on-the-wall documentary charting the babies’ lives…
The ‘wonder’ of babies is universal, and the makers of Babies (the film) know how to sell it. They’ve bottled it up in four different flavours, with four photographically perfect labels, and injected it with the toxic effect of laughter.
The best description of the film is Thomas Balmès who pitched the project as “a wildlife documentary about human babies.” If you don’t have endurance for either wildlife programmes or babies, then this documentary won’t be your cup of tea. The length of it just about holds attention for the rest of viewers, although five minutes longer would have tested patience, even of those indulgent mothers.
It’s clear the makers of the documentary wanted to create something that applied to different cultures under a universal subject. The problem they might have had was the ability for such subject matter to become boring and one-dimensional; but the omission of any commentary or narrative gives the viewer a chance to come to their own assumptions. With the occasional companion of recurring ditty-themed music, only the gurgling of babies and nonsense baby-talk of mothers guide us through what’s happening on screen.
The cinematography is amazingly impressive. It’s like looking through a flip-book of national geographic photographs. But it isn’t just the landscape and colours that the makers have got right - nearly every scene is compositionally precise. There’s a shot in Namibia of two mothers suckling babies on their lap with one hand, while the other hand grabs food from a bucket between them - their toes are just visible in the foreground stretched out in front of them. There is almost perfect symmetry on the screen, and yet it’s all natural, none of the material is provoked. The effort and time spent on the filming pays off immensely.
Deliberately contrasting scenes between the cultures of ‘how to bring up baby’ highlight the main theme: no matter the vast differences between every culture, there are innate similarities between us all. However, at some points, the contrasts seem to perhaps inadvertently delve deeper in to how our different cultures affect a baby’s sensibilities. One notable contrast between Bayar and Mari shows Bayar happy simply playing with a roll of toilet paper. We then see shots of Mari crying in frustration surrounded by numerous gadgets, gizmos and toys.
The idea is that simplicity and a more natural upbringing - closer to nature – is the ideal when it comes to raising a baby, and there’s nothing in the film to say that’s wrong. Indeed, the Namibian mothers seem to be the happiest. In an interview with Thomas Balmès, he revealed the babies that cried the least were Ponijao and Bayar. Mollycoddled Mari and Hattie on the other hand have toys and books thrown at them from day one and cry more - it makes you wonder if the documentary makers are actually making a point here about modern and western upbringings, or whether they’ve stumbled upon a baby rearing revelation!
As far as documentaries go, this should be a classic, although it teeters on lengthy for the subject matter. The universality it achieves in its material will be begot by baby-lovers and those interested in how it’s done in different cultures. Even if you do get bored of the babies, there are always the enthralling landscapes to capture your imagination. However, be sure to approach with the premise – if you don’t like babies: DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM. MI
Film: Primevil
Release date: 21st March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 86 mins
Director: Roel Reiné
Starring: Hadley Fraser, Terry Notary, Nick Mennell, Emily Foxler, Marc Bacher
Genre: Action/Adventure/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Revolver
Format: DVD
Country: Australia/USA
This is an English-language release.
In 2009, Jorge Ihle was tasked with making The Forgotten Ones, a horror adventure film eventually released in the UK under the title After Dusk They Come. The studio, and the late, great Irwin Kirshner (The Empire Strikes Back) as producer, however, were not happy with his efforts and, in fear of a commercial flop, enlisted Dutch director Roel Reiné to recast, reshoot and entirely remake the film as The Lost Tribe, which is now available on DVD under the title Primevil. Is the quickest remake in cinema history justified or were the studio bosses unnecessarily keen to part with another million dollars (the estimated budget for each of the versions) to flog a dead horse?
A group of attractive, young adults party on-board a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean, celebrating a potential business partnership that could prove extremely lucrative for all involved.
While diving from the boat, Tom (Nick Mennell) spots a man clinging to a piece of driftwood in obvious distress. Rescuing and taking the man onboard, suspicions are raised as the drowning man’s motives are not altogether wholesome. Escaping from his makeshift cell, he commandeers the navigational controls, sending the yacht crashing into a reef.
Shipwrecked, the group find themselves washed up on a desert island, where they frantically call for help on the yacht’s emergency radio and try to find their bearings.
On their first night on the island, the stranger has vanished, leaving behind a pool of blood and gore. Tom is also missing, so the group set off in search of their friend and the stranger responsible for their harrowing predicament. During their exploration, they come across an abandoned army camp where there are clues leading to the existence of an indigenous tribe who may be the missing evolutionary link between Neanderthals and humans. With this realisation, the group are hunted, separated and picked off by the tribe, who operate mainly from the trees, before Anna (Emily Foxler) is forced to tackle them head on…
As the synopsis undoubtedly reveals, Primevil (or whichever name it has adopted this week) lacks even the slightest shred of originality. It seems that Reiné and the screenwriters have misinterpreted the meaning of homage as ‘to blatantly plagiarise’. The air of unoriginality is most apparent after the initial shipwreck sequence when the frequently used POV shots from the creatures are used to frame the group’s investigation of the island. Their prey is stalked through a grainy heat detecting filter, overcome by the hapless victims by, believe it or not, disguising themselves in the gooey juice from a native plant. The creatures hunt their prey from the treetops, making purring growls and jumping through the canopy in a laughable, scientifically impossible defiance of gravity, which belies the pseudo-scientific babble about the creatures’ evolution.
If all this sounds familiar, it is because the whole second and third act of the film is a complete retelling of John McTiernan’s classic Predator, but with only a disappointing fraction of the tension, action or imaginative creature design. The creatures themselves look ridiculous, with any hint of tension being completely abandoned as soon as their appearance is revealed. Obviously styled as a primal, Neanderthal version of Stan Winston’s timeless creation, complete with dreadlocks and a similarly styled bone mask, the creatures fail to frighten or add any tension to the film. They simply cheapen an already bare bones thriller which is successful only in its ability to bore with its unimaginative action, wooden acting and predictable narrative.
Even a brief supporting role as a church assassin by Lance Henriksen (Aliens) fails to ignite any real sense of excitement, as he has also become a staple in b-movie trash, despite the obvious intention to add a sense of authenticity to the film. His role is underplayed and signifies a totally pointless and underdeveloped subplot, despite an intriguing start as he assassinates an unarmed woman to protect the evolutionary secrets of the island from undermining his employer’s religious beliefs.
The film does, however, feature some pretty decent old school make-up effects, with some grisly scenes (particularly Tom’s ‘missing back’ in his final scene) that adds to a sense that the production team missed a trick with the tame killings and could have utilised their obviously competent make-up department to improve on the poor creature designs and create a film which could at least satisfy the gore hounds in the audience. What remains, unfortunately, is ninety minutes of an underwhelming script, wooden performances and a non-starting plot which could have allowed the film to elevate to the heady heights of so-bad-its-good, Asylum films (Mega Piranha, Transmorphers, etc.) quality trash, but unfortunately takes itself far too seriously, resulting in an uninspiring and tedious experience.
Arguably the most pointless remake ever, Primevil offers nothing exceptional. A bland, unoriginal thriller whose uninspired aping of superior titles leaves the audience in no doubt as to why the studio was panicked that the original would flop. RB
Film: Operation Valkyrie
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Jo Baier
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hardy Krüger Jr., Christopher Buchholz, Nina Kunzendorf
Genre: Drama/History/War
Studio: High Fliers
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
The story of the Stauffenberg plot to kill Hitler has long been a source of fascination and discussion for historians and filmmakers. Following the Hollywood release of Valkyrie, Germany’s own version of the story has now been released in the UK.
This short film follows the story of Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who began as an idealistic young soldier, rising quickly through the ranks under Hitler’s rule. However, as his career progresses so too do his doubts about Hitler’s regime and his brutal acts of genocide. A few brave and foolhardy whispers start speaking against the Fuhrer and Stauffenberg finds himself in a dilemma: unwilling to follow orders in Germany, but unable to bring himself to act against his superiors.
As a way out of this quandary, he accepts a posting to North Africa, where he is badly wounded. On his recovery, he makes the decision that something must be done about Hitler and, with a select few compatriots, orchestrates a plan to kill him. It is a plan fraught with danger, but Stauffenberg becomes increasingly obsessed with his aims at the expense of his relationship with his family and, ultimately, his own life…
This made-for-TV German film may be seriously overshadowed in box-office terms by the Hollywood version, but it shows an attention to detail and historical fact that gives it real integrity. Baier deftly racks up the tension towards the climax of the film until the viewer is paying the utmost attention to every ring of the phone and every knock on the door. He also portrays a side of the war against Hitler that is less known – the secret, internal one being waged by his own officers. As a film made in Germany for a German audience, it is perhaps not a surprising choice of story to tell, but for the wider world it represents a reality that we rarely allow for: that even within Germany there were many people fighting against Hitler’s tyranny and cruelty.
Sebastian Koch gives a dynamic and powerful performance as Stauffenberg which carries the film. The story and action focuses around him but he is supported by a strong cast. Nina Kunzendorf gives a restrained and believable portrayal of his long-suffering wife while Ulrich Tukur offers a steadfast and quietly courageous image of General von Tresckow, the leading voice of dissent in the early part of the film.
The film was originally part of a larger TV documentary about Operation Valkyrie, which may explain its condensed nature and short running time. It offers only a cursory view of the events leading up to the assassination attempt. The first part of the film covers an entire decade at breakneck speed with almost every scene taking us forward by a year. While this might have worked well alongside plenty of other background information, as a standalone film, it leaves the viewer feeling a bit short-changed. There are a lot of themes and characters ripe for development, which we see very little of, particularly some of the other officers involved in the plot and Stauffenberg’s wife. We only see her twice, briefly, in the first half of the film, then suddenly there are four children in the picture and we are expected to accept Stauffenberg as a family man. Similarly, as noted above, there are some tantalizingly good performances from many of the actors in this film, but we only get to glimpse their potential rather than seeing it realized.
Having said that, it is a masterful film which remains true to the story it is telling. Some performances are actually notable for their briefness and understated impact, such as Udo Schenk in the role of Hitler. It would have been tempting to give the infamous figure more screen time, but in fact, the one scene which he appears in, without even speaking, comes at a moment of high tension and the performance is absolutely chilling – it sends shivers down the spine.
The catalogue of atrocities is also not laboured over as it might have been. Because the drama centres around Stauffenberg and not Hitler, we hear reports of the mass murders just enough to remind us of the horror of it all, but not so much that it devalues the impact of it or takes away from the main story.
Baier has a very clear vision and keeps focus throughout the film. The mix of high-action wide-view shots and close-ups with more subtle action is just right. The short length of the film means that no moment is wasted and the quieter moments are all the more intense because of that. No scene in this film is there just to pad it out. Although we already know the story, Baier changes the pace with a fluency which carries the viewer along. We lean in for a better look as the scene with the figure on the stretcher is slowed down and replayed, and we feel the sense of despair mixed with blind and desperate hope that it might still work out as everything begins to unravel.
This is a picture of Nazi Germany from the inside at a unique moment of an indelible section of history. It is only right that there should be a German production of this story and this film does it real justice. KS
Film: Larks On A String
Release date: 14th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Jirí Menzel
Starring: Rudolf Hrusínský, Vlastimil Brodský, Václav Neckár, Jitka Zelenohorská, Jaroslav Satoranský
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Studio: Second Run
Format: DVD
Country: Czechoslovakia
Jiří Menzel, one of the all time greats of Czech cinema, first came to international attention in 1967 with his first feature, Closely Watched Trains, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Menzel’s Larks On A String was shot in 1968 but was suppressed by the Czech government for twenty-one years, until the fall of the Communist regime in 1990. Upon release, this long-lost black political comedy garnered wide acclaim, winning the Golden Bear at the 1990 Berlin Film Festival. The film is now receiving a UK DVD release through Second Run, with digitally remastered sound and picture.
Again collaborating with novelist Bohumil Hrabal, as he did with ...Trains, Menzel sets his picture in an oppressive industrial heartland, all creaking masses of metal junk, cold weather and sinister surveillance. This junkyard’s function is to smelt down scrap metal to create tractors and washing machines for the Communist party, yet its workers are a motley crew of ‘bourgeois elements’ sentenced for re-education through labour, including a philosophy professor, a lawyer, a saxophonist, a milkman, and a believer in God.
The other half of the junkyard is worked by a group of beautiful, kind-hearted women, ‘enemies of the state’ imprisoned by the regime for attempting to defect. The film’s plot follows both groups as they attempt to interact, forging emotional connections at odds with the strict, dehumanising regime calling the shots. A romance blossoms between a worker and a prisoner, dissenters are taken away by sinister men in suits, and a prison guard’s new marriage is portrayed as hilariously dysfunctional, the product of a society who’s demands on its people come at the expense of honesty, communication and emotional connection...
Larks On A String may strike some at first glance as a quaint and amusing farce. Its humour, at times, may seem silly, gentle or dated, but look a little closer and the film’s angry political convictions become clear. Menzel and Hrabal’s piece is a biting satirical attack on the dehumanising effects of communism on the individual.
Propagandist signs adorn the scrapyard, wryly juxtaposing slogans like ‘Rejoice! We are Working for Ourselves’ and ‘To Surpass and Overtake’, with images of our luckless bourgeois heroes sleeping or playing cards amongst the rubble. In fact, these men are part of the rubble, being ruthlessly crushed - forced to make way for the new world order. As the snooty party official says at one point, “We’ll melt them down into a new kind of people.” The chaos, danger and uncertainty of the piles of junk mirror the internal conflicts of the yard’s labourers.
There is a very tangible sinister undertone at play throughout the film, as those who speak out are taken away in cars and party officials wash local children with disturbing pleasure. Targets are increased without consultation, freedom of speech is denied, and, in one heartbreaking sequence, an old lady is worked so hard she cannot enjoy her own birthday meal, prepared with great love and care by her son. The ideals of the workers’ revolution, Menzel suggests, are an absurd sham. It is the workers, both blue and white collar, who still suffer.
The film’s main method of conveying this message is, however, through humour, ridiculing the hypocrisies of the party – a state official removes his tie and briefcase before addressing the men – and the uptight humorlessness of its bureaucrats. The film is dense with absurd little jokes: a worker is issued a written warning which he immediately uses as a serviette. “This man,” states the official, “will not die of natural causes.” The prison guard’s new wife refuses to share a bed with him, and they end up sleeping on top of a wardrobe.
As for the other side of the yard, the female prisoners are less well-explored. They are unanimously beautiful, a symbol of their innate goodness which is, perhaps, slightly over-simplistic. Their situation, however, still gets across the absurd harshness of the regime effectively. These so-called enemies of the revolution are simply nice young women whose only crime was to attempt to leave the country. The line which symbolically divides the two groups is gradually transgressed throughout the film, suggesting that the human spirit is, for Menzel, stronger than any party manifesto.
Whilst appearing a little gentle, at times, the history of this film’s censorship gives some indication of its political conviction. Underneath its silliness lie profound themes of alienation and a visceral anger at Czechoslovakia’s communist overlords. Without slipping into dogmatic lecturing, the film cleverly warns of the negative effects on the individual of bureaucratic heartlessness. The film’s tone of absurdist humour proves to be, in the end, its greatest weapon in exposing the absurdities of its target. KI
Film: The Sinking Of The Laconia
Release date: 14th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 171 mins
Director: Uwe Janson
Starring: Andrew Buchan, Franka Potente, Ken Duken, Brian Cox, Lindsay Duncan
Genre: Drama/History/War
Studio: Fremantle
Format: DVD
Country: Germany/UK
This is an English-language release.
If you were asked to reel off a list of infamous World War II moments, the chances are the sinking of the Laconia would not be on it. Yet few war stories are as compelling as the one renowned writer Alan Bleasdale has brought back to life in the shape of this two-part TV drama.
He takes us back to the autumn of 1942 when the RMS Laconia left Africa for her home port of Liverpool, carrying a motley crew of passengers. They ranged from privileged English ladies in the plushest quarters to 1,800 Italian prisoners of war, held captive below the water line and watched over by particularly nasty Polish guards.
Disaster befell the Laconia and her human cargo not long into the voyage. A German U-boat spotted, tracked and torpedoed the converted cruise ship, killing hundreds. The survivors, huddled in lifeboats, seemed certain to perish, too, cut adrift miles from land with little or no provisions. But, spotting that the Laconia’s refugees included women and children, the U-boat’s captain Werner Hartenstein led a stunning rescue mission.
As hundreds of survivors sheltered on his submarine and more packed into lifeboats tethered to its hull, Hartenstein informed the Allies of his actions and promised not to attack any rescue ship. Suspicious, the British ignored the broadcast and instead passed on sketchy information about the Laconia’s plight to the US Air Force. The Americans sent a bomber to search for survivors but, spotting Hartenstein’s U-boat, they opened fire…
There’s a rather obvious reason why the Laconia incident didn’t embed itself in the public’s consciousness halfway through the Second World War. Britain was hardly going to extol the virtues of a compassionate Nazi captain. And the Germans weren’t keen on promoting a man whose behaviour didn’t fit with the image of a ruthless killing machine that Hitler so adored. Instead, it’s left to Bleasdale to honour the event and its key protagonists in this British-German co-production. And his glowing reputation – he already has Boys From The Blackstuff and G.B.H. on his CV - will certainly bring it the attention it deserves.
For the story of the Laconia is not simply a gripping tale of tragic events, it also raises important questions about humanity and how compassion can prevail in the most testing of circumstances. It reminds us to look beyond the propaganda and understand that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ exists on both sides. Hartenstein, after all, is the noblest of Nazis, responsible for the naval equivalent of the Christmas truce on the Western Front.
The Sinking Of The Laconia explores other themes, too: the paranoia of war where schisms on board and in boardrooms undermine the chances of good being done. As Captain Hathaway (Danny Keogh) remarks, the Allies want “none of that love and friendship nonsense.” It also works as a critique of indiscriminate force - a charge levelled in modern-day conflict zones such as Palestine and the Middle East.
Class issues are explored, too. “No riff raff, Sarah,” warns Lady Elisabeth Fullwood (the splendid Lindsay Duncan) to her daughter (Jodi Balfour), as she eyes up a waiter on board the Laconia. Everyone knows their place on that vessel, from the pampered upper classes to the prisoners down below. And yet Bleasdale shows how the shared experience of war can cut through the class divide - after all, only survival matters when the torpedoes hit.
The mind-blowing horror, savage loss and irreversible cost that war brings is never allowed to drift far from the audience’s mind, whether it manifests itself in a moonlit ambush or the crackle of a Duke Ellington record. And, while telling this incredible story, Bleasdale addresses these issues with a slew of brilliantly-drawn characters, brought to life by some fine performances from the cast. None better than Andrew Buchan, whose Junior Third Officer Thomas Mortimer carries arguably the greatest weight of all. We catch a fleeting glimpse of him in England before the war, immersed in the happiness of family life. He tries to recreate that idyllic existence on the Laconia but events overtake him and Buchan’s haunted yet stoic, stiff-upper-lip Britishness is pretty much faultless.
Mortimer is tied in knots by his relationship with Hilda (the excellent Franka Potente) – disgusted by her shocking secret yet desperate for companionship – and this is where Bleasdale’s writing and is at its best as these lonely, anguished characters tip-toe around each other.
Mind you, everywhere you look there are fine performances. The sense of foreboding as the Laconia and the U-156 converge is epitomised by world-weary Captain Sharp (Brian Cox), who has arguably the best lines of all. “What kind of world is it when bullets and blood are the only currency? Not the kind of world I want to live in,” he tells Mortimer during one especially dark moment.
Lenny Wood, as the boxer Billy Hardacre, and Italian prisoner Di Giovanni (Ludovico Fremont), provide a humorous counter-point to Cox’s cynical Captain. Meanwhile, over on the U-boat, Bleasdale pits warmonger against humanitarian in the shape of chief engineer Rostau (Matthias Koeberlin) and Hartenstein (Ken Duken). Their relationship is arguably the most watchable of all: Koeberlin is outstanding as Rostau, a consummate soldier who smells blood whether he is bullying the U-boat new boy or tracking down the enemy. He visibly licks his lips when Hartenstein’s rescue mission is aborted and the German crew returns to a state of war: “That is our first duty,” he says with a glint in his eye.
And then there is Hartenstein, the poster boy for Nazi Germany and yet a character whose manages to lift himself above the fray to deliver one of the Second World War’s most surprising and selfless acts. “This lull is only temporary,” he reminds a British officer, but even temporary lulls rarely exist amid such bitter conflict. Duken is thoughtful, measured and authoritative as Hartenstein and it’s intriguing to watch the scenes in which his bloodthirsty crew responds – with varying degrees of reluctance - to his benevolence just hours after celebrating three direct hits on the enemy. “If you were English you’d be a gentleman,” Lady Fullwood tells Hartenstein. “Germany has gentlemen too, madam,” he replies. It’s a truism that was never passed on between 1939 and 1945.
The Sinking Of The Laconia has its flaws. It is beautifully shot for the most part - there is one stand-out scene in which the camera sweeps along the length of the packed U-boat following the rescue – but the sequence during which the Laconia is attacked is less convincing. What’s more, the suspicion the survivors felt for their rescuers (as emphasised in the DVD extra, ‘Survivors’ Stories’) doesn’t really come across in Bleasdale’s version. But those are minor quibbles
The final word should go to Italian POW, Di Giovanni. “I don’t know why I should have been chosen to survive. But I did. And so many did not. But I will tell their stories to anyone who will hear it.” Bleasdale has done exactly that. He makes us think, tugs at our heartstrings and reminds us just how good – and bad – mankind can be. CH
Film: The Diplomat
Release date: 14th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 180 mins
Director: Peter Andrikidis
Starring: Dougray Scott, Rachael Blake, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Claire Forlani
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Showbox
Format: DVD
Country: Australia/UK
This is an English-language release.
The Diplomat is a two part Australian-British TV series. Stars of Mission Impossible 2, Dougray Scott and Richard Roxburgh, both feature alongside one another in a show that attempts to offer a new spin on the international action-thriller genre, dealing with themes such as counterterrorism in a style somewhat reminiscent of 24.
Dougray stars as Ian Porter, a British diplomat who is arrested by Scotland Yard on charges of smuggling drugs out of Tajikistan for Russian mobsters. Unbeknown to Scotland Yard, Porter is an MI6 detective, working deep undercover. With Porter in custody and Detective Chief Inspector Julie Hales (Rachael Blake) pushing him for answers, MI6 worry for the security of an operation that has been years in the making - an operation that appears to go far beyond the realms of drug smuggling.
In exchange for immunity, Porter agrees to enter a witness protection program, along with his ex-wife, Pippa (Claire Forlani). As Detective Hales continues to push for answers, Porter finds himself caught between MI6 and a Russian Mafioso, both concerned as to Porter's loyalty. As the truth slowly becomes evident, Porter finds his life turned upside down.
Enemies on all sides and with no room for mistakes, Porter must navigate the suspicion and deceit of both MI6 and the Russians, in order to prevent potential catastrophe and follow, what he believes to be, his destiny…
Despite its three hour running time, The Diplomat offers a rather intricate and, arguably, clever plot. Caught between two very different worlds, Porter's isolation, along with a rapidly evolving plot, make The Diplomat a thoroughly gripping watch. With an abundance of plot twists, the series is anything but boring. But, despite all of this, The Diplomat feels a little too familiar. Even with its seemingly clever plot, it never seems to achieve much beyond the occasional cheap thrill, and it only requires a brief look beneath the surface to discover why this is the case.
First and foremost, The Diplomat's script features a wide range of dull and predictable characters. The depiction of MI6 as the authoritative figure, which engages in some rather immoral acts in the name of self-preservation, feels a little over used. Especially when this is used to contrast the bumbling actions of an incompetent Scotland Yard who seem, for the most part, incapable of grasping the nature of the situation. This contrast of an intelligent, yet devious, MI6 and a narrow minded Scotland Yard (who cause nothing but problems for Porter), feels terribly lazy and predictable. The depiction of the Russian mob as ruthless, and occasionally idiotic, criminals only adds to the abundance of uninspired characters.
That said, not all of the show's characters are completely two dimensional. For example, the actions of Pippa, Porter's wife, often allude to hidden motives, which are never fully explored. It would also be fair to point out that Inspector Hales certainly deviates from her knuckle-headed colleges at Scotland Yard. Her character evolves somewhat during the course of the series, eventually aiding Porter in his efforts to bring down the Russian Mafioso he had been attempting to topple whilst working for MI6.
Most important is the chief protagonist, Porter, whose character is somewhat of a disappointment. Many of Porter's motives are mystifying, to say the least. In a rather odd move, the death of Porter's son (who drowned in a swimming pool, years earlier) is linked to his decision to help MI6 topple a Russian Mafioso. Somehow, it is this absurd plot line that holds the entire show together. Why Porter is prepared to sacrifice his life, and the lives of those around him, for a cause that bears no relation to the death of his son is truly mystifying.
Furthermore, there are other aspects of the show's plot that feel a little lazy. Several characters, including Charles Van Koors (Richard Roxburgh), make uncharacteristic decisions during the course of the show, which only prove to undermine the credibility of the plot.
However, despite its many flaws, The Diplomat remains surprisingly entertaining. The reasons for this are a little harder to pin down, but it may well be the fact that the show disguises its unoriginal plot with some fairly unfamiliar locations. With much of the action taking place in Australia, a plot which would otherwise be boring and predictable is transformed into somewhat of a unique experience.
Whilst The Diplomat may feature an intricate plot, it is littered with flaws. Similarly, its characters aren't developed enough to warrant any real merit. Although, the show is surprisingly entertaining and oddly engaging given its predictable plot. Even if the film cannot be credited with any major achievements, it is a decent international action-thriller which offers more than its fair share of thrills, even if many of them fail to stand up to critique. ME
Film: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 113 mins
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Starring: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
Studio: New Wave
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Spain
In 1983, Phra Sripariyattiweti, the abbot of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, published a book telling the story of a man called Boonmee who had told him he could clearly remember his own past lives while meditating, “playing behind his closed eyes like a movie.” By the time Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul had heard the story, Boonmee had died, so rather than attempt a straightforward biopic, he decided to use the idea and structure to make a far more personal film, reminiscent of the Thai horror films of his youth. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives was released in early 2010 to critical acclaim, winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and boosting the profile of its director to worldwide recognition.
Set in a remote village in Thailand, the film tells the story of an elderly man called Boonmee who lives with his wife, son, and carer – an illegal immigrant from over the border in Laos. Boonmee is suffering from acute kidney failure, and is struggling through the last days of his life.
As he comes closer to death, Boonmee is approached by visions of ghosts from his life, including his long dead first wife, and his missing son who returns in the form of a half-monkey with glowing red eyes. Through these spirits he experiences visions of his past and future lives, and ponders on possible reasons for his illness…
From the outset it is clear we are in for something very different from Weerasethakul. Shots linger eternally on the banal, asking us to examine and re-examine the seemingly mundane of everyday life until, before our eyes, it actually becomes interesting. He purposefully does not focus on the action, does not edit for convenience, and allows his camera to drift around and away from (and then back to) the focus of the story. Whoever said that drama is life with the boring bits taken out forgot to tell Weerasethakul.
Like many other examples of Asian cinema (notably the Studio Gibli animations), in Uncle Boonmee, we are asked to accept along with the characters the existence of ghosts and spirits as a completely normal, conventional part of everyday life - and death. It is with little more than mild alarm that the characters react when Boonmee’s long dead ex-wife materialises at the dinner table, followed by his missing son who has transformed into a bi-pedal, red-eyed monkey. It’s a peculiar concept to adjust to, one which would maybe benefit from repeat viewings, but undoubtedly this technique helps immerse us in the director’s world, far more than an Alice Through The Looking Glass conceit ever would.
The film frequently drifts from scene to often unrelated scene with no real purpose or flow, yet somehow these changes of tone are never jarring, instead allowing Uncle Boonmee to play out like a long, lazy dream. A significant example is where, for apparently no reason in the middle of the film, the story changes unannounced to the short story of a disfigured princess who has a conversation – and much, much more – with a talking catfish. Unexplained, the film then returns to the story of Boonmee, exactly where we left off. It feels like rather than being told a story, we are taking a trip through the director’s mind, and that he has put his thoughts directly on screen exactly as it came to him.
Even with repeat viewings, huge chunks of Uncle Boonmee are forever going to remain unexplained, other than perhaps only in the director’s mind. It is this wanton disregard for traditional narrative and stubborn refusal to explain itself that will be the greatest barrier to most audiences. This is not something however that concerns Weerasethakul. On the contrary, he welcomes the thought of his film’s potential unpopularity, saying: “I always say a film should have a personality. And like a person, if he or she is very popular, I would feel very suspicious.” In a world of audience-pleasing self-promoters, it is a refreshing attitude.
It seems that while narrative is nothing to Weerasethakul, tone is everything, and through some truly striking imagery, he captures a beautiful otherworldly quality to Thailand that we haven’t encountered before. The mountains and forests hang with a dark, ominous foreboding that make the line between life and death, and between the real and the spirit world thinly defined. Indeed, this creepy, darkly lit ambience makes Uncle Boonmee play out at times like a horror film, and the image of many sets of glowing red eyes staring out from a silhouetted forest will keep many awake at night.
The acting is largely subdued and wooden, but this cannot really be blamed on the actors, as Weerasethakul has commented that this was an intentional homage to an acting style of the past - from low-budget Thai horror films - where actors were whispered their lines from off camera and would then woodenly repeat them aloud. It’s another indication that he is really not interested in the conventional techniques of storytelling, but rather has his own very particular ideas about what does and does not make a good film.
A bold, dream-like piece; confusing, befuddling, but often stunningly beautiful. It definitely won’t be for everyone, many will find it confusing and impenetrable, but Uncle Boonmee could well mark an eye-opening new direction for film, with Weerasethakul’s direction treading a unique new path for other filmmakers to follow. LOZ
Film: Summer Wars
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 109 mins
Director: Mamoru Hosada
Starring: Sumiko Fuji, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Ayumu Saitô
Genre: Anime
Studio: Manga
Format: DVD/Blu-ray
Country: Japan
From Madhouse, the studio behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time comes Summer Wars, a story of love, family and a computer simulated world like no other. The film has already won several awards in Japan, including 2010 Japan Academy Prize for Animation Of The Year and the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival's Animation Division Grand Prize. Summer Wars also has its fair share of accolades on the Western shore, having been an (unsuccessful) submission for this year’s academy awards.
Kenji Koiso is a young high school student with an exceptional gift in mathematics, who works as a part-time moderator for the massive computer simulated world known as OZ. When fellow classmate and crush Natsuki Shinohara offers him the chance to participate in the 90th birthday of her great-grandmother, Sakae Jinnouchi, he quickly accepts. What he doesn’t expect is for Natsuki to introduce him to her entire extended family as her fiancé.
While the celebrations are going on, Kenji receives a mysterious e-mail made up of mathematical code. After cracking the code, an artificial intelligence known as Love Machine uses Kenji’s OZ account and avatar to hack the mainframe, causing widespread damage. With the help of Natsuki’s cousin Kazuma, Kenji attempts to battle Love Machine. Failing, Love Machine continues to steal accounts and cause chaos across Japan.
Seeing the situation as war, the Jinnouchi family pull together to battle Love Machine both in the internet and the real world. With a satellite on a collision course to a Nuclear Power plant, it all comes down to a game of Hanafuda (a Japanese card game). But who will be the victor, Love Machine or Kenji and the Jinnouchi family?
From the very beginning, it is clear just how much imagination has gone into creating the virtual world of OZ. Opening with a virtual tour that displays how unique Hosoda’s creation is, we are presented a bright white world filled with a huge range of avatars – ranging from whales and pixelated faces to chipmunks and streetwise rabbits. These avatars are not only visually pleasing, but they also help define the characters and illustrate how different people can be between real and virtual worlds. While Kazuma comes across as quiet and withdrawn in reality, in OZ, he is the fighting superstar King Kazuma. With so many multi-player online games such as World Of Warcraft around, this is something that many people can probably relate to.
The distinctly bright colours of OZ contrast perfectly with the more subdued reality of the Jinnouchi estate, making the differences between the two worlds even more apparent. Nevertheless, the two worlds are undoubtedly connected, with the hacking of OZ taking effect in reality, and in turn the only way to tackle it is to defeat the Love Machine head on in OZ. While the way Summer Wars goes about it is distinctly in anime style, it still provokes a startling commentary on this world that has become so dependent on the internet. The film is also rife with product placement, with iPhones, laptops and even Nintendo DS’ appearing, just to make that connection even more hard hitting.
But for some Summer Wars won’t be a completely new experience, but more a cultivation of Hosoda’s work over his many years as a director. Anime fans might recognise the many similarities between Summer Wars and some of Hosoda’s earlier works, Digimon Adventure: Our War Game (released in the UK as part of Digimon: The Movie) and two short films he collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on for French fashion house Louis Vuitton. Given the number of similarities and parallels between them, it isn’t a stretch to say that in many ways Summer Wars is very much an extended remake of Our War Game, but with the Digimon element removed yet fondly remembered in the form of the OZ’s avatars. With more time to weave a story and a larger budget, and a new technology to illustrate it, Hosoda’s dream of a virtual world has never looked more complete.
Despite this, Summer Wars still remains very much its own film, and what really makes that so is the characters. With a huge extended family, the variety of character traits in Summer Wars is staggering. Not only do the Jinnouchi family have to deal with the world going to hell, but also the kind of problems a family deal with in everyday life. When Love Machine creator and family black sheep Wabisuke turns up at the reunion, the family turn against him and treat him as an outcast. While Wabisuke is a horribly cynical person, his love for his Sakae is very real, as she loved and accepted him despite the circumstances behind his birth. And at the very end, a moment of tragedy within a crisis is what really solidifies them and brings them together.
With unparalleled imagination, visuals that are almost second to none and a powerful and heart-warming story, Summer Wars is a spectacle that truly has to be seen to be believed. With the potential to rival even Studio Ghibli’s masterworks, it is surely to be a film that will go down as one of anime’s modern greats. AJ
Film: Phenomena
Release date: 7th March 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Patrick Bauchau, Donald Pleasence
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy
Italian horror maestro Dario Argento follows a string of genre classics such as Suspiria, Deep Red and Tenebrae with 1985’s Phenomena. Originally released in America under the title Creepers, the film was heavily edited with almost 30 minutes cut. It is now finally released in full on Blu-ray for the first time.
A young Danish tourist is left behind in Switzerland after her bus leaves without her. Approaching a nearby house, she hears a banging from upstairs as she calls out for help. Someone has been chained to the wall of one of the bedrooms and is struggling to break free. As the girl searches the house for further signs of life, the shackles are torn free from the wall, as the girl is brutally murdered by a leather gloved killer.
Eight months later, Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly), the daughter of a well-known film star is escorted to her new school, a creepy international boarding school for girls, by Frau Brückner (Daria Nicolodi). Suffering from bouts of sleepwalking, she has an affinity with, and the ability to manipulate insects. Jennifer struggles to adapt to her new lifestyle, tormented by bullies and finding it hard to get on with her classmates and teachers, especially the stern head mistress.
After sleepwalking through the grounds of the school, Jennifer awakens to find herself on the roof, where she witnesses the murder of a student at the hands of a leather gloved killer. After fleeing into the local village, she soon becomes acquainted with entomologist Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasance), who is capable of studying the insects found in decomposed body parts, and can use this information to ascertain the approximate time of death. He believes that between them, he and Jennifer can solve the riddle of the murders, and tasks her with tracking down the killer using a fly from a maggot found on one of the murdered student’s gloves, which leads Jennifer on an investigation that erupts in a crescendo of violence, as she discovers that she has nobody left who she can trust…
Dario Argento has created a unique fusion of the fantasy and giallo genres, which successfully combines a sense of mystery with supernatural horror. The main success of Phenomena is the performance from a 15-year-old Jennifer Connelly, who follows her exceptional performance in Sergio Leone’s classic Once Upon A Time in America with this. Connelly gives a fragile and inquisitive performance which works extremely well alongside the breathtaking, eerie cinematography by Romano Albani. Switzerland’s sweeping countryside proves to be an exceptionally creepy environment, and adds to the suspense of many sequences.
Likewise, horror veteran Donald Pleasance’s Scottish entomologist is a welcome addition to the cast, even though his bizarre Edinburgh accent leaves a lot to be desired. The wheelchair bound professor lends the film’s more ludicrous assertions a sense of grounding in reality, despite the fact that his assistant is a mischievous, razor wielding chimpanzee
Argento has once again chosen to collaborate with Goblin on the film’s score, this time adding tracks from Iron Maiden and Motörhead. Critically praised, but completely ineffective, Goblin’s score is all jazzy synth and inappropriately upbeat guitar tracks. The main grievance with the score (and the accompanying heavy metal tracks) is that it completely undermines any sense of intrigue and suspense created by the director. One scene in particular, where Jennifer’s roommate Sophie is dreaming that she is lost in an old abandoned house, is completely ruined by the inappropriate use of Iron Maiden’s ‘Flash Of The Blade’. It plays out like a low-budget music video as opposed to the carefully crafted, moody scene it was undoubtedly intended to be.
The film shines when it moves away from the surreal sleepwalking montages and dream sequences and focuses on the more palatable horror elements. Argento’s oeuvre contains some much better examples of giallo (see Profondo Rosso) than this, but there are some unique and exciting elements to the slasher side of this film. Sergio Stivaletti’s make-up and special effects used during the film’s more exciting scenes are exceptional, with the facially disfigured, grotesque monster-child’s demise at the hands (or teeth) of a few hundred thousand flies proving especially effective.
The plot is, at times, frustratingly slow and confusing, with holes appearing throughout. This lack of pace is thankfully alleviated towards the end, when the narrative is wrapped up in a tense and exhilarating final act.
Unfortunately, the transfer does unfairly age the film by exacerbating some of the slightly dubious swarm effects and gives certain scenes a stark, hospital lighting feel, which does little to add to the suspense. Extras include a fifty-minute making-of documentary which traces the film’s production from inception and features many of the key players, including Argento himself, which gives an interesting insight into the director’s vision.
Phenomena is a mixed bag of excellent gore effects and some effective flourishes which are unfortunately hindered by the poor pacing and lamentable music. While by no means one of Argento’s strongest works, a strong cast and moments of genuinely squirm-inducing insect horror help to alleviate this from being an entirely unenjoyable experience. RB
Film: Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: U
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Sophie Fiennes
Starring: Anselm Kiefer, Klaus Dermutz
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: France/Netherlands/UK
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow was shown at Cannes in 2010 in the Out Of Competition category. A documentary style film about the work of German artist Anselm Kiefer, this is British director Sophie Fiennes’ first work to be shown at Cannes, and it has widely received critical acclaim for its innovative approach.
Anselm Kiefer has made the decision to move to a derelict rural area in Barjac, France and undertake a large scale artistic project. Taking the ruins of an abandoned silk factory, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow shows us Kiefer and his team creating a network of tunnels and cavernous rooms which have been filled with art work and sculpture.
Fiennes provides a thorough documenting of the site itself, panning through the different areas of the commandeered ruins in France. There is no narration or director’s commentary but an in depth visual examination of the area and plenty of footage of Kiefer and the artists at work on a series of large paintings and sculptures.
There is an opportunity to see the work being made at different stages throughout, intersected with more visual exposure. An interview with Kiefer is recorded providing some insight into his motivations. The film also offers the documentation of the different techniques used by Kiefer to create his art, such as firing techniques, the use of large cranes to haul lead structures and diggers to use the earth itself as a construct…
The human emotion usually driving a film is distinctly hidden in this documentary style piece. Instead, human emotion and dialogue have been mostly replaced by the emotion invoked by art and architecture, which has an unsettling effect. The long opening shots exploring the expansive constructions and a lack of a discussion of what is happening until the interview with Kiefer allow the viewer to develop their own emotional reaction to what is unfolding, and to draw their own conclusions with little direction from either Kiefer or Fiennes.
The chilling music would suggest that Fiennes is leaning towards an almost sci-fi slant, with the collection of sculptures and art coming across as an industrial Atlantis, abandoned and devoid of human touch until we see the artists at work. The impression is one of following a camera as someone takes a tour around a preserved site of historic interest.
Kiefer and his team are working on epically sized sculptures, such as the rectangular construct of a sea with a large book suspended top centre. The contrast between the human artists and the soulless overgrown constructions is striking. The predominant colour seen in this film is of the heavy structures in greys and metallic shades, feeling cold and again something to project feelings onto rather than take warmth or feeling from. By being able to see how Kiefer works and amends his vision of each work of art we are drawn into life as an artist, because usually as spectators we would just see the finished piece. This involves the viewer on a deeper level, and often leads to introspective thought as to what art means to the individual.
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow is very much a visual film. In the interview with Kiefer he describes his art as linked to scientific and religious viewpoints on Creationism and how he sees art as a beauty which fills the void of a lack of knowledge about the creation of the world we live in. This rhetoric, although abstract and moving, does not inform the viewer as to the purpose for the works once Kiefer and his fellow artists have left. There is no mention of this becoming either an inhabited or a public exhibit, which only serves to increase the curiosity about this artist and the project.
In one respect it can be quite draining to spend the duration of the film with a series of mostly visual images with which to guide your thoughts. This requires a heightened conceptual awareness throughout, and depending on the viewer’s temperament, there are no fixed boundaries to stop your imagination wandering as far as you desire, or, of course, being entirely bored. Due to the brief nature of the interview with Kiefer, the thematic intentions of the film are also left open. The idea of the destruction of humanity is hinted at through the fact that these buildings will outlive humanity, as well as the fact that no human purpose, even on an artistic basis, is made clear. The title itself could infer that this construction could be abandoned until grass grows over it, perhaps for a new generation to come across it and discover it.
Sophie Fiennes is mostly known for elusive art house pieces, and this has been her first well received film at Cannes. Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow displays a masterful use of subtlety, the use of hidden direction to give the viewer a truly subjective experience. It gives the sense of having witnessed the work in person, delivering a similar feeling as having visited an art gallery, as you are required to analyse each new scene with your own perceptions and interpretations forming the basis of your enjoyment of the film. It is a refreshing change. AT
Film: From Beginning To End
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Aluizio Abranches
Starring: Gabriel Kaufmann, Rafael Cardoso, Lucas Cotrin, João Gabriel Vasconcellos, Júlia Lemmertz
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: TLA
Format: DVD
Country: Brazil
From Beginning To End is essentially a love story which examines the emotional and physical development of a relationship between two men. By subject focus alone, the picture might put you in mind of say, the well-known Brokeback Mountain, or maybe some other more underground feature which strives to portray the stark realities of gay love. This however, is likely to be different; firstly, in being Brazilian, and secondly, by simultaneously tackling what very few directors have dared, or had the inclination to cover, and what is arguably the last real taboo subject in modern society – that is, incest.
This film tells the tale of two half-brothers, Francisco and Thomás and their increasingly developing special bond. The first half of the film - which centres on their childhood - is set against the backdrop of their loving, supportive and almost unrealistically idyllic childhood home, whilst the second part of the film transports us right through to an adulthood that is marked significantly by the death of their mother. It is here that their exceptionally close relationship is affirmed as sexual to the viewer, but is soon to be blighted by their long-term separation as the younger brother, Thomás, begins to have his Olympic dreams as a swimmer realised. In order to truly live them, though, he is required to move to Russia to train for the three years leading up to the games - heart-breaking stuff for the young lovers to endure.
Once the difficult decision that Thomás should go to Russia has been made, the emotional trauma of being separated for the first time in their lives is the focus of the second half of the film. It details the strain on their relationship that results from their communication being reduced to mere web-based exchanges, and the emotional, behavioural and sexual effect that being left behind has on Francisco. In his state of torturous despair he begins a drink-and-party tirade that is obviously impacting on his health and mental state. The unfolding events leave us wondering – will this separation lead to the demise of their relationship, or will it withstand the unlikely odds?
In the first half of the film, the child actors playing Francisco (Lucas Gotrin) and Thomás (Gabriel Kaufmann) put in astoundingly good performances - a particularly impressive feat for Kaufmann at his mere 8 years of age. They are both adorable, too, and set the basis of the characters’ unusually close relationship. So well do they play their parts in fact, that there are times when you might ask yourself if there is anything more to this brotherhood than just the innocent actions of childhood and familial love. This is where the vitally good performances of the adults around them come through, particularly their mother, Julieta (Júlia Lemmertz), in keeping the potentially darker side of their relationship to the forefront of the viewers mind in the early phases of the film (when the young actors, and the characters themselves, are too young to bring forth the gritty side of this story).
Surprisingly, it is in these early phases of the film, with young Gotrin and Kaufmann at the helm, that the most interesting themes come out. Where some have said that the relevance of Thomás being born with his eyes closed has been lost on them, it is here, with his ‘decision’ as a newborn to open them only to look squarely into the eyes of the older brother he will come to love passionately that the question of the meaning of ‘free will’ is raised. Similarly, Francisco’s young character talks about “true happiness” felt by his whole family at an uncomplicated point of their lives. These themes could have been made into so much more, however, but sadly seem to get lost somewhere along the way - never really touched upon openly again in the second part of the film.
There are one or two enduring aspects of the film across the two distinct halves, though. Firstly, a striking resemblance between the child and adult actors playing Francisco and Thomás, serve to minimise the sense of disjointedness that the sudden child-to-adult transition might have incurred. Secondly, when the concerned Julieta speaks to the Francisco about his relationship with his younger brother, she speaks of there being both a good and bad side to all things in life, and this becomes a continuing theme throughout their adult life. For example, as Thomás lives out a momentous opportunity in his career in going to Russia to train for the Olympics, the upshot is a long and arduous separation, with cracks beginning to appear in the brothers’ usually faultless bond. Even in their own understanding of what they feel for each other, they recognise both the good and the bad, as Thomás says to Francisco: “I love you because… to understand our love, they’d need to turn the world upside down.”
The second half is somewhat lacklustre in comparison to the first. There is nothing particularly critical to be said about the performances of João Gabriel Vasconcellellos (Francisco) or Rafael Cardoso (Thomás), from whom the passion and sincerity of their relationship comes through quite convincingly.
Credit is also due for the plot not taking the expected route of there being an intrusion from someone who discovers their affair and makes it their sole intention to bring it to an enforced end. Quite the contrary, they seem to experience nothing other than open acceptance from all whom they are in contact with. The problem with this, though, seems to be that of it reducing the plot (and all of the building dramatic tension) to little more than the difficulties of a long-term relationship that could be felt by any two people in love. As a result, the real issue at hand seems somehow diluted, and the lack of adversity means a relative lack of action in the second half of the film. Now, if it was the intention of the director, Aluzio Abranches, to bring the brothers’ extraordinary relationship down to something dour and fairly uninteresting, so as to bring it into the realms of normality, then it should be said that it was achieved quite brilliantly.
This picture may, on the surface, be primarily about homosexuality and incest, but it ends up being nothing but a simple and eloquent love story. It is up to the viewer then to decide whether this simplification is to the detriment or to the merit of the film as a whole – either highlighting the insignificance of their blood-relation in their unwavering love and affection for one another, or alternatively, dismally understating the emotional trauma and mental turmoil of their unique situation for both themselves and their family (which arguably makes it a totally unrealistic representation of the topic). This does, however, depend on viewpoint and perception alone and can only be decided by sitting down and watching it yourself.
While the subject area might dissuade some people from taking the time to see From Beginning To End, it is those who are most adamant that they won’t enjoy it that should certainly take the time to give it a go. Whatever might be said about its actual entertainment value, not only is there something quite gripping and emotional about this film - but it might surprise you - as it allows the viewer to learn about, and question, their own attitudes and behaviours as much as (and in some ways, more than) it does Francisco and Thomas’.
This is, in spite of its fair few weaknesses and unanswered questions, a truly enlightening picture which manages to tackle this taboo issue in a surprisingly graceful manner. Well worth a watch. LJ
