MÁS y MÁS Tuesday 22 May 2007
More young talent, more European cinema in Cannes
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Lonely Hearts
Saliva Expired Párpados Azules Gael García Bernal English version
Editorial S
bit of human warmth
having in her younger days. These anti-romcoms feature perfectly ordinary-looking characters leading rather dreary, solitary existences. People you might pass in the street every day without noticing. A respite from saccharine romances involving impossibly beautiful people with glamorous jobs who are, against all odds, meant for each other. Here love is not presented as the magic solution to all life’s problems, and happy endings exist only in fairytales. Loneliness being one of the most universal human conditions, these are stories which cross all geographical
and cultural boundaries. At the same time they ref lect a particularly modern malaise, an individualist society where family ties are easily broken and relationships often f leeting. A world which has given birth to the TV dinner for one and internet dating. Serving to reassure us by showing characters who are far more lonely, more vulnerable and more desperate than ourselves, these films nevertheless reveal small glimpses of our own lives in their tentative, awkward conversations and hopeful, clumsy embraces. This is perhaps what makes them so funny, and so painfully sad.
Judy Lister
Photo Lasse Lecklin
ingleton looking for a soul mate, or at least a bit of human warmth. Enjoy dancing, weekend breaks and walking on the beach, but haven’t done so much of that lately. Will settle for anyone, bullies and emotional cripples included. At this year’s Cannes festival, sad tales of desperate lonely hearts abound. In Expired, an astonishingly passive traffic warden pins her romantic hopes on an insensitive brute. In Parpados Azules, two lost individuals come together for no other reason than that neither of them has anyone else. In The Band’s Visit, a restaurant-owner longs for the husband and family she put off
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Take me by the hand! Mr. Lordi charms the crowd...
Photo of the day
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Párpados Azules
Ernesto Contreras, Mexico, Critics’ Week
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hen Marina, a lonely clerk at a uniform company, wins a luxury holiday for two at an employee raffle it is presented to her as an act of fate, her sole chance to secure happiness. She feels obliged to find a companion for the trip but is confronted by the isolation of her existence. A chance meeting with Victor, a forgotten acquaintance from middle school, seems to provide the answer to her solitude, but as intimacy develops between them it becomes apparent that the trip itself will have little bearing on the course of their destiny. Selected to compete at Cannes Critics’ Week, Párpados Azules is the first feature film by Mexican director Ernesto Contreras, from a script by his brother Carlos Contreras. The film is visually compelling; images are successfully used as tools of narration and attention to details such as the movement of a hand or a striking colour contrast express the development of the protagonists’ relationship far more pow-
erfully than the dialogue. Verbal communication in the film is repetitive and mundane, focussing on trivial subjects such as details about the trip. This reticence combined with the richness of visual details creates an effect of unarticulated longing, which is enhanced by scenes of unexpected nudity. The portrayal of the central relationship is subtle relying on suggested emotions rather than explicit communication. Events unfold in parallel and the view point shifts between the protagonists giving the impression of a shared perspective on the development of a mutual affection. The film is also an effective portrait of loneliness. The reoccurring use of framed scenes, filmed through a door or window, places the protagonists at a distance enhancing the sense of their isolation. It is sparse in terms of events and characters which also works towards emphasising the solitude of the two central figures who are almost unbelievably alone. It is from the
redressing of this isolation through the developing relationship that the film creates an optimistic effect, as we see people with nothing to locate them in life become anchored. This mood is also created by the repetition of Ray Davies song ‘Strange Effect’ which is uplifting in the face of bleakness. In this sense Párpados Azules is a conventional yet subtle romance. At times the banality of dialogue threatens the engagingness of the film, and the Contreras struggle to present unanimated characters in an interesting manner. As a result of the lack of communication that characterises the central relationship, scenes of profound intimacy and distance seem to arise implausibly; this gives a slightly unconvincing feel to the development of the plot. In spite of this the poignant depiction of loneliness and companionship, alongside the visual subtlety of Párpados Azules, makes it a sensitive rendition of a gentle love story.
Camilla Buchanan
Bikur Hatizmoret
(The Visit of the Band)
Eran Kolirin, Israel, Un Certain Regard
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n opening towards hope. This is the literal meaning of Pethar Tikva, the name of the town where the classical band of the police from Alexandria have to go to give a concert for the inauguration ceremony of the Arabic Cultural Centre. In an irony of a sorts, the band get lost at the airport, cross Israel and find themselves in Bet Hatikva, a more modest town which has nothing in common with Petah Tikva apart from the word Hatikva in its name, which means hope in Hebrew. The central theme of this
debut film is truly modern. Expressing hope born from the confrontation between two cultures, Egypt and Israel, and above all, from the confrontation between two individual destinies, that of Toufik, the head of the orchestra, a desperate widower, and Dinah (Ronit Elkabetz), a young restaurateur, dynamic and full of hope. In a meeting, which has an air of Chet Baker’s ‘My Funny Valentine’, each interrogates the other on their aspirations and loves. The band from Alexandria find refuge in the modest res-
taurant run by Dinah, and it becomes a space of exchange and privilege. Compared to this Israeli village, Egypt seems like Eldorado. Dinah was raised on the images of Egyptian cinema. ‘We were all in love with Omar Sharif ’, she says. In her eyes the Arabic language represents the language of love. Eran Kolirin conveys the mundane life of a young woman who dreams of being somewhere else - ‘the people here live prehistorically’. But on the other hand the reality is completely different. For Toufik, ‘today, what counts
is money, its outputs and returns.’ He lives in guilt and mourning for his wife. The most important factor in his existence is sin. The Visit of the Band creates a portrait of two solitary souls; both of whom are raised on illusions but who find space in time for mutual exchange. Aside from moralising judgements, Eran Kolirin questions the possibility encountering something different in today’s world. The film is a beautiful lexicon of humility and humanity which achieves a positive effect.
Laure Croiset
Una novia errante Ana K atz, Argentina, Un Certain Regard
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nés - a lonely heart? A neglected heart more likes. She should have spent her romantic holiday feet in water with her lover, but this is a false hope. Instead he gets off the coach, which is taking them to the sea, without warning. Incomprehension. Crises of tears. Worried calls. At the end of all this, it is necessary to surrender to the evidence. He has left her. What to make of it? Abandon everything and return home... or benefit -try to benefit- from the planned holiday? Fortunately for the film, but not necessarily for Inés, she chooses the
second option. At this point we must note that the director, always at the heels of her heroine, is no other than the heroine herself! Ana Katz films herself appropriately,
with sensibility, wandering around the seaside resort of ‘Mar de las Pampas’ out of season. Among the rare tourists there, one is a dab hand at archery. A new lonely heart? Perhaps, except that the obese German, has f loundered on this beach for many years already after a sentimental disappointment of his own. Inés might consider her possible future in him. The perspective, little rejoicing, seems to contradict the song. Perhaps the grief of one love lasts only until the next – but one still has to find it.
Matthieu Darras
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Expired Cecilia Miniucchi, USA, Critics’ Week
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fter You, Me and Everyone We Know by Miranda July, the Critics’ Week is again offering an American film about female loneliness, directed by a woman. Has Miranda July opened the way to a new genre? Is it a social phenomenon linked to the financial independence of women? Or do these two female directors (Miniucchi & July) simply share a desire to create a sensitive portrait of a lonely heart? In Expired, Claire is a traffic warden who lives with her sick mother. She belongs to the realm of quiet, sensitive heroines, waiting to be bowled over and made to re-examine their dreary lives. Jay, a work colleague,
takes the task upon himself in his own way. Claire is touched by the rare bit of attention paid to her by this boorish man. “I’m too kind to you” he repeats to her. In reality, it is she who shows too much kindness, always answering his demands with a timid “Ok”. He directs the conversation, pays for dinner, drives the car. This macho-man facade conceals a soul broken by an adulthood reached to early, whilst Claire is prolonging somewhat her adolescence. She still has a teddy-bear and asks advice from her mother when putting on a sexy outfit. This encounter between two single people, one badly
in need of love, the other sex, is continuously shaky. Claire tries to put light into her life by decorating her mother’s apartment with all kinds of lighting. Jay has studied the physics of plasma, and is attracted by the concept of black holes. An ex-alcoholic, he enjoys displaying his gloom in order to obtain first Claire’s compassion, and then her body. The sex scenes lack a certain gentleness and sympathy. Their relationship develops more through Jay’s sarcastic sense of humour and Claire’s clumsy, yet tender gestures. Expired is about a woman prepared to accept a lack of respect in order to alleviate her loneliness. But her body
is not to be taken so easily. It distances itself, as in a scene following an argument. Claire sticks herself to the wall in order to form a block against Jay. The shot is fixed. The situation reverses itself, Jay ending up responding “Ok” to Claire’s demands. We are not emotionally involved in the romance, and all the better. When the fragile bonds are all usedup, the relationship expires. But what exactly was this encounter: “Was it a lonely dance?” That which is proposed by Cecilia Miniucchi is bittersweet and very pleasant.
a waterfall of saliva. At this point in the film the boundary between reality and conception becomes blurred, as sensation takes over and we see our protagonist plunge into a pool of water and become drenched from the effect of the kiss. The essentially childish act is half eroticised through the fixation of the camera on the luscious mouth of its young subject; and half rendered amusing at her timidity and need to rehearse
for the big moment. In spite of the trivial subject matter this is no teen movie, beautifully shot with the reoccurring themes of the colour blue and water. However, the overwhelming sensuality of the kiss tells far more of the projection of an adult sexuality onto a childhood event than it does of the reality of a first kiss; thus the evocative images seem out of kilter with the brevity and awkwardness of the kiss itself.
Joanna Gallardo
Short: Saliva Esmir Filho, Brazil, Critics’ Week
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bsessed with all things aqueous, the short film Saliva, written and directed by Brazilian Esmir Filho, shows the build up to the first kiss of a young girl. The nerves, the peer pressure, the rehearsals, the awkwardness. Taken in hand by a more experienced friend we watch as she is trained up, practicing on the mirror and even with her friend. Then comes the kiss itself during which, rather unfortunately, the young protégé is subjected to
Camilla Buchanan
Professional meeting with Bruno producers.
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Hodebert
or the first of several events designed to sharpen the critical acclaim and practical knowledge of the participants of the Prix de la Jeunesse, these young Europeans were privileged to a rendezvous with two film producers. Bruno Hodebert, who is also a course director at the ESEC film school, used the example of his own career to illustrate the nature of this profession. He outlined his experience ranging from working on location in Burkina Faso, to produc-
and
Fabienne Servan Schreiber,
ing documentaries as well as short and feature films; his work includes L’Origine du Monde. Emphasising the eclecticism of the job and the importance of public relations he commented that the partnership between producers and directors is often like a marriage! These themes were further explored by the dynamic Fabienne Servan Schreiber, who has succeeded in this male dominated profession with works such as La Honte de la Republique. Her enthusiasm for documentaries was
evident but she deplored the fact that television production, in particular fiction, is considered less prestigious than cinema in France. It was interesting to learn specifically about the French system, in which taxes deriving from cinema tickets sales and television are used to support the film industry. As cinema production is partly supported by the television industry, producers in France are sometimes challenged to meet the conf licting expectations of very different audiences.
Three questions to
Following the debate some more experienced participants felt that the talks did not offer enough new information about the practicalities of the industry. In particular they were disappointed that relations with other specialists were not adequately discussed. However, others felt the speakers provided an informative introduction to the profession in France. It was wonderful to listen to professionals with contagious enthusiasm for the diverse world of film production.
Camilla Buchanan Zbigniew Wojnowski
Camilla Buchanan
Graduate in History of Art, this young English person disembarks at Cannes with her suitcase of illusions. What is your concept of cinema as art? Cinema can be art, it is undeniable, but is not this alone. It is also, discourse, communication, different cultures‌ There are as many things in cinema as there are ideas in the world. This is the magic of cinema, the power to be many things at once, a reflection and a constructer of cultural knowledge.
Photo Lasse Lecklin
Have you ever suffered the Stendhal syndrome for a film? Yes! (Smile) Many times! Recently I saw a film that left me speechless for some minutes. It is called Euphoria and was directed by the Russian film-maker Ivan Virpayer. The film evoked for me powerful sentiments, especially of the awesome Russian landscape illuminated by the moon. The possibility and the existence of love in this environment was also deeply moving. How would you paint the Festival of Cannnes? If Cannes was a painting it would be a melange of pop art and something more sublime and expressive such as the art of Marc Chagall. The pop art for the glamour and glitter and the Chagall for the imaginary world that cinema can evoke.
Questions
posed by
Mercedes Alvarez.
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etween the districts of Pendejo, Guey and Chingon, a car rolls through the streets of Mexico City. In the back seat, a dog is suffering from a knife wound. The speed, the nerves and the betrayal drive the car towards an unpredictable crossroads. Gael Garcia Bernal is launched into the international sphere. Amores Perros (2000), the start of a bright future destined for this talented actor. Mexico, neighbouring the most prosperous cinema industry in the world, is nevertheless far-removed from the blockbusters and big-budget productions. Within this framework, the young actor possesses an added value and, as a result, a greater responsibility. Gael Garcia Bernal has accepted this compromise, and this has made him a symbol of the latin industry and cul-
ture. Tapatio of origin - even if this could be a sort of physical description, it in fact denotes the inhabitants of Guadalajara, Mexico - this young talent was born behind the scenes of the farandula. The son of actors, you could say that Thalia, the muse of theatre, accompanied him from a very early age. His determination would then lead him to refine his talent at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. This wandering boy presents himself as a defender of Spanishlanguage cinema. Coloured by different accents but with a common language, Gael brings to life Mexican Octavio (Amores Perros), Argentinean Ché Guevara (The Motorcycle Diaries, 2004) and Spanish Angel (or Juan) in Bad Education (2004). However, whatever the language, this (Central)
Photo Lasse Lecklin
Portrait
Gael García Bernal
American actor succeeds in constructing a completely different character in each film. Only those green catlike eyes provide the link between Father Amaro and the future revolutionary leader. Gael Garcia Bernal’s sensuality has emerged in roles featuring a strong sexual emphasis, notably in the film Y tu Mama Tambien (2001) from director Alfonso Cuaron, which aroused controversy in America, and even amongst his fellow Mexicans. In the Aztec country, they considered badly their national star dressed as a woman, as the transvestite Zahara (Bad Education), a typically Almodovarian character. Not to mention how he puts into question the purity of men of the church (The Crime of Father Amaro, 2003). An advocate of a common Latin cinema, he has taken part in
European projects, notably Spanish, but also English and French. His arrival in the more commercial sphere came with Babel (2006). Although working again with the director who launched him, Alexandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the film was nevertheless conceived somewhat differently - an American production which presents him as a star, alongside Brad Pitt. The Mexican still has a rather secondary role however... He will return to this year’s Cannes festival as ambassador of the 46th Critics’ Week. A festival which propelled him to fame and which is now offering him the opportunity to present his first film as a director, Deficit. A good omen for this young talent who was born under a lucky star.
Mercedes Alvarez
MÁS y MÁS is a magazine published by the association NISI MASA with the support of the French Ministry of Health,
Sports and Youth. EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-chief Matthieu Darras Secretary of the editorial Joanna Gallardo Artistic director Lasse Lecklin, llecklin@uiah.fi Contibutors of this issue: Mercedes Alvarez, Camilla Buchanan, Laure Croiset, Judy Lister, Zbigniew Wojnowski Print – Imprimerie Cyclone, 12 rue des Mimosas, 06400 Cannes. NISI MASA 10 rue de l’Echiquier, 75010, Paris, France – + 33 (0)1 53 34 62 78, + 33 (0)6 32 61 70 26 europe@nisimasa.com - www.nisimasa.com