By George Kozera
I first saw Italian Director Luchino Viscontiâs Oscar-nominated âDeath in Veniceâ at a private screening in the early ’80s. Whereas I was not as enamored by the Film as others, I found Dirk Bogardeâs performance as a sickly Composer fixated on a young boy while recuperating in Venice astonishing. What made it fascinating and believable was the look of the lad and, playing Tadzio, Bjorn Andresen embodied pulchritude. Described by Visconti at the Premiere of the Movie at the Cannes Film Festival as THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD, Andresen evoked an androgynous innocence, immortalized forever on celluloid. Whereas Andresen was never able to parlay that initial fame into a profitable career, he looks back on the 50 years since the release of âDeath in Veniceâ with honesty and clarity. His personal life may have been in shambles which he never disowns but there is also a little sense of pride that his face inspired Japanese Manga.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD held me enthralled throughout. Bjorn Andresenâs life is worth visiting.
Streaming virtually Ontario-wide from June 3 to 13, 2021 TJFF2021 offers a curated programme of 60+ films showcasing the best in Jewish-content film from Canada and around the world. Check-out their lineup!
Narrative:
Asia, dir. Ruthy Pribar, Israel
Winner of the Best Film at the Israeli Academy Awards and the Tribeca Film Festivalâs Nora Ephron Award, Asia stars Shira Haas (Unorthodox, Shtisel) as a defiant teen coping with a degenerative disorder who has a fraught relationship with her mother.
Forgiveness (Mechila), dirs. Guy Amir & Hanan Savyon, Israel
A caper-buddy comedy by duo Amir & Savyon about two bumbling thieves whose failed attempt to rob a bank lands one of them in jail while the other becomes a Hasidic Jew. Plans go awry when the reformed criminals are reunited.
Here We Are, dir. Nir Bergman, Israel/Italy
Premiered at Cannes and winner of the Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Here We Are captures the poignancy of parenthood through a single father who has devoted his life to raising his autistic son Uri.Â
Kiss Me Kosher, dir. Shirel Peleg, Germany/Israel
A love story where cultures clash and families must overcome their religious difference when Shira, an Israeli, and Maria, her non-Jewish, German girlfriend get engaged. All of which is captured on video to full comic effect by Shiraâs younger brother for a school project.
Labyrinth of Peace (Frieden), dir. Â Mike Schaerer, Israel/Germany
This gripping miniseries reveals the façade of Switzerlandâs neutrality after the war and that a familyâs future success depends on ignoring or actively colluding with former war criminals.Â
*Centrepiece Film
Lune, dirs. Aviva Armour-Ostroff & Arturo Perez Torres, CanadaÂ
Audience Award winner for Narrative Feature at Cinequest 2021, set in 1994 Toronto, a Jewish South African freelance journalistâs strong desire to return to South Africa to vote for the recently-freed Nelson Mandela triggers her bipolar disorder with her mania exploding into a life-altering climax.
The Sign Painter, dir. Viestur Kairish, Latvia/Czech Republic/Lithuania
Ansis, a young sign painter in 1940s Latvia has a simple dream: to be an artist and to marry Zisla, the beautiful daughter of a Jewish merchant but his romantic dream is shattered as the country inches towards totalitarianism.Â
*Closing Film
The Specials (Hors normes), dirs. Olivier Nakache & Ăric Toledano, FranceÂ
Directed by the duo behind The Intouchables and inspired by a true story of two men who join forces to confront systemic neglect and fight for those marginalized by society, the film stars Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Eastern Promises) and Reda Kateb (Zero Dark Thirty, A Prophet).
A Starry Sky Above a Roman Ghetto, dir. Giulio Base, Italy
A wartime photo of a Jewish child brings young people together on a quest of discovery that reveals life-changing consequences as they uncover the fate of this person in the photo.
Summer of â85, dir. François Ozon, France/Belgium
The unparalleled intensity of first-time love is sumptuously rendered in François Ozonâs masterful coming of age tale. When charismatic David rescues Alex from a capsized boat, the two embark on a passionate relationship, fuelled by Alexâs all-consuming love.
Tiger Within, dir. Rafal Zielinski, United States
Holocaust survivor, Samuel (Ed Asner), and Casey, a skinhead teen runaway, develop an unlikely friendship. Despite their traumas and initial mistrust of one another, Casey gives Sam a new purpose, and Sam gives Casey the guidance she needs to start a new life.Â
Two, dir. Astar Elkayam, Israel
Initially optimistic about starting a family, Bar and Omer eagerly comb through a catalogue of potential donors and face the insemination process with humour. But when Omer fails to become pregnant, an underlying sense of failure threatens to undermine their relationship.
The Un-Word, dir. Leo Khasin, Germany
After an altercation between an Iranian, a Palestinian and a Jewish student, parents of the three boys are called to the school by their teacher who inadvertently exposes her own misguided assumptions, complete with snacks decorated with Palestinian and Israeli flags.Â
Documentary:
The Adventures of Saul Bellow, dir. Asaf Galay, United States
A portrait of Saul Bellow, one of the most acclaimed chroniclers of post-war American Jewish life. Insights from Salman Rushdie, Philip Roth and Martin Amis along with archival footage make this compulsory viewing for Bellow fans.
Alone Together, dirs., Kineret Hay-Gillor & Maya Tiberman, Israel
Winner of the Audience Award at the Docaviv Film Festival, Alone Together is about an everyday hero who works in soup kitchens by day and volunteers at night as a âfirst hugâ with abandoned babies, all the while struggling to create her own family. Â
Desert Tested, dir. Avi Weissblei, Israel
The history of the Susitaâthe car with the fibreglass shell that was designed to create an Israeli automobile industryâand the man behind the car – Yitzhak Shubinsky. A story of corruption, fraud, and suspicious government ties.
High Maintenance, dir. Barak Heymann, Israel/Poland
Israeli icon, Dani Karavan, who, despite creating nearly 100 installations across the world and winning numerous awards, feels dissatisfied. High Maintenance is a portrait of Karavan as an old man, yet still every bit as relevant as he ever was.Â
Lebanon – Borders of Blood, dir. Duki Dror, Israel/Germany
Duki Dror (2020 David Stein Award winner for There Are No Lions in Tel Aviv) distills a century of Lebanese history in this comprehensive documentary with an impressive array of interviewees from multiple sides of the geo-political spectrum.Â
Leonard Cohen, Portrait of the Artist (Leonard Cohen, portrait intime), dir. Armelle Brusq, France
A must-see for Leonard Cohen fans, this newly-restored 1996 documentary offers a rare view into his time at Mount Baldy Zen Center as a Buddhist and disciple of the Zen Master, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi.Â
Love It Was Not (Ahava Zot Lo Hayta), dir. Maya Sarfaty, Israel/Austria
SS officer Franz Wunsch saved Helena Citron and her sister from certain death in Auschwitz. Thirty years later Helena is faced with an impossible decision when she is called upon as a witness at his war crimes trial.Â
Marry Me However, dir. Mordechai Vardi, Israel
The emotional devastation wrought by marrying against oneâs sexual orientation for the sake of complying with Orthodox religious obligations is examined through the experience of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews.Â
Mighty Ira, dirs. Chris Maltby, Nico Perrino & Aaron Reese, United States
Ira Glasser, leader of the ACLU for 23 years, took it from a small grassroots operation on the verge of bankruptcy, to the juggernaut it is today. Amid todayâs controversies surrounding free speech, racial equality and antisemitism, Glasserâs story is as timely as ever.
Modigliani and His Secrets, dir. Jacques Loeuille, France
Historians and curators explore the myths surrounding artist Amedeo Modigliani by retracing his life from his Sephardic-Jewish upbringing in Venice to life in Bohemian Paris.Â
Muranow, dir. Chen Shelach, Israel
Once the heart of Warsawâs Jewish life, the Polish district of Muranow became the Warsaw ghetto, and was rebuilt after the war on the site of its destruction. Current residents of this green and rehabilitated neighbourhood discuss the spectre of its former residents.Â
A Private Death, dir. Marianna Barr, Israel
The improbable love story of a Jaffa-born Orthodox Jew and a Jerusalem-born Christian Arab, which blossomed in 1930s Palestine and continued until the end of their lives. Their relationship provides a unique testimony to life in Jerusalem during the British Mandate.Â
Raymone El Bidaoia, dir. Yael Abecassis, Israel
Raymonde – diva, queen, enigma, inspiration, survivor, widow, woman, and mother. Armed with a camera, actress Yael Abecassis captures her mother, legendary voice of Morocco, Raymonde El Bidaoia, as they embark on a journey together.
The Red Scarf, dir. Peter Mostovoy, Israel
In this autobiography, Mostovoy takes us on a journey from his impoverished childhood in the Soviet Union to award-winning Russian filmmaker. Once believing that his art could be free from demands of the regime, he nevertheless became entangled in Soviet-era politics as an âuntrustworthyâ Jew.Â
*Opening Film
Shelter, dir. Ron Chapman, CanadaÂ
Torontoâs standing as one of the worldâs most successful multicultural cities in the world is due in no small part to the efforts of a group of entrepreneurial Jewish immigrants. Anticipating the need for affordable, quality rental housing after the post-War immigration boom, these resourceful businessmen were instrumental in shaping the city we know today.Â
UnReined, dirs. Naomi Guttman-Bass & Marcia Rock, United States
Nancy Zeitlin challenged familial and societal norms. She became a leading figure in the Israeli equestrian world, but a chance encounter with a horse-loving Palestinian prompted her to establish the first Palestinian equestrian team.Â
Winter Journey, dir. Anders Ăstergaard, Denmark/Germany
Featuring actor Bruno Ganz in his final role, Winter Journey is based on the conversations that American radio host, Martin Goldsmith had with his father, a German Jewish musician. This hybrid documentary combines archival footage and re-enactments to bring his parents’ poignant and painful love story to light.
Archival Programme: Spotlights Carl Reiner, Ted Allan & Joan Micklin Silver
The 2021 Archival Programme will celebrate the beloved work and prolific career of the late Carl Reiner, by showcasing his television work, including Your Show of Shows and The Dick Van Dyke Show as well as the forgotten gem Flannery and Quilt, a comedy pilot created by Reiner and Marty Feldman (Young Frankenstein).Â
TJFF is also honouring one of Canadaâs most distinctive writing talents and raconteurs, Ted Allan, with screenings of the Canadian classic Lies My Father Told Me and the CBC teleplay Love on the Nose, starring Saul Rubinek, Marilyn Lightstone, Maury Chaykin, and Eugene Levy. Also, for newcomers to Allanâs life and career, TJFF is screening Ted Allan: Minstrel Boy of the 20th Century.
To commemorate the recent passing of ground-breaking director Joan Micklin Silver (Hester Street), TJFF is hosting a special screening of the romantic comedy, Crossing Delancey.Â
Short Films:
For a complete list of short films in the TJFF programme, click here.
Films will be available to view Ontario-wide for 48 hours and many of the films will have live zoom Q&As with directors, cast and documentary subjects. Information on the complete schedule of special events, including Q&As, will be announced on May 12, 2021 when the box office opens. For more information, visit www.tjff.com.Â
The WE ARE ONE FESTIVAL kicks-off on YouTube May 29 – June 7, 2020. The 10-day online Film Festival is a collaboration between 21 prolific Festivals from 35 countries including the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festvals. The Festival will take place at http://YouTube.com/WeAreOne.
Notable Film presentations will include:
–Ricky Powell: The Individualist, a documentary about legendary street photographer Powell featuring interviews with Natasha Lyonne and LL Cool J
-the online premiere of Eeb Allay Ooo!, a unique satire about professional âmonkey repellersâ and winner of the Mumbai Film Festivalâs Golden Gateway Award
-the world premiere of Iron Hammer, a compelling documentary feature directed by Joan Chen about legendary Chinese Olympic volleyball star Jenny Lang Ping, a true trailblazer who forged connections across the globe
Available to the public are 50 Narrative and Documentary Chorts with exciting entries such as:
-the world premiere of Japanese narrative short Yalta Conference Online [working title], created exclusively for the festival by Director Koji Fukada
-the global premiere of the Third Eye Blind documentary short Motorcycle Drive By
-the first short pieces made by Dreamworks Animation, Bilby, Marooned and Bird Karma
Episodic Programming features include:
-the world premiere of Losing Alice, an Israeli female-led neo-noir psychological TV thriller
–And She Could Be Next, a two part documentary series on the experiences of women of color running for office, including Stacey Abrams and Rashida Tlaib.
-TIFF will be presenting the Digital World Premiere for Crazy World
Above this, there also will be talks including: Francis Ford Coppola with Steven Soderbergh, Song Kang-ho with Bong Joon-ho, and Jackie Chan and musical performances by QuestLove and more!
For full schedule, visit www.weareoneglobalfestival.com.
By George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
The annual Cinefranco Film Festival is the Mecca for all those, like myself, who love and gravitate towards French language cinema and donât have many opportunities to see them on a big screen with English subtitles. Founded 22 years ago by the charismatic Marcelle Lean, the festival offers outstanding movies from France, Quebec and Morocco to name just a few. I recently had the honour of having lunch with the dynamic Ms. Lean to discuss this yearâs fest and see some of the films that will be showing this year from November 22-30 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
Marcelle Leanâs enthusiasm and knowledge of cinema is infectious and hearing the issues attaining rights for films to be screened at Cinefranco (such as this yearâs offering of the Cannes winner by the Dardenne brothers, LE JEUNE AHMED) fascinating. When asked if there was theme for this yearâs Festival, Ms. Lean replied that many movies centered on the concept of family. She fought diligently, and succeeded, to get the rights to films she was impressed with and spoke passionately about some of the movies that be at this yearâs Festival, which include the Closing Film from Quebec, ANTIGONE, the funny coming-of-age Comedy VENISE NâEST PAS EN ITALIE from France and MADE IN CHINA, also from France.
From what I have seen so far, and those that I definitely want to see during the fest, CINEFRANCO 2019 offers an outstanding array of French language diverse gems that will appeal to all with francophone sensibilities!
UN AMOUR IMPOSSIBLE
Spanning five decades and narrated by the daughter of the lead characters, Rachel and Philippe (played brilliantly and ferociously by Virginie Efira and Niels Schneider respectively) this unabashed love story transcends the genre. Romantic and sensual then shocking and heartbreaking, it is powerful and evocative. And itâs a must-see.
EDMOND
Set in 1897 against a background of Parisian architectural glories (the Moulin Rouge, Le Comedie Francais), this charming, madcap romp about the creation of the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac is wildly funny and entertaining. The performances by everyone in EDMOND is captivating and letter A perfect as is the glorious cinematography. You will be hard pressed not to be in tears by the end of this Movie and applaud as vigorously as the audience does in this movie when Cyrano ends. I loved it.
LâADIEU A LA NUIT
Showcasing Catherine Deneuveâs best performance since 8 WOMEN and featuring a primarily all Arab cast, the compelling drama touches on a variety of themes that include religious extremism and rhetoric as well as unwavering faith and familial love. Set on a horse farm, replete with cherry blossom trees, the visuals (which include La Deneuve wearing flannel plaid shirts!) are stunning and the story line is brisk and persuasive.
PERILS
A rarity, as it is a French language movie set in Toronto, the Filmâs Creator, Jean-Marc Lariviere, effectively and efficiently tackles a number of thought provoking issues (that include the recent war in Syria and refugees) in its scant 27 minute running time. This is a respectable achievement.
DERIVE
Set in the Montreal area, this contrived and, at times, overwrought family melodrama that include a mysterious death of a parent and two teenaged girls coping with various issues may stretch the limits of interest, but there is no denying the commendable, naturalistic performances by all involved.
LE MYSTERE HENRI PICK
When a novel, allegedly written by a dead pizza maker with no history of writing, becomes a bestseller, television literary critic becomes obsessed of uncovering what he feels is a conspiracy to fool the public. It is a standard issue mystery movie laced with comedic incidences but watching veteran actor, Fabrice Luchini, with his OCD ticks is sheer joy.
More on Cinefranco 2019 here including line-up and how to get tickets.
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Jim Jarmusch is the kind of Director you either love to hate or hate to love. His Films are offbeat at best, and decidedly not Mainstream. He is a Filmmaker who makes movies for himself first and the audience second. And The Dead Donât Die â which opened the prestigious Cannes Film Festival just over a month ago â is no different.
Something odd is happening in the sleepy town of Centerville. Daylight seems to stretch on forever, and all the clocks and radios seem to be broken. Everyone is confused and it is not immediately clear who or what is causing this to happen â nor is there an explanation for why the dead have suddenly started rising from the ground to feast on the living.
The Cannes reception to The Dead Donât Die was polarizing. Very few seemed to be on the same wavelength as Jarmusch, and after seeing the Film, it is very easy to see why. Instead of being a straight Zombie picture, the Filmmaker has opted for a satire of Zombie and Disaster movies, and plays on real world fears and innate human stupidity for the bulk of his laughs. A few of these moments land quite well and are genuinely hilarious. But the bulk of the other jokes land with a complete thud, eliciting more confusion than giggles. And when he starts layering in as many meta jokes as he can (including a cheap Star Wars gag involving Adam Driver), it becomes very clear that The Dead Donât Die feels more like a collection of ideas, thought starters and on-set improvisation that has been strung together rather than a cohesive 105-minute movie.
And do not get me started on Jarmuschâs bizarre fascination with the titular track by Sturgill Simpson, which somehow becomes a punch line used by just about every single Actor who speaks for more than three lines and predictably becomes less funny each time.
Driver and Jarmusch regular Bill Murray make the best of things despite all of this, putting in some truly wonderful deadpan performances. They are keenly in tune with whatever Jarmusch is going for and merge seamlessly into the tonal pivots he throws at them. We do not get to learn much about their characters, but we get to gleam quite a bit of fun from everything they go through. Also of note is Tilda Swinton, who gives one of the most outlandish performances of her career as a sword wielding morgue attendant. She steals the show every chance she gets and has a blast playing this completely ridiculous character. I just wish the same could be said for the stellar Supporting Cast featuring the likes of Tom Waits, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, RZA and Selena Gomez. Some of these players get some laughs, but the majority are all but completely wasted and practically pointless.
When The Dead Donât Die works, it is an intriguing Satire that can be a lot of fun. But that only happens for a small fraction of its running time and the final product feels more like a collection of unfinished ideas versus a fully formed film. And while Driver, Murray and Swinton are having a great time playing in Jarmuschâs sandbox, there are very few other Actors on-screen sharing their sentiment. But maybe that was the whole point of it all?
Universal Pictures Canada release THE DEAD DONâT DIE on Friday, June 14, 2019.
Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
ROCKETMAN opens with a glorious symphonic suite of an Elton John hit against a backdrop of twinkling stars that quickly morphs into our hero stomping down a corridor leaving a stadium, garbed in one of his Liberace-inspired costumes, and he winds up at an AA meeting where he lists a litany of personal demons. This quickly segues into a beautifully-choreographed and sung version of five-year-old Reginald Dwight (Eltonâs real name) singing âThe Bitch is Backâ. Welcome to the first few minutes of the most original and audacious Modern Musical since Baz Luhrmannâs Moulin Rouge, The five-minute standing ovation this Movie received when it had at its World Premiere at the recent Cannes Film Festival recently was deserved richly.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher (best known for his stepping in to complete the direction of Bohemian Rhapsody) and written by Lee Hall (nominated for an Oscar for Billy Elliot and then collaborated with Elton for the monster stage musical hit version of the Movie), ROCKETMAN documents Eltonâs meteoric rise to fame, from a shy, very young musical prodigy to a somewhat pudgy and bespectacled teenage musician playing piano for touring American R&B acts to his fortuitous meeting with Lyricist and Songwriter Bernie Taupin, played beautifully by the consistently under-appreciated Jamie Bell. Working together, they have a number of minor hit songs but magic happens when they write âYour Songâ, one of Rockâs most fully-realized romantic songs ever that Fletcher adapts for the screen with poignancy. This song lands Elton a gig at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood where the rock elite (Neil Diamond, Neil Young) attend and his performance propels his rise to superstardom. At a party at Mama Cassâ estate and abandoned by Taupin, Elton meets John Reid, played with sexiness and menace by Richard Madden, and he ultimately becomes Eltonâs manager and lover. Still trying to overcome the scars left by his uncaring parents (Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh shine in their moments), Elton fuels his pain with excess. Name an addiction and he has it, be it sex, drugs, shopping â the more indulgent, the better. His stage shows turn into elaborate productions with over-the-top costumes. Everything about Elton John had become so insanely heightened, we know the obligatory fall from the zenith will be painful to view.
ROCKETMAN succeeds wildly for two reasons. Fletcherâs direction is inimitable. He brings a quasi-Documentary vibe to all the proceedings but excels with the musical productions that seamlessly weave in and out at the most interesting parts of the narrative. âSaturdayâs Alright For Fightingâ is a flawless, exuberant piece set at a carnival. âCrocodile Rockâ is a visual feast when John performs it at the Troubadour. âTiny Dancerâ gets a sad, moody visual interpretation. We even see his duet with Kiki Dee as well as his iconic concert at Dodger Stadium where he wore the famed sequined Dodgers outfit. The techni-coloured Costume Design and outstanding Cinematography are borderline genius. And the orchestral score of Johnâs hits is an aural delight.
What takes ROCKETMAN to the stratosphere and beyond is Taron Egerton. It is a performance of such magnitude that his name deserves to be mentioned twice. In caps. And bold. TARON EGERTON. Always great in good movies or extremely watchable in stinkers (Billionaire Boys Club, anyone?), every moment he is on screen is spellbinding. Not only were his acting choices so on-the-money, it is an egoless performance where he never dominates or overshadows the performers he is working alongside with, giving everyone their moments to shine brightly and memorably. Itâs flamboyant. And masterful, resonant, heartbreaking, eloquent, insanely entertaining, believable and formidable. Itâs is so astonishing, that masterclass screen performances from now on should be described as Egertonesque. And taking a cue from Diana Ross playing Billie Holliday in Lady Sings the Blues, both she and Egerton never tried to mimic the distinct voices of the singers they portrayed, but interpreted the songs with their own unique stylings. Itâs a choice I wholeheartedly approve of. I think itâs gonna be a long, long time before I forget ROCKETMAN.
Paramount Pictures Canada release ROCKETMAN Friday, May 31, 2019.
A six-minute standing ovation for the Premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood today at Cannes and reviews are pouring-in, some calling it “indulgent”, some calling it Quentin Tarantino‘s most “hopeful” and maybe even “best” Film to date. Check-out this latest Trailer just-released for us to marvel at, this his ninth Film.
See the Trailer:
Sony Pictures Canada release ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Friday, July 26, 2019.
(Photo/video credit: Sony Pictures)
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Laura (Penélope Cruz) travels from Argentina to Spain with her two children to attend a family wedding. While everyone is at the wedding reception Laura goes to check on her children and notices her teenage daughter is missing. The following day she receives a text message demanding a ransom for the return of her daughter. In the quest to get her daughter back a dark web of hidden family secrets come to light.
Director-Writer Asghar Farhadi has crafted an enthralling Family Drama rich in mysterious characters. His steady direction creates a slow-burning Thriller that creeps up on the audience and leaves a lasting effect. His skillful writing results in constant surreptitious and divulging scenes that captivate and carry the Film to its final discovery. These scenes work due to Farhadiâs complex and fascinating Characters. Each of them beguilingly is brought to the screen by the impressive Cast.
Cruzâs Cannes Film Festival award-nominated performance is a marvel. She comes apart at the seams once the realization of her daughter’s abduction had been confirmed. Cruzâs authenticity when it comes to Lauraâs discoveries and confessions makes this one of her many career-best performances. Javier Bardem, playing Lauraâs prior teenage lover Paco, makes for a powerful scene partner next to Cruz. Bardem makes Pacoâs internal moral struggles visual throughout the Film. The two of them together make for a magnetic force that anchor and carry the Filmâs Plot from beginning to end.
Universal Pictures Canada releases EVERYBODY KNOWS on Friday, February 15, 2019.
Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
Legendary Director, Jean-Luc Godardâs THE IMAGE BOOK won a special Palme dâOr from Cate Blanchettâs jury on the closing night at the Cannes Film Festival last year. It is, in essence, a hallucinatory visual scrapbook of disjointed images with much of the narration from the 87 year old Director himself. Using scenes from movies as diverse as Young Mr. Lincoln, Pasoliniâs Salo, Vertigo, Cocteauâs Beauty and the Beast, Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar and many from his early movies alongside newsclips of ISIS attacks, WWII footage, Klimt paintings and a still from Marilyn Monroeâs last photo shoot, it is a provocative and surreal kaleidoscope of sometimes degraded images that confound and exhilarate.
Two of Godardâs obsessions/passions/interests (one is never quite sure of where and why he is featuring these) are prominent with more screen time devoted to them. One is trains: a longer amount of time features them predominantly, from comedic with Buster Keaton to ones with tragic consequences. I personally could not ascertain what Godard is trying to tell us and just thought that he was as obsessed with trains as Sheldon Cooper is from The Big Bang Theory. Another prevalent series features his interest in the Arab world and how misunderstood and misconceived they are. These images were both hypnotic and frustrating to witness.
Admittedly, I know little about Godard the man versus Godard the Filmmaker, hence I was happy to have seen Redoubtable, a French fictionalized film about how Godard became revolutionized in the late 60s. So when the Directorâs narrations included things like âWe are never sad enough to make the world betterâ or âThe East is more philosophical than the West and everyone is a philosopher because he has time to reflectâ, instead of thinking that grandpa has been nipping into the absinthe again, I can see WHY he says things like that even if I donât fully understand the subtext.
I enjoyed THE IMAGE BOOK on many levels. At times, it was like finding Waldo (Oh! Thatâs the scene from Daliâs Le Chien Andalou) or being mesmerized by colours reminiscent of a Peter Max painting. It is Godardâs most accessible movies in a long time. It is also paradoxical, prohibitive, enchanting, confusing, grotesque and divine. THE IMAGE BOOK will take you on a sensory overload trip and it made me happy that I boarded the train to go on a journey to a destination unknown and exotic.
THE IMAGE BOOK opens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Friday, January 25, 2019.
Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
As an Artist, Julian Schnabelâs works hang on the walls in some of the worldâs most prestigious museums. There was even a sold-out retrospective of his accomplishments hosted by the Art Gallery of Ontario years back. As a Director, his unique perspective and visions had won him awards at Cannes, the Venice Film Festival, the Golden Globes and earned him an Oscar nomination. His movies delve into the lives of tortured or damaged artists and one, Before Night Falls, was Javier Bardemâs breakthrough role and introduced him to the world at large. Hot on the heels of last yearâs Oscar-nominated Animated Feature Loving Vincent, Schnabel brings to life the tragic life of Painter Vincent van Gogh in one of this yearâs most elegiac movies, AT ETERNITYâS GATE.
Focusing on the last two years of van Goghâs life, the Movie opens with an off-screen, heart-rendering monologue in which the Painter talks about his lonely existence and just begs people, âLook at me!â. Penniless and his body of work unappreciated and unsold, van Gogh survives with a monthly allowance sent to him from his richer brother Theo, portrayed beautifully by Rupert Friend. His Bromance with fellow Artist Paul Gaugin (a turbo-charged, mesmerizing Oscar Isaac) is endlessly-fascinating to watch as they have wildly different approaches to art and even life itself and their infrequent scenes together cackle with insight and beauty.
The heart and soul of AT ETERNITYâS GATE can be simply described in two words: Willem Dafoe. Though technically, at 63, he is too old to play van Gogh who died at the age of 37 and in a career spanning decades replete with memorable performances, Dafoeâs performance here is stellar and bulletproof â a career high. He ensnares the audience into van Goghâs life. His melancholy, his genius artistic vision, his quick to anger, his fighting the demons in his mind. We often follow the Painter through many landscapes and are thrilled when he finds something that inspires him to sit and put on canvas what he sees. Whether it be him taking off his shoes and we see how he starts the painting to its spectacular conclusion to his being inspired by the beauty of the landscape, the effects are glorious. Often times, in a signature Schnabel cinematic point of view, van Gogh is filmed in tight close-ups and the range that Dafoe expresses with his eyes and subtle facial movements is master class acting. One scene, where Theo visits Vincent, who is hospitalized due to his failing mental capacities, made me shed unexpected tears. The love these brother had is rife with sadness.
It may appear that Schnabel glosses over many aspects of van Goghâs life. He never shows us the infamous cutting off the ear and we are never sure if some scenes are real or a figment of van Goghâs deteriorating mind. We also walk away never knowing for sure if his death was due to suicide or a result of being beaten by young thugs. Personally I admire Schnabelâs approach and vision, even the scenes filmed in a bifocal effect where parts of the screen are never 100% focused.
The pace of AT ETERNITYâS GATE is languid and intoxicating; each brush stroke is awash in colours and emotions though sometimes undermined by the florid Score. It is triumphant and a glorious achievement with a performance by Willem Dafoe that should be studied by everyone who pursues a career in acting. It doesnât get any better than this.
Elevation Pictures release AT ETERNITY’S GATE Friday, November 23, 2018.
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