Irrational Man
USA 2015
Written by Woody Allen
Directed by Woody Allen
Watched on 31.10.2015
After last years very charming “Magic in the Moonlight”, I’m afraid that I’d personally rank “Irrational Man” among Woody Allen’s lesser works. Which is not to say, though, that it’d be without its merits. The cast is very good, with the exceptionally charming Emma Stone once again a particular standout. There are a couple of quite funny scenes, like when they swap murder theories during dinner. There’s also a nice streak of dark humor throughout the movie that I enjoyed quite a lot. It was also interesting to see that “Irrational Man” continued the theme at this years Viennale of (male) potbellies (maybe they come back into fashion? Since I’m too lazy to go to the gym, I’d be very much ok with that). And the murder was so well planned that I’d really start to worry if I’d be on Woody Allen’s blacklist.
Unfortunately, all of that doesn’t really help much when you find yourself not liking any of the main characters. I didn’t feel any kind of connection to either Abe nor Jill. Abe started off pretty insufferable with his constant whining and his “I’m so sick of life” attitude. When he went on his dark path, he started to get a little bit more interesting, but because of what he did, I still couldn’t really relate to him, and thus followed his development as an uninvolved observer. As for Jill, the way she lied to her boyfriend and even rebuking him because of his jealousy (which, as it turned out, was totally warranted in this case) until ultimately cheating on him, didn’t really win her any points with me either (it didn’t help that when I looked at Roy, I pretty much saw myself; a nice, kind and good-natured fellow). And as much as Stone sells Jill’s infatuation with Abe, there wasn’t really any chemistry between her and Phoenix (especially when compared to her scenes with Colin Firth in “Magic in the Moonlight”). And even though it got never boring, I never found the movie particularly gripping, and only occasionally funny. Finally, I have to say that Abe’s last dark deed went a little bit too far for me. He always rationalized what he had done before, and in this case, Woody Allen didn’t really manage to make this final leap credible to me. Some may think it was unavoidable, but I just didn’t buy it, and wish they would have taken a little bit more time to explain his reasoning and/or show him struggle with this particular decision. Despite all that, “Irrational Man” is still mildly entertaining and occasionally quite amusing. But unlike “Magic in the Moonlight”, “Blue Jasmine” and/or “Midnight in Paris”, it’s not a movie that I see myself revisiting anytime soon.
5/10
Einer von uns
AUT 2015
Written by Stephan Richter
Directed by Stephan Richter
Watched on 31.10.2015
This is going to be a hard review to write, since a) I’m an advocate for Austrian cinema, b) I commend the filmmakers for dealing with this difficult story (“Einer von uns” is based on true events taking place in Lower Austria, where an unarmed teenager was shot dead by a cop during a nightly break-in), and c) the thundering round of applause after the screening (which was the Austrian premiere, so there’s a tiny chance that this influenced the reaction of the crowd) suggests that I’m alone in – and wrong about? – this. However, it is my sad duty to inform you that from my point of view, “Einer von uns” was a rather hollow and pointless affair.
Before we go on, let me point out – in the interest of full disclosure – that right behind me was the row with the invited guests (participants and their friends and family), with a couple of young actors and their friends, who behaved rather badly and disrespectfully, talking loudly, laughing all the time, and thus pretty much ruining the mood. If I was the filmmaker, I’d be furious at them, but as a simple guest, I felt it wasn’t my place to complain. Anyway, I can’t rule out the possibility that this had an influence on my opinion of the movie. However, since those are mostly due to the content of the movie, I don’t think that my opinion of it would have been substantially higher with a quieter crowd. My first big problem with “Einer von uns” was that as much emphasis they put on the teenagers, they never really managed to make me sympathize with them. On the contrary, I found most of them – with their gangster-posturing, their running after the alpha-male, and their use of words like “gay” and “victim” as insults – rather insufferable. Maybe that makes me a Walt Kowalski-like grumpy old dude sitting on his porch at the tender (?) age of 35, but while watching the movie, I really thought that if this is representative of Austria’s youth, then we’re fucked. And no, all that doesn’t mean that “they had it coming”, or that I didn’t feel for them during the finale. But the fact that I never felt a connection to them definitely hurt the first hour of the movie, and made it rather arduous for me.
My main beef with the movie, however, is that in my opinion, it put far too much emphasis on the teenagers, and far too little on the cop(s). Thus, it approached this tragedy mostly from one – and IMHO the far less interesting – perspective. I mean, come on: That teenagers sometimes do stupid things for stupid reasons is hardly revelatory. What I would have been interested in was: Why did the cop shoot Julian? And unfortunately, “Einer von uns” does next to nothing to deal with this question. For a moment, they flirt with the idea of a climate of anxiety, which is also partially fed by the media, but even that ended up being such a 2-second-sidenote that I’m not even sure if that was intentional, or if I’m just reading too much into it. Now, mind you, I was not looking for a movie that tries to exonerate the cop. Shooting this kid – and while he was running away from him, at that – was wrong, and a use of excessive force. But as unwarranted as it may have been, it nevertheless didn’t happen without a reason. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he was fed up. Maybe he simply misjudged the situation. Maybe he thought he was trying to attack his colleague. Maybe he was tired. And maybe he simply panicked. I’m not saying that it has to be a reasonable, understandable and/or good reason – let alone a good enough reason to excuse what he did. I’m only saying that there IS a reason. And to my mind, “Einer von uns” did next to nothing to go into that. Thus, it left me with a lot of questions, but no answers. And while that’s a valid approach to a movie, it also means that ultimately, “Einer von uns” simply left me with the same questions that I already asked myself when the news of this tragedy hit back then. Which made it feel incredibly pointless to me.
Don’t get me wrong: It’s well written, well shot, well acted, and offers a couple of hard-hitting scenes. But ultimately, for me it didn’t add anything to the news story it’s based on – which is a crying shame.
5/10
The Devil’s Candy
USA 2015
Written by Sean Byrne
Directed by Sean Byrne
Watched on 30.10.2015
I have a hard time accepting the fact that “The Devil’s Candy” comes from the same guy who gave us the awesome “The Loved Ones” a couple of years back. And not “just” because of an apparent drop in overall quality; but with “The Loved Ones”, he managed so successfully to mix the funny with the scary, while in “The Devil’s Candy” failing completely in that regard – which makes it very hard, if not impossible, for me to conciliate the writer/director of the former with the writer/director of the latter.
“The Devil’s Candy” – or “Deathgasm 2: Paintings from Hell”, as I came to call it – starts off well enough. The beginning is very creepy, and the first third or so does a decent enough job when it comes to acquainting us with the Hellman’s (!). The cast is pretty good, with Pruitt Taylor Vince a particular standout; I just love this guy, and wish that Hollywood would give him more, but above all different roles, and not have him play one creepy, weird psycho-dude after another (then again, it’s still better if they only give him these roles, then none at all). However, the longer the movie progresses, the more apparent are its problems concerning a coherent tone. I actually loved the gloomy and dark-as-fuck scenes that showed Ray Smilie going about his child-murdering business. Those moments really gripped me. However, it didn’t really gel with the scenes concerning Jesse and his paintings, which ranged from darkly funny over absurd to flat-out hilarious. After a bumpy middle part including a weird cameo by Tony Amendola that never amounted to anything, “The Devil’s Candy” then completely derailed during its third act. First, it’s becoming really loud, hysterical and annoying, then the obnoxious overuse of a Hans-Zimmer-like BRAAAM really got on my nerves (especially in the scene where Jesse arrived at the school, where they repeated it over and over and over and over and over again), and then, they topped it all off with a finale that was so ridiculous that I still couldn’t tell you if this extreme disruption in tone was deliberate, or if those scenes just happened to be unintentionally hilarious.
(SPOILERS!) First, you have Jesse getting up despite having a hole in his lung (while his wife turns out to be completely help- and useless), going into a burning room without very much minding the smoke, grabbing the guitar and using it to kill Smilie, and then instead of just grabbing his daughter and fleeing from the flames, he takes a second, grabs his daughter, looks deep into her eyes and asks “Are you okay?”. Dude, just get the fuck outta there! And on top of that, you get one of the quickest sunrises in the history of cinema, as well as the completely inane scene where Jesse suddenly knows where to find the remains of Smilie’s victims. Gimme a fucking break! (/SPOILERS) Either way, I felt that these funny scenes, intentional or not, didn’t fit with the rest of the movie (especially its darker and more disturbing scenes). I liked the setup, the characters, the temporary creepy atmosphere, as well as the bleak, disturbing moments of the movie. But the longer “The Devil’s Candy” went on, the worse it got, ultimately culminating in a completely silly, dumb and ridiculous finale that left me incredibly disappointed. If I were you, I’d rather watch the awesome and in every way superior “The Loved Ones” again.
4/10
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
USA 2015
Written by Jesse Andrews (based on his novel)
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Watched on 30.10.2015
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” was absolutely wonderful and fantastic. Strangely enough, given the subject matter, it proved to be one of the biggest crowd pleasers of this years Viennale, and if you’d force me to pick my favorite movie that I’ve seen at the Viennale this year, this would be it. Unfortunately, I’ll have to get into spoiler-territory in my review, so if you haven’t seen it yet, just know that it comes with my highest recommendation.
————————– SPOILERS AHEAD! ————————–
First of all: As we’re all aware, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” isn’t the only teenage-cancer-dramedy coming out of Hollywood recently, and while it and “The Fault In Our Stars” (which I also liked very much) definitely share some similarities, I don’t really think that you can compare them – mostly because of the fact that TFIOS is, first and foremost, a (tragic) love story. Granted, there’s definitely a hint of love between Greg and Rachel that suggests that under different circumstances, they very well might have ended up together, but even though there seem to be stronger feelings between them than simple friendship, they never act on them. Which definitely separates this from TFIOS, and in my book only made it all the more tragic (to – once again – quote Tennyson: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.).
MAEATDG further benefited from the fact that in this case, I totally didn’t expect where this was going, the main reason for that probably being that I’m a very trusting soul. So when in the middle of the movie, the main protagonist, who (kinda) narrates the movie, tells me that I shouldn’t worry and everything’s going to be fine, of course I believe him – despite all warning signs that point to the opposite (not the least of which being the fucking title). Stupid, silly me. And even though during the last third of the movie, I finally started to consider that he might be a lying sonofabitch after all, the ending nevertheless hit me like a punch in the gut. Seriously, after the scenes in the hospital, the memorial service, and her letter, I was a complete emotional wreck – but in a good way. Pretty much the only thing that I didn’t like about the movie was the fact that they didn’t trust the audience enough to remember his teacher’s words from before, about how we can get to know someone better even after they’re gone. But that really is just a minor quibble.
Despite the tragic – but never weepy – outcome, for a very long time “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is actually very funny. Their home-made movies/parodies were absolutely hilarious, the voice over commentary – something that can go terribly wrong – was equally entertaining, and I also loved all the dynamics that were going on at the high school. What was also great is that over the course of the movie, there’s a noticeable character development for Greg, who starts off as a rather shallow, cynical person. And the cast was absolutely great, be it the youngsters (special mention has to go out to Olivia Cooke for an extremely emotive performance, but I also really enjoyed Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler in their respective roles) or the veterans (Connie Britton, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal, just to name a few). All these strengths, together with the great script by Jesse Andrews (based on his own novel) as well as Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s tonally flawless direction, add up to one of the best movies that I’ve seen all year.
9/10
Results
USA 2015
Written by Andrew Bujalski
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
Watched on 29.10.2015
Mumblecore is tricky business. Done right, it can be more lifelike and thus relatable than a regular hollywood comedy. Done wrong, it can be extremely mundane, trivial and dull. As for “Results”, for me it landed somewhere in the middle – though overall, I have to say that I was rather disappointed by it.
Since mumblecore-films usually have no noteworthy story to speak of, what it ultimately comes down to, for me, are the characters. There’s nothing worse than listening to a bunch of assholes talking about anything and everything for two hours. On the other hand, if the characters are either likeable, relatable, interesting and/or a combination of those, it can be quite entertaining. In that regard, “Results” is a mixed bag. I probably liked Kat best, since she seemed quite true-to-life and down-to-earth to me. Although even with her I had to wonder why she started befriending one of her customers, and Danny at that, if it’s against her principles. As for Trevor: While I liked his sincerity, especially when it comes to what he does and the philosophy for his company, it also seemed to be his only noticeable character trait. And Danny was mostly insufferable, especially later on when he decided that he would use his considerable wealth to ensnare young college chicks. Not to forget the meeting with his ex-wife where he tries to win her back, despite her making it very clear in advance that she doesn’t even want to talk about that. And finally, I didn’t get his character development from being pissed on Trevor for loving Kat and throwing him out, to him playing Cupid and trying to bring them together. The movie’s further hurt by the fact that despite a sleek running time of 105 minutes, “Results” felt at least 15 minutes too long, with most of its fat resting in the middle part, which dragged along endlessly. It’s not all bad, though. There were a couple of funny and/or pathetic moments, like Danny paying someone a hundred bucks in order to show him how to play internet videos on his huge TV, so that he can watch – and pause – the promotional film of the gym where Kat is doing her workout. And I also quite liked the dinner scene with the russians. The actors also are quite good all around, and the cast overall quite impressive for a low-budget feature like that. Mostly, though, “Results” lives off of Cobie Smulders incredible and seemingly immeasurable charm. Without her, the movie wouldn’t be even half as good. She manages to elevate it from mostly pointless to at least halfway entertaining and thus watchable.
4/10
A Most Violent Year
USA 2014
Written by J.C. Chandor
Directed by J.C. Chandor
Watched on 28.10.2015
“A Most Violent Year” was a pretty good movie, well shot, and with a top-class cast – but narratively, it was nothing special, and I did feel that we had already seen a couple of very similar films before. To wrap up my criticism: J.C. Chandor could have moved things along just a little quicker, in order to intensify the movie. A couple of scenes – like the thieves accidentally attacking the same truck driver twise, or Abel Morales coincidentally coming around right when they robbed another truck – felt a little convoluted and “movie-logicy” to me. And a particular reencounter near the end felt rather forced.
What I liked first and foremost about “A Violent Year” is that it depicts a non-violent man, who desperately tries to continue to live by his codex, even though his advisers, his colleagues, society and even his wife try to persuade him to act and to hit back. There’s this predominant conception in our society that when – as a man – you desperately try to forego violence, you’re less of a man because of that. It’s addressed perfectly in the movie with a conversation between Abel and his wife Anna. Earlier – to his shock and disgust – she bought a gun, because “one of us has to protect our family”, and she’s even calling him a pussy for not “manning up”. As a non-violent man myself, I could very well relate to him and his struggle. Which is also why I still don’t know what to think about the fact that ultimately, even he had to resort to violence, albeit only briefly, before catching himself and pulling himself together. On the one hand, I really wish the movie would have shown him being successful despite the fact that he didn’t give in to violence. On the other hand, there’s definitely an interesting message to be found in a film about a man who so desperately tries to avoid using force, but who ultimately gets backed into a corner – and pressurized by society – so far that even he, a gentle, peaceful man, cannot resist any longer. Thus, “A Most Violent Year” makes a point that all of us, ultimately, are capable of violence. It’s just a question of how far we need to be pushed. Not quite the message I hoped for, but probably more true-to-life and realistic anyway.
The cast is really excellent, especially Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. I have yet to be disappointed by either of them, and they continued their winning streak with their performances here. And while Jessica Chastain hit it big recently, one can only hope that “The Force Awakens” is finally going to put Oscar Isaac on the map of the majority of moviegoers. He reminded me very much of young Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” (especially Part II) in this – visually and performance-wise. Chastain also was simply wonderful as his wife. There were also a couple of great, strong scenes, as well as a couple of quite funny moments (like with the hidden account). And J.C. Chandor’s direction as well as Bradford Young’s camera work were quite stylish. I especially liked the shots during sunrise and sunset, with their yellowish taint. Nevertheless, “A Most Violent Year” only occasionally managed to really grip me, and overall, moves at too leisurely a pace. It’s a good (albeit hardly revolutionary) film, well-shot, superbly acted, with a nice contemplation of violence in our society, and a couple of strong moments – but as a story, I found it to be merely serviceable.
6/10
Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse
F 2015
Written by Arnaud Desplechin & Julie Peyr
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
Watched on 28.10.2015
“Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse”, while nice, didn’t really feel in any way revolutionary and/or special to me. It tells a story about growing up and first love, and even though it’s the specific story of Paul and Esther, like with all (good) similar films, there are certain scenes, situations, emotions etc. that I think that everyone who’s ever been young and/or in love should be able to identify with. I know I was. And it made me equally nostalgic and regretful, and just a little sad. And yes, in this case, that’s a good thing. However, ultimately, I think my feelings had probably more to do with myself than with the movie itself – since movies, like all art, are ultimately in the eye of the beholder, and what we see in them is very much going to depend on who’s looking at them.
————————————— SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD —————————————
“Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse”, as the title suggest, tells three stories of varied length from Pauls life. All of them are framed within a fourth story, which depicts Paul returning to Paris after living abroad for a very long time. Understandably, this brings back certain memories. The first is from his early childhood, and it’s nice, but ultimately too short to really leave any kind of impression. The second one is a tale that while quite interesting and entertaining, seems a little weird and out of place in this movie. It was entertaining in itself, but didn’t really gel with the other stories. The third one, which also takes up most of the running time, definitely is the heart and soul of the movie, and it’s also where the best, but unfortunately also some of the worst scenes and/or elements of “Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse” can be found. I loved the depiction of Esther and Paul, how he’s – quite understandably – falling for her. It’s not just her beauty, but also her radiance, her (sexual) matureness and her seemingly infinite self-confidence. On the other hand, Paul is quite handsome and charming himself, so it’s also understandable why she’d give him a chance. Ultimately, they fall in love with each other, and even though for both of them it’s not their first relationship, it nevertheless very much feels like it’s their first real love. And to see what it does to them and where it ultimately leads was both fascinating and devastating. During their relationship, it seems like they totally switch personality. Esther suddenly gets very clingy and seems totally dependent on Paul, not really being able to function anymore if he’s not by her side. Paul, on the other hand, seems to be less and less interested, increasingly seeking – and, thanks to their open relationship, enjoying – his freedom. Both Quentin Dolmaire and Lou Roy-Lecollinet play their roles – and their transformation – incredibly well, and especially Lou is extremely believable on both (polar opposite) sides of her character.
Unfortunately, it also was during this development where the movie ultimately kinda lost me. And no, that has nothing to do with the letters they write each other and which are spoken to directly into the camera (for some I guess it broke the fourth wall, but it worked for me, since it made it seem more intimate). Rather, it was during this part of the movie where I lost all sympathy for Paul. He must have seen how she was totally dependent on him, but he never really did anything to deal with this situation, instead leaving her in the lurch. She got worse and worse, and he got better and better, and ultimately didn’t seem to care about her at all anymore. Which really made it impossible for me to root for him, or for them as a couple. Now I’m not saying that he should have stayed with her because she had the feeling that she couldn’t live without him anymore. As understandable as this sort of feeling is when you’re in love for the first time – and to a certain extent, I think we all have experienced it – in this intensity it was quite unhealthy. And you can’t force someone to stay with you and kinda make him (or her) responsible for your life and your wellbeing. That’s emotional blackmail of the worst kind. But he either didn’t seem to be aware of this situation, or he simply didn’t care – and I can’t decide which one’s worse. If he didn’t want to be with her anymore, and his actions didn’t really give me the impression that he was, he at least should have had the guts to set her free. That, however, wasn’t even the worst thing yet. But to then rebuke Esther and his best friend for ending up together, that was just one step too far. And to add insult to injury, even after he comes back to Paris and meets his old friend, he’s still blaming him for that, even decades later not being able to see the error of his ways. Which made it very hard for me to sympathize with him. And, one last criticism: The movie could have dealt a little bit more with Esthers relationship to his friends and family. For example, it’s said repeatedly that Esther got the impression that his sister and father hated her. However, at least I was never really able to see it. We were told, but not shown, and even now I couldn’t tell you if it was supposed to be real, or a misconception on her part. That could have been a little clearer.
Overall, I didn’t much care for the first two segments, as well as the framing device. The third story about Esther was by far the best one, but even that wasn’t completely without its faults, the biggest one being that Paul made an increasingly dickish impression on me, thus I felt actually quite happy when she finally managed to free herself from him. And even though that may very well be a realistic depiction of certain relationships, it made it difficult for me to really get emotionally involved, at least after a certain point. Nevertheless, there’s much to like about “Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse”, not the least of with the incredibly performances by its leads Quentin Dolmaire and Lou Roy-Lecollinet. Plus, even though it tells a very specific story, there definitely were certain moments that had me think about my own past relationships, which gave it a bittersweet quality sometimes. Ultimately, though, I didn’t really feel that it was anything special. Where “La vie d’Adèle” completely destroyed me last year, “Trois souvenirs the ma jeunesse” only managed to move me here and there. It was ok, but not quite the cathartic experience that I hoped for.
5/10
Tangerine
USA 2015
Written by Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch
Directed by Sean Baker
Watched on 27.10.2015
“Tangerine” was the last film of a 6-movie-marathon – by far my busiest day of this years Viennale. As you can imagine, by that time, I was already a little worn out. However, Sean Baker’s rousing feature had me wide awake again in no time, and proved to be one of the best films that I saw at this years Viennale.
“Tangerine” is infamous for being one of the first movies that were shot exclusively with an iPhone, and while this may be noticeable – and the accompanying digital look would really annoy me in a fantasy of science fiction-film – in this case, since it told a very intimate and contemporary story, it fit the film perfectly. Also, because of the fact that it’s actually shot in 2.35:1, and not just the “regular” camera phone format of 1.85:1, it didn’t look cheap. I also really loved the characters – especially Sin-Dee and Alexandra, with whom I sympathized with pretty much right away – as well as the twists and turns their relationships took – like with Sin-Dee and Dinah starting out as ruthless enemies, but then they share a tender moment together in the bathroom of the club. The actors are all great, especially Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor. Despite the fact that those two were very much the heart and soul of the movie, and at its center, I also liked everything about cab driver Razmik, his family, and the secret that he’s keeping from them. There were many funny moments, some great lines (“Merry fucking christmas, bitch!”), as well as a couple of quite emotional scenes. The soundtrack also was absolutely great, very infectious and inciting. “Tangerine”‘s biggest strength, however, is that it’s vibrant, energetic, and full of life. It’s a unique, extraordinary and riveting film that no fan of cinema should pass up on.
9/10
Yesterday in the late evening, I returned to my notebook in order to write my scheduled Viennale review of the day, for Sean Baker’s vibrant “Tangerine”. I was mostly finished when I decided to take a minute and check my Twitter and Facebook – and saw that was happening in France. Since posting a review during this kind of crisis, especially one about a film that is so full of life, would have felt rather cynical to me, I spontaneously decided to refrain from posting it. After checking for further news for roughly an hour, watching the reports on news channels etc., I simply couldn’t take it anymore, and went to bed.
Every single senseless loss of life in the name of terrorism is a tragic waste that makes me furious, and the fact that this is taking place here in Europe – right next door, if you will – definitely makes this one hit especially hard for me (even though, arguably, it shouldn’t). This attack already had and will continue to have ramifications, as much as we might hate that, since it’s giving the terrorists exactly what they want. Which, stupid as it may sound, is also the reason why once I lay down, a voice inside me said that I probably shouldn’t have refrained from posting my review after all, since by doing so and thus changing my original plans, in a way, I gave in to them. Which is why by this evening, I will resume my reviews as planned.
Please note, for now and for the future, that when I continue with my blog as if nothing happened, even in the face of tragedy, I don’t mean any disrespect for the victims. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t care, or that I’m not affected by what’s going on. It’s simply my way of dealing with it: Keeping a sense of normality, and taking a stand against such vile hatred and senseless violence by doing my best to not let myself be impressed by it, screaming “I will not change, I will not yield, and I will not bow down.” Yes, it’s stupid. And yes, it’s pathetic. And yes, continuing my blog posts will not make the world a better place for even one iota. But unfortunately, it’s also the only thing that I can think of to do my part – tiny and insignificant as it may be – in order to make a stand and to not let these fuckers win.
Et quoique nous ne possédions plus cette ardeur qui dans les jours anciens
Remuait ciel et terre; mais ce que nous sommes, nous sommes;
D’un même tempérament, de cœurs héroïques,
Affaiblis par le temps et le destin, mais intransigeant dans notre volonté
De lutter, de chercher, de trouver et de ne jamais céder.
Francofonia
France | Germany 2015
Written by Aleksandr Sokurov
Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov
Watched on 27.10.2015
“Francofonia” was this years “might as well”-movie. Every year, when I do my Viennale planning, there is the occasional gap between two films. Since I usually don’t feel like strolling around or sitting in the lobby for three hours, I tend to watch whatever is showing in between. Which also means that originally, I didn’t plan on seeing “Francofonia”, and it actually was one of the movies that I discarded quite early, since it didn’t really look and sound like my cup of tea. And even though I don’t regret having seen it, my original assessment was pretty much confirmed.
If you’re into art and/or history – and preferably art history – then this is the film for you. Probably. Unfortunately, I’m not, which is why I mostly had a hard time with it. Not that “Francofonia” would have been completely without its merits. There were a couple of things and scenes that even I very much enjoyed, like the moments were, thanks to the lightning as well as the movement of the camera, the paintings almost seemed to come to life. Also, even though I might not be the biggest history buff, I found some of the revelations about Paris – and the Louvre – during the Nazi occupation quite interesting. I also loved the archival footage, especially the shots of Adolf Hitler driving through Paris, looking for the Louvre. And a couple of scenes were visually quite stunning, like when the current landscape around the Louvre transformed into how it looked 100 or 200 years ago. Finally, I have to admit that even though it wasn’t quite my cup of tea, at least “Francofonia” was quite original, something special, and definitely something that I haven’t seen before.
Unfortunately, there also were quite a few things that I didn’t care much about. “Francofonia” and I already were off to a rather rough start with the extremely annoying and weird beginning, when doors open up and behind them we see portraits of famous painters, like they would wait for us and/or sleep in the apartment next door. That was far too surreal for me. I also didn’t quite get the meaning behind the framing story concerning the art objects on the ferry that gets into a storm. I actually was already about to leave the theatre (and probably would have, if the whole movie would have been like those first couple of minutes), when things finally started to get interesting. Nevertheless, overall, it was far too long for my taste, and thus got quite tedious, especially during the middle part. It doesn’t help that Sokurov (who narrates the movie) himself seemed to think that he’s wearing us out, and suddenly out of nowhere announces something like “Don’t worry, I won’t try your patience much longer” – however, it felt like this comment came in the middle (!) of the movie, thus “Francofonia” continued for quite a while after that announcement, which didn’t help with my increasing impatience. I also had no use for the scene where Sokurov steps into this depiction of historic events, and kinda sits down with the past curator of the Louvre and Prince Metternich, and reveals to them their ultimate fate. I also could have done without the appearances of historic figures like Napoleon, who talk directly to the audience. The whole film, unfortunately, feels extremely artificial, and overall, seemed like an exercise in artiness to me. And despite a couple of nice moments scattered throughout, as a whole I found “Francofonia” to be more tiresome than exciting. In conclusion: Apart from a couple of visually stunning scenes (that I would have otherwise missed), I probably would have been better off reading the Wikipedia-article. However, if you’re interested in the topics that “Francofonia” deals with, I recommend you give it a chance.
4/10
Irrational Man
A life in 24 fps 