Preview of the Film Fest: Mon Dieu, How to Choose?

—  by Paula Treneer —

Orcas Island Film Fest

The upcoming Orcas Island Film Festival looks to be a feast for filmlovers, especially those like this transplant from urban locales where a thriving film festival was a highlight of every spring (SIFF), fall (Abu Dhabi Film Festival), or winter (Berlin). Yet as I surveyed the offerings, the reality of an already activity-packed OIHS Homecoming weekend meant hard choices would have to be made. How to decide? For me, there are some decision rules which have worked for me in the past, and which are solely a product of my cinematic tastes and idiosyncrasies.

• Foreign films – often hard to find on the big screen in a small viewing community such as Orcas, I pine for the sound of foreign tongues in the screening room most of the year. When the happy sound of foreign phonemes is combined with a director whose past oeuvre resonates with my psyche, the films often wind up on my short list.
• Social themes – another staple of the festival circuit, I prize the opportunity to become acquainted with the prevalent concerns and pre-occupations of other countries and cultures, especially if a historical context is provided.
• Exhuberance / Life-affirming – too much gritty social realism requires a counterpoint, which if set in Scandinavia or the sunny southern European climes, will be sure to lift me out of the miserly Weltanschauung occasioned by too many of the former.

To wit, in no particular order, and without the benefit of advance viewing other than the trailers available on the festival website, here is the shortlist my criteria culled:

• “Human Capital”, appears to be a stylish Italian thriller in the style of Paul Haggis’ “Crash” (think interweaving tales) which features one of my favorite French/Italian actresses, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Munich”, 2005; “Ceux qui m’aiment prendront le train” by Patrice Chèreau, 1998). Valeria Golino may be more recognizable to American audiences, while the Amy Winehouse soundtrack may appeal to her fans. I won’t miss this opportunity to watch Nicolas Sarkozy’s sister-in-law in action.

• “1000 Times Good Night” features Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, whose multi-faceted career has included both serious drama (“The English Patient”, 1996, “The Lovers on the Bridge”, 1999, “Caché”, 2005) and more lighthearted fare (“Chocolat”, 2000), Co-starring and co-written by Game of Throne’s Nikolaj Costes-Waldau, this story of a war photo-journalist might cast the family-work conflict into an entirely more serious sphere. Filmed in locations as disparate as Ireland, Morocco and Kenya, the depressing thematic content may be partially offset by the photography.

• “We are the Best” (“Vi ar bast!”), a Swedish film directed by Lukas Moodysson, whose memorable “Lilya 4 Ever” chronicled a darker subject, this film focuses on three teenagers who decide to form a punk rock band and is based on his wife’s graphic novel

• “InBetween Worlds” (“Zwischen Welten”), filmed in northern Afghanistan features German combatants as the heroes, with actress-turned director Feo Aladag.

• “Imitation Game” stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the genius Bletchley Park mathematician behind the development of the Turing machine, a gripping true-life tale as portrayed in “Enigma” but with the star power of Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Mark Strong and others. We’ll see if Cumberbatch brings his talent for portraying eccentric genius (“Sherlock”) here without hamming it up as much as Russell Crowe in the overrated (IMHO) “A Beautiful Mind”.

• “Two Days, One Night” (“Deux Jours, Une Nuit”), directed by the frères Dardennes, whose collaboration frequently highlights working-class struggles leading to redemptive social solidarity. Marion Cotillard’s casting as a blue-collar victim of economic circumstance follows in the footsteps of others eschewing glamour for social realism, such as Charlize Theron’s acclaimed turn in “Monster,”

• “Living is Easy with Eyes Closed” (“Vivir est facil con los ojos cerrados”), in the road-trip genre, is also a Spanish film set in the sixties, featuring a high school teacher who uses Beatles songs to teach English and sets out to meet John Lennon on a Spanish filmset while picking up two hitchhikers along the way. This seeming combination of Iberian scenery with a sixties sensibility and historical context hits several of my criteria simultaneously.

• “Belle and Sebastien” looks to be accompanied by beautiful scenery and cinematography, as well as the fine Tchéky Karyo as the lead character’s grandfather. Apparently based on a 1965 French live-action series and later Japanese anime in a World War II alpine setting, this film was highlighted by SIFF for realistic characters, photography and redemptive family themes.

• “Laggies”, featuring the seemingly ubiquitous Keira Knightly in the throes of a twenty-something life crisis who seeks teenage company in the form of Chloe Grace Moretz, perhaps better known for her thriller and dramatic roles (“Carrie”, “Hugo”) than for romantic comedy, appeals to the eternal child in all of us.

The many other fine films represented in this exciting festival are beckoning, however, as we are reminded, “ars longa, vita breva.”