IFFR 1999: Day 2

IFFR 1999, day 2

Project A, Survival Guide to the IFFR 1999

Review: Dieu Seul Me Voit

DIRECTOR: Bruno Podalydès

CAST: Denis Podalydès, Jeanne Balibar, Isabelle Candelier, Cécile Bouillot, Jean-Noël Brouté, Michel Vuillermoz, Philippe Uchan

Undecisive klutz gets lucky with various girls and finds the one he loves. That all seems a little farfetched, but if you think of this as a romantic comic fairytale than everything is quite alright. Nice to see are the many references to other movies and even to a comicbook 'Tintin'. Funny but more than a little too long.

Review: Aprile

DIRECTOR: Nanni Moretti

CAST: Nanni Moretti, Silvia Nono, Silvio Orlando, Pietro Moretti, Andrea Molaioli, Agata Apicella Moretti

At the offset of this film it looks like it's going to be a political documentary. It's not, it's a rather unfocussed but fun almost Woody Allen like comedy documentary with the filmmaker as the subject in his own lifestory. But it is no shallow comedy, it shows the struggle of the filmaker with decreasing importane of politics and the growing importance of his private life.

Review: The Silence

DIRECTOR: Mohsen Makhmalbaf

CAST: Korshid Normatava, Nadereh Abdelah Yeva, Araz M. Shirmohamadi, Golbibi Ziadalah Yeva

Like one of last year's movies from Iran (Ayneh) this too is about a little child getting lost and in the way this movie presents it is almost like a political stament. But because a movie with any political stament is either banned or censored the main storeline is very much focussed on the child and in this case much attention is put into the way it looks and sounds. And that is just wonderful mostly shot in closeup and with a lot of attention to detail.

Review: The Last Days Of Disco

DIRECTOR: Whit Stillman

CAST: Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, MacKenzie Astin, Chris Eigeman, Matt Keeslar, Robert Sean Leonard

One of the things I hate about filmfestival is when you get to see a movie you don't know, you don't have the power of the remote control. The last time I really was happy I had that power was when seeing 'Barcelona', Whit Stillmans second movie, which is not unlike this one: shallow storyline, plastic people, unbelievable dialog, not too much work put into setting the right period for clothes and scenery. A bit like an Melrose Place episode only much much longer. The only good thing about this movie was that it really captures the main character traits of the disco era, fake, boring and untrue.