Tribeca 2008 Report

Two weeks ago I made a special trip to the city for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. After having such a terrific time at the festival last year (which you can read up on right here), I knew that I would have to find a way to go, despite the barrier of college in the way. This year I was able to see eleven films showing at the festival-some already set for distribution in the coming months, some that will most likely get a distributor very soon, and some that I hope to never see again. 

First up was "This Is Not A Robbery," a quite delightful documentary that managed to be successful without an overtly political theme. It was just plain fun. It's these types of documentaries that I really do get the most enjoyment of, taking an rather odd topic and making it colorful and enjoyable. Lucas Jansen and Adam Kurland take on the story of a man named J.L. "Red" Rountree, who lived a long life where he was screwed over several times financially, and finally snapped at the age of eighty eight when he went out one day and robbed a bank. He robbed several banks for a few years (he was put in prison for life when he was 92 and he died very shortly after), none of which were very successful, and it came to the point where he only began to do it because he thought that "stealing was fun." "This Is Not A Robbery" is the type of story that fiction wishes it could create but never will-an enjoyable and highly entertaining documentary.

*** of ****

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Next was "Simple Things," a Russian film by Aleksei Popogrebsky which I really wasn't overly fond of. Being raved about as "one of the best Russian films in recent memory"-which I really can't comment on having not seen that many Russian films in recent memory-I had a hard time really immersing myself into this film. This is the story of Sergei Maslov, a doctor who has quite a bit on his plate. He is having problems with his wife, his daughter seems to have run off with a no good boyfriend, his mistress is angry at him, and an aging actor asks him for help to kill himself in exchange for a pricey painting. While the main acting by Sergei Puskepalis is wonderfully nuanced and very rich (which made the fact that he's had a small role in one other movie aside from this that much more shocking) I was never able to really invest myself into these characters. There are scenes of dialogue where nothing really moves forward, and I felt like everything took a kind of halt . There is also a somewhat awful meshing of tone, mixing comedy into the strong drama when it is not really needed at all, and this includes the ending. "Simple Things" was not an awful film, but certainly not an awful film, but I expected something more. There are better Russian films out there at the moment, including "The Banishment" which I hope finds it way here soon.

**1/2 of ****

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Next was "The Cottage," a rousing good time (and everyone in the theatre seemed to be enjoying it too.) Starring Andy Serkis (Gollom from "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong") and Reece Shearsmith as brothers David and Peter, we follow their failed (right from the start) attempt to "kidnap" a rich man's loudmouthed and crude daughter Tracey, and than collect on the ransom money. Retreating at a cottage in the middle of the woods, the two bumbling would-be criminals, another partner, and Tracey end up crossing paths with a psychopathic deformed farmer, while at the same time avoiding two Korean hitman brothers hired by Tracey's father. I enjoyed "The Cottage" from the very start for its two very different approaches-the buddy aspect between the two brothers who can be no more opposite and the scare sequences involving this farmer creature. Some of its horror/comedy mergings are a bit awkward, but the quite dark ending is very fitting for it, and most of it does work. And the real mixed feelings come after its over, but the ride really is quite an enjoyable one. 

"The Cottage" is actually now on DVD, getting just a few screenings at Tribeca. I am glad that I got to see it.

*** of ****

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My Saturday began with "57,000 Kilometers Between Us." a film that I really found nothing worth liking. A painful excursion into a dysfunctional family, the movie is based on the commentary about technology-where does it begin and end, especially in real life where the world is pretty much revolved around screens. Our main character Nat lives in a world where everything is propelled on a screen, as her mother and her stepfather are the stars of an internet reality television show. Her only real friend is Adrien, a sick young boy who speaks to her over the computer while in the hospital. Nat is only really happy in this technological world, and as her life with the family gets odder and odder it could be that this fictional world is better than reality.

The problem with this was its extreme nature-as a way to highlight the main points of what director/writer Delphine Kreuter wants to say, she really does make Nat and Adrien's life a real hell. The family antics just become painful to watch, and you know it is when the wonderful Mathieu Amalric is resorted to climbing around on all fours during a dinner scene. There really is a hollow quality to this-nothing to relate to, and nothing you'd want to relate to. An interesting question posed in an uninteresting movie. When I walked past the director sitting in a chair on the way out (me skipping the Q & A because I would rather eat than have to sit through more of her work) I somewhat felt bad for her. The theatre was emptying quite a bit and there was no real applause for it (which is rare. I've sat through extreme trash which have still gotten claps. "57,000 Kilometers Between Us" is just such a messy and poorly made dull film that there really is nothing much worth clapping for.

*1/2 of ****

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"Somers Town" is Shane Meadows follow up to his highly acclaimed film last summer "This Is England"-which, if I recall right, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year as well. To some extent I liked his previous film, although not to the higher accolades as several other fellow film fans. I was highly impressed by the lead performance by Thomas Turgoose, who returns in this film along with Piotr Jagiello (both of whom won the Best Acting Award at the Festival). They play Tomo and Marek. Tomo is a runaway from Nottingham who ends up being mugged and robbed and left with nothing in London. Marek lives with his newly divorced father, who spends his days working and his nights drinking with some friends he made on the job. These two lonely souls end up finding each other and get into all sorts of mischief and trouble. Along the way their bond strengthens, and they both find friendship with Maria-a beautiful waitress who they both have the eyes for. 

"Somer's Town" is a very simple little movie, given so much life by these two leads. Meadows shoots all in black and white, and while that usually ends up being a stunt by the director to give it an arty feel, it really does add to the story-kind of like of cruder British Woody Allen film. This is quite obviously a quick project after "This Is England,"-perhaps he had some extra time on his hands and did not want to lose Turgoose before he ends up being looked for. I really did love these two man characters, and despite only running a lean 75 minutes the film really does feel complete. Turgoose is especially terrific, not loosing any of that momentum he got from "This Is England." I personally think this is a Meadows best film since "Dead Man's Shoes," which I found to be a perfect drama. My somewhat lackluster festival lineup was given a massive boost here.

***1/2 of ****

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The first forty minutes or so of "Charly" were quite possibly some of the most brutal forty minutes I've spent in a theatre in a long while. The packed crowd at the start slowly dwindled over this amount of time-I believe less than half of the theatre was filled when the credits began to roll. But staying and making it through the tough times were quite rewarding for me, as the second half of "Charly" introduced me to both a great character and a new actress I intend on keeping my eyes on. We follow the story of Nicolas, a young boy who seems to always have his head in a book and his mind outside of the fact that his family life is not one to be thrilled about. He eventually runs away from his home, and ends up meeting Charly, a young woman who lives in a roadside trailer. Working at night and having odd obsessive compulsions revolving his housework by the day, the two of them manage to forge an odd little friendship, awakening Nicolas from his slumberous youth.

At the start, it was almost unbearable to watch these day by day actions for Nicolas, who was perhaps one of the dullest characters I've observed in a while. I understand this was probably Isild Le Besco's intention, to make the third act that much more sweeter, but it was really hard to invest myself in this movie when I was getting nothing in return. The groans from the audience were almost awkward for me to endure. And then there was a silver lining at the end-and her name is Julie-Marie Parmentier, who plays Charly. She was excellent here, and had such command on the screen. Beautiful and quirky and odd and annoying all at the same time, she really threw a much needed amount of life into this sometimes painful film to endure. Of course the movie certainly doesn't become a masterwork into the second half, but it made it tolerable enough for "Charly" to be worthwhile. It isn't everyday I'm able to make a new discovery for myself.

** of ****

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When I saw Bill Plympton's name on the bill for a Tribeca screening, I made sure I revolved my schedule around it. I have been into Plympton's animation since I first saw his short "Guard Dog" a few years ago, and even made a special arrangement to see "Hair High" about a year and a half ago. Also, his films rarely seem to get picked up, so I feel lucky to have seen his new film already. "Idiots and Angels" is a bit darker than his usual fare, but it certainly doesn't lose quality. In fact, Plympton may have crafted one of his best films yet, in this strange odd story about a completely rude man who wakes up one morning to find a pair of angel wings on his back. 

The story goes into several odd directions, but Plympton is the master of the interesting drawn image. He draws the old fashioned way, and than gives the sketches to his animators who make them come to life. I forget the number of sketches that he says "Idiots and Angels" was, but it was quite mind-boggling. I have a hard time drawing one picture let alone in the several thousands. He is also great at creating a fine mood here, with a beautiful musical score and some selected Tom Waits songs that really blend into the dark atmosphere. Yes, strange things happen, but that is to be expected from a Plympton film. It's the effort and this amusing directions his stories go into that make them so worthwhile, despite a sometimes grueling pace, which he works with often-you really do get adjusted to it quickly.

*** of ****

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"The Secret of the Grain" won several top awards at the French Academy Awards, and I plan on seeing it again when it is readily possible. There was quite a bit to take in here, in this story of a sixtysomething year old man, fed up with his dull job at a shipyard. Mr. Slimani is divorced and instead of making it strange and detached, he stays close to his family. His plan is to open a restaurant aboard a boat, but the only problem is that his salary cannot pay for such a venture. With the help of his young niece (the excellent Hafsia Herzi), he tries to make this dream a reality, with several complications along the way.

The film was quite involving, especially with the subplots regarding the various family members, including a cheating husband. A scene where his wife ends up blowing up at Slimani about all of her problems was terrific, and I only wish that I made a better mental note about her character name so that I can look her up. This makes my interest in revisiting this film even better. Some of the film does get a bit tedious, as can be expected with a 151 minute running time-many scenes overstay their welcome, including the climatic scene at the end involving bellydancing (and when bellydancing can become dull, that is when there is a problem.) I was also massively impressed with the lead-Habib Boufares-who has never acted in a film before. This list of amateur actors impressing me continues after "Simple Things." But I did like "The Secret of the Grain," and intend on seeing it more when it is possible. I feel like things flew past me, which can affect my enjoyment of it-it could possibly grow even more.

*** of ****

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"Katyn" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film this year, so I'm certain that it will make its way into theatres soon enough. And it also involves the Soviets attack on Poland, and this time period in history seem to have become quite typical for awards-I wasn't very impressed with "The Counterfeiters" or this, so I'm hoping that this period dwindles-but after the success of "The Lives of Others," I do not see that happened soon. "Katyn" follows four families during the way, tragically interweaving them in your typical interweaving ways. What really annoyed me about this was how manipulative it was, trying to get the audience to fall into its tragedy in the most obvious ways possible. In trying to make the finale more intense and deep they really went the whole nine yards to get graphic, and when the film blacked out and lasted a minute more before the credits with the sounds of chanting in the background, I was more angered than moved. Not angered at the horrors of war that these people had to go through, but angered at the film makers who not only approached new ground, but did not even be dramatic in a new way. This film was obvious and poorly made from the beginning, but the sounds of tears in the audience made me see that many could fall for it. I really did not like this film at all.

** of ****

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Lastly was "Bitter & Twisted," which while enjoyable and somewhat touching in an odd way, would sometimes tread into extremely odd territories, that I still cannot really make heads or tails of. In a way it reminded me of "Imaginary Heros" from a few years back, in telling of a family in the wake of the suicide of one of their own. In both cases it is an older brother, who leaves behind a stoic and overweight father, a mother who intends on turning her dull life around, and a brother who does not know what to do with himself (played by director Christopher Weekes). He also lusts after Indigo, his neighbor who went out with his brother before he died. While some moments truly do go into quite moving territory, others go into more surreal and odd. To mention two, I would say the mothers encounter with a rather creepy bachelor in his apartment, and the oddly homosexual friendship between Weekes and a guy named Matt, who lives with his senile father. The film would take these odd interludes in the midst of the somewhat gritty drama, all combined with a lovely musical score. "Bitter & Twisted" is a strange film, but an effective debut by Weekes, who I think needed to work a bit on tone for his next cinematic venture.

*** of ****

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And thats all for Tribeca 2008-looking forward to another trip in 2009. 

I also saw "Baghead," which I intend on writing an extensive review for very soon because of how much I liked it.