Spirit of the Marathon

Always searching for athletic inspiration, an email from the Running Room announced the one evening only screening of the Spirit of the Marathon. db and I went and I did find inspiration from it.

The film gives a brief historical overview of the marathon and its origins, how it has changed over the years, and the runners who stand out in the history of the marathon. Interspersed with this historical context are interviews with runners past and present and of all levels, from the novice to the champion, each telling her or his story of why they run and what they hope to achieve. The race central to the film is the Chicago marathon so we the audience also have a goal in watching each person set out on their run with the goal of finishing that race.

The stories move the documentary forward and do capture what it is like to train, face injury, overcome obstacles and the excitement of race day. Being a runner I connected to the film and understood the determination of each person. I’m not sure this film would hold everyone’s attention for its full length and I did find that it may have lost its thread somewhere in the middle, but overall it was a worthwhile film to watch.

Personally, I find it very moving to watch people achieve such goals that require physical and mental strength to push through to the end. There is something very unique about that experience. Even when I watch the Boston Marathon or any running event, I feel so moved watching the runners break through that finish line because at that moment in her or his life it is only about that moment and all the hard work that went into reaching that goal can be seen in their facial expression or some sign of relief at the finish line.

Persepolis

Movie coupon # 1.
db's valentine gift: a set of handmade movie coupons. "Redeemable any time!"
Persepolis was on my list of must see movies for some time now.

Based on the graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is a story of Marjane, a young Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. Her parents fear that her outspoken nature and bold behaviour will lead her to greater trouble than she may be aware of. They send her to Vienna to continue her eduction, but her coming of age years are difficult for an Iranian girl living alone and away from home. Just when she thinks she may have finally found happiness, it is pulled out from under her and Marjane eventually returns home. The story does not end here, but suggests a continuing journey for a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world after having lived through revolution and war.

This is a powerful narrative. Intrigued by the concept and was drawn in by the black and white visual style that uses the dark and light to effectively enhance the strong narrative. Persepolis takes a very complex political history of a country and is able simplify it without hiding the truth so that the little girl Marjane can understand. Her family is aware that they must explain to the precocious young girl what is going on around her while she also learns about her familial history, the grandfather that was imprisoned and her uncle that lived in exile who was arrested upon his return. This is Marjane's story and she carries the narrative with her dominating personality suggesting leadership, a "prophet" as she refers to herself in the film when she's a little girl, that draws us closer to her. We can't help but feel attached to this character as she struggles with her independence and identity.

I don't know if I can describe the visual style. It is probably best if you watch the trailers or click on the link above to get an idea of how the film looks. Can you guess that I thought the film was fantastic?

Tsotsi

If you did not get to see Tsotsi in a film festival or when it had a theatrical release then I highly recommend that you rent the dvd and see this film. db and I had the opportunity to see it for one of the port whoody monthly screenings.

Tsotsi (meaning Thug) is an orphaned boy who has done what he needs to in order to survive. He and his gang live outside of Johannesburg in a slum. When Tsotsi is forced to question how he feels, for the first time in a long time, it leads him down a road where he begins to question all of his actions. With the character, we re-live a defining moment in Tsotsi's life. His decision to let himself remember this turning point in his childhood that gives him the ability to start to question his choices between good acts and bad acts in his present day life.

There are no wasted moments in this film. Every moment in every scene is relevant and moves the story forward. Exposition is minimal and revealed as it is integrated into the narrative. Even the backstory works as a memory. Flashbacks often concern me, but this flashback is integral to the main plot.

Presley Chweneyagae is fabulous as Tsotsi. He conveys so much with the tiniest of movements in his face. This is important since the camera does often have him in a close-up where we see him facing us. It is sometimes hard to imagine that we are ever going to sympathize with this character, but that is part of its brilliance in its storytelling.

film two

With a little down time between films and a trip across town from one cinema to the other, db and I took in a farmers market. I've been seeking out farmer's markets a lot lately, wanting to buy food as directly as possible thus avoiding the grocery basket or the Whole Foods type experience that will package you a feel-good-about-yourself-for-shopping-here kind of experience. Why is it that Whole Foods always seems to open up in the wealthier neighbourhoods of a town? I think I know why and I know I want no part of it. (I'm really itching to talk about The Omnivore's Dilemma but again I'm waiting until I give my review for the autumnal readers blog.)

So the market was a pleasant interlude.
We picked up these lovely tomatoes. db put some on our pizza last night, but more on that later. There were lots of heirloom tomato varieties at this market and all kinds of food from b.c. I found a vegan bakeshop stall and bought a toffee nut square that was divine.

Back on the bus we crossed town to the next theatre and got a bite to eat. I wanted to be well fed for the next film since it would be featuring food.

How To Cook Your Life (2007, dir. Doris Doerrie) is also a documentary that features the Zen priest and cook Edward Espe Brown. His soft but direct humor and passion for food make this a fun film to watch. Not only do we get his cooking lessons, but we are also privy to his teachings through stories about his own journey with food and his time as a student of zen buddhism.

The approach to food in the film is based on Master Dogen who "wrote about the necessity of treating food as if it was as valuable as your eyesight." (from the VIFF guide) Starting with teaching students how to prepare yeast for breadmaking, the film sets a tone of light humor that is sustained throughout without turning this into the realm of the absurd.

While the film is set around Edward Espe Brown and his story, the camera does venture out into San Francisco and the everyday practice of people who try to share that appreciation of food with those who are the have-nots of society. We meet a woman who hasn't been to a grocery store in years, collecting her food from the backs of supermarkets and foraging berries from bushes, figs from trees etc. We also meet a collective who prepare vegetarian meals and take them to the most "undesirable" part of town and distribute the food to those who don't make it to the soup kitchens, the physically disabled and as one man puts it "the guy with the needle in his arm."

Doerrie doesn't keep us for long is this direction and fades in to another moment with Brown and his students. Brown focuses on the ingredients and the importance of cooking and being participatory in the preparation of food. You're not just cooking "you're working on yourself, you're working on other people."

Clearly what comes through is a celebration of food, of the type of food that does not come in a pre-packaged box or bag, but is raw ingredients that come together to create something new to be shared and enjoyed.

I left the film and couldn't wait to get home and make pizza with db. We made a fantastic pizza together and when I was chopping the peppers, I chopped the peppers.

I understand it will be released in the fall so once again the larger cities will probably get the screenings. Try and find this one if you can.

You can watch the trailer here.

Two more films were taken in yesterday as I managed to squeeze in a little film festival time. Work hasn't been co-operating since we still don't have an October schedule. I know I'll be working M, T, W since we go away next weekend for the Okanagan marathon but man I'd like to know times. Maybe I can fit one more film in. Just one more.

Anywho...

By accident again I chose two films that related. I purchased the tickets at different times so it wasn't intentional it just happened that way. It must be where my mind is drifting these days.

Both films were about Buddhism in one way or another. The similarities may almost end there except for ideas around food and survival came up in both films. Now I find myself in the middle of these films thinking of the book the Omnivore's Dilemma that I'm reading for the Fall Reading Challenge. Now is not the time for the book though. Let's focus on the films.

Daughters of Wisdom (2007, dir. Bari Pearlman) depicts the nuns of a Tibetan monastery, Kala Rongo. Re-built on land that was once destroyed by the Chinese government when it was wiping out monesteries across Tibet, Kala Rongo is a unique place because it has essentially been built by the women who reside there. The film reveals the changing role of nuns in an otherwise male dominated realm. What Pearlman leaves with us is the idea that this is a revolutionary site because it encourages the education and the spiritual practice for nuns that normally and traditionally have been preserved for monks only.

The stories emerge from the nuns. Each nun that tells her story expresses her joy at being able to practice buddhism all day. Each one has a unique story and reason for where she is in her life. As a community, work is divided and the camera reveals a hard and poor life, but none complain or suggest that they would rather be anywhere else.

In contrast we meet three women of a herder family that live not far from the monestery. The middle sister of three girls became a nun and it would seem that her position in the family permitted her to do so. The eldest daughter was married off for economic reasons to the family and the youngest sister, while she wanted to become a nun has been chosen to be the daughter that cares for her parents. In other words, she really has no choice. These women do all the work. They tend to the yaks and maintain the house. They gather the water, grow and cook the food. They shear the yaks, churn the butter and care for the men who...now what do they do? The women say that a woman's life is suffering. The men of the herder family sell the meat and dairy in the nearby town. The women say they get to go where ever they want whenever they want and after hearing their few words I come to understand that these women never go beyond where their daily chores take them. They are housebound and accept their life because they are women.

Visually we are given a handheld view of this region. The mountains surround and the rocky landscape further suggests the hard life for these people. I can only imagine this place in winter and how that would further complicate their lives. db said he wished he had seen it in winter, but with only 8 weeks to shoot what she could, Pearlman tries to give us a whole view as best she can. I believe she succeeds as well.

The monestery offers a kind of freedom. While the nuns do still view the monks as above them, the film does suggest that this too, given time, will change. The end of the film shows an election of sorts where 8 nuns are elected to run the monestery's affairs. This is a first and with the film ending on that storyline, we can only feel hope for the future of this place.

This is another film I highly recommend. It is getting a North American release so if you're in a bigger center, chances are it could come your way.

September and Octobre

Oddly enough I've just seen two films recently that are titled after two fall months of the year. I've only just realized this as I'm about to write about them. Is there a film called November? Perhaps I should see that next.

Other than sharing months of the year, these two films are also "period" pieces and both deal with one group of peoples feeling oppressed by another group. Both deal with colonialism and ideas about nation, but that is probably where the similarities end.

September (dir. Peter Carstairs) is an Australian film that just screened at the Van. film fest. Set in 1968 Western Australia the story is about a friendship between two boys, one white (Ed) and one aboriginal (Paddy). As aboriginal rights begin to change, this friendship is shaped and changed as well, having to be renegotiated.

The story is quite simple in its telling and it is beautifully set on the dusty farmland owned by Ed's family. Paddy's family lives on the land and works as slave labour. There is a parallel of the boys' friendship with their fathers since we learn that they grew up together and had been friends as well. However, with one owning the land and one becoming the servant to him, their friendship is just a memory that flickers awake at moments in the film. As we watch the film we have to wonder if Ed and Paddy will live out the tradition of their fathers and one supposes their fathers before them.

The film is predominantly set on the dusty golden landscape beneath a pale blue sky. Inspired by boxing, the two boys construct their own ring where they mimic their boxing heroes. Ed brings his boxing gloves and each boy takes one, reminding us again of who owns and who borrows in this world. Innocently, the two spar until the sun sets and of course later in the film it is where Paddy will eventually take out his anger towards Ed and all that Ed represents. It is the point of no return for Paddy as he determines that he will not follow in his father's footsteps, but rather find a way out.

What really struck me about this film -- well, there were several things really, but I'll start with one -- was the minimalist dialogue. To me the dialogue was perfection. This film was all subtext, it was all in the visual, which to me is pure cinema (if I may say that there is a such a thing for me). The pauses between spoken words, the way the actor could hold a moment and the camera holding with them created a tension, emotion, and a dramatic impact that implied the weight of the situation.

This film never ventured into the cliche or the saccharin and it continued to surprise me throughout. If you find this one on dvd I recommend you see it. While it was a visual feast to view it on the big screen, the simplicity of the scenes themselves convey what a strong and beautiful film this really is.


***
If September conveyed it's story through the visual the characters' subtexts, Octobre does the opposite.

Octobre (dir. Pierre Falardeau) is a dramatic retelling of the real events of the FLQ kidnapping and murder of a government official. The story is told from the kidnappers point of view as they act out the kidnapping and then proceed to live with their victim while on the outside world the government eventually responds with a banning of the FLQ under the War Measures Act.

Being privy to the lives and turmoil of one of the FLQ cells in an confined space of a run down bungalow is a tense and claustrophobic experience. While we are invited to understand and perhaps sympathize with the working class and oppressed individuals who took extreme actions to change life for the french people of Quebec, the film is almost testing us to see if we can find some sympathy for these men. However, with only one confined side of the story we are only frustrated by the scene and rather feel alienated from the men and their own inner conflicts.

The heavily worded script, chock-full of dialogue, sounds scripted and I could feel the writer at work. It comes off as theatrical, complete with fade to blacks as if the lights are going down on the scene before lighting another area of the stage. I quickly became tired of the intense anger and overly-dramatic moments that only broke once when we had to watch the characters eat some disgusting looking food. Perhaps repulsion best explains how I felt about this film.

Am I recommending it? No.

Water by Deepa Mehta is a beautiful film. Set in India in 1938 we follow Chuyia, a child bride who becomes a widow as her parents inform her. Chuyia, who barely remembers being married, is taken to an ashram (a place where widows live out the rest of their lives) by her parents. As tradition dictates, Chuyia's head is shaved and her colourful saris are exchanged for a plain white one thus visually identifying her as a widow, an outcast, someone who is already half dead. While Chuyia reluctantly learns about her new lot in life, she meets Kalyani. Kalyani stands out amongst the widows with her own room, her hair in tact and there seems to be some hope expressed in her eyes. We learn that Kalyani is being prostituted out, taken across the water at night where she is the mistress to an upper class man. When Kalyani meets a young idealist, a follower of Gandhi, the story reveals itself to really be about two "star-crossed lovers." This film is a Romeo and Juliet set within the changing political environment of 1938 India. In Water the two feuding families of the classic R & J story are the two classes represented in the film. While the film does focus on the love story, it is predominantly through Chuyia's eyes that we experience the world.

The life inside the ashram is fairly grim since these are condemned women. Outside of the ashram people fear if a widow's shadow grazes them they too will be cursed. They are ignored, forgotten and unloved women. Kalyani's forbidden love causes a storm that sets the tragedy in motion. For Chuyia her youthful spirit brings an energy to the interior of the ashram that we sense has not been there for quite some time. While it is Kalyani's desire that disrupts the norm, it is Chuyia's presence in the ashram tradition that initially stirs up the staid life of this society. She questions and fights. She even bites and in her youthful innocence defying the traditions refusing to adapt to what she sees as an illogical life. What the film is suggesting is that tradition acts as a mask for an oppression of women, saying that it is not tradition that causes women being viewed as unimportant and second class to men, but rather a society dominated by a patriarchal upper class, one that determines the rules that includes the view of women as second class. When Chuyia asks, "Where do the male widows live?" there is a collective gasp from all the widowed women as they mutter things like "What a horrible thing to wish upon our men."

Water is obviously a central motif. The camera water as life and it is presented at moments to remind us of renewal. Sins can be washed away and our thirst can be satisfied. Water can transport us and it can also take life from us. It is central to the life of the community and it is one thing that everyone shares and has in common. Each person comes to the banks of the river to be cleansed even if it is for different reasons the desire is ultimately the same.

I kept missing opportunities to see this film (as I often do) on the big screen and it really is unfortunate that I did not see it in the theatre because Mehta works with a fantastic cinematographer (Giles Nuttgens) that brings light into such a dark place as the ashram is. Visually this film is remarkable. The stillness of the shots allows the scene to dictate how we see the story unfold. In fact, the emotion and content of the scene seems to dictate how the camera views the (in)action. I draw attention to this because often in film our eye is led by the camera choice. Water is an example of a film that does not let the camera shape the story. Instead it works with light and dark to highlight areas of a scene while the drama unfolds for us.

If you haven't already seen this film, I highly recommend it.

The Science of Sleep

I don't often write about films which might be odd since I spent many years doing just that. I guess I should say that I don't often review films. I'm not a great reviewer but I'll give you my take on this film and the fact that I'm putting it up on the blog means that I highly recommend it.

The Science of Sleep (la science des reves) is a magical film. It's creative and beautiful and moving and visually rich. It's a boy meets girl story told in an unexpected way. In this case the boy's (Stephane's) reality is a mixture of his dreams and the everyday. The two are always mixing together so that we are invited into how Stephane views the world. He's an artist so his visual style comes through in his dreams. While this is his gift it is also his downfall because it is the times that he cannot differentiate between his dreams and the everyday that gets him into trouble.

When he meets the girl (Stephanie) it is not love at first sight, but rather a gradual recognition of their destiny to be together. However, while they view the world in a similar creative way, they do not view reality in the same way. Stephanie seems to be able to put her dreamworld aside while Stephane cannot. It is that gap between them that causes the tension.

Stephane cannot be anything else so perhaps he will always live his life beautifully but necessarily tragic. I won't give away the ending and even if I did it wouldn't really matter because the film has so much more going on.

Part of my immediate reaction to watching the film was a bit like being stunned just because so much information is being given to me visually and within this animated playground is a love story that is unfolding in several ways (dream and reality). Like Stephane I'm trying to figure out which one is the dream and which is the reality, but enjoying both and how they overlap.

The film is so textured and layered in its animation and it is all done in a classical animated style so nothing is computer generated. Even the "blue screen" background was actually done as rear projection so that too is classic in its style. The animated events or mixture of actors with animation has a childlike quality that mimics Stephane's and Stephanie's creativity and artwork. The result is a very handmade feel to the film and it reminded me of Melies A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune)I can see a connection since Melies was an inventor (like Stephane) and did make his own camera. There is also playfulness in Melies film(s) and the Science of Sleep.

If you click on the film title links above it will give you a sense of how the film looks and feels. The websites (both English and French) are quite fun. It's worth looking at and I'm sure will invite you to rent the film.

Meshes of the afternoon - Parte 02

here is part 2. Sorry to have left Maya tumbling and spinning in part one. Enjoy.

Meshes of the afternoon - Parte 01

Revisiting Maya Deren.

Having seen some popular film as of late, I started to long for the films that challenge me. Where did it begin? It began with Maya Deren and my introduction to experimental filmmaking while doing undergraduate work. When thinking about films that inspired me, I immediately thought of Deren's work. I sought out her films beyond the classroom and was not disappointed.

"What would Jesus Buy"

I see that the BBC world news has caught wind of the film, What Would Jesus Buy, produced by Morgan Spurlock who brought us Super Size Me. I can't wait to see this film. I've been a Rev. Billy fan since he started preaching to the public about the sins of Starbucks. He's an inspiration. You can check out the "surfing" column for the Church of Stop Shopping if you want to find out more about his congregation.

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th! Anything strange happen to anyone? So far my day has been uneventful. My bus never showed, but that's nothing unusual really.

It's been ages since I've seen the film Friday the 13th. I revisited it when I was studying horror films. It amused me more than anything and I may have fast forwarded through parts of it. I was watching a lot of films at the time, especially horror -- not really an excuse though because I would sit through a lot of films and not feel the need to fast forward -- but Friday the 13th did make me hit that button just like The Amityville Horror caused me to fast forward. The original was dead boring. Again, it seemed scarier at the time it was released but it doesn't last while other films from that era are still creepy.

Friday the 13th was a big deal when I saw it on video as a teen. It seemed so scary at the time and now it seems so tame (at least the original). The character of Jason evolved and that character's lasting effect is significant and probably there's an essay out there somewhere on that character. Here's a link that shows the film being referenced on t.v. and that's just one form of media. There are other references on the site as well that demonstrate this films lasting effect.

Familia

Another film festival night. We saw Familia directed by Louise Archambault. Not a big crowd for a Saturday night, but it was a 9:30 show and I expect it may have been a bit late for some people. No, I'm not kidding.

The story revolves around Michele and her daughter Margot. Michele is a gambling addict who leaves her boyfriend and is then penniless and homeless. While hoping to start a new life in California with a friend who is her daughter's godmother, she starts by imposing on Janine, another friend (and family member by former marriage) whom she hasn't seen in over a year. Janine lives outside of Montreal in a upper middle class home. She buys Michele's sob story and agrees to let Michele and Margot stay the night. However, Michele becomes the guest that won't leave and she manoeuvres her way into Janine's life. This seems to be the only way Michele knows how to survive. Both women suffer and benefit from this arrangement. All of their lives are affected dramatically.

While the title suggests a larger theme about family, the film really focuses on mothers and daughters of different classes. We see three generations of two families and how those two families are intertwined through marriage even after divorce. The film does try to suggest almost every kind of familial combination and dysfunction. While a same sex marriage is not overtly depicted in the film, there is the suggestion of a same sex coupling between Michele and Janine. Michele and her daughter, Margot, are staying with Janine and her daughter, Gaby, (albeit somewhat unwelcome). There is an impromptu small family gathering where Michele and Janine suggest that they are the parented couple in this family because the "father figures" are absent and it really is a household trying to function while these two women work out their friendship/relationship to each other. In essence though the film is about single mothers.

The men in the film are quite pathetic really. I'm not sure if this is a problem with the film or an important point in the film. I'll have to give it more thought. The women in the film are no saints that's for sure, but they do drive the action of the story and as I said it is really their stories that are being told. Each one of them is being "screwed over" literally and figuratively by a man or boy. However once again the film isn't about this and the men are merely obstacles for the women. The film directs our attention to the inner conflicts of each of the women and how that shapes their inter-personal conflicts with each other. The mother/daughter bond forces these women to attempt to find resolution with each other.

By the end of the film we suppose Michele and Margot will have become closer while Janine and Gaby may be further apart than ever. However, the film doesn't suggest it will always be this way, but rather reveals that such a relationship is an on-going process that will always be re-negotiated as new problems arise and get resolved (or not).

What I did not like about the film was the repetition of anonymous faces flashing on the screen at the end. It seemed intrusive of the filmmaker breaking the narrative cohesion in a unproductive way. It added nothing to the film, but rather took away from the strong narrative ending. While D. did not care for the final image of the foetus that was a repetition of the opening image, I did like the final sequence, but not the music that went over it. Again, it took away from the cohesion of the narrative.

Familia is a film worth seeing. Here again is another Canadian film I recommend. Too bad we worry so much about Americans coming here to keep the industry alive instead of pushing harder to build our own stronger national cinema. We have the resources and talent why don't we have a thriving national cinema?

Eve and the Firehorse

Thursday night D and I bought two memberships to the local film society. This gives us access to weekly films at the theatre for a discounted price (although I didn't see a non-member price listed) and perhaps we get the occasional newsletter or something if we ask for it. It's all very exciting. I've been missing the luxury of being able to walk to my local theatre and see independently made films, or go to a place like camera and see some classic horror films as julia and I did occasionally. In this small corner of whoville, the accessibility to such films seemed unlikely because apparently if it isn't playing at Silvercity, it's not worth seeing.
Anywho...

When I saw the poster for a film festival here in whoville I thought, "wow, this is a great chance to see something a little more interesting and in a film festival friendly crowd." Eve and the Firehorse was playing and I have wanted to see this film ever since I heard the filmmaker interviewed on CBC. I heard the filmmaker mention that Lea Pool was on set and I swooned at that (if you haven't seen Emporte-moi you should).

D. and I walked down to the theatre at the town centre and managed to get tickets. It was good to see a full house for the film. The ticket seller said there was free popcorn freshly popped, but we'd have to hurry because we couldn't take it into the theatre. Someone piped in "there's a short before the film so you could stay out a little longer." Uh...I'd like to see the short. Isn't that the point of a film festival, to see the films? Also, in these brief encounters I tend not to get into "no thanks I can't eat the popcorn because I'm vegan" because it opens the can and I just can't get into having to explain what a vegan is etc etc.

Because we were late we ended up in row 1. A nice elderly couple in row 2 directed us to two seats available. We thanked them and took our row #2 seats and settled in. Then it started. I'm not going to be nice here. I'm usually quite forgiving, but naw, I can't be bothered. This geezer behind us starts yakking through the trailers in his normal "outside" voice. "Oh I saw this. It's really good. Just my kind of thing." This was his comments to a cop drama. D. and I are laughing to ourselves at this point because it's funny. It's the trailers. Everybody talks in trailers. Then there's a trailer for the film 3 Needles, which is three narratives set on different continents with subject matter such as AIDS in Africa, and a youth in Montreal in the porn industry. Geezer is silent because he's probably startled at the images. At the end of the trailer he says "I don't think that's my thing. It doesn't look very good." Then the short film starts.
Geezer: Is this the main movie?
Companion (slightly younger): I don't know (pause). I think so. Oh yes, it is.
Geezer: Okay then.

The short film is about a young Chinese boy reluctantly visiting his grandfather on his birthday. In the climactic moment of the film when a photo drops of the grandfather's wife who has long since passed, there's a silent moment in the film.
Geezer: (loudly) Is that his wife?
Companion: Yes it is.
When the film ends.
Companion: Oh I guess that's not the movie.
Geezer: Is it next?

The production house logos start going.

Geezer: I don't like all of that stuff they put before the movie.
Companion: Oh the advertising. Yes, there is an awful lot of it now.
Geezer: Ads everywhere. It's ridiculous.

His voice cuts into the opening shot of the film. He calms down as the film begins to roll. There's a brief moment when the picture jumps. It lasts two, maybe three seconds.

Geezer: They don't know what they're doing up there. (He's referring to the projectionist -- I think).

The film continues. For the most part he's quiet. I think because he has to concentrate on reading the subtitles.

Thank god it was subtitled.



About a young Chinese girl struggling with faith and tradition, Eve and the Firehorse moves along quite well. The death of her grandmother and her mother's miscarriage sends Eve's world into confusion as she blames herself for her grandmother's death and does not understand why the efforts she makes does not help her mother in her pregnancy. While her father is in China to return the dead grandmother to her homeland, Eve's older sister takes an interest in Catholicism while her mother becomes a practicing Buddhist. Eve is led along by the stories in both religions but feels no affinity with one or the other. She exists in the film with one foot in Catholicism and one foot in Buddhism, but for Eve none of it is very serious as she imagines goddesses dancing in the night and even Jesus and Buddha dancing together in the living room while she laughs and then is invited to dance with them. While her main concern is trying to be good, underneath Eve is really trying to cover her grief for the loss of her grandmother.

There are some beautiful moments in the film that are simple, understated and very cinematic. Following Eve through her childhood world, knowing she is different from everyone else is what really keeps one interested in the story. The scenes when we watch Eve say nothing to what is going on around her reminds us of how confusing and alienating the adult world can be to a child. Eve's voice narrates the film which acts to also remind us that we are witnessing the world from her point of view. While Eve shows no overt signs of distress in her confusion, it is her dreams, imaginings and wild story telling that reveals how Eve is trying to negotiate the world around her. It is also those scenes that are the strongest in the film.

I recommend this film not only because there are some wonderful and creative scenes in this film, but also because I encourage everyone to see Canadian film whenever they can.

Don't go by Geezer's reading of the film because in the last shot of the film before the credits rolled, Geezer said "Is that the ending?" Yes it was and it was the right ending.

Chidren of Men

A dark dystopian film, the Children of Men stunned me. I loved the book when I read it several years ago as part of my thesis research. I was very eager to see the film since the book left such a strong impression upon me. The film has had the same effect, but as I said it is very dark. Of course PD James' book also depicts a chaotic world, but the film really brings it to the forefront by taking us directly into the middle of the battle quite literally.

Set in Britain in 2027, the Children of Men depicts a world where no children have been born in almost twenty years. As the world mourns the death of the youngest living person on earth, Theo (Clive Owen) gets caught up in the political struggles between government (depicted as a police state with a totalitarian approach to immigration -- immigrants being anyone who is not British since the rest of the world is in complete ruins) and a "terrorist group".

When Theo discovers that Kee, the woman he is helping, is actually pregnant, the stakes are raised and so begins his journey to help her reach the "human project" a supposed safe haven for those who risk getting to them. No one has actually spoken to anyone from the human project since they do not communicate with the rest of the world directly. Theo and Kee must rely on "faith and chance" to complete their journey. And this is what the film is really about.

I won't tell you how it ends, but I will tell you to see it. It is a hopeful ending without wrapping things up too neatly. It's a powerful film. It is very violent and yet has very touching moments within such chaos. I couldn't help but think of places in the world where such violence exists and while people suffer and die they also survive and somehow find hope.

I recommend the film and/or the book. Both were well worth my time.

If that kid can do it...

Whoville's local library has a small selection of English dvds. I popped in there the other day because it's next to the Cornerstone Cafe (free wireless -- no strings attached) and I wanted to pick up a copy of the first Harry Potter book. On my way out I scanned over the dvds and didn't see much except for this Canadian film, Saint Ralph. My intentions are always to try and see Canadian films in their first weekend of release since so much is based on how the film does in its first weekend. However, Saint Ralph got missed and then put off etc etc.

The second reason I picked up this film is because I was looking for inspiration for running. A minor hip injury has slowed my training and D. (the coach) has been telling me I've got nothing to worry about, but I still wanted to watch a movie about running that would inevitably situate the hero in a story where he would have to overcome many obstacles in order to achieve his running goal. And that is essentially what Saint Ralph is about.

Set in the 1950s, Ralph (Adam Butcher) is a teenager in a Catholic boys school and is not doing well as a student. As punishment for his many transgressions, he's forced to join the running club, coached by Father Hibbert (Cambell Scott). Ralph lives alone in his house, pretending that his grandparents are taking care of him while his mother is in the hospital. She has either undergone surgery to remove a tumor or is sick from some sort of cancer. It's never explained. When she slips into a coma, Ralph is told it will take a miracle to bring her out of it. He decides that the miracle will be his winning the Boston marathon. He then attempts to enlist the athletic and the holy to help him train and pray for his goal.

The film gets a little too sappy at the end, but it is effective and doesn't feel too fake in its efforts. The story is a little thin and much is left out of the plot that could have been put in to fill in some of the gaps. At times it feels very amateur in its performances, and sometimes it's the younger actors and sometimes its the awkwardness of the writing itself. There is one very good scene between Campbell Scott (Father Hibbert) and Gordon Pinsent (Father Fitzpatrick) that is a discussion about Ralph going to Boston, but is really about the struggle between the younger and older generation and the radical and traditional in Catholicism. Furthermore, it's a scene with two very fine actors really giving it all for the scene. While it's not the biggest moment in the film or the most relevant, it is very strong and it is fully played out while other scenes in the film aren't always completely realized. I often try to apply the "get into the scene as late as possible and get out as early as possible" to my writing and Saint Ralph often misses the mark.

Okay, now no one is going to see it after what I've just written. I do recommend it though because it is a "small" film, and there are some genuinely funny moments. Furthermore, as a runner, I appreciated the training and the differing ideas about preparing for a race. And finally, If that kid can do it...

Stranger than Fiction

No Oscar nominations for this film. D. and I went to see it at the local second run theatre down the hill (isn't everything down the hill now?). It's a great theatre by the way. It was a great film as well. I really enjoyed the film as a story and in the way it made me think about how story is shaped and how it shapes itself.

I can't help but think of A. Buchbinder's idea that a "story is a living thing." This film is an example of how this is so. A woman is writing a novel while facing "writer's block." She's quite desperate to find a way to unblock herself as she searches for the method to kill off her main character. She knows he must die, but how? As the film demonstrates, the story will offer the right path if you listen to what it is telling you. Wonderfully, in this film the novel being written really is a living thing.



The main character, Harold Crick, exists and comes to realize that he is part of a narrative when he hears a narrators voice describing him and his actions. After disagreeing with the diagnosis that he's schizophrenic, he seeks the advice of a Literary scholar and the plot unfolds from there (or as in one point of the film, Harold forces himself to do nothing to see if the plot will come to him). Harold journey is to determine what type of character he is in the story, what type of story it is and ultimately can he change the outcome of the story? In his search for answers Harold uncovers who he really is and is able to experience life in a a new way.

Most entertaining for me was the question raised if Harold is in a comedy or tragedy. Not only does the character have to figure out what type of story he is living, but as the viewer we can also ask ourselves what type of story is this and does it fulfill the generic expections? This is where the writer (the writer of the film that is) plays again and successfully demonstrates that there can be a fine line between tragedy and comedy. Perhaps something similar is going on when we are able to laugh hysterically or sob with as much emotion. For the film it fluctuates between both, but has definite comedic leanings because it remains fairly light. Ultimately, on a more universal level, the film seems to say that we are not fully living if we do not let ourselves take risks. We must experience both the comedic and tragic aspects of life.



This film is definitely worth seeing. I know it's the time of year to rush out and try and see as many of the Oscar nominated films as possible (if you missed any or all), but I'd say skip one or two and try and see this while it's still in cinemas. I'm glad we did.

Now for something completely different...

Can the screwball comedy still be done today? I've been thinking about my favorite screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s (The Awful Truth, Love Affair, Bringing Up Baby (except for the leopard of course), My Man Godfrey and The Philadelphia Story -- Cary Grant seems to be in an awful lot of them doesn't he?) and wondering if the style can be duplicated and still be contemporary.
Outside of horror this is my favorite genre, this is my favorite sub-genre of a genre. I know I might be reaching, but so-be-it. The wish is to strive to write something along those lines that tries to remain as truthful to the genre as possible. I suppose the reason why I love the film Hudsucker Proxy so much is because it recalls the screwball era.

After all the research and writing I did for one area of my studies, everyone anticipated that I would write a horror script. I wrote sci-fi. I went back to thinking about horror and now...the screwball comedy? I've got nothing to lose right?