It has been awhile since I picked up on this theme...but as Film Festival season kicks into high gear, this past week I have seen movies from Denmark, Turkey, Italy, Argentina, and Slovenia, and all I have to say is....The Slovenian Film Industry has a LOT of catching up to do!! OY!
I went to my first "WorldFest Houston 2007" film, offensively-titled -- for an ostensible 'comedy' -- "Labour Equals Freedom" (or 'Delo Osvobaja' for you Slovenian speakers) on the recommendation of IMDB-critic Matija from Ljubljana, who called it "The Best Slovenian Movie. EVER." Well, I am just glad that Matija is qualified to make that assessment, and not me! A very depressing look at life in a post-EU Balkan country, it bills itself as a comedy, without having a single laugh in it! That takes ___ (whatever the Slovenian word for 'balls' is). It has nothing to recommend it.
I could say the same thing about the Turkish and Argentine films I saw, but I will not: because "Climates" (IKLIMLER) and "Glue" do not totally suck..
The first, because it is the product of an accomplished, talented director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who can wring emotional truth out of characters and situations that are otherwise lifeless and unsympathetic. It helps that he is directing his stunning wife in a series of gut-wrenching scenes that only hint at her character's inner turmoil. It is a great performance; unfortunately, the movie is not 'about' her, but about the selfish, self-absorbed male character (played by the director himself), who asks for, and receives, Zero sympathy from the audience (remember the dude in his last film "Distant" (Uzak)? He's positively loveable compared to this loser!!) -- A prize to any of my readers who actually DO remember the dude from Uzak!!-- It also helps that several scenes are shot with the stunning backdrop of Turkiye in all its diverse and seasonal glory.
"Glue" is a first feature by a London-trained Patagonian filmmaker Alexis dos Santos, who succeeds in showing the world that his country's teenagers are as vacuous and uninteresting as teenagers everywhere. If you've seen Larry Clark's overrated "Kids", you've seen this movie. The blurb says it will "take you back to those awkward and excruciating teenage years" -- well, I'm sorry, I never sniffed glue while giving my best friend a hand job! (I guess I missed out). Seen as a totally-improvised home movie (that started out as a short), rather than as a fully-formed theatrical release, I guess it does have moments of artistry. I just don't see the humor in a jilted wife beating up her rival while calling her an "oily f**ing puta" (but again, I was in the minority in the audience).
Ever the glutton for punishment, stay tuned for more exciting film festival features!!
Thank you! Anyone with a post devoted to 'Malena' (starring the lovely Monica Bellucci) deserves credit, too!
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