The film effectively weaves together the lives of three people in a way that’s not immediately obvious nor annoying when the connection becomes evident. The dialog is a bit strained in places, overstating the obvious on a few occasions, however not to a point of ruining everything. My wife often uses the phrase “show me, don’t tell me” to describe problems of this sort. I liked the characters, and the acting performances weren’t bad.
Some days are better than others with regard to the festival. I couldn’t quite motivate myself to make it to Pacific Place for the first press screening of the morning, but this film was a pleasant surprise. Though the movie has some problems, it shows promise. Matt McCormick has directed several features over the years, but I have not seen any of his others.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2010
Country: USA
Genre: Drama
I wasn’t looking forward to watching another Ewan McGregor film this week. Watching highly recognizable actors play any role in a film can be distracting. For a well written character, I prefer an unknown individual who’s not dragging a load of superstar baggage down the street in their wake. One exception to this rule might be Ben Kingsley, who I can watch on screen for two hours and not even recognize until the credits appear (go figure).
Perfect Sense is a depressing story. It’s about a chef (Ewan McGregor) and an epidemiologist (Eva Green) who are just beginning a relationship. The film is 2 parts apocalypse, 2 parts epidemic, 2 parts romance, 1 part zombie, and a really big squirt of Tabasco. People all over the world inexplicably begin to lose their sense of smell. Not long afterward, everyone looses their sense of taste. Then, the entire population looses its hearing. At that point, one of the scientists delivers the single line you never really want to hear: “I think it’s OK to panic now.” We never learn what causes these illnesses, but we do get a front row seat to the fall of civilization.
I loved movies like 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, The Stand, and the Andromeda Strain. They gave us a detached view of viral apocalypse, sometimes exciting, at other times funny or even educational. In this film, there aren’t any national guard troops shooting at people. There’s no race against the clock to isolate and cure the virus. Events take place, not over a matter of hours, but over the course of months. Neither the CDC nor god is mentioned once (well, I could be wrong about that).
McGregor narrates a series of photography slide shows throughout the movie illustrating how real people in society are coping with their loss. Those interludes provide an injection of empathy that make the events we are witnessing seem all that more real.
Foodies might be interested in how chef McGregor and his kitchen staff change their menu to emphasize texture, temperature and color once everyone’s sense of smell and taste have vanished.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2011
Language: English
Genre: Romance, Drama
From out of a snowy, barren landscape, a man appears. He’s running, though from what we do not know. The valley ahead holds a large town, modern in convenience but ancient in design. Just before reaching the town, the man (Kosmos) hears the screams of a girl (Neptun) from the other side of an icy river. Neptun’s younger brother has fallen into the swift waters and drowned. Kosmos pulls the boy from the river and revives him with his mysterious, healing powers. Grateful for this heroic feat, the townspeople welcome Kosmos as an honored guest (a gesture they soon live to regret).
Throughout the film, there’s a constant sense of “us” and “them”. The townspeople fear outsiders, or more specifically, they see them as a threat to the “pristine” way of life they’ve built. Kosmos, through some very confusing dialog (reminiscent of biblical scripture), reminds the town’s inhabitants that it’s not possible to barricade off the outside world–evil and good know no borders.
Kosmos and Neptun turn out to be kindred spirits, painting one another with red nail polish and courting each other with the calls of wild birds. Neptun’s father works in the slaughter house and does not approve of his daughter’s liaison. A clock tower’s minute hand stutters, and the filmmaker’s camera follows a flock of wandering geese through cobblestone streets at tail level. The pounding of artillery resonates throughout the movie as the town’s military strives to maintain a secure border.
The cinematography in this piece is beautiful. The writing may not be for everyone though. If what you seek is a formulaic, obvious-from-the-start story with cookie cutter characters, disappointed you may be. Watch the trailer to get a better flavor of the film’s imagery.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2011
Country: Turkey, Bulgaria
Language: Turkish
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
On paper, this film should not work. Much of the plot is a recycled cliche. Aside from the lead actress, there’s little or no character development. The premise of a “mirror” earth and moon is preposterous and presented in a way that completely ignores all physical laws. Combine those weaknesses with several over-telegraphed scenes and the repetitious over saturation of set content (more sci-fi books, planets and empty bottles are not better) and you’d expect this production to sink deep into the realm of silly. But as a whole, it sort of works though I don’t know why.
Rhoda Williams (played by Brit Marling) has just been accepted to MIT. Looking at her bedroom, I’d say she wants to be an astrophysicist. But Rhoda is reckless, likes to drink and drive, and manages to kill the son and wife of some Yale professor in a head-on collision. That incident pretty much ends her life when she’s sent to prison for 4 years. On the same night of the accident, Earth #1 discovers the existence of Earth #2 (an important fact that spawns an even more important plot point towards the conclusion of the film).
Marling’s performance is very solid and I enjoyed it. She’s also the screenwriter for this film. See it and keep an open mind, try not to be too critical and just absorb the planet rays from the other Earth.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2011
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-fi
Standing in line, there was a movie poster of Win/Win on the wall next to me. The photo was of Paul Giamatti and some high school wrestler sitting atop gymnasium bleachers. My first thoughts were: “What does an Amsterdam brokerage firm have to do with interscholastic athletics? and Does Paul Giamatti really speak Dutch?”
I often find it interesting how film premises debut in pairs (recall in 1997: Volcano + Dante’s Peak, 1998’s Deep Impact + Armageddon, 1999’s Joan of Arc + The Messenger, 2000’s Mission to Mars + Red Planet, and 2002’s 8 Women + 9 Dead Gay Guys = confused movie goers). The simultaneous release of two movies with identical name (yet completely different plot) is rare.
Win/Win is the story of a young analyst working at an Amsterdam investment bank during the recent, global, economic upheaval. Ivan is somewhat of a savant when it comes to patterns and numbers and predicting trends. That, along with his high level of energy and confidence, catapults this character into an upward spiral of success as those around him plummet to their death. The protagonist of this film is moral and caring of those close to him, but a little bit detached from the action and effect of his daily financial transactions–to Ivan it’s more like an enjoyable and challenging game.
I liked the lead role played by 27 year old Oscar Van Rompay, as well as this feature debut by director Jaap van Heusden. Some of the camera angles and cinematographic techniques were interesting (for example, Ivan’s game of hopscotch in the courtyard). The film requires a bit of energy to sit through, but has a rather short running time of 84 minutes.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2011
Country: Netherlands
Language: Dutch
Genre: Drama
