A difficult year
A difficult year
Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache
France
KP Distribution
This Estonian teachers’ strike is funny. There is total confusion among teachers, politicians and parents, because… Estonians don’t know how to strike! How does this “strike” work? Will we still close schools? Maybe we make sure that school is closed from three to five on Tuesday? Or can children come and interest groups are organized for them? Parents rush to help teach lessons themselves, and coalition politicians picket alongside teachers in Toompea, even though they should make their own decisions and be responsible for them. Schizophrenia.
As a counterbalance, look at how the strike in France is going. The central theme of Toledano and Nakache’s film is the eternally overlooked climate theme, which is why it is not expected to be particularly successful among car lovers and the otherwise completely blindfolded people of this area. Two chronically (and almost criminally) indebted borrowers, whose motivation is partly selfish and personal, become involved in the climate issue. This is where another social issue comes into play, split lending. Both men like the same climate activist, and their swashbuckling opportunism is sometimes very funny.
The film also has its problems. The “difficult year” gives the impression that in an otherwise multicultural France, saving the world is only a white issue, and this in turn creates a slight taste of the “white savior complex”. And there’s a certain amount of naivety and exaggeration here, but climate activism doesn’t have to be a comfortable topic either. It must be so bad that even an Estonian who is not used to complaining starts complaining that he doesn’t want it and that he doesn’t feel comfortable with him. For starters, even this small strike would go a long way. Then let’s look at the climate issue.
3.5/5
Saints and sinners
In the land of saints and sinners
Roberto Lorenz
Ireland-Belgium-France-Switzerland-USA
Hello Movie
Oh, almighty, how are you doing? A few weeks ago I praised Jason Statham’s new film “The Beekeeper”, but now I even go so far as to say that “Saints and Sinners” with Liam Neeson is the main part of similar action films that can be regularly seen on the cinema screen for an hour and a half until it was replaced. For starters, there’s less action and more text, Therefore greater depth of characters and feelings. Secondly, the intriguing historical context, the conflict between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the 1970s, or The Troubles, in all its cruelty. Third, the story is resolved stylistically in a purely Western style, which is emphasized both by visual elements (open fields, a single imposing church, etc.) and by truly memorable music, which sets the Western soundtrack along with Irish folklore.
It’s all reminiscent of Martin McDonagh’s world in terms of language, setting and humour: the Galway of McDonagh’s works and Donegal here are both places at the back of Ireland, on the west coast, a few hundred kilometers apart. And also McDonagh-style, in the central sense that people try to remain human and understand each other even in the face of violence that destroys everything.
3.5/5
A life
A life
James Hawes
UK
ACME
There is a man in Slovakia, Matej Mináč, who has made four films about Sir Nicholas Winton, three documentaries and one feature film. I also encountered one, the documentary “Nicky’s Family” (2011), and so the story is already familiar to me from before. But they are probably in the minority, and this case deserves wider recognition, since the lord managed to transport more than 600 children, mostly Jews, from Prague to England in the short space of time between the surrender of the Sudetenland to the Germans and the occupation of Czechoslovakia. A superhuman achievement, especially in such absurd conditions, where meeting the necessary conditions was almost impossible.
The host of the feature here is, of course, Anthony Hopkins as the older Winton, and his performance is delightful to watch, every little gesture, pause, hesitation and impatience. And old manly humor. Unfortunately, the film itself is rather fragile in terms of structure and pacing, some events are skipped, for some reason emotional scenes are not given enough weight, and terrible facts are reduced to statistics. These are the director’s flaws, what else?
Those familiar with Winton’s story know from the beginning what is emotional about the story growing up – not to mention a single recording of a TV show – and watching them try to push the story this far, threads start to emerge. However, there is no arguing that there is enough emotional weight at the end to get it right and it will be quite difficult for anyone to leave this screening with dry eyes.
The story is, obviously, very topical, especially due to the Ukrainian refugees and the dehumanizing opinions that are spreading towards them even in Estonia. A refugee seeks protection, we as human beings hate-despise the weakest, is helping him somehow humiliating for us? Or does he belittle us? “A life” is a story that demonstrates the opposite: helping does not diminish, but elevates. It makes life worth living and remembering. I myself would try a little better.
3/5
Pure luck
Fluke
Woody Allen
France-UK-USA
Adastra Cinema
It’s even a little incredible that in Allen’s case there is reason to talk about his film again after so long. Apparently, the leaked scandals and the hurricane in the inland sea put him out of business, because lately Woody Allen has remained firmly on the course of one-point films. Remember, for example, “Cafe Society” or “A Rainy Day in New York”? Brain blocks, fear of trauma, it’s been almost ten years since I last saw Allen (“Irrational Man”, 2015).
Even if the rest of the world tends to do so persona non grataBehold, the doors of France are still open for them. Among these there are rather problematic cases, as well as media phenomena belonging to the Twilight Zone. Everyone has to decide for themselves how much they want to let Allen into their lives, but in his new pledge of allegiance, Allen went so far as to make the first non-English film of his life. Regardless of whether the action takes place in Paris (“Midnight in Paris”), Rome (“From Rome with Love”) or Barcelona (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), the language has always been English.
Now, in French, there seems to be a slight deviation from Allen’s universe, and the first half of the film, rather inactive, with a lot of text and beautiful images, is reminiscent of a real Frenchman enjoying the moment. joy of life‘me, in the style of Éric Rohmer. This is not one of Allen’s comedies or dramas, but another episode of the detective series that runs through his filmography. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind as a comparison is “Match Point”: young, beautiful people, a crime, and Madame Juhus is the spice of it all, as the title of the film suggests. Fluke – everyday in Estonian, carry.
As an old jazz fan, Allen probably just put some of his favorites here, Nat Adderley’s trumpet (“Cantaloupe Island”, “In the Bag”, aptly named “Fortune’s Child”) sounds the most.
Oh, and there’s also a strange connection in the topic of mutilated men: a scene was filmed in the same (or similar) underpass of the Seine bridge that Roman Polanski used in both “Frantic” and “The Ninth Gate” . Paris believes in tears.
2.5/5
The boundaries of timelessness by Kaarel Kurismaa
Alena Surzhikova
Estonia
Diafilm
A new portrait film about Kaarel Kurismaa, one of Estonia’s hottest artists, which is a pleasure to watch. That a (male) artist can also be a completely normal person, not an egomaniac, an erotomaniac, an alcoholic or everything at the same time.
The research is interesting, we have overcome the first obstacle. And the other? The constant internal struggle of portrait films is how to move away from the referential arrangement of the TV show material and be able to create an additional level or authorial point of view. It is not an easy task and most of the time it is unsuccessful. But then the question might arise: what really distinguishes a one-hour portrait documentary from an hour-long arthouse TV show? Unfortunately, in some cases this difference becomes less and less noticeable.
The film also struggles a bit with this here. There is an interesting archive, practical background commentary (no names are really mentioned, who’s who?) and the chronicle of the restoration of the famous concrete calf from the Kurismaa tram, but if he is such a unique artist, then the film could respond to with something. If we try to explain now, the whole topic here is like in a master plan. The story of the sculpture’s restoration went a little deeper, but not enough to lose the impression of an overall plan. And as a result, not a single thought or motif resonates directly from this film.
In themselves, I have been very saddened lately by the stories of architects and sculptors whose works stand the test of time and are dismantled, so much so that no sign remains except a couple of poor quality photos. In this sense, cinematic art is still a timeless thing, so much so that his three Tallinnfilm puppet films “Vahva rätsep”, “Tram Calf” and “Racing” will always remain part of Kaarel Kurismaa’s world. And as an aside, this lands here, which will hopefully bring Kaarel Kurismaa’s name and work a little closer to those who have never met him before. And then, of course, an obligatory pilgrimage to the “Tallinn tram object”.
2 / 5
2024-01-23 08:38:00
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