Same, same but different

the Painted Veil (2006) - dir. John Curran - 3.5 stars

The Thai have a saying for things that are essentially the same but somewhat different in some aspect. As I was walking along the aisles toward the exit after the film credits rolled, I couldn't help but be reminded of this phrase that so perfectly describes Curran's latest. The Painted Veil is the love story that is same, same but different.

What makes it essentially different are the surroundings in which this love flourishes and the levels of character growth that's usually missing from such romantic dramas. A remote Chinese village beset by cholera is not the most enviable setting where love can easily flourish, but this situation actually pushes the characters into coming to terms with their own core personalities, which in turn encourages mutual respect and love between a married couple who hasn't felt much of either for each other until then. Having said that, the character development goes beyond allowing love and respect but actually changes the characters forever personally, not just in relation to each other, and so has a deeper impact for the end of the film. I must say I'm very pleased with the depth of character development that Curran offers. It's a breath of fresh air for a romantic drama.

This eventual yet doomed love affair is portrayed in a very mature manner by the two brilliant actors, Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. Although I must say I am willing to fore go Watts' somewhat disappointing British accent, especially during the first half of the film (I guess she got better as the shoot continued or I just got used to her accent), just because of her beautiful and graceful depiction of her character. She truly is a great actress who can match Norton's proven range of characters any day.

The last thing I want to mention is the cinematography. This film is simply beautiful and graceful in its imagery. The effective use of wide screen aspect ratios bring out the beauty of the Chinese countryside while Curran's close-ups delve deep into the eyes -and thoughts- of Kitty and Walter. All in all, the Painted Veil is a film that's worthwhile to watch because it delivers its story extremely well.

Grisebach's Latest is Overrated

Sehnsucht (2006) - dir. Valeska Grisebach - 2.5 stars

The only reason I went to see Sehnsucht (English title Longing) is because the British Film Institute went a long way to describe how unexpectedly good Grisebach's film was. Having a membership to the BFI, it didn't take me too long to buy into it. However, the film is slow and the script too predictable.

Given the film's shortcomings, the acting is top notch. The psyche of each character is revealed perfectly through the subtle and silent depictions of each of the main actors. The actors actually manage to create a perfect sense of disillusionment, so well done that the viewer completely believes that these characters are real and regular. Perhaps, this ordinary feeling that dominates the acting is what makes it so successful.

I will definitely watch out for Grisebach's next release, even though I didn't like Sehnsucht as much as the BFI did. I still see the glimmer of a potentially great director in her and I'll be waiting for her greatest film yet. This can't be it.

It's time for a new short film

I was watching the short film that my friend and I made almost two years ago (the Facade - May 2005) as my senior year cinema project, when a great idea for a film struck me! I immediately wrote my ideas in my new Moleskin notebook (gotta have one!) and as a consequence of getting too excited couldn't even sleep.

I've been waiting to make a new film for the longest time now. It has been one of those itches that I mean to scratch but never get to because of work. This time, the idea hit me so naturally that I have the whole film rolling inside my head already. I've started writing the preliminary script, and then with the help of a friend, I want to finish the storyboard stage by mid-September. I'll try and shoot the film in as few days as possible since I have to rent the equipment this time. We're not in college anymore! No free digital cameras, lighting, editing machines... ahh, I miss it already.

If anyone's interested in helping in any way or collaborating, let me know!

Godard and Truffaut Would Be Proud

Dans Paris (2006) - dir. Christophe Honoré - 4.5 stars

Since the success of the French New Wave in the 50s and 60s, many film-makers, mostly French, have tried to pay homage to the great minds behind the movement. Godard and Truffaut's distinctive styles have inspired countless fans to bring something similar to the big screen time and time again, to achieve that playful approach of the New Wave to any material, no matter how serious it is. Honoré clearly not only appreciates the New Wave and its auteurs but also has a deep understanding of what makes the movement so popular, especially in recent times. As a result, he successfully presents us with something more than a tribute with his latest Dans Paris.

The film is mainly about a depressed man, Paul, who is having a very hard time coming to terms with himself, with what he wants and most importantly with the woman whom he loves. His brother, Jonathan, is the mischievous wild spirit who tries to help him in his own way, while in the meantime kissing naught but three girls over the course of it. This is where the playful treatment of the subject comes to its best, as the film proves that life goes on and you can still get laid no matter what!

The story may be about these brothers, but the central character of the film makes her appearance in the first few minutes of the film: the city of Paris. Paris is not just the city these odd characters are living in. It's their tumor and savior. The city is suffocating yet it breathes life into this depressed man, as he recovers in his cocoon of a bedroom. In fact, the film starts and ends in Paul's bedroom.

The New Wave aspects of the film are obvious from the beginning, as Jonathan addresses the audience, reminding them that he is not the main character of the film despite the obvious connections one would make by seeing him first. This playful address reminds the viewer of Godard's À bout de souffle (1960) and Bande à Part (1964) where Godard's characters acknowledge the existence of the viewer by not only talking directly to it but also by bowing and going through a dance number.

Even though Honoré doesn't reinvent the wheel, he successfully manages to pull together a film that lives and breathes New Wave aesthetics, acting, script and spirit. It's worth applauding him just for the fine execution of New Wave theories for the 21st century audience.

Highly Stylistic Portrait of a British Family

Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) - dir. Terence Davies - 3.5 stars

Davies' autobiographical film was essentially shot as two separate films at different times with the same actors. The partition is made very clear as the parts are titled separately within the film. The first part, 'Distant Voices,' covers the tightly-knit family's memories of the father of the house. Most of the memories depict how the family stuck together throughout years of violence inflicted by the father. It also serves in developing the characters, but paints a pretty stereotypical violent father role. The second part, 'Still Lives,' mainly focuses on the lives of the family's remaining members after the father's death. It is not a hopeful final part to the film, as it highlights that all the other members have gotten into their own terror-inflicted households. Escaping from one violent household, only to become the main actress of one's own violent household.

As the title suggests, the film stylistically feels very still, like a selection of family portraits that come alive and provide snippets of information about the family. Davies doesn't try too hard to tie these small informational pieces together and leaves it up to the viewer to make sense out of the whole picture. Having said that, it is quite easy to tie the knots and arrive at the overall meaning. Going back to the stylistic aspects of the film, the use of extremely smooth camera work feels very modern, even in our time. The stylistic weight is so prominent in the film that the work comes off as mainly an art piece, rather than a fictional, realistic story-telling device.

Another interesting aspect of the film was the extensive use of music to convey a sense of melancholy and drive the plot. The majority of the script consists of traditional British songs, which seem preferred over dialogs. Coupled with the camera work and the highly stylistic mise-en-scene, the music completes the atmospheric value of the film. Even though it's not the best film I've seen, it is a film that "comes as close to poetry on film as possible" as one of IMDB's users suggest. Davies should be more prominently touted as one of Britain's best film makers.