Eight Films

Well damn, the whole thing is over for another year. It's gone by quickly as usual, and I never got fully into the swing of things in my own mind, perhaps because all but three of my films were at the Scotia Bank. Nevertheless, I've been very happy, with a couple of exceptions, with the films I saw this year. I lost a bit of momentum on the whole review thing, but I hate to leave a job unfinished, so I thought I'd polish off all eight in quickie reviews:

With Your Permission
A Danish film co-written and directed by Paprika Steen, who's apparently been in a few famous Dogme films, this is a quirky (utterly non-Dogme-esque) comedy about an uptight loser who's a victim of domestic abuse - his frustrated, depressed, former opera singer wife beats him up regularly. It was very entertaining and unusual for 90% of the film, but ended in a haze of Hollywood confection which seemed to play against the film's strengths up to that point. Still, recommended.

No Country for Old Men
Kyle got it right. Utterly entertaining, energetic, hilarious, harrowing, and extremely violent. Not my favourite of all time of theirs, but that's likely pure sentimentality on my part. A must see.

It's a Free World
Ken Loach's latest is a drama set in London about the problems of illegal immigration as told through the eyes of an opportunistic single mom who sets up her own casual labour staffing agency, and loses her moral compass along the way. I loved the verite-style and most of the performances...and I thought the loss of innocence and, later, control in the brash lead as she falls from grace was well portrayed. Also just interesting subject matter. Recommended. Incidentally, Derek didn't like the film at all.

Une Vieille Maitresse
Catherine Breillat doing a period piece? Seems very out of character for the creator of Romance and The Fat Girl, but somewhat surprisingly, this is a convincing and compelling dark anti-romance, in the tradition of Dangerous Liasions. Strong performances, and a script that takes us down an inexorable path to the death of love and innocence. Well worth a look if it ever gets wide release, or shows up in your video store.

The Savages
Another satisfying film, this time from American writer/director Tamara Jenkins (her first film in ten years, and yet she looked to be in her late-30's), this one is a slice of life about two unhappy, 40-ish siblings who have to come together to deal with their dying father. Sounds moribund in its own right, but on the strength of a great screenplay, sensitive direction, and winning performances by P.S. Hoffman and Laura Linney (be still my heart), this was a strong, memorable film. Good mid-winter rental.

Silent Resident
Yikes. See Sarah's post. Laughably incomprehensible. Entirely un-intriguing too. Only real clunker this year.

L'enemi Intime
A French film dealing with the Algerian military campaign of the 1950's, this one was almost a take on Stone's film in its focus on the day-to-day activities of the French platoon and its struggles of trying to quell the vicious Algerian freedom fighters, the Feghalla. The story centres on a new platoon leader, who tries to stay above the brutality of the fighting methods that both sides use. I found this to be far too well-trod material, and not especially new or compelling in its perspective. However, I did leave with the profound realization of just how horrific the French occupation of Algeria was (+/- 500,000 Algerian deaths over twenty years.)

Angel
I ended my fest this afternoon with Francois Ozon's latest film Angel. A strangely toned movie that danced between obvious (almost Mel Brooks-esque) satire, 30's hollywood homage (which generally equated to a less jarring satirical approach), and serious drama, I found this film pleasant to look at and funny at times, but too unsure of itself. Satire does not expect you to care much about its characters, and so when the gears shifted into high drama, there was nobody to hold onto. Good performances nevertheless from newcomer Romola Garai as Angel, and Michael Fassbender as her lover/husband Esme. Curious to hear other people's thoughts on this one.

Hope you all enjoyed the rest of your festivals.