Thanks everyone for your comments. While I have been waiting for joseph to chime in on The Lost Domain, it's time to press forward. The further away from the festival I get the more likely it is that I suffer another of those geriatic conditions, forgetfulness!
So on to
WednesdayWednesday is the one day of lousy weather while I am in Montreal. The after effects of Katrina have made their way north and we have a steady dose of rain all day. This is particularly dreary news for me as I am on foot and have quite a bit of walking to cover today's schedule. Former boy actor Zack Lipovsky's first short film as a director falls victim to a schedule reshuffle due to the weather and josephk keeping me up too late the night before.
Donning my trusty hooded sweatshirt (to keep dry - not for warmth) I am off to the day's first screening.
11:59A young ad jaded TV photojournalist, Aaron Dougherty has just broken the biggest national news story of the year, the arrest of a key suspect in two child murders. His career is at an all-time high and his future at his news station looks bright. Suddenly, his life is thrown into chaos when he wakes up in a field in the middle of nowhere and discovers that he has been missing for the last 24 hours. He now finds himself fighting for both his career and his sanity as he attempts to piece together what happened. Aaron realizes that the wrong man may have been arrested for the murders and the media are being manipulated. But how and why is this tied to the missing 24 hours? The only American feature I saw during the festival, I picked this hoping it would be a good mystery. It turned out to be not quite what I expected with an ending that didn't explain many details (unusual for an American film). Though obviously low budget, it was still very worth watching. It was an unexpected bonus that the film featured childhood flashbacks of the main character and ends with an attempt to save the life of a young boy. Film was shot in the greater Denver, Colorado area.
Rating: 8/10
Boy Actors: Marco Helson, Tanner Howard
Link:
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)After this screening, I decided it was time to make a return visit to the CineRobotheque of the National Film Board of Canada. I had planned a long afternoon of film watching but the weather shorted out their system and I was able to see only one film, fortunately it was a good one.
BayoIn a tiny outpost on Newfoundland's Bonavista Bay, ten-year-old Bayo awaits the return of his grandfather, Philip Longlan, a legendary fishing captain who is coming home to stay after sixty years at sea. Bayo's mother, Sharon, wants to move to Toronto. However, once ashore, Philip feels driven to go back to the sea--on his own terms. Bayo wants to remain at Tickle Cove with his grandfather and mother. Finally, all three come to terms with themselves, with each other, and with their destinies. Based on the novel Lightly by Chipman Hall.This feature length film dates back to 1985, but as far as I know it has never been given a proper video release in the US. That's a shame as Stephen McGrath gave a nice performance that deserved a wider audience. The plot broke no new ground even for 1985, but the performances were good enough to keep me interested. The film's credits roll on a favorite song of mine, Carrickfergus. If they ever do remaster this one and release it, maybe they could update the closing number with Declan's version.
Rating: 8/10
Boy Actors: Stephen McGrath, Richard Edwards
Content Alert: PJ's, Socks, Boy/Man Kiss
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)With the rest of my planned time at the CineRobotheque available to me, I have time for a proper lunch before my next film - a rarity in this week of almost non stop film viewing.
King of the ChildrenSet during the twilight of the Cultural Revolution, and chronicles the experiences of a young man who is sent from the city to the country for his prescribed dose of agricultural labour. Upon arriving in the remote mountain region, he is asked not to work in the fields but rather to act as a teacher, even though he lacks any formal qualifications. Confronted with the apathy of his students, the young man decides to abandon the Maoist textbook they were using including such tedious exercises as copying out all the characters of the dictionary. Instead, he teaches his students to think about the world around them. Just as he is beginning to connect with his pupils, the authorities get word of his pedagogical heresies and severely reprimand him. This film was screening as part of a tribute to Chen Kaige, the director better known for Farewell My Concubine and Together. King of the Children is an early work, made in 1987 and unavailable on video in the US. The print was in less than pristine shape, but for something this rare you take what you can get. This was an interesting look at what it takes to be a successful teacher particularly one operating under the limitations that Leo Gan has. This film does not stand out against other student/teacher films that have been made through the years, but considering where and how it was made it does deserve some respect. That is one of the nice things about film festivals, they offer an opportunity to resurrect some old films that you figure you might never see. Although this film didn't particularly move me, I'm still grateful for the opportunity to see it.
Rating: 6/10
Boy Actor: Yang Xuewen, others
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)Letters of ServiceA nurse pieces together the haunted past of a 100-year-old psychiatric patient about whom nothing is known but his name and place of birth. No young actors to speak of. Although I usually like mysteries, this one was told in a visual style that didn't agree with me. A nice interview about the film is in the links.
Rating: 4/10
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(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)The Mighty Celt Donal lives with his mother Kate in Belfast. To make ends meet, he works long hours after school for the local dog trainer, Good Joe. It becomes obvious that Donal has a very special way with dogs, and while Good Joe is not a man to keep his word, he strikes a deal with Donal that he can't refuse. Entering in the underground world of dog racing, he offers Donal the "Mighty Celt" if the greyhound can win three races in a row. Meanwhile life at home becomes more interesting when O, an enigmatic former IRA man and a figure from Kate's past, reappears on the scene. O and Donal develop a friendship. However, Good Joe is deeply suspicious of O and Kate is weary of letting him back into her life.This was one of the better boy performances I saw at this year's festival. The
Observer's headline of the film is "Tyrone McKenna shines in The Mighty Celt" and I quite agree with them. Although the plot points are recycled from many other films about 1)boys and dogs and 2) Northern Ireland, this film is carried by a wonderful performance by its young lead. He is able to carry off what is expected of the lead in a boy/dog film without ever losing any of his standard issue Northern Irish grittiness. I believe the film is just getting a UK release now, so perhaps some of our correspondents from over there will chime in with their opinions.
Rating: 8.5/10
Boy Actors: Tyrone McKenna, Bernard Manning
Content Alert: Boy/Dog kiss, Smoking
Link:
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)KvishIn the Israeli desert, a couple is making love beside a memorial pillar. A year earlier, on the same road, four Palestinian workers kidnapped their Israeli employer and placed him on trial. The plot description does a wonderful job of describing what happens in the film. No real insight can be gained from this film by anyone not deeply familiar with the conflict. I am assuming for instance that the colors painted on the unfortunate employer's face by his captors have some significance, but I'm not savvy enough to know what ???
Rating: 6/10
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)Shonen To Hoshi To JitenshaWhen his brother, a champion cyclist, dies in a road accident, 14-year-old Satoru is devastated. His brother was everything he isn't. At least that's what he feels. That's when he sets out on a bike trip and discovers an inner strength he never thought he had. At long last an Asian film that didn't lose me.
This film is about Satoru's recovery from despair as a result of his spending time on the road with traveling clown/puppeteer/carnival entertainer Otomatsu, a man with some major demons to exorcise as well. This mismatched pair find the support they need from each other to confront their problems and continue on with their lives. They are even able to help turn around the life of a young reform school runaway whom they come in contact with. Despite all of this positivity there is a fair amount of death hanging over this picture. Satoru's brother has died, as has Otomatsu's son and their young runaway comes from a place where suicide is not unheard of. I read somewhere that this film hopes to positively motivate Japanese adolescents and to provide them some encouragement. One line in the film underscores this purpose. Satoru explains to his runaway girlfriend that they are "mid-day stars. No one can see us shining."
Rating: 9/10
Boy Actors: Ryo Tanaka, others
Content Alert: Socks
Link:
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Montreal WFF 2005 (Read 40,964 times)
