#97 - Hadewijch (Bruno Dumont)

note: article contains spoilers

 

 A Mirror

“Hors Satan” made enough of an impression on me that I had to look up more films of Bruno Dumont, and by no real logic I picked “Hadewijch” to watch next  - I think the only real reasoning for picking this one was that I kind of liked the poster. But also the odd title spiked my curiosity a little, and after watching the film last night I still didn’t know what it exactly meant. I noticed that both a major location and the protagonist where sometimes referred to by the name of Hadewijch in the film, but after the film was over a quick Google search revealed more.
 

It seems that Hadewijch is a name of a female medieval poet who probably came from wealth, was not a nun but had an obsessive love of God that she displayed in her poetry. All this is also very descriptive of Celine, the young protagonist of this film, only that Celine seems to be the contemporary incarnation of this character. And we meet Celine as she is living in the cloister with nuns who soon expel her because of her obsessive devotion to God that goes beyond the convent’s rulings, as she was endangering her own well being with religious penance. And as the film goes along we learn the nature and the extent of her religious fanaticism.
 

So even very early on it is obvious that Celine’s faith has a fanatical side to it but her struggle (something that every fanatic needs) seems to be purely psychological and primarily in the form of sexual repression. Celine meets a young Muslim boy named Yassine, who she likes quite a bit but refuses his more intimate advances. She proudly says that she is a virgin and plans to remain as such, declaring her love only for Christ and that she’s here for him. However Christ never comes.
 

I am very tempted here to go on a tangent about the film’s ending and what I think it all means, but as it’s the case with “Hors Satan” it is a very contemplative ending that can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, both serving religious and atheist views. And for me the most fun part, and to a certain degree the point of a film like this, is to find your own interpretation of what it all means. But then again the fun part is also to discuss the meaning and hear what other people think of it. So in the spirit of discussion I will say what I got from this film, but I stress that this is by no means a definitive answer. I actually think that there is no such thing as a definitive answer that will serve all comers and that everyone will take away something else from a film like this. Anyway, what follows are of course heavy spoilers.
 

So my interpretation of the film is that Celine finds kinship in the religious zeal of Nassir (Yassine’s more radical brother) and interprets a sunny patch in the sky as a sign of God to help him. But there was no real sign of God and even when she does perform the terrorist act she is still lacking the closeness to God and (sexual) fulfillment that she thought she’d miraculously get, so Celine decides to kill herself. The blunt point here being that there is no God. However once she drowns she is rescued by David, meaning that you can’t have faith in God but can have faith in humanity. Because David did not only rescues her, which her God failed to do despite heavy duty prayers, but he can also give her what she actually needs (wink wink, nudge nudge).
 

Of course David’s last minute rescue could be interpreted as an act of God, but I guess that my more religiously skeptical convictions lead me towards this kind of interpretation. It is also worth noting that the only music that plays in this film is during these end scenes, giving them a more spiritual and a more emotional texture, which stylistically removes them ever so subtly from the bare realism of the rest of the film.
 

But as I said that was only my interpretation of a film that is by design meant to be like a mirror that reflects the values of the person that is watching it. And this means that just like “Hors Satan” this is a film that demands to be met halfway, you need to engage it and think about what’s going on, otherwise it will all seem pointless and frustrating. Personally I am loving these films, and my appetite for films like “Hadewijch” is only growing the more I am exposed to them.

Cast:

Julie Sokolowski - Hadewijch / Celine

Yassine Salime - Yassine Chikh

Karl Sarafidis - Nassir Chikh

David Dewaele - David

Original language: French

Hadewijch on IMDb

#96 - Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini)

The Vital Growth

Even though all of Fellini's films that I've seen so far carry very similar subtextual values they seem to stylistically fall in to two camps. There’s the more stylistically exuberant approach like in “Amarcord” and “8½” and the more restrained and realism oriented style from his earlier films, like this film and “La Strada” (“La Dolce Vita” seems to fall somewhere in between these two camps). However all these films have roots in the Italian neo-realist movement, and upon closer inspection it is obvious the further Fellini’s career went along he diverged more and more from the limitations of this style.
 

And although I love every movie of his that I’ve seen so far, I find that restrictions of this kind on the imagination of any artist are somewhat ridiculous, unless they're self imposed. So in my eyes it is quite thrilling to see a director’s growth in the abilities of his artistic expression, and the five films of Fellini portray real stylistic growth and maturing. This is why I was so critical of Wes Anderson’s work in “Moonrise Kingdom” and more recently (and to a much more limited extent) of Inarritu as well in my “Biutiful” write-up. They simply seem to be in a rut with their films when compared to this - although Inarritu has made a clear step away from his prior films with “Biutiful”. However this is a somewhat unfair comparison because I am comparing them with a master director whose career spanned decades and they’re still very much in the middle of it.
 

But even in Fellini’s more stylistically similar films (and films that he made in close proximity) like “La Strada” and “Nights of Cabiria” there is obvious stylistic growth. Because when one compares “Nights of Cabria” to “La Strada” from a stylistic perspective it is clear that Fellini makes his first real steps towards that stylistic transition away from Italian neo-realism. It is still very much a film that is heavily influenced by the neo-realist sensibilities but the episodic narrative format of “La Dolce Vita” is already present here, although the episodes are much more tied together. But the most obvious divergence from any stylistic limitations is of course the unforgettable final shot of this film, which he reused in “La Dolce Vita” but in a completely different context and for a different impact.
 

However “Nights of Cabiria” is not just a vital film in the grand framework of Fellini’s oeuvre, it’s a film that more than ably stands on its own terms. It follows Cabiria, a lively prostitute on the streets Rome, through a series of episodes that lead to a masterfully built up and subtly telegraphed climax. It’s a climax that is crushing in the most somber neo-realist way but also, characteristically for Fellini, absolutely life-affirming.
 

Like “La Strada” this film also features another bravura performance by Giulietta Masina in the title role of Cabiria. Her performance is again a balancing act between the dramatic and the comedic, but the humor of her role in “Nights of Cabiria” is much more farcical and dialogue driven. Her energy is the lifeblood of this film and she’s an absolute joy to watch, which makes the hardships she goes through so much more involving.
 

Anyway, I don’t know what else to write for now but fellatio my way out of this write-up. So “Night of Cabiria” is another amazing film by Fellini that features an amazing central performance and a gripping story. Warmest recommendations.

Original title: Le notti di Cabiria

Cast:

Giulietta Masina - Maria "Cabiria" Ceccarelli

Francois Perier - Oscar D'Onofrio

Franca Marzi - Wanda

Amedeo Nazzari - Alberto Lazzari

Dorian Gray - Jessy

Original language: Italian

Nights of Cabiria on IMDb

#95 - My Name is Nobody (Tonino Valerii)

Nobody’s Genre

As the 70’s came along the spaghetti westerns became somewhat self-parodying and the popularity of films like “They Call Me Trinity” marked a new, more comedic, direction for the genre. This also brought new faces to the forefront of the genre, the most notable being the dynamic duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. So of course Sergio Leone, the man who made the genre so popular in the first place, had to have a say in this new direction of the genre, which brings us to “My Name is Trinity”, a film directed by Tonino Valerii based on an idea by Leone.
 

But many still consider this to be 7th “unofficial” Sergio Leone film, as the core idea for the story was his, and he served as a producer and even directed a few scenes in the film. For instance the opening sequence of this film is obviously Leone’s. This is also to a fault of the marketing that followed the release of the film, which presented it as Leone’s. I personally find that very disrespectful towards the man who did most of the work, but it is what it is and it kind of adds to the themes of the new replacing the old that the film plays with.
 

Anyway, “My name is Nobody” is a light and funny western that follows Jack Beauregard, an old gunfighter that is looking to avenge his brother. But Jack is being trailed by a young gun only known as “Nobody”, who is basically a more comedic spin on the nameless gunfighter that is now so commonly associated with Italian westerns. However Nobody is a big fan of Jacks and all he wants to do is see Jack go out in style, facing the infamous, 150 men strong gang known as The Wild Bunch.
 

In a lot of ways this plot is like a parable for those changing trends in the western genre as well. Henry Fonda plays the old gunfighter that is being sent off with honors while Terence Hill plays his successor, and this theme is also reflected in the world of the film because it starts with dusty towns and ends in a city. It marks the end of an era, and even though it passes the torch to a new generation, it is very telling that this torch is passed to nobody. So the inevitability of change is a core concept in the film, and the film even gives a few shout outs to the man who portrayed the struggle with the changing times the best, Sam Peckinpah.
 

Still, the main quality of this film is the humor and there are many great and bizarre gags that elate this potentially mournful story in to something that is uplifting. This lighthearted tone is further accentuated by Ennio Morricone’s amazing score that’s halfway a parody of his old western scores and on the other half some of the most joyful stuff he’s ever written – “Nobody’s Theme” being an obvious highlight of the soundtrack.
 

And then there’s the absolutely fantastic Terrence Hill, who may not be much of a dramatic actor but he has this effortlessly playful and naïve aura about him that he can turn to cool in a heartbeat. On the other side is Henry Fonda who is in his icon mode and fully lives up to his status, and “My Name is Nobody” proves to be a competent send off for him as well, since it was the last western he’s ever done. Together with the theme of old vs. new this gives the film much weight in the genre, a weight that seems to be unfortunately ignored because of the film’s more humorous tone. However even if this film is a bit marginalized nothing can deny its quality and the entertainment value it provides so effortlessly.

Original title: Il mio nome è Nessuno 

Cast:

Henry Fonda -  Jack Beauregard
Terence Hill - Nobody
Jean Martin - Sullivan
R.G. Armstrong - Honest John
Geoffrey Lewis - Leader of the Wild Bunch

Original language: Italian


My Name is Nobody on IMDb

#94 - Biutiful (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

The Beauty of Dying

The films of Alejando Gonzalez Inarritu all have certain commonalities. So far they’re all contemporary films dealing with contemporary issues like globalization, immigration and poverty, and all have obvious aesthetic similarities. But as anyone knows their biggest commonality is that they’re all, well, kind of downers. Of course this does not mean that they’re bad film, in fact I am very fond of all his films so far (including this one) but this is starting to worry me simply because it is becoming a bit predictable what kind of film one can expect from this obviously gifted filmmaker.
 

But with that said he did change up things enough with his last film, “Biutiful”, to make all those familiar interests seem fresh enough. Now instead of a fractured narrative with multiple protagonists we have a single protagonist in a linear narrative, and even the overbearing realism of his style is penetrated for the first time with the glimpses of the fantastical, as our protagonist seems to posses supernatural powers (he can see recently deceased people). And this element has been handled in the best possible way in my opinion because it is completely secondary to the story and only serves a thematic and character driven purpose, allowing the human drama to take the front and center of the film.
 

The film takes place in the poor neighborhoods of present-day Barcelone and follows Uxbal (Javier Barden) a small time street entrepreneur that’s trying to organize immigrants and provide them with black-market work like peddling goods on the streets and hard labor work in a Chinese handbag and DVD piracy shop. It’s the best he can do and it’s the best they can get. So despite the grimness of all this business it is clear that he is a good guy that’s struggling to make a life for himself and his kids, while dealing with the problems of these immigrants, his bi-polar ex-wife and the news that he has terminal cancer.
 

So it’s totally an Inarritu film in that it’s a downer, but it’s somehow also his most hopeful film in that Uxbal meets his struggles head on and does his very best to do right and leave this place the best he can. And death is a major theme of the film and the message that is coming across through all its pores is that, first of all, we all die. It’s a simple thing that everyone knows but very few people seem willing to face, and the stance of this film is that the sooner we face the limits of our existence on this earth the sooner we will start really living. And second, that no matter how bad life can get there’s always beauty to be found. Yes it’s a downer but it’s presented with a sense of absolute sincerity and honesty.
 

But if there was one thing to be criticized is the film’s certainty in an afterlife, in which to a large degree our protagonist finds strength to carry on because it is also reaffirmed by his supernatural touch. It is my opinion that the film’s power would be amplified if he managed to find this reaffirmation of life in an exclusively earthly form - but this is a reflection of the director’s beliefs, and a criticism by a person that doesn’t have the same convictions. In any way it did not prevent me from enjoying the film or the message it carries which is universal no matter of one’s beliefs.
 

On a technical level we get pretty much what we’ve come to expect from an Inarritu film, the great handheld camera work brings out the realism and the colorful lighting gives the film a poetic and modern touch of cinematic style. Beyond that “Biutiful” may be even my favorite film of Inarritu’s, in part because the whole is not artificially made complex by editing wizardry and trusts the power of the story and the characters and the actors to carry it. It’s not that the other films were hampered by their exuberant editing but it did in my opinion call too much attention to itself (especially in “21 Grams”) even to the point where it was distracting from the story and the characters. However there is a certain power in that kind of filmmaking as well, but that is not this film anyway. “Biutiful” does feel more personal to me and it has a central performance that is a wonder in its own right.

Cast:

Javier Bardem - Uxbal

Maricel Alvarez - Marambra

Diaryatou Daff - Ige

Taishen Chen -  Hai

Eduard Fernandez - Tito

Original language - Spanish

Biutiful on IMDb

#93 - Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau)

Childlike Wonder

The source story of “Beauty and the Beast” is probably the best knows French fable of all time. As such it has found its way many times on the screen, and most popular is probably the animated film from 1991 by the Walt Disney studio. However that is hardly the definitive cinematic adaptation of the story - this title would easily go to the 1946 masterpiece by Jean Cocteau as his film is a perfectly presented cinematic fairytale.
 

Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” opens with a request for sympathy, for the audience to try and find some childlike wonder in the magical concepts of this story. However if anything this request proves to be absolutely unnecessary because the film portrays those magical concepts with such visual finesse that the wonder comes naturally. If anything the film inspires childlike wonder. And the effects work in this film may be simple by today’s standards but the execution of the camera trickery like reverse motion shots and fade ins and repeat exposures is impeccable and completely mesmerizing.
 

These effects together with the amazing make-up work, costume design and production design give the film a sublime and dream-like, almost hypnotic, quality. Apart from the make-up work the best effect of the film is the magical castle of the Beast. It’s both fantastical and foreboding, as statues seem to be following Belle’s every move and hands sticking out of the walls are lighting her way in the corridors. There is a strong surrealist touch to all the scenes in the castle, a touch that is just further reinforced by the Beast that inhabits these chambers.
 

And as in any other incarnation of the story the Beast is the star of the show, as he is not only the most visually astounding character but also the best defined one. He is actually the only truly complex character, a character that changes throughout the story and that uncovers new and surprisingly layers of personality. Other characters are mere caricatures, like Belle’s sisters, or even mythic symbols - Belle being an incarnation of goodness and beauty. But Cocteau’s film gives the Beast a magical aura as well, not only in the form of powers but also visually. He can conjure up jewels for Belle, and when he does bad deeds he is covered by fumes of smoke. Thankfully these magical elements are never blatantly explained which gives the film a consistent layer of the unknowable, and that is exactly what magic needs to be.
 

Apart from being a superb romantic fable with truly wondrous effects there is also a layered subtext underneath the visual and aural dazzle. The most obvious is the moralistic tale of not judging by appearances, but if we dig a little deeper there is also a cautionary tale about greed. However the most interesting thematic thread may be the disparity between the two settings of the film and how these two worlds relate to one another. These two worlds are of course the household from which Belle comes from and the Beasts fantastical castle. They almost seem to be mirrored as there are many overlaps. For instance Belle is imprisoned in both worlds, in one serving to her needy and cruel sisters and in the other being a literal prisoner to Beast but also having no real responsibilities. Both existences are solitary and often do relate to one another as a dream would relate to the waking world - in small increments and glimpses of convergence.
 

Furthermore the film is filled with numerous symbols associated with the Roman Goddess of the hunt, Diana (often represented by dears and hunt dogs – images that litter the screen of this film). She is also associated with the moon and birth, and is herself a symbol of feminine strength. This just further reinforces the dream thematic and certainly relates to Beasts more predatory instincts, even when he’s interacting with Belle. But as we all know the tables turn eventually and the Beast fulfills his role in that mythological pattern, becoming the prey himself and dying, only to be saved by Belle and rise again in a new form.
 

“The Beauty and the Beast” is one of those films that has a spellbinding quality that just sucks me in. It’s a film that demands nothing but a little childlike wonder, and in return it is happy to provide a tale as fantastic and complex as you want it to be, which in turn makes it one of my favorite cinematic fantasies.

Original title: La belle et la bête

Cast:

Jean Marias - The Beast / the prince / Avenant

Josette Day - Belle

Marcel Andre - Belle's father

Mila Parely - Felicie

Nane Germon - Adelaide

Michel Auclair - Ludovic

Original language - French

The Beauty and the Beast om IMDb

#92 - The Woodmans (Scott Willis)

An Introduction

This is a documentary film about the Woodmans, the family of one of the most renowned avant-garde photographers - Francesca Woodman. But even though the film is called “The Woodmans” its primary focus is of course Francesca, it is about her life, her work and of course her suicide at the age of 22, and its told primarily through interviews with her family and friends.

First thing to note is that it seems that this film falls in to the same trap as every other piece about Francesca. What the film does is that it almost mystifies Francesca to the point where she seems beyond human, but then again the only thing that Francesca has left behind is her work and her family – which just further fuels this image. Her work is of course the hauntingly eerie and fascinating photographs that are usually self-portraits and nudes. If anything they really show that Francesca was indeed a great and unique talent and had a wonderful eye for composition, texture and light. I should note that it’s her work that brought me to this film in the first place. Then there are also her journals and video recordings, which I can only describe as poetic insights in to her mind and together with the photographs they suggest a personality that seems very self-absorbed and attention craving. Maybe even narcissistic.

This notion is somewhat supported in the interviews with her friends and family. We learn that Francesca was the neglected child, as her brother suffered from diabetes as a kid and got most of the attention from his parents. We learn also that Francesca had a very flirtatious and provocative nature, if that was not obvious from her work. But who knows really? This film doesn’t, as I said it does its utmost to mystify Francesca and it kind of fails to humanize her as it shows only the testimony that elates her as an artist and mystifies her inner workings. It even avoids asking some obvious questions like if Francesca would ever even have been noticed and celebrated if it was not for her tragic end? It’s a question that is barely touched upon by this film because of its obviously insensitive nature. And I’m not sure how right it was to avoid asking it.

But it’s not all about Francesca as we are also introduced to her parents and brother, all of whom are artists themselves. However I found it a very telling fact that they all work in different fields. The mother is a sculptor, the father a painter and the brother a video artist. Only after Francesca’s suicide and her posthumous rise to fame did her father, George, pick up photography. The film does note the resemblance of George’s photographs to Francesca’s work but it also avoids asking the tough questions here as well. What we do find out is that there indeed was a certain sense of competition within the family, and that living in the shadow of someone as big and enigmatic as Francesca can carry its burdens as well.

As documentaries go “The Woodmans” is a serviceable outing only saved by its fascinating subjects. But it’s a bit tragic how a film that deals with such distinct art and has such a fascinating artist at its core is just so bland and uninspired visually. However it does serve as a competent guide and introduction to the life and works and family of Francesca Woodman, even if it barely reveals anything new.

Featuring:

George Woodman

Betty Woodman

Charles Woodman

Francesca Woodman (archive footage)

The Woodmans on IMDb