FAMILY LIFE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART : "CAN"

You all know by now, that from time to time, I like giving Turkish films a bit of a plug. And I was especially pleased when this little number actually got an award from the Sundance film festival this year – the jury special award no less. Not that a film needs to have an award to be good, oh now. Like most people, I believe that there is some unfairness going on in the allocation. In addition to that, there are a lot of good films and only so many awards. So, the difference may be about the width of a gnat’s eyebrow, the end result may well be that the film ends up without an award. In short, I am glad Can got award. It thoroughly deserved it. Back in the day, melodramas and comedies of much the same ilk (including cultural differences of course) as the British “Carry on” films were just about all Turkish cinema could / chose to produce. This has changed over recent years thankfully and there is a lot more choice and variety in the output. But this does not mean, however, that neither melodramas nor comedies should be sneezed at. Can is a perfect example to this. The film is, without doubt or discussion, a melodrama. It doesn’t have anything corny, cheesy or just generally “stale” about it though. It is a modern melodrama, very much set in our day and dealing with the problems of our times. Even though, bizarrely enough, the story is not that “new” at all. Can is the name of a little boy. But before we get to him we must meet Ayşe and Cemal. They are a poor couple, obviously from rural Turkey, who have moved to Istanbul with big dreams. And these dreams include a family. However, disappointment quickly mounts when doctors inform them that Cemal is infertile and that he cannot have children. The couple is distraught, especially Cemal, who both really wanted to start a family and considers this condition a slur on his manhood. There is only one solution – to adopt. This adoption however, must be carried out in the strictest secrecy. Ayşe must, for nine months, pretend she is pregnant. Everyone must think that Can is their own little boy. The adoption – that consists basically of buying a baby of a poor family that cannot afford to keep him – takes place and Can comes home. And although Cemal is ecstatic about the new addition to the family, Ayşe finds herself completely unable to warm to the child… The tension in the little house grows and grows until it pushes all our characters to a point from which there is no return… As I said, this film is a melodrama, there is no discussing that. The overflow of feelings, the dramatic events, the sadness all pervade the film and give it its own air of melancholy. However, what makes it different from your common or garden melodrama is the fact that it uses very modern tropes and modern character building with these rather classic elements. Neither Cemal nor Ayşe is painted in black or white, and this may seem like a given in modern cinema but we have to remember it is not necessarily the case. Especially in a genre like melodrama where we are used to the “pure hearted mother” vs a possible “femme fatale” or alternatively a hard – hearted man who wants to take advantage of her. Here we see something that we are not really used to seeing : the mother – classically the nurturing, caring one – rejects the child (for a very long time I might add) and the father – typically the cold and heartless one - looks after the boy, changes his nappies and cares for him. In second place, not only are the characters more realistic and further from the norms of the genre, they also develop. They learn and they change and they do so in a realistic fashion, not in the rather abrupt way characters tend to “grow” – fitted neatly into 90 – 120 minute slots (although I cannot tell you how this happens without also handing out some quite serious spoilers, so you’ll have to watch and find out for yourselves hehe). I know that some people think melodramas are too corny, too cheesy or just plain too sad. But if you want to see a modern, up to date version of the genre that showcases some great cinematography and some brilliant actin to boot, I’d say don’t be put off by the quite foreign language and give Can a whirl. Those who are a bit more familiar with Turkish cinema will find it even more interesting because I found – as someone who found the “old school” melodramas borderline unwatchable – this film was a great experience and a big development in Turkish cinema. And this alone makes it worth watching…

THE KILLING ROOM

Well, this little Sundance official selection wondered across my desk in a purely work capacity a couple of days ago. Although its Sundance recommendation and the presences of Oscar® winning actor Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) and Oscar® nominee Chloe Sevigny(Boys Don't Cry) were both quite comforting, the subject matter aroused no real anticipation in me. That was neither here nor there though, so to speak, so I sat down and watched like a good little worker. I had to admit in the end that it actually was a good example of its genre, albeit slightly disturbing and not for the faint of heart, so that is why you are reading about it now, today.
Our film opens in a government facility. Psychological tests are being conducted and a young possible recruit is watching a recording of an experiment. Four common or garden American citizens have applied. The pay is good and they hope to go through a few tests and be out of it in a couple of hours. The room they are put in (locked into, in fact) is rather Spartan. The tables and chairs have been bolted down – which is odd but it’s ok. The usual questionnaires are handed out, a doctor comes in. He seems pleasant enough, collects the questionnaires, makes a few pleasantries… Then he shoots one of the participants in the head and leaves the room, locking the others inside… Panic ensues – but the real experiment is under way – and this is no average government experiment… The agency is looking for something very rare… And they will go to every imaginable length to find it…
Well, as you can see this is the typical McCarthy era type “evil government agency doing unimaginable things for “the good of the people” “plot. And one doesn’t have to be a genius to figure out, even without watching the film, that this is a “post 9-11” plot. (This is not something I surmised by the way, it’s openly stated in the film – you’ll see what I mean if you watch it). And if you cannot take films with intense psychological pressure (and what can I tell you, some aren’t masochistic like me!) don’t even go near this one. It is, however, an excellent example of a dystopia (of sorts – claims to be based on actual events by the way, although I’m not familiar enough with these experiments to be able to claim anything). The pressure and discomfort is pushed up relentlessly, notch by notch. The experiment is measuring the breaking point of the participants – but I promise you the film will do something to measure yours too. It is true, a good story is essential to a good film. But this example goes to show, that even if you have rather a “tired” story on your hands, good directing and good acting can do a lot to make what you have into a quite palatable meal… A good psychological alternative for a Saturday-night slasher…

REQUIEM TO A RED GUITAR

I was slightly torn when thinking about adding “The Guitar” to the blog. As you know I usually only share films I genuinely and truly love. The Guitar, directed by Amy Redford (yes, as in the daughter of Robert Redford) was on the cusp for me. But in the end I felt I had to share this Sundance winner, because despite its faults (to my eyes) it does an excellent job of conveying other messages…
So, meet Melanie Wilder (Saffron Burrows). On the day we are introduced, she is not having a good day. She starts her day at the doctor’s office where she is told that she has a cancerous and inoperable growth in her throat that will slowly suffocate her over a period of no more than two months. She then goes to work, only to find out that she has been fired, as of that day, due to cutbacks. Melanie goes home, unsure of what to do… She then decides that as there is nothing to be done about the cancer, or the fact that she will die in two months, she will LIVE for her remaining days… So she gets out her savings and her credit cards and does just that. Rents a luxurious loft, fills it with all sorts of goods and last of all buys the red electro guitar she has always dreamed of and starts learning how to play. She then sets about making the best of her remaining time, in more senses than one…
The Guitar has actually very little to do with life or death. It does an excellent job of painting the contrast between our dreams and our realities, between being content with what life has dealt us and reaching out for more, doing whatever the hell we want for a change.. And we see in stark contrast how absurd some of the constraints we have put on ourselves in modern life truly are. We see a model of true liberty but at the same time realize the price to pay. But what if the price is actually worth it? Then what?... As for what is wrong with the film, well it’s tough to explain without giving the entire story away but I found it cliché in a lot of ways. But the ambiance created was a great success and so is the clarity of the messages it conveys. Saffron Burrows (who is pretty much a one woman band for the purpose of this film) is also excellent. But I just felt that it could have been done better somehow – though I wouldn’t be able to explain how. Don’t take my word for it, give it a spin anyway. You will like it, I know it, just a question of how much…

NO INTRODUCTIONS NEEDED FOR THIS ONE - I GIVE YOU "BRONSON"

I came to watch Bronson when I was in a very peculiar mood indeed. You know “those” days, you may have got out of bed the wrong side, something may have gone very wrong in the office, or everything may have gone slightly wrong everywhere… In short, you’ve had enough, your nerves are in shreds and you feel rather belligerent and at odds with the world. Not, you may observe, the best frame of mind for a film. Not Bronson. If I had to describe my experience of it, I would use one word only: cathartic.
Which brings me to my disclaimer. Be warned, Bronson is not for the faint of heart or stomach. The level of violence portrayed is positively Tarantinian (and if that isn’t a word it damn well should be!) and the way the said violence is portrayed can be downright disturbing. Personally, this was not so much of a problem for me, I am a massive Tarantino fan, it should be said. But you may not be. So be warned.
Bronson is the true story of Michael Peterson, or rather his alter-ego, Charles Bronson, Britain’s most famous and most violent prisoner. We follow Bronson shocking career from prison to a facility for the criminally insane, to the outside world and back “inside” again. Not only do we get a blow by blow (very literally) account, it is Bronson himself who is narrating it! (well, not the real Bronson but Tom Hardy does such a spectacular job of the part you could be forgiven for being fooled) Thus we travel all the way into Bronson’s world, his psyche. And the fact that he actually is criminally insane makes for very interesting scenery indeed.
So far, Nicholas Wendig Refyn’s Bronson has taken Sundance, Rotterdam, London and Dublin film festivals by storm, and I can quite see why. And if you ever get round to watching this film, within 30 seconds of meeting Tom Hardy’s version of Bronson, I guarantee it, so will you…

THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF "MARY & MAX"

“God gave us relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends.” A fridge magnet classic. But never was there a film that portrayed the wisdom in it as the amazing and true story of Mary and Max.
Mary Daisy Dinkle was an 8 year-old in Mount Waverly, Australia in the year 1972. Her mother was an alcoholic, her father a quiet man who spent all his free time on taxidermy. She was shy, awkward and in her own opinion rather ugly. She had no friends and was bullied regularly. Yet she somehow got on with life. And even found some time to ponder deep philosophical questions. One of these questions was where babies came from in America (in Australia Daddies found them at the bottom of their beer glasses at the time). Being a practical girl, Mary decided to write to someone in America and ask.
She randomly chose a name from the New York phone book: Max J. Horowitz from New York City, and boy her choice could not have been more random. Max was a 44 year-old, obese Aspergers syndrome sufferer (undiagnosed at the time). He generally found life rather “confuzzling” and had a rather precarious existence in a flat in the city, by himself. He had no friends either but had always wanted one (one who wasn’t a pet or invisible). He received Mary’s letter, promptly suffered an anxiety attack but decided to answer once he had recovered. This decision was the beginning of a intercontinental “penpalship” that would span the best part of 30 years and would change both their lives, literally and forever.
Such prominent actors and actresses as Toni Colette (adult Mary), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Max) and Eric Bana lend their voices to the characters. But even though all these are admirable, and the awards won at great festivals such as Sundance and Berlin are very, very well deserved, the real appeal of this film lies in its story. It is a perfect reminder of the day-to-day miracles in life. And I promise you’ll love it, even if you aren’t a big fan of stop-motion and plasticine…