In November we attended the Stockholm film festival and saw 15 films in 10 days. It took stamina but we had fun -- we saw some great movies as well as our share of duds. We restricted our attention to movies that were in English but might not get wide release in the U.S. Our thinking was that the non-English movies would be sub-titled in Swedish -- this was completely wrong. They were all subtitled in English and the English movies seemed to be sub-titled in French as often as in Swedish. Live and learn. Below are our picks and pans.
The Castle
This is an absolutely delightful Australian movie. A simple but lovable family lives at the end of an airport runway but airport's plans for expansion threaten the family's "castle". The king of the castle decides to fight the expansion in this sweet and funny story of David versus Goliath.
High Art
A movie about lesbian heroin addicts that manages to be sensitive rather than exploitive. I loved how the camera often struggled to find focus, mirroring the struggles of the characters. (US)
Radiance
Australian film about three women who come together at their family home when their mother dies. The action is mostly constrained to the house but still the film manages to have a sense of movement and suspense -- there is a family secret to be revealed. Great performances by everyone.
Slam
Movie poetry. The film follows a poet from the ghettos of DC to prison and to a turning point in his life. Opportunities are sometimes found where you'd least expect them and often come with a price. The "slam" poetry is terrific as are the performances. The movie is filmed with a hand-held, documentary, style which works. (USA)
All the Little Animals
Warm and fuzzy with a scary edge. Don't let the title fool you. This movie is at times a sweet and sensitive tale of a simple young man who is befriended by an older man (William Hurt) who spends his life walking the roads burying animals that have been run over by cars. The relationship between these two characters who don't quite fit into the "real" world is wonderfully developed. The drama comes from the young boy's stepfather who is nothing short of evil. There are secrets to be revealed and not everyone is going to live happily ever after. (Great Britain)
I Want You
A scary edge without much warm and fuzzy. This is not a great film but it is worth seeing. A young man returns to his home town after serving time for killing his girlfriend's father and somewhat obsessively pursues his old girlfriend. These characters are interesting and there is more to their story than meets the eye, but the film really wins in part because of the other characters. There is a teenage boy who doesn't talk but listens to and records other people's conversations using some fairly sophisticated listening devices. He gets caught up in the drama between the other characters in an interesting way and his innocence gives the audience a way into the movie. Odd use of color filters in the filming. (Great Britain)
Didn't Do it for Love
Documentary of a woman who becomes a dominatrix. Her path through life is fascinating -- as a young woman from Norway she travels to Mexico, becomes a film star, exotic dancer, prostitute, and finally a dominatrix. Well, not finally, as she is still reinventing herself, now as a sex therapist. The film just tells her story straightforwardly without analysis. So why sado-masochism? Why a dominatrix? My take is that her mother never trusted her and she is continually seeking trust from others as a way of proving that she is loved. Trust seems to be an important part of S&M since some of the "games" they play could cause serious injury and the submissive person must "trust" that the dominant one will stop short of permanent injury. The film is shot like a home movie with similar film quality and sound. The grainy film is de rigour it seems but the crummy sound was a problem.
Push, Push
South Korean comedy about a woman's heath clinic. The film follows the working lives of the two friends/colleagues who run the clinic and a collection of births, abortions, fertility problems, etc. (Lee recommends, Michael is not so sure).
Hang the DJ
Documentary about the current dance-music scene. We learn about house, acid house, jungle, scratch, etc. This is a world where the DJ is king -- more important even than the artists. The DJ as performance artist.
Poodle Springs
This is a little trifle but we enjoyed it. An old fashioned detective story.
Price Above Rubies
Airplane movie. This was not really in the festival but the film we went to see was held up in customs so they showed us this film about a woman who is straining against the orthodox Jewish community in which she lives.
Happiness
Well made but unrelentingly dark and the characters don't grow.
Memory and Desire
Great if you need to catch up on your sleep.
Lulu on the Bridge
Everyone involved in this trash should be embarrassed. Burn the negative.