11th Annual European Film Fest at Pacific Cinematheque!

It’s one of my favourite events of the year: the European Union Film Fest at the Pacific Cinematheque!  This year it runs from November 28 to December 11th.  Unlike the big International festival, films only screen once, so plan ahead in order NOT to miss the ones you want.  Their revamped website makes it easy to select by date, country or film.

Most of the films are the best that each country has to offer, using popularity and polish as the primary criteria of what’s best.

Finland’s Christmas Story plays on Saturday, Dec 6th @ 4pm so the whole family can attend ($8 for those under 18).  And it may just rewrite the story of Santa Claus for the new generations.  I’m thinkin’ it will rouse the ire of some Canadians by setting the story in Lapland/Finland and others by taking a page from Hollywood North: high on production values and low on depth of story.

It is a lovely retake on our annual consumer frenzy, though; it certainly justified my desire for wooden toys!  The best part for me was not one reference to any religious practice!  The breathtaking (and breath making) scenes explain how it won the Finnish Oscar for Best Cinematography.

Germany’s Vier Minuten (Four Minutes; Fri, Dec 5th @ 9:05pm) is an intense rollercoaster of a ride.  The two women leads are solid in their portrayal of emotionally wounded characters and the film goes places I couldn’t have even guessed…it certainly is worthy of the German Oscar (Lola) that it won last year.

Don’t worry, it’s not all intensity, despite being a German film.  I love the scene where clothes are exchanged, which is followed by a series of similarly humorous scenes.  But intense it is and as the characters’ stories unfold, it does well to remain honest and true.  The music (the context is a piano teacher and her student) is also great and healing in so many ways.  Oh yeah, the lesbian subplot: although it’s all in flashbacks, there’s nothing fluffy about it…and it helps us remember a history that cannot be forgotten.

Václav is another Czech comedy (Sat., Dec 6th @ 7:15pm) that goes deeper than most comedies that are made over here.  It plays well on the tension that living with a mildly mentally challenged man can manifest, while having fun with the mischief that seems to naturally transpire.

I think where Václav shines is in the last third as the trouble mounts to levels that can no longer be tolerated.  The two women that support Václav (the character) are not as well developed in the film as they could be, but they honour their gender in a genuine if stereotypical way.  Be warned that the film could tear your heart out, but then that’s nothing new for those of us caught in a culture that simply won’t acknowledge and respect other ways of being.

The big budget Latvian film, Defenders of Riga, starts out with promise to be more than another war film.  It hints at the core problem of civilization and the women play a prominent role in the film.  I haven’t got through it yet, so I can’t say if I would have been in one of the many that smashed all the box office records in their home country.  If you don’t see my full review beforehand, then check it out yourself on Wed., Dec 3rd @ 7:15pm and add your review here by adding a comment to this!

Bon voyage a la Festival!