Crude
11 October 2009
Crude could refer to many things you’ll see in the film: oil, civilization, corporate relations, our empathy for indigenous peoples and children.
This well crafted film documents the story of how Texaco/Chevron have contaminated a pristine area of the Amazon and how the peoples that have always lived there are dying in droves due to cancer and related diseases.
The film makes the case clearly and also documents how one of the residents decided to become a lawyer to launch a class action lawsuit on behalf of his people. He’s now reaching middle age and there’s no end in sight to the case, which of course works to Texaco/Chevron’s sole advantage.
This film and case is known for Sting’s involvement and the scenes with Live Earth 07.07.07 are fun and inspiring. As one of the lawyers says, it’s a miracle that this case got into court at all. But miraculous or not, thousands of people are dying and losing their way of life while Chevron stalls and we watch. That’s Crude.
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
11 October 2009
Holy Fuck. This is a work of fucking art.
If you can’t get past that first line, this film ain’t for you.
But let me be clear (as if that wasn’t ): this is the best film I’ve seen at the Festival. And I almost didn’t see it because of the subject material (a young girl impregnated by her father).
But Precious is exactly that and more…it’s funny, smart, and sensitive. The actors are all excellent and the plot is delivered in wonderful ways that are not only creative but thoughtful and empowering.
I didn’t realize it until the next day, but this is a woman’s film in many, many ways, not the least of which is that only 4 men appear in minor roles. It even addresses homophobia in the Black community in effective, understated style.
I cried throughout this film, even while I was laughing out loud. It is P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L. And Alice Miller again would be proud how the film even allows us to empathize with the villain while not accepting the deeds. This is only Lee Daniels second directorial effort: this gay father of two needs to make more and how. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who made this work of art come to life!
Cole
11 October 2009
This is another great achievement by Carl Bessai and his crew. I saw Normal two years ago and didn’t want to miss this one.
Cole initially looked like a mirror for my own life and I really appreciated the huge contributions that Rocket (6 year old Jack Forrester) was asked to make.
The movie gripped me and held me through out, and it was a pleasure to see Lytton and UBC contrasted as much as the worlds of the economically rich and poor.
Where it fails for me, is the crucial decision made by Cole near the end and which was defended well by the director, writer, and two of the leads in the Q&A afterwards. Even a woman’s comment about the legal aspect of this character’s decision (overheard as we walked out of the theatre) couldn’t convince me that it wasn’t the wrong choice to make.
I’d love to hear from you: when you see this film, you’ll understand. Feel free to Leave a Comment after this review to share your thoughts on this point and any others you may have.
The NFB 70th Anniversary Program
11 October 2009
There are some gems in this collection of short films made in 2009. It’s just too bad it starts off with a dud (which I won’t name).
The Man Who Slept is a lovely lyrical animation of a woman who empowers herself to leave a stifling life. Peggy Baker Four Phases literally moves from realité to animé and back again and left me wanting more. Runaway is a fun animation that manages to create some non-serious dramatic suspense in only 9 minutes. Spare Change gives some brief insights into a world rarely explored and may help you further respect the next person who speaks those words to you. And Vive la rose is a heartfelt animation that closes the program.
The Spine is the one I talk about. It delves into co-dependency and uses animation to great effect. Humans are represented by various body parts (a counselor is a hand) and they have physical features that are more than telling of what is going on inside; when they heal, you know that the human is on her or his way. The ending disappoints but is wholly plausible.
Home
10 October 2009
Stunningly beautiful, Home moves the coffee-table book Earth From Above to the big screen.
I didn’t expect the running narrative that aims to educate about climate change and it mostly did well. For me, there were a few inaccuracies and most annoyingly, it came from the same perspective as that which has caused the problems in the first place. “We” don’t own land, animals, or resources, although a few insane individuals act as if they do and certainly have convinced most of the rest of us of that perverse perspective’s validity.
The aerial HD cinematography gives an impossible-to-get-anywhere-else perspective that inspires awe and – hopefully – action. Many images stand out for me but the one I remember best is that of people dwarfing the motorized vehicles at a crosswalk in Tokyo. Build it and we will walk (roll, bike, and skate)!
Although I wasn’t able to view all of The Age of Stupid, I found this film to be more effective at presenting the problem of climate change and providing examples of where we need to move – fast! I came into The Age of Stupid when wind farms were being put up as a necessary solution that shouldn’t need justification and couldn’t help thinking how that argument has been used for every new technology, including one that was going to clean up all of our cities at the turn of the 20th century (i.e., cars were going to rid us of the horseshit). Add the fact that one of the sponsors of The Age of Stupid are actively trying to privatize more unceded indigenous territory throughout what is called British Columbia, and I thought that the film self-categorized quite well.
Back Home, the opening and closing credits are all major corporations, so watch this movie with a grain or two of salt. But if you do, you’ll be left with haunting visuals and music to match…it just isn’t quite made in heaven.
To Die Like a Man
10 October 2009
Great story; poor execution. I kept falling asleep even though the plot was sound and the material very interesting.
To Die Like a Man focuses on a drag queen who has been at the “top” for 20 years. Meanwhile, she has a son that have been left in the dust and a lover that is an addict. The son’s story is of most interest to me, but it barely scratches that surface.
The retired queen and her slave steal the show as both actors nail their roles perfectly and with style.
There’s no happy ending here, although I was very happy when it did.
Detour
10 October 2009
Now this film takes direct action to a whole new level! What an inventive, creative film this gem from Quebec is! It’s a rollercoaster ride that I’ve never seen before.
All 3 leads are very convincing and even with all the twists and turns, the writing and direction doesn’t fail. I did guess what was going on before it was revealed, but then they got me in the end.
Despite the violence and suspense, Detour is funny as hell. The cinematography assists many of the laughs, even in the most intimate of moments. I really can’t say much more without giving some of the film away, so do yourself a favour and see this before it heads back to la Belle Province!
The Happiest Girl in the World
10 October 2009
This smart little story is about a teenaged girl that wins a huge SUV by sending in pop bottles liners; but before she gets the car, she has to make a commercial for the soda company.
That provides the background for a classic family drama that is portrayed so painstakingly well…Alice Miller would be proud! Even with all the laughs, it really hurt to watch her parents withdraw their love in the blink of an eye…how is it that children are often the only ones capable of unconditional love?
The after movie discussion with my mother shed even more light on the film. She believed that all 3 (daughter, mother, father) wanted to win everything and that the dialogue reminded her of her ancestors (her mom is Romanian). It also shed more light on my life, since the daughter simply wants what she was given but (since she is still dependent on her parents) is powerless to resist their coercion and manipulation. This film confirms what my lived experience is and what Alice Miller writes; it is also fun even as it shows pathetic human behaviour for what it is.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to see Monday’s sold-out screening’s reaction to Tom Burstyn and Barbara Sumner-Burstyn’s latest film, This Way of Life (you can read my review of it here). An upper middle-class-looking white woman came up to Barbara in tears explaining that they had just portrayed her life story! Superficially-speaking, the film follows 4 years in the life of an economically-poor Maori family, so it was obvious to us that she was talking about the emotional aspect of the film and the family dynamics that were so clearly depicted.
Our interview after the screening was fun and ventured well away from the film many times, touching on politics and other passionate topics. Here’s what I gleaned from my notes to be most relevant to their latest brilliant accomplishment:
Barbara Sumner-Burstyn (BSB): You can do it [make a film], too.
Tom Burstyn (TB): Yes, it cost us two editor salaries and 4 years of time without any wages, but very little in the way of expenditures.
BSB: And our farm…we sold it to finance the film. But if you have a good subject, you can make a film about anything. You have to treat it as art. It’s about expressing yourself. If you’re looking down, you’re not at the subject’s levels. We’ve all suffered. If you’re up above you trigger the defensive instinct in all of us.
Reellife: How did you start this project?
TB: Peter and Colleen are our neighbours.
BSB: My daughter would call and say that she saw the phantom [Peter] riding a horse.
TB: We engineered a meeting and discovered a beautiful wife. We thought we could make an instructional DVD about breaking in horses. As we became friends, they revealed more of themselves. Often we would come away from a shoot and realize that what we got was golden.
BSB: The documentary gods smiled upon us many, many times.
Reellife: What led up to this film in terms of your background and previous projects?
TB: I apprenticed at the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) in the 70s.
BSB: Tom has made films for 35 years. Our previous film is about sustainable agriculture: a New Zealand farmer has reintroduced biodynamic farming to India and hundreds of farmers are converting.
TB: One young man wrote to us and said that after buying our DVD, he tore up his parent’s front lawn in Sydney (Australia) and it is now feeding his entire family.
Reellife: Is there anything that you didn’t include in the film that you regret?
TB: Peter and Colleen’s family lived in an industrial shed for a time; rudimentary kitchen facilities in this corner, barn stalls etc. everywhere else. It was a dramatic setting but the poverty overwhelmed us. When I was at the Film Board, it was ingrained in me that you have to respect the subject and not be sensationalist. I didn’t shoot it at all because I knew it was such a strong visual that it would go in the film if I did shoot it.
Reellife: How long did the project take to complete and how did you navigate that fine line between real life and the world of documentary?
BSB: It took 4.5 years. Given what happened in the film, it was hard to not intervene more; they are our friends. It’s a conundrum that can’t be solved. You do what you can to assist them; we broke the “law of documentary” many times.
TB: It’s physically impossible to be objective, despite what the media claims.
BSB: It is an emotional approach and you have to self-fund. I think it would be wrong to collect a salary (through funding) while making a film like this.
TB: No release, no funding.
BSB: I’d choose to make a film that inspires a woman to tell me it’s her life story over one that gets funded any day. We didn’t get Peter’s release until after the film was done. The project could have been stopped anytime up to that.
TB: An interesting conundrum for me is if I go away to make money to fund our films, it means missing Barbara and our children and significantly less time for our projects.
Reellife: As two white people, was there any difficulty for you in filming a Maori family?
BSB: As I’ve said, Peter and Colleen are neighbours and our friends.
TB: The squatocracy and Maori have a lot of friction because they both see themselves as the legal owner of the land. A member of the squatocracy showed up with a car full of new clothes to give to Peter and his family after seeing the film; this act bridged an enormous gap that exists in our society.
BSB: Peter gave Tom’s daughter a horse when she married; she considers it the most precious gift she received.
TB: Peter would often joke, “when the revolution comes we’re getting your farm.”
Reellife: the end of the film has Peter’s father bringing up the 4th (5th for some) commandment: thou shall honour thy father and mother, followed by Peter’s eloquent statement that his children owe him nothing; if anything he owes all of them enormously. Alice Miller’s work thoroughly examines this aspect of our culture and shows how damaging it is to try to live by this so-called commandment. Can you comment on how you came to end the film this way?
BSB: It’s the heart of the story; we found it in the editing. That last scene of Peter’s was filmed much earlier in the project and it just seemed right to end with it. Peter has been able to change the course of history by raising a family without violence.
Reellife: What do you have planned for the film?
BSB: The Knowledge Network has bought it and will show it in BC next September.
Footnotes:
squatocracy: just as in Canada, Europeans came to Aotearoa – often called New Zealand – and simply took land that had always been used and lived on by the indigenous people living there
Petals, Under One Sky, Ikwe
6 October 2009
Beautiful. That one word kept coming to my mind throughout this wonderful 3 film screening…hopefully you can glean why below…
Petals – Journey into Self-Discovery holds true whatever your sex/gender/orientation (or so it seems to this het man). It starts very gently and eases the viewer into the material before really picking up the pace and diving deeper. The material, you ask? Vulvas. Or more accurately, the artistic beauty of the vulva and the fact that our culture doesn’t consider them beautiful.
I have to admit I was hesitant about seeing this one. I really didn’t know what to expect from a film about a man taking pictures of women’s genitalia. But I’m glad I saw it (and the others below) because it truly is an empowering film for all involved: models, artists, viewers.
One of the areas I grew in my understanding from this film is that I am far from alone in feeling uncomfortable about this topic. But as Betty Dodson hilariously points out in the film, a half an hour of images (or in this case, 48 minutes) can be transforming. Petals shines in moving vulvas from the domain of pornography and into the realm of beauty, normality, and positivity, even – or especially – for men.
This film for women really needs to be seen by all.
Click here for more info and tickets.
Under One Sky documents a tiny portion of an all women’s martial arts training camp on the Sunshine Coast. The variety of martial arts shown is impressive, as are the teachers with the wisdom and skill they share onscreen.
The skillful use of the Wyrd Sister’s Warrior really added power to the presentation; a bonus surprise for me was that my daughter’s “best friend” was one of the presenters! The filmmaker’s acknowledgment of their use of unceded Coast Salish Territory in the credits completed a beautiful package.
Click here for more info and tickets.
Ikwe is a very short film that impressed me by its dramatic simplicity and the respectful use of 3 languages. The dance is transfixing and very well captured on film. A lovely start to to a beautiful programme.
