| TORINO '06: seen Thu 16th (incl. Pleasures of Ordinary) and Fri 17th (incl. The Private Life) |
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| Saturday, 18 November 2006 | |
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Saturday, 12.20pm My initial intention to post long entries every day has, as regular visitors to this site will be aware, foundered somewhat over the last few days. This is partly due to two separate nights of hedonistic socialising (their consequences resulting in my seeing the disgracefully low total of one film on Wednesday and two yesterday), partly due to internet access problems (public WI-FI access is sparse, expensive and cumbersomely awkward; the computers in the festival press centre aren't available after 6.30pm etc etc). This means that my dispatches have been few, far between and brief: it's my plan to separately review each of the films I've seen here once I'm back home, though my first priority is a Torino round-up for Tribune magazine, the deadline for which is Wednesday (it'll probably be online by Monday lunchtime). Time is once again an enemy rather than a friend, so my summary of Thursday and Friday is going to be very brief indeed. Thursday was taken up entirely with competition films, of which Back Home (Algerian village strife) and Stories from the North (nine-episode rural Thai documentary) were no more than so-so. I was more taken with quirky-kooky-oddball American comedy The Guatemalan Handshake (even if it is somewhat overpleased with its quirky-kooky offbeatness) - which often reminded me of David Lynch's legendary unproduced script One Saliva Bubble, and also the Chinese entry Pleasures of Ordinary, an extremely rough-arsed, no-budget, two-hour documentary about everyday city life that has attracted a dizzyingly wide range of reactions from those who've seen it. All screenings of the awkwardly-titled Pleasures have been accompanied by many walkouts, which is a shame as the picture only really makes sense if you stick with it right to the end (the final few minutes are by far the most powerful thing about the whole movie). It's been described by one juror as "the worst film I've ever seen," by another as "vital as a historical document, non-existent in terms of cinema" and by a savvy American critic as "great." I'm somewhere in the middle: it's a difficult, sprawling mess of a picture - but it gets better the more you think about it (more than can be said for most films in general) and I reckon the 23-year-old director XIA Peng is a talent (he achieves some striking effects with rapid-fire montage), albeit one in a raw state. Of the competition films I've seen (I've missed The Teacher, Parole, The Last Man and Flor de Baixa), Pleasures of Ordinary would perhaps narrowly edge out The Guatemalan Handshake, The Lineman's Diary and The Private Life as my own personal prize pick - and Xia is certainly the one who's in most need of the cash and the encouragement. After sleeping very late yesterday, I caught only two films: pretentious, silly, pseudo-steamy Portuguese road-movie 98 Octane (feels very much like the fantasies of an oldish codger who's seen too many movies; no surprise to learn director is in his seventies), and The Private Life. Latter is debut pic by female French director, adapted from a Henry James story. Impossible to synopsise: various folk congregate at a well-appointed country house ("The Private Life") - somewhere between an artistic salon, a writers' retreat, and a gathering of pals. Mildly surreal shenanigans ensue, a bit Bunuel, a bit Rivette; presence of the late Darry Cowl and the ever-reliable Aurelien Recoing in the supporting cast is a major plus, as is the director's light comic touch. Nothing earth-shattering, but one of the more unusual and original pictures in what's been a lukewarm competition slate. Neil Young 18th November, 2006 seen Thursday Back Home : [5/10] : Bled Number One : Algeria/France 2006 : Rabah AMEUR-ZAIMECHE : 100m (timed) : seen at Ambrosio cinema Stories From the North : [5/10] : Reanglo jak meangnue : Thailand 2006 : Uruphong RAKASAD : 88m (timed) : Ambrosio Pleasures of Ordinary : [6+/10] : Buyi zi le : China 2006 : XIA Peng : 120m (timed) : Ambrosio : [original rating 6/10; upgraded on reflection] The Guatemalan Handshake : [6/10] : USA 2006 : Todd ROHAL : 97m (timed) : Ambrosio seen Friday 98 Octane : [4/10] : 98 Octanas : Portugal 2006 : Fernando LOPES : 94m (timed) : Ambrosio The Private Life : [6/10] : La Vie Privee : France 2006 : Zina MODIANO : 74m (timed) : Ambrosio Jigsaw Lounge 2006 Torino Film Festival coverage : index page official site...  |
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