Hey folks, Harry here with the latest update from Quint in the frozen arctic blizzard land known as Santa Barbara. The seaman is being well preserved whilst enjoying way too many good films. Here ya go, enjoy...
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here reporting from beautiful Santa Barbara, California. I have about a two hour break before running off to see a night's worth of films, so I thought I'd catch you folks up on some of the flicks I've seen in the last few days.
VALENTIN
This is a sweet film out of Argentina that centers around an 8-year old boy, the titular Valentin, and has the same feel as like films from such masters as Alex de la Iglesia and Pedro Almodovar.
Little Valentin comes from a broken home. His mother is completely out of his life, his father is just a little more involved spending a few hours a week with his son. Valentin's prejudiced and nagging grandmother is the only constant in his life. When her health starts to fail, Valentin's world gets shaken to its very foundation.
Told completely through the eyes of the child, VALENTIN is a heartwarming tale with enough sweetness to win over even the most cynical viewer. Young Rodrigo Noya is responsible for most of the film's success, a natural if I've ever seen one. The whole cast is good at what they do, but really are the border pieces to Valentin's life. He takes front and center.
Just to be clear, this film is very much a pleasant film to watch. The themes of abandonment, racism, death, sexism and depression are involved, but the film doesn't feel like a downer at all. Once again this is due in large part to the charisma and natural talent from Noya.
Miramax has this film (surprise, surprise), so I don't know if you'll ever get to see it. I'm sure it'll be released on DVD and video at some point. If you get a chance, definitely check this one out.
I'M NOT SCARED (Io Non Ho Paura)
Boy is this film being marketed wrong. The trailer is up at Apple (___) and based on the trailer I mentioned this film being one of the films I was looking forward to during my pre-fest coverage. I got an email from a reader saying to beware... though the film is very well made it is not the horror/thriller Miramax is marketing it as.
The film is about a young boy from town maybe five families big in Italy. One day he's out playing with his friends and discovers a piece of tin siding. He peels it back revealing a hole in the ground. In the hole is a bundle of filthy blankets with a human foot sticking out into the light. He drops the tin back down and runs off. He doesn't tell anyone, not even his parents.
He goes back the next day and the foot is still there, unmoved. He throws a small rock down and it hits next to the foot. No movement. He reaches down to pick up another rock, but when he looks back the foot is gone. He pulls the tin back farther, shedding more light into the hole. He leans in an a young boy, white as a sheet with his eyes sealed shut with crusted blood jumps out.
Of course the child runs away, but strangely enough doesn't tell one person about his find. He ends up returning and talks with the boy in the hole. A strange friendship begins to form between the two. We come to find that the parents in the town may be involved in this boy's kidnapping, even the parents of the lead boy, Michele.
This film is a bit frustrating because the cinematography is excellent, the performances from the young actors are fantastic and the pacing is quick... but. The problem is that despite the excellent screenwriting there's a fatal flaw in the story. It's incredibly hard for me to believe that Michele wouldn't run and tell someone in authority when he first sees the foot in the hole. It's even harder for me to believe that when they become friends, he still leaves the boy to rot in that filthy hole. It just takes an awfully long time for him to take action, any action.
But having said that, the film succeeds in every other way. It's a bit frustrating at times, but it's always involving. Once again, Miramax has this one. God only knows if the masses will ever get to see it.
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Les Invasions barbares)
Director Denys Arcand (JESUS OF MONTREAL) popped out this masterful film about a man who is dying in the terrible state of socialized medical care in Canada. This man led a life that was filled with momentary thrills, easy sex at the expense of his family, fast friendships, always changing intellectual identities... He doesn't regret his life at all, but he realizes a bit too late just how important true friends and loving family really are.
I know this sounds really drab and boring, but the genius of Arcand's film is how easily he involves you into this man's story. There are lots of subplots and subtle messages about the healthcare system in Canada, the value of money and how those who have it can really buy their way into and out of anything, addiction to drugs and its effects on a youth's life... but the main story is of this old teacher's last days.
In a lot of ways this film reminds me of THE BIG CHILL... not so much in any similarities of plot, but in the way that there's an ensemble cast of talented actors and a smart script that gives you so much history in subtle conversations with these characters. Also, though it deals with some important issues and dramatic situations, the film doesn't feel heavy. It actually feels light, fun.
The performances are out of the park on this one, on all ends of the spectrum. From the rich son to the loving ex-wife to the loving ex-mistresses to the heroin addicted (and beautiful) young lady to the kind nurses to the corrupt Union representatives... Everyone shines in their roles.
This one is up for Best Foreign film at this year's Oscars and I can see why. It's a very compelling and entertaining character story told by one of the best filmmakers out there. If you find yourself in a position to see this film make sure you take advantage of that opportunity. You won't regret it.
That's it from me, squirts. I got a screening of one of the only true-blue genre titles of the fest, a horror film out of Australia called LOST THINGS, to catch. I'll be back with more coverage from the Santa Barbara Film Festival in the days to come. 'Til then, this is the crusty seaman signing off!
-Quint
