Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with reviews of two foreign films that will be playing the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL this week. They've both seen release in their countries and now we have word from readers in those countries that have seen them. First up is Joey Fernandez with word on a film from the Philippines called THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS and after we have word on Fabian "NINE QUEENS" Bielinsky's newest, EL AURA from Argentina! Enjoy!
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros
(The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros)
By Joey Fernandez
I was planning not to watch Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. I was like, oh no, another movie about “baklas” (gays) in the Philippines. How cliché. But APMO, is not your typical Filipino pink film. First of all the movie is not about the expected oppression of homosexuals. In fact, the gay child, Maxie, is quite loved in his squatter colony, even by his macho criminal father and brothers. I am frankly sick and tired of movies about fathers beating the crap out of their sons because they are gay. Yes, global movie industry, there are families who love their children, straight or not.
The movie unfolds and there is a new cop on the block. As expected Maxie falls in love with him and the usual childhood crushing ensues. Though what I found more fascinating is how Michiko Yamamoto, the scriptwriter puts in the details of how a poor Filipino society functions. Jueteng is tolerated. Ending is a cottage industry. (both are illegal numbers games) Maxie with a small piece of paper and a pen can run it. Even the police play jueteng. For an outsider, there are other things that can be quite disturbing. The police captain drinks with petty thieves. The “tambays”(layabouts) show deference to the cops, but curse them after they have passed by. It is also shown it is disrespectful to turn down a drink in a squatter area, I have always wondered if this is true, but I am too chicken to find out. Heck, there was even nakedness shown in the film, that was quite jolting, ah, the joys of having digital effect to block certain things.
I also like the way the film portrays cops that are quite different from how we usually perceive them. Cops do provide order to the neighborhood and we do need them. If we didn’t have cops, the Philippines would be a lot more chaotic than we think. And it is a very difficult job. Plus contrary to popular belief, cops aren’t much richer than the common Filipino. So don’t think those mulcting street cops are raking it in. Their stainless steel jeeps kind of show how much they are really making. But most surprising of all when Maxie’s crush starts investigating Maxie’s family, they retaliate. Destroying the belief that cops are untouchable. Some cops are indeed heroic.
But there was one other character in the film that I would like to give special mention to, Paco (Maxie’s father) played by Soliman Cruz. Paco is a King Learish character (though I’ve never read King Lear). He rages against the injustices of society, when he is too proud to realize that he had actually set-up the tragedies rallied against him. And in the end, he still believes he has the stars lined up for him. When in truth…
Hmmm, so I guess what makes this movie work, is the changing of perceptions we think we know about the urban poor but aren’t necessarily true. This movie is about the shattering of myths and this is why I believe, it is well worth watching.
And now word on El Aura! Thanks for the reports, guys!
Hey guys! News from Argentina. Next week it's the release of EL AURA (The Aura) the film written and directed by Fabian Bielinsky. He directed five years ago NUEVE REINAS, that was called there "Nine Queens", remember right? (it was released in the States in 2003 and remade as "Criminal" last year). Well, Fabian was toying with this project during this five-year hiatus and finally decided to do it. "El Aura" means the moment right before an epileptic breakdown, where the person feels that time and space coalesce into one and sounds and noises from the past break through, thus said by the protagonist, played again by Ricardo Darin.
The story is filmed almost entirely in the woods, in the southern part of Argentina (for those who know it, near Bariloche, at the feet of the Andes). Darin plays an epileptic taxidermist who dreams about comitting the perfect crime. But he's an ordinary and shy guy who never grabbed a gun or break into a fight with anyone in his entire life. Recently divorced, a colleague invites him to a hunting trip near some cabins in the forest, away from the city. Without spoiling everything, there he finally has the opportunity of fulfilling his dream while coping with his seizures.
For the guys who expect "Nine Queens 2: the revenge", you're gonna get disappointed. "El Aura" is a slow paced tale of a solitary man and the opportunities that come knocking at his door. Bielinsky films with the woods in a way that has never been filmed before, dying the movie with a grayish green color, almost B&W. The story reveals itself at a leisure pace, like its main character, who whispers instead of speaking and doesn't answer, just looks or turns away. Nevertheless the director has an open admiration with criminals and their methods and the third act is about action, not words. Even though, "El Aura" is more a criminal drama than a heist film. It has a simple character that makes things complex and that pays a lot.
I'm positive the film is going to be a major success amongst film critics, I don't know if the audience will respond accordingly. It's a long movie - almost 140 minutes - and it requires your full attention, a thing people rarely have. Anyway, "El Aura" is a more mature film than "Nine Queens" although it's more reflexive and less fun. Here you have it. Drop me a line if you need more info.
Best!
Johann Hofzinser
