Ya know.. It's a real shame that Aritsan is limiting the showings of FELICIA'S JOURNEY the way they are. I've been hearing strong word from cinephiles, and I was really hoping to get my Egoyan fix at this year's AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL, but it seems as though it won't be playing here this time out. Bummer. Egoyan is one of those filmmakers that you either get... or you don't get. I get Egoyan. Be it his short films or his features, I find his movies mesmerizing... And... hopefully this October I'll be looking at the film at the Festival and writing the same sort of stunned love sonnet to the movie. But... then again, you might be hearing a total lack of buzz for a solid film because of sitting on the screening process. Sigh... We'll see. Anyways, here's the Subway Bear... and boy he sure seems to have loved this one.
Hey Harry, this is the Subway Bear reporting from that mecca of movies for us in the cold dark north, the Toronto International Film Festival. (Or as the coporate whores have renamed it "The Benson and Hedges TIFF", but that's another story.) Anyway, while I didn't get tickets to the big opening night gala showing of Felicia's Journey, I did go to the other showing of it that started like an hour earlier. The cool part was that Atom Egoyan (director of "The Sweet Hereafter" and "Exotica") and some of the actors were there for the beginning intro stuff, before they ran off to the "real" gala across town. On hand were all the principles, Arsinee Khanjian (Atom's wife), Elaine Cassidy (a wonderful Irish actress, this was her first time in North America), and Bob Hoskins. (As well, I believe I saw the illustrious Sarah Polly among them...and she had a small cameo appearance in the film.)
Well, to the film itself. My first impression: Wow! If you are a fan of Egoyan's other work, this is a must see. Basically, to me, his films are something like a jigsaw puzzle, a huge beautiful jigsaw puzzle that is gradually put together (and sometimes dismantled) piece by piece and scene by scene. Sequence of events is very loose, characters are tough to define, sometimes things the characters say don't make sense until later in the film. Ingenious stuff if you ask me, and this film was very well realized.
Felicia's Journey focuses on the journey (duh) of young Felicia (Elaine Cassidy) (duh) from her home in Ireland, in search of a friend in Birmingham, England. Now hopefully most people will see the film knowing this, or even less about it, the more you know of the plot (some of the reviews I have read were not at all discreet with details) the less thrilling you will find your first viewing of this film. The story is utterly captivating and engrossing. "Things happen. Things take a turn." This is the catchphrase for the movie poster, one of the best one's I've ever seen. The movie, in a nutshell.
The structure and story of this movie (based on a novel by William Trevor) are excellent, but as well it is beautifully shot. The colour, my god the colour! The use of blue especially, but colour in general is astounding in this film. Industrial wastelands are made to look utterly breathtaking. The D.O.P. Paul Sarossy has produced simply wonderful images.
The actors: again, wow! Elaine Cassidy turns in a perfect portrait of a young innocent, journeying through a foreign land, despite the fact that the land is quite close to home. She feels so real, so convincing, a paramount performance.
I won't tell you who exactly Arsinee Khanjian plays in the movie (for spoilers sake), but I will say her performance is very interesting. A quirky, almost comical at moments character.
But Bob Hoskins...I was not prepared for him. This man could be looking at an Oscar, unbelievable. There is one scene where he appears to be looking right through the camera at you...incredibly effective. Sure his delivery is great, but it is in face that his talent can really be seen, brilliant.
Things happen. Things take a turn. Well, in my opinion, this film may be taking a turn, over to the Academy Awards for (nominations at least) for best film, best director, best actor.
(A last note, this film is a "thinker" and obviously not for everyone, but for those who like a subtle sophisticated piece of film making, with talented actors telling a riveting story, this film should not be passed up.)
I will report back later this week with news on "Barenaked in America" (documentary about the Barenaked Ladies by Jason Priestly (yes, THAT Jason Priestly), and hopefully Dogma, and who knows what else.
Bye,
Subway "his eyes were as big as dinner plates" Bear
