Hey folks, Harry here with the second day of reporting from Lucian... It's the second day and the film pace is ALREADY beginning to wear on him... uh oh, Lucian my friend... Now you know the pain of going to a film festival with a daily writing goal...hehehehe... It's a bitch. Anyways... he's got a look at a German film called CHILL OUT... and our second look at Mamet's STATE AND MAIN... Read on...
3 a.m. and the pace is already starting to take its toll. Apologies if this is rambling or confused.
The festival's total inability to start a major film less than 30 minutes late is really beginning to annoy me. I realise it's a hard task but that's going too far. At least tonight there was consistency and the film we had to race to get to was just as late as the film we left.
So here's the scoop on two more films: Chill Out and State of Main. I'll leave Time and Tide for Noizangl who "gets" Hong Kong action way more than I do.
First Chill Out
7 p.m. Varsity theatre
Crowd control at these showings seems like it should be easier though the volunteer staff are exceptionally polite doing a job nobody in their right mind would want...ummm except Noizangl of course.
A crowded show but not sold out. Between the two screens running simultaneously (a first for this film) I would guess 500 viewers.
In attendance: Andreas Struck first time German director.
Chill Out tells the story of three Germans: Anna who works tracking down missing heirs to unclaimed inheritances, Max a security guard who we're never sure even has a home of his own and Johann a wandering gay hustler/credit card thief. Anna seems to spend her time sleeping with strangers but when she has an unplanned tryst with Max he latches onto her like a lost puppy. Anna rescues Johann from being beaten after a botched heist and soon all three are sharing Anna's apartment. There Johann proves surprisingly adept at housekeeping, cooking, sewing and doing handiwork. A comfortable domestic situation begins to form and the three spend most of their time simply "chilling out". But when Max becomes attracted to Johann and Johann and Anna develop a strange non-sexual attraction all three find that returning to their previous lives is no longer possible. Anna hatches a plan to pass Johann off as the heir to a modest fortune freeing him from the constant need to travel to new cities looking for new victims. But their plan shuts out Max and surprising results follow.
Stylistically Chill Out is fascinating. Reminiscent of Run Lola Run it makes excellent use of jump cuts, quick edits, repeated scenes and almost seems to be a movie in shorthand. This movie assumes you can keep up and, while Struck claims he did not make his film only for moviebuffs it is clear he assumes the general public is media savvy and he has no need to spoon-feed them (a topic I'm sure I'll have more to write on as the festival progresses.
There are a number of other good points to remark on here: none of the cast are what Hollywood would call "beautiful people" yet all are portrayed as sexy and sexual beings, a refreshing change from mainstream film. Struck (in the Q&A session afterwards) said his film was about exploring new definitions of love and friendship and that is certainly a theme we have time to ponder.
But ponder we may. The film is very slow paced, something North Americans (who do not go to the movies in order to just chill out) will have difficulty accepting. Though the slow seductions offer a smouldering passion at times often it seems there is simply nothing happening. The soundtrack, which Struck tried to sell CDs of afterwards, was annoying almost throughout being mostly composed of bad Electronica (no not Techno think early 80s bad sythethiser music) and some hideous lounge.
The problem with film festival reviews is the general public may never get to see the film you're reviewing. That will probably be the case with this film. Unless you are desperate for a slowly building look at a bisexual love triangle or are a lover of film technique odds are this won't appeal to you.
On to more mainstream fare, David Mamet's State and Main
I love seeing films in the Elgin. Seating about 1000 people complete with a balcony and mezzanine boxes the Elgin is actually an old style stage theatre that many generous sponsors we hear about over and over transform into a wonderful viewing room for festival week. It's important at times to remember that even Shakespeare ran commercials.
In attendance: Alec Bladwin, Clark Gregg, David Paymer, Julia Stiles and Sarah Jessica Parker
State and Main was described as a kinder Mamet film and that is certainly true. A romance story mixed with satire and screwball comedy it tells the story of a film crew invading a small Vermont town in order to shoot a film already over budget and off schedule.
The crew chooses the town due to its historic old mill, somewhat essential given the fact their film is entitled "The Old Mill". Things go wrong from the first second when it is revealed the old mill burned down over thirty years prior and it goes from bad to worse from there.
A superb cast is highlighted by Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the idealistic screenwriter, William H. Macy as the pragmatic director and Alec Baldwin as the diva film star with an unfortunate attraction to very young girls. Among the locals Julia Stiles plays the young waitress who sets out to attract Baldwin's character into a romantic relationship and Rebecca Pidgeon as the local bookstore owner who shares ideas and romance with the kindred spirit she finds in Hoffman's screenwriter.
I am convinced now that Hoffman can play absolutely any role brilliantly. I'm sure he could play Gengis Khan, George Washington or even Godzilla and I would be riveted throughout.
At first the film seems like it will be a typical small town values clash with Hollywood glitz and glamour but Mamet's screenplay soon surprises. The film shows how the same traits seem to exist in both places. Opportunism can be found anywhere and status seeking is just as ruthless whether it be a film crew or a one person city council. The same tricks are employed by people from wither "side" and bruised egos provoke bitter responses from any one who finds their feelings hurt. As the local country doctor puts it to the worried producers when it appears scandal may derail them "Believe it or not son, I've seen it all before." In time each culture finds itself adopting aspects of the other. This is neither good nor bad, it's simply how people thrown together behave.
Hollywood production does take its share of well aimed barbs as the idealism of creating a film clashes repeatedly with the pragmatism of actually making one. Ultimately though, the locals are proven capable of making the same magic film-makers use to craft the illusions they live by.
The story is packed but well tied together leaving just enough questions unanswered to let the viewer wonder for themselves what some references could mean. The disturbing issue of statutory rape is largely brushed over. Again the viewer themselves must decide how they feel about a young girl deliberately targeting an older star with known problems resisting young charms. At least Julia Stiles is a capable actress who holds her own quite well when on screen against Baldwin's fine performance.
State and Main is also quite funny with some jokes so clever you don't start laughing until the scene has already progressed on to the next. If this is the kindler Mamet I'll be happy to see more of it. Overall State and Main shines over other recent small town comedies including Happy, Texas and Mumford and is, so far, the best film I've seen at TIFF.
Ok, that's it, must sleep now...
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