BENEDETTA (France/Netherlands 2021) ** Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Premiering at Cannes this year, BENEDETTA is the much awaited film from Dutch director Paul Verhoeven after the immense success of his precious film ELLE, the film that should have won Isabelle Huppert the Oscar for Best Actress.
BENEDETTA is the name of the promiscuous nun that finally ascended to the privileged role of Mother Superior. The film is loosely based on the 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown.It is ‘supposed’ to be a biographical drama film of the novice nun in the 17th century who joins an Italian convent and has a lesbian love affair with another nun.BENEDETTA reminds one immediately of Verhoeven’s earlier piece with Jennifer Jason Leigh FLESH ND BLOOD, a historical drama set in the 1500’s for its graphic sex scenes and violence.The violence in BENEDETTA includes aalmost unwatchable torture scene.
The events of the movie occur during the 17th century.The main character is Benedetta Carlini, who is an Italian nun in the abbey of a convent in Tuscany.She was considered to be mystical and venerated by her religious entourage, and finally Benedetta was arrested and judged for sapphism.
There are lots of nudity and lots of girl-on-girl sexuality.Though biographical, Verhoeven’s film does not feel like one.The film comes across more like soft porn made by a dirty old man than a film that explores freedom and the dangers of religious fanatics.
The only almost saving grace of the film comes from Charlotte Rampling, who plays the ousted Mother Superior.Her character is confused and confusing and Rampling is superb at playing characters of this nature.
The film opens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox December the 3rd.
LES OISEAUX IVRES (DRUNKEN BIRDS) (Canada/Mexico 2021) ***1/2
Directed by Ivan Grbvic
DRUNKEN BIRDS, a co-production of Canada and Mexico, filmed in three languages, French, Spanish and English covers a variety of issues while being set in the real world of insurmountable problems.Director Grbvic’s film is also artistically stunning and though quite a film experience, it is a little too ambitious for its own good.
The film begins with an impressive car chase scene in which a burning car is driven on an open road.This is definitely a difficult to almost impossible scene to shoot, and one must admire Ivres’ dedication to his craft.The person being pursued is Willy (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) chased by a man with a flowery shirt, who later complains that after beating up Willy, that Willy got blood on his favourite shirt.The camera closes up on a pendant that Willy holds while on the dirt ground.The film is Willy’s story as he escapes Mexico and the trouble that follows.Willy is in love with his drug cartel boss’ wife, Marlena (Yoshira Escárrega), the scene again re-visited at the end of the film.
Willy and Marlena decide to disappear for fear of the boss.They decide not to know each other’s whereabouts for the sake of safety.All Willy knows is that Marlena is somewhere in Montreal.In the meanwhile, Willy travels to Canada and gets a low paying job as a farming migrant worker.“This is like the army,” remakes one of the workers during orientation.Life gets harder and more complicated.
The film weaves through the intersection of love, desperation, and the harsh realities of globalized labour.The labour here is not restricted to Mexicans but there are also Chinese and Sikhs that are also exploited.Other issues include family dysfunction, growing-up, the sex trade in Montreal and a little romance.Ivres covers a lot of material in his film that moves at a pace occasionally too leisurely for its topics.
Though the story is primarily about Willy, Willy’s life again gets complicated when he nurses hisfarm owner’s daughter back to health after she is beaten up by hr pimp in the sex trade.She remains silent for fear of being exposed while Willy is mistaken as the man who beat her up and has to flee the farm.If one wonders the reason the daughter betrays Willy who has helped her, it is easy to see that she wants to protect herself at the expense of a stranger.The topic of betrayal could have been treated with greater detail.
Cinematographer Sara Mishara’s camera captures both the beauty of the exteriors (the farm, the ‘drunken’ birds flying in the sky, the escape through the field at night) as well as the interiors (the cramped living quarters of the farm workers), and of course the stunning opening scene.
The open ending of DRUNKEN BIRDS might look like a copout and many would expect a more satisfactory ending given the amount of time devoted into each of the different characters brides Willy.
LES OISEAUX IVRES (DRUNKEN BIRDS) opens this week at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.Check out the awesome new program of films opening soon at the Lightbox.
THE ADVENT CALENDAR (La Calendrier) (Belgium/France 2021) ***
Directed by Patrick Ridremont
From Belgium comes this deliciously wicked Christmas treat that is as downright nasty in its premise.THE ADVENT CALENDAR promises a surprise treat or trick very day in December from the 1st.The film unfolds in days as the protagonist a paraplegic, Eva is presented with this gift from her friend, Sophia visiting from Germany during Christmas.
Helpless disabled damsels in distress appear to be favourites in the horror genre.Audrey Hepburn and Mia Farrow were blind characters stalked by killers in WAIT UNTIL DARK and BLIND TERROR. The distressed damsel in THE ADVENT CALENDAR is a beautiful ex-dancer wheelchair bound.Her killer in this case is not so straightforward. A blind victim can run away from her attacker but a paraplegic cannot.
Eva (Eugénie Derouand), is an ex-dancer, is now using a wheelchair, unable to walk, as she is introduced in the film’s first scene as she swims and has to be put in her wheelchair after the swim.A male swimmer hits on her, only to be taken aback after he discovers his prized date-to-be to be a paraplegic.Eva replies with a snide remark indicating that she is independent and strong enough to accept her fate and that she can be nasty if she wants.When her friend Sophie (Honorine Magnier gives her an old wooden antique advent calendar that she stole from a vendor at the Munich market in Germany before Christmas. (It is a magnificent ornament that I would have no qualms purchasing myself.)Sophie explains the German instructions that come with the gift.
There are three rules that must be followed or “I will kill you!” follows the warning.The first rule is that if you eat one candy, you must eat them all.The second rule: “Respect all rules until you open the last door”and the third: is that “ if you dump the calendar then….”
Eva realizes each window contains a surprise that triggers repercussions in real life.Some of them are good, but most of them are bad, really bad.
The first date is a date that Sophie arranges for date with herself and Eva and his friends.The date turns out to be a disgusting, tactless womanizer who makes sexual advances towards Eva.“You did not resist when I started,” he says to which Eva replies to the asshole that paraplegics cannot feel waist down.He gets what is coming - an awful death.
Now Eva will have to choose between getting rid of the calendar or walking again – even if it causes death and destruction to everyone she holds dear around her.
The story contains three very evil human beings who seem to be put down on the planet to torment Eva.Her boss is unsympathetic to Eva’s disability, degrading and calling her a half woman.Her father’s nurse sells her father’s house and puts him in ahome.And there is Boris the asshole date.
Director Ridremont adds to the horror with a palette of colours, darkness and things that go bump in the dark.In one splendid cry scene, Eva wakes up in a hospital with a crazy patient besides her, now knowing how she got there.
The Shudder original French (Belgium) horror fantasy THE ADVENT CALENDAR opens exclusively on Thursday, December 2nd. Combining Faustian themes and allusions with European folklore and tense, chilling terror, the Shudder Original film provides some highly unusual holiday season horror.
In this special 25th Anniversary edition of Canada’s premier pan-Asian festival, nearly all programming is available Canada-wide. The opening night film, which will be the only in-person event held this year, will feature the award-winning film Islands from filmmaker Martin Edralin. Winner of a Special Jury prize at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, the film will screen at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on November 10 at 7:30 pm. The film will be followed by an in-person Q&A with Edralin and cast members Sheila Lotuaco and Esteban Comilang.
This year’s festival lineup consists of 81 films from all over the world, including Canada, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong,Pakistan, India, Norway and the United States, with 59% directed by women and non-binary filmmakers. Priced at $9.49 and with a limited number of reduced-price tickets at $4.49 for seniors, students, and un(der)waged people, tickets go on sale on October 20
The Toronto ReelAsian International Film Festival will take place from November 10 to 19, 2021. The festival’s awards will be handed out on November 13, allowing festival attendees to see the winning films.
The awards will be streamed live.
Public tickets will be priced at $9.49 and are on sale beginning October 20 at reelasian.com
CAPSULE REVIEWS of Selected Films:
BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES (Japan 2021) **** Directed by Junta Yamaguchi
Directed by Junta Yamaguchi and performed by the members of the Kyoto-based Europe Kikaku theatre group, BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES is a time warp sci-fi film that is easily the best and most entertaining film of the Reel Asian Film Festival this year.A cafe owner Kato closes up shop on an ordinary night only to be interrupted by a voice from the TV when he enters his apartment that is above his cafe that turns out to be his own voice, two minutes in the future. Kato downstairs in the shop tells Kato upstairs that he is looking into 2 minutes in the future.Kato runs down to find that this is true.As Kato investigates the strange occurrence, the night and time itself start to unravel.Kato’s friends and colleagues get enveloped into his time warp, and the results are hilarious, calamitous and existential. The script is brilliantly written with tension mounting towards a riveting climax when two time space police arrive to prevent a time paradox from occurring. With long takes, simple locations, and finely tuned performances, this film clearly shows that minor masterpieces can be made on a shoestring budget but it needs a good story, script and thought.
Trailer:
CODE NAME: NAGASAKI (Norway 2021) *** Directed by Fredrik S. Hana
Directed by Fredrik S. Hana, written and starring both himself and Maruis Lunde, CODE NAME: NAGASAKI is a documentary that mixes several genres, film detective noir, horror, experimental and documentary.The premise is the finding of Marius after 25 years.Marius initially tries the Japanese Embassy and when he gets no success, hires a Japanese private investigator who guarantees rests in 3 weeks. There is a lot of film experimenting going on, which might interest film cineastes and critics and less so for the commercial moviegoer who will likely find the entire hour and 9 minutes totally exhaustive.See it at your own risk!
Trailer:
DRIFTING (Hong Kong 2021) ***
Directed by Jun Li
DRIFTING focuses of recently released from jail, Fai (Francis Ng), homeless, jobless and a junkie, living off the streets of Sham Shui Po, the poorest district in Hong Kong. One morning, the police arrive without notice and clear out their belongings, their makeshift homes reduced to roadside trash. The female cop uncharge refuses to listen to their pleas.With the help of social worker Ms. Ho (Cecilia Cho), Fai and company of junkies take the case to court, while struggling to create a new home.Director Li, with a journalist backgrounds tackles the true story of 2012 highlighting how inhuman the Hong Kong police can be (as in the recent protest of human rights against China) and the plight of the homeless.“We are homeless but we are not worthless” the chant of the protestors is also the main message of the often enlightening film.Waring that there are disturbing scenes o drug use, as in one where Fai takes his first jab of crack and passes out with his trousers down.
Trailer: none
HAIL, DRIVER (PREBET SAPU) (Malaysia 2021) ***
Directed by Muzzamer Rahman
Shot in black and white similar to what the protagonist might see, being colour blind, HAIL, DRIVER or Prebut Sapu in Malay, is an authentic slice of life of the less fortunate lower working class of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Like most towns in Malaysia, they are mostly populated by Chinese followed by Malays unlike the outside of the cities. I have been there three times before in my youth and what is seen in the film has not changed from what I had experienced in the past. It is a struggle, made more real as the audience sees the hardship of Aman as he tries to etch out a living without a proper education and job. He did some writing before, according to the story when he was in Pahang, another star on the east coast of Malaysia.
Aman had moved to Kuala Lumpur to follow his dreams, but all he has is his late father’s old car and nowhere to live. To make ends meet, he uses his room on wheels to illegally earn money through a driving-service app. This is how he meets Bella, a Chinese student from Penang. The two form a friendship that is loved down because of their difference in race. Election Day is arriving but there is little hope as it is expected that little change would occur no matter which party wins the elections.A bit slow moving in pace but beautifully shot and performed.
Aman had moved to Kuala Lumpur to follow his dreams, but all he has is his late father’s old car and nowhere to live.To make ends meet, he uses his room on wheels to illegally earn money through a driving-service app.This is how he meets Bella, a Chinese student from Penang. The two form a friendship that is loved down because of their difference in race.A bit slow moving in pace but beautifully shot and performed.
Trailer:
ISLANDS (Canada 2021) ***1/2
Directed by Martin Edralin
Everyone loves a movie with heart.ISLANDS has heart as is most noticeable from the details from each scene.ISLANDS is about Joshua.Joshua has formed an island of his own as many people do.ISLANDS is the obvious metaphor in the film.Writer/director Erdalin follows Joshua as his protagonist and he quits his University janitorial job in order to care for his frail father who also suffers from dementia, after his mother passes away without warning.Joshua is a kind soul who prays every night. He prays for his family and himself and is shown to be a caring person, now tested to the fullest with the responsibility of caring for his father.Into the picture, arrives from Kuwait, his cousin, who brings much needed life into the situation.ISLANDS is a decent, charming film that deals with the problem many families go through - the need to care for an ageing parent.For Asian families in particular, the care lies on the adult children who seldom put their parents into a nursing home.ISLANDS is a quietly charming indie film that delivers a message in a quaint way.And often, messages are best conveyed in this manner.
TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY (Taiwan 2020) ** Directed by Keff
TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY take place at a speciality hotel is which suicidal guests pay per night.They either kill themselves at night or leave the next morning. And so the premise goes.When the film starts, the hotel receptionist hears that a guest had been staying a whole week, by fooling the cleaning staff with the sign ‘Under Maintenance’ hung on the outside door. The man investigates and soon, he and the female guest spend some quality time together.She needs a meal. As the hotel restaurant is closed, the receptionist accompanies her to the 7-Eleven to buy some instant noodles.Despite the novel idea, the film tries to hard to be smart and fails.Its philosophizing (don’t expect much and one would get disappointed) and metaphors (dreams posing as life) are nothing new.Director Keff’s overuse of reflections and half images also gets tiresome after a while.Running only at 45 minutes, this short feature feels a tad too long.
Trailer:
THREE SISTERS (South Korea 2020) *** Directed by Lee Seung-won
THREE SISTERS is a film not only about abuse but about extreme abuse.Each of the THREE SISTERS in the story has abuse destroy their lives.The middle sister is a God-fearing wife, a choir conductress in the church and on the exterior seems to be have got her life together.But upon scrutiny, she is suffering from an abusive husband who is currently cheating on her with a choir member.Her elder sister is abused and mistreated by both her husband and daughter.She finds out she has cancer.The other sister is constantly drunk and abuses her loving husband.Her step son cannot stand her though she fusses on him. All the abuse is actually quite entertaining to watch, thanks to director Lee’s apt handling of a difficult subject.All the abuse comes to a head at the film’s climax when the cause of all the abuse is revealed.An emotional roller-coaster ride that also offersslice of Korean life.
CAPSULE REVIEWS of Select Films will be posted once embargoes have lifted. Embargo dates listed.
DES PREUVRES A’AMOUR (Love Letters)(France 2025) ***½ Directed by Alice...
