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by Stephen Wong
The notion of gathering 202 films from 46 countries into a two-week festival seems daunting, but that's
exactly what Bay Area residents have come to expect from the world's oldest film festival. Celebrating its 46th year
showcasing the best of world cinema to the U.S., the films selected this year offer an extraordinary range of subject
matter and delivery, demonstrating not just a wide range of storytelling techniques, but also a genuine glimpse at
many of their cultures. From the funny yet moving Iranian/Kurdish film
"Marooned in Iraq," to Brazil's frenetically charged documentary
"Bus 174," this is filmmaking at its finest.
It's difficult not to let depressing current events influence what we watch and don't watch in
the theaters (think it's a coincidence that comedies have been performing so well this year?), but
the Festival planners have carefully left the politics out, selecting their films -- which range from
features to documentaries to shorts -- on a purely artistic level, making the event
one of the purest celebrations of international filmmaking in America.
The films of each country not only vary from each other, but often times wildly differ from within
their own country. From Thailand, there's a fantastic juxtaposition of filmmaking styles, from the
sensually experimental "Blissfully Yours" (the title sequence appears 45 minutes into the film),
to the epic female warrior picture "The Legend of Suriyothai." Even Bay Area filmmakers are
represented, with Mark Decena's relationship drama "Dopamine" playing on closing night.
If the Sundance Film Festival is proof that American Independent cinema is still fresh and kicking,
the same can be said for the San Francisco International Film Festival and
the state of World Cinema. And for a culture that has become progressively more isolated from the rest of the world, that's a
wonderful gift.
CAPSULE REVIEWS
Marooned in Iraq | Whale Rider | Blissfully Yours
| Bus 174 | Winged Migration | The Death of Klinghoffer | Infernal Affairs
"Marooned in Iraq" (****)
(Iran, 2002, 110 min, director Bahman Ghobadi)
Playdates:
Sunday, April 20 / 3:15pm / AMC Kabuki 8 Theaters
Friday, April 25 / 9:15pm / Pacific Film Archive
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Shades of Three Stooges |
Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi dazzled audiences with 2000's heart-wrenching debut
"A Time for Drunken Horses." He's taken his craft to another level with Marooned in Iraq,
a breathtaking accomplishment that sets
its audience at the Iraq/Iran Kurdistan border during Saddam Hussein's ruthless
campaign in the early 1990s to quell the Kurdish rebellion (sparked by Bush Sr.'s infamously empty
call to "rise up"). Much like Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful, Marooned is a comedy,
set in a time and place where laughter is not the first thing that comes to mind.
Ghobadi's familiarity with his native landscape is apparent from the get-go, as we follow a
Three Stooges-esque trio of nomadic Kurdish musicians
-- Mirza and his two sons Audeh and Barat -- as they cross the border into Iraq looking for Mirza's
ex-wife Hannareh, who they've heard might be in trouble. With the sound of Iraqi jet fighters
looming overhead, Ghobadi juxtaposes the audio queues with the barren beauty of the landscape,
panning from picturesque mountain ranges to desolate dunes.
The absurdity of their journey, played to absolute hilarity by Marooned's three stars (all
non actors who play their roles with an incredible authenticity) gives a charming tone to an otherwise
horrific landscape, where whole villages are being "cleansed" by Sadaam's chemical warfare attacks.
Considered the most famous musician in Kurdistan, Mirza and his sons hop from one camp to another,
playing their wonderful music all-the-while looking for Hannareh, whose beautiful voice once headlined Mirza's
band. It is in their journey that we discover the richness of the Kurdish heritage and the melody of their people.
From Audeh, whose 7 wives and 13 daughters fails to deter his ultimate goal ("I will not leave women alone
until I have a son"), to Barat, whose voice alone elicits a passion from his audience, this roaming band is the perfect
accompaniment to the film's more serious issues.
Originally titled "The Songs of My Homeland," and winner of the prestigious Francois-Chalais Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival,
as well as the Chicago International Film Festival's Gold Plaque Award (which Ghobadi refused to accept
due to a rejection of his Visa from the US Government), "Marooned in Iraq" is one of the most magnificent and powerful
films you will ever see.
"Whale Rider" (*** 1/2)
(New Zealand, 2002, 105 min, director Niki Caro)
Playdates:
Saturday, April 19 / 9:00pm / Castro
Tuesday, April 22 / 1:00pm / AMC Kabuki 8 Theaters
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Newcomer Keisha Castle-Hughes dazzles as Pai |
In the opening moments of "Whale Rider," director Niki Caro abruptly establishes
the fateful story of Pai, who tragically loses both her twin brother and mother during her birth.
Shattered by the devastating loss, her grief-stricken father flees the Whangara village
(on the east coast of New Zealand), leaving the child-raising burden to Pai's grandparents.
But before leaving, he gives his daughter the name "Paikea," typically
reserved for the first-born male future chief of the village, and the name that would have belonged to
his dead son.
Legend has it that the Whangara people date back a thousand years to a single ancestor, Paikea,
who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on,
Whangara chiefs have always been the first-born male, and for Pai's traditionalist grandfather,
that's exactly how it should remain. Now a young teenager feisty and radiating with energy, Caro resumes Pai's story
(in a remarkable debut performance from Keisha Castle-Hughes), as she desperately tries to win over
the love and respect of her tough grandfather, who still mourns the loss of the baby boy he had hoped
would resurrect the tribe to better days. Determined to be the leader her grandfather had endlessly
prayed for, Pai must overcome traditional gender stereotypes of her classmates and more
importantly of her grandfather.
Caro's charming treatment of this native New Zealand story and its people is sensitively captured,
as she combines gorgeous visuals of both the village and the whales who inhabit the waters nearby,
with the hauntingly beautiful native traditions and songs. When a group of beached whales forces
the village into desperate measures, you'll be completely mesmerized by the beauty of Caro's storytelling
prowess. Keisha Castle-Hughes steals the show though, in a dazzling debut performance that is simply
unforgettable.
"Blissfully Yours" (***)
(Thailand, 2002, 125 min, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Playdates:
Friday, April 18 / 7:00pm / PFA
Sunday, April 20 / 6:15pm / AMC Kabuki 8 Theaters
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Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Blissfully Yours" is likely the most unique film playing at the festival,
for better or worse. Unconventional in every aspect (including the opening credits rolling 45 minutes
into the film), this incredibly sensual and occasionally explicit Thai film plays out more like
a documentary than a feature, with all the methodical patience of the former. Almost like driftwood, bobbing
in and out of Apichatpong's visual conscience, the film follows a Thai girl and Burmese guy (who suffers
from a strange skin condition) as they take a day off to picnic in a luscious Thai forest (the Garden of Eden
will definitely come to mind). Frequently framed strangely -- in many scenes all the actors have their
backs facing the camera -- there's a weird voyeuristic vibe that creeps into the picture, most notably
in the film's minutes-long final sequence, when we witness (from directly above in a close-up shot)
one of the film’s two women casually pulling out her boyfriend’s cock and stroking it until it becomes
hard. Though there are obviously deeper social issues at work here, this closing image is as challenging
(to both watch and contemplate) as the film itself. Artsie types will appreciate the independent nature
of "Blissfully Yours," which was somehow made despite Thailand's heavily studio-driven movie industry.
However, its two hours and change running time will definitely be felt by all.
"Bus 174" (*** 1/2)
(Brazil, 2002, 120 min, director José Padilha)
Playdates:
Wednesday, April 23 / 6:45pm / AMC Kabuki 8 Theaters
Thursday, April 24 / 2:30pm / Castro
Sunday, April 27 / 6:00pm / PFA
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Reality TV in its rawest and most tragic form, José Padilha's riveting documentary "Bus 174"
looks in detail at the Brazilian hijacking (in the summer of 2000) of a Rio de Janeiro bus,
which not only held captive a half-dozen frightened hostages, but 35 million Brazilian viewers,
who witnessed nearly every minute of the horror on national television. With shades of "Dog Day
Afternoon," and the brilliant documentary "One Day in September," the audience becomes witness to
what happens when a society ignores its most fundamental problem, and how the media hype-machine
can both cover and propagate a disaster. Padilha cleverly weaves his documentary between the
real-time coverage of the hostage crisis and a probing look at the city's rotting subculture
of two million homeless children, of which the hijacker "Sergio" is a by-product. While not
going so far as to paint Sergio as a victim in the incident, we are shown how his childhood --
marred by the witness at an early age of his mother's brutal murder, as well as a police massacre
of his homeless brothers -- directly led up to this sadly unavoidable conclusion. An inept and
ill-equipped police force and the media is a target as well, as we see the hype machine, hungry
for sensation, helping to egg on Sergio (in many cases camera crews would walk right up to the
window of the bus). Aggressively edited and perfectly structured, Padilha has given his audience
a documentary equal to the incredible and tragic incidents it dutifully covers.
"Winged Migration" (*** 1/2)
(France/Germany/Spain, 2001, 81 min, director Jacques Perrin)
Playdates:
Monday, April 21 / 10:00am / AMC Theaters Kabuki 8
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review by Scott Mantz
In Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, "meek" is defined as 1) being pliant or gentle, 2) patient and mild; not inclined to anger or resentment, or 3) being too submissive.
For better or worse, all of those definitions apply to the meek that inherit the emotionally gripping "Winged Migration," director Jacques Perrin's majestic follow-up to his magnificent 1996 documentary "Microcosmos" (which he produced). Where that film explored the wonderful world of insects that live in our own backyard, Perrin takes to the skies for an even more ambitious and exhilarating project that looks at the awesome journey that birds must take in their never-ending fight for survival.
Read the rest of Scott's review
"The Death of Klinghoffer" (* 1/2)
(United Kingdom, 2003, 120 min, director Penny Woolcock)
Playdates:
4/20 CAS 5:30 DEAT20C
4/21 PFA 7:00 DEAT21P
*Presented in association with SF Opera and KDFC Classical 102.
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A film-adaptation of the controversial stage musical, based on the Palestinian terrorist hijacking of a cruise ship,
the concept is very intriguing: recreate the hijacking in its entirety (from historical backdrop leading all the way up
to the hijacking itself), by having every member of the cast sing their own dialogue. Intriguing? yes. Successful? no.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from one of the worst sountracks I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. Envision
listening to cheap, distracting opera music, with the spoken language being a highly unpoetic English. I'd like
to have told you how the film ended, but one hour and twenty minutes into it, I threw in the towel and sprinted to
the nearest coffee shop...
"Infernal Affairs" (*** 1/2)
(Hong Kong, 2002, 100 min, directors Andrew Lau, Alan Mak)
Playdates:
4/18 PFA 9:45 INFE18P
4/21 CAS 3:00 INFE21C
4/25 KAB 7:00 INFE25K
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review by Aaron Hoag
Infernal Affairs stars a lot of heavyweight Hong Kong talent in a well constructed and visually stunning movie that has captivated audiences and critics alike. Andy Lau plays Ming, a high ranking police officer who is not what he seems - because he is in fact a Triad (Chinese Mafia) member who was ordered to infiltrate the police department starting with the academy when he was 18 yrs old. Working as a high level police officer, he is able to keep his boss and his gang one step ahead of the cops.
This is not an action movie, in fact there is surprisingly little action. This is a movie that keeps you in your seat through tension, drama, and well scripted surprises. The movie moves well from scene to scene and the fact that award winning cinematographer Christopher Doyle was called in as a Visual Consultant is not lost on the movie, as it is visually stunning. All the actors are big name Hong Kong veterans and the acting is superb. Andrew Lau, who made his name making popular trash cinema like the Young and Dangerous film series, shows that there is more to him than just box office fluff. Alan Mak, who shares directing credits, also co-wrote the very strong screenplay with Felix Chong.
Read the rest of Aaron's review
That's it from the festival. Be sure to check out the San Francisco International Film Festival
website for more information about the films, playdates and latest news.
Below is a list of winners of the Film Society's Golden Gate Awards:
SKYY PRIZE WINNER FIRST NARRATIVE FEATURE
THE MAN OF THE YEAR (Brazil), José Henrique Fonseca, director
AWARDED $10,000
GOLDEN GATE AWARD DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND (USA), Sam Green and Bill Siegel, directors
AWARDED $5,000 from the Festival and a Final Cut Pro System courtesy of
Apple
GOLDEN GATE AWARD BAY AREA DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
LOST BOYS OF SUDAN (USA), Jon Shenk and Megan Mylan, directors
AWARDED $2,500 from the Festival and $2,500 worth of lab services from
AlphaCine Labs
GOLDEN GATE AWARD DOCUMENTARY SHORT
PAINTING WITH LIGHT IN A DARK WORLD (Australia), Sascha Ettinger-Epstein,
director
AWARDED $1,500 from the Festival and $1,700 worth of film stock from Eastman
Kodak
GOLDEN GATE AWARD BAY AREA DOCUMENTARY SHORT
THE CHILDREN OF IBDAA: TO CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING (USA/Palestine),
S. Smith Patrick, director
AWARDED $1,500 from the Festival and $1,700 worth of film stock from Eastman
Kodak
GOLDEN GATE AWARD NEW VISIONS
FALL (3 PARTS) (USA/France), Leighton Pierce, director
AWARDED $1,500
GOLDEN GATE AWARD NARRATIVE SHORT
THE WAY BACK (Australia), Samuel MacGeorge, director
AWARDED $1,500
GOLDEN GATE AWARD BAY AREA NARRATIVE SHORT
FREQUENCY RESPONSE-OBSERVATIONS (USA), Christopher Arcella, director
AWARDED $1,500
GOLDEN GATE AWARD ANIMATED SHORT
PAN WITH US (USA), David Russo, director
AWARDED $1,500
GOLDEN GATE AWARD YOUTH WORKS
CHAVEZ 101 (USA), Youth in Video Students of the Latino Film Festival San
Francisco Bay Area (USA)
AWARDED $1,000
GOLDEN GATE AWARD TV NARRATIVE LONG FORM
THE ENCLAVE, Vara Broadcasting Company (Netherlands)
GOLDEN GATE AWARD TV NARRATIVE SHORT FORM
CLEO, Sveriges Television (Sweden)
GOLDEN GATE AWARD TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY LONG FORM
MASTERS AND SLAVES, Arte France (France)
GOLDEN GATE AWARD HONORABLE MENTION TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY SHORT FORM
BEHIND THE WORDS OF EDNA O¹BRIEN, Arte France/MK2TV
Stephen Wong
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