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Reviews
La cruz del sur (2003)
End of the world
This is an exceptionally disturbing film. I've seen a lot of stories about crime and punishment: but this one beats them all (except Les Amants Criminel perhaps).
The setting of southern Argentina is cold, dirty, dark, gritty and utterly desperate. The inhabitants of these cursed territories carry a lifetime of misery on their shoulders and every choice they make is the wrong one. All they have is love for each other, but their survival instincts don't allow them to show their caring side. Even with death closing in, consolation escapes them.
The double motive of the sea and religion who give and take life and there for are the only way out, are inserted beautifully. Direction is raw, wild and uncompromising and fits the subject matter perfectly. There's almost no soundtrack and no dialog: there's not much to say anyway: the background noise destroys all soothing silence.
For a fictional debut of director Reyero, this is a very uncompromisingly rough film: but ravishing in its overwhelming ugliness.
Parasaito Dôruzu (2003)
Blade Days
Nice One !
Tokyo, 2034: sophisticated robots called Boomers (and on first sight almost indistinguishable from us, humans) are among us. They are meant to assist us in the shores we despise, but more an more things go wrong and take a nasty turn. In 3 linked short stories we see a world where humanity is as much a thing of machines, as of "biological" units. Parasite Dolls is Blade Runner meets Strange Days in animation. Especially the capturing of emotions from the Boomers for pity sexual "human" games seemed like a very interesting idea, although this was not worked out in much detail. The rest of the ideas behind the film weren't very original, but the 3 stories were plotted very well and the characters were nicely developed. The score helped bringing a very real "emotional" feel to the film. The animations aren't spectacular compared to what you see in Ghost is the Shell for example, but they are adequate.
If you have a change to see this film, I can only recommend to actually go and see it: a classic Artificial Intelligence story (what's humanity, how about emotions, ...?) that's very well scripted and adequately animated.
Wir (2003)
Berlin and away
This German version of L'Auberge Espagnole has nothing of the charm and characterbuilding of it's french counterpart. None of the characters seem interesting, but maybe this is because we don't get a chance to really get to now them. The film is full of conversations but they really lead nowhere.... and this wasn't the intention, believe me ! This is like good times, bad times; with a younger(but not more interesting) cast.
The film is set in Berlin, hottest town in Europe (read the mags !), but not that you would notice: a missed chance ! The photography and direction is exceptionally bland and misses all creativity!
Music is fun though, you don't hear German krautrock all the time...
Spider (2002)
Cronenberg lost it
I've been a huge fan of Cronenberg for several years. I consider Moviedrome as one of the best films ever made. Moviedrome has a dark techno-neuro-logical (sub)text and concerns Max' spiraling decent into hallucinatory madness. As a viewer all you can do is hang on and undergo the twisted plot changes. Dark, complex, subversive: Moviedrome forces you to open your eyes for a whole new way off looking at the world as you knew it.
Cronenberg's last 2 films (Crash and eXistenZ)showed Cronenberg again in very good shape and when I heard he was again tackling a story about schizophrenia, i was utterly delighted.
But alas, after seeing the movie last night, i can only feel disappointed. Although I must admit that Cronenbergs intentions with Spider where completely different from Moviedrome, the film just didn't manage to suck me into the mind of Spider.
It starts great, with desolate cityscapes, but the symbolism is to obvious: blind windows, ugh ! The story unravels the traumatic experiences of Spider and we see the world he created through his own distorted eyes. But only halfway the story, Cronenberg lets you understand what really happened and from then on the fun is over.
I guess Cronenberg wanted to dig deep into the way a twisted mind constructs his own image of reality and give the viewer an inside-look. But Cronenberg fails miserably: the character of Spider never succeeded in catching my intention: i never felt compassion, nor fascination. The style is very sober, the shots are dark and the movie as a whole is very slow.
It seems like Cronenberg made a film for the masses (Cfr. the obvious symbolism (blind windows, the presence of the watching spider in the flashbacks, ... and a very simple straightforward plot), but won't ever reach them because of the dark subject and uncompromising naturalist style.
I hope Cronenberg will soon return to what he's good at: characters who fascinate because of their illness, a twisted plot to show the distorted sense of reality and a slick technological design for speed and kicks.
Cronenberg rules in hyperreality, but loses his way in reality. (3/10)
Klassenfahrt (2002)
Not just another Bully-movie
- Spoilers Ahead - A class of 17-year olds from Berlin are on an extended schooltrip on the Polish coast. The trip is so boring that they fill their days with the normal teen-activities away from home: drinking, loving, smoking and playing pointless games.Past and future relationships are the main topic of the conversations. Ronny is a silent, introvert outcast who develops a growing interest in Isa, a beautiful and enterprising fellow-student. One night a the local pub they meet the Polish poolboy Marek. Isa now has to divide her attention between the two boys, who are both trying their best to impress her. When daredevil Marek drunkenly jumps into the sea, after being challenged to it by Ronny; Marek never resurfaces. Ronny now winds up together in bed with Isa and the same night of Marek's disappearance Isa gives herself to Ronny. When the police later shows up to question Isa about Marek's disappearance, the(ir) future seems very doubtful ......
This is Hesser Winckler's first long movie and it immediately manages to touch a sensitive nerve. Winckler creates throughout the film a consistent gloomy mood: the main color is gray, the Polish shoreline is a wasteland of deserted swimmingpools and the youth are bored rebels without a cause. Winckler is a very poignant observer who keeps enough distance between his camera (a.k.a. the viewer) and the troubled teens. No explanations are delivered, no moral ground for the viewer to stand on: just 21st century erratic teen behavior. The characterisation of Ronny is superb: without many words Winckler shows the outsider as a plausible love interest for Isa: he has developed a personality of his own, which doesn't mean the ability to plot his own life, but does explain his separation from the rest of the group. Klassenfahrt is in many ways similar to Larry Clark's Bully, but the Berlin-teens don't plan their acts and are not even held accountable for them. All hope is not lost although: the future is a wasteland: new virgin territory.