Hello Dayton937 & NEON Friends!
As we get into day 6 & 7, some things slow down a bit. Many folks in the industry are heading home, some special press & industry programs are wrapping up, and tickets are slightly easier to acquire. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t sill a lot of films to see. I’m here through Friday (Day #9) for screenings…so there’s still plenty to see (but I’ll be heading out for a concert on Thursday night – so a fun shift of focus while I’m here).
Last night, I got home very late and wrapped up my blog without mentioning what a terrific evening I had. Between my 3rd and 4th screenings, I met up with Susan Strong again (our former Board member who now lives in Minneapolis) along with her husband and two friends from Springboro. It was fun to recount what I’ve seen and hear about the films that had made impressions on them. They’re all on their way home today after having seen 10 films over the course of 4 days. Here’s a picture of us together:
It was really hard to get out of bed this morning, but I made it to my first film – COUTURE (dir: Alice Winocour – USA, France) “Anchored by a memorable performance from Oscar winner Angelina Jolie, this compelling new film from Alice Winocour (TIFF ’22’s Paris Memories), set in the Parisian fashion industry, weaves multiple threads of women and girls from Ukraine, France, and Sudan, in the lead up to a fashion show.” This story of a few different women who all cross paths during a few days preparing for a big fashion event has its moments of intrigue (I mostly liked watching the clothes being made)…but the stories never felt deep enough (a rather weak screenplay doesn’t help matters) and/or the performances didn’t really feel honest enough. The subject matter was primed for good drama, but I never felt invested. At the end of the day, I feel like there’s material here for a solid short film – but as it stands, it didn’t work for me.
There’s no trailer for the film yet, but here’s a still photo:
My next film is a story that’s based on only a couple known facts from a director I admire (though I haven’t seen more than a few titles from him) – THE CAPTIVE (dir: Alejandro Amenábar – Spain, Italy) “In 1575 Algiers, a young soldier named Miguel de Cervantes is held for ransom — unaware he’s on the path to becoming one of history’s greatest storytellers. This bold, visually stunning film is a reimagining of the true story behind Cervantes’ transformation.” (Amenábar did films like THE OTHERS and THE SEA INSIDE…so I was all the more intrigued to see this film.) Before writing DON QUIXOTE, Cervantes was a prison…and that is one of the facts that we know – but not much else. In this film, Amenábar tells us that Cervantes told stories to boost morale to other prisoners…and his stories became noticed from the Bajá of Algiers. The production design is lovely, and the story is brutal, sexy and full of sadness & despair – but also hope. It was a nice surprise.
This film doesn’t have a trailer yet, but here’s a clip:
Next up was the 2nd film of Richard Linklater’s at the festival – but this one in French – NOUVELLE VAGUE (dir: Richard Linklater – France) “The latest from Oscar-nominated indie auteur Richard Linklater is an effervescent, meticulous recreation of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s legendary 1960 feature debut Breathless, the film that heralded the arrival of the French New Wave.” (TIFF catalog). A charming love letter to the French New Wave, this film pays homage in numerous ways – in technique, casting, design and more. Though I think being familiar with the players helps a lot in understanding the film (and even I felt like I needed a major history brush-up while watching), this film does work without knowing a whole lot about the era. That said, it did make me want to run home and re-watch BREATHLESS with a new set of eyes…so it certainly worked on that level.
My last film of the night was a big winner at Cannes this year – IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (dir: Jafar Panahi – Iran, France, Luxembourg) “Winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes, the latest from Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi — his first following his most recent prison sentence — follows a group of citizens pondering revenge against a man they believe was their torturer.” (TIFF catalog) This film reveals itself and its motivations in really interesting ways…and how it speaks to global politics is really frightening (like the reason these people had been taken as prisoners was because they were protesting their rights). What’s really fascinating about this film is that it’s a thriller/political thriller…and a comedy. Huh? It doesn’t seem possible, but there are moments that are completely zany…but the last 15 minutes are incredibly intense. Panahi was in attendance, and he spoke so eloquently of being held prisoner, making films under underground, and wishing for the complete fall of the regime in Iran – it was inspiring. What an incredible way to see this film. Many thanks to my friend from Cinetic for securing me the incredible ticket.
I’ve got another full day tomorrow…then I start to slow down a bit. Thanks so much for reading!
Jonathan
