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on the big screen - discerning films of 2002
songs from the second floorCompulsive viewing for anyone who has ever questioned film as an art form. This highly original Swedish masterpiece from writer-director Roy Andersson will challenge every fiber of your being with bizarre situations, a unique vision and an extraordinary tale of events. Populated with the living and the dead, searching for truth, love and happiness, this is black comedy at its darkest. Yes, it is nuts, but delightfully chewable. You may love it, you may hate it, you might not understand any of it, but it is a captivating cinematic experience you will never forget. It is a rare vision that blows through commercialism like a raging veldt fire, then sweeps over you like a breath of fresh air. In Swedish with English subtitles. Read the fascinating conversation with Roy Andersson.
the deep end This is the stuff suspense thrillers are made of: a great story, wonderfully conflicting characters; taut direction by Scott McGehee and David Siegel; brilliant cinematography (Giles Nuttgens); excellent performances (especially Tilda Swinton and Goran Visnjic)… Without ruining the plot, it concerns a mother who becomes involved with her son's boyfriend and his shady past, which leads to a deadly game of intrigue and suspense. It is a classy thriller for discerning cinemagoers that is captivating and mesmerising. Find out how Elizabeth Sanxay Holding's 1947 novel "The Blank Wall" was adapted for the big screen.
the piano teacher A shocking and riveting expose of a woman who explores the perverse and dark side of her sexuality. Directed by Michael Haneke, this is French filmmaking at its most daring. The story concerns a conservative piano teacher in her early 40s, who lives at home, cooped up with her mother, whose influence she escapes only on her regular visits to porn cinemas and peepshows. Her sexuality is an affair of morbid voyeurism and masochistic self-mutilation. When she becomes the object of affection of a young student, her life changes drastically. In French with English subtitles. Multi-award winning Austrian director Michael Haneke has brilliantly adapted renowned novelist and playwright Elfriede Jeliken's controversial novel 'The Piano Teacher' into a shocking and disturbing film that explores the dark side of a woman's sexuality. Marle Rivire interviewed Jeliken on her views on Haneke's adaptation (the interview was translated by Robert Gray). Read the fascinating interview with Elfriede Jeliken…. Click Here
Iris Based on John Bayley's book 'Iris: A Memoir and Elegy for Iris", director Richard Eyre (who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Wood (III)), gives us a radiant retrospect of the life of an extraordinary woman. It features captivating and passionate performances by Judi Dench in the title role, and Jim Broadbent as the love of her life. Kate Winslet is equally glowing. It is an interesting portrait of a writer, her work and her mind, that mesmerises. Ideal fare for discerning audiences. Read how the memoir was adapted to the big screen.
the royal tenenbaums There is something very special about this latest feature by Wes Anderson, who was responsible for the brilliant 'Rushmore'. It has a unique approach in presenting the film in the style of a novel, unfolding with chapters and read by a narrator (Alec Baldwin). It concerns a very unusual family and their eccentric ways, dealing with relationships, loneliness, misunderstanding, suicide, unhappiness, love and divorce. What makes it unusual as that it is not presented as a drama, but a highly stylised comedy, with its characters sketched like out-of-place tragic comic book heroes desperately longing for a bit of adventure. It will appeal to those who would like to spend some time in the dark with a bunch of strange characters, and share their weird stories. Released on April 12 at Cinema Nouveau. Read all about how the screenplay was written.
the safety of objects American Independent director Rose Troche ("Go Fish", "Bedrooms and Hallways") gives us an exceptional view of American suburban life, filled with subversive dark humour. It features a first rate class who delivers stunning performances, especially Glenn Close as the tormented mother and Dermot Mulroney as the off-the-wall lawyer. This is filmmaking at its most endearing. An intimate experience that makes you re-evaluate the quality of life and the way you live it. It is indeed a unique experience that you will treasure. There is nothing that can beat a powerful story that is well told and is equally a visual tour de force. Unlike most scripts that are either adapted from a written source or drawn out of a screenwriter's imagination, The Safety Of Objects was inspired by numerous short stories by AM Holmes as well as the real-life suburban experience of American Independent writer/director Rose Troche. Read more about how this exceptional film was made and how the director worked with her cast, click here
heaven An exquisitely crafted and delicate romance that takes its audience on a journey of discovery and emotional confrontation. The performances by Giovanni Ribisi, as the young police officer, and Cate Blanchett, who plays an assassin, are mesmerising. The actors both deliver an intense reflection of characters who seek to escape from the ordinary and experience the ultimate romance. This is 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Bonnie and Clyde' stripped bare, replacing the graphic violence with intense personal struggles. Director Tom Tykwer uses the locations and setting of the story to its full potential, allowing the architecture and landscapes to drown the characters; the world they try to escape from looms over them like a dark shadow, reminding them that there is no escape. Tykwer brilliantly uses silence to enhance the visuals , and the textures of their surroundings to reflect their inner turmoil. This is first rate viewing for discerning audiences who would like to escape into the unique world Tykwer and his cast give us. The crisp screenplay was crafted by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz. (the 'Trois Couleurs' trilogy), and handed over to the producers after Kieslowski's death in 1996. The intense drama 'Heaven" was an extraordinary challenge for Berlin filmmakers X Filme Creative Pool. For the first time, Tom Tykwer made a film with foreign stars (Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi), in a foreign country (Turin and Montepulciano in Tuscany), and in foreign languages (English and Italian). It is interesting to note that Ribisi and Blanchett also starred in Sam Raimi's brilliant "The Gift". Go behind the scenes of Heaven and read more about how the film was made; there's also an insightful interview with director Tom Tykwer…
101 reykjavik The charm of this unusual black comedy from Iceland lies in its frankness, blatantly probing and questioning male and female sexuality. It is honest and sincere in its approach, giving insight into a very simple and unsophisticated lifestyle. It has its grip firmly on humanity, beating gently to the rhythm of the pulsating soundtrack. Set against the backdrop of Reykjavik's swinging nightlife, this zany black comedy takes a candid look at its anti-hero's compelling, confused and often hilarious sexual universe. Living on social security in the protected environment of his mother's home, Hlynur (Hilmir Snear Gudnason) has never felt the urge to venture beyond the confines of his microcosmic world: 101 Reykjavik. Determined to resist adulthood at all cost, he soon finds out that life is busy making other plans for him. Especially when his mother steps out of the closet and he has to face his obsession with her lesbian lover. With a dry, biting humour, this slice of life weaves a tapestry of lives that gives us insight not only to the characters but the youth culture they represent. The book on which the film is based was nominated for the "Literary Prize of the Nordic Council." Baltasar Kormakur is one of Iceland's most popular and critically acclaimed actors of the younger generation. He formed his own theatre with two partners and has directed a string of productions there as well as in the National Theatre of Iceland. 101 Reykjavik is his debut as a film director.
i am sam A moving, charming and uplifting cinematic experience that will challenge you emotionally and physically. It is exhausting to watch Sean Penn's Oscar caliber performance as a mentally handicapped father who takes on the system and society to prevent his 7-year-old daughter from being taken away. You will laugh. You will cry. It is a very special film that magnifies the importance of humanity and shows how empty the world can be without compassion and understanding. Read more about how the original screenplay became a film, click here.
a son's room (la stanza del figlio) Cinephiles who indulge in Italian cinema and favour films made by Visconti and classic-Fellini, will enjoy this dramatic analysis of a family in a small Italian town who have to come to terms with a tragic event that changes their lives. In contrast the spectacle of Hollywood, this measured expose unravels delicately, allowing the characters to gradually face the truth and grow stronger. The film is in Italian with English subtitles. It was directed by Nanni Moretti who gives a solid performance as the head of the family, and also co-wrote the screenplay with screenwriter Heidrun Schleef, and author Linda Ferri.
frailty Part thriller and part mystery, the title refers to the frailty of human perception. It is described as a powerful, provocative and frightening film about faith, lost innocence, and the sometimes indistinguishable nature of good and evil in the contemporary world; an artfully constructed psychological thriller that combines masterful storytelling with ambitious and disturbing themes. It marks the directorial debut of actor Bill Paxton, as well as the writing debut of Brent Hanley. Paxton also stars as the father of a once-idyllic Southern family, who are tested in extreme and unexpected ways. Read more about how this remarkable film was made
obsession After the highly entertaining 'Nurse Betty', writer-director Neil LaBute makes a welcome return with an ingenious adaptation of A.S.Byatt's 1990 novel of the same name. The cordial chemistry between Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth Paltrow set the perfect temperature for this romantic drama. LaBute takes his audience on an imaginative and intriguing journey, tracking a pair of literary scholars who unearth the amorous secrets of two Victorian poets - only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell and a new scholary interpretation of the two Victorians they are studying. It is a must for hopeless romantics who would like to indulge in affairs of the heart. Weinstein read A.S. Byatt's 1990 novel Possession just before it won the Booker Prize. She was immediately taken with its themes and passion and optioned the novel. After a meeting with novelist Antonia Byatt, they knew that it could be difficult to adapt. It took years to find the right filmmaker and screenwriter - who happened to be the same in this case: Neil LaBute. His own work, which has not been romantic, is really about sexual politics, which is at the center of the novel. He was therefore able to give weight to the characters in translating them to the screen. Read more about how the novel was adapted and filmed, click here
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top films for discerning audiences
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