We’ve hit the midway point of the Festival du Nouveau Cinema and our backs are beginning to feel the pain from unforgiving cinema seating. But that’s a minor complaint as its all about the films and we can think of worse ways to spend weekend afternoons than soaking up movies. Here’s quick round-up of some of the films we’ve seen so far:
“Precious” – If you had told us a year ago that a kitchen sink drama produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey was going to garner serious Oscar considerations we would’ve asked you to puff, puff, pass and stop bogarting that shit. Currently riding its Sundance cultivated wave of hype around the festival circuit, the film landed in Montreal ready to wow audiences at its two sold out screenings. While the closing credits were met with considerable applause, we definitely agree with our editor-in-chief in saying “Precious” is one of the most overrated films of the year.
To be certain, the film isn’t terrible by any stretch. The early buzz on the film centered around the performances, and while Mo’nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe earned well deserved acclaim, the cast across the board is uniformly strong. Even stunt choices like Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz actually work, as they downplay their celebrity, getting right to the meat of the material. Unfortunately, the actual film itself struggles to find its footing. The material is grim stuff, and director Lee Daniels favors big scenes instead of emotional nuance and when the film peaks about half an hour too early, it causes the third act to wobble unsteadily toward the finish line. Moreover, the film itself borders on becoming ghetto drama porn, throwing every conceivable inner city hardship or issue (domestic violence! incest! illiteracy! rape! teen pregnancy! lesbians!) in the mix that by the time one of the film’s bigger, second half revelations happens it’s frankly deadening instead of wrenching. We’re a bit surprised that Oprah has attached herself to material that is a borderline parody of the ills of inner city life that offers no positive images of the African-American community outside of social workers.
“Precious” connected with the audience we saw it with, and it will undoubtedly ride the Oscar season all the way to multiple nominations. However, once the performances are put aside, and the harsh post-Oscar dawn falls up on the film, “Precious” could very well end up being regarded as 2009’s “Crash.” [C+]
“No One Knows About Persian Cats” – The fifth feature by celebrated Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi (“A Time For Drunken Horses,” “Turtles Can Fly”) is a fascinating and immersive drama about youth and music in Iran. The film follows a Tehran indie rock duo, Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad), as they search for bandmates for a London gig they have setup, as well as paperwork that will allow them to leave the country. They enlist the help of Nader (Hamed Behdad in a buoyant performance), a bootlegger, who navigates them through the tricky world of black-market passports, while introducing them to musicians from almost every conceivable genre who might be able to join their group. The film’s simple premise and episodic execution, allow Ghobadi to present a loving portrait of Iran’s rich musical culture while giving a scathing critique of the country’s misguided and corrupt bureaucracy (highlighted in a hilarious sequence in which Nader talks his way out of lashes and fines after being arrested). Using actual bands and artists, including hip hop group the Hichkas and blues band Mirza, Ghobadi celebrates all the music being created underground, in invitation-only salons or being pumped with abandon at house parties. Ghobadi’s film is beautifully restrained, connecting the importance and vitality of music in these Iranian’s lives – both young and old – with cumulative power. Ghobadi’s film is a moving and passionate plea on behalf of his countrymen against forces that continue to try and snuff their spirit. [B+]
“Taqwacore: The Birth Of Punk Islam” – Punk and Islam, seemingly two opposing forces, find common ground in Omar Majeed’s fascinating documentary “Taqwacore: The Birth Of Punk Islam”. The film uses the novel, Taqwacore – written by white, Catholic convert Michael Muhammad Knight – about an imaginary Islamic punk underground as a launching pad for a complex and involving look at the real life Islamic punk movement that has taken root in North America. Indeed, many of the artists interviewed cite Knight’s book as their inspiration, offering them a glimpse of something they never knew they could have – individual, religious expression outside the rigors of organized religion.
The film is divided in two halves. The first part of the doc focuses on group of Taqwacore (the term fuses the Arabic word for god-consciousness with hardcore punk) bands who launch a tour around the US to bring their unique sound to like-minded kids, culminating in a raucous set at the Islamic Society of North America conference in Chicago in which the police are brought in when butch dyke Islamic punk Sena takes to the stage. The second half of the film, follows punk group the Kominas, along with Knight, to Pakistan where they hope to inspire kids there with more political punk. Here the film gets even more interesting as Knight, continues to try and define what his Islamic faith is about, while other members battle addiction all while trying to stage some sort of punk event in one of the most fanatical Islamic areas of the world.
Majeed’s film – which easily could’ve been a novelty – is a surprisingly moving, complex tale of young, modern Islam. Offering perspectives from both sides, Majeed’s film thankfully doesn’t come off like a xeroxed punk screed, but something far more mature. This is one to seek out and an early festival highlight. [A]
“Behind Jim Jarmusch” – For the first time in his career, Jim Jarmusch allowed a camera on set, during the making of “The Limits Of Control.” For three days only, Lea Rinaldi was allowed try and capture his creative process, upon the condition that she be given no information on the film’s script or shooting schedule. The result, which we later found out will be on the forthcoming DVD release of “The Limits Of Control” (attention Focus Features — the lack of a BluRay release is a crime), is a freeform, frustrating and pointless behind-the-scenes document that tells us absolutely nothing about the director. Jarmusch’s conditions ensure that Rinaldi is heavily constrained and the result is nearly an hour of meandering footage, brief talking heads of the stars and shots of a couple scenes being filmed. As for the man himself, Rinaldi does get him on camera but he speaks in the same enigmatic quasi-philosophical statements as Isaach De Bankolé in the film. Moreover, he even seems to want to throw Rinaldi off-track, at one time describing “The Limits Of Control” as an “action film.” “The Limits Of Control,” greenlit solely on a 25-page treatment and shot without a firm script begs for a more comprehensive look at Jarmusch’s process, but it’s quite clear that he’s not about to pull back the curtain. Rinaldi does what she can, but to even put the director’s name in the title of what amounts to little more than edited scraps of on-set footage, is severely misleading. [D]
“Rapping With Shakespeare” – Presented by producer Charisse Reneau, “Rapping With Shakespeare” was a film we wanted to love, but that was unfortunately done in by a severe identity crisis. The film is advertised as a documentary about South Central Los Angeles’ Crenshaw High School’s English program that teaches Shakespeare by drawing comparisons to contemporary hip hop. And while the film does spend time with the teacher who developed the program, Andy Molnar, and shoots some of his classes, the documentary as a whole is really about life in the school in general, focusing on five students in particular. And even while the subjects are mostly interesting, the limitations of access (in the post-film Q&A Reneau said it took them nearly six months just to get permission to film in the school) allows for a severely limited focus. “Rapping With Shakespeare” is a film that needed another crew, more interviews, and a longer shooting schedule to really be an effective portrait. We feel for Reneau, who at the end of the Q&A asked anyone who has distribution leads to get in touch with her, as the film does has some compelling stories and a positive message about getting out of the ghetto . But the film, which completed shooting way back in 2005, is already dated and the footage definitely needs another pass through editing to tighten up some of the loose ends and finesse the overall dramatic arc. [C]
