Here is our second to last batch of reviews, with “Antichrist” and “Mother” on the way for tomorrow.
“The White Ribbon” – The contentious Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes, Michael Haneke’s latest was a last minute, surprise addition to FNC’s lineup. Like many of the critics who caught the film back in May, we too are decidedly mixed. The story concerns a small German village that, in the year leading up to World War I, experiences a series of odd, brutal, and mysterious crimes. As the incidents mount in the small agricultural village, mostly unspoken accusations mount between peasants and landowners, as Haneke paints a picture of bitter class strife. While the first half of the film is especially strong, Haneke loses hold of the story in the second half, when true to his nature, he amps up the particularly nasty character twists and narrative pirouettes leaving the mystery, so calculatedly built up in the first half, insufficiently resolved. He does leave enough that we can sort of intuit the who and why, but for a film that runs nearly two and a half hours long, there was a distinct air of dissatisfaction that was palpable in the theater, and that we’re sure Haneke is quite proud of. While this is his least audience baiting picture to date, Haneke’s continual focus on frustrating viewer expectations causes him to lose hold of the film’s thematic purpose. As the film centers around a priest and his family, Haneke does have something to say here about religious dogma but we can’t tell if he’s pointing out the hypocrisy of it, or if it’s a rallying cry for better values. At worst, Haneke’s film embarrassingly seems to suggest that the following decades of Germany’s fall under fascist rule was built on a foundation of poor moral stock from both the higher and lower classes. All that said, ‘Ribbon’ is utterly gorgeous to look at. The black and white cinematography by Christian Berger and the shot compositions are breathtakingly perfect in almost every scene. In addition, the cast here is top notch across the board, but the child actors are especially great considering they have the most enigmatic and ambiguous characters of the film. The film rolls out into limited release at the end of the year, and it will undoubtedly continue to spur discussion, but unlike “Antichrist” (more on that tomorrow), we’re pretty much unwilling to sit through it again to try and work out what Haneke is trying to say. [B-]
“Ne Change Rien” – Pedro Costa’s latest is an evocative documentary about the musical side of French actress and singer, Jeanne Balibar. With no formal narrative or voice over, Costa’s film simply shoots Balibar as she writes and records in the studio with her band; rehearses for a musical and performs live. What emerges in Costa’s slow burning picture is both the tedium and magic of the creative process. While long stretches of the film find Balibar constantly going over a portion of a song, or running through skeletal versions of songs with her band, these are contrasted by the sudden brilliance when a track comes together or a performance is nailed. We went into the picture knowing absolutely nothing about Balibar and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, we did entertain notions of a music career at one point in our lives, and have been through the studio process more than once so we immediately identified with the film. We do have to warn potential viewers, that unless you’re a music nerd, viewing the film may be the equivalent of watching paint dry. Unlike most contemporary music docs, which highlight the infighting and irritations of being in a band, “Ne Change Rien” is completely a fly-on-the-wall film, with no direct camera interaction or quotes from Balibar or her bandmates. However, those willing to stick with it, will find a completely unique picture that offers a refreshing take on the life of a musician. [B]
“Three Wise Men” – Taking place on Christmas Eve, Mika Kaurismaki’s (yes, he’s the brother of Aki) film arrives with the bold claim that is was shot in a mere five days and completely improvised. Given that the film largely takes place in a karaoke bar, we’ll buy into the claim, if only because the premise itself feels like something we’ve seen before. Three friends, all holding secrets from each other and privately suffering in different ways , reunite on the holiday to drink and catch up with each other. Of course, as the night wears on, those dark secrets emerge upping the dramatic ante. Most viewers will see the film coming from a mile away, and groan at some of the more obvious set pieces, particularly each of the three men getting up at various points in the film to sing karaoke to songs with painfully obvious “this-is-what-my-character-really-feels” lyrics. We were saved from completely slipping into a coma of tedium by the remarkably strong performances from the trio of Kari Heiskanen, Pertti Sveholm and Timo Torikka. Their energy drives the film, even when the script – or lack of it – gives them very few places to go. There have been countless “one-night-of-revelation” films that have been done much better, and one more really isn’t necessary, but if you do end up watching this, those performances will keep you going. [B-]