Let’s repeat ourselves for about the 10 thousandth time: the 2008 New York Film Festival was excellent and many, many fantastic international films had their U.S. debut there like, the Palme d’Or winner “The Class”, the Mexican and super dynamic Godard/”Bonnie & Clyde” homage, “Voy A Explotar,” Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s immaculately crafted and internalized family drama “Tokyo Sonata,” and many, many more.
Most have finally received U.S. distribution, but not all of them. One late addition to the pact is Pablo Larrain’s “Tony Manero,” the Chilean political-metaphor drama about a psychotic disco-dancer obsessed with John Travolta’s character in “Saturday Night Fever.”
Chosen as Chile’s official Oscar contender for 2008, it didn’t make the Oscar final five in the Best Foreign Film category, but it’s a strong film nonetheless that’s both moving, darkly comical and at times, downright creepy. Richard Lorber, ex-of Koch Lorber films, is putting the movie out in either April or May on his new Lorber films imprint.
Now we just need word of Lucrecia Martel’s disconcerting, but amazingly head-spinning “The Headless Woman” finally receiving U.S. distribution, plus Jerzy Skolimowski’s “Four Nights With Anna” (his first film in 17 years!) and we’ll finally be able to rest. Someone get on that, please.
