Filmfest 2003 - Summary
It’s over, and my 13th year at the festival was a pretty good one.
After 2 years of decreased attendance for me, 2003 was a return to form where the number 42 figures prominently: over the 10 days at 42 screenings, plus at one advance screening, I saw 42 features and 3 shorts. Meanwhile, despite being behind on reviews, it makes sense for me to do a festival summary for you before getting to back some films in depth. Here goes:
With the immediacy of 9/11/2001 retreating a bit more, the joy of overloading on films and kibitzing with strangers was back, while some of the films themselves were now asking “can’t we all just get along?” And despite a start to the year where Toronto was beset by SARS, a record number of stars dropped into town and helped to de-spell the last lingering feelings of civic gloom. If you like to see the surprisingly long list of who came by town check out
www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2003/mediacentre/release.asp?id=212.
Festival screenings this year started with 3 shorts: the first being a stylish series of cuts of a woman in a black dress holding up a huge frame of celluloid that allowed us to see through her to the minimalist landscape beyond, tying into the festival’s poster campaign; the second showing a volunteer being treated to a red-carpet theatre entrance with cheering onlookers, and being a thank-you to the army of 600 or so volunteers without whom the festival can’t run; and the third being 1 of 3 brilliant segments from mutual fund company
AGF, a major sponsor of the festival, each featuring characters with a flair for the dramatic going above and beyond the call of their day jobs, all underscoring
AGF’s
tag-line “what are you doing after work?” Audiences were often laughing at these even on the last day of the festival, and they all made for classy and amusing intros to each film that left the crowd in a good mood and anticipating another masterpiece of cinematic art.
I’m not sure I saw this year’s audience award winner, and ‘the buzz’ was that there wasn’t a groundswell rising for one particular film that stood out above all others, one that made audience laugh and which tugged at their heartstrings in equal measure. Meanwhile that award is being given out as I write this, but I’ll the avoid checking it until I’m done.
My one walkout this year was a forced one: I had to leave a late starting
LES INVASIONS BARBARES
to get to
DISTANT
which I would likely not get to see again. If I had had no friends at it, my one chosen walkout would have been
A PROBLEM WITH FEAR,
which was my biggest disappointment at the fest.
So, lists:
Chronologically:
Advance screening on Monday, August 18th
Thursday Sept 4th
Friday Sept 5th
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ
(restored print)
Saturday Sept 6th
Sunday Sept 7th
THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD
Monday Sept 8th
MONSIEUR IBRAHIM ET LES FLEURS DU CORAN
NOT A FISH STORY
(short)
WHY THE ANDERSON CHILDREN DIDN’T COME TO DINNER
(short)
ENQUETE SUR LE MONDE INVISIBLE
Tuesday Sept 9th
LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE
(animated)
Wednesday Sept 10th
Thursday Sept 11th
A TALKING PICTURE
ANA AND THE OTHERS
Friday Sept 12th
THE MERRY WIDOW
(1925 silent film presented with a live orchestra)
Saturday Sept 13th
THE BIG CHARADE
(short)
Preferentially (and alphabetically):
The Best
CASA DE LOS BABYS
great ensemble acting by knowns and unknowns
DEPUIS QU’OTAR EST PARTI
number 1 for me, from the Republic of Georgia
DISTANT
sublimely funny forced relationship in Turkey
THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS
hilarious battle between Danish directors
LA FACE CACHEE DE LA LUNE
the always clever and amusing Robert Lepage
GOOD BYE, LENIN!
terrific comedy from a re-united Germany
LA GRANDE SEDUCTION
terrific comedy from a remote Quebec fishing village
HOLLYWOOD NORTH
terrific comedy about Canadian tax incentive films
LES INVASIONS BARBARES
only saw 2/3, but it was very entertaining
KITCHEN STORIES
whacked Norwegian comedy that lampoons early IKEA culture
NICOTINA
whacked Mexican Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Burritos
THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD
whacked Canadian depression era comedy
SEXUAL DEPENDENCY
terrifically realized look at mores and racism in Bolivia & US
STANDER
fun heist romp through South Africa
WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF
dictionary definition of bittersweet
Good with an asterisk
ANA AND THE OTHERS
*a slightly slow Argentine tale, but which feels so real
CHRISTMAS
*be prepared for a crazy crazy family barely living through holiday season
THE EVENT
*not enough insight into central character, but great job by Olympia Dukakis
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
*beautiful, polished, but too melodramatic for me
I LOVE YOUR WORK
*plays with movie-in-a-movie well for a while, then crashes
I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD
*well crafted low key thriller, but disbelief question
KOKTEBEL
*one third too long, but enjoyable trip through Russia to the Crimea
MONSIEUR IBRAHIM ET LES FLEURS DU CORAN
*charming, but too sugar-coated
MY LIFE WITHOUT ME
*Sarah Polley is great, but story should be more compelling
PUPENDO
*cute Czech iron curtain nostalgia, Hollywood style, so not so believable
SOUTH FROM GRANADA
*based on true story, but I’m pissed off with historical figure
LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE
*neat, offbeat not-for-kids animation, too repetitive
TWIST
*one bad performance mars gritty contemporary retake on Oliver Twist story
YOUNG ADAM
*Tilda S, Ewan McG, what more do you want? I dunno, somethin’ more
More Problematic
TESTOSTERONE
some really fun stuff, but suspension of disbelief impossible
LE SILENCE DE LA FORET
fascinating other world, but unbelievable protagonist
THE BROWN BUNNY
endurance test with surprising pay-off
TRAVELERS AND MAGICIANS
interesting fable let down by modern book-ends
A TALKING PICTURE
bizarre “why can’t we all just get along” with shock ending
LES MAINS VIDES
annoying characters, needless scenes, needs major editing
THE STORYTELLERS
tries patience with recurring out-of-control mob scenes
Astonishingly Awful
A PROBLEM WITH FEAR
pure torture
Documentaries - all were interesting - from best thought-out to least disciplined:
MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP
fascinating look at LA dj
THE YES MEN
very funny, could have been longer, Q&A great for shock value
ENQUETE SUR LE MONDE INVISIBLE
artistically presented, started great, got dull
Shorts - all were fun - from best to merely quite good:
THE BIG CHARADE
trailer for a non-existent tough-as-nails film about charades
WHY THE ANDERSON CHILDREN DIDN’T COME TO DINNER
evil mom cooks
NOT A FISH STORY
wife supports hubby who desires species re-assignment
Craig James White
Toronto - see you in the dark!
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