ktincu Blog

Great guys made a great film

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Who Loves the Sun (2006)

Friendship, family, secrets, lies, truth, rivalry, forgiveness and the importance of moving on are all central in this funny film, written and directed by the young filmmaker Matt Bissonette. This was my favorite film at the Denver Film Festival. My overall experience with the film was even richer because we had the added bonus of being able to hang out with Bissonette and producer Corey Marr, both talented and truly quality people.

Who Loves the Sun is loosely based on an idea in the Paul Auster novel Leviathan (Auster is one of my favorite writers, so this reference immediately endeared me to the story). In Leviathan, someone disappears; in Who Loves the Sun, the one who disappeared eventually returns. The film is about what happens between him and the people he loves after he returns.

One of my favorite things about the film is the cast of only five. I love each of the characters--each played perfectly--and the small cast creates a very tight filmmaking and watching experience. Bissonette said they spent 20 days together filming in remote Canada, and it's obvious the actors developed a bond that plays out very well in the intense story about five people with a shared past.

Another thing I love about the film is its careful touches of humor. The humor is subtle, and tends to break through very intense moments, in ways you aren't sure whether to trust at first. (Is this supposed to be funny or not? Am I supposed to laugh or do I just want to laugh to break the awkwardness of the moment?) The scenarios between the two childhood friends, now in their 30s and still in love with the same woman, are definitely awkward, but they're also definitely meant to be funny. Bissonette is not trying to play off pain with humor in a false way--he's very clearly painting an image of life: pain and humor that are always one step before or behind one another. And he utterly pulls it off.

The soundtrack is wonderful, too, both on its own, and how it adds to to story and the comedic moments. I'm not sure how you can find a way to see this film, but I'll stay in touch with Matt and Corey and fill you in when I hear more about their distribution plans.

Now it's January 11, and I have a few links for those interested in this film. Here's the official website, which will have up-to-date information about upcoming festivals WLTS will be playing at, and here's an interview with Matt, recently published at The Filmlot.

Posted Thursday, December 28, 2006 2:45 PM by ktincu | with 0 comments

Venus highlights the contrasts of life

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Venus (2006)

Paul and I saw this together our first night at the 2006 Denver Film Festival, and had mixed feelings about it. The man who introduced the film said he thinks it's one to watch for an Oscar nomination and possibly a Best Actor award for O'Toole. I'm not one to make such predictions, but it was an amazing performance. O'Toole's own life is winding down in a way that made him perfectly suited for the character study of Maurice, an aging actor whose health is beginning to fade. O'Toole does much more than just look and act appropriately aging--he seems to know at his core what it means to look back on your life with fondness and regret and one last burst of hope.

Apart from O'Toole and other very solid performances (Venessa Redgrave and Leslie Philips), the film has some slightly annoying qualities, as well as some very redeeming ones. I'll start with the narrative elements you'll need to understand the annoying things about the film. The whole premise of the film rests on the infatuation developed by the character Maurice for a very young working class girl named Jessie, a relative of his closest friend, Ian. He develops a relationship with Jessie (that is maybe 20 percent innocent and 80 percent highly questionable) that focuses on Maurice giving her a good dose of culture and class. In exchange, he wants to look at (and touch) youth. Can anyone say My Fair Lady? Pretty Woman? The thematic correlation is obvious, but it gets pushed over the edge by some scenes that involve buying Jessie some expensive earrings and taking her to the theatre and giving her a ride in a limo (yes, she stands up through the sunroof as they're driving through London).

But before you decide there's no way you'll see this movie, let me tell you what does work. Keep in mind that O'Toole works. There are some really funny and touching scenes between Maurice and his best friend, Ian. Their friendship is truly delightful. Plus, the use of light in the film is really beautiful. Look for the long, silent scenes where Maurice is sitting on the edge of his bed with the light coming in the window. And the film's treatment of larger issues and themes was very compelling to me. The film sets up several important contrasts: youth and aging; power and powerlessness; what we have and what we want; companionship/touch and isolation; privilege and poverty; pain and forgiveness. These are the contrasts of life, and they make the film worth seeing.

Posted Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:24 PM by ktincu | with 0 comments

Don 't get caught up in "believability" issues.

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Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Stranger Than Fiction is, indeed, that, but I really enjoyed it. Off the top of my head, I'd say it's very much in the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Punch Drunk Love camps, so if those movies bugged you, this might not be your cup of tea. (And the reverse is true, too.)

Just to help get your expectations in order, here's some of what you should and shouldn't expect from the film:

DO expect great performances by Dustin Hoffman, Will Ferrel, Emma Thompson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (one of my favorite actresses), but DON'T expect to feel endeared by the Emma Thompson character (she's beyond neurotic), or to laugh your pants off at Will Ferrel the way you're accustomed to.

DO expect lots of very charming quirkiness, especially in the details surrounding the Dustin Hoffman character (these details have stuck with me and reemerged since I saw the film two days ago), but DON'T expect to wholeheartedly embrace all the quirkiness packed into this film. (I'm a big fan of quirky, and some of it in this film wasn't quite...well, something enough. I can't decide if it wasn't quite raw enough or not quite refined enough.)

DO expect fantastical occurrences--the whole premise of the film is based on them, so get out of the critical "this would never happen" mindset. But you should also expect to be slightly annoyed by some of the things in the film that could actually happen, but probably wouldn't. (Even thought I really wanted the love interest to materialize, and I wanted a happy ending, I really had a hard time believing either one. Hope I'm not giving too much away.)

So, I guess my final thoughts are that you should go see the movie if you're looking for a light and entertaining yet not mind-numbing trip to the theaters. I thought it was well worth our time and money. Just don't get too psyched up for the movie experience of the year. If you don't see it in the theaters, most definitely rent it.

Posted Monday, December 11, 2006 11:23 AM by ktincu | with 2 comments