solafekxela Blog

I'm Gonna Miss Watching this Film

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Gangs of New York (2002)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

You're Gonna Miss Me (2007)

“That was the only time he was truly happy,” said Roky Erickson’s mother on his guitar playing. The leader of the rock band the 13th Floor Elevators struggled with drug abuse and schizophrenia, but every time he got to play, he really was happy. First time director Keven McAlester makes this clear in his documentary on the musician, You’re Gonna Miss Me. Detailing his rise and fall, the film has perfect pace, tone, and style.

As the film progresses, it is hard to believe that the story has remained untold for so long. The band was responsible for coining the term “psychedelic rock” and is described as one of the only bands able to transition from the 60s to the 70s, two very different musical eras. Like a good musical documentary, McAlester’s film is focused on the person himself but never lets you forget about his music. Though little archival footage is used that actually shows Roky (as he is always called in the film) in action, the music permeates throughout the film, though dwindling in the second half.

However, the editing by Clark Andrew Vogeler and Jeffrey M. Werner (who worked on Gangs of New York and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is what makes the film so effective. It is possible that not another documentary exists that is so perfectly paced, especially with the complex tonal transitions that occur. The film begins with an engaging introduction to Roky’s music and the entertainment he provided for so many. When ZZ Top describes you as “crazy”, you know you are certainly a unique individual. When the film, and Roky’s life, becomes a little more turbulent, the film becomes a nearly devastating portrayal of a talented man’s life nearly wasted away by drugs, and the resultant mental instability. By book-ending the film with the court case that will decide how Roky can live in the future, McAlester hints at the serious direction the film will take in the later acts.

The visuals in the film are neither distracting nor dull, particularly for a documentary. There is a heightened sense that McAlester understood the importance of making the film feel like part of Roky’s life and work, perfectly replicating his style. Additionally, the way each shot is framed prevents any sense of condescension. The characters are certainly quirky and troubled, but the film does not serve only to point out their flaws. There is a very evident admiration for them, consisting almost entirely of the musician’s family and friends.

Anyone who has experienced the life of a musician, knows the challenges of taking care of someone with severe mental instability, or has a genuine interest in either of these will love McAlester’s film. It is one of the most engaging, exciting, and emotional documentaries of the past ten years, particularly because it doesn’t serve simply to tackle an issue, like all of Michael Moore’s efforts. Instead, it is a character study that provides, more subtly, a viewpoint on the struggles of not only a musician, but someone who must depend on his family for support in extremely difficult times. Seeing Roky’s progress at the end of the film is truly remarkable and uplifting, especially after experiencing, along with the characters, the journey of a Schizophrenic.

Humorous and hypnotizing is the tale of a family concerned with someone simply because they love him, and it always feels as though the filmmakers love them as well. You’re Gonna Miss Me is beautiful to look at and listen to, and deserves much recognition as a truly entertaining documentary that doesn’t target audiences based solely on political affiliations.

Posted Monday, August 27, 2007 12:52 AM by solafekxela | with 1 comments

13 is Too Much for Babluani

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13 Tzameti (2006)

Director Géla Babluani’s thriller about a game of Russian Roulette with high stakes actually spends more time on exposition and denoument than with the more compelling scenes of men gambling on the lives of others. Though suspenseful at times, the broad strokes Babluani paints with create one-dimensional characters who are unsympathetic. 13 Tzameti is certainly committed to its story, but the majority of it simply isn’t interesting.

The film begins with an extended period of character development which only hints at a more exciting story to come. However, the potentially emotional opening scenes fall flat because one has no interest in the characters or what they may be involved in. Babluani is too ambiguous and methodical in revealing the ultimate goals of each character. With such hazy motivations, the first act simply lays on the screen only in hopes of making the more intense scenes more effectual. Much of the fault for this can lay on George Balbuani’s, the director’s son, one-noted performance as Sebastian, the worker sucked into this world of underground gambling and violence. It isn’t until the last act that Balbuani is remotely compelling, and the film demands too much of him. His character remains underdeveloped even through the roulette scenes, which, remarkably, still contain palpable tension.

Some of director Géla Babluani’s methods do provide a payoff in the climax of the film, but his ambition hindered the potential effectiveness of the ending. Sebastian becomes a sympathetic character simply because he is followed for so long and has endured so much, not because more is revealed about him as an individual. Babluani certainly deserves some credit for this, but it does not make Tzameti a better film. He shoots for too much, trying to tell a much more complex story and, unfortunately, sacrificing potentially complex characters for much simpler ones. Part of Babluani’s ambition is evident in the cinematography. Shot in black and white, the film has a much darker look and feel as a result. Though he is clearly dealing with a dark subject, it is curious that he doesn’t seem to do much with the lack of color. It feels moreso that he decided to shoot in black and white to avoid the responsibility of working with color - which could have made for a more visually interesting film. That is, the style is not unique or compelling enough to match his ambitions.

That said, the film isn’t necessarily uninteresting. The heftiest consequence of the film’s faults is Bablauni’s failure to deliver an affecting message because there are so many distractions. The Russian Roulette scenes are some of the most suspenseful moments put on screen in the past few years, and the ending is perfectly ironic. There is so much potential in the film, if only it was more focused and, likely as a result, more captivating. Though it certainly raises questions about the existence of such underground extreme gambling, those moments are almost forgotten by the film’s end because Babluani moves on so quickly.

Upon further thinking, I only wished I had gone in not knowing about the roulette aspect of the story. Without such expectations or preexisting knowledge, I might have found it to be a tighter film with clear intentions. Instead, it actually becomes a more typical thriller with a few surprising and chilling elements. I was so enthralled by the roulette scenes, though, that I will now proceed to pretend that the segment was its own twenty-five minute short film with less ambition but, ultimately, more suspense and originality. Babluani’s 13 Tzameti reaches too high and too low at the same time, providing a suspenseful yet somewhat predictable film.

http://www.spout.com/films/272918/default.aspx

Posted Monday, August 20, 2007 2:38 AM by solafekxela | with 0 comments

It's About the Journey

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The Middle of the World (2004)

Director Vicente Amorim’s The Middle of the World isn’t about the destination; it’s about the journey. The film follows a family traveling by bike across Brazil in search of a job that will pay the father 1000 reais. While watching the film, you know the journey is long and hard, but it doesn’t bore you with the details. Instead, the film is a complex character study. Though watching a family bike across a country may not seem very interesting, the characters are sympathetic enough and the action is suspenseful enough to keep the audience engaged. What makes the film so effective is having a well-developed character for everyone to identify with. The oldest boy, Antônio (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), is on the verge of manhood. His father, Romão (Wagner Moura), tries to teach him that part of becoming a man is working to support oneself and one’s family. Antônio, however, gets caught up in a world of women and cigarettes, his definition of manhood. Their relationship and the arguments that occur are relatable but not stereotypical. This part of the film is the most engaging and interesting, largely because of Lacerda’s subtle but captivating performance. Moura, on the other hand, seems to be trying harder only when the camera is close up on him. The same is true with Cláudia Abreu, who plays his wife, Rose. When they are only in the background, it seems they are unaware they are even in the shot. Fortunately, these performances are not too distracting because Amorim so frequently keeps the camera close to his actors, during which they strive. The claustrophobic cinematography is a bit unsettling at times; this problem is compounded by the jumpy editing. The visual style of the film sometimes detracts from the emotional impact of certain scenes, and prohibits the film from establishing an appropriate tone, despite the overwhelming beauty of a few shots. The film should move just like the journey, slowly and methodically. Instead, each scene is shot and editing in nearly the same way, whether there is lots of action or it is simply a conversation. There is a scene at a religious gathering at which a group of townspeople gather around a statue of their patron saint. There is much potential here for an emotionally powerful moment, but the camerawork is too jarring for it to be as poignant as possible. Still, the film is unpretentious and moving. Amorim really takes his time in developing the characters, but never leaves the audience bored or distracted. I was always conscious, though, that each stop on the journey seemed like a new plot device, and it got a bit repetitive. The suspense is genuine, as is the character development, but you almost forget where these characters are physically going. Their emotional journeys supersede the physical journey, which is fine until the very end. When the family reaches their destination, there isn’t as much payoff as their could have been. This doesn’t mean the ending is unsatisfying, but the end of the trip is what the film leaves you with, rather than the more engaging emotional transformation of the family. The distractions in the film don’t prohibit the affecting nature of it. It’s a brilliant examination of a seemingly typical but satisfyingly complex family, the landscapes and culture of Brazil, and the way the isolation of travel can transform. Amorim is a director to watch in the future, as long as he can concentrate less on making each frame visually appealing and spend more time thinking about the meaning and impact the visual style will have on the tone of the film, and, hence, its impact on the viewer.

Posted Saturday, August 04, 2007 8:01 PM by solafekxela | with 0 comments