90 Minutes (2012)

Directed by: Eva Sorhaug
Country: Norway

Review: Eva Sorhaug’s second feature film aims to make a psychological study of three men through three different unrelated stories, which ended up in murder. The first story follows a man putting an end to his newspaper subscription and negotiating to get rid of his house. His behavior makes us suspect of financial problems and the sadness in his face is quite evident. The second story is about a disturbed man who doesn’t live with his family anymore, but keeps visiting them often. He has a strange look, and playing with his children seems to leave his ex-wife frightened. The final story depicts a shameful case of domestic violence, starting with a disgusting scene of a tied woman being raped by a man who is addicted to drugs. This is the most violent story, the most painful to watch, and slightly more interesting than the others, since we get to know a little more about the man in question. It’s hard to know what Sorhaug intended to show us with so underdeveloped characters and poor script. Broken homes? Hidden sickness? Evilness? The heavy stuff was so explicit, but the motives or what led to the actions are left aside, since nothing was said or shown about the characters’ past. Despite the vague hints that it might suggest, I got unsatisfied about the lack of depth in the characters' fabrication. The competent direction and convincing performances were the positive aspects of “90 Minutes”, a depressing and feeble analysis of three disturbing minds.

Inside (2012)

Directed by: Zeki Demirkubuz
Country: Turkey

Review: Adapted from the novel “Notes from Underground” by Dostoievsky, “Inside” takes us through a dark journey in the life of Muharrem, a restless man tied in his mundane world of pettiness, prostitutes, and loneliness. We can follow his questionable advices and conversations with Turkan, the maid of an elder neighbor who is losing his mind and constantly threatens to fire her; the fantastic speeches and dialogues in the presence of his friends whom he despise, especially Cevat, an awarded writer who he envies and accuses of being a thief of ideas; his eventual relationship with a prostitute he met after got drunk in Cevat’s party; and finally in his secretive world of paranoia, strange desires, and peculiar behaviors, which left me perplexed and intrigued. These uncomfortable situations were depicted in a Kafkian style through brilliantly photographed frames that show how tormented and fastidious was Muharrem’s existence. We could sense the suffering, every time that a close-up from his eyes showed that he had to woke up from turbulent nightmares and face the reality again. The ending unveils an exhausted man who shows to be too fragile and corrupted to recover from his existential pain and solitude. “Inside” is a poignant and devastating character-study, brightly directed by Demirkubuz, and performed with heart and passion by Engin Gunaydin.

White Elephant (2012)

Directed by: Pablo Trapero
Country: Argentina / Spain / France

Review: “White Elephant” depicts the paths taken by two priests while on mission in a poor and dangerous slum of Buenos Aires. Accurately photographed by Guillermo Nieto, the film shows the frightful conditions lived by the inhabitants of the village. Most of the population lives outraged without a decent home, protesting against governmental injustices, and involved in violence, drug consumption, and criminal gangs. Ricardo Darin and Jeremie Renier constructed their characters with sincerity, showing the constant struggle among external concerns and internal dilemmas. This is a story about the courage and determination of two men who abandoned a comfortable life to dedicate themselves to the less fortunate, becoming exposed to different kinds of dangers. Its noble principle is here dispersed on other themes such as faith, love, sacrifice, and sin, from a Christian perspective. Though likeable and interesting, some scenes didn’t put all the excitement possible, evincing some difficulties on maintaining an easy flow and denoting some ups and downs in the narrative. This clerical-narcotraffic interaction achieved its purposes, not with distinctiveness but in a satisfactory way, making us realize how wounded these souls become by witnessing so much misery.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Directed by: Shane Black
Country: USA

Review: Jon Favreau misses the direction of “The Iron Man 3” to the less experienced Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”), with the consolation of having participated as actor in the small role of the unlucky security man Happy Hogan. The result is more and more action, but less consistency in the story, being very far from the great first movie from 2008. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) continues available and ready for action though a bit less spirited. Now he has the difficult mission of liberate his beloved Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the American president from the hands of an evasive villain named The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a mix of Chinese warrior and Taliban terrorist who was the most remarkable character in the film. Some sparse funny situations, like Stark’s anxiety attacks, were added to a panoply of special effects, fierce scenes, and incredible stunts that will take Marvel’s fans to heaven, but in terms of script the film didn’t show strength or cleverness enough to stand aside from other movies of the genre. Shane Black’s eagerness for action was so exposed that it ended up making me tired in the last third part. There were too many Iron Men for my taste, as well as some stupid scenes, with Pepper revealing an unconvincing violent side as new heroin. The chaotic “Iron Man 3” is minimally amusing and doesn't add practically anything relevant to its prior sagas.

Capital (2012)

Directed by: Costa Gavras
Country: France

Review: Costa Gavras gives a crushing vision about greed and capitalism in his new political thriller “Capital”. Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh) is an unscrupulous and ambitious man who was designated CEO of a large European Bank. Regardless the fierce opposition of the board of directors, he will take control of everything in an obsessive way, trying to introduce a new ethic vision and attitude in the company. However, a fraudulent alliance with an American hedge fund will lead him to make dangerous moves, putting the entire company and its shareholders in jeopardy. Gavras uses every detail (maybe even in excess) to denounce the bad conduct, corruption, and opulence, associated to these money suckers. Sex and lust are also depicted through two eminent affairs that Marc will handle in opposite ways; one with Nassim, a provocative and greedy supermodel, and other with an honest and intelligent financial writer named Maud Baron. The notion of tax haven and the concept that money is the master, are pretty clear. Among its moral lessons, “Capital” is a cerebral exposure of socio-economical turbulences, adding a sort of ironic mockery that is entirely new in the filmmaker’s career. Although not totally unpredictable or balanced, and far from the supremacy of other times (“Z”, “State Of Siege”), we can still sense Gavras’ joy in denouncing the hypocrisy of capitalist domains.

Zaytoun (2012)

Directed by: Eran Riklis
Country: Israel / UK

Review: “Zaytoun” is set in Beirut, Lebanon, and depicts an improbable cooperation and friendship between Fahed, a12 year-old Palestinian refugee who becomes an orphan, and Yoni, a sensitive Israeli pilot whose plane was shot down. The initial mistrust between them will change after they decide to help each other in order to cross the border to return to their homes. Eran Riklin, who directed two emblematic and interesting films about the Arab-Israeli conflict, “The Syrian Bride” and “The Lemon Tree”, was able to show Fahed’s loss of innocence and thirst for revenge, although as a whole this sentimental story did not seem so credible. Some scenes and conversations were just meant to push out the viewers' emotions, being sometimes manipulative and unconvincing. The plot, written by debutant Nader Rizq, didn’t catch me, while Rikli’s direction and the acting by Stephen Dorff and the young Abdallah El Akal, were competent. Among pale colors and destroyed landscapes, “Zaytoun” gives a completely different perspective of the conflict, gathering all the conditions to affect us in a positive way, but its urge in sensitize our hearts led to a sensation of falseness.

What Richard Did (2012)

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Country: Ireland

Review: Leonard Abrahamson had impressed me with 2007’s “Garage”, a tragicomic tale set in a rural Ireland, about a gas-station attendant. “What Richard Did” comes in a totally different line, but also evinces realism and an interesting storytelling. As the university approaches, the idolized 18 year-old Richard Karlsen and his school friends decide to spend time together in the countryside. After meeting Lara, Richard instantly falls in love with her, but shows an uncontrollable jealousy particularly when his schoolmate Conor is around. During a night party, a fight between the two boys will cause irreversible consequences in Richard’s life. Based on Kevin Power’s novel “Bad Day in Blackrock”, “What Richard Did” interestingly depicts the psychological effects associated to an accidental killing, the transformations in the relationships, the importance of family, and leaves in the air the question: is it possible to live a lie forever? This low-key film counted with an admirable performance by Jack Reynor, who showed guilt and fear in a believable way. Immutable in pace and mood, the film never loses significance but also does not enrapture us with intense emotions.

Foxfire (2012)

Directed by: Laurent Cantet
Country: France

Review: This overextended second adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel “Foxfire” by the talented French filmmaker Laurent Cantet, ended up being considerably better than the first version from 1996 with Angelina Jolie, but could have been much more interesting if better edited and if had shown further expansiveness in terms of emotions. Lacking strength and vitality in several moments, the film minimally caught my interest, especially due to Raven Adamson’s performance in the role of Legs, a smart, dangerous, and feminist revolutionary leader who gathered the girl-gang Foxfire in 1955’s upstate New York. The story started with a very encouraging rhythm, but after the anti-capitalist gang having become obsessed with money, the big adventure fell in typical and questionable situations, conducting its radical feminist ideas to common places. With a suitable score that tries to create more vividness among the mild action scenes, “Foxfire” is often disconcerting and ultimately limited. It’s a shame that its initial intensity have degenerated into scenes where the girls' actions weren’t capable of making this blood sisterhood against men, more convincing and memorable. A sturdy direction and appreciable production design helped making Cantet’s seventh film a watchable-yet-non-rigorous slice of armed revolution.

The Almost Man (2012)

Directed by: Martin Lund
Country: Norway

Review: “The Almost Man” presents us a character study that isn't so penetrating, leaving me expecting something more. Henrik is 35, and apparently have a happy life. He has a good job, friends who care for him, and seems to have a very stable and joyful relationship with his girlfriend, who is expecting his baby. But these first moments of the story revealed to be deceitful, since Henrik denoted an erratic behavior, immaturity, and selfishness. His adventures are everything but normal, filled with odd episodes such as piss inside his girlfriend’s friend’s car, partying without control, or attack a workmate. Besides, he is completely unable to have a decent conversation or understand his partner’s needs, always with a stupid joke ready to say in the worst moments. Impatient in his job, he ended up quitting in a childish way, after spend some time hiding in corridors and fooling around. The funniest moment of the film was when Henrik abandoned his squash mates, grumbling and sulking like a kid, and went to a bus stop, refusing their ride. This scene showed clearly his personality, rejoicing with the foolish situation created in the middle of the road. Not so anarchic as its obnoxious main character, Martin Lund’s second feature film has exposed promising situations but not always concluded them in the most satisfying way.

Everybody In Our Family (2012)

Directed by: Radu Jude
Country: Romania / Netherlands

Review: “Everybody In Our Family” belongs to those typical Romanian films with lots of tension, quarrels, and action, where nobody is innocent, and madness takes possession of its characters. The story follows Marius, an unstable dental technician, who leads a disorganized life after having lost his wife to her accountant, as well as the custody of his five year-old daughter Sofia. However, having the right to spend some time with Sofia, he planned a holiday trip to the seaside with her. But things go wrong from the beginning, first when he asks for his dad's car, and then when he went to his ex-mother-in-law’s place to fetch his daughter. The film has plenty of funny situations, even when the verbal excesses and aggressions take hold of the story. Its dysfunctional characters were very well conceived, often sulking, accusing themselves, and evincing deranged behaviors. A strong scene is when Marius, completely out of his mind, starts to tell his daughter what he thinks about her mom, who was tied and gagged in front of them along with her new boyfriend. What started as a plausible family drama, ended up in a battlefield, with hostages, police involved, and a lot of turmoil. “Everybody In Our Family” never discards its frantic rhythm, being filled with poignant humor and extremely entertaining situations; some of them are stupid and exaggerated, but entertaining anyway. Impeccable direction and acting, in one of the craziest movies of the year.

Sun Don't Shine (2012)

Directed by: Amy Seimetz
Country: USA

Review: Actress Amy Seimetz has an interesting debut as director with “Sun Don’t Shine”, an atmospheric road trip through central Florida and another hymn to the deviations of the human mind. After the first tense moments, when we watch a couple fighting in a muddy field, we get to know that they are involved in a murder of a man whose body they carry in the car trunk. Along the trip, their characters start to take shape. While Leo is ponderous, meticulous, and always worried about not to be noticed or what to do next; Crystal reveals to be immature, insecure, jealous, whimsical, and mostly unbalanced. Kate Lyn Sheil’s performance was outstanding, and the moving camera often lingers on her expressions and deliriums. Seimetz’s approach evinced similarities with “Upstream Color”, a fact that is not so surprising, if we considered her participation on that new cult film as main actress. The silences alternate with different types of sounds, sometimes subtle and distant, sometimes sudden and loud, combining with haunting images to form almost a plotless thriller that intrigues but not excites us so much. Among imperfections and inaccuracies, this indie film ended up being enjoyable, thanks to the performances and to a very funny ending, which represented a cool down in the suffocating heat of Florida.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)

Directed by: Felix Van Groeningen
Country: Belgium / Netherlands

Review: A couple pursues balance on their relationship after the death of their little daughter due to cancer, mixing tears of joy and sadness in a dramatic story containing a rich musical side. The same hippie mood and Ruben Impens' cinematography, are the noticeable common aspects with “The Misfortunates”, Van Groeningen’s previous film, but here we are dealing with a much more intimate and sensitive matter. Even using a non-linear structure, we can divide this story in two different parts. In the first one, we get to know Didier, a bluegrass musician, his tattooed wife Elise, who owns a tattoo-parlor and also sings in the band, and their cancerous six year-old daughter Maybelle. This part is all about hope, the ups and downs related to Maybelle’s sickness, and a dive in the couple’s past. The second part is associated with the pain that remained after the child’s death, depression, and the ways found to deal with extreme suffering. The bluegrass music works as a vehicle of expressing feelings, enhancing the circumstantial happiness or sadness. At the same time that the film tries to avoid sentimental manipulation, it leaves a sensation of familiarity, with its faith issues, and shattered American dreams. The ending keeps up the intensity: sadness, depth, but also beauty.

After Lucia (2012)

Directed by: Michel Franco
Country: Mexico / France

Review: “After Lucia” is an atmospheric drama that will not leave you indifferent. After his wife Lucia has died in a car accident, Roberto and his 17 year-old daughter Alejandra, decide to move from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City in an attempt to rebuild their lives. Once they arrive, Roberto, visibly depressed, shows incapacity to work properly, while Alejandra seems to start getting along with her new friends at school, being invited to parties where drugs, alcohol, and sex, are pretty common. In one of those parties she has a sexual adventure with Jose who used his mobile phone to record everything. The posterior publication of that video on the Internet, makes Alejandra a victim of her colleagues’ atrocities, transforming her life forever. One or two aspects could have been improved, like Roberto showing some more impatience or concern after Alejandra’s disappearance, but Franco’s discernment and self-confident direction along with the absence of emotional tricks, made the tension grow consistently as the film approaches to the disturbing finale. The spontaneous acting from the cast in general also gave credibility to a story that guaranteed my complete involvement. Presenting a strong conception and execution, “After Lucia” exposes the horrors of bullying, the inconvenience of technology, and the blindness of revenge, all in the same package.

Starlet (2012)

Directed by: Sean Baker
Country: USA

Review: Set in the urbanized area of San Fernando Valley in LA, “Starlet” tells the story of an improbable friendship between Jane, a 21 year-old porn actress, and Sadie, an octogenarian widow who lives alone. The two women met for the first time at Sadie’s yard sale, where Jane bought an old thermos that she was planning to use as a vase. But for her surprise, she found that the thermos contained ten thousand dollars. Intrigued about this fact, feeling guilty, and fed up of getting high with her immature housemates, she will try to get closer to this solitary woman and know more about her life. The film was named after Jane’s dog Starlet, which has a great influence in capital situations along the story. There’s two distinct sides here: a sweet side that depicts the flourishing friendship and growing dependence between the women, and a rough side, with hardcore sex images, drug consumption, and a sense of aimless and meanness from Jane’s supposed friends. Regardless of some predictable occurrences (especially those involving the dog), and a friendship whose evolvement seems more hypothetical than real, “Starlet” could keep up a decent tone thanks to the good performances, suitable direction, and avoidance of sentimental maneuvers. Even with some sad revelations, the ending left much space for hope, prefiguring a better life for both ladies. Sean Baker’s fourth feature film, satisfies without exceed expectations.

Dollhouse (2012)

Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
Country: Ireland

Review: “Dollhouse” provides an odd cinematic experience, being the third feature film from Kirsten Sheridan, daughter of the famous Irish film director Jim Sheridan (“In America”, “In The Name Of The Father”, “My Left Foot”) who appears here as executive producer. The plot, not so crafted as it should have been, follows a bunch of wild teenagers who break into an empty house in Dublin. The kids start a strange party of drugs, alcohol, and vandalism, showing dangerous behaviors. At some point, we get to know that the house belongs to one of the intruders, but many questions are kept unanswered. The tense moments created with the unexpected arrival of a neighbor, soon fall in a sort of adventure without orientation. I cannot say this is a bad movie, but I can say this is a weak story. The sequence of images often gives the sensation of paranoia or disorientation, while the music was another strong aspect, with a variety of styles being used such as classical, rock, or techno, depending of the circumstances and the desired mood. “Dollhouse” has the visual side as main strength, creating enough tension to depict a lost generation, but its limited story, inexact narrative, vague characters, and lack of a concrete orientation, thwarted its plans to be more successful.

The Dynamiter (2012)

Directed by: Matthew Gordon
Country: USA

Review: In this low-key indie drama, debutant filmmaker Matthew Gordon depicts the troubles of 14-year-old Robbie Kendrick, who leads a wandering life in Glen Allan, Mississippi. Robbie misses his absent mother who has left for California, doesn’t know anything about his father, and lives with his grandmother and his two brothers. Known as a liar and a thief, Robbie is the first to be questioned when trouble is around. His relationship with the family is a key factor for us to understand his erratic behavior and natural tendency to steal. Having a great relationship with his younger half-brother, with whom he likes to play in the fields, Robbie is often influenced in the wrong way by his older brother Lucas, a lazy bum and an exploiter of women. Caught in the middle of chaos and forced to grow up too fast, he will gain some conscience and responsibility, but when one's past is marked by trouble, even getting an honest job becomes doubtful at other people’s eyes. The pure independent style adopted fit well, giving the rawness that the story was asking for, but despite the truthfulness evinced, it lacked intensity and firm pace in several situations. In the end it didn’t create the impact I was expecting, despite the lesson of courage and hope that conveys.

Fill The Void (2012)

Directed by: Rama Burshtein
Country: Israel

Review: “Fill The Void” takes a deep look into an orthodox Hasidic community in Israel. The film portrays their culture with all its creeds, festivities, and rituals, but the central theme here is marriage and how the family poses a huge influence on young women’s decisions on this matter. The story’s protagonist is Shira (Hadas Yaron), an 18 year-old young woman who is happy to be engaged with a successful man of her age. When her older sister dies during childbirth, her mother tries to persuade her to marry her brother-in-law. This peculiar situation was meant just to keep the newborn close to the family. Beautifully shot by newcomer Rema Burshtein, whose credibility is above suspicion since she belongs to an orthodox Jewish community, “Fill The Void” embraces the matter with extreme sensibility and in a non-intrusive way, putting a whirl of complex emotions in each character. Each time Shira changes her mind, we can feel the weight of her decision and the pressure that surrounds her. The persistent religious chants helped to reinforce this sense of oppressiveness and anguish. Burshtein’s smart vision doesn’t hide some problems in terms of pace and unchanged mood throughout the film, although it seems clear that restrained tension was an option and not a limitation. The brilliant performance by Hadas Yaron was awarded in Venice and Israel.

Mud (2012)

Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Country: USA

Review: I was astonished two years ago with the disturbing “Take Shelter”, but this time Jeff Nichols was not capable of maintaining me a hundred percent clung to “Mud”, his third feature film. Ellis is a sensible 14 year-old kid, who is passing through difficult times with the imminent separation of his parents. One day, he and his friend Neckbone, went to a deserted island, across the Mississippi river, to search for an old abandoned boat that has been placed on top of a tree. For their surprise, they found a famished man called Mud living there. Wanted by the police and by some thugs who wanted him dead, Mud asks for the kids' help after telling them his story of love and crime. The old question arises: is the story true or false? The adventure never lost interest, but some excessive situations made the story fall into a sort of triviality. Ellis’ appetite for punching faces was in some cases absolutely ridiculous. The pace didn’t help too, and visually the film didn’t cause much impact for the eyes. The exception to these issues was the final shooting, which was very well done, putting intensity on the screen and adrenaline in our veins. “Mud” showed some moments of sincerity, especially those depicting the relationships between parents/sons, and gave a respectable vision of coming of age and the complexities of love associated to it. Being perfectly watchable, I felt it needed more agitation in the story and the suppression of some unnecessary scenes, to become more appealing.

Almayer's Folly (2011)

Directed by: Chantal Akerman
Country: Belgium / France

Review: Loosely adapted from Joseph Conrad’s debut novel, “Alamayer’s Folly” marks the return of Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman after a seven year absence. The adopted style, not so experimental as in other times, presents recognizable features; steady hand, long and precise shots, and efficient image composition, often using strong contrasts of shadow and light. The tale itself is bitter and powerful, following Gaspard Almayer (was Stanislas Merhar the right choice to play this character?), a French merchant whose great ambition for gold brought him to a remote village in Malaysia, where he got married to a local woman. From that loveless marriage, a beautiful mixed-race girl was born, becoming the proud of her father. Convinced by his employer, Alamayer sends his daughter Nina to a boarding school in town, where she could have a ‘white education’. But this will become a traumatic experience for her. Back to her village, after being kicked out from school, she will become the great love of Dain, a drugs smuggler who was Almayer’s last hope to get rich. Told in a strange but not discouraging way, “Almayer’s Folly” is a film about love, ambition, madness, racial issues, failed intentions, and disillusions. Its deliberate pace, nature sounds, and tropical ambience (reminding me Weerasethakul’s films without the mystical component), will not fit in everyone’s taste, but for those more adventurous, it may be a challenging cinematic experience.

Any Day Now (2012)

Directed by: Travis Fine
Country: USA

Review: Set in the 70’s, “Any Day Now” depicts the struggle of a gay couple to gain the custody of a Down syndrome boy whose junkie mother had been arrested. Despite of some noticeable issues, especially in the story’s development, the film succeeds in gaining our sympathy for the cause. This is achieved through very solid performances, especially from Alan Cumming, and from the anger we feel from observing the negligent attitude of the boy’s mother. The biases were evident in many occasions: in a scene with a police officer, at work, at school, and in courtrooms, the latter with very laughable interventions from lawyer and judges. The couple’s differences were highlighted, with the low profile and sobriety of the law expert Paul (Garret Dillahunt), balancing with the expansiveness of Rudy (Cumming) whose dubious artistic talent only served the purpose of putting more sentiment in the final moments. Inspired on a true story, “Any Day Now” revealed an inevitable tendency for melodrama, but compensates with some honesty and a sense of true feelings. I could not help feeling sorry for the sympathetic young boy Marco (Isaac Levya), in Travis Fine’s most interesting film so far, a real champion of audiences in Festivals such as Chicago, L.A., Seattle, and Tribeca.