The Exchange (2011)

Directed by: Eran Kolirin
Country: Israel

Review: After the much appreciated “The Band’s Visit” (2007), Eran Kolirin embarks in a completely different reality. “The Exchange” is an intriguing story about a man’s obsession, which emerged unexpectedly one day when he had to break his routine, returning home from work in the middle of the afternoon. Some voyeurism, weird behaviors and possessive attitudes toward his wife, reinforced the idea of an insecure, suspicious and troubled man, who will find in a neighbor the perfect companion. Rotem Keinan’s performance was convincing, showing the interior struggle of someone who's willing to break the “rules”. The main issue with this film was that everything seemed so intriguing that I got used to it after a while, making me lose some sensibility for certain details. With a daring plot, “The Exchange” isn’t perfect but is unquestionably disconcerting.

George Harrison:Living In The Material World (2011)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA

Review: Scorsese’s documentary about George Harrison is a wonderful opportunity to know more about the ex-Beatles’ life. It thoroughly covers in a chronologically way, the different phases of his career as musician, his private life and the ceaseless search for a spiritual side in himself. That particular search made him experience the world of drugs and also led him to India. There, he learned to meditate and sought inspiration on the music of Ravi Shankar to proceed his solo career. In the final 70’s, he unexpectedly joined Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python group, having participated in “Life Of Brian” as an actor and executive producer. Beautiful photographs and video footage were placed on the screen, intercalated with interviews of his closest friends and family. Watching “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” made me look to the shyest Beatle with much more respect.

Rebellion (2011)

Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
Country: France

Review: “Rebellion” marks Mathieu Kassovitz's return to France, after an adventure in Hollywood with disastrous results. “Gothika” or “Babylon AD” were complete failures, while “La Haine” and “Assassin(s)” will be seen as references in his filmmaking career. Kassovitz recreates the 1988’s incidents that happened in New Caledonia, an archipelago located in southwest Pacific Ocean, when local men demanded instant independence from France, after making 27 hostages. Don’t expect lots of action here, since great part of the movie is centered on political negotiations between the parts involved. Despite the slow development, the story was able to keep me minimally interested, particularly regarding the dirty political manipulations that always lead to reproachable decisions. Welcome back monsieur Kassovitz!

Samsara (2011)

Directed by: Ron Fricke
Country: USA

Review: Watching “Samsara” is one of those unique experiences that one shouldn’t miss. Without narrative, it follows the same approach of “Baraka” from 1992, which also had Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson (producer) as leading team. A picturesque world tour, where the beauty and joy of some images counterbalance with the sadness and disappointment of some others. The powerful images speak for themselves, with the editing being extremely important to achieve the final outcome. Even wordless, some topics are evident: spirituality, nature, war, art, abundance, abandonment, beliefs, cultures, chaos, human creativity, massive labor, construction, destruction… “Samsara” is like the whole world inside a film, and even without a pronounced main theme or the immediate impact of “Koyaanisqatsi” (my favorite of the genre), still is a hypnotic accomplishment.

Beloved (2011)

Directed by: Christophe Honoré
Country: France / others

Review: Christophe Honoré insists on his light style dramas, which usually aren’t warm enough to please us. His new film counts with the presence of three wonderful divas – Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Ludivine Sagnier, but their charm wasn’t enough to turn “Beloved” into a charming movie. The story was too long, dragging for so much time into uninteresting characters and relationships. The musical side wasn’t a gain too. The songs were depressive and the lyrics often foolish. It’s not an easy task to achieve a musical drama with the lightness or delicacy of some French examples of the past – and I´m remembering of Demy’s “The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg” and “The Girls Of Rochefort”, or Resnais’ “Same Old Song”. What I know is that “Beloved” won’t be among them, as an unforgettable experience.

Starry Starry Night (2011)

Directed by: Tom Lin
Country: Taiwan / China / HK

Review: Since we’re on Christmas, nothing better than watch “Starry Starry Night”, a sensitive movie that evokes the season and tells the story of Mei, a 13-year-old girl, who’s passing through a complicated phase in life. With her parents splitting up and her granddad, the one who she trusts most, dying in a hospital, she will find solace on Jie, a new classmate also having some troubles at home. Beautifully shot and adding some fantasy through interesting special effects, “Starry Starry Night” shows a lyrical side when dramatizing this particular vision about youth and growth. The young actors were real heroes, showing a magical gentleness and strong commitment in every scene. Between resolute silences and nostalgic musical compositions, this was a revitalizing film, although denoting some avoidable sentimentality in its final moments.

A Happy Event (2011)

Directed by: Remi Bezançon
Country: France / Belgium

Review: Rémi Benzançon is known for his heartwarming movies, mixing naturally comedy and drama. “A Happy Event” has all these features but didn’t achieve the brightness and grace of his prior work: “The First Day of The Rest of Your Life”. The eagerness in making all the situations look gentle, charming or delicate, ended up in a quite sentimental analysis of how your life can be affected after having a baby. The story aroused some curiosity during the first half, but from then on, it wilted, never attaining truly high moments. Despite this mishap, all the phases of a pregnancy were analyzed with meaning, from a feminine perspective: starting with happiness and optimism, then experiencing fear and expectation, and ending with restraint, disillusion and tiredness. Unfortunately, the adopted approach betrayed the possibility of “A Happy Event” being a better movie.

11 Flowers (2011)

Directed by: Wang Xiaoshuai
Country: China / France

Review: Wang Xiaoshuai is associated with the sixth generation of Chinese filmmakers, also working as actor, screenwriter and producer. “Beijing Bycicle”(2001), his better-known work, was an international success and “11 Flowers” has everything to follow the same steps. The story consists of childhood recollections of Wang Han during the years of Cultural Revolution in China. Beautiful details are shown under the communist party’s revolutionary songs, denoting significant aptitude for image composition. The recreation of childhood is attractively accurate (the children’s activities or the struggle of Wang Han to have a new shirt for school), without leaving aside the political criticism and social considerations of those years. This is a powerful and sensitive film.

Kotoko (2011)

Directed by: Shinya Tsukamoto
Country: Japan

Review: “Kotoko” is a horror tale with touches of art-house, directed by the unconventional Shinya Tsukamoto, who also participates as an actor. It tells the story of a young mother (played by the singer Cocco) struggling with depression and self-contempt and whose child was taken away due to suspicion of abuse. She truly believes she’s a bad person and ends cutting herself with a razor just to feel alive. Her mind doesn’t rest as she imagines things associated to whatever she might see on TV or in the streets. The portrait is well set, yet there are also some volatile situations during the movie, including a peculiar relationship with a novelist, always maintaining the ambiguity that suits its baffling intentions. This severe disturbance of the mind will please the fans of psychological horror but not those who are looking for a good story.

The Forgiveness Of Blood (2011)

Directed by: Joshua Marston
Country: Albania / others

Summary: An Albanian family is torn apart by a murder.

Review: Some traditions are difficult to understand. This movie shows one of them, applied in Albania, regarding rival families involved in a blood feud. After a killing, Nick as the elder son of the aggressor, quickly becomes a target for the victimized family, having to remain in his home as a way to show respect. The movie clearly shows what was supposed to: the lack of freedom, the eminent security threat, the economical issues, the sacrifice of school in favor of work, etc., but some questions started to arise. What happened to the family in punishment? They will have to live that way forever? Regardless all the doubts, you can’t help thinking about this odd culture, even if the story never get us out from its routine.

Relevant awards: Special mention and best screenplay (Berlin).

Natural Selection (2011)

Directed by: Robbie Pickering
Country: USA

Summary: Unhappy in her marriage, a woman finds out that her husband has an illegitimate child.

Review: “Natural Selection” is the story of a middle-aged woman pursuing happiness in a desperately way, after several years of marital disillusion. This sounds familiar, but the plot showed some unusual stuff that could have been better used if it was not for the indecision on whether to adopt a funny or a serious approach. This uncertainty thwarted any potential strength and originality depicted, depriving the viewer from taking it on a deeper level. Rachel Harris gets to be annoying on several moments in Robby Pickering’s forgettable debut drama.

Relevant awards: Audience award (Athens); grand jury prize (Indianapolis).

Alps (2011)

Directed by: Giorgos Lanthimos
Country: Greece

Summary: A group of people start a new odd business.

Review: “Alps” is an obscure movie, coming from the director of “Dogtooth” (2009), where the bizarre and obsession interact to provoke the viewer. Lanthimos has something in his favor: he always sets the right mood and pace in order to intrigue us somehow. As expected, “Alps” has a very strong psychological component and easily delivers a sense of loneliness and anguish from their characters. We are talking about a slightly different cult group, but still a harmful group with a stern determination in replacing other people’s lives when they die, just to fill their own emptiness. Dark humor adorns the weirdness of the plot, making “Alps” a good choice for the alternative movies’ fans.

Relevant awards: Best screenplay (Venice); special mention (Sofia).

Underwater Love (2011)

Directed by: Shinji Imaoka
Country: Japan

Summary: A whimsical pink film musical about a woman and a sea creature.

Review: A musical comedy that for several moments reminded me the weirdness of some Takashi Miike’s films, such as “Visitor Q” or “The Happiness Of The Katakuris”, but without achieving the quality of those ones. “Underwater Love” is an alternative movie that can be seen with apprehension but failing to provoke any kind of positive effect. A very particular love story dissimulated in a bunch of sexual scenes, where human beings get involved with a traditional creature of Japanese folklore called kappa. The cinematography is the only reason why you would want to watch this movie, considering that a few laughs of absurdity aren’t enough to make it worth.

Relevant awards: -

Wuthering Heights (2011)

Directed by: Andrea Arnold
Country: UK

Summary: A poor boy of unknown origins is taken in by the Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister.

Review: I really appreciate Andrea Arnold’s filmmaking. “Red Road” and “Fish Tank” are movies that remained in my mind due to its quality. This time she was inspired by Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” and created a loose adaptation of it. The first half of the movie was a delight. I was grabbed by the story details and by the amazing cinematography. The second half was absolutely different. The dialogues were very limited and the movie started to drag, softening my enthusiasm. “Wuthering Heights” certainly is not among Arnold’s best works, but still can attract followers of independent movies.

Relevant awards: Cinematography (Venice).

Chicken With Plums (2011)

Directed by: Marjane Satrapi / Vincent Paronnaud
Country: France

Summary: Since his beloved violin was broken, Nasser Ali Khan, one of the most renowned musicians of his day, has lost all taste for life.

Review: From the creators of the magnificent “Persepolis”, “Chicken with Plums” is a drama narrated in a typical French way and adorned with illustrations. It tells the story of a great Iranian musician, who decides to die in his home bed, after having found some adversities in his private life. The story was promising but not completely satisfying, only arousing some sensation on us in the final scenes, where the meaning of the story was totally unfolded. I would say that it had a determined approach without being fantastic or being able to reach our emotions deeply. Even though, I recommend it for the fans of French light cinema.

Relevant awards: Jury prize (Dublin).

Your Sister's Sister (2011)

Directed by: Lynn Shelton
Country: USA

Summary: Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother.

Review: A good surprise, since I’m a bit picky with this kind of romantic dramas. A movie with only three people involved that worked perfectly by maintaining the story interesting till the end. This would be impossible if the acting wasn’t so natural and truthful – Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt were fantastic. A handful of non-forced comic situations helped to set the climate, in a story where friendship and love walk side-by-side. The dramatic side of the story was explored without being too sentimental but the conflict’s resolution was set up too quickly, without maturation, being the only drawback.

Relevant awards: -

Killer Joe (2011)

Directed by: William Friedkin
Country: USA

Plot: When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to commit a murder.

Review: “Killer Joe” is the new feature film from the 77 year-old director William Friedkin, who is mostly known for two essential classics of the 70’s: one in horror genre – “The Exorcist”; and the other in crime/thriller – “The French Connection”.  Adopting a completely different style when compared to his previous works, we can find sarcastic humor mixed with violence outbursts in a very dark tale about a family that hires a professional killer to commit an hideous murder. The characters alternate between daft and rough, while the plot is never predictable or flat. Maybe the final scene could have been better set up, but in general “Killer Joe” accomplishes its purposes with distinction.

Relevant awards: Golden mouse (Venice).

Code Blue (2011)

Directed by: Urzsula Antoniak
Country: Netherlands

Plot: Marian, a middle aged nurse, devotes herself to her patients like a saint. 

Review: “Code Blue” is depressing and unbalanced as its main character. Marian is a lonely nurse with a sexual frustration to solve. That frustration will lead her to humiliation in many ways. She is kind to her patients, which are old people in the verge of dying. Often, she even gives a hand for helping them to pass away but the guilt and discomfort of doing that is reflected in her life. The second feature film in two years by the Polish-Dutch director Urzsula Antoniak is very painful to watch and leaves you with a sensation of sadness and uneasiness. Vague on many aspects, some crucial situations seemed purposely created just for the pleasure of shocking. 

Relevant awards: Best cinematography (Nederlands)

Kill List (2011)

Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Country: UK

Plot: Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings.

Review: The excessive outbursts of violence are the mark of British “Kill List”, which fits all right in the horror/thriller genre. The story has Jay as the main character, a psycho thug who lives with his wife and son. Without working for eight months, things at home start to get nasty and Jay, with the help of his friend Gal, decides to accept a job from a strange organization, which consisted in killing three people. What seemed to be a simple job quickly ends as a nightmare, in a movie that reserves all the surprises for the last 15 minutes. The boost was welcomed but not sufficient to put this movie in a top level. Still, we can draw some creeps of it.

Dark Horse (2011)

Directed by: Todd Solondz
Country: USA

Plot: Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector who is the dark horse of his family and a depressed woman on the rebound.

Review: Known by the strong psychological content of his movies, Todd Solondz has a flair for pessimistic and intense dramas. The sad story of “Dark Horse” is no exception, uncovering loneliness, incomprehension and frustration. The plot is not forced, as in some previous works, and the scathing dark humor makes the right balance to the despair conveyed by characters. The main character is Abe whose self-contempt and revolt are consequences of family issues since childhood, making him frequently detached from reality (he often dreams awaken). A bitter movie, yes, but authentic.

Relevant awards: -