Marco Bellocchio's DORMANT BEAUTY: a must-see during FCS. Distributor needed!

Euthanasia may not seem the hot-button issue in America that abortion always is, but float it into a conversation -- anywhere, anytime -- not simply as a subject for discussion but with real specifics attached and you'll discover shock followed by flaring tempers before you know what has hit you. Imagine the same topic in Italy, home of the Vatican and its soon-to-abdicate Pope, and you'll  probably end up with that shock-and-temper squared.

All of which makes Marco Bellochio's newest film DORMANT BEAUTY (Sleeping Beauty is a closer translation, but I guess that one's been used a few too many times) such a strong and satisfy-ing film. A surprising one, too -- and not in terms of what Signore Bellocchio (shown above) is capable of and usually gives us. Rather, the surprise comes from the fact that this writer/director does not take a side but instead shows us several sides. (Yes, in life, there exists more than merely "pro" and "con.") This forces us to confront human beings in specific situations, rather than mere ideas.

The film takes place in 2009, during the fraught period just prior to an Italian father's pulling the plug on his daughter, Eulana Englaro, who had been in a coma for some 17 years. (For an American version of this, think back to 2005 and the case of Terri Schiavo.) While Italians demonstrate on both sides, Bellocchio zeroes in on a handful of disparate people.

Among these are a Senator (Toni Servillo, above left) whose personal feelings and conscience go against those of his party, and, in fact, of his own daughter (Alba Rohrwacher, below, right) who is adamantly pro-life. His conversations with his peers, as well as with a "therapist to the politicians," are among the film's most trenchant and sometime darkly amusing.  When she becomes suddenly involved in an incident provoked by the other side, her life takes a drastic change, as she finds herself drawn to the brother of one of the protesters (Michele Riondino, below, left). This situation -- fodder, it might seem, for a smart rom-com -- is here used in a way that allows these characters, along with us, to try for some growth and change.

The dormant beauty of the title, in addition to the real Eulana, is found in the home of a famous French/Italian actress, played by Isabelle Huppert, below. Her daughter, too, is comatose, and while the father and brother might like to see that plug pulled, the actress, who has renounced theater, has submerged herself in the Catholic faith. That this section, though believable enough, is the least persuasive should not be surprising, for all-or-nothing religious faith must, I think, be experienced to be truly understood.

Elsewhere, a drug-addicted woman (Maya Sansa, below, left) is taken notice of by a doctor (the filmmaker's younger brother, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, below, right) and a dance of death/life ensues, and again, thanks to first-rate writing, directing and performing, we're able to understand things from both sides of the war. Will the movie change any viewer's viewpoint from one side to the other? Probably not. But it probably will make the "other" a little more understandable.

That this really excellent film does not yet have U.S. distribution (most of Bellocchio's film have found such) is more than a shame. Perhaps in the days to come some savvy/enterprising distributor will step up to the plate. Meanwhile, Dormant Beauty plays at Film Comment Selects for three showings (more than any other film in the series, except for Nights With Theodore, which also plays thrice): Wednesday, February 20, at 6:30 pm; Friday, February 22, at 4:00 pm; and Sunday, February 24, at 5:15 pm.

See the entire Film Comment Selects schedule here.

The FSLC's FILM COMMENTS SELECTS series for 2013 gets underway this Monday

It's that time of year again, when, in New York City, a bunch of generally very-good movies from around the world that don't quite fit well-enough into any marketable niche (and thus have so far gone mostly undistributed and unseen here in the USA) get their day -- sometimes two! -- in the sun.

above and top, both from Miss Lovely (no U.S. distribution yet)

The event -- an annual series -- is called FILM COMMENT SELECTS and draws its title from the movie magazine FILM COMMENT, published by The Film Society of Lincoln Center, which also sponsors this series. This year the FCS series -- which begins this coming Monday, February 18 -- presents 21 films, 16 of them new, with five oldies-but-goodies filling out the program.

from Nights With Theodore (no U.S. distribution yet)

Already this year, five of the new films have been picked up, for U.S. distribution (which probably means eventually release via DVD, streaming and/or VOD, in addition to theatres), with more probably to come. So real film buffs might want to concentrate their efforts on seeing those films that do not have (and may never get) U.S. distribution.

from Motorway (no U.S. distribution yet)

As usual, too, these films come from all around the world -- Hong Kong to France, Britain to Japan, the U.S. to Bollywood -- and includes filmmaker just coming into their own, as well as newcomers and old-timers.

from Sightseers, from IFC Midnight

True this year, as almost every year, genre films make their appearance in this series, as does the occasional experimental oddity (we have two this time around), together with a movie by a storied filmmaker that for some reason (and rather embarrassingly, if you ask me) has not been picked up yet.

from Dormant Beauty (no U.S. distribution yet)

In that last category is the new and quite wonderful movie from Marco Bellocchio -- Dormant Beauty -- that explores his country's reaction to euthanasia and which was given quite the "dis" by Michael Mann at last year's Venice Film Fest. (Mr. Mann, I might add has not given us a film with any worthwhile content in more than a decade.) I'll have a review up of the new Bellocchio very soon. Meanwhile, put it on your list.

from White Epilepsy (no U.S. distribution yet)

Highly experimental movies this year include those by Philippe Grandrieux (whose films often make me want to yell, "Turn on the fucking light!")....

from Stemple Pass (no U.S. distribution yet)

...and James Benning (who gives us lengthy scenes of a certain house that belonged to a certain person of interest).

from The We and the I (via Paladin & 108 Media)

Art-film favorite Michel Gondry is back, too, with a film that appears to divide audience rather thoroughly, and which opens here soon. We shall see....

from Wish You Were Here (no U.S. distribution yet)

There is often that odd and excellent movie that seems to have slipped somehow between the cracks for no good reason. I'm wondering if Australia's Kieran Darcy-Smith has this year's example.

from Simon Killer (via IFC)

Antonio Campos, who gave us the strange, stirring and under-seen AfterSchool is back with his new one, too....

from 3 (not the recent German movie -- and no U.S. distribution yet)

Remember that lovely Uruguayan film Whisky? One of its two filmmakers is back this year with another film that sounds equally smart and small and real (and stylish).

from Call Girl (no U.S. distribution yet? You're kidding!)

What FCS series would be complete without that movie about a really sleazy subject, done stylishly and sexily? I suspect Mikael Marcimain's movie mixing politics, prostitution and a real-life Swedish scandal fills this bill.

from In the Fog (from Strand Releasing)

World War II? Present and accounted for in the new film from the acclaimed director of My Joy, Sergei Loznitsa.

from Penance (no U.S. distribution yet)

After a four-year hiatus, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with a five-part, made-for-Japanese-TV psychological drama/murder mystery that tests viewer endurance, and, promises the FSLC, "truly rewards it."

from Gebo and the Shadow (no U.S. distribution yet)

Another famous filmmaker, perhaps the oldest living one still working, Manoel De Oliveira, is here with his latest film.

from Here Comes Devil (via Magnet/Magnolia)

Lastly, Argentina's bizarre fright specialist Adrián García (the unique Penumbra) has another little scary movie at the ready -- which genre fans won't want to miss.  

You can see the entire schedule, order you tickets, and perhaps do all sort of other fun things by clicking here and then clicking on whatever movies and their links interest you.

FILM COMMENT SELECTS, 12th edition, opens with a schedule of 32 films, old and new, known and not-so -- & plenty of PA's

It's one of the best movie "catch-up" festivals on the planet: The Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual edition of FILM COMMENT SELECTS, beginning today, February 17 and continuing thrugh March 1. Comprised of Film Comment magazine’s handpicked lineup of new movies, alternately previewing prior to their theatrical runs or quite possibly never coming back to the big screen here in the U.S., as well as the old: rare, rediscovered, unclassifiable or maybe just underrated, the 32-film schedule -- which includes Aleksandr Sokurov's new version of Faust (shown above) -- will also feature several personal appearances by filmmakers and cast, including Eric Atlan, Sara Driver, James Franco, Jim Hoberman, Kerri Kenney, Kenneth Lonergan, Joshua Marston, Paul Rudd, and David Wain. You can discover the entire series, with listings, descriptions and screening times here.

After perusing the schedule, you of course will have your own list of "musts," but according to the FCS Powers-that-be, highlights -- in addition to the films themselves (always the first and best reason for attending) will include J. Hoberman (at right), on hand with LAND PASSION WAR OF THE CHRIST WORLDS, his film pastiche, based on 25 years of stunt projections and class presentations at NYU and Cooper Union, which stars Asia Argento, Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Dennis Hopper, and the mind of Mel “Mad Max” Gibson.

James Franco will also attend with My Own Private River, his personal re-edited version of Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, utilizing unused footage of River Phoenix from that film classic. In conjunction with the screening, the Furman Gallery will play host to Memories of Idaho, an installation by Franco and Van Sant that recreates an AA meeting hall featuring three related single-channel films: Idaho, Franco’s 62-minute Super-8 film based on one of the three original drafts Van Sant wrote and eventually combined into My Own Private Idaho; Narcolepsy (which consists of dailies); and the recently completed My Blue Funk.

Finally, Film Comment Selects will present two special screenings “In Memoriam.” The late Ken Russell will be honored with a screening of his classic Altered States (1980). The festival will also make a nod to the recently departed Bingham Ray by screening Mike Leigh’s beloved Life Is Sweet (1990), which was the first release by Ray’s legendary October Films.

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TrustMovies managed to catch only three of the new films in this series prior to its opening -- two from France and one from Germany. Here, briefly, are his descriptions:

The new German genre film TRANSFER is smart, humane science-fiction -- given a very glossy look and fine performances from a couple of actors gorgeous enough to die for. Or at least switch bodies with -- which is what, in a rather convoluted transaction, two couples, one old, the other young, agree to do. For money, of course. This is a new style of "colonialism," in which young healthy Africans agree to loan out their bodies for use by old western Europeans, and the latter will then compensate the formers' needy families.

The four characters (as well as the actors who play them: that's the jaw-droppingly beautiful B.J. Britt, above, as the male half of the younger couple) are splendidly created. And the co-writing and direction by Damir Lukacevic is swift, gleaming and reasonably believable and "felt" so that we can identify with all concerned. If the movie becomes a little too convoluted by the finale, it still packs a good punch and is quite worth seeing. No distributor has yet come aboard, so FCS may be your best and only chance to view this one. Transfer plays Friday, Feb 17, at 4:00 pm, and twice Monday, Feb 20, at 4:15 and 8:45 pm.

I have noted elsewhere (but feel it bears repeating) that when the French get pretentious, none -- and I mean no one -- can outdo them. A particularly grand example of that pretension can be found in FCS film MORTEM, directed and co-written (with Marie-Claude Dazun) by Eric Atlan. TM is guessing that M. Atlan is a young filmmaker. Why else would he waste our time with such a silly and obvious story about a pretty woman on a motorcycle whose sort-of doppelgänger/double begins interacting with her at a very odd hotel in the provinces where the staff is weird and the guests even weirder.

Did I ask why? Well, for the hot lesbian sex scene that grounds the middle of the movie, of course. Otherwise, this is a Philosophy/
Religion/Psychology 101 crash-course that plays its hand far too soon and then has really nowhere to go. However, young film audiences may very well groove on this "new" idea about the "other" that they've not yet seen (as have we older folk) many times before. They might also love the fact that, like The Artist, this movie has been filmed in that exciting new process known as black-and-white cinematography (by M. Atlan himself, and the photography is indeed quite beautiful). Ah, youth! Mortem plays Saturday, February 18, at 5 and Tuesday, February 21, at 1:15 pm.

Of the three film TM has so far viewed, the best from this year's series is most definitely REBELLION. (L'Ordre et la morale). Co-written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, the movie is a narrative version of an event that happened almost a quarter-century ago in one of France's "colonies" on the Pacific island of New Caledonia. The natives have gotten restless and rebelled, it seems, killing several gendarmes and taking others hostage. A squad of elite counter-terrorism hostage-negotiators is called is, led by the character played by M. Kassovitz.

The job ought to be a relatively easy one,  except that, back in France, an election is fast approaching and those in power want a quick and "winning" end to this incident, and so the military is called in, and things move from bad to worse. Trust and betrayal go hand in hand, and as we learn more about the rebels (below) and what's really going on in those corridors of power (above), a dank feeling begins to surround us and those negotiators (some of whom who are themselves hostages at this point).

Kassovitz captures the urgency at the heart of the event, as well as the spider-web of intrigue, and his "action scene" when it happens at last is grueling but very well done. (The film actually opens as the action comes to a close; the rest is flashback trying to make sense of the slaughterthat has just happened.) There's a fascinating bit of actual television footage inserted into the film and watched by the Kassovitz character in which Chirac and Mitterrand spar over the event, using it a political football to score their points. At bottom the film is resolutely anti-French government (at least as that government is shown operating here). You'll leave the film with the most bitter of tastes in your mouth, even as you appreciate the filmmaker's impressive achievement (which sadly, has no U.S. distribution lined up as yet). Rebellion plays Thursday, February 23, at 8:45pm and Wednesday, February 29, at 1:45pm.

Tickets are on sale now both at the box office and on-line forthese and the other films in the fest -- with discounts available for students, seniors and Film Society members. Click here for further info.

FILM COMMENTS SELECTS - 2011 opens; get ready for the raw--and the unreleased

Film Comment, the magazine of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is selecting again. It editors and writers do this yearly, and their choices -- often movies seen at festivals that have so far received no theatrical release here in the USA and/or, due to their content, style, experimental or sometimes even blood-letting factors, may never see the dark of the inside of a movie theater -- hit the FSLC's Walter Reade Theater each February in a series titled Film Comment Selects.


This singular series -- anticipated greatly by us film buffs who can't easily travel the festival circuit but who would dearly love to play catch-up -- opens today, and, as usual, looks fabulous on paper (or computer) and if history acts as guide, should offer at least fifty percent or better of movies worth viewing. According to the press materials, this year's program features French actor-filmmaker Isild Le Besco, who was to have appeared in person, but at the last minute had to cancel her plans and so will not be in attendance to present her work, including her latest, Bas-fonds (one of the opening-night selections); Viva Radio events with Warhol's Velvet Underground films and Alex Cox's Straight to Hell remix; three works by Shoah director Claude Lanzmann, and the extraordinary Wundkanal and Our Nazi dyptych from the late Thomas Harlan and Robert Kramer; sneak previews of John Landis's Burke and Hare; Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death; Kim Ji-woon's I Saw the Devil; Jia Zhangke's I Wish I Knew; Sion Sono's Cold Fish; and much more. Plus: Klaus Kinski as Jesus; Domaine - John Waters's favorite movie of 2010; rare Fassbinder; and a real-life Mexican hit man (courtesy of El Sicario Room 164).


While the press materials also promise "16 films you will not see in U.S. theaters," surely this is jumping the gun a bit, as, more and more of late, films made a year, two or three previous can end up getting a theatrical, albeit highly limited, release. TrustMovies caught only two of the four films screened for the press, and both proved, with caveats, worth seeing.

The aforemen-tioned BAS-FONDS (which might translate as low-lifes or gutter-snipes) is the third film from the exoti-cally beautiful French actress Isild Le Besco, who, I think we can now safely say, has a keen interest in society's "outsiders," and has now outdone even herself.  The actress has often played the role of outsider, sometimes turning what might look initially like an insider to the status of "other."  As filmmaker, she is clearly drawn to these people. In her latest she tosses us into the ugly, ragged lives of three anti-social young women (see photo at top) -- two sisters and the elder's lover -- who share a beyond-seedy flat in an apartment building in the provinces. The single piece of home decor I detected was a very large black dildo, and most of  the rancid dialog is screamed and shouted. How the three could have become this joint catastrophe is barely hinted at, and when -- midway -- they do something beyond repair and yet no attempt at retribution from the authorities is shown, we know we are in the hands of a somewhat naive filmmaker. (This is not the first of their outside-the-law moments, though it is their worst.) When that retribution finally comes, the film quiets down and we're allowed to muse on these young women, society, and impediments to self-actualization and growth such as religion, prison and poor parenting. Performances are relatively real and ugly, and Le Besco seems to be learning her way around and with a camera, so it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.


Le Besco's second film, Charly, is also being screened in the FCS series.  I first saw it, with very mixed feelings, during the Tribeca Film Festival two years ago -- click the link for my review of the film and interview with the actress/filmmaker (done for GreenCine).

According to the press materials for this year's FCS, the favorite film from 2010 of our own John Waters is part of the series: DOMAINE from Patric Chiha and starring the still-gorgeous star of Betty Blue, the ever-exotic Béatrice Dalle (on poster and above, right). This quiet and much less transgressive movie that you'd imagine (given Waters' history, though perhaps not his taste in film) tracks the evolving and devolving relationship between an older woman (a mathematician with an alcohol problem) and her young nephew (played by an interesting newcomer Isaïe Sultan, below), who is probably gay and definitely attracted to the "otherness," as well as the sophistication, of his aunt's circle of friends. The film is particularly smart about the manner in which youth and age perceive the world and how callous the former can sometimes be about the latter, perhaps simply for purposes of its own survival.


At times, the film may remind you of a very French Auntie Mame, were Auntie losing it and Patrick old enough (and with taste enough) to choose her clothes for an evening out. As often happens in French film, there is so much going on -- philosophically, emotionally, even family-wise (the boy's mother and her sister are not close) -- that little can come to fruition in the mere course of time frame the movie offers us. Nonetheless, the writer/director shows us the seasons as beautifully and subtly as he captures character, and if the film is somewhat slow-paced and typically French in its insistence on little exposition, it still offers mature audiences much to mull over, post-viewing.

You can peruse the entire Film Comment Selects series, which plays today through March 4, here.