Larry Richman ? · @larry411
27th Oct 2012 from Twitlonger
Mini-review wrapup for my #FLIFF Day 5:
1) The @WorldBeforeHer http://www.fliff.com/Film/849/THE_WORLD_BEFORE_HER_-_FLIFF - Canadian documentary feature that shines a dual spotlight on the two Indias: the traditional Hindu culture, as represented by women's "camps" that some say are more terrorist training than educational, and the modern "Westernized" country, represented by the Miss India pageant. A handful of girls are the focus as writer/director/producer Nisha Pahuja follows a camp season through graduation day and one pageant leading up to the crowning of Miss India. The parallel narratives are woven perfectly like an exquisite rug that tells more stories in its fibers than the image from a distance. The juxtaposition of old and new is striking and hard to watch at times, but the gravitas is inescapable. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the 2012 @TribecaFilmFest and Best Canadian Documentary at the 2012 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
2) Apartment in Athens http://www.fliff.com/Film/774/APARTMENT_IN_ATHENS_-_FLIFF - The setting is Greece, 1943, in the waning days of the German occupation. Nazi officers routinely commandeer private homes for lodging and, in this intense character study, Captain Kalter (Richard Sammel) waltzes in and takes over the Helianos family's late elder son's bedroom. (He died in the war - one of many ironies in this brilliant cinematic experience.) The middle-aged couple and their two young surviving children, 13-year-old Leda (Alba De Torrebruna), on the verge of womanhood, and 12-year-old Alex (Vincenzo Crea, who provides much of the film's comic relief), likewise in that stage from boyhood to man, all find unique ways of dealing with their unwanted long term guest. His presence will test the family's bonds to each other and influence the behavior of their resident Nazi in ways that viewers can guess but still surprise at every turn. There are moments of levity but the audience was left stunned and in tears.
This is a masterpiece from co-writer/director/producer Ruggero Dipaola based on the Glenway Wescott novel. Heidrun Schleef and Luca de Benedittis share screenwriting credits with Dipaola. The film has won a dozen awards on the festival circuit, including Best Feature, Actor (Gerasimos Skiadaressis), Cinematographer (Vladan Radovic), and Screenplay at Newport Beach. It also took home the prize for Best First Feature at Italy's Golden Globes this year. It is by far the best feature of the 11 I've seen here and my favorite film of the festival so far.
3) All In (La suerte en tus manos) is an Argentina/Brazil/Spain co-production in the vein of the classic American romantic comedy. Uriel (Jorge Drexler) is a well-meaning but crafty financial wizard/poker player with two adorable kids from a failed marriage. His closest confidante is his doctor (Luis Brandoni). Enter Gloria (Valeria Bertuccelli), an old flame picking up the pieces after her father's death. Her advisor is her mother (Norma Aleandro), a radio talk show host. From an Orthodox Jewish rock band to a perpetually empty fish tank, the film borders on madcap farce but relies on poignant reveals that are satisfying and worth the wait. Fast-paced and laugh-out-loud hilarious, the film follows formula but is a crowd-pleaser that's ultimately supremely entertaining. Director/producer Daniel Burman co-wrote with Sergio Dubcovsky. The film won Best Screenplay at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
4) The day ended with a restored, colorized, 3D version of the 1968 George Romero classic Night of the Living Dead. It's always refreshing to be reminded of the many taboos broken by the master while setting the standard for an entire genre (and they're never referred to as zombies, only ghouls). 'Nuff said.