Frames And Angles

The much awaited Majid Majidi film! Watched this as a part of Chennai Film Festival!

Me too? Nope. This is not the usual kinda ‘race’. This is specifically about the ‘Best foreign language film’. I am totally stressed with the work I do at office, so I voluntarily took up this ‘project’ – watching as many movies as possible – as many what? The Oscar submissions! I would consider this series a success, if i get to watch at least five movies from the 70 odd list.

I don’t think Oscar is THE award, neither am a 70 year old movie analyst who has studied microscopically about all the anomalies and predictabilities of Oscars. So don’t expect an ‘Oscar verdict’ and get disappointed. This is just pure usual reviewing/watching but at the right time.

This is really exciting; I hope you too find it so. I am bored of all these usual presentation; I am switching to this format! Cheers!

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This is the second installment of Take 5 and I make a huge jump from Kollywood to World Cinema. This time, the list is – five world cinema directors whom I would like recommend. I haven’t watched all of world cinema, but I am not able to stop myself from doing it now!

#1 Majid Majidi (Iran) – He is a safe bet. His movies are simple, straight from the heart and heart warming. No complicated layered narratives, no symbolisms & no metaphysical elements. ‘Children of Heaven’ is a delicious little refreshing film and you will love children more, after watching it. ‘Colour of Paradise’, is a breathtaking fairy tale kinda experience and it opens up a never seen before paradise – Iran is such an exciting landscape! ‘Baran’ is next on my list but I have been already assured my many people that it is sheer poetry. One of the most noted Iranian directors.

#2 Krzysztof Kieślowski (Poland) – He is the man. Undoubtedly, he is the most influential movie maker of this century. People write loads and loads on him, they discuss his movies rather ‘decipher’ them! They way ended is career with a fitting trilogy (Three Colours) stands as a testimony to his brilliance. I just love the cinematography and the music of his films. His ‘Three Colors – Red’ is one of my all time favourites. The more I read about the movie, I more I admired him! “Double life of Veronique’ was equally compelling and captivating. His themes mostly deal with chances, probabilities and misses. And some of his scenes are really erotic! I am waiting to watch his Decalogue. (You can catch some his movies at in UTV world movies at really odd hours)

#3 Pedro Almodavor (Spain) – The craziest of the lot. The one and only accomplished director of Spain. His characters are usually transdressers, queers, pimps, transgenders, HIV positive nuns and what not? The way he weaves his script around them is really astonishing. Moral and cultural contradictions are his themes. He is the God father of Antonio Banderas and Penelope Curz and he gifted their big tickets to Hollywood through his movies. He is openly Gay and he proclaims ‘Bad Education’ , the Gay thriller, is semi-auto biographical. I liked ‘Talk to Her’, a very complex piece of art. ‘All about my mother’ was quite moving too. ‘Women on the Verge of nervous breakdown’ was not rib tickling but I enjoyed watching it (it won an Oscar!). I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Volver’, the most accessible of his works. The music of his movies simply sizzles.

There is no concrete fourth and fifth, because am not confident of them but their movies are indeed intriguing.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France) – His Amelie is my all time favourites, I can watch it anytime. It is refreshing, simple and captivating. But my second pick of his, ‘A very long engagement’ was tiresome.

Ingmar Bergman(Sweden) – You would call me mad if I deny that he is a great director. He is the most celebrated director, but something is not working for me! I feel very stupid and small before the understanding he expects. I liked his ‘Wild Strawberries’, it was easy to understand but I still feel there is something big which I simple don’t get. His ‘Cries and Whispers’ had terrific acting and cinematography but again was incomplete for me.

Abbas Kiarostmi(Iran) – Considered to be the best among Iranian film makers, but err, I lack the patience to sit through his films. ‘Taste of Cherry’ was tiring and boring. I slept half way through ‘The Wind will carry us’. But I liked ‘Ten’ a docu-feature, and was really surprised on knowing the way it was shot.

Fatih Akin(Turkey) – It is too early to include him, but I really liked his ‘Edge of Heaven’. One montage in that movie is enough for me to expect more from him! ‘Head on’ is also discussed in many forums. I have hopes on him.

C U!

Too vague for a movie title, uh? Not exactly. It is a well thought metaphor for the inner and outer worlds of a man completely physically paralyzed due to locked-in syndrome.

As soon as the titles displayed against X-Rays end, you get to see some vague images. Like, some one trying too hard to open their eyes. Discrete, unclear images. Slowly, you see two people in white uniforms – is it a Hospital? – Ah, yes the Good Samaritan among them looks at the camera and gets excited. “He has opened his eyes” – he shouts. “Call the doctor”. The doctor comes annoyingly close to the camera, talks in a low voice that shows no signs of any excitement and asks “Can you tell me your name”? “Jean-Dominique Bauby” – you hear a voice. The doctor looks blank for a few seconds. Then he goes – “Can you please recollect your name?” “Jean-Dominique Bauby, Doctor!” The Doctor looks dejected – “He is not responding”. “What the ?? Doctor, can’t you hear me??”

Oh, Jean-Dominique Bauby lost his ability to speak. Along with his ability to move. But he is sound mentally, his memories are intact, his imaginations restless, his sarcastic whip waiting to unwind.

Jean-Dominique Bauby is torn between two worlds after a sudden massive stroke. The inner world – he is the just the same here – active and energetic – giving no rest to his creative brain – he was a editor of a most popular magazine after all – his imaginations and memories hovering like a butterfly from one flower to another.

But, for the outer world, he is just a vegetable, showing no signs of life, except a blink of his left eye. Locked-in Syndrome, the one which has devastated him, is like a diving bell pulling him to a deep sea, into a vague mysterious place.

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (TDBB) is a moving cinema. It is based on a real life story, adapted to screen from the book of same name. Yeah, Jean-Dominique Bauby is a real life character, the editor of the same magazine mentioned in the movie, and did everything and experienced everything shown in this movie. It is depressing, to say the least!

But thankfully, TDBB is not an out and out a sobbing drama, because Bauby is not that kind. He is quick and clever witted, sarcastic, confident and courageous. Unlike other movies based on rare-disease-of-the-year, TDBB is poignant, honest and lovely.

The therapists identify a process that would help Bauby to communicate. Take a list of the most frequently used alphabets, read them to Bauby constantly looking into his left eye. When the desired alphabet is reached, Bauby would blink his eye. This way, alphabets are grouped into words, words into sentences! When this method is tried for the first time, the therapist assures him that he can complain by blinking his eye twice, if she is too fast. She starts – “E………….. A………………. I……….” Bauby thinks, “You stupid cow! That is too slow!!”

It must have been very painful, right? But, wait! This one great man, went on to dictate an entire book named “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, through such a painful communicating process. Welcome to the world of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a stunning embodiment of courage and confidence!

Bauby’s three kids, mistress, recent muse contribute some warm sequences, but its Bauby’s father who wins hands down. This is one of the best Father-Son portrayals I have ever seen. I bet you would move to tears.

And this is direction at its best! For the first one hour, the entire narrative is strictly from his inner world, you look through his eyes effectively, thanks to the splendid camera work. And when you become so familiar and intimate to Bauby’s inner world, all of a sudden the narrative cuts to the “outer-world” – and to see Bauby from outside – it is horrifying, shocking and sickening. And at that point itself, the movie achieves more than what it intends to.

There is one brilliant sequence when people from Telephone works visit Bauby. It is such a sharp direction that you feel, the depressing gap between his inner world and the outer world, as much as Bauby can. No, am not revealing it. It is reserved for those of you gonna check out this movie.

A special mention for the dialogues – real at times, poetic at times and funny at times. Sample this – “Here we are. Father’s Day. I guess that even a rough sketch, a shadow, a tiny fragment of a dad is still a dad. Father’s Day. My son wiping the saliva that escapes my closed lips”

There is very limited performance in this movie. Half of the movie is through the protagonist’s eyes; the rest is on him, unable to talk. The only thing I have to say about his performance is – “Poor fellow, his jaws should have pained like hell!”

Woww!! – The Oscar Nominated and Cannes winning direction. Dialogues.

Awwww!! – Few ‘fantasy’ sequences which are unfathomable. But it is a minor thing. Don’t mind.

Verdict – Go for it.

It took some time to convince myself to watch this movie as I was hugely disappointed by the previous year’s Cannes Palme d’Or Winner, “The Taste of Cherry”. But after watching it I assured myself that “4 Months 3 weeks 2 days” deserves that recognition. “4 Months…” is an honest film at the least. Traveling safely on the border line between documentary and drama, it’s a disturbing tale of two friends, in need of an illegal abortion.

Romania, in 1987, under Nicolae Ceauşescu, has a sour look. People are questioned at every place. An ID card must speak at every gate. Black market is flourishing. And, abortion is illegal. Gabita and Ottilia are room mates in the college dorm where they study tech. The movie begins with a long silence, possibly after a heated discussion, between the two. Ottilia says OK, and Gabita thanks her. Ottilia has decided to help Gabita, to arrange for an abortion, an act that can easily take them behind the bars for years.

The rest of the movie follows Ottilia intimately and faithfully like a dog. Unwillingly, she takes control of the situation. Booking a room seems an exhaustive process. Questions, questions and questions after questions. Gabita has reconciled about the place and process of abortion with the doctor. But situations are not in favour of getting a room in the agreed hotel. Problems begin here.

Enter, Mr.Bebe, the merciless doctor, who apparently has an upper hand of the situation. All the three meet at the hotel room, and provide one of the best moments of the film. The discussion between the three is terrific – thanks to the splendid performances. The timid and helpless Gabita, the bold and confident Ottilia, and the nonchalant Mr.Bebe – all of them excel in their roles. Gabita had lied the doctor about the age of the fetus, Fearing that he might refuse to abort a baby any older than 2 months old. It is 4 months 3 weeks and 2 days old. That annoys the doctor, but the favors he expects back from the friends makes you feel that he is not genuinely annoyed. His intentions are something else. The entire sequence with the doctor is fantastic.

How the abortion is accomplished is better seen than said. Chicken hearted, stay away!

There is one particular sequence that is the defining moment of “4 Months..”. Gabita is lying down in the hotel room for the abortion process to be over. Ottilia is at her boy friend’s home, attending his mother’s birthday party as promised. Ottilia’s attention refuses to stick to the lengthy conversation between the guests at the dining table. Every moment is panicking. Ottilia sits quietly as though she does not exist there. Every passing second makes you restless, empathizing completely with Ottilia. If that long shot impresses you, you are gonna love this movie.

Does Ottilia whole heartedly offer this risky help? What drives her? Her explanation to her boy friend is another high point in the film.

At times, “4 months..” definitely tests your patience. The shots are long enough to have a look at your watch. Some shots dump unnecessary information and details on you. You wonder what the director wants you to do with them. But the film establishes its credibility by avoiding all kind of cinematic charm. The cinematography is just adequate. The camera’s movements are a little more than static. There is absolutely no background score. And yet the director delivers a compelling drama.

Wow!: Unbelievably Realistic; Sparkling Performances

Awwwwwww!: Drags.

Verdict: Watchable, with a good amount of patience.