glover went to this screening saturday afternoon.
Any other attendees encouraged to blog / review other screenings here.
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 3:00 P.M.
L'Origine de la Tendresse and Other Tales
A Program of Short Films
(France 2008, 97 min.)
A program of six notable French short films, featuring a broad
range of styles and genres, from animation to fiction to
documentary, reflecting the diversity of both the visions of
contemporary French filmmakers and the people of France.
1-"Gratte-papier"? (Pen-Pusher) by Guillaume Martinez;
--This was probably my favorite, the first one screened. Two strangers seated next to each other on a subway have a silent intellectually flirtatious conversation by underlining passages in the books they are reading and stealing inconspicuous glances at each others' lap texts. Simple concept, very well executed. Life-like, elegant, urgent, intimate.
2-"Ma mere: Histoire? d'une immigration" (My Mother: Story of an
Immigration) by Felipe
--Interesting biographical journal from a daughter's POV about her family's immigration to France, the shaping forces on her family dynamics and specifically her mother.
3-?"Je suis une voix" (One Voice, One Vote) by Jeanne Paturle and
Cécile Rousset;
--Rotoscoped animation with interview voice over. Content was loosely organized, entire effect was kind of unfocused, although there were moments of clever imagery.. burried knots sprouting trees, figures building with blocks and tumbling down, text flashes, and photo traces- ending with beautiful cutout collages depicting housing in Caracas Venezuela. Artistic and visually satisfying, but again, could have been more focused.
4-"La dernière journée" (The Last Day) by Olivier Bourbeillon;
Documentary journal of 3 guys in a blacksmith shop the last day in operation before closing down. Poignant and detailed snapshot of a moment in time. Evocative, end of an era piece. Historical, ephemeral.
5-L'Origine de la Tendresse
Weird color balance, overexposed at times. made me wonder if it was on purpose or just ad-hoc production value or an attempt at style. Not entirely unpleasant, but gave it a dated or otherworldly feel that felt not rooted in the ordinary-ness of the narrative. A semi-voyeuristic peek into an unglamorous single woman's life.
6-Kitchen" by Alice Winocour;?
funny little portrait of a pretty housewife troubled by preparing a lobster. Like a drawn out one liner. Intensified the effect of the whole festival which made me want to clean up my space and go to IKEA to euro-fy my domicile. Ended with the Madeline Peroux version of Elliott Smith's 'Between the Bars' which is an incredible song (Smiths) made me want to resubmerge myself in Elliot Smith music as the protagonist departs her apartment and is seen puffing cold breaths down an appealing French city street.
Passport is in order.
1 comment:
I saw the film "The Man of My Life" at the Tournees Festival. It was about a man who spends a summer with his wife and family in a relatives house. The man later meets a the nieghbor who is a gay man. The two men begin to develop a strong relationship; this later leads to problems between the two men and their significant others.
Although I thought the plot was decent, I did not enjoy some of the dialogue. The film got a little full of itself with philosophical dialogue that wasn't very relevant to the plot. Other than that I thought the cinematography was above par for an independent film. The acting was also impressive given that they all weren't professionals.
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