Boy, This Post Took Me A Long Time To Finish

          Last week I showed myself that I can have a sick obsession with independent films. I was so devoted to attending the EU Film Fest everyday from Tuesday to Saturday that I was in denial that it was the cause of my head- and backaches. It was the humidity. Stupid humidity.
          I saw a total of 14 out of the 23 EU films. Wow, 14 stories in 5 days? I wish I could do that with books. Now of course I'm going to offer gratuitous reviews about each of the film I saw. But before that, I think I need to come out here and say that I do not go to film festivals to decay my livelihood. Nor do I go to forcefully "enhance my intelligence". These seem to be common misconceptions of my fascination with indie film marathons. Keep calm. I'm not that ambitious. I simply love edgy stories that you don't get everyday. These stories inevitably inspire critical analysis (a.k.a. discussions in my brain). And that naturally keeps the gears turning up there.
          So comes the transcription of the discussions in my head into more coherent forms in this blogpost. Hopefully, I've condensed them to sane sizes. Without further stalling, my takes from least favorite film to favorite...

14. Charlotte: A Royal At War

Because this film happens to be a documentary, I regret having to rank it last for the fear that you will think I'm just another kid who doesn't appreciate documentaries. Let me assure you that there have been documentaries which have moved me, but this one betrays the genre by following the stereotype of boring History Channel programs. In a nutshell, Charlotte was the monarch of Luxembourg during World War II who is remembered for giving her citizens hope during the Nazi occupation of the country. The film fails because I was not convinced that she was particularly instrumental in Luxembourg's liberation. Reenactments of her broadcasted speech just made her seem incompetent and replaceable, emphasizing how the words weren't even hers. Focusing on the fact that Charlotte and her family escaped Luxembourg and were never there when it was seized by Nazi majorly discredits their "efforts to protect" Luxembourg. We see tears of love for the monarchy wetting the eyes of Luxembourgers, but the documentary's selection and presentation of facts doesn't allow us to understand their emotions. It's just disappointing.

13. Morgen

You can miss the entire midsection and still understand what it's about - the problem of border control and illegal immigrants in Europe - which means that storytelling was at fault here. The film is forgettable. It lacks in emotion and doesn't qualify for deadpan satire either. Wasn't even particularly visually attractive. 

12. "North Face"

A bit to literal for me. The synopsis actually holds back nothing. North Face really is about professional mountain climbers climbing a mountain. Cinematography-wise however, the film was superb. It is beyond me how the movie-makers were able to capture footage of the icy terrain at such treacherous altitudes. Also, the visual contrast between the climbers' experience and that of their bourgeoisie spectators did effectively irritate me.  It's just that I don't identify with the sport.

11. "The Strange Case of Angelica"

Okay, the story is quite easy to follow - photographer becomes obsessively infatuated with dead girl after taking her picture - but you are ultimately left confused with the point of the story. The story goes nowhere, and the film taught me nothing, except perhaps what is  choppy acting. Also, I don't know if this was done on purpose or not, but I did not dig the excessive lingering of scenes after the actors have exited. "What am I waiting to for to happen??" I swear the lingerings were  up to 10 seconds long. Good grief. 

10. Joanna

This film could have easily scored much higher on my list, but the ending distastefully killed the intensity of the climax. It was just too sudden and void of emotional weight, leading us to forget all the horrific experiences the main characters dealt with, living in the time of Nazi domination. I feel like a potentially powerful film was robbed by its own ending. Some of the scenes were gold in depicting some of the worse abuses in WWII.

9. Made in Hungaria

Knowing myself as a sucker for the 50's and 60's and for musicals, it surprises even me that this movie didn't score higher in my book. I mean the film is very attractive, very entertaining. I enjoyed the rockabilly music sung in foreign tongue. It has even got a meaningful underlying message (rebelling against Nazi propaganda). So why such low ranking? Well, I guess the lightness of good ole rock 'n roll isn't as affecting as the following styles.

8. "The Flying Pigs"

Despite the fact that the film was a little predictable, I did think that the idea was the most original. Instead of another film about soccer/football players, this is a film about their fans - specifically the hooligans. And I must comment that the opening sequence was exciting to watch and a perfect introduction to what hooligans actually are.  Memorable.

7. "Everlasting Moments"

It did feel rather drawn out, but as a lover of cameras, I have to praise this film for showcasing the beauty of film photography. Note the mention of photography rather than photographs. Yes, film photos are figuratively lightyears ahead of digital photos in beauty. However consider this: film plates produced only one picture each (like a polaroid), and in the 1900s, photography was an esoteric hobby - it took exceptional skill and financial capability to maintain a camera. Now welcome an unlikely character to come across the hobby: a poor woman married to an abusive husband who cheats on her and rapes her. "Everlasting Moments" is narrated by one of her daughter, and at the end the daughter says a line that just haunts my soul: "it was the only picture my mother ever took of herself." I couldn't help but think how much more valuable this self-portrait is compared to all the rubbish cam-whore pictures we take of ourselves in this age. The main character was old before she took a photo of herself on her deathbed. I've already destroyed my chances of ever taking a self-portrait worth that much. Can you relate? 

6. "A Perfect Day"

Quirky and violent, which when you think of about it sounds like a conflicting combination. Not a movie everyone will understand and appreciate particularly because of the offbeat rhythm of the storytelling. The reason I lean towards liking this movie is because I find the storyline original, consequently intriguing. It's no fairytale, I tell you that. And no Hallmark movie either. Don't be fooled by the title, promotional poster, and (misleadingly vague) synopsis.

5. Turquaze

I thought the theme was particularly fascinating: modern racism between Turks and Belgians. The movie presents the issue through romances between individuals of the conflicting ethnicities. It is what you expect of a European independent film, which in no way implies that it doesn't satisfy. The story guarantees poignant moments. The cinematography is beautiful. And we can't resist being attracted to romanticism details such as a young man fulfilling his late father's dream of playing in a brass band. At least I know I'm a sucker for underrated instrumentalists.

4. "The Substitute"

A guilty pleasure. It was enjoyably Hollywood. I appreciate bright children actors who are able to avoid humor cliches that often plague scripts for children. It's a good trend we're moving towards these days, recognizing that humor from kids doesn't necessarily have to be childish. Also, the whole fantasy-sci-fi genre of this movie was done very tastefully. Outrageous enough to be jovially entertaining, while dark elements keep it sophisticated. 

3. Trishna

The setting of Slumdog meets the theme of  A Thousand Splendid Suns. Riveting. Moving. And gave me silent screams at times. The highlight of Trishna for me are characters you love and despise at the same time. They just tear your emotions apart. I admit, character development could have been a little better, but that's more of an issue with storytelling than acting. The movie, for one thing, should have illustrated exactly why *SPOILER* a prince charming of a character would destruct into a violent personality *END SPOILER* Nonetheless, I thought the actors were very believeable in portraying their symbolic roles. And I'm so relieved the ending did not kill a good story, as was the case with other films in this festival.


2. Soul Kitchen

Funny, yummy, romantic, kinky = soulful indeed! Some parts of the movie reminded me of the movie Snatch and the book Like Water for Chocolate (if that offers any significance). There were actually lots of elements in the plot, but the pacing was really well executed and the movie came out coherent. The characters were lovable and unique. Cinematography was excellent.  I love the fusion of upbeat dining, music, and dancing. And underneath all these technical details, there is a story that is engaging and enthralling. I have so many favorite scenes. The audience clapped at the end of this one. 

1. "18 Meals"

Spain steals my heart again this year! And there seems to be a new winning streak with culinary films. "18 Meals" is cinematically delicious. Humor perfectly cooked. Each subplot served in delightful, alternating portions, complementing each other. Fue fantastico! The movie is slightly reminiscent of Valentine's Day (2010), but "18 Meals" has more depth and isn't so lovey-dovey. You know that feeling you get after finishing an indulgent meal at your favorite restaurant? That's the feeling I got after watching this film.