Day 3 of the NYFF

Today was a full film day at the New York Film Festival. While some may say, "Egad!" this is rather light compared to midnighter weekend days at SIFF when I could get in seven films in one day! I think that is my record.

AUGUST DAYS
Director: Marc Recha , Country: Spain, Release: 2006, Runtime: 93 min.
Travel journal to sleep by

This hybrid of diary documentary and retrospective musings by Marc Recha can be both soothing, slightly ominous, but unfortunately mostly boring. Recha attempts to recapture the cathartic summer trip he took with his brother David in the Catalana region of Spain in August Days. We follow a series of vignettes as the brothers, playing themselves, move from one lake reservoir to a park to a river area. Recha shows off his technical ability to mix all sorts of techniques, blending minimalistic dialog, voiceover, photo montages, and a heavy overuse of nature and window-traveling shots. After about the sixth framing of wind rustling leave or grass I was almost sleeping. Getting inspired and overcoming writers block is a well-trod theme and one could argue that this is a new take on it. I did, however, like the shots and droning white noise used when filming the man-made structures as they impose themselves on the water. And the curious in me why he included a scene of himself walking naked down a dirt road with a bag tied to his penis. Ah, those naked-loving Europeans! I prefer less technical bravado and more story, especially if all that production value has the same results as a good lullaby.

LITTLE CHILDREN
Director: Todd Field , Country: USA, Release: 2006, Runtime: 136 min.
Wisteria Lane meets The Safety of Objects

Little Children opens with clocks and Hummel figurines. Field is careful to get little details like this right so you quickly feel and related to all the characters in this riveting ensemble melodrama based on the book by Tom Perotta. Quickly we are exposed to many intriguing folks in the suburban surrounding of a typical American community where family values and neighborhood judgments are quickly and brutally bandied about. There is the pack of supermoms who reign over the playground. Sarah (Kate Winslet) unfortunately doesn't quiet seem to fit in with this crowd, unable to achieve either perfect parenting skills or a true attachment to her own child. Then there is the Prom King, Brad (Patrick Wilson), the sexy dad who brings his son to the playground and becomes a fantasy ideal for mom pack. His wife (Jennifer Connelly) seems perfect, but Brad seems stuck in his lack of career aspirations. Then there is Larry (Noah Emmerich), a retired cop with pent up anger, Ronnie (Jackie Earl Haley), the ex-con who likes exposing himself to children, his mother (Phyllis Somerville), and several other imperfect souls who struggle to rise above their urges, anger, lust, and other disturbing and exhilaration emotion they confront. While one could vicariously watch some characters give into their secret longing and narcissistic ways, Fields and Perotta smartly pull out the larger traits we have as a country - the hypocrisy, judgementalism, selfishness, need for gratification, and our insatiable longing for more. Choices are all around them but more often than not, the secrets behind closed doors take precedent over doing the right thing. Fields shows great sensitivity in portraying flawed people with sympathy. Sarah's infidelity and detachment as a mother seem relatable and understandable. Brad's longing to stay youthful forever is understandable as we seem him happy on the football field or watching the skateboarding teens. And remarkably, even Ronnie, the very scary-looking guy with the predilection to public exposure becomes sympathetic through the eyes of his mother. All this heady drama is wonderfully buoyed with the searing comedic insights, particularly with the narrative voice-over (Will Lyman of Frontline fame) tells us what is unsaid in the character's minds. There is a fine balance with keeping the good elements of childhood without giving into the immature and self-indulgent cravings. This reminded me of lyrics in an Everything but the Girl song:

You spend four nights a week now looking for your inner child.
What you gonna say when you find him?
Suppose you don't like him or he doesn't like you?
Suppose once you wake him up he won't go back to bed and wants to stay up late watching TV?

There is a big difference in being child-like and childish. Field so marvelously balances the complex struggles in daily life, balancing fantasy with reality, while adding humor as we peek behind closed doors at the secrets we all suppress. His film In The Bedroom showed how he can truly capture the intimacy with his cast and he delivers this again in Little Children but with more finesse given the challenges of intertwining so many storylines and characters. The results are riveting and entertaining.

THE GO MASTER
Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang, Country: China/Japan, Release: 2006, Runtime: 104 min.
Bobby Fisher on quaaludes

Wu Qingyuan in Chinese but moved to Japan to become the master Go champion of the mid 20th century. This film takes us through the chronological events that affect his life including the war with China, bouts with T.B., the bombing of Hiroshima, joining a Jiko sect that becomes too cultish for comfort, and an accident that affected his ability to play later in life. Sadly the film jumps too abruptly at times and no attempt is made to capture the essence and thrill of what makes Go such an important part of his life and the lives of the Japanese.

preceded by
THE DAY I DIED / EL DIA QUE MORI
Maryam Keshavarz, Argentina/USA, 2005, 15 minutes
Young director Keshavarz shows great promise with this short but ultimately the story was overshadowed with avant-garde musings. Two girls move about their summer days roaming grassy fields, looking up at swaying tree branches, and swimming. They run into the twin brother of one of the girls. He carries a recorder around his neck so we are subjected to the strange dialog coming from the speaker box. While some of these props come across as intriguing in a David Lynch sort of way, overall they pull away from the central concept of transition from child to adolescent teen and the result leaves no room for enjoyment or response, just mild amusement at the few items of absurdity.

WOMAN ON THE BEACH
Director: Hong Sang-soo, Country: South Korea, Release: 2006, Runtime: 127 min.
Sake, sushi, women, and writer's block

Unlike much of the action and gore films being exported from South Korea (which I love), Hong Sang-soo's film Woman On The Beach is a fresh view on how creative men like to find their muse to push their work forward. But as with most cases, the muse is disposable and romantic entanglements are likely to occur. Director Kim heads to the west coast to find some solitude and inspiration when writing his next script. His assistant brings along his girlfriend and a triangular relationship pushes them into some funny and forceful situations. But when the assistant and girl leave, Kim is left to his wanderlust and more difficulties arise when the girlfriend returns. While other directors have tackled this subject with comedy (Woody Allen) or dramatically (Pollock), Hong Sang-soo reflect with Korean pacing and reflection which includes heavy doses of drinking sake and suppressing jealous thoughts. Fortunately drinking, jealousy, men rationalizing bad behavior, and many other characteristics are relatable in every culture. So what do you do when you get stuck? The final scene will give you an answer - look for help from others.

preceded by
A LITTLE BIT UNDER THE WEATHER/LES MATINS
Annick Raoul, France, 2005, 10 min.
A fun, frolic romp through the mind of a timpani player as he tries to get his memories and brainwaves back in synch. He keeps falling asleep, dropping his mallets, loosing his girl, getting yelled at by a bartender, stuck at a toll booth, and various other strange, odd, and comical conditions. My favorite short in the festival thus-far. Of course it helps to have Simon Abkarian in the cast.