Submarine (UK) - B
A teenage boy struggles with everything from school bullies, parents' relationship (is one of them having an affair?), and of course girlfriend issues. It reminds me of "Rushmore," one of my favorite movies, except here the young man is less corky, more awkward, and dating a girl his own age. The dry humor works, and so do most of the metaphors and visual themes. I can't help feeling, however, that the film is trying too hard. As if the characters are not quirky enough inside, and have to act up to meet the demand of the story. At the end, I don't particularly feel like rooting for the little guy, or his relationship with the girlfriend.
Four More Years (Sweden) - B+
I've always said I want to see more gay love stories that are not so focused on being gay - i.e., love stories where the two people happen to be gay. Here we have one of those, and ironically I find myself wanting to see more about the "gay issues". After all, these two men are in politics, and one of them started off married to a woman. Maybe those are just less of a concern in Sweden than in the US? Anyway, "gay issues" aside, this is a love story that works, one that feels refreshingly authentic and warm without being overly cheesy (not counting the copious amount of cheese ingested by one of the characters). I wouldn't call it a romantic comedy or romantic drama, rather just a romantic story; although there are some very funny bits.
How to Die in Oregon (USA) (Docu) - A
This film will premiere on HBO on Thu May 26.
The first thing to clarify is that despite the opening sentence in the SIFF description, the Death With Dignity law is not about "euthanasia", which refers to physician-administered death and remains illegal. In "death with dignity", a person with a terminal diagnosis chooses to be prescribed a lethal medicine, and then chooses their own time to intake the medicine (which they must do on their own) and end their life, usually with loved ones and a non-profit volunteer on their side. Or, they could choose not to use it after all. Oregon was the first state to legalize such practice in 1994; Washington the second, in 2008. This documentary focuses on Cody Curtis, a bright and endearing woman in Oregon who chose to use the law, and the time she spent with her family in the final period of her life. More stories were filmed of people who used the law, but most of those didn't make it into the film (I wish more of them did). There is also a side story about Nancy Niedzielski, who fulfilled her late husband's final wish by advocating for the law's passing in Washington State.
me with Nancy Niedzielski
Death is never an easy topic, especially when it's so real - So this is a documentary where crying is not only normal, it is perhaps encouraged. But it is not dreary or tragic, as ultimately the film is about living. Director Peter Richardson did a marvelous job keeping the focus on Cody's emotions and her relationship with her family, and treating her story with the utmost respect. It is an important documentary that I highly encourage you to see, despite the reservations you may have in confronting the issue of death. After all, we all encounter death plenty of times in our lives, leading up to our own. Does it have to happen in the way that we currently assume based on modern medicine? Or could it be empowering to have more choices?
me with "Oregon" director Peter Richardson
Pinoy Sunday (Taiwan) - B
A seemingly trivial story about a red couch unfolds into a hilarious adventure for two migrant worker buddies, and then an unexpectedly touching lesson on life, friendship, and the haves vs. the have-nots. If this was an American or European film, I would expect there to be more to the story... A bigger ending or something. But this being an Asian film, such expectation proves to be unfitting. While I don't want to be too negative about such style difference, I do wish there was something more that came out of the story.
Everything Will Be Fine (Denmark) - B+
A successful suspense thriller with a fine European sheen. A film that you might feel compelled to watch again after everything is revealed. It could be said that the resolution falls on the side of being manipulative. However, that is compensated by the depth of intrigue that opens up when you look back on the story in a new light.
So, there you go... 12 films in 3 days. A good start for my SIFF 2011.
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