New Zealand International Film Festival - more reviews

New Zealand International Film Festival - more reviews

We're entering the final furlongs of the NZFF in Auckland at the moment - but that doesn't mean the reviewing's falling by the way side! Here's a selection of the latest reviews....

The Loneliest Planet -
Slow cinema doesn't come more divisive than this. We follow the soon-to-be-married Nica and Alex (Hani Furstenberg and Gael García Bernal as they backpack around Georgia. This is a happy couple, a playful couple and a couple whose future seems set. However, when they start trekking deep into the mountains with a guide, it seems as if everything is going their way. But, when they encounter another trio, something happens which shocks the foundations of their relationship and has repercussions for the three of them. Beautifully shot, with long still frame images of the group walking against the marvellous backdrop of nature, The Loneliest Planet is an interesting rumination of what it means to be a man, what it means to be in a relationship and how one single decision can have lasting implications. The emphasis here is on more shots of the landscape, local music and less on the dialogue which is sparse. But by hanging back, giving less, there's more of a sense of devastated frustration as the events unfold (even discussing them briefly would spoil the film's relatively only surprise) - you're lulled into a false sense of security as the trek goes on and when Bernal's Alex fails his betrothed Nica, by leaving things unsaid, director Loktev brings a level of intrigue which suggests frustration but hints at a deeply scarred psyche and an uncertainty that everything will be alright again.


KLOWN - 
Mixing Curb Your Enthusiasm sensibilities, awkwardness and plenty of laughs, Danish film, KLOWN (based on a sitcom of the same name)stars Frank Havm and Casper Christensen as accentuated versions of themselves. Frank's a bit of a square, a guy who's happily goaded by friends into hopeless situations - and best friend Casper's one of those who does the goading. When Casper decides the pair is off on a canoeing holiday with a remit to pursue women at a one night only brothel, Frank comes along too. However, he's forced to bring his young cousin Bo along for the trip as he wrestles with the possibility of becoming a father for the first time. As Casper gets hornier and determined to have his way, things spiral out of control and Frank's caught a little in the crossfire. Klown mixes that awkwardness we're used to from Larry David with situational comedy that never feels contrived but whose outcome is nothing less than excruciating - and excruciatingly funny. You get the feeling Frank's trying to do the right thing even if Casper's motivation is below the belt. But what emerges from KLOWN is the kind of warm fuzziness and sentiment of following an inept man as he tries to negotiate what it means to be a father and a man. Sure, in some ways, once a photo's taken on a cameraphone, you can see what's coming - but nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of laughter which hits at the end of Klown. The Hangover's pictorial ending has nothing on this...Eschewing the looks of Dominique Pinon and shades of Larry David's awkwardness mixed with raucous comedy, provides a winning formula for Klown.


Barbara -  (Guest - Jacob Powell)

Christian Petzold's Barbara - the director's 4th NZFF inclusion - is a film with a very deliberate, measured cadence which serves to both heighten the underlying tension in the piece and give space to the beautifully framed visuals of the small pre-unification East german village it inhabits. Patient shots of the eponymous Barbara (a pitch perfect Nina Hoss) cycling along country lanes or peering out from between her lounge curtains. Though the spy story elements of the film are never far off - the local police frequently search Barbara's apartment and person, and she clearly participates in underground activity - they are very much backgrounded by the character study of this incredibly wary woman as she slowly adapts to unfamiliar surroundings and the people in them - in particular fellow doctor colleague Andre (Ronald Zehrfeld also in a strong performance). Petzold, Hoss and team have delivered a visually and narratively fascinating feature spacious enough for considered viewing.

Bonjour Tristesse  (Guest - Jacob Powell) 
Otto Preminger's 1958 Bonjour Tristesse was pretty excellent to see on the big Civic screen in all its Cinemascope-Technicolor glory. Beset as it is with more than a few moments of stilted delivery, and one of the more privileged set of protagonists on screen in NZFF 2012 (though some would rightly cite Salles' On The Road ensemble in this category) it is still hard to resist the film's campy charms tacked onto its dark-edged story. David Niven does most of the dramatic heavy lifting in the role of gadabout playboy father Raymond whilst fresh faced pre-Breathless Jean Seberg stumbles along amiably in his wake. The standout factor ofBonjour Tristesse is Preminger's ability to compose a shot. Be it a busy scene in the Parisian streets, the interior of a crowded casino, or the solitude of their holiday beach house Preminger creates a visual balance and cinematic flow that makes this film a treat to watch

Rampart  (Guest - Jacob Powell)

Writer-director Oren Moverman follows up his debut feature The Messenger with a 2nd Woody Harrelson collaboration in crooked cop drama Rampart. The action is set amidst the actual Rampart scandal of the late 90s which blackened the reputation of the L.A. police department when a specialised anti-gang unit was found riddled with corruption and a culture of 'above the law' violence and powerplay. Harrelson plays corrupt, old school L.A. cop Dave Brown whose way of working and family life are in dual end-of-cycle slides into oblivion. Harrelson convinces as the distasteful constabulary dinosaur struggling, with little success, to reset his faulty moral compass. The film's major thematic elements remind of recent Herzog-Cage Bad Lieutenant outing, though with significantly less humour and none of the eccentric madness of the Herzog film. A reasonable movie experience in and of itself Rampart unfortunately pales in the light of more exalted NZFF company.


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