25 Alternative 2011 TIFF Picks: Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet

#15. The Loneliest Planet

Director: Julia Loktev
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze
Distributor: Rights Available

Buzz: Perhaps this year’s contempo version of Meek’s Cutoff because of the navigation of male-female rapport in the tricky surroundings of the vast wilderness, if it weren’t for Gael García Bernal signing up for the lead, perhaps Julia Loktev would still be trying to finance the film — this says a lot about the quality of the project and perhaps the observational approach to the film with much of the minimalism we found in her debut effort – Day Night Day Night. Recently premiered in Locarno with a glowing review from both Variety and IndieWIRE, I’m decidedly hopeful about the prospects.

The Gist: I’m looking forward to the portion of the film where Pandora’s Box is flung right open — this observes a young couple is backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia a year after tensions with Russia erupted in a brief war and settled into an uneasy peace. The couple hires a local guide to lead them on a several-day hiking trip, and the three set off into an alien, isolated wilderness. In a moment of fear, something happens, an involuntary gesture, a gesture that takes only two or three seconds, a gesture that’s over almost as soon as it begins.

TIFF Schedule: Monday September 12 TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 8:00pm
Tuesday September 13 TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 9:00am
Sunday September 18 Isabel Bader Theatre 10:00am