FNC: Capsule Reviews #6

Bombon, el perro (Bombon, Le Chien)
Unlike the jarring Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Carlos Sorin’s Bombon is charming from the beginning to end. Again set in the arid Patagonia like his previous fiction film (the internationally acclaimed Minimal Stories), the story of this film revolves around a middle-age man who recently lost his job and who is offered a dog one day. Along the Patagonic route, he and Bombon will encounter a series of people which give a new direction to their life. Beautifully shot and with a faultless script, the film is a smart parable for hope at a time where many traditions are being lost. The acting from the part of Juan Villegas is exceptional. His facial expressions which are simple yet carrying a ton of subtleties is purely outstanding—hopefully we’ll see more of him in the future.

Star-Apoplexie
One of the few documentary presented at the festival this year is Star-Apoplexie; a French Canadian film about media convergence in the province of Quebec. For instance, in addition to owning many TV and radio stations, only 2 conglomerates account for 96% of the written press in Quebec. The level of information given in the film is problematic. Most of the information given in the film is widely known—except by people who’ve been brainwashed by the ‘system’. However, there is no way this film will get to these people—even very remotely—as it criticizes most of the major TV channels which aren’t likely to screen the film in a million year. The people who are likely to see this film are people already familiar with alternatives sources of information—in other words, people who know the problem of convergence very well. Despite many problems and an amateurish look, the documentary does a decent job at outlining the problem of the convergence but fails to bring any new information.

Le Temps qu’il reste (Time to leave)
The latest film by Ozon follows Romain in the few days after he learns he only has a few month to live. A comparison to the similarly themed French film Son Frère (Patrice Chéreau) seems unavoidable here and unfortunately it favors the latter. Ozon’s plot is average here—no more, no less. Unlike in his previous films, we stay totally cold towards his characters and the film’s banal story fails at making us care for them. Regrettably, the rather ordinary plot cast a dark shadow on the excellent acting in the film and on Ozon’s very agile mise en scene.

Sisters in Law
Last year at the FNC was presented Depardon’s 10e chambre – Instants d’audience. This year another documentary on the judicial system is presented. Sisters in Law by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi follows two magistrates in Cameroon who work to protect the interests of battered women and children, forcing the logic of the law to trump patriarchal community traditions. While we can sometimes sense a lack of impartiality (sometimes the men are just portrayed as pigs), this documentary is rather edifying. Sisters in Law is less shocking and thought provoking than some of Longinotto’s previous films but it does nonetheless a very good job at showing the complex situation in Cameroon and the difficulties the two courageous women face on a daily basis to change the situation.