Just around the corner

67th Cannes Film Festival has drawn to a close

2014 has nearly reached its halfway point. In that time films have landed and sunk, swam to acclaim and been awash with controversy, boo’s and laughter, a stroking of the chin and a hand reaching for the last popcorn in the bag. I can’t say that the year has shown its true colours as of yet but it has had me doing all of the above, culminating in a smorgasbord of ideas, countries and beautiful people (other than the annual ‘The Room’ screening). What can be certain and uncertain all at the same time is what lies ahead. It can’t be seen what effect they will have (fascinatingly good or fatuously misguided?) but these films hold a curiosity all unto their own.

‘Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy’ (Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)

First came ‘The Social Network’ (2010), placing Facebook firmly in people’s consciousness as the dawn of a new generation; a generation that has replaced the face to face with a keyboard at a coffee shop and laughter with a three letter word. It’s also a generation that is handicapped by the need to be connected at a push of a button or swipe of screen (that’s why Spike Joneze’s ‘Her’ (2013) resonates so deeply in my mind). Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s ‘Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy’ (2014), about a real-life twitter feed incorporated into a tale about the final year of high school student, promises, as he stated in a recent interview with Sight and Sound (June 2014), to be something all together more abstract and less straight forward; “As the writer, I’m in control of Mary’s thoughts, yet I am also being controlled by Mary’s tweets”. This process of adapting tweets, about what someone sees and thinks, seems to be perfectly suited to a medium indebted to that simple philosophy. Along with the directors other film ‘36’(2014)- about photographer’s defunct hard drive being the only connection she has to location scout she once knew- also out this year, Nawapol seems to be distinguishing himself as a filmmaker of the internet age and one with some very interesting things to say.

Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection (and many others)

The reason I have chosen one of the 70’s and 80’s most underground filmmakers is simple; despite being pushed into general obscurity-praised by some, derided by others-it’s the first time for the new generation of film aficionados (including myself) to see newly restored digital prints of the directors work, work that hasn’t been available in a full collection in the UK until now and, with the trend in revaluating works becoming the norm (William Friedkin’s 1970’s flop ‘Sorcerer’ is just the most recent film in the growing trend), it’s only fitting that we can now bring back the forgotten back into filmic debate and consciousness. To me it’s a similar excitement that one would get if news broke of one of Hitchcock’s lost films were unearthed on one quiet Sunday morning, the chance to see something for the first time that, until now, we had only read about in the history books.

Other collections that are fast approaching are the ‘Werner Herzog Collection’ from the BFI, an extensive look at 18 of the director’s films from earlier in his career including many of his most praised works such as ‘Fitzcarraldo’ (1982) and ‘Aquirre, Wrath of God’ (1972). Throughout the coming months, Mark Cousins ‘A Story of Children and Film’ will be presenting a selection of other worldly treats across the UK, some for the very first time, and, as of this moment, may be your only chance to catch films from Iran’s Mohammad Ali Talebi or spend an evening with the children of ‘Long Live the Republic’ or a day with ‘Hugo and Josephine’

The 67^th Cannes Film Festival: “That’s a wrap everyone”

As of writing the Cannes Film Festival has just finished. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ‘Winter’s Sleep’ was awarded the Palme d’or, the disgraced ‘Grace of Monaco’ walked the red carpet to much booing and hissing from the press (and Grace Kelly’s family) and the Palm Dog (the best award at Canne?), awarding the best four legged performances of the festival, took place for its 4^th consecutive year. Walking through the films that have been playing in and out of competition, its hard not to feel slightly elated with all that we will have to look forward to; Cronenbergs ‘Maps to the Stars’, Mike Leigh’s ‘Mr Turner’, Bennett Millers Oscar bound ‘Foxcatcher’, Oliver Asssyas ‘Clouds of Sils Maria’; an eclectic mix that wets the appetite.

However, outside the safety net of recognizable art house talent (Goddard, the Dardenne brothers etc.), it’s the work of yet un-established or lesser-known talents that has garnered the most attention; if there’s one thing that critics love it’s the shock of the new and that new being very, very good. 25-year-old Xavier Dolan’s ‘Mommy’ won the Jury Prize (third place) tying with Jean Luc Goddard with ‘Goodbye to Language 3D’. With this being his fifth feature in so many years the prolific, auteur driven director is fast becoming a director to be reckoned with. Through his short career already he has, with insight, wit and technique, tackled heavily autobiographical subjects in ‘I killed my mother’, transgender politics in ‘Lawrence Anyways’ and a tale in debt to Hitchcock in the extremely well accomplished ‘Tom at the Farm’, a film about the cultural and generational gap that is apparent when Dolan’s character returns to his deceased lovers family farm, only to find out that they were not aware of their sons sexual orientation. With ‘Mommy’, everyone will be watching to see what’s next, and, by his track record, we wont have to wait long to find out.

Lastly of this list, Andrei Zvyagintsev’s ‘Leviathan’ has been proclaimed to be the real winner of the festival for some; a striking satire on Russia’s fragile political state, reportedly with equal amounts of humor and horror. The director is no stranger to Canne, with his previous film ‘Elena’ winning the Special Jury Prize award and winning, quite rightly by many of the films supporters, the best screenplay award at Canne this year. Much like this years Palme d’or winner, it may not be long until we see “Palme d’or winner” being added to his list of accolades.

It’s comforting to know (at least to my mind) that the year is in very confident hands, molding into what may even become a ‘quote unquote’ Vintage year. I don’t know whether any of its going to be any good; who knows, I may be jumping the gun and Grace of Monaco might actually be some misunderstood masterpiece.

Frank (2014)

Creating music in Frank (2014)

‘Frank’ is the rather jolly new film from Lenny Ambrahamson, a name that will escape many but shouldn’t. Ambrahamson is the director of ‘Garage’ (2007), a largely forgotten about film, which to me, cemented itself as something altogether new: dark but warm, sweet but bitter, a film shot and acted with a naturalism that has rarely been replicated so effectively (the only other film that comes to mind recently is Clio Bernard’s ‘The Selfish Giant’ (2013), a ken Loach influenced story of two working class boys and their mission to earn some money from working in the scrap yard).

Frank marks an unexpected shift in genre for the director-his last film ‘What Richard Did’ (2012) couldn’t be more different-but the tone throughout his films remains remarkably contingent; there’s often a playfulness, charm and warmth he lends to his characters that is balanced alongside some of his films more troubling elements (in Garage the main character Josie (Patt Short) rather disturbingly insist on watching a porno with his underage co-worker). What remains constant in his films is the titular character is or becomes an outcast. In Frank, the difference here is that the film doesn’t want to focus on a character in an every day situation (a student, drug addicts or a lonely garage attendant) but instead one of an optimistic dreamer.

Frank is based in spirit on the life of Frank Sidebottom, a fictional character created by Chris Sievy, an inspiring (and inspired?) signer/songwriter who came to fame after the creation of his papier-mâché alter ego. Based on an article written by John Ronson about the myth of Sidebottom, who also co-wrote the script with his ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ scribe Peter Straughan, Frank is a rags to rags story that, as the director stated in a recent interview at the SXSW film festival, recalls the “maverick genius” of the Frank sidebottom character, as recalled by Ronson’s time as the keyboard player of Franks ‘Oh Blimey Big Band’ in the 1980’s.

John (Domhnall Glesson) can’t seem to find his own voice, struggling to string together anything even remotely close to an original song (at the start we see John on the beach watching life pass by as he try’s to find an influence in the most mundane aspects of everyday life; seeing whether it really is that easy to unlock your creative side). Literally by chance John is introduced Franks band and inadvertently finds himself a reluctant member, replacing the keyboard player due to a botched (and melodramatic) suicide attempt. As the film weaves between the droll and the tender, it becomes apparent that there is an audience for Frank and his band of musical misfits, traveling to SXSW to step into the limelight and show the world what Frank is really all about.

The film, to some, has been hard for people to grapple with; similarly teetering on the edge of obscurity as Ken Russell’s ‘Tommy’ (1975) but also as whole-heartedly optimistic and lovely as last years unfairly forgotten ‘Good Vibrations’ (2013), along with a uncomfortable dose of the music of David Lynch. On top of it all there’s Frank, a strange creation mystifying and intriguing audiences and the band members alike. As it is well known now, underneath Frank is Michael Fassbender, exemplifying charismatically the inner qualities of Frank. How do you create a fully three-dimensional character when we can hardly ever see his face? It’s a question that both the director and star surely asked themselves; how do you convey warmth or humor without the use of facial expressions?

 

The tone must surely help. It’s rather bright and has a ‘live life to the full’ philosophy that exemplifies the life of many a young musician. Oddly this tone originally felt jarring and out of place; as if the pleasant and care-free form of the film was actively making it a lesser achievement, making it seem all together slighter than some may have come to expect. I still have a feeling that the film may only become a talking point for novelties sake at first, drifting into obscurity in the same way Frank’s band was hastily rushed off the stage at their first major gig. However, the tone seems fitting if only because of what Frank and John are: loveable outsiders with dreams as big as Franks rather over sized head. On a lesser note, the supporting characters are, almost unavoidably, less interesting.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Clara, a sarcastic and cynical member of the band, comes across as partially one-note because she only shows that side of herself; a down trotting group member who’s soul focus is admiring and encouraging Frank. Any revelation that may arise from the side characters seems predictable and out of sync with the films odd tone and charm. What the side characters do bring though is warmth to the adventure, as if, even though it is John and Franks journey, there is a sense of belonging that they each bring- it makes the closing final minutes all the more honest and the reunion all the more sweet; like watching the Adam’s family getting reunited.

The talking point really is Fassbender in the end. Taking the actor but hiding him under that fiberglass head looks to be distracting-is it really Fassbender under there you may ask? -  but on reflection Fassbender, despite the extra weight and pre-tense, exhibits Frank as a layered and three Dimensional character, movingly harboring a long suffering mental illness that hasn’t defined his creativity but actively hindered it. If we look at Fassbender throughout the film, the strength to his performance lies in how he exhibits the other elements of his body to convey his emotions-how do you show happiness without a welcoming smile or sadness and disorientation with a face that never changes?

Frank perhaps misses the target in reaching the everlasting cult status it hopes for-after all what sets this apart from the ever-increasing stories about the outsider and their journey to the height of their career? Lenny Ambrahamson’s film is about the outsider but it’s also about the curse and pleasure of being seen as that unique and alternative wonder kid, what so few modern films here think can go hand in hand.