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The Horse Whisperer
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Only a few weeks after Dr Do/ittle comes this infinitely more sublime . variation on the talk-to-the-animals theme, as Robert Redford indulges several of his favourite passions at once in British author Nicholas Evan’s best-selling tale of an equine shrink. As with Redford's previous directorial efforts this is a fine looking and intelligent film, if a little overlong, pitting the yuppie values of east coast magazine editor Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas) against the virtuous all-American qualities of Midwesterner Tom Booker (Redford). All the protagonists have to relearn some fundamental lessons about love, trust and humility before any healing can begin. (Anwar Brett)
a The Horse Whisperer, ABC Lothian Road, Wed 19, 8pm, £6.50 (£4).
Souvenir
2k 9: a-
An intertextual conundrum for admirers of the French New Wave, Michael Shamberg's film makes oblique reference to anything from Rohmer’s Pauline At The Beach to Godard’s work generally. There's a story of sorts, as a young American journalist in Paris looks back on a relationship with her brother, using a computer system to tap into her past. But it’s a story told so fragmentarin that the film revels in the sum of its parts rather than its narrative whole. Left Bank filmmaker Chris Marker supplies the graphics and Kristen Scott- Thomas, Laurence COte and Christina Riccr appear in cameo roles. (Tony McKibbin)
a Souvenir, Filmhouse 2, Mon 17, 5.30pm; Cameo 3, Fri 21, 7.30pm; Cameo 3, Tue 25, 7.30pm, £6.50 (£4).
Let's Get Lost
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Mogens, Steffen and Thomas lie about, filching beer, watching Brian Laudrup videos and dreaming of getting tickets for the next Danish international football match. Mogens stays on Julie's couch — a begrudged arrangement as she has just been dumped by her boyfriend. The material of the ensuing meander between the friends is too slight to stretch
Pitch inva‘sio The Proposal. part of Gala Shorts 1. Filmhouse 2. Tue 18. $.30pm. £6.50 (£4)
successfully from its original, improvised short into this full-length, superiorly shot, black-and-white feature. But director lona Elmer gets some quality moments from his actors and shows promise for a strong future of gritty and amusing Ken Loach-style movies with an added retro-twist. (Thom Dibdin)
3 Let’s Get Lost, Filmhouse 2, Mon 17, 10.30pm; Glasgow Film Theatre, Mon 24, 8pm; Filmhouse 2, Tue 25, 8.10pm, £6.50 (£4).
Tic Tac
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One night. The suburbs near Stockholm. Four seemingly disparate stories: a kid tries to burn his school, a policeman attempts to move flat, a couple driving home become paranoid, and a pair of skinheads talk about love. As Daniel Alfredson's intriguing first feature unfolds, the stories begin to intenrveave and a rather un- Bergmanesque picture of modern Swedish society, with all its frailties, is revealed. The structure is a tad too self-consciously along the lines of Pulp Fiction - without having Tarantino’s insight — but the dialogue is up to scratch and the acting, particularly from the skinheads, is highly watchable. (Thom Dibdin)
a Tic Tac, Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 20, 8pm; Filmhouse 2, Sat 22, 8pm,- Cameo 3, Thu 27, 10pm, £6.50 (£4).
Baby Angel
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As Hollywood strengthens its stranglehold on UK screens, the cinematic output of Turkmenistan doesn't get a look in. All the more reason to seek out Baby Angel, which wrings poetry out of its rough images. The specifics of time and place might be a little confusing to Western eyes, but no one can fail to be affected on an emotional level as the German-speaking adults in a village are carted off during WW2 and one young boy is left behind. Eluding the authorities and transcending the ethnic divide, he becomes convinced a baby angel will come and save him from the orphanage. Mesmerising. (Alan Morrison)
% Baby Angel, Filmhouse 2, Wed 19, 8pm; Cameo 3, Sat 22, 7.30pm,- Cameo 3, Thu 27, 4pm, £6.50 (£4).
Slam *H:
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on the street: Saul Slam
Winner of the Grand Prize at this year's’Sundance Film Festival, Slam mixes ‘ gritty realism with believable dramatic situations to provide an unusually sensitive. insightful portrait of life on the mean streets of modern America, Documentarist Marc Levin is renowned for'his'worlc-on prison life and the juvenile justice system. and carries that‘convittion over into his first
fictional work.-
When a drug dealer isshot dead at his'ieet. Ray (Saul Williams) isarrested ' and charged with suspectedmurder and marijuana possession. Being young and black, he doesn't stand a chance, and is persuaded by a public defender to plead guilty to the lesser charge and serve two years. Awaiting trial, Ray . finds life in prison wearily recycles the tensions on the outside, with blacks ranged against blacks in pointless gang warfare. He asserts his individuality throughthe impassioned anguish of his poetry writing.
Ultimately, this heartfelt film is about finding your own voice and becoming part of the solution rather than just another statistic. In encouraging a generation to stop tearing itself apart and take responsibility for its future. it offers an edgier, wiser alternative to earlier statements like.
Boyz N The Hood. (Oliver Grant)
% Slam, Cameo 1, Wed 19 , 8pm; Cameo 2, Sun 23, 9pm, £ 6.50 (£4).
Comedia lnfantil knee
Solveig Nordlund's Scandinavian take on magic realism, set in an unnamed African locale, may sound a complicated business, but its narrative works with a quiet assurance, pleasing to both eye and ear. Nelio (Sergio Titos), an Oliver Twist-like street urchin separated from his family by war, is shot by a vengeful soldier and nursed by the baker Jose (Joao Manja). The lad’s retrospectively told story speaks of his development of healing powers and patronage by the lizard woman, who keeps his gang safe from the various hustlers and evil authority figures of the city. Rich in symbolism and allusion to the theatre, this is a film full of charms, literally and metaphorically. (Steve Cramer)
a Comedia lnfantil, Cameo 3, Tue 18, 7.30pm; Filmhouse 1, Sat 22, 2.30pm.
Trains And Roses
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Direct comparisons with cult Finn Aki Kaurismaki are inevitable. That doesn't neccessarily mean that it's right, wrong, or a good or bad thing. Peter Lichtefeld's film tells of a truck driver, Hannes (Joachim Krol), who is dismissed from his job due to his
desire to attend a trainspotting convention in Northern Finland. To add to his woes, he is perfectly oblivious to the fact that he is being hunted by the German cops for the death of his ex-boss. Bittersweet, I think they call this kind of thing. And thoroughly affecting. (Brian Donaldson)
% Trains And Roses, Cameo 2, Mon 17, 7pm; Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 21, 5.45pm; Cameo 2, Mon 24, 7pm, £6. 50 (£4).
The Trio
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If you think a bald middle-aged man dressed in a blue sequinned dress and singing Smokey Robinson's ‘My Girl' is pretty funny, then you’re in for a treat. The trouble with this German movie is that it can't quite make up its mind whether it wants to be a full-blown farce or a black-hearted comedy. It's funny in spells, predictable by turns, but ultimately unaffecting. A fairground threesome of con artists (a father, his lover, his daughter) bicker and turn tricks until the lover is replaced by a younger man and all havoc ensues. Quirky but flawed. (Rodger Evans)
a The Trio, Cameo 1, Wed 19, 5.30pm, £6. 50 (£4).
13-20 Aug 1998 rue usm