Film REVIEWS
APOCALYPSE Archives American indie director LYNN SHELTON, whose film Your Sister’s Sister is released this month, chooses five films that she would save at the end of the world
1 The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928) ‘It’s completely exhilarating to watch how Dreyer experiments with the still nascent cinematic art form in this film. Canted camera angles, abstract imagery and graphic lighting, combine with mesmerising performances leaping directly out of extreme close ups – especially of the stunningly shorn, naked-faced Maria Falconetti – to create one of the most affecting filmic experiences of all time.’ 2 Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975) ‘The first time I saw this film, my jaw dropped to the floor. It is unexpected yet believable at every turn, with breakthrough performances, especially from Al Pacino, John Cazale and Chris Sarandon, each of whom breathe remarkable life into their heartbreakingly desperate, utterly human characters.’
3 This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984) ‘I have probably seen this film more than any other and would (will?) happily watch it another 1000 times. It just makes me excessively happy. Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean are raucously funny yet I never feel that they (or their director) knew they were in a comedy; everything is played straight as an arrow, which is why it works so damned well. It still reigns supreme among its many, many descendants.’ 4 Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen, 1986) ‘I had to include a Woody Allen movie on this list because he was the one who showed me that simple, believable, conversations between human beings could form the basis of entire, engaging, feature films. I have, of late, been completely obsessed with Hannah; the way entire scenes play out in one or two shots, with actors elegantly exiting and re-entering the frame; the way Allen juggles several, disparate points of views and storylines. It’s a supremely satisfying tale, adeptly told by one of the most humanistic of filmmakers.’
5 Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001) ‘This is a great example of how film can transport you to completely unfamiliar worlds. I have never been to Mexico and I have never been a teenage boy but, remarkably, seeing this film made me feel as though I had had both of these experiences. I also love how this movie is totally sexy, and yet contains some of the worst sex ever portrayed on film. Brilliant.’ (Interview by Gail Tolley) ■ Your Sister’s Sister is on selected release from Fri 29 Jun. See review on previous page.
72 THE LIST 21 Jun–19 Jul 2012
DRAMA 7 DAYS IN HAVANA (cert tbc) 129min ●●●●●
This Spanish-language portmanteau film paints a picture of contemporary life in the Cuban capital through seven tragic-comic short films which unfold over the course of one week, each directed by a different international filmmaker. In the first, ‘El Yuma’ (directed by Benicio Del Toro), a young American tourist is given an unconventional tour of the city by a taxi driver. ‘Jam Session’ (Pablo Trapero) follows a filmmaker (Emir Kusturica parodying himself) suffering an emotional breakdown while collecting an award at the Havana Film Festival. ‘La Tentación’ de Cecila (Julio Medem) finds a beautiful Cuban singer (Melvis Estévez) torn between leaving the island with a Spanish impresario/lothario (Daniel Brühl) and staying put with her boyfriend. ‘Diary of A Beginner’ (Elia Suleiman) has a Palestinian named ES (Suleiman himself) wandering the streets while waiting to interview President Castro. ‘Ritual’
(Gaspar Noé) is about an African-Cuban girl being put through a ‘cleansing’ ceremony to rid her of her lesbian passion. ‘Dulce Amargo’ (Juan Carlos Tabío, the sole Cuban director) concerns a behavioural psychiatrist who offers lifestyle advice on television but whose own domestic life is a mess. And in the final segment, ‘La Fuente’ (Laurent Cantet), an elderly woman has a vision of the virgin and implores her neighbours to build her a shrine to celebrate. Inevitably, some of the segments – which
are linked by music, views of the sea, those ubiquitous old cars and occasionally reappearing characters – are better than others. Suleiman’s is by far the most fully realised cinematically and the snapshot of the city that best captures day-to-day life in Havana. Together, however, the seven films present a rich, vivid and pointedly non-stereotypical view of the energetic and diverse culture of the Cuban capital. (Miles Fielder) ■ Selected release from Fri 6 Jul.
DOCUMENTARY MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT (TBC) 106min ●●●●●
While visiting New York’s Museum of Modern Art in May 2010, I found Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic sitting opposite me. She was in the middle of the performance piece, which gives Matthew Akers’ documentary film its title, sitting silently for over 700 hours opposite a series of members of the general public.
Experienced as a piece of art, Abramovic’s performance was disconcerting, disturbing and ultimately moving, and the same also can be said for Akers’ documentary, although they work in very different ways. Akers’ film provides a helpful crib-sheet as to Abramovic’s career, featuring often shocking clips of her controversial earlier work, some of which involves self-mutilation, and including interviews with her former husband Ulay. There’s also revealing behind-the-scenes footage involving New York glitterati who get involved with her performance, including James Franco and David Blaine.
While some of Abramovic’s work might sound a bit hard-going, the context provided by Akers’ film makes it surprisingly accessible, while the real stars turn out to be the audience, whose natural, unguarded reactions to Abramovic give this film a transcendent, luminous and ultimately life-affirming quality. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Selected release from Fri 6 Jul.