2/12/17 Animated Shorts, 2016
Borrowed Time - The short is set in the Wild West, with the two protagonists, a father and son sheriff team, driving a wagon way too fast (I honestly don't recall if they were being chased); anyway, the wagon hits a rock, and the horses go one way, the wagon another and the father a third - over a cliff. He's hanging on by his fingertips and relies on his son to pull him up. They use the rifle as a means to lift up the father, but unfortunately, the gun is loaded and someone's finger is on the trigger. Yeah, this is where I'm thinking a warning to parents might have been helpful. Anyway, the son spends his life trying to overcome his guilt. Pretty heavy and deep, but neither of us liked this one.
Pearl gets a little more of a thumbs up; another parent/child theme, this time set in the late 20th century with a father and his young daughter. Dad is a traveling musician, mainly playing for change, later playing with his little girl. They have a great time, traveling and singing together, but it's a hard, nomadic life, and eventually dad gives up his dream and settles down to give his daughter some stability. They experience the highs and lows of most parental relationships: rule breaking, silent treatments, letting go. The daughter goes on to have her own musical career, with more success than her dad, but she does get the chance to share it with him. It was a little melancholy, but ultimately uplifting.
Piper is another Pixar entry; you may have seen this if you saw Finding Dory. I don't think there was anything groundbreaking about the animation (high quality as always from Pixar). The story was about sandpipers, a baby one especially, who had to learn to get her own food. It was the piper versus the oncoming waves, and that was pretty funny and cute, watching the piper overcome her fear of the wave and what lies beneath. Normally, this would not have been my favorite, but given the others in the field, my friend and I decided this may have been the best one.
Blind Vaysha - There is no doubt that the more we dislike a film, the more we discuss it; we discussed this one a lot. Within just a few seconds, I picked up on the Russian vibe; the drawings definitely had the feeling of Russian folk art; it turns out it was based on a Russian story. Vaysha technically isn't blind; she can see, but out of her left eye she can only see the past and out of her right eye she can only see the future. This leads to all kinds of philosophical questions and issues; like sometimes she can see way in the past, like the time of dinosaurs, and then way into the future, like the apocalypse. She has several suitors as she gets older; but she can only see them as little boys and old men, which makes her choose nobody. My astute observation (if I do say so), was that even though she couldn't see them for who they were, she could listen to them, get to know and possibly love them, but she didn't. She really was blind in that regard. The narrator then asks us to close one eye, then the other and imagine what it would be like. Bleh.
Pear Cider and Cigarettes - The theater gave a couple of warnings to parents that this film had adult themes: nudity, drugs, swearing, sexual references, and yet there were still a couple parents who waited until fifteen minutes in (it was a mind numbing 35 minutes) to get up and leave? Really? After the second or third "F*ck" and half-naked women. I wasn't so much bothered by the animation style, I actually kind of liked it. What I didn't like, or stopped caring about was the main character, Techno Stypes, childhood friend of the narrator (writer and director), Robert Valley. Techno loves to live life, to the point where he takes risks and is reckless with money and ultimately, his health. The thing is, the story seemed to spend about 20 minutes telling and showing us how reckless and self-destructive he was. As my friend and I were discussing this, we didn't need to be beat over the head, we got it. It was just this repetitive, groundhog day feeling. He drinks, he's told not to drink, he drinks, he gets sick, etc., etc. I'm sorry if it sounds heartless, but I didn't care. I just wanted it to be over.
My pick is that Piper will win, because, well, Pixar.
I have to say that after that collection of mostly downers, I was ready to go home. I was exhausted and couldn't handle two more hours of depressing films. But, my friend was quite optimistic and I felt better after a little lunch and a brisk walk around Uptown, and we were ready to go. There were a bit more people and very few, if any, kids under 15.
2/12/17 Live Action Shorts
Sing (Hungary) - I'm not sure they could have started off with a better film. Sing is about a young girl, Zsofi, going to her new school, and joining the very successful chorus. Zsofi is quickly befriended by Liza, one of the popular kids at school (I am not going to lie; based on the films from earlier in the day, I thought Liza was going to beat up or tease Zsofi; I know, negative Nelly). After her first session with the choir, the teacher, Miss Erika, asks Zsofi to stay after; she tells Zsofi not to sing, just mime the words, and not to tell anyone. Eventually Liza figures out that Zsofi isn't singing, and Zsofi breaks down telling her why. Liza also discovers that several of the children aren't singing, and being rightfully indignant and protective of her friends, she tries to quit the choir if the other children aren't allowed to sing. I hope you excuse me for giving the rest away, but most of you probably won't see this, and if you do, hopefully you still enjoy the moment. Liza and Zsofi come up with a plan and get all of the choir members to agree. The day of the big contest, Miss Erika's big day, the choir steps up on the risers, looking sharp in their uniforms, and...they all mime the words to the song. It was beautiful. I loved that the 'popular' kids stood by their friends, that the students became the teachers, and that it was a peaceful overthrow of the regime. If this was the only 'good' film we saw in the collection, it was a great one.
Silent Nights (Denmark) is set in Denmark and Ghana, and is a story that is familiar in Europe and North America: refugees and immigrant workers leaving Africa and Asia to find a better life. Inger begins volunteering at the local Salvation Army over the Christmas holidays, providing shelter and meals to homeless immigrants when she meets Kwame, who is from Ghana. They get off to a rough start, but eventually become friends, and a little more. Inger's mother is a drunk and doesn't have many kind things to say about the immigrants or Inger's choice to volunteer; Kwame has a family back in Ghana who count on him to send money back home to care for his three children. The film does not shy away from the racism that exists, even in Denmark which is often held up as a shining example of tolerance and social welfare (Denmark is one of my favorite places to visit). If anything, I think the film shows that some things are not as straightforward was we would like them to be; complexities arise that make casting judgement a difficult, if not a very unfair thing to do. I think it also challenges our prejudices, because, in another moment of honesty, I thought Kwame was going to assault Inger. As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong, and I'm glad of that.
Timecode (Spain) - This one took a little bit of time to figure out what was happening, and even after it was over, we could only surmise what the end really was. Luna and Diego are security guards in a parking ramp; Luna works during the day and Diego works at night. They don't really seem to interact with each other as they pass each other in their booth. One day the manager calls Luna and asks her to check something on the security camera video, and she notices Diego dancing in front of the camera; she looks through other footage and finds him dancing throughout the parking garage. She records her own moves and leaves him a sticky note with a timecode and camera to check. These exchanges continue for several days. It is fun and funny to watch (and a not too subtle reminder to check where the cameras are). Then one day, Diego doesn't leave a note, and a short time later, there are new guards. The audience was laughing and clapping when it was over.
Ennemis Interieurs (France) - Sadly, this movie is reflective of what is happening around the world regarding Muslims in non-Muslim countries. Ennemis Interieurs translates to "Enemies within" and in this case refers to Muslims who are living in France, but are under suspicion of committing acts of terrorism; specifically, the men being investigated are from former French colonies like Algeria. The man being interrogated was born in Algeria, but he considers himself more French than anything, but his interrogator challenges his loyalty and his father's loyalty: did they support Algeria during the war in 1954? Did he attend a mosque? Did he visit Algeria? Le Demandeur (as he is referred to) tries to maintain his composure, tries to explain his desire to meet people to talk and visit, to be a part of a community, and also that he isn't that religious at all, but he goes to the mosque for that sense of community. The interrogator doesn't believe him, and threatens him with being denied his application for citizenship, and possibly prison again. As in Silent Nights, the situation and the ultimate resolution are not necessarily clear cut or simple. The film is set in the 1990s, but obviously it could be applicable to today. We look at our neighbors with suspicion and don't trust those who are different from us, even if they have lived beside us for years. This is not an easy film to watch, and it shouldn't be. It should generate discussion.
Le Femme et Le TGV (Switzerland) was the perfect way to end the afternoon. Elise (Jane Birkin) is an elderly woman who lives alone right next to the train tracks and every day, like clockwork, she gets out her Swiss flag and waves at the TGV as it races by. One day she finds a note from the train driver who thanks her for waving and giving him something to look forward to on his daily travels. They begin corresponding; she using the post and he, Bruno, throwing letters and cheese out of the train. Meanwhile, Elise's very busy son is trying to convince his mother to move into an old age home, on her birthday no less. Sadly, the TGV is getting rerouted and Bruno will move on, but her relationship with Bruno gets Elise back into life, instead of holding onto the past. This one I am not going to reveal to you. The scenery is breathtaking; I have never been to Switzerland, and they picked a gorgeous village, with mountains and rivers and a beautiful bridge. The movie is poignant, but tender and funny, and most of all, life affirming. According to the notes at the end, this was based on a true story. I think this could be expanded and made into a feature, only if Jane Birkin plays Elise.
My friend and I tried to figure out which one would win; I think it depends on what 'message' the Academy voters want to send. I enjoyed them all and think any of them deserve the win. If I had to pick, I am going to say Silent Nights, but if you ask me tomorrow, I could change my mind.
