2. The Pianist – Roman Polanski, dir. - @ the Albany Twin 1&2 @ 8:15pm, 02.14.03 *****

Only a few times have I thought to myself during and after a film, “this one is going to be important.” I believe the first couple were important too, but for different more spectacular reasons. This is not to say that this film does not have a sense of the spectacular within its celluloid grasps, it is just of a different nature altogether.
If you could sum up the feeling of this movie (which no movie that has relevance should be able to be done in, but…) it would be endurance; or perseverance, or faith, or luck. Who knows what one word encapsulates that muscle-clutch in the heart-space of your throat, or the cascade of tears flowing freely down tightly bound cheeks. This is an important film then, is whispered in my head throughout and afterwards reverberates with a solidified assurance.
The story’s protagonist is a pianist in Warsaw, Poland before during and in the uncomfortable aftermath of Nazi Germany’s WWII. We see him endure all throughout the first hints, rumors, and onset of war. We see his family separated, his freedoms taken, and his soul crushed over and over as he makes moves to live in light of certain dooms. It is almost too much to take visually; those moments when we see technological and overt psychological barbarism in its most horrific forms. You almost have to take yourself away and remind yourself that you are in a theater…this isn’t real. And it almost works, because the second you attempt this, you remember that this was reality. Shocking, yes. Real, in a sense yes. Forgotten then? I surely hope not or ever.
Without being stereotypical or expected, we see the echoes of the Holocaust blast through Warsaw. Also seen and heard are the thought and suffering of the Jewish peoples involved in the war. There are deceptively quiet calm moments that are placed so gently, that you almost too forget that war is an all-consuming beast that never gives in until other beasts encounter it. As I have stated, this is an important film. Not because of the Oscars which loom, not because I say so, but because it is something to experience and try to understand. It speaks truths and doesn’t apologize for being brutal. It is that way because it means to share and be heard. Rarely have I been emotionally affected for the duration of a film involving wartime, and this is one not to miss.

3. All the Real Girls – David Gordon Greene, dir. - @ Shattuck, Berkeley @ midnight screening, 03.03.03 *****

Simplicity and genuine performances entice the audience to see the budding relationship of a young couple. Zooey Deschanel and Paul Schneider not only act well, but genuine. I actually felt their connection in the face of her character’s (and his best friend’s) disapproval.
It’s a tale of meandering in and around of love. Exploration of love and of the Self. The main character Paul has had a poor history with almost the whole population of the girls in his small rustic southern town, but when Noel comes home from boarding school, freshly graduated and also a virgin of all things, she shows him that there is always a chance that a real love can make you reassess oneself. It is definitely one of the more touching films that I’ve seen this year. The acting isn’t forced, so you are vying for the characters to make sound choices. Even though those choices at times can seem rash, abrupt or painful, there is no doubt that we can sympathize with situation that are both believable as well as emotionally explorative. There is no need for over exaggeration as the dialogue is lax and comes across as hilarious at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the small-town-ness of the film. The setting is ripe for small town shenanigans and all of the kids in the town seem both disenchanted with big aspirations, and also comfortable with their situation.
The editing in this piece is very calm and less motivated by dialogue, time, or location. It is almost as if the poetry of simple situation gets the chance to explore itself and feel out chance encounters. This in itself mimics the pattern of information about the main and supporting characters. This story is filled with questions of love, family, the meaning of actions, romantic pitfalls and engaging oneself into life and not just letting it float by. Heartbreak and realistic conversations ensue intermingled with soft moments and beautiful scenery. A romantic piece counterpoised with poetry.