" bkkiff 2006: day four "

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sigh:

it's moments like being on the same escalator with catherine deneuve, that allows you to come full circle from that time in sixth grade when your albany middle school french teacher madame donahue was trying to instill some interest into not only the french language, but french historical events by showing indochine in class.

now that i've been within 6 feet of this iconic classic and completely cool lady, it's hard to find anything wrong with the festival today. i guess i wanted to not complain at all about the festival today, and it looks like they got away with flubbing up.

of course i still have to complain about the below freezing temperatures of all of the theatres, annoying american "talkers" who are trying to explain to their thai friends all about film history during the screenings (shut up and woo later!!!), and the disrespectful people who still don't understand that they're not in whatever country they came from, and don't yet know to stand for the king's anthem.

so yeah, other than that, beautiful day.

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mini reviews:

11. february 21st - dreaming lhasa, uk/india, 2:00pm **(*)

an american-tibetan filmmaker is documenting tibetan refugees in the city of dharamsala, india, which is a city where tibetans have set up a makeshift life-in-waiting while the chinese regime continues to rule over tibet.

this is the sort of film that is greatly helped by having the directors to help explain certain aspects of the film and the filmmaking process, in order to better feel about not liking certain aspects.

like finding out that the main actress was cast after an extensive stateside search, and is actually a banker in washington d.c., made me feel better about feeling confused by her lack of convincing english-spoken dialogue for her character.

it's not that the film was bad or uninformative at all, just some problems with plot, forced love-story angles, and the use of non-actors for main characters which are sort of wooden and flat, left me with a guilty taste in my mouth.

i rarely like to dog a film that actually has sociopolitical weight, important historical reflections/information, and a great insight into a culture in flux with the rest of the world. is it bad to make a film where you feel that the main character was hurtful to the supporting cast?

of course it wouldn't of been the same film, but i think that at times, directors can rethink the importance of the themes against the wont of a great provocative drama, and filter out unnecessary dialogue.

the film ends up very thoughtful and clearly has passion and things to say about both past and current situations in tibet and india, but i still left the theatre feeling that it could've done better as a different slimmed-down drama and an accompanying documentary.

12. february 21st - season of the horse, china (mongolia), 4:00pm ****

a mongolian sheep-herding family has to come to terms with the fact that along with the desertification of their once-lush green pastures, their lives as traditional generations-long herders is nearing their last days, as the chinese government extends their reach over the lands in the name of ecological preservation.

this poetic well-shot beautiful film resonates a universal tale of the end of a culture by being overswept by another. season of the horse is direct and also subtle at times while being overall very powerful. you feel like you're hearing about amazonian tribes, the entire native american collective civilization, and any other lost peoples of the world.

it is a poignant portrayal of the process by which the sheep-herders are being systematically forced to leave their pastural and seasonal nomadic lifestyle, and retire to the confines of the loud and alien city.

an important scene to watch is one where the sheep herder confronts a childhood friend who had left for the city and became a painter evoking the lineage of ghengis khan in order to sell his art. the herder asks for help as a fellow mongolian of the same village, and the artist denies him anything. the herder then accuses the artist of selling out his own culture for his own personal advancement in the guise of cultural preservation, and he's right. is it enough that the artist tells everyone that he is a descendent of ghengis khan, if he only cares about that fact as long as he can use it to make money?

there are pressures not only of cultural preservation, but financial concerns, and boundary privileges which come under fire constantly. there is a achingly calm scene when the father of the family realizes that he must set his horse free.

he and his people were/are considered to be very close to their horse culture, until they blend together in a mutually beneficial existence of work, life, and respect. the ceremony to send off his aged horse into the wild plains, evokes the same beautiful sounds of tuvan throat music, and is painful not only as a farewell to the horse itself, but also a farewell to an entire way of life.

it reminds me of a trip i made to d.c. last year. i had a chance to visit the new native american museum and just in one day, learned of numerous groups of displaced cultures, languages, and peoples that i had never really heard of before. it's astounding how all of these cultures are rapidly disappearing in the name of progress.

if we really want to make progress in a broad collective human sense, we have to fight to preserve these disappearing peoples/groups, and not feel it necessary to succumb to the supposed ideal of citification. in the end we'll all disappear into the chaos of urbanality with no sense of origin.

13. february 21st - the umbrellas of cherbourg, france, 7:00pm *****

this musical stands out as one of the most engaging storylines among other musicals of its time . the use of real locations over sets, issues such as underage pregnancy, young marriage, young love, war, and the repercussions of unspoken betrayal.

the only aspects that keep the tone more out of the pure drama of the story, are the bright colors and the orchestral arrangements of the classic songs. it's hard to say that you cannot find at least something about this film to completely fall in love with.

it is completely captivating and plain at the same time, and it's the balance of those two dynamics which keep the interest in the storyline. it was and is a brilliantly made musical that steps over the line of a musical filled with set pieces and choreographed dance sequences, and steps confidently into the times of which the people and places are being represented.

the piece de resistance of the night which capped off a great day of film-watching with a calm and collected casual q&a was the elegant and down-to-earth catherine deneuve. devastatingly beautiful, serene, a state of elegance and pulled together with so many amiable traits, one would find it hard to find anything to dislike about the bright shining actress in the umbrellas of cherbourg.

all of her answers to the sometimes blah questions were always respectful, informative, and apt. one of the highlights of the session was when she talked about working with lars von tier on dancer in the dark with bjork, and how it was a completely artistic and engaging experience.

just hearing her talk so casually about wanting to remain dedicated to herself and portraying her characters with honesty and reality was very riveting for some reason other than her being such a captivating icon that she is.

and as you can see i'm rambling on too, because how can you stand it to be in the same room with such a person, and not feel somehow moved profoundly. i mean, she came to be at the bkkiff just for a few days, in between currently filming a movie in france. now that is the sign of a professional that is grounded in reality, and exudes an elegant sense of grace. beautiful, just beautiful.

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