Revanche (DAN) Directed by Gotz Spielman   Written by Gotz Spielman   Starring  Johannes Krisch; Irina Potapenko; Johannes Thanheiser; Ursula Strauss; Andreas Lust

Austrian Gotz Spielman writes and directs this compelling, multi-faceted drama. Set in urban Vienna and the outlying countryside, this modern cinematic tale focuses on Alex (Johannes Krisch), an ex-con thief who works as an assistant in a local brothel, Cindarella. One of the prostitutes is a beautiful, drug addicted Ukranian immigrant, Tamara (Irina Potapenko). $30,000 in debt to unctuous brothel boss Konecny (Hanno Proscl), she is beong pressured by him to move into an apartment to service VIP customers. Alex (who also drives for the gangster/pimp) and Tamara are in love, however, and Alex wants them to escape to Ibiza, where he claims his friend is looking for a partner to invest in a new bar. Alex dreams of making some fast money to finance his and Tamara’s future, while immediately bettering their miserable existence. Though she clearly cares for Alex, Tamara is more fatalistic, surmising that their current existence is simply the hand they’ve been dealt and that everying is “normal”. As the story progresses, complications and tragedy ensue, and the film’s tone takes a decided shift, evolving into a meditation on loss, regret, and redemption. Therefore, although the usual genre plot conventions are initially firmly entrenched, what surpringly emerges is an evolving character study, a change that helps subvert the more obvious course normally asociated with thriller/suspense. Excellent support from actors Ursula Strauss; Andreas Lust; and Johnannes Thanheiser. There are similarities with the work of German Fatih Akin and Danish directors like Nicolas Winding Refn and Susanne Bier.

Antichrist (DAN) Directed by Lars Von Trier  Written by Lars Von Trier  Starring Willem Dafoe; Charlotte Gainsborough; Storm Acheche Sahlstrohm

Antichrist provoked extremes in terms of audience reaction when it debuted at Cannes, response that included booing and walking out of the theater, although conversely Charlotte Gainsborough won the festival’s best actress award. Shot by Brit Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire; Millions; Dogville), the cinematography is nothing short of incredible. Hand held scenes are juxtaposed with sections of exquisite, lyrical beauty. Gone are the severe, self-imposed technical limitations instituted by one of the founding members of Dogma 95. Von Trier (who’s beset with a host of fears and anxieties) reportedly wrote the screenplay in response to one of his severe bouts of depression. Broken into chapters, the finished product is constructed as if it were allegory, although the symbolism is perhaps too random and ultimately abstract to actually pin down and make complete sense of. Von Trier, who began making English language films in the mid-90s, has since set most of his efforts in the U.S. (though, with his fear of flying, he hasn’t even visited this country). Nominally based in Seattle (though shot in Germany), this is essentially a two hander about an unnamed couple, He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsborough), who lose their young son Nic (Storm Acheche Sahlstrohm) in a tragic accident while enaged in the throes of passionate sex (a blended sequence artistically shot in super slo motion to a Handel aria). She suffers a nervous breakdown, but after her month long hospital stay, therapist He is convinced he can treat his wife’s all encompassing depression himself. The two repair to their isolated cabin in the woods (an area that feels like the Dis-enchanted Forest) to confront her fears. Influenced by Swedish dramatist Strindberg, Von Trier is a Brechtian storyteller, and Antichrist is clearly intended as a take on Gothic horror with a wink (i.e. a fox speaking the words “chaos reigns”). How then are we supposed to digest the philosophy espoused by She proclaiming women evil by nature? The mutilation of genitalia? The graphic sex scenes (porn actors were employed for closeups)? The ironically (?) named woods, Eden? How too can one accurately describe the film as a whole? Disturbing; brutal; visually compelling; depressing; frightening; bravely, powerfully, and physically acted; shocking? It could also, in the same breath, be deemed messy; absurdly self-indulgent; wildly mysoginstic; and perhaps even, pointless. Von Trier has long been criticized for his anti-Americanism and mysogeny. Unlike a film like Dogville, his ongoing indictment of the U.S. isn’t overtly stated, though there is enough disparagement of the female race to more than make up for it. Von Trier continues to challenge the film viewing public with work that defies the formal boundaries of the medium. Whether his verdant, mad concoctions are entirely premediated or not; the work of an artist in search of pure expression or product from a provocateur of the highest order (or something in between), his defiance of convention stretches the limits of narrative film, pushing audience and filmmakers alike in this increasingly barren cinematic andscape. Never a bad thing.

Bright Star (2009) Directed by Jane Campion  Written by Jane Campion  Starring Abbie Cornish; Ben Wishaw; Paul Schneider; Kerry Fox; Edie Martin; Thomas Sangster; Gerard Monaco; Antonia Campbell-Hughes; Olly Alexander

New Zealand’s Jane Campion (The Piano) directs this beautifully composed story of the love affair between Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and Frances “Fanny” Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a previously unserious type with a love of witticisms, flirtation, and a talent for dressmaking. Australian native Cornish (Somersault; Stop-Loss) is perhaps best known as the real life girlfriend of Reese Witherspoon’s ex Ryan Phillipe (she was at the center of the controversy over their split), but she is a gifted young actress who lights up the screen as a woman experiencing all encompassing love for the first time. American Indie fave Paul Schneider plays Charles Armitage Brown, a man dedicated to the talent of his friend Keats, who is protective of his talent and suspicious (and perhaps even jealous) of the mutually obsessive love that develops between Fanny and the poet. The story is based on the real life events in the lives of these neighbors, who lived next door to one another at Wentworth Place. Keats suffered from Tuberculosis, and died in 1821 at age twenty five. During his short life, he was harshly received by critics, and never experienced popular or financial success of any kind. Both Keats and Fanny came from similar backgrounds, as both of their fathers were London Innkeepers. At the time of their meeting, however, Fanny’s family was comfortable, while Keats was impoverished, a fact that made their coupling a near impossibility. Though the story is obviously a tragically romantic one, Campion resists the kind of overly dramatic flourishes often seen in films of the type. The plot is familiar, with all the angst one expects from a tale focusing on the ill-timed meeting of two early 19th century would-be lovers, but the relationship is (for the genre) subtley detailed. Sumptuous visuals (from cinematographer Greig Fraser) and understated elegance mark this well calibrated historical drama

Summer Hours (L’heure d’ete) (FR) Directed by Olivier Assayas  Written Olivier Assayas  Starring Juliette Binoche; Charles Berling; Jeremie Renier; Isabelle Sadoyan; Edith Scob; Dominique Reymond; Valerie Bonneton; Kyle Eastwood; Alice de Lencquesaing

An exquisitely executed film from fifty five year old French director Olivier Assayas. Assayas has often been associated with grittier material (Clean; Irma Vep), although there is a historcial drama (Les Destinees sentimentales) in his ouevre as well, and the ex Cahiers du Cinema critic has long been an ardent supporter of Asian filmmakers (Hou Hsiao-hsien; Edward Yang, et al) working in the realm of minimalistic neo-realism. His expressed affinity for these films that are principally about behavior, character, and tone as opposed to plot is in evidence here moreso than in any of his previous work. This is Assayas’ best work to date, an example of an experienced  director (with over twenty films to his name) hitting his proverbial stride. Summer Hours benefits from an exceptional cast, and has the feel of one of the great Eric Rohmer summer films (perhaps the title is no accident?), albeit with an updated sensibility. The mundane seeming subject matter - namely, a well-off trio of siblings gathered at their elderly mother’s rural estate, and later the decisions foisted upon them regarding the disposition of the inherited property (which includes valuable post-impresrionistic artwork and art nouveau furniture), might seem uninvolving on the surface, but Assayas (who also wrote the script) manages to infuse narrative tension as the pedestrian events unfold. One keeps anticipating the shoe dropping in the various spots where movie cliches would normally lay siege, but Assayas refuses to let us off that easy, opting to allow the characters enough elbow space to interact in a potentially less dramatic, but ultimately more human and satisfying way. As a result, there are no villains or heros to be found, merely individuals with a mix of strengths, weaknesses, agendas, perspective, and sometimes conflicting emotions. The leads - Edith Scob as silver-haired seventy five year old matriarch, Helene, the niece of a well-known French artist; Charles Berling as her eldest son, economics professor and author Frederic; Juliette Binoche as designer daughter Adrienne; and (Dardenne Brothers regular) Jeremie Renier as their brother, sneaker company executive Jeremie, are all fantastic. The supporting players, including Isabelle Sadoyan as housekeeper Eloise and Alice de Lencqueraing as teen grandaughter Sylvie, are equally as natural (Clint Eastwood’s son also appears as Adrienne’s boyfriend James). This is a deftly balanced treat that manages to artfully weave any number of provocative subjects and ideas (globalization; family history; the erosion of familial connections as siblings age; technology; the lasting importance of traditional art) in its nuanced meld of images and dialogue.

Public Enemies (USA) (2009) Directed by Michael Mann  Written by Michael Mann; Ronan Bennett; Anne Biderman  Starring Johnny Depp; Marion Cotillard; Christian Bale; Billy Crudup; Jason Clarke; Stephen Dorff; Stephen Graham Leelee Sobieleski; Channing Tatum; Giovanni Ribisi; James Russo; Shawn Hatosy; Emile De Ravin; Lily Taylor; Rory Cochrane; Lili Taylor; Carey Mulligan; Branka Katic

Based on a book by Bryan Burroughs, Public Enemies is a technically superior offering with impressive set design and cinematography from the maniaical one, Michael Mann (Thief; Heat; The Insider; Ali). While the film is cooly composed (shot by longtime Mann collaborator, Italian Dante Spinotti (Heat; Wonder Boys; LA Confidential; The Insider), for many this one may be lacking enough demonstrable humanity to truly connect on a visceral level. Johnny Depp is just fine as John Dillinger, the infamous midwestern bank robber who managed to capture the imagination of the depression era American public. Unfortunately, he is the only character we learn anything about, and even his interior journey is far from fully illuminated. Thusly, the main supporting players: Marion Cotillard (as love interest Billie Frechette); Christian Bale (as FBI agent Melvin Pervis); and Billy Crudup (in a strange piece of casting as a young J Edgar Hoover) are each given a few moments, but not nearly enough for us to feel connected to their individual stories. The rest - Jason Clarke (as partner in crime Red Hamilton); Stephen Graham (terrible American accent as the violent Baby Face Nelson); and Stephen Dorff (as another Dillinger accomplice, Homer Van Meter) are essentially given short shrift, with little opportunity to demonstrate any real development. Further, a parade of recognizeable actors like James Russo; Emilie De Ravin; Giovanni Ribisi; Shawn Hatosy; Channing Tatum; Lily Taylor; Rory Cochrane; and Leelee Sobieski appear and are gone in a blink of an eye, making their inclusion a curiosity at best. There is simply a morass of characters and events thrown at us - something that makes the film (despite the long run time) a bit of a blur, though it should be noted that the action scenes are brilliantly executed and realistic feeling. In fairness too, the events of Dillingers life were rather of a whirlwind nature as he travelled from state to state robbing banks and hiding out; was arrested more than once (and escaped several times); and was involved in mutiple shootouts with police, all in the course of several years. Captured in HD, the film has some marvelous set pieces (many of them in the actual original, real life locations), though the modern shooting style is not a traditional one for an historical epic. While there are a few emotional moments with Frechette and Dillinger (Depp and Cotillard do their best with what they are given), for the most part the visuals, mis en scene, and action sequences take precedence, and all the panache and period/location authenticty simply can’t overcome the paucity of fully realized human characters, who mostly manifest as movie constructs. Credit should be given to Mann for caring enough to go to the lengths he does to recreate historical events, but at the heart of most films are the characters that we either buy as people and care about or don’t. While there is nothing wrong with the performances here, especially those from talented, committed actors like Depp and Cotillard, there is only the writing and director to point to when a film is somehow less than the sum of its meticulously rendered parts.

Che (USA) Directed by Stephen Soderbergh  Written by Peter Buchanan; Benjamin A. Van der Deer  Starring Benecio Del Toro; Demian Bichir; Catalina Sandino Moreno; Franka Potente; Victor Rasuc; Rene Lavan; Edgar Ramirez; Rodrigo Santoro; Yul Vasquez Lou Diamond Phillips; Matt Damon; Julia Ormond

At 271 minutes, Che is divided into two films, but director Steven Soderbergh ’s intent was for them to be seen together. Soderbergh again acts as his own cinematographer (using psuedonym Peter Andrews), further demonstrating why he is among the world’s best visual filmmakers. Che stars Benecio Del Toro as the titular Argentinian Dr. Ernesto Che Guevera, who gives a startlingly realistic, singular performance, one that rivals Sean Penn’s recent turn as Harvey Milk in its understated ease. The films are based on two books by Che - Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War and A Bolivian Diary (biographer John Henderson served as consultant). The overall pacing is deliberate, and Soderbergh uses a hand-held verite style to great effect, giving us a real sense of immediacy. Part One (the stronger and more cohesive of the two) finds the asthmatic Che in Mexico, and details his introductory meeting with Fidel Castro (Demian Bichir) and their 1956 boat ride to Cuba with a tiny initial rebel force totaling 80. From there, we see Che’s participation in the overthrow of U.S. backed Fulgencio Batista. The training and battle scenes are juxtaposed with artfully done black and white recreated footage of Che’s later visit to the U.N. in New York City in 1964. Part 2 is entirely focused on Che’s resignation from the Cuban government and his time in Bolivia leading the revolution there. Despite the run time, Soderbergh opted for an approach that produced anything but a sweeping biopic - instead, we are given a story that wavers between linear and non-linear modes, leaving out information and assuming an audiences familiarity with the story of Che’s early life (see Motorcycle Diaries). Unfortunately, omitted too is key information about Che’s post-revolution activities in Cuba, including his participation in torture, beatings, and El Paredon, the firing squads that executed countless Cuban citizens. We also skip Che’s time following his resignation and covert departure from Cuba that included failures in the African Congo and Guatemala. Che is brilliantly subtle, and contains wonderfully naturalistic performances, and top-notch cinematography, and while the pace and length is a challenge the viewing is rewarding. Still, responsibility for the portrait (including what is not there) falls on the filmmaker and is a major factor in how the end product will ultimately be judged. After a complicated situation with Blockbuster involving DVD distribution was finally resolved, Che is now available on DVD. Perhaps more people will get a chance to see it than did so at the theaters where the film was never widely released.

Paper Heart (USA) Directed by Nicholas Jasenovic  Starring Charlene Yi; Michael Cera; Jake Johnson

Paper Heart plays loose and fancy free with fact and fiction in its quasi-documentary approach. The idea is that actor/musician Yi (the stoned girl from Knocked Up) has never been in love and wonders if she even has the capacity for it. She travels through various parts the country (including Texas; Oklahoma; Nevada; and Tennesse) talking to scientists, professors, wedding chaplains, friends, relatives, and strangers alike about the science, philosophy, and nature of romantic love. Although there are some sweet moments with Yi and actor Michael Cera there are just as many that feel contrived and false. There has been some degree of speculation as to whether the relationship between the two is/was real or not, but there is no doubt that their scenes together (regardless of their actual/real life relationship) are being acted. Further, an actor, Jake Johnson, is playing the actual director Nicholas Jasenovic, the only other major character in the film. While the meta aspect is interesting and holds a lot of potential the film doesn’t provide much in the way of revelation about it leads, or, for that matter, the larger question at hand, as the interview subjects are only mildly interesting. This one’s (paper) heart is in the right place, but is indeed so lightweight that it seems as if it will blow away at any moment. Yi, who has a rather strange, monotone affect, is clearly a guarded person, but delving deeper into her past and her reasons for being so closed off in the first place would have likely made for more compelling viewing. It’s problematic when an individual attempts to make a personal documentary without truly putting themselves out there, which is precisely where the invented (or at least acted) relationship comes in. Unfortunately, this very artifice impedes what might have been a truly interesting and poignant exploration of a real young woman looking at her own fears and doubts about love, and her own future.

Somers Town (BRIT) Directed by Shane Meadows Written by Paul Fraser Starring Thomas Turgoose; Piotr Jagiello; Irenevsk Czop; Elisa Lasowski; Perry Benson

At barely 70 minutes, Shane Meadows’ latest skirts the parameters of what is usually considered a feature length film. The story focuses on troubled fourteen year old Tomo (Thomas Turgoose; star of Meadows’ This is England), who travels by train from his home in The Midlands to Somers Town, a section of London near Kings Cross and St. Pacras Station. Meadows is a filmmaker who likes to tell stories about the area and milieu with which he is familiar (The Midlands) so shifting locations is as big for him as it was for The Dardenne brothers recent locale change in Lorna’s Silence.  Though we don’t get a full explanation of his back story, Tomo (Turgoose’s real life nickname, by the way) is either abandoned or a runaway, but whatever the case he quickly finds himself homeless, penniless, and living on the mean streets of his newly adopted home. He befriends Marek (Piotr Jagiello), an introverted Polish teen who’s into photography and has only recently moved to the area with his father, hard-drinking construction worker Marusz (Irenevsk Czop). The two mismatched boys spend time with one another, fantasizing about older local French waitress Maria (Elisa Lasowski) and working for lawn chair renter/council estate neighbor Graham (Perry Benson). Filmed almost entirely in black and white, Somers Town was (oddly) conceived and financed by Eurostar and was originally turned down by Meadows because he worried there was a corporate agenda lurking behind the funding, though he suggested frequent collaborator (and childhood neighbor) Paul Fraser as writer. Fraser wound up writing the script, and then Eurostar came back to Meadows, who then became interested. Though the original idea was for a feature, the project was actually written, developed, and budgeted as a short right up until the actual start of principal photography, but Meadows shot long days and extended takes, somehow turning it into a feature (albeit a short one) as he went. Music by Gavin Clark (whom Meadows also made a doc about) and Ted Barnes is moody and fitting, although the songs are very similar to one another in sound and were probably used in a few more places than were necessary, including several montages that feel slightly out of place given the overall style of the film. It must be said that, perhaps owing to the short script and lack of shooting days, the story itself feels a little underdeveloped - more about Maria and both of the boys backgrounds would have been nice. Nonetheless, an interesting slice of life from a director who continues to produce quality work.

Bruno (USA) Directed by Larry Charles  Starring Sasha Baron Cohen

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Sasha Baron Cohen’s latest is less effective then his previous effort. Perhaps the schtick is growing wearisome? Perhaps the wide appeal of Borat raised expectations too high? Even long time fans of Cohen’s work (on British TV and HBO) might be looking for him to take his act to another level. Larry Charles (Curb Your Enthusiasm) again directs, and the formula is very similar to Borat. Cohen plays a foreign character who comes to the US, behaving in an outrageous manner, which shocks those unsuspecting “real life” American participants and onlookers. There are laughs to be had here - assuming one isn’t easily offended by male nudity and simulated gay sex (and the bevy of jokes having to do with the same). While there is a legitimate inherent satirical statement about our intolerance as human beings (and as a nation), the delivery is less subtle. Not that Borat didn’t have its share of in your face sex and scatalogical bits, but Cohen and Charles are relying even less on character based humor here and more on in your face gay sex antics to elicit laughs. It feels a bit forced in places, though one has to give the comedien some kudos for sheer, utter audacity. Envelope pushing comics/performance artists (ala Andy Kaufman) always eventually confront issues having to with topping themselves, and it will be interesting to see what Cohen comes up with in an attempt to veer in a slightly different direction as clearly this process has run out of a bit of steam. There is no doubt that his ability to fully commit by immersing himself into these characters, and then tossing them into the world, marks him as possessing a singular talent. What he does with that going forward in terms of ongoing comedic innovation is another matter.

Medicine for Melancholy (USA) Directed Barry Jenkins  Written by Barry Jenkins  Starring Wyatt Cecec; Tracey Heggins

Barry Jenkins’ debut film is being classified as an addition to the Mumblecore movement. The difference here is that the director and his two lead actors are African American, and while the film is focused on their budding relationship, it also examines wider questions of race, identity, class, urban development, and gentrification. Wyatt Cenac is Micah, and Tracey Heggins, Jo, two young San Francisco residents who awake next to one another in the morning in a strange bed, having drunkenly hooked up at a party. They are embarrassed and nearly silent at first, but as the next twenty four hours unfold we learn more about each of their individual lives. The film was shot on HD with film lenses and the color in most places was de-saturated to the point of being closer to black and white. It’s essentially a two hander with the camera rarely moving away from the appealing leads. There are a few rough moments, including a short didactic scene taking place at a community meeting that should have been eliminated in the editing room, and the leads too are occasionally given extended speeches as Jenkins is clearly committed to getting his ideas across. Still, there is an emotional truth achieved here that most films can only dream of. Those demanding Hollywood slickness might be turned off, but this is a sincere effort to create art. Visually, there is a verite feel as the camera follows the action, mirroring the free flowing, largely plotless story. Very similar to the handheld style of Aaron Katz’s Quiet City, another low tech indie about a new couple getting to know another over the course of a single day. The film might, at times, be halting and awkward, but only in the way that life itself often is