Night and Fog

WHERE ARE YOU? (Kobayashi Masahiro, 2009) If one ever needed proof that art cinema can be as uninteresting as the dullest Hollywood blockbuster, here it a good example. In this drama of a poverty stricken teenager, director Kobayashi lethally combines a glacial narrative pace with a cliched, handheld realist style. The result lacks any kind of narrative urgency or formal sophistication. It also deadens the social environment in which this downtrodden tale take place. The few moments that work in the film are when Kobayashi abandons this shaky cam aesthetic, but they are not enough to recommend this work. For a much better take on a similar story, and even one done in a similar style, track down the Dardennes Brothers ROSETTA (1999) on DVD.

AN AIMLESS BULLET (Yu Hyun-mok, 1961)

A potent drama centering around a family in post-Korean war Seoul and their numerous relationships. This resembles the best of post-war American films made by left-wing directors who would soon by blacklisted. Between 1948-1950, a brief window opened in Hollywood and many of these socially conscious dramas were made. Likewise, a brief lapse in censorship allowed AN AIMLESS BULLET to be produced. It is truly remarkable how bleak it is, especially towards its conclusion. Two brothers, Yong-ho and Chul-so, choose opposite approaches to overcoming their social situation, and both fail. Both the conclusion and the style have much in common with one of my favorite American films, Abraham Polonsky’s FORCE OF EVIL (1948), although it is much more uncomprising than even Polonsky’s masterpiece. AN AIMLESS BULLET is well deserving of its reputation in critical circles. It is showing again on October 13th (Tuesday), 19:30, at Haeundae Megabox.

NIGHT AND FOG (Ann Hui, 2009)

A fairly conventional drama, especially in style, but nevertheless compelling and moving despite being dramatically uneven. NIGHT AND FOG tells the story of the murder of a woman and her two daughters by her husband. Hui begins the story with the murder, and then moves back in time through the recollections of female witnesses. The husband is portrayed as a monster, but it is ultimately the entire social structure that is accused, especially the woman’s parents. The ending is told first so as not to distract from the message; what is important is how it happened, not if it will. Hui also chooses to show the happier moments of the couple closer to the end. This results in some flat moments in terms of the drama, but overall an effective if somewhat standard protest against patriarchal society. It is playing on October 12th (Monday) at 20:00 and on October 14th (Thursday) at 17:00, both at the Haeundae Megabox.

THE GOOD HEART (2009)

In “The Good Heart” Brian Cox and Paul Dano play a pair of outsiders, both living life on their own terms, neither with any success. When the two cross paths in the hospital, Jaques (Cox) for his fifth heart attack, Lucus (Dano) for a suicide attempt Jaques, an unapologetic misthanthrope takes it upon himself to take Lucus under his wing and mold him into the heir of his crumbling dive bar, which he proudly states, does not do walk-ins. Icelandic director Dagur Kári’s first Amercian production is a play on words in title and story and gives us a look into lives of some interesting characters that will our empathy without even trying. But beyond it’s “good heart” there is not that much else. The performances are good but not great, the story is fun but not revolutionary. Like its characters, “The Good Heart” never fulfills its true potential. “The Good Heart” screens again on Oct. 13 at 2:00pm

THE POWER OF THE POOR (2008)

“The Power of the Poor” offers a disjointed narrative, labored performances and no historical context for its main concern, the ritual killing of albinos in Mali. The film instead chooses to focus on the power politics of Mali’s police force and government as local reporters battle the forces that be in a search for justice. “Power of the Poor” scenes again on Oct. 12 at 8:00pm and Oct. 15 at 5:00pm

IVUL (2009)

IVUL does what so few films try to do and even fewer succeed at achieving, find new ways to relate images and sound with each other to create a film event truly is sui genesis. In IVUL, English maverick Andrew Kotting gives us the story of a boy, Alex, who is caught having sex with his sister and climbs up a tree vowing to never touch ground again. As Alex struggles to survive under his new self-imposed rules we watch as his family falls apart without him. IVUL constructs itself out of both associative and dissociative montages of of old stock footage over an eerie cacophony of out-of-tune instruments. Kotting makes a bold move in not letting narrative drive the film and instead privileges the relationship of the all the elements of the mise-en-scene and the result is a truly unique and stunning film experience. “IVUL” screens again on Oct. 12 at 5:00pm and Oct. 15 at 1:00pm.

All screening times and locations are posted at the PIFF website.

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