Magic Magic - at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

97mins
USA
Genre:Thriller/drama
Writer/director: Sebastian Silva
Cast:Michael Cera, Juno Temple, Emily Browning.

Plot

Alicia (Juno Temple) an American, visits her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning) for a holiday on a remote island in oppressively hot and tropical Chile. Sarah leaves Alicia with some friends but soon quiet and introverted Alicia becomes paranoid and is never sure if her new companions are bullying her, or just thoughtless.  slowly the heat, strange surroundings and people cause Alicia loose her mind.

Review

This started out promising, we can all relate to being in a strange country with strangers and feeling out of the loop socially. The director does a finejob of balancing the performances so we are never really sure if Alicia is overly sensitive or if her new friends are being bullying or just having normal horseplay and fun. But as Alicia's paranoia turns a little more serious the director looses the fine balance he has set up and some scenes can be unintentionally funny, in particular the scenes with a dog which seems to have it's romantic sights set on Alicia...

I suppose the film has similar themes to  Passage to India or Heart of Darkness  that of civilisation versus savagery but I'm not sure the director really pulls this off and the end seems a little bit of a cop out.

The cast are great with some funny turns from Cera.  Temple gives a compelling central performance managing to be both unlikable but empathetic.

3 out of 5 stars







 

Natan - showing at the EIFF

66 mins
Ireland
Directors: David Cairns and Paul Duane
Screenwriter: David Cairns.




I'm pretty excited to be at the eiff this year, they've got a brilliant line up of films, so I'll be seeing as many as I can...

First up is Natan.  This was a film I hadn't planned to see and didn't know anything about, but was pleasantly surprised to discover the co-director and writer is an Edinburgh local David Cairns. David is famous in these parts for writing the incredibly successful comedy short Cry For Bob (2001).  He went on to make several more shorts and has also worked on TV, as a film critic and lecturer in film at Edinburgh College of Art. Paul Duane's first feature was Barbaric Genius (2012) which was nominated for an IFTA award. He also co-created TV's Diary of a Call Girl.

Plot 

Natan is meticulously researched documentary about Romanian filmmaker Natan the driving force in French cinema early last century who has all but been obscured from history.
Natan was born in Romania to Jewish parents but moved to France in the early 1900s where he began his career in films. A prolific filmmaker he became the most influential man in the business during the 20s and 30s working as a screenwriter, producer and director. His innovations and entrepreneurialism turned around languishing film company Pathe turning it into a main player in the industry and a training ground for young filmmakers of the time.  

One of his own favourite films from the period was Les Miserables about a poor man who becomes rich and powerful, but whose career is destroyed by a petty crime from his past. Ironically the story reflects Natan's own life.  As the Nazi's invade France Natan is accused of being a pornographer and swindler, accusations which could be true or anti Semitic propaganda.

Review

This film is fascinating, incredibly interesting, touching and sad. It’s story telling of the finest order but there are a few niggles. The film could have done without the juxtaposition of archive footage with modern footage masquerading as archive footage.  It didn't work and was distracting.  Some of the imagery felt it had been slotted in because the filmmakers couldn't find footage to tell the story, long shots of film spooling through a camera comes to mind.

Other times the imagery is stunning even chilling, for example the blood red water in the fountain as the Nazi's invade France.   I also found the faux narration from Natan obtrusive, perhaps a traditional approach would have worked better.

But the criticism is trivial and this film really is wonderful and well worth seeing, hopefully the filmmakers have a deal on the table as this film deserves a wider audience.

Behind the Candelabra

118mins 

Genre: Biography/comedy 

USA 

Director: Steven Soderbergh 

Writers : Richard LaGravenese (Screenplay) Scott Thorson and Alex Thorleifson (book) 

Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula and Michael Douglas.

Plot

Campy Film based on Thorson’s memoir about his tempestuous  5 year affair with pianist Liberace. 

Review

A deeply black comedy about loneliness, unhappiness and denial, Douglas is fantastic as the strangely reptilian Liberace who is a brilliant genius when it comes to playing the piano and doesn’t need to rehearse. He’s also a brilliant genius at picking up young men in an age when being a homosexual was kept well hidden, behind closed doors.  When Scott first sees Liberace he comments ‘’It’s funny this crowd would like something this gay’’ about the audience older ladies watching the master pianist, someone replies ‘’Oh, they have no idea he’s gay.’’  Liberace is both putting his homosexuality on display as part of his lavish performances and denying it to the papers.

Damon is perfect as the as Scott like a huge buff angel with no wings who embarks on the ill fated co-dependent relationship with Liberace. The latter is intent on molding the young man into a younger version of himself using plastic surgery and diet pills. Rob Lowe, who is still impossibly perfect looking is fantastically well cast as the plastic surgeon (in the 80’s he was labeled the Farrah Fawcett of men due to his chiseled beauty…)

Eventually their affair disintegrates and Liberace finds another assistant and Scott is left out in the cold contemplating legal in typical Hollywood style.

The film was in competition in Cannes but was made by American television network HBO and was shown on American television but gets a cinema release in the UK.

Great film, super kitsch with great performances.

5 out of 5 stars.