Brief movie reviews: Life Is.. to Whistle (Cuba) 1999

What do a ballerina who wears a crucifix and swears to give up men to dance Giselle, a ne'er-do-well young man who has a tattoo professing that there is no love like mother love, and a young girl who insists on whistling instead of talking have in common? They all grew up in an orphanage, raised by a woman whose name is Cuba.  And then there is Julie, a health care worker who faints every time she hears the word "sex".  She gave up the whistling child to the orphanage. The other thing they all have in common, except the whistler who narrates the story with words is that they are all faced with an either/or life choice; they each make a choice; and they each end up with neither of things they were choosing between.  A tiny dose of Latin American magic realism; a very intriguing film.

Memories Unlocked (Quebec, 1999)

The hit of the festival for me, we see a small community of diverse individuals: Max, a pariplegic painter; Mortimer, an arrogant and successful and unhappy sculptor; Laurel, a young man who has just found his "birth" mother; Pauline, his non-birth-mother, and a few others.  Enter a woman from the past -- to turn things around for all fo them, at least temporarily. 

Because the characters are so real and so balanced, the moral of the story -- that people must be allowed to change and to be accepted for who they grow into -- is as important as chilling moments that compete with the best of them -- Fatal Attraction and more.

Santitos (Mexico, 1998)

A young widow receives a personal visitation from St. Jude (in her oven door window) telling that her recently deceased daughter is still alive.   The mother, a believer in the repeated visions, becomes persuaded that her daughter has been sold as a sex slave, and begins a journey that takes her through brothels in Tiajuana and Los Angeles, where she meets a wrestler, the Angel of Justice. 

This one has a strong dose of Latin American realism, and is totally unbelievable, but has charm and good acting nonetheless.

Beresina (or the last days of Switzerland) 1999

A young illegial immigrant from Russia is taken under the wing of Zurich's top fashion designer, and becomes the playmate (sexual and otherwise) of many of Switzerland's most powerful men.  In a desperate desire to become a citizen, she agrees to provide the most valuable of all commodities to public servants and politicans and men of power: information.  But she has none, so she makes it up.   It's a short stop from there to her being crowned Queen of Switzerland.

This is another of those films that would be enhanced by more understanding of the political context of the country, but it was a wonderful romp through  Switzerland even without that insight.

Maybe it's because I'm Canadian.  Or just that I don't think much about the entertainment industry, although I'm a happy consumer of much of it.  But I've not been a "fan" of anyone's (other than Kate Hepburn who has been my heroine since I was 10) in decades.  I don't tend to have much "star" consciousness. 

The one time I saw Kate on stage (in West Side Waltz, which has to be one of her feebler acting efforts), I kept tugging on the sleeve of my companion saying, "Isn't she wonderful?".  I don't think I've felt that way about anyone before or since, in terms of my views of them as people, or as larger-than-life people. You know. As "stars".

Tonight, at the Montreal World Film Festival, I found myself standing in a long line for "The Bone Collector".  Since I'd already seen trailers for it in commercial theatres, I was somewhat surprised by how crowded it was (and that it had sold out for an earlier screening today).  I was commenting to that effect, when the fellow in front of us in line said, "But how often do you get to see Denzel Washington in person?"  Never, was my answer.  But then I realized it was a rhetorical question, and so I kept my mouth shut.

Indeed, Denzel Washington was there.  As were the director and the producer of the film.  The producer was giving what was apparently a "usual speech", about how only one actor could have played this role, when Denzel himself piped up from the side of the stage, "Don't start", with humour but determination.  I watched him as the two others spoke at some length (the film had been shot in Montreal, so there were lots of dignitaries at the opening who had to be thanked).  He had grace, and confidence, and humility.  And yes, he's very good looking.  Swoon material, even, I'd say. 

But did I admire him as a "star"? Even when he was close enough to touch him?  I did not.  I couldn't help but think, as I suspect he did with his admonition, that he is only human. Talented, yes. Enormously, I'd say, after seeing this film and others he's made.  But more special than many others? Not to me.  I'm more impressed by "ordinary" people I've come to know well than by celebrities whose life events are cannibalized to feed the hungry masses their share of circus.

On the other hand, I did get a major kick out of realizing that many of the technical crew who had worked on the film in Montreal were there.  How did I know?  Let's see.  How often do you hear spontaneous cheering rise during the credits of a movie?  How fun it must have been to know that these three men, the producer, director, and even the "star" thought enough of them to be present when they first say the film in a theatre.  The techies were stars, at least for that one brief evening.  I liked that kind of star-gazing.

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