Trust
Director: David Schwimmer
Cast: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Viola Davis
Country of Origin: US
Why I Chose this Film: While not part of my top 30 picks, the trifecta of Owen, Davis and Keener (with emphasis on my love for Ms. Catherine Keener and the always moving Viola Davis) overrode any preconceptions I have for David Schwimmer as director (I've yet to see his first feature, Run, Fatboy, Run--2007). A time slot open on the morning of my third day at the fest found me bopping down to a screening of this drama.
The Rundown: While the title is rather forgettable and hardly memorable and the plot sounds like something that has the potential to drop into television film territory, I was actually moved to tears several times by some very powerful performances. Newcomer Liana Liberato stars as Annie, the second child of Keener and Owen. At the tender age of 14, she has been chatting online with a boy she thinks is only two years older. Film's dealing with "chat room" scenes often falter considerably, usually in tech thrillers like The Net (1995) or Halle Berry's A Perfect Stranger (2007). The film's use of Annie's chatrroom conversations appear on the screen as subtitles, usually while the characters are engaged in other activities---nice multi-tasking, but even so, the establishment of the relationship via chat convos still feels contrived and distracting. It's after the meeting of Annie and her online boyfriend (who turns out to be a 35 year old pedophile) and what he does to her that the film picks up speed and observes a quietly entrancing tension as Annie's family members find out what happened. All the key players are quite good, but it's Clive Owen that really knocked me out here as an angry, confused father that desperately wants to find the man that did this to his daughter. While the story is simple, overall, it's an imporant film for people to see due to the obvious but often overlooked subject matter. Being part of a generation that first began to experience "chat room" conversations as a young teenager, much of what happens in this film felt real, plausible, and terrifying. A suprise effort from actor cum director David Schwimmer. 9/10
The Strange Case of Anjelica
Director: Manoel de Oliveira
Stars: Ricardo Trepa, Pilar Lopez de Ayala
Country of Origin: Portugal
WhyI Chose this Film: Well, lauded as a Cannes favorite this past May, I regretted having missed out on Oliveira's Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl at the 2008 Toronto fest and I made it a point to get this in my lineup. Also, Oliveira, at 101 years of age, is the world's oldest filmmaker. With the recent deaths of French auteurs Alain Corneau and the amazing Claude Chabrol, I felt I better make an effort!
The Rundown: Oliveira's film tells the story of Isaac, a Portuguese Jew, who takes photographs as a hobby. One stormy night, he is sought out by an important family, whose young, beautiful daughter, Anjelica has tragically died. While he photographs her, he catches Anjelica's corpse smiling at him through the camera lens, which no one else sees. Isaac becomes obsessed and falls in love with her, imagining her spirit visits him at night and they float majestically together through the night skies. While a metaphysical/philosophical conversation among the tenants of where Isaac resides sheds some light on what may be happening with his, "spirit" or "energy," this doesn't add any weight to this simply, inarticulate, and elliptical tale. While not a bad film, Anjelica suffers from an extremely stiff performance from it's lead actor and in the end, I felt nothing in particular for what happened. 6/10
Love Crime
Director: Alain Corneau
Stars: Kristin Scott Thomas, Ludivine Sagnier
Country of Origin: France
Why I Chose this Film: Well, French master Alain Corneau passed away after I had made my selections, so I felt extremely lucky to have picked this as I've not seen any of his major works. My original reasoning was to see the incomparable Kristin Scott Thomas and one of my favorite French starlets Ludivine Sagnier go toe to toe in this black comic thriller.
The Rundown: I loved this movie. Kristin Scott Thomas was spot on as a manipulative, ballsy and bitchy viperous boss that manipulates the hell out of her underling Sagnier. Both women are sexy, intelligent, intense and engaging. I loved every minute of this frothy, French, sexy and cynical film. I would go more into plot details, but it's a revenge thriller that should just be seen to be enjoyed. 10/10
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