With A Friend Like Harry/Harry, He's Here to Help (2000)
France
Directed by Dominik Moll
The film begins with a scene familiar to anyone who has driven for too long in a hot car on a family vacation. Michel and Claire, a couple in their 30s, are headed to their summer vacation home with their three small children who are crying, screaming, and kicking the back of the driver's seat. They stop to gather their wits and cool off at a gas station, where Michel runs into an old classmate in the men's toilets. Harry remembers Michel, but Michel does not remember Harry. That's OK; Harry remembers more than enough for the both of them.
It turns out Harry is now very wealthy and is travelling with his beautiful young girlfriend, Plum (Prune, in French), to Switzerland. But before long he has invited himself and Plum to Michel and Claire's for drinks and before you know it, they are ensconced, meddling away busily in the young family's lives.
There's something off about Harry right from the beginning: he is a little too ingratiating, too familiar, too concerned with Michel and what Harry considers his wasted potential as a writer. He remembers details from their school days with a strange, obsessive clarity. This was something I found unconvincing about the film--there are several things Harry says or does that would raise alarm bells for me, but Michel and Claire seem to think he's only slightly odd and continue to accept his and Plum's extremely intrusive presence in their lives.
The film becomes more and more sinister, and Harry's willingness to intervene in Michel's life becomes more extreme. The filmmaker is skilled at creating tension, because we know things about Harry's personality that the other characters do not, so we are often left on pins and needles as we see characters interacting with him as though he is a rational actor. We want to warn them, but our inability to do anything but watch as Harry wreaks his influence on Michel's life is what makes the movie almost unbearably suspenseful. Hitchcock would have been proud.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
movie review: Searching for Sugar Man
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Sweden/UK
Directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Although I think it's best to watch this documentary knowing as little as possible about the subject matter, I can't resist telling you the hook: it's the story of a mysterious American musician named Rodriguez who achieved a tiny amount of exposure in the US in the late 1960s/early 1970s. His sound is similar to Bob Dylan and other singer-songwriters of the time, but he is no imitator or wanna-be; he is clearly a very skilled musician and songwriter in his own right. Unfortunately, Rodriguez never achieved much attention despite this talent, and after a couple of modest albums, he faded away into obscurity...
...in America, anyway. Unbeknownst to him, he was becoming incredibly popular in South Africa, his songs an inspiration to people working in the anti-apartheid movement. He was an influence for many of the prominent anti-apartheid musicians at the time. But despite his popularity, people knew very little about Rodriguez, and he remained a mystery to many of his biggest fans. The film follows the journey that a couple of South African music journalists and fans took to discover who Rodriguez really was and what had happened to him. (Hint: the arrival of the internet helped.)
The movie's cinematography is very well-done: the film is gritty and beautiful at the same time, and manages to incorporate archival footage in a way that feels natural. And although we rarely hear his voice, Bendjelloul is clearly a good interviewer, coaxing out fascinating details and sometimes surprisingly articulate insight from his subjects. And although this is a documentary, the story unfolds like a fictional narrative, with plenty of suspense. The filmmakers have an excellent sense of pacing and structure, and there is not a single wasted minute. Whether we are learning about the censorship and brutality of apartheid in South Africa, or watching Rodriguez' old friends and colleagues talk about his talent, there is a sense that everything fits together into the narrative. It all seems to fall into place as it is meant to. I won't give away any more of what happens, because the movie is such a joy to experience as it unfolds.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery, is interested in South Africa of the 1970s, or likes good music. In fact, it's worth watching for Rodriguez' soundtrack alone.
Sweden/UK
Directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Although I think it's best to watch this documentary knowing as little as possible about the subject matter, I can't resist telling you the hook: it's the story of a mysterious American musician named Rodriguez who achieved a tiny amount of exposure in the US in the late 1960s/early 1970s. His sound is similar to Bob Dylan and other singer-songwriters of the time, but he is no imitator or wanna-be; he is clearly a very skilled musician and songwriter in his own right. Unfortunately, Rodriguez never achieved much attention despite this talent, and after a couple of modest albums, he faded away into obscurity...
...in America, anyway. Unbeknownst to him, he was becoming incredibly popular in South Africa, his songs an inspiration to people working in the anti-apartheid movement. He was an influence for many of the prominent anti-apartheid musicians at the time. But despite his popularity, people knew very little about Rodriguez, and he remained a mystery to many of his biggest fans. The film follows the journey that a couple of South African music journalists and fans took to discover who Rodriguez really was and what had happened to him. (Hint: the arrival of the internet helped.)
The movie's cinematography is very well-done: the film is gritty and beautiful at the same time, and manages to incorporate archival footage in a way that feels natural. And although we rarely hear his voice, Bendjelloul is clearly a good interviewer, coaxing out fascinating details and sometimes surprisingly articulate insight from his subjects. And although this is a documentary, the story unfolds like a fictional narrative, with plenty of suspense. The filmmakers have an excellent sense of pacing and structure, and there is not a single wasted minute. Whether we are learning about the censorship and brutality of apartheid in South Africa, or watching Rodriguez' old friends and colleagues talk about his talent, there is a sense that everything fits together into the narrative. It all seems to fall into place as it is meant to. I won't give away any more of what happens, because the movie is such a joy to experience as it unfolds.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery, is interested in South Africa of the 1970s, or likes good music. In fact, it's worth watching for Rodriguez' soundtrack alone.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
movie review: Foreign Parts
Foreign Parts (2010)
United States
Directed by Véréna Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki
This documentary was shot by two anthropologists, unobtrusively and in ethnographic style. It is clear that they earned the trust of the residents of Willets Point, Queens, over the many months they shot the movie. Willets Point is the site of many junkyards and small shops, home to many marginalized working class and working poor residents, and it is a vibrant, thriving neighbourhood with plenty of community spirit. People look out for each other. However, it is also prime real estate, and at the time of filming, Citi Field had just been built and Michael Bloomberg had his eye on developing the area for tourism and high-end housing. Of course, this would have meant the current residents would have had to be relocated. As one person puts it in the extras, there are a lot of undocumented people living there, including him. (According to the New York Times, there is one legal resident only). Where are they going to go? What will they do for a living? They will lose their jobs and their homes. But they don't have much political sway. The camera frames some beautiful shots; repetition and patterns inside the junkyard and warehouse are especially good for some lovely images. The camera also follows the residents of Willets Point around and allows them to tell their stories. We learn a little, not much, about their backgrounds. I would have liked to learn more about the homeless couple living in their van, unsure at one point during the cold winter months if one of them would wake up to find the other frozen to death. There is a sweet, charming woman who seems to live on the margins begging the auto guys for "a quarter" (she gets turned down frequently), but she is considered their friend, too; they throw her a nice birthday party at one point with music, dancing, and a beautiful cake. At some points the movie is very slow, and there will be viewers who are understandably impatient with the meandering style. But it is well worth a watch for those who can tolerate slower documentaries. Even though the filmmakers refrain from external commentary, we can put together a picture of a community that functions as a tightly knit organism, in danger of being split apart and scattered. It's not a pretty picture, but Paravel and Sniadecki don't need to tell us; instead, they let the people of Willets Point speak for themselves.
United States
Directed by Véréna Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki
This documentary was shot by two anthropologists, unobtrusively and in ethnographic style. It is clear that they earned the trust of the residents of Willets Point, Queens, over the many months they shot the movie. Willets Point is the site of many junkyards and small shops, home to many marginalized working class and working poor residents, and it is a vibrant, thriving neighbourhood with plenty of community spirit. People look out for each other. However, it is also prime real estate, and at the time of filming, Citi Field had just been built and Michael Bloomberg had his eye on developing the area for tourism and high-end housing. Of course, this would have meant the current residents would have had to be relocated. As one person puts it in the extras, there are a lot of undocumented people living there, including him. (According to the New York Times, there is one legal resident only). Where are they going to go? What will they do for a living? They will lose their jobs and their homes. But they don't have much political sway. The camera frames some beautiful shots; repetition and patterns inside the junkyard and warehouse are especially good for some lovely images. The camera also follows the residents of Willets Point around and allows them to tell their stories. We learn a little, not much, about their backgrounds. I would have liked to learn more about the homeless couple living in their van, unsure at one point during the cold winter months if one of them would wake up to find the other frozen to death. There is a sweet, charming woman who seems to live on the margins begging the auto guys for "a quarter" (she gets turned down frequently), but she is considered their friend, too; they throw her a nice birthday party at one point with music, dancing, and a beautiful cake. At some points the movie is very slow, and there will be viewers who are understandably impatient with the meandering style. But it is well worth a watch for those who can tolerate slower documentaries. Even though the filmmakers refrain from external commentary, we can put together a picture of a community that functions as a tightly knit organism, in danger of being split apart and scattered. It's not a pretty picture, but Paravel and Sniadecki don't need to tell us; instead, they let the people of Willets Point speak for themselves.
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