“Friend of the world” is a scifi horror comedy film written and directed by Brian Patrick Butler. After his first two short films “The Phantom Hour” (2016) and “Hatred” (2015), Brian Patrick Butler returns to his favorite themes, drama, horror and human madness. The film was nominated for “Best Narrative Feature” and “Best Actor” for Nick Young at the 2020 San Diego Film Awards.
It premiered in 2020 at the Oceanside International Film Festival and is now streaming worldwide. The story follows Diane (played by Alexandra Slade), a young film maker, who after waking up alive amidst several lifeless bodies, meets Gore (played by Nick Young), an eccentric military man who lives in a bunker following a global war that has resulted in a post-apocalyptic context.
The film, composed in 5 acts and filmed in black and white, oscillates between realism and surrealism with the appearance of some metaphorical scenes. The second act illustrating the meeting between Diane and Gore is entitled “Boy meets girl” which is a possible reference to the film of French director Leos Carax, also in black and white. In ‘Friend of the world’, this use of black and white works very well and gives to the film a rather particular aspect by which we are quickly seduced.
Throughout the film, the influence of other directors can be felt. One can think in particular of Cronenberg and his way of modifying and playing with human skin and its various textures, in films like “Videodrome” (1983) or “ExistenZ” (1999). The film, carried by the good performance of its two actors Alexanda Slade and Nick Young, as well as by a careful and interesting writing and a clean photography works very well.
Gore, the character of Nick Young seems to have been written especially for him, he is really very good and brings a lot to the film. However, some viewers who are used to more mainstream films might not appreciate the surrealistic side of the film and some of the special effects/scenery, that with a bigger budget could probably be more successful.
For his debut away from short films, Brian Patrick Butler does an interesting job. However, we would like to see what he is capable of doing with a bigger budget that would allow him to reach a wider audience and to let his creativity run free.
“The Fever”, directed by Maya Da-Rin, is a Brazilian film which has received more than 24 awards and 7 nominations in different festivals around the world. The film focuses mainly on the latent effects of capitalism and industrialization on the people but also on the Brazilian biodiversity.
Justino (played by Regis Myrupu) is a 45 year-old member of the indigenous Desana people. He works as a security guard in the port of Manaus and recently develops a mysterious fever. Justino is a discreet man, following the death of his wife and the departure of his son, he lives alone with his daughter Vanessa (played by Rosa Peixoto). She has been admitted to a medical school in the Brazilian capital and will soon leave him.
The film is composed of many fixed shots. These shots allow us to appreciate superb sequences filmed between the containers on the port of Manaus, in the agitation of the city or in the sumptuous and green Brazilian forest. The rhythm of the film is relatively slow, very contemplative and allows us to penetrate intensely into the repetitive daily life of Justino. The multiple moments of silence that shape the film also contribute to this desired slowness.
Through this film, Maya Da-Rin, an anti-Bolsonaro, tries to alarm us about the catastrophic current state of Brazil. We find several strong themes, racism, massive industrialization leading to the destruction of biodiversity, generational shock but also the alienation of workers.
Within his work, Justino is monitored, restricted. In his own words, he feels “like a hunter without a prey” and thus maintains a feeling of uselessness. After long hours alone guarding containers, he has to walk for a long time to reach the first public transport to finally get home. Régis Myrupu is amazing in this role of a solitary man, almost mute, who seems powerless, and ready to accept his fate.
Through the character of Justino and his daughter Vanessa, Maya Da-Rin paints a portrait of the city of Manaus. A city which has progressed economically, leaving behind its people at every levels, public transport, access to health and education. A city that destroys and damages the surrounding natural spaces without really caring about the impact this could have in the future.
With “The Fever”, Maya Da-Rin succeeds in her challenge. She manages to make a shocking film, aesthetically successful. In which the rhythm is perfectly controlled and the characters smartly written and justly interpreted.
“The Story of Film: An Odyssey” is a documentary series by Mark Cousins, an Irish film critic and historian. Released in 2011 and adapted from the book of the same name and author, “The Story Of Film” is as its name suggests a documentary on the history of cinema from its inception until today. The series has 15 episodes of one hour each, in which the different periods and significant developments of the cinema are addressed in a chronological way.
The main interest of this documentary, which is also its great strength, is that it can be suitable for film lovers as well as people with very little knowledge of the world of cinema. However, film lovers will have the advantage of a better understanding of some explanations, often illustrated by films that they will have probably already seen entirely. In spite of this chronological structure, Mark Cousins takes the liberty throughout the episodes of linking together films from different eras. He illustrates, for example, the influence that Carol Reed with “Odd Man Out” (1947) had on Jean-Luc Godard in “2 or 3 things I Know About Her” (1967) or on Martin Scorsese in “Taxi Driver” (1976).
In the first episode (1895-1918), the foundations of cinematographic art are laid. First of all, the historical aspect is addressed with the decisive and crucial invention of the kinetoscope by Thomas Edison, which leads us straight to the Lumiere brothers and the city of Lyon. We can for example see one of the very first recordings with “May Irwin Kiss” (1886) by Thomas Edison or a few years later the first projected film from the Lumiere brothers “Employees Leaving The Lumiere Factory” (1895). This was followed by the appearance of different techniques and tricks, such as editing (parallel cutting, 180 rule), close-ups, montage and tracking shots. To illustrate the importance of editing, Mark Cousins says this sentence “It doesn’t say then, it says meanwhile”. We find major works for the montage such as “The Life of an American Fireman” (1903) by Edwin Stanton Porter or “The Horse That Bolted” (1907) by Charles Pathé. In these films, an alternate and more complex temporality is introduced, which is totally unprecedented. All these tools are then brilliantly used and developed by some genius directors such as George Méliès in “A Trip to the Moon” (1898), “Cendrillon” (1899) or later by Buster Keaton in “Sherlock Jr. (1924) or Viktor Sjostrom in “The Phantom Carriage” (1921).
The art of film was born and with it the inevitable star system. The documentary pays tribute to Florence Lawrence, also known as the first movie star for her various roles in the films of David Wark Griffith. For his part, David Wark Griffith will be one of the pioneers of what will be and still is one of the main cities of cinema, Hollywood.
Sent to Hollywood in 1910 by the Biograph Company, he directed the first film shot in this new Hollywood “In Old California” (1910). Hollywood will quickly become a major place of American and world cinema. Its weather, its light, the diversity of its natural landscapes, the absence of unions, its cheap land and the opportunity to avoid copyright made it an ideal place for production companies that settled there in mass between 1915 and 1925. Meanwhile in Europe, where the Scandinavian cinema of the Swedish Sjöström and the Danish Christensen reigned as masters, was then paralyzed by the First World War, and Hollywood established itself as the major place of cinema.
In EP02 (1918-1928). Mark Cousins focuses on the triumph of American cinema and the emergence of some rebels. With the emergence of Hollywood, we also witness to the emergence of big production companies such as MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros. This led to an huge increase in film budgets which could now follow all the crazy ideas of some directors. But it will also lead to the emergence of some standards in films.
At that time, it was the comedy and the romance which generated the biggest success. The appearance of great directors such as Charlie Chaplin with “The Kid” (1921), Buster Keaton with “Sherlock Jr” (1924) will popularize the genre with the public and make it a worldwide success. Great romantic successes will also appear such as “The Thief of Baghdad” (1924) by Raoul Walsh. To counterbalance these standards and the lack of realism of the biggest productions of the time, the documentary made its appearance with “Nanook of the North” (1922) by Robert Flaherty.
But it’s especially the appearance of many directors who go beyond the standards established at that time by Hollywood. Part of episode 2 and all of episode 3 (1918-1932) will focus on those filmmakers who broke free from these norms, the rebels.
These rebels appear all over the world. In Denmark with Carl Theodor Dreyer, in Germany with Ernst Lubitsch, Fritz Lang, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, in Poland with Robert Wiene, in Japan with Mizoguchi and Ozu, in France with René Claire and Abel Gance, in Spain with Luis Buñuel, in Russia with Eisenstein and in China with Yuan Muzshi. The series then dives into the remarkable works of these filmmakers who revolutionized cinema.
Most of the filmmakers directly rejected the romantic and comic cinema rooted in the USA. They wanted to create a cinema that really spoke to them, deeper,more intense more realistic. The cinema has been able to evolve thanks to the expressionism of Murnau, the realism of Mizoguchi, the impressionism of Abel Gance or the surrealism of Luis Bunuel. All these brilliant directors who have gone beyond the norms, whether in innovative shots, ways of directing actors or simply in the subject of their film, have allowed cinema to evolve and mutate.
“The Story of Film : An Odyssey” is a must-see for all film lovers and for those who would like to understand how the industry appeared. Mark Cousins is an amazing narrator who allows us to enter fully into this adventure. Throughout the series, he focuses on the innovation of film, how it evolved into what we know today. “The Story of Film” will probably give you a lot of insight into what cinema is all about, but it is also very enjoyable to watch because of its accessibility and a very pleasant rhythm and intensity. It will also extend your list of films to see.
“Clara Sola” is a film by the Costa Rican-Swedish Nathalie Àlvarez Mesén presented on July 8 in Cannes during the Directors’ Fortnight and competing for the Golden Camera. After several short films “Filip” (2015), “Asunder” (2015) and “Letting Go” (2016), this is her first feature film. As a reminder, the golden camera rewards the best first film from the official selection, the critics’ week and the directors’ fortnight. Over the years it has highlighted directors from very different backgrounds and countries. For the 2021 edition, the Croatian film “Murina” by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović has been awarded.
“In a remote village in Costa Rica, Clara (played by Wendy Chinchilla), a withdrawn 40-year-old woman, experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life.” Clara is a special 40-year-old woman, she seems to be more at ease with animals and nature than with other men. Yuca, her horse, seems to be more important than anything else to her, she has a very strong relationship with him. Because of this, she seems to be maladjusted to society. At 40 years old, she lives with her mother Fresia (played by Flor Vargas) and her niece Maria (played by Ana Julia Porras).
Since an alleged encounter with the Virgin Mary, Clara is seen by the villagers as a link to God and therefore able to cure illness and pain. In spite of her age, her mother still has an almost total hold on her, preventing her from having access to her own body, she is sexually and intellectually totally under control. This domination also prevents her from curing herself through medicine, which would be contrary to the will of God. On the other hand, her niece Maria, seems to be much more free. This seems to gradually upset Clara’s perception of the world. With the arrival of Santiago (played by Daniel Castaneda), who is going to establish a relationship with Maria, Clara seems to be progressively invaded by a feeling that is part of the seven deadly sins, envy.
The photography of the Swedish Sophie Winsvist gives to “Clara Sola” a very poetic dimension, almost magical, through superb sequences of nature. Sequences of nature in which Wendy Chinchilla seems very comfortable and gives us a really convincing performance. Wendy Chinchilla is perfect in this complex role to interpret, the character can quickly bore or even annoy the viewer. However, the film suffers from a slight lack of rhythm in some sequences, but this is not enough to lower the overall quality of the film, which remains very interesting.
Through her film, Nathalie Àlvarez Mesén, along with Maria Camila Arias at the writing, tries to denounce the influence of the religion which is still too oppressive in some Costa Rican places. Through superb visuals, this resolutely feminist film is a real success.
“Teddy” is a French film written and directed by the Boukherma brothers. Released in France on June 30, the film won the special jury prize at the Gerardmer International Fantastic Film Festival and has the “Cannes 2020” label. Teddy (played by Anthony Bajon), 19 years old, is a young man with no reference points and no diploma. He lives in a small country village with his uncle and works as a temp in a massage parlor. His girlfriend, Rebecca (Christine Gautier), has just graduated from high school. One night during a full moon, he is scratched by an unknown beast in the forest.
Despite the synopsis, the film is not a werewolf movie as we are used to see like “Wolfman” (2010) by Joe Johnston. Indeed, the film alternates between comedy, drama, fantasy and horror. Teddy is a teenager who has difficulty to find his place in society. He is rejected by other people of his age who are still in school. Frequently humiliated in his work and violated by the police of his village. All this will gradually lead to frustration and anger.
In this film, the werewolf is more used as a concept than as the central subject of the film. By artistic choice or/and by lack of budget, Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma have chosen to not really show the werewolf, relying on some tricks. This allows to maintain the mystery about the existence of the wolf during the whole film.
The writing of the character of Teddy is very interesting, despite his raw and aggressive side, he is really touching, thanks to Anthony Bajon, we can feel the different emotions of Teddy and develop true empathy. All this makes him a very complete and really interesting character. We feel that the two directors know and understand the subjects and the universe they approach. First of all, they present, through the character of Teddy, a youth that violently confronts reality, which advances without reference points and that painfully experiences the different aspects of life.
Moreover, the fact that the film takes place in a village in the Pyrenees brings something special to the film. We find the southern accent in actors who are not professional for the most part. All of this creates a very particular universe to the film, and gives off a certain lightness, as if this small village had no link with the rest of the world. We can also notice that the two directors seem to have bathed in horror cinema. Throughout the film, they use certain codes of classic horror cinema, between a simple homage and a real scenaristic utility, these different sequences work very well. However, I would have liked the film to focus more on horror, to see how far the mastery of the Boukherma brothers goes in this genre.
Thanks to the impressive performance of Anthony Bajon and the superb work of the young Boukherma brothers and their team, “Teddy” is a real comic, dramatic and fantastic success. However, this comic success taints the horrific aspect of the film. It will be interesting to follow the next work of Anthony and Zoran Boukherma, who look very promising.
