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Reviews
Hai shang hua (1998)
A brothel in Shanghai: life as we know it.
At the end of the 19th century, Chinese officials used to spend their leisure time in lush brothels in the British concession of Shanghai. Hou Hsiao-Hsien's 'Hai Shang Hua' depicts the intricate social network sustained in those premises by the customers, the girls (called flowers) and the Madams. The personal relations in those brothels were ruled by pleasure, money, love and social status in a perfect parallel to the 'outside' society, which, in turn, is perceived throughout the film almost as unreal. Hou is a master creating ambiences: the film transmits an extraordinarily subtle feeling of warmth and suffocation fostered by a miraculous music. With neither a beginning nor an end, this superb film is not apt for those looking for adventures and easy-to-tell stories.
Titus (1999)
Titus: the show
Based on Shakespeare's 'Titus Andronicus', Titus is a film about loyalty and resentment, justice and politics in the Roman Empire. The filmmaker, Julie Taymor, offers a very personal vision of the play as a synthesis of different times: Roman ruins and (Roman-like) modern buildings as settings, hybrid costumes, modern special effects and old-fashioned theatrical gadgets. This is, undeniably, the major achievement of the film and a good reason for watching it. Unfortunately, the result is not satisfactory. It appears artificial in parts and, therefore, distracting and dispensable, and sometimes it is done in a childish and shallow manner (to stress the distinction between the goodies and the baddies, for example, as if the plot was not enough). The film would have certainly benefited from a more restrained lecture of Shakespeare's astonishing drama.
Rang-e khoda (1999)
Life through the eyes of a blind boy.
The Colour of Paradise is the story of a blind Iranian boy forced to return to his little farming village in the mountains when the school term (in a special school in Teheran) has come to an end. The film revolves around the confrontation between the freedom, the ideals and the innocence (embodied in the blind boy) and the misery, the resignation and the fear (personified by his father). Far from being simplistic, this precious film is a fable full of subtleties, nuances and deep knowledge of human nature. Do not watch it if you want action or a complicated plot: this is a film for contemplation.
Kadosh (1999)
A modest film about religious intolerance.
Kadosh shows how hard and constrained life is for orthodox Jews (obviously, compared to Western standards). A strict interpretation of the Jewish law, as they like to say, leads them to a situation of isolation, ignorance and poverty which is extreme for women. The principal achievement of this film is showing this for those who are unaware. However, this is done in a very schematic and even caricaturing manner which does not allow to sympathise with the characters or to understand why they stick to their own rules. As the film is far too slow in patches, one have time to think that life must be unbelievably more difficult for women in Afghanistan (say) where they do not even have the option of starting a new life somewhere else.
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
A tedious film about an interesting life.
Teena Brandon (1972-1993) was born a girl but felt like a boy. As if that was not enough trouble, he lived in the Deep South of the United States. Boys don't cry is a homage to his unfortunate life which, according to the film, was endured (exemplary) with passion and joy. Regrettably, the film never reaches these high standards. As a matter of fact, it is not far from being a mere TV production whose only value lies in documenting Brandon's life. Arguably, this might be the only reason why it has made it to the big screen.
Bure baruta (1998)
Only for lovers of gratuitous violence.
The ancient ethnic rivalries and the falling of the communist regime have brought about a vicious and corrupt situation in Yugoslavia where people are forced to struggle for survival. Cabaret Balkan tries to show this with a collection of simultaneous stories, related to each other by accidental encounters of the characters. The film catches your attention immediately: all the stories start intriguingly and are very well mingled. However, they fail to explain the reasons why the characters behave in such an incredibly violent way as they do and the film transforms progressively into an absurd display of gratuitous violence which turns your state of shock into mere boredom. Interestingly, every single female character along the film (with only one exception) is subject to abuse of some kind. Not for people easily affected.
La veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000)
Patrice Leconte's most conventional film.
When I watched (for the first time) Patrice Leconte's The Hairdresser's Husband, I thought that such an incredibly poetic film could only be followed, in the author's career, by a list of admirable films. Unfortunately, The Girl On the Bridge and, especially, The Widow of Saint-Pierre showed I was wrong. His films have changed from very personal Mediterranean comedies (which he masters overwhelmingly) into commercial features, loosely framed in a more conventional French tradition. The Widow of Saint-Pierre deals with two subjects: capital punishment and passionate love. While the film does not offer any deep insight into the first (the only message is "forgive the murderers if they are nice"), the second is deceptively shown as a collection of (allegedly meaningful) ellipses and unjustified behaviour (which, undoubtedly, is the main concern of the film). The actors as a whole are not convincing: there are baddies and goodies portrayed in an irritatingly conventional manner. Surprisingly, even Daniel Auteuil's performance is objectionably flat. In brief, find an excuse when your friends go to watch it.