With less than two days to go until the opening of the Chicago International Film Festival, the pace is quickening. The schedule of screenings, interviews, writing and events has even the most hardened of film writers rubbing their bleary ojos and slurring their words. Perhaps the biggest movie-going maniac of the bunch, local scribe Peter Sobczynksi, mentioned to me at a recent "Saw" viewing (a low-budget gorefest not playing at the fest) that his eyeballs were beginning to bleed. No oozing yet for me, but from the previews I've caught and some of the films I've seen before, this is shaping up to be one hell of a fest.
Some highlights from the preview rush:
Undertow - The latest film from David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls) has been by far the best of the screenings I've attended so far. Green's been catching some critical flack from fans of his earlier work seeking the same slow-cooking, dialogue-driven vision. Unlike his other work, Undertow centers on a fairly traditional action-oriented Southern Gothic story-line, but Green manages to infuse the ongoing chase with a sense of playful experimentation.
Perhaps most impressive is the performance of Jamie Bell (aka Billy Elliott), whose struggling, angry adolescent farm boy proves the film's most compelling character. He's joined by Dermot Mulroney and Josh Lucas, who also shows up in Around the Bend at the fest this year. Ultimately, Undertow works because of a hundred memorable details, and Green's unwavering attention to a colorful, realistic Southern milieu. Check out the preview for Undertow.
Kontroll - CIFF Publicity director Andrew Rogers thinks this film's going to go over particularly well with audiences. My enthusiasm didn't match his, but I do think that for sheer entertainment value, Kontroll's a winner. The film centers on a group of inspectors on the Hungarian subway system whose day to day existence consists of checking for passes from customers and making sure that subway regulations are being followed. The Hungarian system is apparently a bit more challenging environment than, say, the Metra (though, if you've ever taken it to Ravinia with a bunch of whiskey-soaked Willie Nelson fans, you might not agree), and the group fights with pranksters, pimps, jumpers and black-cloaked killer. Filmed entirely within the Hungarian subway system, Kontroll presents an appropriately dark, industrial, underground vision with the pre-requisite pulsing electronic soundtrack. Director Nimród Antal leans a little heavy on cliches (slow-mo "buddies walking" shots) but the break-neck pace of the film (and its explanation of "rail-running") kept me interested throughout.
Tarnation - The infamous $218 doc from first-time filmmaker Jonathan Caouette, who used consumer-grade iMovie to put the film together, has been the subject of frequent mention at ChicagoFilm. Marrying years of home video, pop culture sensibility and a powerful soundtrack with a massively dysfunctional family story, it's a radical departure from the documentary form that must be seen. The film garnered huge critical kudos at Cannes and also open October 15th at the Music Box. Check out our interview with Caouette from earlier this year.
Primer - The last time I caught this film was in an abandoned air hangar at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. The sound was a little off, which was a bit disorienting, but the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner still came off a well-conceived, well-shot, thoroughly challenging film. Shot for "the price of a used car" by first-time director Shane Carruth, Primer tells the story of a couple of young entrepreneurial engineers using principles of physics to tackle time travel. Like Memento or Donnie Darko, the disjunctive narrative is the film's strength, and Carruth manages to keep the audience confused but engaged throughout. It's certainly not an easy film to watch, but well worth the patience it requires.
Lots more to talk about, but for now, don't forget to check out our interview with Programmming Director Helen Gramates at ChicagoFilm.com and to scope the full schedule at the CIFF. Cheers!
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