Article by: Elia Ariel Diamond
Translation by: Melania Petricola
“But you are going to school…you went to school. If not, how can you say that books are like skylarks? I want to understand that. Then, I can criticise it. But only after understanding, and not just because you say so.”
“Però voi studiate… avete studiato! Se no come fate a dire che i libri sono cucciardi? Ma io questo lo voglio capire. Poi potrò criticare. Ma dopo, e non soltanto perché lo dite voi.” Continua la lettura di “TREVICO-TORINO” DI ETTORE SCOLA
Article by: Elisabetta Vannelli
Translated by: Alice Marchi
“If they don’t dance, they fight”. With these words Colin, the oldest son, tries to keep his relatives from fighting. The Bursteads are a disfunctional family, who decides to spend New Year’s Eve in a country villa in Dorset. Colin tries to keep everything under control but the sudden comeback of his brother David – reckless womanizer who abandoned his wife and kids – brings back his old deep resentment against him. Continua la lettura di “HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD” BY BEN WHEATLEY
“Se non ballano, si picchiano”. Con queste parole Colin, il figlio maggiore, cerca di prevenire possibili scontri tra i suoi parenti. I Burstead sono una famiglia disfunzionale che decide di trascorrere la serata di Capodanno in una villa di campagna del Dorset. Colin cerca di tenere le redini ma il ritorno improvviso del fratello David – donnaiolo incallito che, abbandonati moglie e figli, torna dopo cinque anni per redimersi – fa riemergere in lui un profondo risentimento nei confronti del fratello. Continua la lettura di “HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD” DI BEN WHEATLEY
Article by: Maria Cagnazzo
Translation by: Cristiana Manni
The real essence of humour is very difficult to understand and, very often, many movies with humorous purposes seem to be unable to reach their goals. Telling a simple story, making it meaningful only with humour is a particularly complex operation.
I’m making this introduction because Heavy Trip, Finnish movie presented in the After Hours section at the Torino Film Festival, first of all, gave me the impression of being totally and happily focused on humour. On a cold morning in Turin, together with a laughing and clapping audience in theatre 1 at Cinema Massimo, I grasped an irony that preceded any other possible reasoning on the film.
On the screen, in a close-up, we can see a reindeer crossing the road and, in the distance, out of focus, the main character walking and dragging his rusty bike. The premises are pretty clear: the protagonists of this odd story will be Finland, its distinctive landscape, its animals and the people who live there.
A Heavy Metal band tries to make a name for itself in a small village far away from us, where “loud” music is not common, where people who have long hair are considered “homo”, and, more importantly, where the stereotype tends to creep into everyday life. Heavy Trip has all the hallmarks of a road movie: the band follows the dream of doing a concert in Norway and will be willing to do anything to reach its destination, finding itself in very unlikely situations.
The irony of the film is simple and irreverent at the same time, and the spectator finds himself laughing at situations that he probably would not perceive in the same way in real life. The screenplay makes constant reference to the stereotypes about Heavy Metal and aims to make the main characters look funny and ridiculous, dispelling all the still persistent myths about this kind of music. Therefore, there is a reversal of positions: those who feel superior and in the position of ridiculing the others are shown here in a comic and farcical way. Thus, a comedy of misinterpretations takes place, where the misunderstanding becomes the element which provokes the laughter. The prejudice and the stereotype turn the characters into caricatures. So, for example, it may happen that the police mistake a group of masked boys who are celebrating a hen party for terrorists.
The sequences in which the band plays in the basement are assembled like a real metal videoclip, with details of the fingers moving on the bass and close- ups of a caged doll hanging from the ceiling. When the spectator is involved in a visual and auditory climax, the myth is going to crumble, as soon as the mother tells the boys that the reindeer dinner is ready. The idea of tough-looking “metalheads”, that frighten those who met them, is constantly overturned by the mild-mannered and almost compliant character of the protagonists who, overwhelmed by the events, carry out accidentally rebellious actions.
Each character is characterized to the point of becoming grotesque, and the spectator has to immediately distinguish the “good” from the “bad” guys. A narrative structure that may almost appear ordinary, but that never looks obvious thanks to the humour that supports the entire story in an excellent manner. Everything is the opposite of what it seems: the authors of Heavy Trip have taken literally the meaning of “irony”, understood as concealment, “feeling of the opposite”, giving to the audience a simple and funny comedy that is able to leave you with a smile even after the ending credits.
Continua la lettura di “HEVI REISSU/HEAVY TRIP” BY JUUSO LAATIO AND JUKKA VIDGREN
Spesso la vera essenza dell’umorismo è difficile da cogliere, e altrettanto spesso molti film che si propongono obiettivi umoristici risultano manchevoli nei loro propositi. Raccontare una storia semplice, rendendola pregnante solo grazie alla comicità è un’operazione particolarmente complessa.
Faccio questa premessa in quanto Heavy Trip, film finlandese presentato nella sezione After Hours del Torino Film Festival, mi ha dato, prima di tutte, l’impressione di essere totalmente e felicemente improntato sull’umorismo; ho captato, insieme agli altri spettatori che nella Sala 1 del Cinema Massimo ridevano ed applaudivano in un freddo mattino torinese, un’ironia che ha preceduto tutti gli altri possibili ragionamenti sul film.
Continua la lettura di “HEVI REISSU/HEAVY TRIP” DI JUUSO LAATIO E JUKKA VIDGREN
Article by: Gianluca Tana
Translation by: Gianmarco Caniglia
In 2018 the image of the zombie is so ubiquitous in our media that it partly lost both its critical strength and its ability to scare us. Cinema, television, comics and video games exploited the figure of the living dead so much that it has become difficult to create something new. Dominique Rocher gives it a try by relegating this figure to the sidelines of his horror story. Of course, zombies are abundant in his movie, but they seem to be just a pretext to isolate the protagonist, Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie), in a lonesome captivity inside a Parisian apartment. It is the solitude, in fact, the real co-protagonist of the film. Overwhelming and empty silences that freeze the heart will accompany the last human during the long months of his survival, forcing him to find new ways to fill time and more importantly to stay sane, because spending too much time alone all by ourselves, we are all destined to go crazy. Unable to distinguish between reality and hallucination, Sam becomes his worst enemy, adopting a series of increasingly self-destructive attitudes, always trying to find new ways to remember himself he is still alive and is different from the creatures that surround him.
Continua la lettura di “LA NUIT A DÉVORÉ LE MONDE” BY DOMINIQUE ROCHER
Nel 2018 la figura dello zombie è così onnipresente nei nostri media da aver perso in parte sia la sua forza critica, sia la sua capacità di far paura. Cinema, televisione, fumetti e videogiochi hanno sfruttato talmente tanto l’immagine dei morti viventi che risulta difficile creare qualcosa di nuovo. Dominique Rocher ci prova relegando questa figura al margine della sua storia horror. Ovviamente nel suo film gli zombie sono presenti in grande quantità, ma sembrano soltanto un pretesto per isolare il protagonista Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) in una prigionia solitaria all’interno di un appartamento parigino. Continua la lettura di “LA NUIT A DÉVORÉ LE MONDE” DI DOMINIQUE ROCHER
Article by: Beatrice Ceravolo
Translation by: Luca Bassani
“Do you like black and white films? No? Neither do I”. This is the question Valeria asks her mother Stella, and she does so in a documentary which is shot entirely in black and white. As stated by director Eugenio Canevari during his Q&A at Cinema Massimo, this film comes from an urgent need. After meeting Valeria and getting to know her difficult situation, Canevari felt that he had to do something for this family of three that was struggling with an ailment such as ALS, with no help from any institution whatsoever. The footage was collected through daily, thorough observation of Stella’s reality. Once a very dynamic woman, she ended up having to rely on her daughter and her boyfriend Paco, who also struggles with health issues, to help her in her daily life. Therefore, there was no script during the shooting: the director had to join different elements in order to create an accessible story for the audience.
In this sense, Canevari’s work is indeed praiseworthy: the director’s camera follows the three figuras discretely and respectfully, daring to show each and every part of this sickness without blaming the daughter, who finds it difficult to handle her mother’s profound change. The shots often reflect every character’s claustrophobia by showing the oppressive spaces inside Stella’s flat and enclosing them in frames which consist of doors, door frames and narrow hallways. The main narrative is also punctuated by the parties Valeria goes to in the evening, which represent the passing of days.
Stella cannot speak anymore, but her gentle and alert presence is audible as it is visible: Stella can be heard anywhere, with her breath, the tablet on which she continuously plays with interactive figuras of animals in order to keep her mind active, her loud western films, her old-fashioned songs and the Argentinian tango she dances with Paco, with the help of her medical walker. The overt choice of the black and white aesthetic fits this vision: Stella was living in another time and in another space, watching western films all day long, and Canevari managed to represent this distance through such technique.
The film does not dwell solely on the tragic aspects of the story, as explicitly wanted by the director, but it sometimes alternates impotence with humour, especially from Paco’s character. Canevari and Valeria stated that elements of fiction were added to the real facts in order to tell Stella’s story in the best way, considering that the film is dedicated to her.
At the end of the screening, some members of the audience went to hug Valeria and Canevari, who told them: “The film is for you”. And we thank him.
“Ti piacciono i film in bianco e nero? No? A me nemmeno”: questa la domanda di Valeria a sua madre Stella, proprio in un documentario girato interamente in bianco e nero. Il film nasce, come riferito dal regista Eugenio Canevari, al Q&A presso il Cinema Massimo, da una forte esigenza: dopo aver conosciuto Valeria e la sua difficile situazione familiare, Canevari sentì il bisogno di fare qualcosa per tre persone che si stavano misurando con un male come la SLA sostanzialmente senza aiuti da parte di alcuna istituzione. Il materiale è stato raccolto grazie ad un’osservazione giornaliera ed a lungo termine della realtà di Stella, una donna un tempo molto attiva e poi costretta ad essere aiutata in ogni parte della sua vita quotidiana dalla figlia e dal compagno Paco, a sua volta afflitto da problemi di salute; non è dunque stato preparato alcun copione, mentre il compito del regista è stato di unire degli elementi per creare una storia accessibile per il pubblico.
Article by: Cristian Viteritti
Translated by: Giulia Maiorana
Impetus by Jennifer Alleyn is a hybrid film which combines typical expressive forms of documentary films, such as interviews, with fictional ways of narrating. The final product is a film full of storylines and timeframes that lead to a reflection on action and movement’s relevance and strength.
Impetus di Jennifer Alleyn è un film ibrido, che mescola alcune delle tipiche modalità espressive del documentario, come l’intervista, con i mezzi narrativi delle opere di finzione. Il prodotto finale è un film ricco di intrecci e di linee temporali che terminano in una riflessione sull’importanza e la potenza del movimento, dell’azione.
Article by: Samuele Zucchet
Translation by: Zoé Kerichard-Giorgi
Papi Chulo. No, it is not only the electro/dance song by Lorna, the rapper form Panama, which became viral at the beginning of the 2000s and was played in dance clubs all over the world – even if perhaps this title is what unconsciously attracted me to this movie. If Papi Chulo was for me only a song I used to hear in clubs, now these two words have become representative of a movie. And what a movie.
Papi Chulo. No, non è solo il brano elettro/dance di Lorna, rapper di Panama, diventato virale nei primi anni duemila e sentito nei club di tutto il mondo – anche se forse è stato inconsciamente questo titolo a farmi cadere l’occhio sul film. Dunque, se prima Papi Chulo era per me solo una canzone sentita in discoteca, ora queste due parole sono riuscite a smarcarsi, diventando soprattutto rappresentative di un film. E che film. Continua la lettura di “PAPI CHULO” DI JOHN BUTLER
Article by: Tommaso Dufour
Translation by: Priscilla Valente
“A film written by a journalist and a political activist with the Ghostbusters director’s son”. With these words Jason Reitman opens the TFF36 press conference, of which The Front Runner is the opening film. He refers to Matt Bai – author of All the Truth Is Out, the novel the film is inspired by – and to Jay Carson – House of Cards producer and consultant. Reitman reveals then that the first frames, the Columbia’s vintage logo from Stripes (Ivan Reitman, USA, 1981), are a tribute to his father and to the film which accompanied the director’s childhood.
“Un film scritto da un giornalista e un attivista politico insieme al figlio del regista di Ghostbusters”. Con queste parole Jason Reitman apre la conferenza stampa del TFF36, di cui The Front Runner è il film d’apertura, facendo riferimento a Matt Bai, autore di All the Truth Is Out, romanzo cui il film si ispira, e Jay Carson, produttore e consulente per House of Cards. Reitman rivela poi che i primi fotogrammi della pellicola sono un omaggio al padre, il logo vintage della Columbia da Stripes (Ivan Reitman, USA, 1981), ovvero il film che ha accompagnato l’infanzia del regista.
Continua la lettura di “THE FRONT RUNNER – IL VIZIO DEL POTERE” DI JASON REITMAN
Article by: Elio Sacchi
Translation by: Maria Elisa Catalano
Brillante Mendoza, one of the most successful Filipino directors, known all over the world thanks to numerous international awards, returns to the Torino Film Festival this year with Alpha, the Right to Kill, a claustrophobic film with a strong and immediately explicit social commentary. Shot in low resolution and with a style inherited from cinéma vérité, this Filipino film immediately immerses the viewer into the streets, the markets and the houses of a labyrinthine city, where even moral values seem to have lost their point of reference: in fact, despite the police being an ubiquitous presence, crime and immorality indirectly pervade the whole society.
Continua la lettura di “ALPHA, THE RIGHT TO KILL” BY BRILLANTE MENDOZA
Brillante Mendoza, uno dei più affermati registi filippini che, grazie a numerosi premi internazionali è conosciuto in tutto il mondo, torna al Torino Film Festival anche quest’anno con Alpha, the Right to Kill, un film claustrofobico e di forte e immediatamente esplicita denuncia sociale. Girato in bassa risoluzione e con uno stile erede del cinema-verità, il film filippino immerge fin da subito lo spettatore tra le strade, i mercati e le case di una città labirintica, in cui anche i valori morali sembrano aver perso il loro punto di riferimento: infatti, nonostante la polizia sia una presenza ubiqua, la criminalità e l’immoralità pervade trasversalmente l’intera società.
Continua la lettura di “ALPHA, THE RIGHT TO KILL” DI BRILLANTE MENDOZA
Article by: Marco De Bartolomeo
Translation by: Luca Bassani
Turin, 13th November 2018. In theatre 3 of Cinema Massimo, Sergio Toffetti and Emanuela Martini inaugurate the 36th Torino Film Festival press conference. Beautiful Rita Hayworth’s dancing body, portrayed in the 1942 film You Were Never Lovelier by William A. Seiter, stands out in the background.
The picture we chose as the official logo for this edition – explains artistic director Martini – adequately represents the spirit of this festival, which has been involved in the research, support and promotion of the most innovative filmmakers in the global cinema industry since 1982. Therefore, freshness, energy and vitality are the keywords that led the curators’ selection.
Continua la lettura di 36TH TORINO FILM FESTIVAL OPENING PRESS CONFERENCE
Torino, 13 novembre 2018. Nella sala 3 del cinema Massimo, Sergio Toffetti ed Emanuela Martini inaugurano la conferenza stampa del 36° Torino Film Festival. Sullo sfondo campeggia il corpo danzante della bellissima Rita Hayworth, ritratta nel film del 1942 Non sei mai stata così bella, di William A. Seiter.
Continua la lettura di CONFERENZA STAMPA DI APERTURA DEL 36° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL
