Day: February 27, 2013

LFM Reviews Mindfulness and Murder @ IBFF Showcase 2013

By Joe Bendel. Father Ananda is sort of like a Buddhist Father Brown, except he has more first-hand knowledge of the criminal element. The former police detective intended to lead a peaceful existence as a monk, but homicide has followed him into the monastery in Tom Waller’s Thai mystery Mindfulness and Murder (trailer here), which screens this Saturday night as part of the 2013 International Buddhist Film Festival Showcase in the Bay Area.

Father Ananda is a man to be reckoned with, but he had his reasons for leaving the job, as viewers learn over the course of the film. When one of the boys in his monastery’s youth shelter program is murdered, the Abbott asks Ananda to investigate. He will not be getting in the way of the cynical Inspector Somchai, who closes the case half an hour after responding to the call. It turns out the late Noi was a hard kid to love, who was reportedly involved in the narcotics trade. Perhaps he was not the only one. Father Ananda soon uncovers rumors of drug-dealing monks and undercover narcs. Suddenly, a person or persons unknown have taken an unwelcome interest in Father Ananda and his temple boy assistant Jak.

Mindfulness is one of the most picturesque murder mysteries you are likely to see anytime soon. Cinematographer Wade Muller exploits the exotic backdrop for all its worth. Similarly, the monastic setting adds unusual wrinkles to whodunit. Solving the case is not merely a matter of earthly justice for Ananda. There are implied karmic implications for the monastery.

Arguably, Mindfulness is rather a bold selection for the IBFF showcase. There is the clear suggestion it is not unheard of for less savory individuals to adopt monks’ robes as a means of gaming the system. Its portrayal of the Thai justice system is also far from flattering. Yet, there is no denying the virtuous nature of Father Ananda or the appeal of Vithaya Pansringarm’s quietly engaging performance. They are an actor-character tandem worthy of a franchise.

The supporting cast is a somewhat mixed bag, but Ahbijati “Meuk” Jusakul is nicely hardboiled as Somchai, while American-born Prinya Intachai has his moments as Brother Satchapalo, the instant prime suspect. For a random bit of celebrity, former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova (currently based in Thailand) also briefly appears as herself.

From "Mindfulness and Murder."

Waller’s tempo is hardly break-neck, which has its pros and cons. Although it might be limiting for genre fans, the meditative tone perfectly suits the hero and setting. Indeed, watching Father Ananda struggle with the demands of the spiritual and worldly is fascinating (more than even the crime story itself). Recommended for those who enjoy cerebral mysteries, Mindfulness and Murder screens Saturday night (3/2) at the Smith Rafael Film Center, as part of this year’s IBFF Showcase in the Bay Area.

During the Showcase, patrons will also be inspired by Dafna Yachin’s Digital Dharma, documenting the efforts of American academic E. Gene Smith to digitize and preserve the sacred and secular texts of Tibet. Further noteworthy selections include Victress Hitchcock’s When the Iron Bird Flies, a provocative exploration of the Tibetan Buddhism’s surprising international growth during its unfortunate period of exile, and Naomi Kawase’s visually dazzling yet deeply humane Mourning Forest. Check their website for times and venues here.

LFM GRADE: A-

Posted on February 27th, 2013 at 9:27am.

The Story of a Song: LFM Reviews Hava Nagila

By Joe Bendel. Like Abel Meeropol’s “Strange Fruit,” “Hava Nagila” is a song worthy of its own biographical treatment. It started in the Ukraine and became a staple of Jewish American celebrations, but the identity of its composer remains a controversy. Documentary filmmaker Roberta Grossman tells the story of the song and those who sing it in Hava Nagila: the Movie, which opens this Friday in New York.

It was based on a nigun, a wordless prayer chant incorporated into the services of the Nineteenth Century Ukrainian Hasidic community. To commemorate the Balfour Declaration, it was adapted into the song now commonly heard at weddings and bat/bar mitzvahs. Just who adapted it depends on whether you talk to the Idelson or Nathanson families. Likewise, it means different things to different musicians. To a serious Klezmer artist like Frank London, it is rather a cliché. Yet to old school entertainers like Glen Campbell and Irving Fields, it is a rhythmic crowd-pleaser. Yes, that Glen Campbell. He recorded “Hava” as the B-side to his “True Grit” single and shares some pleasant reflections with Grossman during an interview recorded at his synagogue a few years back.

Indeed, Hava will certainly change many viewers perception of Campbell, but it is the ageless Irving Fields who truly demands his own documentary. Known for fusing traditional Jewish music with Latin dance music, the ninety-four year-old Fields still gigs as a leader six nights a week in Manhattan—and could easily pass for a man at least twenty-five years his junior. The music must keep him young, naturally including “Hava.”

Hava boasts some impressive musician-commentators, including Harry Belafonte (interviewed in the Village Vanguard, where he once performed when Max Gordon also booked folkies), Johnny “They Call Me Bruce” Yune, and Russian indie singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, who relates “Hava” to the Russian Refusenik experience.

Less successful is the rather muddled 1960’s section, in which we are told the Jewish children of the suburbs embraced the song as some kind of folky communal something or other. The film’s chatty tone also becomes somewhat problematic over time. Co-produced by Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman, Hava’s shticky title cards and comedy sketch interludes often feel like a sitcom trying too hard to be irreverent.

Although plenty of talking heads consider “Hava” corny, it is hard to dislike a song so deeply associated with celebration and the early founding of the State of Israel. It is also hard to argue with the likes of Campbell, Elvis Presley, and longtime Israel booster Lionel Hampton, all of whom covered “Hava.” Despite its weirdly inconsistent tone, Hava puts “Hava” in the proper historical context. Recommended for those interested in the intersection of Jewish history and musical tradition, Hava Nagila: the Movie opens this Friday (3/1) in New York at the Lincoln Plaza.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on February 27th, 2013 at 9:26am.