LFM: Libertas Film Magazine

By Joe Bendel. In space, no one can hear a heart break—unless the aggrieved lover decides not to bear her disappointment in silence. Confined environments are difficult places to work out relationship problems as the crew of a two-person space station learns in writer-director Sabrina Doyle’s short film 113 Degrees (trailer here), which screens during the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival.

Francesca and Joe have grown close during their time in space together. At this point, they share the same bunk. It would seem to be an Eden-like situation, but an interstellar call from Joe’s terrestrial wife serves as a rude awakening for his commander. Disturbed by the incident, she carries her agitation with her during a supposedly routine space walk. This leads to serious complications.

Granted, most romantic tragedies are not overly concerned with cooling systems, but the guts of 113 involve the lovers’ betrayal and sacrifice. This is really the sort of film that uses science fiction trappings to tell a straight forward human story. Indeed, it hits some deep chords. However, it is important to note that Doyle, producer Matilde Barbagallo, and editor Marian Jiménez are all women – lest the film be accused of perpetuating the stereotype that women are more likely to become emotionally overwrought than men.

As Francesca and Joe, Lizzy Davis and Brian Groh quickly convey a sense they share some long, intimate history together. They are a believably flawed couple. However, his long haired hipster coif looks rather out of place. Even in the future, aside from space tourists, most astronauts are still likely to be ex-military.

Regardless, the rest of the production is technically quite impressive, especially considering Doyle’s budget constraints. Hollywood tent-pole veteran Greg Derochie’s VFX team convincingly renders Francesca’s space walk outside the station and the deteriorating conditions within. One could easily believe this is the same world as the Alien franchise or Duncan Jones’ similarly scrappy Moon. Recommended for SF fans with a weakness for tales of star-crossed love, the twenty-one minute 113 Degrees screens Monday (6/3) and Wednesday (6/5) as part of this year’s “Magnetic” BFF.

Posted on May 30th, 2013 at 4:25pm.

By Joe Bendel. When these cops show up to “inspect” your hotel room, it is a case of pure intimidation. It is also something of a badge of honor in today’s China. Film producer and festival impresario Zhu Rikun was the target of such a police roust, but he had the presence of mind to keep his camera rolling. His resulting short documentary The Questioning screens with Ai Weiwei’s thematically similar Disturbing the Peace as part of MoMA’s continuing Chinese Realities/Documentary Visions film series.

Evidently, it takes six cops to ask for Zhu’s papers. Surely being familiar with Teacher Ai’s experience, Zhu handles himself masterfully. He is distinctly uncooperative, but never gives them anything they could describe as provocative. The entire episode degenerates into absurdist theater, with Zhu refusing to answers basic questions, instead referring his interrogators to the very documents they hold in their hands. Viewers can well imagine the flustered enforcers reassuring themselves how badly they shook up Zhu once they retreat from his room.

Indeed, Questioning plays like a revised scene from the ill fated Chengdu trip in Disturbing, but unfortunately, Ai Weiwei and his team were not so deft at handling their harassers. Teacher Wei would take a shot to the head, which would eventually lead to a serious medical crisis, and his assistant would be held incommunicado in gross violation of China’s (ostensible) law.

In her insightful post-screening Q&A, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry director Alison Klayman really put her finger on the phenomenon both films document. Both Zhu and Teacher Ai could be so assertive in confrontations with authority figures because there is no rule of law to govern such encounters. As a result, the strongest personality has an advantage. Ironically, that gives Teacher Ai the advantage. And Zhu is certainly no shrinking violet, either.

Disturbing the Peace is a film everyone should watch to understand contemporary China. Zhu’s The Questioning is also quite valuable. It is short, but extremely telling. One could argue he does not do much directing, per se, merely turning on the stationary camera his surprise guests never notice -but as a cinematic journalist, he is incredibly gutsy. (However, one might say that his overly large cast is lousy at taking direction.) Both highly recommended films screen together again (sans Klayman) this coming Saturday (6/1), concluding Chinese Realities at MoMA.

Posted on May 28th, 2013 at 12:33pm.

By Joe Bendel. Those idiots from the Hangover franchise have nothing on Jos Vreeswijk, who is about to wake up next to a dead body, a smoking gun, and no memory of the last twenty four hours. He has one day to get it all sorted if he wants to make it to the church in time for his wedding in Arne Toonen’s Black Out, which screens during the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival.

Vreeswijk was once a criminal, but he went straight. It seemed to take, up until the point he woke up with a corpse in his bed. His fiancée Caroline knows he has a shady past, but she accepts him nonetheless. His prospective father-in-law is less understanding, but he seems to be up to his eyeballs in the mess enveloping Vreeswijk. Evidently it involves twenty kilos of cocaine two rival gang lords think he owes them. To get back to the straight-and-narrow, Vreeswijk will have to boost somebody else’s coke. There seems to be plenty around, but holding onto it is a trickier proposition.

Black Out is a darkly comic, slightly cartoony criminal caper which hums along quite energetically. You have your ballet dancers-turned Russian mobsters, psycho baby doll enforcers, malevolent grandpas, and out of their depth dog groomers all getting in on the action. Yet, it is the steely Robert Conrad-esque Raymond Thirry who anchors the bedlam quite effectively as the reformed everyman, Vreeswijk. Despite all the betrayal and confusion exploding around him, he is always manly and never whiny.

Likewise, Kim van Kooten is pleasantly down to earth and pragmatic as the innocent Caroline. All the crazy acting out is left to the rest of the cast, who gorge on scenery like a Bonanza buffet. Arguably the subtlest, most intriguing supporting character is Renee Fokker’s Inez, the “Connoisseur of Coke” and formerly Vreeswijk’s close associate.

Tonnen is obviously influenced by Tarantino and the recent bumper crop of Scandinavian noirs, but even if he never reinvents the wheel, he keeps things punchy and pacey. Violence and eccentricity are liberally mixed together, but Black Out still feels fresh thanks to Thirry’s grounded center. A slickly entertaining one-darned-thing-after-another gangster romance-beatdown, Black Out is recommended pretty enthusiastically for genre fans when it screens this coming Sunday (6/2) and Monday (6/3) at Windmill Studios, as part of the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on May 28th, 2013 at 12:31pm.