THE FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINÉMA DE MONTRÉAL—A BALANCE

Movie Review by Sergio Martinez

The 54th edition of the Montreal International New Film Festival came to a close on October 19, once again offering an eclectic showcase of contemporary cinema from both Canada and around the world. Some of the most renowned films had already been seen at the Toronto Film Festival and were undoubtedly a welcome addition to this Montreal event. Among them were Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater (France-United States), Two Prosecutors by Sergei Loznitsa (France-Germany-Netherlands-Latvia-Romania-Lithuania), Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery by Rian Johnson (United States), Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro (United States), and La misteriosa mirada del flamenco (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo) by Diego Céspedes (Chile-France).

SOME OF THE BEST

Among the various films we had the opportunity to see, we would highlight:

George Clooney and Adam Sandler 
in Jay Kelly

Jay Kelly – Dir. Noah Baumbach (United Kingdom-Italy). A film with a very fluid narrative that conveys the vicissitudes of the relationship between a famous and successful actor (George Clooney) and his agent (Adam Sandler). There are touches of humour, particularly in the eventful train journey from Paris to Tuscany, where a grand tribute to the actor has been prepared. This tribute is tinged with tense moments and resentment when the actor must confront his relationship—as a somewhat absent father—with his two daughters. The film offers an interesting reflection on the price to be paid for fame and success. Although not a new theme, the film approaches it in a way that shows how the pursuit of personal advancement in one's professional life and emotional values, such as family duty and friendship, collide without being melodramatic.

The Devil Smokes (and Keeps the Heads of Burnt Matches in the Same Box) – Dir. Ernesto Martínez Bucio (Mexico). Modernity and traditional beliefs combine in this film, which won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award. Although at the beginning of the story it is not very clear why five children who live with their parents and grandmother are left alone (the mother, a nurse, apparently disappears due to mental health issues, although the reasons are only hinted at), the events that follow provide the most interesting moments in the story. The children, suddenly without parental supervision and under the care of a grandmother who is no longer quite right in the head, have to take on many responsibilities, while at the same time getting involved in actions that will have negative consequences, both in their relationship with their neighbours and in their relationship with the law. The final scene, however, is the one that best sums up the strange situation the children find themselves in.

The Mastermind – Dir. Kelly Reichardt (United States). The story of a typical “loser” who, nevertheless, one may end up pitying and even viewing with a certain sympathy. James Blaine Mooney (Josh O'Connor) studied art at one point. He is the son of a judge in the small town where he lives. He continues to pursue his artistic passion, but this time in a different direction: the theft of a valuable piece from the local museum. After convincing some friends of the plan's feasibility to obtain the painting relatively easily and, incidentally, getting his mother to lend him the money for the initial costs of the theft through a subterfuge, Mooney will find that the most complicated part comes once the robbery is complete.

Promis le ciel – Dir. Erige Sehiri (Tunisia-France-Qatar). Three women from the Ivory Coast share a house in Tunisia; one is a university student and has legal status in the country; the other two, an evangelical preacher and a hustler with no clear occupation, are there illegally. All of them, however, are part of a growing number of sub-Saharan Africans who are not viewed favourably by the local authorities. The situation becomes even more complicated when the group is joined by a girl, also sub-Saharan, who has managed to survive a shipwreck by chance. It is a story that combines solidarity and precariousness, but despite this, the women try to survive. A film that is striking because of what we know is happening right now with the African migration phenomenon to Europe.

AND THAT IN THE MIDDLE

Affection, Affection – Dir. Maxime Matray, Alexia Walther (France). Set in a small coastal town in France, the film presents the relationship between Geraldine (Agathe Bonitzer), a municipal official, and the local mayor (Christophe Paou). The unexpected arrival of her mother complicates this relationship and other aspects of her otherwise routine life. That same day, the mayor's teenage daughter mysteriously disappears. Although the film received the Festival Award in the Innovation category, its story is, at times, confusing and leaves many loose ends. The girl who disappears on her birthday is not particularly pretty or popular among her schoolmates; behind all this, rumours resurface about the death of her mother, who was a close friend of Geraldine's mother.

Magalhaes – Dir. Lav Diaz (Portugal-Spain-France-Philippines-Taiwan). This film focuses on the last months of the Portuguese navigator Hernando de Magallanes (Gael García Bernal) with only moderately successful results, largely due to the structure of the narrative, which, especially for an audience such as that in North America, is poorly informed about the scale of the task undertaken by Magallanes—the first to circumnavigate the planet, although he died before achieving it and his lieutenant, Sebastián Elcano, completed it—the story is confusing. Despite these flaws, it is a solid description of the effects of colonialism on indigenous peoples.

FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

Among the main winners in the different categories of the FNC are:

International Competition (Feature Films): O riso e a faca – Dir. Pedro Pinho (Portugal-France-Brazil-Romania).

Best Actor Award: Ubeimar Ríos (Un poeta – Dir. Simón Mesa Soto, Colombia-Germany-Sweden).

Innovation Award: Affection, Affection (Dir. Maxime Matray, Alexia Walther, France).

National Competition (Feature Films): Blue Heron (Dir. Sophy Romvari)

FIPRESCI Award: El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja) – (Dir. Ernesto Martínez Bucio, México).

Audience Award – International Panorama: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (Dir. Sepideh Farsi, France-Palestine-Iran).

Audience Award – Temps ø: Mag Mag (Dir. Yuriyan Retriever, Japan).