Movie Review by Sergio Martinez
THE
DISCREET CHARM OF A REMARKABLE STAR
Like other
events of this nature, Cinemania also featured the presence of some important
figures from the world of cinema. This year, the most outstanding guest was
undoubtedly French actress Juliette Binoche, who presented a film in which she
made her directorial debut: In-I in Motion, a documentary that recounts her own
experiences as a dancer alongside British dancer Akram Khan in 2007 and 2008.
During a
press conference, the actress spoke in more detail about this work, as well as
another film in which she stars and which was screened at the festival: Camille
Claudel 1915.
CAMILLE CLAUDEL 1915
The artist
and former lover of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin finds herself confined to
an asylum for the mentally ill. Camille's (Juliette Binoche) life during the
days explored in the film is spent between moments of routine, sharing with
other inmates, moments of paranoia when she cooks her own food for fear of
being poisoned, a new interview with the doctor who runs the establishment in
which she begs to be let go, and—above all—waiting for a visit from her brother
Paul (Jean-Luc Vincent). The reference to 1915 is due to the year she was
admitted, a situation Camille hopes to reverse. The film strongly denounces the
procedures by which someone could be admitted—against their will—to a
psychiatric hospital. As was the reality in the 19th century, these
institutions, rather than centers for the treatment of mental illness, were
places of confinement from which, once admitted, it was difficult to leave.
Camille was a clear example of this situation, which this film portrays
realistically, with a solid performance by Juliette Binoche.
RUE MÁLAGA
(MALAGA STREET)
Dir. Maryam
Touzani (Morocco/Spain/Germany/Belgium)
A remarkable film, both for the quality of the acting and the magnificent and realistic staging that conveys the warmth of the street where a large number of Spaniards lived in Tangier, Morocco. María Ángeles (Carmen Maura) is a retired woman who lives independently in her home. A visit from her daughter, Clara (Marta Etura), brings bad news. Facing financial problems in Madrid, Clara has decided to sell the property where her mother lives, the house was in her name. The contrast between Clara's selfishness and her mother's determination to maintain her independence will trigger new situations, some of them very unexpected.
DEUX PIANOS
(TWO PIANOS)
Dir. Arnaud
Desplechin (France)
This French
film deserves a very different assessment, as it is the worst film this critic
had previously seen at the Toronto Festival. After an extended stay in Asia,
pianist Mathias Vogler (François Civil) decides to return to his native Lyon,
invited by his former mentor, pianist Elena (Charlotte Rampling), who is about
to retire and with whom he hopes to give a series of concerts. However, from
there on, a series of highly implausible events unfolded. While walking in a
park, Mathias encounters a child who bears a striking resemblance to himself at
that age. Strangely obsessed by this discovery, the event leads him to meet a
lover from his youth. The boy would then be his son. All this amid far-fetched
coincidences and chance encounters. Add to that a mediocre dialogue.
***
Cinemania
is certainly a welcome addition to Montreal's cultural and cinematic landscape,
and this edition has confirmed it.
