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Veselchaki (2009)
Out of the Closet and to Paradise
I may be one of few Russians who were happy that this film was actually being made. And critical as we may be of certain aspects (I'm a rare one for scripts), Veselchaki is without a doubt a great achievement.
Those who are better versed in all things queer state that the film is heavily influenced by Priscilla the Queen of Desert. Veselchaki follow the last day in the lives of 5 travesty actors who tell their life stories to a journalist who is trying to figure out why they do what they do.
Whatever the influence, one thing is true: this is a ground-breaking film. The point is not merely that for years travesty actors and Russian gay people have lived in all sorts of closets. The point is that the very attempt to bring these characters to screen is often thwarted by the omnipresent disdain, guilt and shame, whereby the characters appear comical and unreal.
The film's English title is the same as that of 1934 musical comedy about a Soviet jazz band. Arguably, the only thing the Soviet and the modern Russian film have in common is the musical component. Love in 2009 is a hard thing for travesty guys to find; yet each of the five life stories brims with truthfulness, and this is a good achievement.
It is also wonderful that straight actors appeared as queer folk in the movie. There is a tendency to believe that wearing female clothes is a no-no for a man, even an actor. The leading Soviet actors, such Oleg Tabakov or Alexander Kalyagin, successfully donned wigs, stockings and skirts to portray their female characters. Yet this may be seen as a Shakespearean trend, whereas travesty actors practically bare it all to entertain the public with not so classical tastes. The crew dealt with this openly, escaping the safe option of beating around the bush. Travesty performance, male legs in stockings, obvious reference to a gay erotic scene - all this make Veselchaki a good European film, free from usual attempts at "Russification".
Like I said, especially as someone who writes for a living, the story could be better explored. Towards the end characters appear out of the blue; this may have to do with editing, but, as with the scene when one of the characters is murdered, the only way to guess such twist was coming was the trailer that hinted at the meet-up in Paradise. And yet I am still glad such film appeared in my native country. As for scripts, I'll happily to write one for the next Russian movie in queer genre ;-)
Torremolinos 73 (2003)
Softcore Porn for 'Camera Buff'
When I first watched this film in 2005, I loved it, although at the time I was perhaps ready to agree that the second half of the film stumbles in a lot. But having recently seen 'Camera Buff' by Krzysztof Kieslowski, I am absolutely convinced 'Torremolinos 73' was inspired by it, in one way or another. This is not to deny originality to Berger's creation, but the acquaintance with the Polish film can seriously help understand and evaluate 'Torremolinos'. It can let us appreciate some details (compare, for instance, a cameo appearance of another Polish filmmaker, Zanussi, in 'Camera Buff' to the ever-powerful presence of Bergman's loudspeaker in 'Torremolinos'), but, most importantly, it allows to see, what exactly the subject of the film is. If our understanding is not informed by 'Camera Buff', then 'Torremolinos' is a vinaigrette of politics, porn and art-house cinema. If it is, then the main topic is exactly the one that makes the film somewhat 'heavy' in its second part and which was one of the central topics in Kieslowski's film. Cinema becomes a wedge, which is hammered between the routine and creativity. Aspiration to make 'serious' films and the cherishing of a film as one's child violently confronted the parental responsibilities of Kieslowski's protagonist, who gave in to creative impulses. The conflict in 'Torremolinos' is slightly reversed in that cinema becomes a more complex agent: it is the reason for misunderstanding, but it also unveils the problem and in the end even helps to resolve it. It is nevertheless the importance of the choice and its connection to various problems concerning family life that bring a kind of dullness into the second part of 'Torremolinos'. In this case it might be useful to agree with those who call this part 'subtler' in comparison to the upbeat start. In particular, this second part contains an easily-unnoticed topic of how much insult the male pride can take, and whether or not it is worth being guarded when love is at stake.
La mala educación (2004)
A distressing drama made in an outstanding picture
I do not know how typical this film is of Almodovar, but it is certainly rather frank in treating sensitive topics.
'Bad Education' bursts with colour and drama. The male menage-a-trois is spiced up with the story of sexual abuse in the Catholic boarding school and its consequences that affected the lives of all protagonists. The intrigue that unravels after Enrique has visited the mother of his late beloved, Ignacio, occasionally falls short of becoming a conventional story of the quest for truth, of forbidden love, of inability to cope with human imperfections and, ultimately, with losses and lies.
What saves this story from being conventional are the protagonists who are all male, and the way this story is told. Perhaps, only by the middle of the film one begins to realise that the scenes with Zahara are the scenes from Enrique's adaptation of Ignacio's story. So, we in fact have two films - the one by Almodovar and the one by a fictional Enrique Goded.
The most intriguing part is certainly that of Ignacio Rodriguez. Up until the second half of the film we see him as a child or as played by his brother Juan/Angel. The child is lovely, Angel is stunningly beautiful in a drag and a wig, but what about the real Ignacio? It is a shocking sight when we get to see this 'junkie', as he rightfully calls himself. He is on drugs, he cannot quit, so he blackmails his teacher who used to love him but who also abused him. It seems, money is all he wants, and he doesn't hesitate to steal it even from his mother.
After learning all this, you begin to think that solution which Ignacio's brother and former teacher found was the only possible one. And yet there are things that do not allow you to make this the definitive opinion. We know that Ignacio was talented, and in the scene when we see him live for the last time it is clear that he believed he could break free from his addiction. And possibly to find his first love, Enrique. There remains this haunting feeling that Ignacio's end was not imminent, and that, all in all, he had the right to act like he did.
Indeed, he discovered his true (=homosexual) self whilst still at school. But was he allowed to feel unashamed of it? What is 'bad education' - prohibiting homosexuality between school kids, or using their fear of your power, to satisfy your own pleasure? And if you are robbed of so many precious things by the person who mediates between you and God, what stops you from robbing your own mother? If your feelings were once played with so viciously, what stops you from being vicious?
The character of Juan, on another hand, provides a somewhat similar to Ignacio's example of toying with people's feelings. In a way, one cannot help thinking if Juan used Fr. Manolo's feelings for him to get rid of his brother. In the same way, one has to wonder, if his relationship with Enrique was dictated by his wish to get a career break-through.
In fact, watching the erotic scene between Enrique and Juan and then the scene of their break-up, one also begins to wonder, if Almodovar could possibly avoid binding the two in a relationship. What springs to mind, is Polanski's explanation for an erotic scene between Nicholson and Danaway in 'Chinatown'. In his words, the two needed to be brought closer, otherwise the rest of the story would not have mattered. The same is valid for 'Bad Education', as the closeness between Enrique and Juan (or Ignacio, whilst Enrique believed so) stressed the issue of sincerity, which is one of the cornerstone problems in the whole film.
The originality of script and of its adaptation, the various moral issues raised and treated ruthlessly, the fantastic camera-work and the use of colour, and, finally, acting, all make 'Bad Education' an outstanding film and a classic example of how to treat homosexuality without over- or under-dramatisation. Brilliant!
Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005)
How would YOU make Sophie Scholl?
As a person who spent many years 'making art', I could not be more amazed reading some of the comments. I've just been to a preview of Sophie Scholl in Manchester, England; and I am not only glad that this movie has been made, but also that it is done at the time when young people are happier to do 'whatever' rather than have any principles.
There is no point debating historical accuracy. As it followed from the Q&A session with Marc Rothemund following the preview, not only the filming took place at the original locations that are still there, but the crew went at great length doing things 'right', including getting the weather reports for February 1943. Yes, there is this strange feeling of looking at the film's title, which sounds like the title for a documentary. But then I didn't gather the impression that Rothemund's goal was to poeticise the story of Sophie Scholl. I think it is quite enough that in Germany she is perceived as a martyr. What Sophie Scholl - Die Letzten Tage does successfully is it shows a person behind the image, a young girl (younger than myself), who was prepared to die for her idea, but desperately loved life.
I read critical comments, and mine was in part sparked by them. Far from trying to debate their correctness, I'll do exactly what I always do on these occasions. Guys, those of you who decide to write next dismissive drag, instead tell us how you would direct in Rothemund's place. Or how would you act in place of Julia Jentsch? If you have really valid suggestions, we'll all be happy to hear.