Eyes Wide Open - Israel - Haim Tabakman

This was an eye opener into the world of love and relationships in an ultra-orthadox Jewish community. The love between husband and wife and family is sacred and the love of God and prayer is ritualized and ongoing. Anything else is forbidden; homosexuality results in the loss of everything - status, work, friendships, and in this film, ultimately the loss of life. As film viewers, we are privy to everything private about this community just as everything is public to its members. People know what is going on in everyone's lives and judge accordingly. Intense and dramatic, joyful and tragic.

Porgy and Me: In the World of Porgy and Bess

This is a stunning film and I hope it comes back to theatres and goes to video! It is Susanna Boehm's second film and is about her interviews with the opera singers of the New York Harlem Theatre Company. Terry Lee Cook, her husband, has been singing Porgy for ten years but wants to sing Wagnerian roles. Told when he was a child that he was retarded, he has bigger dreams for himself and for his son. All of the singers have stories and for many, the debate is whether Porgy and Bess is the only vehicle open to them or whether it could be a springboard to other opportunities. The music is fabulous and inspiring, especially Summer Time and It Ain't Necessarily So. Loved that the Director was available for questions after the movie. She is also a set designer and will make more movies. She is a great talent and I look forward to her next production!

A Prophet - Jacques Audiard

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize, Cannes 2009, this is an intense, very violent film with excellent acting. It is much like The Godfather, in that one knows the cycle of crime and death will continue. A young French-Arab reform school graduate is sentenced to six years in prison. Scarred and well used to being hyper alert, he manages to survive by joining the Corsicans and by proving his worth by murdering a fellow Muslim. The whole system is corrupt and there is no way to win except by becoming part of it. The education he gets only helps him learn to read and write, it does not bring him opportunities to escape. Even as he leaves the prison, he is followed by three cars. Is he the new master of the Paris underworld or is he being tracked down.

Tetro-Francis Ford Coppola

Saturday, Oct. 18th - This film reminds me of The Godfather, The Long Hot Summer or of early Brando movies. It is about family and disfunction. It is also about rivalry, passion, genius and what drives one person to succeed and prevents others from going anywhere. It is a black and white film but is rich in location, (Buenos Aires) costume, music and the artistic process. The relationships are deep and complex: brother vrs. brother, fathers and sons, lovers, friends, as Zorba said, "the whole catastrophe.." Additional drama is provided through tragedy - opera, masks, broken dolls and car accidents. Will the play ever be finished? Who will write the ending? There is possibility through love and connection.

The Jazz Baroness - Hannah Rothschild-Director

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - Van City Theatre

Narrated by Helen Mirren, this is Hannah Rothschild's story of her great aunt's (Pannonica Rothschild) relationship with Jazz and Thelonious Monk. Meeting in Paris in 1954, their 'meeting of like minds' continued for 28 years until his death. From a very wealthy family, and married to a Diplomat, Pannonica left her life-style and family to support the musical genius, Monk. She provided a home and funding for other famous musicians, including Charlie Parker. She was truly an independent woman who pursued her passion. She was also a fighter for civil rights and for vulnerable artists whose talents were well worth nurturing. The story of Pannonica and Thelonious is further described by Thelonious Monk Jr., Quincy Jones and Clint Eastwood. Pannonica's letters detail the relationship, the times and her continuous connection with her children. This film packs a lot in 83 minutes! PS. The music is fabulous!

The Search - Xunzhoo Zhimei Gengdeng-Tibet

This is the second movie to be made inside Tibet, by an all Tibetan crew and cast. It is extremely difficult to get past the Chinese censors and so this one took longer to make and to produce. It is a love story on many levels: the long distance romance, the unreturned love, the love of theatre, music and culture of Tibet and the love of film as a vehicle to express all of this. The children and young people, especially the singers and actors, all non-professionals, shine. I like the main story teller who keeps fellow passengers entertained as they accompany the director in his search across the country for actors for a classical Tibetan opera Drime Kunden. The story teller's tale of his first love and how she ended up marrying someone else, is the story of how things don't always turn out as expected. Although love is everyone's dream, it is full of obstacles, much like those encountered when trying to stage the perfect opera. This is well worth seeing but could have benefitted from some editing as it is very long.

Air Doll - Kuki Ningyo

Air Doll is another fabulous film from Japan. The exquisite costuming of the star, an inflatable sex doll, and the new look at a puppet that comes to life, are terrific! Her discovery that having a heart hurts, resonates. As a sex doll, she is 'wooden', passive and flat as are the men in her life. As she becomes 'real', she asks questions and discovers beauty in the world around her. When she cuts herself, she deflates and then is 'rescued' by Junichi, who breathes life back into her. Flawed, she looks for connections: I've heard there are many others like me. Yet, she remains unconnected and while able to have 'mates', she is alone. Others seem to continue living very routine, mundane, ritualized lives, but she is not.

Two Films: Saturday Oct. 3. 2009

"Tibet in Song" describes the loss of folk ways and folk music in Tibet. It is the ongoing tragedy of Chinese cultural destruction of Tibetan people. Ngawang Choephel's documentary is a compelling one; the musicologist and Fulbright scholar is drawn back to his home to research and record Tibetan Folk music. He is arrested by the Chinese and sentenced to eighteen years in prison. His mother and other musicians take up the challenge to get him released. The music has been subverted by the Chinese and is used for propaganda. But not all music can be stolen and people still know it and retain it as a means of resistance. How to preserve it, teach it and keep its traditions alive are major challenges for Tibetan people. Even parts of this film were confiscated but what exists is passionate and alive.

Director Jessica Oreck's "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo" is a visual and audio delight! The soundtrack is a compilation of many different kinds of Japanese music. A winner of the Special Jury Award for Artistic Vision, Cinevegas, 2009, this documentary details insects -how they look and sound - and the similarities between their world and ours. Japan's fascination with insects stems from its religious (Shinto) and cultural traditions. The children's delight at spotting insects in the woods, or fireflies at night, or in pet stores for $45. and their care of their 'pets' at home draws you closer and makes you laugh. While we often tend to avoid insects, their important role is undeniable.

Japan Film Night

On Tuesday, September 29th, the Consulate of Japan hosted two films: Women in the mirror and The Stars Converge. Women in the Mirror, by Kagami no Onna Tachi, tells the story of a woman who never gives up searching for her lost daughter and finds one who could be her but is suffering from Amnesia. The woman and her granddaughter are profoundly affected by the amnesiac, who enters their lives only to disappear again. Secrets from the past emerge: Who is the daughter's father and why was she so enraged when she first left home? How did Hiroshima shape their future? This film is powerful on many levels, especially in terms of relationships and history's effects on them.

The Stars Converge, by Chirusoku no Natsu, is about a first love relationship between a Japanese and a Korean. Young high-school athletes meet and fall in love. Will this love endure despite the obstacles of cultural and language differences, academic futures, familial opposition...? Energy, friendship and possibility make this film worth watching.