I had this brilliant idea to celebrate worm's birthday by watching two films I know she'd want me to see before I submit my Filmspot nominations ballot. The plan was not just to watch them but also to write praiseful reviews of each of them, announcing how they had radically altered my prospective ballot. It was a can't-miss plan. I mean, it's been scientifically proven that worm is one of our most trusted Filmspotters!Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kurt Kuenne, 2008)
I'd been both eager and terrified to watch this for a while now, from even before worm posted
her review. I went in very prepared to get so emotionally involved and devastated that all the dumb stylistic choices wouldn't bother me. Easier said then done, though, given how awful so much of the editing is, how off-putting the general aesthetic, and how self-destructive much of the editorializing is. There's still a very nobel effort at the heart of the film, though. I appreciate that collage it creates of Andrew's life, the presentation of that collage to Zachary, and the hyper-personal nature of it all. I think Kuenne was successful in making a film that Andrew would have loved, and that's great. But that didn't stop me from pretty much hating it. First and foremost, I have a thing about movies that
tease the possible death of a child for cheap suspense. Totally unforgivable. Actually, that's not quite true. I
might have been okay with it in a verite presentation of these events. But no way can I excuse that in a film this
constructed. But that manipulation didn't turn me off as much as the playful style. I wanted the film to make me feel, but it worked against that at most turns. I did laugh at Mack, whose brief interview is so fantastic that even Kuenne knew better than to interrupt it with distracting B-roll. And I felt the pang of the line,
"I'd never seen a coffin that small. They shouldn't come in that size." And the montage near the end of the interviewees turning the tables on the interviewer was pretty effective, even though Kuenne rushed through it. I also liked the film's redefining of its audience near the end. That was a nice idea. But these good directorial choices were the exception. For the most part, the film left me numb. Sorry.
Grade: C-
35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis, 2008)
This one I was sure I'd love — surprisingly so, given my rather tepid relationship with the only other Denis film I've seen (
Beau Travail). But I knew there'd be dancing and multiple shots of train tracks, and I was happy about that. But then the film started, and it took me a full twenty minutes to get even slightly interested. I like the mood and the tone, but the movie (poetry?) just did so little for me. I have no idea what to do with it. I'm just a simple country pix. All the love for the film really surprises me. I can see people liking it — making even liking it a lot — but love? Huh. Don't see that. Even the dance scene struck me merely as nice. I can't see it through Filmspot-favoring eyes. And Lionel's discovery of Rene really undercut a lot of the dramatic subtlety and understatement that film had going for it until that point. Very bothersome, for me. And I can't in good conscience endorse the film's promotion of binge drinking. So irresponsible. And there weren't nearly enough shots of train tracks. Sorry, everybody.
Grade: B-
So, um, happy birthday, worm! It's the thought that counts, right? Hooray for grade inflation!pixote