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Author Topic: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"  (Read 9674 times)

ses

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November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« on: November 03, 2010, 02:14:57 PM »
We will need this soon
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Bondo

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2010, 08:37:50 PM »
You, The Living (Roy Andersson, 2007)

Now I know where I get it. I've got Norwegian ancestry and have frequently been drawn to Scandinavian films, which given their prominent position frequently means Swedish film (I'm better able to let go of the Norway-Sweden tension than Matty Ballgame it seems ;)). You, The Living has a fantastic dry, pessimistic sense of humor. It is a film that easily pushes the boundaries of quirk that have doomed many other films but its sensibility just makes it work.

What you have are a set of 50 skits involving this community of a dozen or so main characters, all with their slightly odd behaviors and dialogue (the non-professional actors work here in part because the awkwardness of much of the dialogue is serviced by awkward deliveries). As is to be expected with a film of all these small, loosely connected moments, some of them fall rather flat, but there are a few truly brilliant sequences and many other small, enjoyable moments, little contrasts between dialogue and setting, to really pay off.

Under 90 minutes, You, The Living is a quick, refreshing film experience, especially if you can appreciate the grim wit on display. After this I'm definitely keen to check out more of Roy Andersson's work. Thanks to Melvil for the dictation and getting me to check out this film that I had wanted to try for a while.

1SO

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2010, 09:08:20 PM »
Bondo, I'll make you a deal.  You check out Roy Andersson's Songs From the Second Floor (which I really liked) and I'll watch You, The Living.

Corndog

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2010, 09:22:11 PM »
I liked it too.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

Bondo

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2010, 09:54:18 PM »
Bondo, I'll make you a deal.  You check out Roy Andersson's Songs From the Second Floor (which I really liked) and I'll watch You, The Living.

That sounds win/win. I'll try to get to that this month.

MartinTeller

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2010, 11:06:28 PM »
Oh thank heavens, there's hope for Bondo.  Yes, definitely check out Songs from the Second Floor.  If you like one, it's guaranteed you'll like the other.

Melvil

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2010, 01:20:08 AM »
Yes, definitely check out Songs from the Second Floor.  If you like one, it's guaranteed you'll like the other.

Very much so! Really glad you enjoyed it, Bondo, and I can't wait to hear what you think of Songs from the Second Floor.  They share that same brilliant style, but I feel like as a whole they each work in their own ways.

Could you point out a favorite sequence from You, the Living? There are many I loved, but I feel like the train-house scene really stood out (not just for the spectacle of it, either).

Bondo

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2010, 09:31:31 AM »
My favorite sequence was the whole dream about the gross negligence and destruction of property. "It's the worst thing possible" and "That's life." :D

Jared

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2010, 07:39:00 PM »
Earth
1998

Deepa Metha certainly qualifies as a director that needs more love, so I suppose I need to start off my write up by thanking Bondo for making me aware of her work. I was assigned the movie Earth, from her Elements trilogy (the film is preceded by Fire and followed by Water. Despite being a loosely connected trilogy such as GVS's Death trilogy or something like that, I felt like watching them in order so I watched Fire too. Ill be watching Water within a week or so I suppose. Anyways, Fire was a promising enough start, but I found Earth considerably more impressive, most likely because  in addition to the circumstances floating around the main characters, the stakes of the overall story just feel so much higher



Earth takes place in 1947, when the British leave India, and the country has to be partitioned. The Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Sikhs all have to decide where they stand (I should say here that I apoligize in advance for both mispelling and/or screwing up any historical facts regarding countries, religions or whatever).

The main characters are Lenny, a Parsi girl of about 10 I would guess, and her Hindu caretaker. Lenny's caretaker is very beautiful and the two of them constantly hang out with her friends, a few of whom have a crush on her. All of Ayah's (the caretaker) friends are of different religions. The Parsi's are neutral in the situation, while the Hindus appear to be the most persecuted of all the groups.

Much of the beginning of the movie sets up the overall political climate. I'm glad it was there because the politics are fairly complicated (in truth I'm still a bit confused about a thing or too). The movie really gets good after this though, and Id rather not go into too much detail on the specifics of the plot because it would be quite spoiler filled. I will say that the romantic aspirations of some of the men in Ayah's group, mixed with their opposing cultures, create a hell of an interesting and suspensful rivalry.

The cast is all likeable, and the camera is doing a lot of interesting things, especially near the beginning. During a conversation at the dining room table at the beginning, there is a long take where the camera basically zooms into each person, then backs out to zoom in on the next, all while rotating slowly around the table. Interesting stuff indeed.

Metha does a terrific job putting together the ending, and it really makes the viewer run the entire range of feelings For the final half hour or so you are hit with one emotionally charged scene after another, with the stakes of the story continuing to escalate. The ending, is one of the most devestating scenes I've scene in a long time

Overall, Im really glad I participated in MDC this month. Metha's movies arent really recommended to me on any movie sites I hang around on, so I probably wouldn't have seen them otherwise. I would highly recommend checking out Earth if you get the oppurtunity.

4/5
« Last Edit: November 06, 2010, 07:44:16 PM by jrod »

Bondo

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Re: November 2010 MDC Write ups: Directors that "need more love"
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2010, 08:41:38 PM »
Yay! 4/5 is what I'd rate the film (and it is the one I'd consider the best of the trilogy) so I think we're on the same page so far. I really do need to revisit the trilogy and catch up with her other films. Your enthusiasm makes me want to make it that much more of a priority.

 

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