The sixth Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES), begins from tomorrow. So we thought of recommending some movies in the festival which our authors have liked this year or have heard a lot about. So here we go:
Apur Panchali
This is a real life story inspired by Subir Banerjee, the child actor who played the iconic role of Apu in Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Pather Panchali. Despite being part of such an iconic film ironically Subir ‘Apu’ Banerjee never became a part of any film again in his entire life.
The film won the director Kaushik Ganguly the Best Director award at IFFI this year.
Astu
The pair of Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sikhtankar are among the most consistent directors in the country. Their latest film Astu which means “so be it”. The film is basically about a father-daughter relationship that reverses the equation between father and daughter when the father, a retired Sanskrit scholar, suddenly loses his memory and the daughter finds herself mothering him like a child. ‘Being in the moment’ is the bottom line in this story as it is in all human relationships.
Fandry
A one sided love story between a Dalit teenager and upper-caste girl? This might sound like a typical storyline, but it is a very special film. First good thing, there is no unwanted sympathy for a dalit boy. He sketched it as human as anybody, just like any village teenager. The character actually is very similar to the boy’s character from Nagraj’s national award winning short film Pistulya . Second good thing, it is a light film, with lots of heartwarming emotions despite its volatile content. It makes you love the characters even more. And at the same it never makes fun of them It infuses realism. It makes characters more real and we develop empathy with them. And beautiful dialogues add more to it. Further, it makes a profound social statement, without actually saying it explicitly. The scene where the pig, is carried in front of the wall, where Ambedkar , Phule and other dalit leaders are painted, is a strong social statement in itself. It is up to you to choose what to make out of it. And finally another highlight is the ending of the film, it is always better to end on high note, rather than to start brightly and nosedive badly. Fandry is certainly is one of the best Indian films made in the last decade, it has classic, written all over it. Salute.
ID
A young woman named Charu (Geetanjali Thapa) stays in a rented apartment with her friends in Mumbai. One day an unnamed labourer who is doing the painting job at her home becomes unconscious . She rushes him to the hospital , however he dies sometime later . And her search for discovering the deceased man’s identity leads her through the dark underbelly of Mumbai.
The film is crisp and engaging aided by able cinematography and competent performances. The way the film has been shot especially in the slum areas of Mumbai is remarkable. And very well conveys the claustrophobic way of living in Mumbai. Geetanjali Thapa does an efficient job in the lead role.
The Amazing Catfish
This is a heartwarming , mind boggling, powerful, mediating film. It is not a film, rather an experience that one should have. Story, characters and emotions are so real and yet so dreamy. Claudia Sainte – Luce is a director to look out for in future. And one hardly realizes that it is her debut film. Performances are as good as real. You actually end up feeling like being yet another member of Martha’s amazing family.
Its better not to give away much of the plot, because it is more about feeling this wonderful experience than about plot and story. It is a simply told film and with some really heartwarming characters. It is a story of a wonderful family and of a beautiful lonely girl-Claudia. And how one day she meets the most amazing catfish.
Gloria
It is a tale of a divorcee in a new relationship with a superb performance by the lead actress Paulina García. Here is The Guardian getting really impressed by the film.
A Touch of Sin
This Chinese film written and directed by Zia Jhangke won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes this year. Its a film that talks about 4 independent stories with some random act of violence bringing in a defining moment in each of these acts/stories. The film is disturbing and makes you pause and reflect thanks to some really interesting moments. The performances are top notch and this is one film that you cannot get enough of. Definitely a recommended watch.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
Winner of this year’s Palme D’Or at Cannes, Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue is the Warmest Color, is a like a wonderful poetry on the big screen. The film is based on the French graphic novel, Blue Angel and talks about the lives of Adele and Emma. The film starts off with Adele, a high school junior and extremely popular girl in school who ends up meeting Emma, a student of Fine Arts and an aspiring artist. Throwing caution to the wind both Adele and Emma embark on a path less trodden, but a decision taken out of choice. What does life have in store for them? How do they deal with love, relationship, heartbreak, commitment and more is what the film takes us through. With brilliant performances from the cast, especially Adele Exarchopoulos (who plays Adele), the film has a simple subject but handles it in admirable fashion. Though the film has a lot of sex on screen, credit to the director for making it look artistic and not vulgar. As the story progresses you forget that the film is all about 2 women as what unfolds can happen between a boy & a girl or even between two boys. That’s how powerful the storytelling is as it literally sucks the viewers in. Easily among the best films seen this year, this one is a recommended watch.
Short Term 12
You can’t go too wrong with films set in correctional institutions. There will be some moment, some scene which will warm your audience’s heart. But the amazing part about Dustin Cretton’s Short Term 12 is that it does not get a single note wrong. You have met them all before, the reticent inmate, the mentally deranged one, the one with a hidden talent and the caretaker with a past of her own. Yet ST12 compares with some of the best of the genre like Awakenings or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. are perfectly suited for their leading roles. After three stressful days, I was feeling a little tired. ST12 put the life back in me.
The Major
It starts with a crime scene, which is more of an accident than a crime. A Russian police major Sergey is rushing to hospital, his wife is pregnant. And he unnecessarily speeds his vehicle and being unable to see a boy and his mother appear in front of the car, he ends up running over the boy, and killing him. He immediately gets out, locks the mother in his car and waits until the police arrives. Now seeing their senior officer there is an attempt to to suppress the evidence and make it look like an accident. Also they make it look like that the mother was drunk and it was she who was at the fault. And then starts a drama, which ends up with the killing of 3 policemen and 3 civilians. And the major is somehow is at the center of all the killings.
It is a thriller with lots of human emotions, and at the same time very realistically shot. Acting is superb. Film rarely has a dull moment. Something keeps happening always, and yet the plot looks very natural and twists are believable. It is a rare kind of crime drama thriller, which holds you right till the end. And it also ask us lots of questions about ethics and morality. It also makes us realize the not so obvious consequences of corruption and crime in general.
The Past
After charming audiences Worldwide with A Separation, Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi returns this year with a French film, The Past (Le Passe). Ahmed an Iranian returns back to Paris after 4 years to complete the divorce proceedings with his wife, Marie. Marie who is now in a relationship with Samir, wants Ahmed to talk to her elder daughter Lucie who seems to be distressed with the entry of Samir into her mother’s life. Pretty soon the characters get drawn into an intricate web of complex relationships, threatening to upset both old and new relationships. While there is a resemblance in terms of the basic theme with A Separation, its very interesting to see how Asghar Farhadi has managed to still keep the film engaging enough and make it look worthwhile. The performances are all noteworthy and Berenice Bejo in fact won the Best Actress Award at Cannes Film Festival this year for her portrayal of Marie. It is heartening to know that a film like this would be getting a theatrical release in India as well shortly.
Young and Beautiful
A selection from the official competition section from Cannes and boy, did it deserve to be there! Marine Vacth, a 17 year old moonlights as a prostitute for extra cash. Until one wealthy client asks her to be his regular. From this point on it feels like we know where things are going but but end up being wrong everytime. Vacth brings out the melancholy of her character through her performance. Another winner by director François Ozon.
ILO ILO
Yeh Ilo Ilo kya hai, yeh Ilo Ilo? Ilo Ilo is proof that good writing can elevate the most mundane of stories to the level of a classic. The story need not be too profound. The thought, the minor details behind every scene is what matters most. The basic structure of Ilo Ilo reminded me of A Separation. A Filipino maid is hired by a family in Singapore. The small boy in the family initially gives her hell but gradually a bond develops between the two, much to the discomfort of the mother. Alongside, the family is facing an economic crunch, reflecting the state of the Singaporean economy. This makes having a maid a luxury they can ill afford. The film touches upon many such issues while keeping the mood light and jovial. Ilo Ilo is a film of the quality achieved when the director has also written the screenplay. A memorable debut by Anthony Chen, this film won the Camera d’Or at Cannes this year.
Wadjda
Saudi Arabia’s entry to the Oscars is a film of many firsts. This first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia is the story of a young girl living in a suburb of Riyadh determined to raise enough money to buy a bike in a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. Even more impressive, it is the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker. Here’s a detailed review of the film.
Filed under: Indie & Fest