Festival clubs see page 57 0 Festival art see page 72
DRAMA Downtown 81 **
A day in the life ofJean Michel Basquiat
New York in the early 805, the scene of new art and new music. Legendary American graffiti artist Jean Michel Basquiat plays himself wandering through the ghettos of the Big Apple as he attempts to sell a painting to pay the rent. Shot twenty years ago, now released long after Basquiat’s death — ironically at a time when his work sells for big bucks - Edo Bertoglio's film perfectly captures the essence of the era. However, its New Wave soundtrack, coupled with Basqwat’s surreal scribblings, make Downtown 87 strictly for hard-core fans only.
(Helen Monaghan)
I Downtown 87, Cameo 7, 22 Aug, 7 7pm; GFTZ, 24 Aug, 9pm, Fi/mhouse 2, 26 Aug, 70.30pm, £7 (£4.50).
DOCUMENTARY
Les Glaneurs Et La Glaneuse
(The Gleaners And I) **** Cheerful, witty portrait of the underc/ass
An insight into the lives of gleaners - those who subsist on the leftovers of society — from the dying art of traditional gleaning, where the needy
follow harvesters picking up discarded
ears of corn like latterday Ruths, to the bang up-to-date urban foragers who scan dustbins for discarded produce that has just passed its sell- by date. Agnes Varda joins her subjects on the glean around France, and paints an affectionate picture of the ingenious methods used to overcome hardship without ever descending into voyeurism. A cheerful, often witty portrait of an unfortunately common lifestyle. (Jack Mottram)
I Les g/aneurs et la g/aneuse, Fi/mhouse 2, 79 Aug, 5.30pm,“ Fi'lmhouse 3, 20 Aug, 6pm, £7 (£4.50).
DRAMA
Heimkehr Der lager (Hunters In The Snow) ** Middle-class madness in Vienna Franz, a middle-age divorced painter, begins to crack up in modern-day Vienna when his ex-Wife denies him access to his daughter, and his insomnia escalates as he despairs of the dirty, cruel and noisy City. Strange one, this, like a cross between Taxi Driver and The Draughtsman’s Contract but not as intelligent. It's reactionary middle-class tosh, albeit With lovely cinematography and a tortured, compelling central performance. Shame really, because Austria is woefully under-represented in the Festival; With the exception of
Michael Haneke’s Code iconnu, which
is a French production anyway, and the Retrospective film, Liebe/ei', this is the only entry. (Paul Dale)
I Heimkehr Der lager, Fi/mhouse 2,
DOCUMENTARY/DOCU-DRAMA/DRAMA? Beaver Trilogy skit Oddball snapshot of life in Utah If films were awarded star ratings based on how odd they were, Trent Harris' Beaver Trilogy would get *tttt. Harris chanced upon a young man named Larry Huff in a parking lot in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1980 and filmed him talking about his obsession with the singer Olivia Newton John. He then followed Larry to his hometown, Beaver, and filmed him impersonating his idol in a talent contest. Then (1981) he cast Hollywood star Sean Penn as Larry and filmed the whole thing again as a short drama. And, then (1985), he made a third film, this time with Larry played by actor Crispen Glover (his favourite part of all time, apparently). Why? ‘I love Utah, because it's so darned strange,’ says Harris. ‘My biggest fear is that our beloved state will become normal, just another, “Anyplace USA".'
Harris might love strange Utah, but the first film seems to ridicule
Larry's odd passion. However, the Penn and Glover films overturn that notion by dramatising Larry being outcast by his neighbours and finally leaving Beaver and its smalltown prejudices behind. Individually, the films are interestng enough, but watching and comparing them makes for fascinating viewing. Those intrigued by this
THRILLER
Rio Escondido (Hidden River) skit
Tale of familial deceptions
This seemingly straightforward tale of deception steadily mushrooms into a beautiful, contemplative thriller. Ana, a resident of Buenos Aires, finds a letter to her husband pertaining to a secret family he supports in the remote village. When she discovers her presumptions are far from the truth Ana is forced to confront her own insecurities and frailties as well as the situation she has uncovered. Paola Krum is subtle and compelling as Ana, but this is lessened by the tortoise-like, overly-ponderous pacing. Fantastic to look at, but just as you anticipate a lift
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Trent Harris loves Utah, because it's so darned strange
(Miles Fielder)
in the story, it ends, marring an otherwise enticing film.
(Mark Robertson) I Rio Escondido, Fi‘lmhouse 2, 79 Aug,
3.30pm; Fi'lmhouse 3, 22 Aug, 6pm, £7 (£4.50).
DRAMA
I Prefer The Sound Of The Sea (Preferisco ll Rumore Del Mare) ***
Contemplative Italian drama
Directed by and starring Mimmo Calopresti, this contemplative Italian drama examines divisions between classes, regions and generations that erupt when wealthy Turin businessman, Luigi, takes in a distant young relative from the South.
J
Midwestern madness, and don't necessarily believe everything you see, should check out other Harris oddities such as Plan 10 From Outer Space.
I Beaver Trilogy, Fi/mhouse i, 20 Aug, 70.45pm; Fi/mhouse 3, 25 Aug, 9pm, £7 (£4.50).
Frustrated in his relationship with his troubled teenage son, Matteo, Luigi hopes he will gain the respect he thinks he deserves from the southern stray, but instead is made to realise his vain and selfish nature when the boy stubbornly rejects his charity. This moral piece forces its message of money breeding ignorance and neglect; nonetheless, it’s an entertaining study of a dysfunctional family on the rocks.
(Catherine Bromley)
I / Prefer The Sound Of The Sea, Cameo 7, 78 Aug, 5.30pm; Lumiere, 24 Aug, 7pm, £7 (£4.50).
HORROR
The Irrefutable Truth About Demons **
Derivative Satanic thriller
The Irrefutable Truth About Demons. apparently, is that they like horror films and are Ministry fans. End of story. All the usual rules apply: the kids go down to the basement armed only With torches; Satan is bald and kooky goths have pretty antiques and sleep in white- muslin-draped candlelit bedrooms. Surprismgly, for a mowe that has cherry- picked scenes, dialogue and speofic shots from Hel/raiser, Ghostbusters, Lost Boys, American Werewolf, Prince Of Darkness, Creepshow and Angel Heart, it's a safe, predictable and ultimately dull way to spend 86 minutes. As a short with an industrial soundtrack, it might have been fantastic. (Adele Hartley)
I The irrefutable Truth About Demons,
The man who gave Seven its stunning visual look, ace cinematographer Darius Khondji, comes to Edinburgh to give a Reel Life masterclass about his art. Filmhouse 1, 17 Aug, 7pm, £7 (£4.50).
20 Aug, 70.30pm, Fi/mhouse 3, 23 Aug, 3pm, £7 (£4.50).
Cameo i, 20 Aug, 72.30am; GFT, 25 Aug, 77pm, £7 (£4.50). }
17-24 Aug 2000 THE lIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 87