www.list.co.uk/film
YELLA (Christian Petzold, Germany, 2007) 89min COO
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As Yella proves herself rr‘. nanous ~.'/ork srtuatrons, Pet/old expects us to follow the rntr'rr:a(’;res of financral transactions gvlrrle at the same trnre suggestrng to the vrewer that we've entered a netherworld wl’rere ethrcal- decision makrng rs frnally much more rmportar‘.’ than the economrc game— playrrrg, llow successful you frnd the frlrn erl really depend on whether you belreve that there rs very much to respond to rn both the lrnarrcral and ethrcal stakes.
lhe style rt; rmpr'essryely low-key but does rt reallr, add up to very rrruch’f Petxold rs, as always, an accomplrshed trlmmaker, but there rs often a pulled punch oualrty to hrs work. and never more so than here. (Tony McKrbbrnr I Crnenor/u’. tr‘L’J)‘ 8 lia‘t). 78 Aug. 59.45pm: (“I 30 Aug, 55pm, both 5‘79?) rl‘:’i.:3tlr.
PARANOID PARK (Gus Van Sant, US, 2007) 85min 0...
Usrng Blake Nelson's noxel as rnsprr'atron Paranoo Park is a Cross between rtferr‘t->'?tc. Buck and The Outsrder‘s. Gus Van Sant pushes the boundaries of the IIlllC-(Ullllelg narr‘atr\ e he essmed rn Elephant to tell this pqu tale of a hrgh school kro' who gets embrorled in a murder rap. Van Sant drsplays hrs uSual fasCrnatron r.-.rth
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XXY
(Lucia Puenzo, Argentina/Spain/France. 2007) O...
Thrs. the r.'-.rrnnrng frlm of the Cannes Crrtzcs' Week lnternatronal Grand Prrx Prr/e brrngs to mrnd the openrng line of Jeffrey Eugenedes bestseller Mrdd/esex: ‘l was born twrce: first. as a baby grrl. on a remarkably smogless DetrOrt day .n January of UGO: and then agarn. as a teenage boy. rn an emergency roonr near Petoskey Mrchrgan. in August of l97‘1f The remarkable thing about Argentrnean TV writer Puertxo‘s ethereal coming-of age debut feature rs that rt's actually more rntrrgurrrg than Eugene-Lies novel.
Alex has turned t5 and needs to decrde whether she '.'.’ants to be a boy or a grrl. Puerrxo axords se rsatronalrsm and cliche as the mood; seaside backdrop and beautiful blue colours add to. the sense of less That not just Alex; but ~:‘:‘.t?r“;.’)rre that comes l'llL) contact ‘.'.rtl\ the hermaphrodrte. ser‘ses I'res Efren rs 'nagnrfrcent as the lead in this traurnat:c tale that
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CRAZY LOVE (Dan Klores. US. 2006) 92min COO
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enerytlay theme. lhe problem gvrth the frlrrr is that Klor'es tells tl rs tale rn the most strarghtfor‘.‘.'artl manner rrossrble It's lrke an old fashroned lV dotumentan. ‘.‘.'rth talkrng heads nterrupted by photographs However not even Klores' drrectron could rurn what rs an extraordrnan, tale of passion. lnterestrng, desprte the exertrrtron, rl<aleerrr Aftabr
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A MIGHTY HEART (Michael Winterbottom. US. 2007) 100min COO.
Prolrfrc. versatile Brrtrsh drrector Mrt:hael Wrnterbottom's frlnr about the krdnapprng of Wall Street Journalrst Danrel Pearl by Pakrstanr mrlrtants rrr Karachi rn 2002 rs at once a rrvetrng polrtrcal thrrller and an enOrrrrously affectrng human drama.
Based on the memoir written by Marrane Pearl, the film reCreates the combined efforts of the Pakistani COunter—terrorrsm unit. an Amerrcan drplomatrc security agent. the FBI. Pearl's colleagues and Marrane herself to navrgate therr way through Pakrstan's prolrferatrng terrorist cells. the countrys labyrinthine bureaucracy and the notorrous Inter-Semces— lntellrgence agenCy to find the mrSSrng ritzlr'r. preSumed to be held somewhere rn the largest City rn the world.
Wrnterbottom and hrs regular crew's errrployment of the dOCLrnieritany-Style they honed wrth the Afghan refugee docudrama In This l/‘/or/d ’fllllled rn Pakrstan at the same trme as Pearl's krdnapprngr gives the film a powerful sense of rmmedraCy. while extensrve consultation wrth the real people
Festival Film
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FARO: GODDESS OF THE WATERS
8am Traoré This may only be Malian writer/director Traoré's first feature but he has worked with many distinguished filmmakers and his work is steeped in diverse influences, including . . . Souloymane Clué It was Cisse who really put Malian. and to a certain degree African cinema. on the map with his remarkable pantheistic 70s and 803 films Baara. and Yea/en. Traoré borrows a graceful shooting style. rhythm and pace from the old master who regularly gave him assistant director work.
Abdemhmano Sissako Another influence on this film is the work of Malian producer/director Sissako. A more political filmmaker than Cissé. Sissako makes polemical dramas that go straight to the heart of Africa's current problems as anyone who has seen his most recent films Bamako and Darratt will know. Traoré also worked with Sissako and was greatly influenced by him. Ousmano Sembono The late great Senegalese filmmaker of Xa/a, Ceddo and Moo/aadé died in June this year. Even though Faro is not Senegalese. it seems a fitting tribute to this tireless advocate of African cinema that a good African film should be at this year's Festival. And Storytelling At its heart Faro is a simple homecoming yarn with engineer Zan (Fill Traoré) returning to the village of his birth only to raise suspicion amongst some of the villagers who believe he may be cursed because his father's identity is still unknown. It's a compelling old-fashioned story that keeps you watching. (Paul Dale)
I Faro: Goddess of the Waters. Cameo, 20 Aug, 8.20pm 8 23 Aug. 5pm, both £7.95 (£5.50).
‘ 6-2? Aug 2007 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 43