filmelist.co.uk
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The god
of small thv
REBECCA MILLER believes in small things. But with a new film, two more in the pipeline, plus a novel to finish and a baby to mother, she doesn’t think small. VVOHlS. Miles Fielder
chccca .\lil|cr sa}s to ntc: ’Nicc to talk to a
man. hccausc |’\c onl} talkcd to \\'t)ltlL‘ll so
lar.' .\'opc. .’\rthur .\li|lcr‘s daughtcr hasn't Icad a closctcd litc'. shc mcans thc journalists uhch hccn intcrxicxting hcr ahout hcr sccond film as \\t‘ilCl'/dil'cclt)l'. l’t'l‘wmu/ \i'hu‘ilt'. llilVL‘ all hccn \tomcn. Alarm hclls? Is this rcmarkahlc littlc film. which pinpoints thrcc inolal momcnts in thc lix'cs of thrcc dillcrcnt “much. going to hc pigconholcd as a dumh. hass—thc-hankics-and-chocs "chic Hick"? Just in casc )ou hcar othcru isc: l’t'rwmt/ li'lm'ili' is not a ClllC lilic‘ls.
It'd hc a hloxx to ha\ c a lilm shc's \mrkcd so hard upon shc adaptcd it from hcr ou‘n hook of short storics ot' thc samc namc dismisscd that “'11). L‘\pL‘L‘ittll} its Nllllct'is L‘lltltlt'ctl a lc\\ hard knocks tr_\ing to gct mmics mach a rcmakc of thc l’oucll and l’rcsshurgcr classic (itht' to [furl/1 collapscd during prc-production.
.~\part lrom .\lil|cr's surc hand \xith stor}tclling \l}lL‘ and structurc. \xhat's rcmarkahlc ahout l’t'r.wnu/ \i'lm'ilt at'c thc small scalc cpiphanics that mark tttrning points. mm} from controlling mcn tl rcpcat: not a chic lilick). 'l‘hcsc momcnts in thc thrcc storics. 'l)c|ia’. '(ircta' and ‘l’aula’. spcak \olumcs. In onc sccnc. Dclia. a noman cont'idcnt. popular and tough in hcr )outh but long sincc coucd h} an ahusnc hushand. hrcaks doun in thc damn light of a l‘ricnd‘s l‘ront )ard. l’la} ing l)clia. K) t';t SL‘tlg“ ic‘k is ttslttttisltlltg.
‘.-\_s shc hcgan to do \\ hat shc \\ as going to do.‘ stl)\ \lillc‘l' til ScdgMck. 'l t‘L‘aliscd that l \liUllltllld cut. ljust lct it go and go and go. for about 15
22 THE LIS1’.
‘You can know everything if you know
so, I gt‘cat. s\\ccping \xork that co\crs all to know beans’
‘ «ti Small scale Personal Velocity speaks volumes
minutcs. .\'ot that K}ra cricd thc \xholc timc; al‘tcr a “hilc shc stoppcd. and that‘s as intcrcsting as an_\thing. l \tantcd to \\lllL‘ll hcr comc out of it. I rcaliscd al‘tcr a uhilc thc acting hurncd aua) and thcn thcrc was just hchmiour. that l'ccling ot' hcing spcnt. .'\l‘lL‘l' l liltttll) tlitl L‘lll. l sititli "YOUNG [Ultl lllL‘ slur} til- thc \VlltilL‘ tilm." 'I'hc sadncss. thc conflict. but also thc rccttpcration. thc scnsc of hcing ()K.’
.\li|lci”s a big hclicvcr in small things. 'Who \\Ll\ it. 'l‘hcroux‘." shc asks. ‘uho said somcthing likc: "ll' _\ott knou hon to gt‘tm hcans . . Somcthing ahottt thc knowlcdgc ol' onc littlc thing is thc most important \ta) )‘ou can Icarn. hccausc ya: can thcn lcarn thc Iargcr picturc. You can knou c\'cr.\thing il‘ )ott l\lttt\\ hcans. So. I tr} to know hcans.’ Shc's laughing at this point.
lncUtahh. I ask hcr ahout hcr \'cr}' famous lathcr tnot to push in) luck. I lcaxc \cr} tamous hushand Danicl l)a}-l.c\\'is and thc hah} thc} haxc togcthcr alonc). .\li|lcr suggcsts hcr rclati\cl) sltm-hurning carccr shc hcgan \tith painting. mox'cd on to acting. thcn dirccting lilms and most rcccntl} \xriting liction
has sontcthing to do \\ ith hcr tathcr. ’I think smallf shc sa}s. ‘I don't haVc grandiosc idcas ol' \\ hat I’m going to makc. or uhat imprcssion I might makc on thc \xorld. lt' tnorc pcoplc gct to scc m_\ \\t)l‘l\' thcn I'm rcall} happ}. \l;t}hc it's hccausc that joh got takcn alrcady‘ shc sa)s. laughing: about hct‘ lathct'. "l‘hc
thc \\t)l'ltl. l'm ol‘l‘cring up thcsc littlc gills. In it \\a_\ it's lllL'L‘. it's ti good \\1l_\ ol‘ hcing. rcalh.‘
.»\ \cr) good ua}. l \cntttrc. l)cspitc taking onl} thrcc hours out ol mothcring cach da} to work. Millcr's got two lihns in thc pipclinc: 'I‘lu' Row and Illt’ Sim/w 'ahout.’ shc sa}s. 'hou cxcr_\thing is hccoming suhurhia. unhcalth} tamil} rclationships: it could hc quitc funny and thcn anothcr shot at rcmaking (in/1c In [furl/t. ()h. and shc‘s uriting a no\ cl. And this is thc \toman uho thinks small'.’
Personal Velocity is on selected release from Fri 28 Mar. See review, page 23
Rough cuts Lights. camera. act/on
Respiro, playing at the Italian Film Festival
;VIVA! THE SPANISH FILM festival is about to finish its run at the Glasgow Film Theatre before moving on to Edinburgh's Filmhouse, where it runs 28 March-3 April. Among the festival‘s highlights of contemporary Spanish cinema are No One will Speak of us When we are Dead. starring the evergreen Victoria Abril, and Fausto 5.0, a radical interpretation of the Dr Faust myth made by the acclaimed and highly innovative Catalan performance group La Fura dels Baus.
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