Film Index PROFILE
Name Clotilde Hesme Born 30 July 1979, Troyes, France. Background The daughter of a lawyer father and a social worker mother, Hesme studied literature at the Sorbonne and acting at Paris’s prestigious Conservatoire drama school. On graduating, her first stage role was in a play written by Christophe Honoré, Les Debutantes. Film-wise she has appeared in Jerome Bonnel’s family drama, Le Chignon d’Olga, and she starred as a young sculptor opposite Louis Garrel in Regular Lovers, Philippe Garrel’s melancholic mediation on the events of 1968 in Paris. She teamed up again with Garrel Jnr in Honoré’s Nouvelle Vague homage, the contemporary musical, Chansons D’Amour, where her character is involved in a ménage- à-trois. What’s she up to now She’s in Jacques Malliot’s Rivals, a 1970s- set crime drama based on the real- life story of two Lyonnais brothers, in which Hesme stars alongside Guillaume Canet and Francois Cluzet. She has also completed filming Bertrand Bonello’s On War, together with Mathieu Amalric, Asia Argento and the late Guillaume Depardieu. What she says about shooting Rivals ‘This was the first movie I shot where I could do more than one take; Philippe Garrel believes in the spontaneity of the first take, and with Love Songs we had very little money and we were shooting very quickly. In a way Rivals is my first action movie — I get to leap on to a glass table.’ What she says about the French president ‘The fact Sarkozy is president makes me uncomfortable and angry. It’s like Debord said: ‘we’re now living in a society of spectacle.’ I remember his wedding was announced the day after Colonel Gadafy came to Paris, and everyone was talking about the wedding and not about politics. I think he’s afraid of intellectuals and young people, and he wants to control everything like Berlusconi. It’s really scary.’ Interesting Fact In her spare time Hesme sings in a rock band. (Tom Dawson) ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 5 Dec. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 12 Dec. See review, page 44. 48 THE LIST 27 Nov–11 Dec 2008
Edge of America (E) (Chris Eyre, US, 2003) James McDaniel, Irene Bedard, Delanna Studi. 105min. A black teacher takes a job as a high school English teacher at the Three Nations Reservation and is persuaded to coach the girls’ basketball team. Edinburgh Film Guild, Edinburgh. Elegy (15) ●●●●● (Isabel Coixet, US, 2008) Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper. 112min. Coixet’s take on Roth’s novella The Dying Animal is a fine and delicate adaptation. Ageing college professor and womaniser David Kepesh (Kingsley) plucks young woman Consuela (Cruz) out of his literature class and embarks on an affair, his growing love for her forcing him to confront his own future and impending old age. Odeon: Braehead, Renfrew. Elementary School (PG) ●●●●● (Jan Sverák, Czech Republic, 1991) Jan Triska, Zdenek Sverák, Libuse Safránková. 90min. Debut film from the director of the Oscar- winning Kolya set in 1946 in an all-male school in Prague, infamous for its bad behaviour. When a new teacher arrives, his status as an ex-soldier gains the blind admiration of his pupils. Set during a period of transition after the defeat of fascism and before the iron grip of communism, the film captures the playfulness of childhood. Part of Winter Festival of Central and East European Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Empties (12A) ●●●●● (Jan Sverák, Czech Republic, 2007) Zdenejk Sverák, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Daniela Kolárová. 100min. Likeable, bittersweet comedy about ex-teacher Josef (Sverák) who spices up his retirement by taking a job collecting empty bottles at the local supermarket. Trouble looms when the supermarket starts to consider an automatic recycling machine. Part of Winter Festival of Central and East European Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Express (PG) ●●●●● (Gary Fleder, US, 2008) Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Justin Martin. 129min. Turgidly sentimental biopic of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy (a collegiate football trophy) that’s every bit as worthy and emotionally manipulative as you would expect. General release from Fri 5 Dec. The Fall (15) ●●●●● (Tarsem Singh, India/US/UK, 2006) Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell, Lee Pace. 117min. A little girl (Untaru) meets a paralysed stuntman in hospital (Pace) and the patient proceeds to relate a colourful tale, all influenced by his state of mind. As time goes by the boundaries between fiction and reality blur rather alarmingly. An extravagant, self-indulgent, amazing, eye-catching and confounding work. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽ Filmmaking and the Way to the Village (12A) ●●●●● (Fukuda
Katsuhiko, Japan, 1967) 54min. A member of the Ogawa Pro collective that made the Sanrizuka environmental protest films, Katsuhiko shot this documentary behind the scenes of Ogawa’s Sanrizuka – Heta Village. A portrait of Ogawa’s filmmaking methods and an intense portrayal of the collective from well within its ranks. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Flawless (12A) ●●●●● (Michael Radford, US, 2008) Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Lambert Wilson. 108min. See review, page 46. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Showcase Cinema, Paisley, Paisley. Four Christmases (12A) ●●●●● (Seth Gordon, US/Germany, 2008) Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Kristin Chenoweth. 88min. See also released, page 46. General release. Ghost Town (12A) ●●●●● (David Koepp, US, 2008) Ricky Gervais, Frank Kinnear, Téa Leoni. 102min. For this Manhattan-set interpretation of A Christmas Carol Gervais plays middle-aged smock- wearing tooth jockey’ (dentist) Bertram Pincus, a hateful runt of a man. After going into hospital for an endoscopy, Bertram starts to see dead people, one of whom, Frank (Kinnear), is about to change Bertram’s life by introducing him to widower Gwen (Leoni). The results are predictably bland but not without their merits. General release. Gomorrah (15) ●●●●● (Matteo Garrone, Italy, 2008) Salvatore Abruzzese, Simone
Sacchettino, Salvatore Rocco. 137min. Garrone offers an intriguing account of the Napoli-based Camorra, adapted from the bestselling book by journalist Roberto Saviano. This excellent ensemble drama shows us various facets of Mafia life, from the recruiting of young kids to the infiltration of seemingly legitimate industries such as haute couture and segues into the waste industry. A deserving winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Heavy Load (12A) (Jimmy Rothwell, UK, 2008) Jimmy Nichols, Michael White, Mick Williams. 91min. Brighton punk band Heavy Load is uniquely made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities. Rothwell takes a comical look at their rise from social care to starry heights, and back again. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Heavy Metal in Baghdad (12A) ●●●●● (Suroosh Alvi/Eddy Moretti, US/Canada, 2007) 84min. See picture, page 50. Cameo, Edinburgh. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (U) ●●●●● (Kenny Ortega, US, 2008) Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale. 111min. This time high school seniors Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) prepare for separation before they head off to different colleges by staging an elaborate spring musical. General release. The House Bunny (12A) ●●●●● (Fred Wolf, US, 2008) Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone. 97min. Predictably pitiful comedy about a recently unemployed Playboy mansion bunny (Farris) who goes to college. Formulaic Legally Blondeish slapstick which still manages to raise a few laughs. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow.
✽ Hunger (15) ●●●●● (Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland, 2008) Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Helena Bereen. 96min. In 1981 provisional IRA member Bobby Sands allowed his body to become the ultimate instrument of protest when he led the Maze prison hunger strike. Directed by Turner Prize-winning artist McQueen and written by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, Hunger is the story of the last six weeks of Sands’ life. A brave and unforgettable film, tinged with thematic prescience and the politics of belief. Showcase Cinema, Coatbridge, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Hustler (15) ●●●●● (Robert Rossen, US, 1961) Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C Scott, Piper Laurie. 135min. Newman stars in the accustomed role of small-time con-man, this time hustling on the pool tables. Eventually, however, he is snookered by love in this atmospheric, downbeat melodrama. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. I’ve Loved you So Long (12A) ●●●●● (Philippe Claudel, France, 2008) Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius. 117min. In northeast France, Lea (Zylberstein) has just been released from behind bars and the story follows her re-introduction into society and gradual emotional rapprochement with her sister (Scott Thomas). Claudel’s directorial debut places everyone inside metaphorical prisons in this patient and sensitively shot family drama. Selected release. Igor (PG) ●●●●● (Anthony Leondis, US/France, 2008) Voices of John Cusack, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard. 86min. Hunchbacked Igor (voiced by Cusack) ekes out his precarious existence as humble servant to the sinister Dr Glickenstein (Cleese), an evil genius set on winning the annual evil science fair in the badass province of Malaria. But Igor bravely decides to enter the competiton himself and enters his Bride of Frankenstein-style creation called Eva (Molly Shannon). Decent but uninspired animation. General release. Import Export (18) ●●●●● (Ulrich Seidl, Austria, 2007) Ekateryna Rak, Paul Hofmann, Michael Thomas. 141min. Import Export consists of two seemingly unrelated stories. Olga (Rak) is a Ukrainian nurse, who leaves behind her infant daughter and mother in search of better paid work in Vienna. Unemployed Pauli (Paul Hoffman) meanwhile is making the reverse geographical journey. A political film, in the widest sense of the term, Import Export
demonstrates how in the ‘new’ free-market Europe vulnerable individuals are appallingly exploited. Cameo, Edinburgh. It’s a Wonderful Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Capra, US, 1946) James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell. 129min. Classic Christmas tale. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. Kill Your Timid Notion Festival (E) Touring version of the DCA’s annual experimental sound and film festival featuring screenings, performances and events from Ken Jacobs, Keith Rowe, Bruce Mclure, Jeanne Liotta’s, Manual Saiz, Peter Rose, Paul Shartis, Peter Kubelka, Hollis Frampton and Michael Snow. CCA, Glasgow.
✽ The King of Kong – a Fistful of Dollars (PG) ●●●●● (Seth Gordon,
US, 2008) Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Walter Day. 83min. Mildly obsessive video gamers compete to blast world records on classic arcade games. Wickedly funny and insightful documentary that opens the door on a closed world of dexterity, geekery and obsession. One of the best documentaries of this year or any year. Part of Illuminations festival. See preview, page 43. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Kolya (12) ●●●●● (Jan Sverák, Czechoslovakia, 1996) Zdenek Sverák, Andrej Chamilon, Libuse Sfrankova. 101min. Womaniser and bachelor Louka (Sverák) marries a Russian woman who wants a Czech passport and, when she skips the country, is left to look after her five-year- old son. Separated by language, nationality, age and blood, surrogate father and child discover how to care and love across such divides. Oscar-winning drama that provides a bleak comment on Russian occupied Czechoslovakia. Part of Winter Festival of Central and East European Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Kour (Smoke) (E) (Tomás Vorel, Czechoslovakia, 1991) Jan Slovák, Lucie Zednícková, Simon Caban. 89min. Late 1980s-set Czechoslovakian musical comedy about a group of industrial employees working in a devastated environment who eventually rebel against their rulers. Part of Czech Film Festival. Gilmorehill G12, Glasgow. Kung Fu Panda (PG) ●●●●● (Mark Osborne, John Stevenson, USA, 2008) Voices of Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie. 91min. Overweight panda Po (Black) joins his heroes, the Fierce Five, in a butt- kicking adventure when the valley of peace is threatened with the return of bad kung fu master, Tai Lung (McShane). This is Dreamworks-does-manga animation, overlaid with an Eastern version of the fated place-in-the-universe style philosophy originally trademarked in The Lion King. Vue Edinburgh Ocean, Edinburgh. Lakeview Terrace (15) ●●●●● (Neil LaBute, US, 2008) Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington. 110min. See review, page 45. General release from Fri 5 Dec Let’s Talk About the Rain (12A) ●●●●● (Agnès Jaoui, France, 2008) Jean- Pierre Bacri, Jamel Debbouze, Agnès Jaoui. 100min. Defying high-concept classification, this episodic, low-key romantic roundelay features feminist writer Agathe (Jaoui), who returns to her childhood home, partly to announce her political candidacy at an electoral rally and partly to help her sister sort through their late mother’s affairs.The housekeeper’s son (Debbouze) and his director pal (Bacri) make a documentary about Agathe: their amateurish filming affected by romantic complications. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Life and Extraordinary Times of Private Ivan Chonkin (15) ●●●●● (Jiri Menzel, UK/Czech/France, 1994) Gennadij Nazarov, Zoja Burjak, Vladimir Ilyn. 106min. Supposedly guarding a crashed plane near a sleepy Russian village during WW2, a happy-go-lucky soldier falls in love with the female postal clerk and romps about on her farm. An award-winner at the 1994 Venice Film Festival, Menzel’s comic satire on Soviet bureaucracy has a warm and gentle tone, but hints at darker depths. Part of Winter Festival of Central and East European Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.