MIFF Day 5
Delusion and fantasy seemed to be the theme today, sometimes beautiful, sometimes horrific.
THE GENIUS AND THE BOYS
Daniel Carleton Gajdusek won the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his work on the Kuru disease affecting cannibal tribes in the highlands of New Guinea. His work proved the existence of Prions, a non-genetic means of disease transmission. He mentored young boys, some of whom went on to become world famous scientists. People such as Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of fractal geometry. He was a genius, no doubt. He adopted many children from New Guinea and other places, taking them to America for their education. Many of them say that without him, they would not be the successes they are today. But then one of the children came forward and alleged that Gajdusek molested him. For much of the running time, you're wondering if he really did anything or not, many of his adopted children defend him, and his friends say he was affectionate to his kids, but not abusive. But then things get murkier, as some of his friends start talking about how adult/child sex was common where the children were from, so if anything untoward did happen, it was within a cultural context. As if that made it okay. And then it hits you with the sucker punch. A spittle-laden outburst by Gajdusek himself, proudly declaring his crimes and insisting that if everyone did it the world would be a better place. My one criticism of the film is that it didn't take this footage and capture the reaction of his peers to it, after all their defences of him. It's horrific to see the man defend himself in such a delusional manner, but it's even worse to see people state bluntly that they don't want to know if he was really that bad, because his contribution to society was so great. I'm not sure who's more deluded, him or his friends. It's left to his brother to state the obvious, he was a criminal who convinced himself that manipulating confused adolescents was loving. A solid portrait of both the achievements and the crimes of a complex and troubled man.
BIBLIOTHEQUE PASCAL
From the horror of denial to the denial of horror, this is a great film that sits alongside Tideland as a deeply uncomfortable experience. Depicting dark events with visual whimsy, it tells the story of Mona, a Hungarian woman who drifts through a miserable life but transforms it into wonderful tales. The first half of the film is a delight, the second half a descent into hell, but both are equally striking. The control of mise-en-scene is powerful and it's easily the most imaginative and visually striking film of the festival so far. The comparisons to Gilliam are well placed. With an end that is both uplifting and slightly sad, and I'll be very interested in seeing what director Szabolcs Hajdu does next.
HOMECOMING
The Masters of Horror anthology series has yet to really convince me the title is deserved. This is no exception. Joe Dante gives us a lame execution of a neat concept, dead soldiers rise from the dead to vote against George Bush Jnr in an attempt to end the war in Iraq. The acting is sub-standard, the camerawork is weak and only the presence of Robert Picardo does anything to make this worth your attention.
IT'S A GOOD LIFE
Another Dante made-for-tv episode. This time for The Twilight Zone. The end is a bit odd, but the rest of it is great fun. A live-action cartoon where people are trapped in a house by a boy who can make anything he wishes for appear. They live in fear of him, and he's too naive to realise he's being selfish. At least until the heroine arrives and starts behaving like a real mother to him. Some great visuals, but it doesn't amount to much.
LIGHTNING
Fortunately, the best was left until last in the Dante omnibus screening. A lovely tale of a wild west prospector and his horse Lightning, a horse with a talent for detecting trouble. Lightning's talents come in useful when two claim jumpers set out to rip off his owner. The central performance of Brian Keith is the highlight, a man who knows westerns like few other actors and sells us his grizzled prospector with ease. But the story has a few great twists and Ron Perlman is great as the villain too. The projection quality wasn't the greatest, it appears to be an old videotape copy, but it was a genuinely enjoyable half hour.
THE GENIUS AND THE BOYS
Daniel Carleton Gajdusek won the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his work on the Kuru disease affecting cannibal tribes in the highlands of New Guinea. His work proved the existence of Prions, a non-genetic means of disease transmission. He mentored young boys, some of whom went on to become world famous scientists. People such as Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of fractal geometry. He was a genius, no doubt. He adopted many children from New Guinea and other places, taking them to America for their education. Many of them say that without him, they would not be the successes they are today. But then one of the children came forward and alleged that Gajdusek molested him. For much of the running time, you're wondering if he really did anything or not, many of his adopted children defend him, and his friends say he was affectionate to his kids, but not abusive. But then things get murkier, as some of his friends start talking about how adult/child sex was common where the children were from, so if anything untoward did happen, it was within a cultural context. As if that made it okay. And then it hits you with the sucker punch. A spittle-laden outburst by Gajdusek himself, proudly declaring his crimes and insisting that if everyone did it the world would be a better place. My one criticism of the film is that it didn't take this footage and capture the reaction of his peers to it, after all their defences of him. It's horrific to see the man defend himself in such a delusional manner, but it's even worse to see people state bluntly that they don't want to know if he was really that bad, because his contribution to society was so great. I'm not sure who's more deluded, him or his friends. It's left to his brother to state the obvious, he was a criminal who convinced himself that manipulating confused adolescents was loving. A solid portrait of both the achievements and the crimes of a complex and troubled man.
BIBLIOTHEQUE PASCAL
From the horror of denial to the denial of horror, this is a great film that sits alongside Tideland as a deeply uncomfortable experience. Depicting dark events with visual whimsy, it tells the story of Mona, a Hungarian woman who drifts through a miserable life but transforms it into wonderful tales. The first half of the film is a delight, the second half a descent into hell, but both are equally striking. The control of mise-en-scene is powerful and it's easily the most imaginative and visually striking film of the festival so far. The comparisons to Gilliam are well placed. With an end that is both uplifting and slightly sad, and I'll be very interested in seeing what director Szabolcs Hajdu does next.
HOMECOMING
The Masters of Horror anthology series has yet to really convince me the title is deserved. This is no exception. Joe Dante gives us a lame execution of a neat concept, dead soldiers rise from the dead to vote against George Bush Jnr in an attempt to end the war in Iraq. The acting is sub-standard, the camerawork is weak and only the presence of Robert Picardo does anything to make this worth your attention.
IT'S A GOOD LIFE
Another Dante made-for-tv episode. This time for The Twilight Zone. The end is a bit odd, but the rest of it is great fun. A live-action cartoon where people are trapped in a house by a boy who can make anything he wishes for appear. They live in fear of him, and he's too naive to realise he's being selfish. At least until the heroine arrives and starts behaving like a real mother to him. Some great visuals, but it doesn't amount to much.
LIGHTNING
Fortunately, the best was left until last in the Dante omnibus screening. A lovely tale of a wild west prospector and his horse Lightning, a horse with a talent for detecting trouble. Lightning's talents come in useful when two claim jumpers set out to rip off his owner. The central performance of Brian Keith is the highlight, a man who knows westerns like few other actors and sells us his grizzled prospector with ease. But the story has a few great twists and Ron Perlman is great as the villain too. The projection quality wasn't the greatest, it appears to be an old videotape copy, but it was a genuinely enjoyable half hour.
posted by Andrew Lee at 12:05 AM
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