Reviews

I'm surprised by the lack of enthusiasm that has greeted Gary Burns' fourth feature, A PROBLEM WITH FEAR. Reminiscent of his previous film, WAYDOWNTOWN, FEAR utilizes the insular setting of Calgary's enormous shopping mall and urban life. With an absurdist tone, and hilarious dialogue, Burns examines the culture of fear in which we live. The story is well-constructed, building around Laurie's whose many fears are starting to happen to people around him. FEAR explores similar ground to that which Michael Moore did in BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, but with a sharp, fantastic story. And once again, as in WAYDOWNTOWN, Burns wraps his story up with a surprisingly touching finale.

I had no idea what to expect with Atom Egoyan's new film ARARAT. It has received many negative reviews and scant few good ones. As a big Egoyan fan, I was worried. Would this be the first of his films that I wouldn't enjoy? And the subject, the Armenian Genocide... I just couldn't imagine what Egoyan would attempt that put off so many people. Needless to say, I was completely surprised at how amazing this film is.

ARARAT is not a film about the Armenian genocide. It is a film about truth and history. About how sometimes the way we tell a story is more important than the story itself. He uses the Armenian genocide as the backdrop... the subtext... There's a film within the film that IS in fact about the Armenian genocide. I think the people who didn't like Egoyan's film were looking for something more akin to the film within the film. I was much more interested in the film Egoyan chose to make.

In this film, Charles Aznavour plays a well-known director who is making a film about the Armenian genocide. His style is very over-the-top, with a strong Hollywood epic feel to it. After hearing a lecture by Ani (Arsinée Khanjian), an art history scholar who has recently written a book about a famous Armenian artist who survived the genocide, he and his writer (Eric Bogosian) decide to enlist her help on the movie as a historic consultant, in order to provide accurate details on the film even as they stretch the truth even further to make a dramatic story. Ani's son Raffi is also hired as a production assistant on the film in the hopes that he will come to better understand what happened between the Armenians and Turks and why. Raffi's father was killed in a failed attempt to assassinate a Turkish diplomat 15 years ago. Raffi also has a step-sister, who was the daughter of Ani's first husband. She blames Ani for her father's death (murder? suicide?) and continually appears at Ani's book readings asking disturbing questions linking the subject of her book (who also committed suicide) with her first husband. And there's even more...

There were so many things I admired in this complex, ambitious film. I love the way Egoyan jumps around in time and doesn't really give you any clues... you just have to sit back and figure it out. The film within the film... the one actually about the Armenian Genocide... is stilted and overblown, much like most big Hollywood productions, but not without the horror and tragedy inherent in situation. There are some amazing scenes in ARARAT, especially the ones where Egoyan tries to find an understanding in the Turks point of view regarding the genocide and their inability to accept it. And amazing performances as well. Charles Aznavour is terrific as the director. Christopher Plummer is superb in a quiet performance as an airport customs officer who interviews Raffi on his return to Toronto after a trip to Turkey. And how delightful to see Arsinée in such a large, dramatic part. She really shines in this difficult role. David Alpay is fairly strong in the tricky role of Raffi, especially in his dramatic scenes with Christopher Plummer.

One of the many criticisms I've read about ARARAT is how the dialogue is so expository. I didn't find it so at all. One of the points of the film is how the story of the Armenian genocide has been lost, and that people don't talk about it. There's a lot of explanation on what happened in that period of history told through dialogue, which is as it should be in this film. After all, it's NOT a film about the genocide itself, but who it has been dealt with. Plummer's David, when trying to determine if Raffi is smuggling drugs explains that while it's true, trained dogs could easily sniff out the drugs, he prefers his method of talking to the suspect to find out the truth through dialogue. It's a powerful moment, especially in retrospect when the entire film is revealed.

ARARAT is complex, ambitious, thought-provoking, and masterful. I was so delighted by it after expecting something very different.

Daniel McIvor (THE FIVE SENSES; BEEFCAKE) has written an extraordinary family drama involving three sisters trying to deal with their dying mother and the shared secrets of their past. Surely a recipe for mawkish, formula family drama, MARION BRIDGE succeeds wonderfully thanks to McIvor's sharp, funny screenplay, strong performances by Parker, Jenkins, Smith and youngster Ellen Page, and an assured directorial hand by first-timer von Carolsfeld. BRIDGE is filled with laugh-out-loud humor and powerful emotion as Parker's middle sister Agnes returns to her rural, Cape Breton hometown after living wild in Toronto. Her two sister Theresa and Louise view her return skeptically, but Agnes insists she's given up the booze and drugs she once played heavily with, and takes charge of their mother's care. Yet as in any family drama, those secrets preferred left undiscussed rear their ugly head. The sweeping Nova Scotia landscape echoes the arc of emotions of this troubled family dredged once more to the surface. A stand out film.

In a stunning turn from his previous films, the director of the magnificent THE HANGING GARDEN plunges himself into the ethical morass of the sex trade and poverty of Bucharest, Romania. In a remarkably successful bit of casting, Fitzgerald himself plays a pornographer sent to Romania to exploit the young, inexpensive female labor there. Upon his arrival he befriends an equally corrupt Canadian diplomat, as well as several of the poor and outcast of Bucharest society. Fitzgerald skillfully ties this lives of the poor outcasts with the hundreds of wild dogs that roam the city, and a young man with a temperament ill-suited for his job of catching them for disposal. And with his character, Fitzgerald creates a morally ambiguous man who keeps surprising the viewer in this powerful and wonderfully made film.

What an amazing accomplishment of filmmakers Deborah Vancelette's to write, direct, star, and do just about everything else in this funny, realistic, and ultimately tragic film. Vancelette perfectly captures the harried life of the protagonist. Viewers will empathize with her rough day. Yet Vancelette eloquently shows us that it's all a matter of perspective, and that it's easy to get self-involved and wrapped up in our own situations. "Blink" is a herald of fine work to come from this filmmaker.

The biggest tragedy surrounding this thoroughly delightful movie is its lack of U.S. distribution. I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Boston International Festival of Women's Cinema, and highly recommend it to anyone who gets a chance to see it. Terrific performances, and thoughtful script and great direction from the talented and funny Rose Troche all combine to make this film a winner!