James Absolon explains how this Pope-themed film, despite its risky premise, works
Alex Pollard reviews Hollywood's biopic of the controversial Margaret Thatcher
Over the next two terms, Peter and James will be taking us on an around-the-world trip through the medium of film. Each week will take us to a new destination - so check back every Thursday to see where we're going, and perhaps be intrigued by a film you never thought you would be.
From a cinematic leviathan last week we turn our attention to the small nation of Israel who in the last decade has proven to possess a burgeoning film industry. With critical acclaim now flying in from all directions, helped due to both greater domestic funding and an increased scope of content, it was only natural that two recent films were to be the choice of focus.
Director: Ari Folman
Waltz with Bashir is an animation, yet is as far removed from the traditional western animation as possible. Indeed to my knowledge the film is unique; an autobiographical war documentary detailing the director’s search to remember the 1982 Lebanon war.
The use of animation may seem like an odd choice to reflect the horrors of war, yet soon becomes the films greatest asset. To begin with it looks fantastic with truly stunning visuals throughout ranging from the titular Waltz with Bashir to an amazing montage beginning with a machine gun air guitar solo. The animation also helps create the film’s unique style which gives it a hallucinatory quality, presenting war as a bizarre and confused nightmare in which very little makes sense. Indeed, the theme of the insanity of war runs throughout the film, with part of the war referred to as being like an LSD trip.
However, when dealing with Sabra and Shatila, animation proves an ineffective leading to the perfectly understandable change newsreel footage at the very end of the film. It does proves an effective realisation of the horror of the atrocity, yet is disappointing considering the brilliant use of animation throughout the film. Overall however, the film succeeds on almost every other level both as a study of the mentality of war, an attempt to understand it and crucially does not allow politics to interfere with the storytelling, making for a unique and brilliantly thought-provoking portrayal of war.
Director: Eran Kolirin
Although not as well known internationally The Band’s Visit swept the Israeli national film awards (known as the Ophirs) winning eight in total and was due to be the official selection for the Academy Awards, the one issue being that more than 50% of the dialogue was conducted in broken English, a theme that adds a great poignancy to the 87 minutes that unfold.
The film’s focal point is The Alexandra Ceremonial Police Orchestra who, through miscommunication, becomes stranded in the town of Bet Hatikva (having wanted to travel to the city of Petah Tikva). With no means of reaching their destination the entire orchestra are taken in by local restaurateur Dina and her friends. Due to the cultural differences, including a war that was still fresh in the minds of the older characters, the only way that the two groups are able to interact is through either gestures or broken English.
With both sections being robbed of their mother tongue the film is able to greater explore the relationships between the Arabs and the Israelis, since if something is truly important then they find a way to say it, otherwise there is nothing. A world that is robbed of the fluff and just the significant moments in time - strange how such a concept can create such an idyllic vignette where the views of both sides are found to be profoundly changed. With great performances from the two leads Ronit Elkabetz and Saleh Bakri, The Band’s Visit is a truly thought–provoking slice of cinema that leaves us with the hope that the rifts in this country may one day be healed.
You must log in to submit a comment.
