Obsessed With Film

Posted by Matt Holmes

Los Bastardos (English title - THE BASTARDS)

The second feature from Mexican film director Amat Escalante generated a lot of talk here at the Cannes film festival, where it was shown as part of Un Certain Regard, the section dedicated to the offbeat and the new discoveries.

A tale of Mexican immigrants roaming the suburbs of Los Angeles and trying to find some work, the film is a political indictment of the treatment of lower immigrant classes in the US. Aimless at first, the plot makes a sudden twist to a kidnapping tale when its two protagonists break into the home of one of their bosses.

Escalante’s style remains consistent throughout, and his lengthy unmoving shots become more impactful as the narrative takes a turn for the worse.

This striking film was received with applause at the Cannes festival, but it is uncertain whether any will see it outside of festivals. With the costs of releasing films rising, most distributors will stay away from such a long, difficult film. Los Bastardos will have to continue to find its audience through the festival circuit.

 Ashes of Time Redux

Wong Kar-Wai’s reworking of one of his earlier films, released in Hong Kong in 1994, edits and streamlines an interesting mix between the martial arts genre and the director’s own philosophical and melancholic style.

The film did not have a successful initial release, but Wong Kar-Wai hopes this reworking which shortens the film by over a hundred minutes might make it more palatable to audiences. Based on The Eagle-Shooting Hero by Louis Cha, the story is set in ancient times in China and centres around a warrior attempting to forget past loves and hurts.

But like many of the director’s films, Ashes of Time Redux is an exercise in poetic contemplation where the plot takes a back seat to a constant reworking of themes of lost love and memory.

So far the film has been picked up by Sony Picture Classics in the US, but many fear Wong Kar-Wai’s new work by be condemned to a direct to DVD release and the striking colours of this superbly original Wuxia film will never see the light of a movie theatre.

Tony Manero
This Chilean film became a favourite at Director’s Fortnight, a separate section from the main festival’s competition that showcases work from new or upcoming directors. In this case it was the second film from Chilean auteur Pablo Larrain, who made his debut with 2006’s Fuga.

The tale of a John Travolta (named after his character from Saturday Night Fever) impersonator during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, the film is an exploration of the country’s politics, a homage to the years of disco dancing and a story about a man obsessed filled with black humour. It’s central character, bent on winning a Tony Manero impersonation contest on Chilean national television, kills anyone who gets in his way, sometimes in gruesome manners.

“Tony Manero” was praised for being able to deliver a story of many layers, which switches from being an exploration of the country’s history, to a more light-hearted and traditional comedy.

Due to the disappointing selection at this year’s Director’s Fortnight, the film might have a chance at wide distribution, as it was very well received, but Chilean filmmakers still haven’t broken through to the international scene and are very much unknown outside their own country.

categories - Ashes of Time Redux, Cannes, Los Bastardos, Movie News, Tony Manero, Wong Kar Wai

Further Reading

• Cannes Thoughts: INDIANA JONES IV

• Posters from Cannes

• Cannes Review: VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

• INDIANA JONES will say Bonjour at Cannes!

• Studio’s not interested in Woody Allen’s latest flick?

3 Comments »

1. “Three movies that generated buzz at the festival that sadly you might never get to see…”

   …in a theatre. These will all surely come out on DVD but even a cursory look suggests that these are unlikely to be wide theatrical releases if they are released, so most people would have to wait for the DVD anyway. I have no doubt that they will be released but they’ll be rental material if you don’t live near an arthouse cinema.

   They all sound good, but other than Wong Kar-Wai’s name recognition (which didn’t help My Blueberry Nights, or indeed any other Kar-Wai theatrical release financially) they have extremely limited mass appeal. Foreign movies have a hell of a lot more box-office potential than they did 10-15 years ago, but unless you have something that just looks incredible (like Crouching Tiger or Hero) or appeals to a large niche (e.g. Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage), these are always going to be arthouse or DVD discoveries.

   Comment by aphexbr | May 25, 2008

2. Los Bastardos sounds very interesting. I’ll keep an eye out for that one and hopefully it’ll get some decent distribution.

   Comment by James Clayton | May 25, 2008

3. I too think Los Bastardos sounds the most interesting, I just hope it gets a release here in the uk.

   Comment by Tino | May 25, 2008

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