Staff Writer
This is the continuation of the Foreign Films feature presented in the latest issue of the AVC Examiner.
England
“Keeping Mum”
Our first look into English film opens with a young, very pregnant woman riding a train with a smile on her face that never seems to go away. She treats everyone who approaches her with a never-ending supply of courtesy. She’s also just been caught with the bodies of her husband and lover leaking blood from her trunk. After finding her incompetent to stand trial, they lock her away in an asylum.
Years pass, and an elderly Grace (Maggie Smith) is released upon the unwitting public. She finds work as the housekeeper for a vicar (Rowan Atkinson), who can’t seem to get his affairs in order. His sermons are dull, the townspeople harangue him and their constant need for his attention has made him fail to notice the problems with his family. His wife (Kristen Scott Thomas) is seriously contemplating an affair with her golf instructor (Patrick Swayze, whose character is very fun to hate), who plans to run away with her to Mexico. His daughter (Tamsin Egerton), on the other hand, seems to be attempting to sleep with every suitable male candidate in her postal district.
Having a sharp wit and a keen eye, Grace realizes the state of things very quickly and decides that it is her mission to put it right. Loving, comforting, smiling Grace does everything she can to bring her new family together… even if it means dispatching with a couple of people along the way.
This film demonstrates the wonderful English capacity to tell a very heartwarming story in a rather morbid fashion. It toes a very careful line, keeping things very light-hearted despite handling some rather brutal plot devices, and carries with it a twist to the end that really should be expected, and yet somehow manages to go unnoticed ‘til the end.
"Harry Brown"
Michael Caine manages to knock the wind right out of your sails in this painfully dark look at crime and its effects on the victims of violence. A retired veteran and imminent widower, Brown doesn’t have much to do with himself. He plays chess with his friend Leonard (David Bradley) in the pub, has a couple of drinks – but then it’s back to his quiet flat, where he finds himself staring out of his window. Living in a bad part of the city, he has a fine view of the hoods who deal drugs and generally abuse the public below.
Things take a sick twist when Brown discovers that Leonard has been killed by the very same punks who he has been watching. Worse, because of a lack of evidence the police can’t make an arrest. To say the least, this doesn’t sit well. After getting too drunk one night in the pub, he finds himself killing a would-be mugger in self defense. This encounter gives him the idea to carry out swift vigilante justice and kill everyone involved with his friend’s death.
Utterly vicious, “Harry Brown” shows that Michael Caine can still kill you as an old codger. There’s really nothing more that needs to be said.
South America
“Cidade de Deus” (City of God)
Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) has lived in the City of God for his whole childhood. It began as a shanty town west of Rio de Janeiro, where outcasts and refugees came to gather. With it came a criminal element. Many of the young people in the slums are attracted to crime and the rewards it brings – while often suffering the consequences as well. An aspiring photographer, Rocket witnesses the rise and fall of a myriad of criminals while trying to keep out of the line of fire.
Amongst the many faces who come and go, we find Li’l Dice (Douglas Silva). This little nightmare of a child acquires a taste for blood early, shooting the tied-up victims of a brothel after his fellow conspirators rob them. The added heat means the downfall of the band, but Li’l Dice manages to escape notice and rides a violent wave into adulthood as Li’l Zé (Leandro Firmino). After killing most of the drug dealers in the City of God, he finds a kind of wealth and fame that he enjoys.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough. Romantic issues and personal identity turns him into a killing machine that can only be thwarted by opposing dealer Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) and Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge), whose loved ones have suffered death and rape in the face of Li’l Zé’s insecurities.
Rocket must deal with living life while avoiding crime, and capture the opportunity of a lifetime that will finally take him off of the slum streets – while keeping out of the morgue. It is an interesting tale of love and loss, of death and survival, and it also shows the evolution of a grim city as it rises from the dust to become a stone and steel leviathan.
“Nueve Reinas” (Nine Queens)
Gastón Pauls is a con artist who can’t seem to get a break. He needs to collect $70,000 pesos in order to spring his father out of jail, and the going has been rough. A freak encounter with Marcos (Ricardo Darin), a more experienced grifter who has recently lost his partner, brings opportunity and stress as they go through the tricks of the trade.
When the duo discover a scheme to scam “a rich man with a hobby” who is due to be deported to Venezuela the next day, they spring on it. The gig is relatively simple: sell Vidal Gandolfo (Ignasi Abadal) an imitation set of stamps for as much money as they can, and make a quick getaway.
The problem with dealing in confidence, however, is that nothing is as it seems. Everyone wants a cut, people are out to rob Marcos and Juan at any moment, and there is always the very real danger of being arrested or worse. When the tension builds, the pair must rise to the occasion – and try to deal with each other at the same time. For when you’re a confidence man, you can’t trust anyone. You especially cannot trust your partner.
This film has a rougher feel compared to the others to make this list, but its charming delivery and interesting twists in plot make it a must-see.
Japan
“Kokuhaku” (Confessions)
Goodness. If there was ever a film to leave a big, gaping whole in your chest, this is it.
When a junior high teacher (Takako Matsu) loses her daughter at the hands of two of her own students, she doesn’t take it lying down. Japanese criminal law refuses to prosecute minors, even for serious crimes, which means that they’ve gotten away with it scot free. So to get her revenge, she calmly informs her class that the milk her daughter’s killers have been drinking is in fact infected with HIV.
The resulting panic leaves a heavy burden on the class, and they are left to deal with the machinations of both the teacher and the killers, who in their own way are looking to kill someone.
Let me be clear: this is not a light film. This is frankly devastating, and will leave you open-mouthed and awestruck by its callousness. At the same time, however, it is all delivered in such a sweet, empathetic way that you cannot help but feel for these people. Add visually stunning cinematography, and you have a movie you are not likely to forget.
