Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011 – Round Up

Despite the fact that it’s under the auspices of a new artistic director, little has changed at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The audiences are still young and enthusiastic, the films are eclectic and the weather is mostly unpredictable. Whilst proudly displaying its A-List status on its sleeve (this year welcoming the likes of Judi Dench, John Malkovich and John Turturro to the small Czech spa-town) it continues to have an intimate and inclusive feel that welcomes audiences and industry alike with open arms.

This year’s official competition was a mixed affair with some of the films feeling rather flat and uneven. The French film Holidays by the Sea was touted as channelling the spirit of Jacques Tati by eschewing dialogue to create a physical comedy about a group of people on a seaside vacation. But its attempts at cute whimsy seem rather staid and forced (and also undermined by lots of nudity and some violence) and – especially when compared to the likes of recent similar films such a Rumba – it felt like an extended episode of Mr Bean with breasts. The fact that Pascal Rabaté walked away with the Best Director award was something of a surprise.

More affecting was Bedouin, the story of a Russian woman who – in order to pay for her daughter’s leukaemia treatment – decides to carry the baby of a gay couple. The film often descends into ridiculous melodrama (especially in the final third, which carries the movie off in a completely different direction), but the brilliant central performance from Olga Simonova redeems the movie as she manages to portray both helplessness and fierce determination with equal intensity.

There was another strong female central performance in Cracks in the Shell in which Stine Fischer Christensen plays Fine, a shy actress who is chosen by ferocious director Kaspar Friedmann to take part in his production of ‘Camille’. Again her performance (which netted her the Best Actress award at the festival) just about saves the film as – without her fragile and measured portrayal – it comes across as a second-rate version of Black Swan minus the leotards.

The strong female leads continued in Lollipop Monster, a kaleidoscopic and riotous story of two 15 year-old-girls who find that the journey into adulthood is rife with hypocrisy and danger. A strange mix of comic book aesthetic and intense drama, it was a refreshing change from the more dour films of the programme and marked out debut director Ziska Riemann as someone to watch over the coming years.

Roméo Onze also marked a painful journey into a new stage of life as a twenty something Arab immigrant in Canada struggles with physical disability and creates a new online persona for himself in which he is a rich and successful businessman. It’s another touching performance, in this case delivered by Ali Ammar, in a film that examines how modern society is obsessed with the acquisition of wealth and notions of success.

The same goes for Polish film Heritage in which Zbyszek attempts to leave his small village behind. But with the debts of his father crippling the family and increasing crazy schemes coming Zbyszek’s way, it looks unlikely he will ever escape. Shot in crisp black and white, this is part morality tale and part portrait of a Polish countryside riddled with alcohol and skewed Catholicism. It’s an engaging if sometimes meandering affair.

One of the highlights away from the main competition could be found in the Forum of Independents with Sunflower Hour proving one of the surprise hits of the festival. The Canadian mockumentary about a children’s puppet show, its low-rent producer and the various oddballs who audition to become the show’s new puppeteer was a genuinely funny delight with some pitch perfect performances and some genuinely great ideas.

Obviously made with love and care by cast and crew (some of who were in attendance with puppets in tow) it was an extremely fun movie that should find a worldwide audience, especially if the delighted reactions of the Czech audience are anything to go by, and was a deserved winner of the Independent Camera Award.

Other films in the Forum of Independents included He, a rather disappointing fable about a burnt out TV reporter who starts to receive life changing advice from a homeless man. It attempts to strive for some sort of profundity but it comes across as rather silly and obvious, as if the kind of new-age tracts handed out at Glastonbury have come to life.

More charming was the shaggy dog story The Soul of Flies, a simple tale of two brothers who meet for the first time and travel to the funeral of the father that they have never met. Made for less than 1000 Euros, its ramshackle and dreamy languidness makes it a lot of fun as the duo have strange encounters as they make their way across hazy Spanish landscape.

Over in the East of the West competition, Visible World was an intriguing Slovak film about a loner who becomes obsessed with the family who lives opposite him. Whilst it’s certainly derivative of such films as Rear Window and One Hour Photo, the strong performance from lead Ivan Trojan is compelling and it manages to make enough intelligent narrative choices – especially in the final third – to keep things interesting.

George the Hedgehog was a marked difference from the usual films we are used to seeing coming out of Poland. Based on a hugely popular comic book of the same name, the animated feature sees a sex and alcohol obsessed hedgehog get embroiled in a plot with a mad scientist, some skinheads and a plan to enslave the youth of Poland. Coming across as a film in which Fritz the Cat meets South Park, it manages to be both scatological yet still have some profound statements about modern-day Poland.

Another Polish film worth mentioning was the stunning Declaration of Immortality, a short film screening in the festival’s documentary section. Directed by the prolific Marcin Koszałka, it follows the career of Piotr ‘Mad’ Korcazk, one of the legendary Polish climbers. On one level it’s an examination of physical extremes but on another it looks at how filmmaking can make immortals of us all. With some breath-taking cinematography and a mesmerising subject, this fascinating documentary is a work of genius. Let’s hope it’s comparatively short running time of 30 minutes doesn’t hamper as many people as possible from seeing the film.

Of course there was also the chance to catch up with those films that have already proved popular on the circuit. Paddy Considine’s debut feature Tyrannosaur is a raw and powerful work starring Peter Mullen as a damaged man with anger control problems. As good as Mullen is, it’s Olivia Colman who’s the revelation in this and her amazing performance should stop her being pigeon-holed as an (admittedly great) comic actress.

Le Havre, the latest film from Aki Kaurismäki, was a typically brilliant and accomplished affair about a shoeshiner who tries to save a small refugee boy. Managing to be both timeless yet utterly relevant to the current situation of French refugees, it’s a wonderful piece of work that has justifiably already been the recipient of many awards. The same goes for The Kid With a Bike, the latest work from The Dardenne Brothers. The story of a troubled boy and his deadbeat father, this is a masterpiece of restraint and subtle performances.

Old Cats, the latest film from Sebastian ‘The Maid‘ Silva, co-directed with Pedro Peirano, was a brilliant evocation of old age as an elderly couple live in a flat and find themselves under siege from ungrateful family members and the ravages of old age. Simple and beautiful, it’s a stunningly emotional piece of work.

Volcano, the feature debut of Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson, also dealt with old age as a gruff pensioner must re-evaluate the relationship he has with his wife and family after a tragic event. Another example of low-key brilliance, Runarsson has already made his mark with tremendous short films such as 2 Birds and now his star looks to shine even brighter.

One the other side of the coin, youth shone in Blue Bird, a delightful fable about two African children who go in search of a missing bird. On the way they meet their dead grandparents, fight with the soul of the forest alongside many other surreal encounters. Belgian director Gust Van Den Burghe (best known for Little Baby Jesus of Flandr) has crafted a stylish and elegant fairy tale, giving the film a blue tinge that gives a magical air and getting some truly incredible performances from his young non-professional actors.

Also surreal is Post Mortem, a film about a man who works in a morgue taking the coroner’s notes. While his life is rocked after falling for a dance, the land turns upside down with revolution. This is an absurdist drama that owes as much to Beckett as it does to traditional drama and is tense yet restrained work from director Pablo Larraín.

Finally Kim Ki-Duk’s latest, Arrirang, is a strange confessional in which the director talks directly to camera about his creative block since an accident on the set of one his films a few years previously. Partly an overview of his past and partly a meditation on his success (despite numerous plaudits and retrospectives he still lives in a shack in the South Korean countryside, with one scene showing all his awards amongst the surroundings seeming particularly ironic), the film will seem like dull naval gazing to those who are not fans of Kim’s work. But fans should find this a fascinating insight into the tortured thought processes of a beloved director as well as a weird comment on the nature of documentary filmmaking.

Another packed year for Karlovy Vary and another in which the audiences provided a unique atmosphere. Even jury president István Szabó (legendary director of Mephisto) was moved to give a special prize to ‘the Karlovy Vary Audiences’: that’s going to be a bit difficult to get it to all their mantelpieces.

Laurence would like to thank: Aaron, David, Erica, Freddy, Haari, Jaanus, Kalle, Laura, Margit, Marita, Tiina (both of them!), Tristan, Vladan and anyone else I may have missed out for the company. Special thanks to Stephen and Viktor.

For more on Karlovy Vary visit kviff.com