I KILLED MY MOM
Language: French
Biography/Drama Canada (2009)
Directed by Xavier Dolan
Starring Xavier Dolan and others
Teenager Hubert is a gay Montreal teenager who like many of his peers can’t find the same language with his mother. Irritated by her tacky sweaters, unrefined language, and kitsch decorations, he spews out hatred. And yet he can’t help loving her programmed by nature. Confused, Hubert leaves his mother out of his artistic discoveries, sexual relationships, and friendships. The turbulent relationship between mother and son unfolds with a compelling combination of savage fury and melting affection. An hour long film a semi-autobiographical directing debut of 20-year-old actor Xavier Dolan.
THE VANISHING POINT (CE QUE MES YEUX ONT VU)
Language: French
Fantasy Drama/Mystery/France(2007)
Directed by Laurent de Bartillat
Starring Sylvie Testud, Jean-Pierre Marielle, James Thierree and others
Coming out just a year after “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Vanishing Point” offered a European take on the mystery involving a famous artist and hidden messages in his paintings. Made by a French director with French actor, “The Vanishing Point” is a lot more humane and subtle than the “Code,” though there are plenty of logical holes here as well. But if you refrain from analyzing the film much, you may still enjoy it.
A history student, Lucy (Testud) is trying to trace the identity of a female figure pictured from behind on a painting by French artist Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). At the same time she develops an awkward relationship with mute street mime Vincent (Thierree). Soon after, however, Vincent falls into a coma. But just before he does, he shows Lucie a picture of himself as a child in an institution for children with disabilities. Coincidentally (or not?) the photograph provides Lucie with another lead to her Watteau mystery. On the picture she sees a work by another French artist, Gilles-Marie Oppenord, which, she believes, holds a key to Watteau’s life and career.
I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE
Language: Taiwanese, Malay, Mandarin, Bengali
Drama/Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria (2006)
Directed by Ming-liang Tsai
Starring Kang-sheng Lee, Chiang-chyi Chen, Norman Atun and others
Malaysian director Ming-Liang Tsai, known for his minimalist approach, masterful use of light and exploration of sex as a passionless desire, here probes the theme of loneliness and people’s way of avoiding it at all costs. In the center of the film is the director’s favorite actor, Kang-sheng Lee, who became known as his alter-ego. Lee plays two characters, which can be seen as manifestations of one and the same person. In the credits he‘s listed as playing “a paralyzed guy” and “a homeless guy.”
As a homeless guy he gets beat up by thugs while wondering the streets of Kuala Lumpur. A Bangladeshi immigrant worker Rawang picks him up from the street, takes him home, nurses him and sleeps next to him, happy to have someone to care for. Nearby lives a paralyzed guy – he is the son of a cafe owner and a waitress provides care for him. She also pleases him at her boss’s orders. When the homeless guy recovers enough to walk, he wanders into the cafe and catches the eye of the waitress. Sex and violence linger in the air, while the city fills with mysterious haze. The dialogue in the film is scarce as it is narrated mostly through sounds and scenes carefully orchestrated by Tsai.
SILENT LIGHT
Language: Dutch
Drama – Mexico, France, Netherlands, Germany
Directed by Carlos Reygadas
It’s a story about religious Swedish outcasts, Mennonites, who end up in Mexico living in a closed community. Speaking a weird mixture of Russian and German, they also stick out with their white skin and blonde hair. Rejecting most modern comforts, they are still not as pious as it seems on the surface. Lead character Johan, whose married, falls in love with another woman and is tormented with guilt. Director Carlos Reygadas’s powerful drama won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.
ZHOVTEN
26 Konstyantynivska, 205-5951,
www.zhovten-kino.kiev.ua
I Killed My Mom
July 29 -Aug 4 at 4:05pm, 7:40pm, 9:25pm;
July 31-Aug 1 at 12:30pm
The Vanishing Point
July 29,30, Aug 2-4 at 3:20pm, 8:15pm;
July 31-Aug 1 at 12:15pm
I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone
July 29-Aug 4 at 9:20pm
Silent Light
July 29, 30, Aug 2-4 at 3.50pm;
July 31 – Aug 1 at 11:55am, 3:50pm
