Nisimazine

"The Deflowering of Eva van End" by Michiel ten Horn

Martin Kudláč (Slovakia) — 2013-06-16T08:36:27Z

Family comedies and dramas are at the peak of popularity. The genre of family comedy incessantly feeds our small screens since I Love Lucy. The silver screen was more accommodating to family dramas, which have taken over a vast genre territory. However, they both meet in a singularity like point. Family dramedy, a hybrid genre bench marked by auteurs like melancholic Wes Anderson or suburban provocateur Todd Solondz. A dysfunctional family has become a new paradigm, story exposition and narrative environment. And the film The Deflowering of Eva van End complies with all criteria.

Director Michiel ten Horn´s feature debut sponges the basic (genre) rules of teen high-school TV series. Actually, he is dipping into the collective well of generational television folklore that one might be expecting the era of Freaks&Geeks is back in fashion. The bullying, constraining school´s corridors, students classified by the popularity level and the grandest stereotype of them all, the unattractive yet insightful, insecure protagonist built under the auspice of Dawn Wiener. The normative narrative process cannot get even more overused, but it does. After the arrival of an exchange student, a silent war begins between the titular protagonist and yet another template, the popular girls.

After first ten minutes of exposition and the revision of the whole canon of high-school comedy, the director cunningly turns the tables. The act of accommodating the ingenuous foreigner in the family of Eva serves as the demarcation line. The director acknowledges all the rules of the game only to subvert them, which works just fine and imposes sophisticated comedy elements. Naturally, by shifting the rules, the whole result takes a slightly different turn. The Deflowering of Eva van End is a transvestite show of family dramedy hiding the real itself buried under the mountain of formulas and hiding the true genre in its essence, coming of age.

The reformation of the coming of age has become sort of a trend in current European cinema. Young, talented and upcoming director-screenwriters constructed a small experimental laboratory only to find out how could the norms of the outlived genre be pushed, disrupted and remodeled into a fresh and original narrative complex. Athina Rachel Tsangari, Lisa Aschan, Jan Ole Gerster to name just a few who has attempted and succeeded. On the other hand, the rising popularity of formalistic surgery of the coming of age genre disposes with another, not-negligible side. It best reflects the age of consumerism and people subduing to conformism.

And the main story is just about that. The members of van End family are intentionally double-coded only to fully undergo their awakening from conformism induced lethargy. In spite of sympathetically orchestrated catharsis experienced more by the characters than the audience itself, the flaw is not the linear psychological upheaval and searching for the (almost) ideal self. It is the main concept of the conflict between actual self and ideal self. The split personality due to norms imposed by the majority of the society. The normative society, sometimes dubbed as the system.

Unfortunately, the concept was milked dry a long time ago thus disabling any epiphany eagerly awaited to happen. Also the exaggerated and flat caricature of the petite bourgeoisie is a bit over the top. Moreover, it´s the reason why the director´s formalistic approach and the play with genre rules and codes beat the content itself. Ten Horn has also entered the experimental lab. The transposing of plot devices popular in theatre into film, the intentional juggling with elements of auteurs´ poetics such as Anderson´s or Solondz´s, the use of the central protagonist who does not at all serve as the usual and expected one, the ever challenging and amusing subversion of the genre norms to render unprecedented and entertaining narrative complex. The form overrules the story. On the ashes of old genre rules, the new conventions are born. The Deflowering of Eva van End presents a spectacle of transformation, not only as the central leitmotif or theme, but furthermore or mainly as a stylistic and formal methodology. Review by Martin Kudláč

"So Much Water" by Ana Guevara Pose and Leticia Jorge Romero

Martin Kudláč (Slovakia) — 2013-06-16T08:36:12Z

A family in a car has become a film routine over the course of last months. It is quite effective as a trope especially for oddball existential drama or coming of age comedy. Some late examples like the Greek L, Chilean Thursday till Sunday or Portuguese They´ll Come Back (although as off-screen element). Also the coming of age genre has evolved into an era defining pattern stigmatized by instant consumerism and materialism.

Thereby childhood builds utopia like illusion of life only to be abruptly smashed by adolescence´s dystopia. Raging hormones are not purely to be blamed. So Much Water combines both respectively, firstly as a family road movie gone numb then reborn into warm-heart coming of age tale.

Divorced father takes his two kids on a traditional family holiday to vacation resort. The tension rises up among family members. Father´s desperate trying to impress his estranged kids with almost typical middle-class holiday, the adolescent daughter´s conscious estranging and little son´s indifference don´t improve the situation. The setting of the worst family rupture tends to be family celebration as not only Thomas Vintenberg taught us. Although, the claustrophobic imprisonment in the car takes the lead nowadays. Nothing beats this ideal breeding ground for repressed feelings and neurosis.

Once they are out on a free air, the repression falls back into unconscious thus manifesting itself latently. Duo of the Uruguayan filmmakers, Ana Guevara Pose and Leticia Jorge Romero, presents this family neurosis crawling underneath in a light-hearted manner even employing a running gag, although it serves actually as a metaphor referring to film´s title. The situational minimalistic setting enables to fiddle with certain nuances as opposed to epical narrative. The peculiar sense of idleness navigates viewers through myriads aspects of pubescence. In one particular scene the daughter pulls the damsel-in-distress shtick steering the attention towards father figure issue and the growing-up in the fatherless environment.

The sour-sweet comedy invites to contemplate over coming of age ridden by melancholia mixing teenage angst and struggle to break away from underneath the parent´s wings and in the same time to remain within a reach in case of troubles. The motif of parental emergency interference also aptly reflects the current economical crisis and the kids´ unwillingness to become totally independent. Furthermore, the generational gaps as well as the parental figures become the subject of scrutiny. The directors are presenting nuanced portrait of parental figure stripped of redundant authority, depicted as human as possible with flaws and vices yet possessing certain benignancy.

Maybe it is this crucial albeit a bit sentimental theme of respecting parents for what they are unless they care for their children thus shifting the worn out angle of popular coming of age genre to offer a bit different perspective, the one which does not demonize nor praises parental authority. The message seems to be encrypted in this sense rather than overanalyzed unbearableness of growing up with folks behind the back. Either way, the kids are going to be stuck with them in a tiny little car for the rest of their lives. And that´s when the car trope breaks in again.

Review by Martin Kudláč

"It Felt Like Love" by Eliza Hittman

Martin Kudláč (Slovakia) — 2013-06-16T08:35:58Z

Children´s sexuality is still taboo even though several filmmakers breached this stereotype. Indeed, it is something which has to be dealt. And so did Hittman in a small slice from the life of fourteen years old protagonists mapping the encounters you don´t usually find in diaries.

The awkward adolescence. The theme processed by many yet still holding underrepresented and under-explored coves. To avoid any further implication, it is about sexuality, not the actual sex which tends to be confused quite often. Frankly, there is no need to dive into the teachings of Sigmund Freud to justify libido as one of the engines in human bodies.

Recently, a group of unrelated female filmmakers has been presenting their features revolving around the adolescence and burgeoning sexuality. To name just few: a sapphic western She Monkeys by Lisa Aschan, cheerful depiction of teen horniness Turn Me On Goddamint by Jannicke S.Jacobsen, confused sexuality and virginity soon to be lost in synchronised swimming team Water Lillies by Céline Sciamma, among others.

We have got another maverick on the horizon. Eliza Hittman did already tour a few international film festivals with her honest and candid snapshot from the perplexing life of young lady in It Felt Like Love. Children´s sexuality is still taboo even though several filmmakers breached this stereotype. Indeed, it is something which has to be dealt. And so did Hittman in a small slice from the life of fourteen years old protagonists mapping the encounters you don´t usually find in diaries. No, these are the torn pages missing from them and long lost and repressed memories.

Unfortunately, everybody has to pass this complicated period in order to become adult. Lila and Chiara are best friends. Or it seems like they are as they hang around each other quite frequently. Lila is tiny pale faced girl, amusing depiction of her innocence and inexperience whereas Chiara is or at least pretends to be experienced in terms of sexuality and fosters sort of nympho image. The hormonal breakthrough starts to drive Lila´s life. The virginity becomes a burden that needs to be lost. And the chosen one, the prince on the white horse is going to be some random guy sleeping with random girls. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Lila takes the plunge in the no-holds-barred quest of getting some "experience.” Hittman uses different modes to scrutinize the untamable sexual urge. The young Lila is about to face moments of self-humiliation, hopelessness, shame and of course, any sign of the romantic illusion is going to be shattered into plain dust. The protagonist turns into a runaway train until hitting the rock bottom. The director takes the gloves off to make the film even more memorable experience beginning with thought-out screenplay and ending in ambiguously climactic scene. And the tools used to make it happen arise from the aesthetics of discomfort. Ulrich Seidl is quite famous for this uncompromising approach of letting the camera roll when viewers think the scene is over only to add insult to injury.

However, this technique proved to be fertile as not only unfitting moments are revealed but also a whole perception changes and it can be approached from a variety of different angles. The downward spiral of shame, unhealthy obsession, desperation and experiences the young lady was definitely not looking for, form a psycho-sexual tribulation to (de)construct and shape her identity.

Besides the aforementioned aesthetics of discomfort, the overall style of film could be best described as poetical realism, the one that the Dardenne´s brothers are widely recognized for or as Ektoras Lyzigos in his cinematic passion of the everyman, Boy Eating a Bird´s Food, demonstrated. Lisa almost never leaves the frame being the main subject of scrutiny and debuting young actress Gina Piersanti showed that she knows exactly how to pull desperately obsessed, heels over head lovesick teenager willing to sacrifice her precious dignity. Eliza Hittman entered the ranks of thought-provoking filmmakers spectacularly and her next project is going to be eagerly awaited.

Review by Martin Kudláč

Interview with David Lassiter (USA)

Lucia Ros Serra — 2013-06-16T08:25:58Z

"Made in Ash" by Iveta Grófová

Martin Kudláč (Slovakia) — 2013-06-16T08:21:52Z

Slovakian cinema has finally been put back on the film map. After years of struggle and local productions, the country´s borders have been overcome by the film House (directed by Zuzana Liová). In the wake of once more regained power and confidence to produce a film destined to become internationally acclaimed, emerging new talent, Iveta Grófová, shows up with her feature debut Made in Ash. Tremendous success for a longtime overlooked tiny country in the heart of Europe.

Made in Ash scooped a handful of awards and is still riding the festival circuit. Someone might say that the film possess qualities just adjusted to the arthouse formula: formalistic approach, social issues and pinch of tragedy. An array of aspects unknown to Slovakian cinema since New Wave happened there. Perspective filmmakers tend to rise from documentary diaspora which is an amusing paradox. So is the story of Made in Ash, originally intended as a docu-piece on where young Slovakian girls end up when they sail away abroad to make a decent living. However, during the shooting process, the director found out that there is actually much more to say.

So begins the story of Dorothy, freshly out of high school whose family cannot afford to keep her under one roof due to extremely low income (meaning no income as the family is on social welfare). When the social-economical status of their daughter changes from gold mine (as they were eligible to receive welfare for her as unprovided dependant) to burden, she is hastily kick out of home to make her own living. Leaving her boyfriend behind with the promise of faithfulness, she embarks on a journey into the unknown. It turns out, she has been provided with a job in Czech Republic as a needlewoman.

She comes to Aš, small town on the verge of German borders which capitalism left completely intact. Actually, it looks like living museum of communist era there. Nevertheless, the troubles are just around the corner as soon as she is fired from the job. No money, no accommodation and left alone in a hostile world. She is about to face some unflattering choices for the future. A little hint, profiting from the closeness to the advanced West, Aš is a paradise for elderly German gentlemen with fat wallets A.K.A. sugar-daddies.

Made in Ash follows the current trend of blending fiction, documentary and animation into one coherent piece. The documentary style yields a genuine naturalism, in one particular scene was used a mobile phone to shoot it with incredible sense for tension. The animation parts serve as introspection into protagonist´s mind and it is a distinguished alternative for internal monologue. And the fiction binds them all into social drama meets psychological portrait. The film functions well also in the context of coming of age dramas as the growing up in Aš is especially bitter pill to swallow. Iveta Grófová also plays with the theme of border crossing in whichever sense the audience is willing to interpret it. There is some physical trespassing as moral one into the extent resembling Seidl´s docudrama Import/Export. The director shuns any explicitness whatsoever using an unconventional camera angles or image distortion. Moreover, the narrative structure has been built upon a fairy-tale paradigm employing several of notorious codes thus becoming a modern (social) fable. Couple of inter-textual similarities could not be overlooked as those of Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz.

Alice and Dorothy pose as inseparable figures in the context of growing-up and facing the threats of life. Nonetheless, Made in Ash proved to be a well-thought and well-structured piece of social (fairy) drama seconded by an extraordinary camerawork, intriguing lighting and transtextual crossover overshadowing some montage discrepancies.

Review by Martin Kudláč

Interview with Mihai Chirilov

Martin Kudláč (Slovakia) — 2013-06-16T08:21:22Z

Transylvania International Film Festival has become one of the major film events in Romania and gained an incredible international recognition. Martin kludac was there and sat down with artistic director of TIFF, Mihai Chirilov, to discuss the festival and Romanian cinema.

Another year and Transylvania Film Festival is back with a strong and interesting line-up in all sections. However, the situation is not that bright due to financial setbacks in Europe. Many film festivals had to introduce various rather unpopular measures. How did TIFF survive these apocalyptic times and coped with the changes? Mihai: Somehow yes. First of all, I tried to reduce the number of films screened at the festival - not necessarily because of budget problems, but simply because the number was already too high and hardly manageable by the audience. The more films you have the higher the frustration of those who want to see as much as possible. Therefore, I cut by 20% the number of films, ending up with 155 features (and almost 40 shorts), which is still a lot and difficult to cope with, but the costs diminished. However, we didn't want to cut any of the special programs or sections or events that we initiated in the past and worked, such as "Let's Go Digital", a several-day training workshop for children and teens who want to make films or "10 for Film", a special presentation of 10 theatre actors to give them the opportunity to be known by the film community.

How was the programming process for this year´s edition? What themes, motifs you picked up for 12th edition? There are more and more films submitted and sometimes there could be pressures - but I've learnt how to navigate troubled waters. I have a solid programming team and yes, it can be tough, given the amount of work, but it's a pleasant work to dig in and find the gems. I don't have a hidden agenda as far as the programming process is concerned and I'm not looking for themes or motifs. I'd rather let them find me, so to say. I'm certainly not the terrorist type; I have an open mind and would always favour diversity and good films. I don't want to put the audience in a box, but rather play with their expectations. The more eclectic and surprising the selection the better.

The focus sections are aimed at the national cinemas of Greece and Slovakia. Both could be regarded as parallels to the Romanian New Wave with sudden appearance of formalistic innovative and critically acclaimed films. Why did you choose these two countries and what appeals to you about them? Every year I invite one or two countries in our Focus section. Some of them simply had some good years in cinema – and their success needs to be praised and highlighted. It's the case with Greece – where films like Attenberg and Dogtooth set the trend, but it's equally worth considering the sensitive context in which these films were made. Others take you by surprise (like it was the case in the past with the Romanian New Wave) and become fashionable overnight, because of sudden festival hits – if you're an adventurous programmer, you won't wait to see three or four more years for that specific country to confirm, you instantly set a showcase – like it's the case with Slovakia.

For some years now, there has been a Renaissance in Romanian cinema. How did the national scene evolved so far? There are slightly more films made every year, despite the terrible financial conditions, and it's incredibly rewarding to see that Romanian cinema is still riding the Wave, grabbing awards everywhere, despite some critics bitching about it (sometimes for good reason though). Most of the Romanian films that get awarded abroad don't find their audience at home though and perform poorly at the box-office – which is a shame. It's true; there aren't that many theatres in Romania, which is a major handicap. There are big cities with not a single theatre. There's no consistent or systemic strategy designed to optimise the impact and the presence of the Romanian films on the local market.

Are there enough opportunities for young and emerging filmmakers to show their talent? It's very limited. The National Film Centre doesn't provide that much funding for emerging filmmakers. They have to stay in line for years if they want to make a film with state money, sometimes they are even humiliated like it was the case with Adina Pintilie's first feature. Her script was widely awarded, but it was snubbed by the National Film Centre commission when she first applied with it. Other filmmakers gave up waiting in line and turned to guerrilla filmmaking, private sponsorships and alternative solutions.

What can we expect from Romanian cinema in months or years to come? This year, at TIFF, we'll be showing no less than 11 features in our official program, and 9 other brand new titles in closed screenings for film professionals and festival representatives. It's an eclectic offer that's gonna surprise all those who think they know what to expect from the Romanian cinema. I've seen all of them and I can say that the future looks bright.

Interview by Martin Kudláč

Interview with Ninja Thyberg

Lucia Ros Serra — 2013-06-10T14:45:05Z

Swedish director Ninja Thyberg is one of the most promising young filmmakers in Europe. She took the Canal + Award in Cannes this year with her impressive short film "Pleasure". We sat down with her to find out more details behind her award winning work

New article

Lucia Ros Serra — 2013-06-07T09:14:24Z

New article

Fernando Vasquez (Portugal) — 2013-06-07T07:52:42Z

May was another busy month for Nisimazine. As it happens every year, we took a large group of young writers to the Cannes film festival, to cover the Camera d´Or and the different Short Film competitions. The end result of the coverage can be read, heard and seen in many different formats. A full 90 pages long ebook was recently published and can be read here on our website (press link on the right). A radio program, where all the critics had a chance to talk about their favourite and least favourite films was also recorded (and can also be found by pressing the link on the right). Last but not least, very soon you´ll also be able to see a series of video interviews made during the event.

June is going to be equally busy. As you read these lines we have one writer covering the Transylvania film festival in Romania, and towards the end of the month Nisimazine will be setting up base at the influential Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

Looks promising, so stay close to find out more of what is happening in the film festival world.

Nick Clifford of "The Opportunist"

Tom Cottey — 2013-06-06T07:23:07Z

Nick Clifford stars in Critics Week´s short film The Opportunist, in which he plays a sly young man who thrives off of the thrill of invading the lives of others. The film begins with an act of audacious party crashing, before gradually descending into a sensationally sinister territory.

Your character feels strangely familiar. Have you had experience with this kind of character in real life ?

I definitely have. I grew up in New York City and everything is so easy to walk into ; you notice a party's happening and just wander up into the house. I have a very distinct memory of walking into a back room at a party once and coming across these two guys that are stuffing DVDs into a duffel bag. I walked in and looked at them and they looked right back at me and they had this dead stare. And this is a feeling that we played with in the film…

Your portrayal of this character is very intense, how was your experience shooting the film ?

It was the first day of shooting nights so you're always exhausted cause you essentially haven't slept in 24 hours. I remember walking around going ‘wow, I'm facing a decision, I can either completely zone out and just be really tired and complain or I can just decide that tired is not an option and just dive straight into this weird mania that sleep deprivation puts you in.' I was like ‘this character is exactly who I want to be playing. This is the kind of roles that I dream about having, this is the opportunity that I can have to go as deep as possible' and honestly the next few takes that we shot were some of the weirdest experiences of my life. I felt completely out of body and totally engulfed by the character.

What kind of reactions have you had from members of the public who've watched the film at Cannes ?

The reaction that we honestly had is that people walk up to me and are really afraid of me. I think that for someone who likes to play characters who are far away from themselves that is the greatest compliment that I can get. If I show a film to someone and they don't want to spend time with me for the next twenty minutes I'm like good ! I did my job !

Interview by Tom Cottey (UK)