15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 - Day 2

After a slightly disappointing first day, I went back and rescheduled couple of films from Day 2. It did wonders. But the highlight of Day 2 was to meet Helena Ignez, the actress of The Woman of Everyone and daughter of director Rogerio Sganzerla, both of whom had come to present the film.



The Woman of Everyone
Dir: Rogerio Sganzerla
Brazil/ 93 min

The movie should have been renamed ‘Making out in VIBGYOR’. The print was horrendous. The movie had different color tones on different scenes throughout. The first couple of minutes was Red and then suddenly changed to Green and then changed to Violet and like that.

The movie had nothing to say. It only showed the skin of Helena Ignez. The film is about Angela (Helena Ignez) and her adventures with different men. All she did throughout the movie was scream in the world’s screechiest voice and make out with atleast 20 guys throughout the movie.

Even as soft-core porn, it does not stand a chance. It is that bad.

A Woman’s Way
Dir: Panos H. Koutras
Greece/ 111 min

After watching one of the worst movies of my life, I was really scared to watch this movie. Love story between a convict and a transsexual is a very unusual storyline and if not handled with immense sensitivity and maturity would fall flat on its face. Thankfully the movie had both and in plenty.

The movie tells the story of Yiorgos (Yannis Kokiasmenos), a convict who gets released after 15 years of imprisonment and his relationship with a transsexual, Strella (Mina Orfanou). There is also a parallel story of Yiorgos trying to find his son.

The movie is very complex and in films like these, the climax is the most important aspect and most films falter there. However, with utmost sensitivity shown by the director and with help from the cinematographer, the film stands tall.

But, the best part of the movie is Mina Orfanou’s performance as Strella. It is just unbelievable. It is one of the best performances by a female actor in recent times.



A Year Ago in Winter
Dir: Caroline Link
Germany/ 128 min

Having missed this movie yesterday due to scheduling conflict, I made sure I get to watch this. I have heard and read so much about the movie, and everything positive. So went to watch the movie with huge expectations. It delivered and how.

The film tells the story of a family and how they heal themselves after the loss of their son. The parents want to get their son’s portrait done for the 1st death anniversary while the daughter Lilli (Karoline Herfurth) is dead against it. It also tells the story of the bonding that grows between the painter and her.

Every single scene felt like poetry. Not a single scene seemed unnecessary. The direction is so assured. The equations between different characters within the family are beautifully shown. Cinematography is phenomenal and so is the editing. Karoline Herfurth as Lilli gives a superlative performance.

All in all the best film of the festival so far and probably will be.



Aching Hearts
Dir: Nils Malmros
Denmark/ 117 mins

After coming out of Caroline Link’s film, I thought of going home as I was sure to be under-whelmed by the next one. I am glad I watched it.

The film tells the story of a group of high school kids and their experiences with love and sexuality. It spans three years and can also be interpreted as a coming of age drama.

Although the movie is fairly slow to begin with, it still keeps the viewers engrossed. Since the movie is from the protagonist’s point of view, a lot of voice-overs are used. It felt very similar to ‘The Wonder Years’. The cinematography is really nice with some great wide shots. The performances are uniformly good. Although a number of movies in the recent past dealt with subjects like that, still the theme is such that one slowly cares for the movie. We all love to watch the charm of the school days and the confusion created due to love, especially if it’s well made.