15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009 – Day 3

Day 2 was much better than Day 1. So I hoped it continues with Day 3 too. It did. I did a couple of changes to the schedule and it worked again.



Zift
Dir: Javor Gardev
Bulgaria/ 92 min

A neo-noir with a narrative style like Tarantino and Ritchie is what I was told about Zift. I didn’t think twice.

It tells the story of Moth (Zahary Baharov) who is out on parole after being imprisoned for 15 years for a heist. It is his journey to find his wife. There is also another track involving Moth’s old partner trying to find him to settle old score.

The film was nothing new. Technically however it was superb. Cinematography, editing were top notch and so was the background score. However, a lot of scenes were just unnecessary and stood like a sore thumb. Few of the comedy tracks seemed forced. Also too much philosophy during voice-over spoiled the flow. It became a tad tedious.



Sweet Rush
Dir: Andrzej Wajda
Poland/ 85 min

This was the first time I watched any movie of the Polish auteur. He delivered and how!

Sweet Rush is about an elderly woman, Marta (Krystyna Janda) who is married to a doctor. It is about how she wants to be young all over again after she meets a guy (Pawel Szajda) who’s much younger. There is also a parallel track where Krystyna Janda plays herself and tells about her life. The movie is about how both the reel and real life becomes one.

After watching this movie, I am a fan of Wajda. I just loved every single frame of it. The setting, the locations, the cinematography, the performances, everything is perfect. There is a monologue about 10 minutes long where Krystyna Janda plays herself and talks. It is just out of this world. The way that scene is lit up, shot and the way Krystyna Janda performed gave me goose bumps.

Phenomenal!

Landscape No. 2
Dir: Vinko Modernorfer
Slovenia/ 90 min

This one surprised me completely. Didn’t expect the movie to be this good.

Landscape No. 2 tells the story of two burglars, Sergej (Marko Mandic) and Polde (Janez Hocevar) who steal a painting from a retired general’s house. Along with the painting, Serjej by mistake steals an important document of World War 2 which if leaked might create huge uproar in the country. The movie is about the consequences the burglars face when the general hires someone to get the document back.

Although a few cinematic liberties are taken, still Landscape No. 2 works big time. The movie is highly entertaining, crisply cut, has great cinematography and a super background score.

Hilde
Dir: Kai Wessel
Germany/ 136 min

Day 3 ended with a bang. What a movie it was! And what a performance! Speechless.

Hilde is a biopic on Hildegard Knef, one of Germany’s biggest post World War 2 stars.

What a life this lady had. From being an actress in West Germany, to being a soldier during World War 2, going to Hollywood to be a star and being able to do nothing, being super successful in Germany after coming back and then leaving it all to do what she loved most, singing. Just not singing, but to be one of the most popular singers ever.

All of the above would not have been possible had Heike Makatsch not played Hilde. She nails it. The movie covers 30 years span and what a performance she gives. It deserves standing ovation.

Everything in the movie is pitch perfect. The sets, cinematography, editing – which is just awesome. One of the best biopic I have seen in a long time.