Rowan Sullivan

356

Makala – Live the Life of a Charcoal Miner in Rural DR Congo

Makala Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This documentary film is on another level. You’ll rarely get this close to a life completely different to the one you’re used to. Not just because you probably have no idea about the lives of charcoal miners in DR Congo, but because you rarely get films that are this intimate. There are so many close ups and shots where Kabwita’s emotion is so clearly visible that you’ll feel like you’re there right beside him. The only problem is that you’ll feel even worse for not being able to help him up those hills.

Why Watch Makala?
  • Find out how to make a living in rural Democratic Republic of Congo
  • The incredible cinematography! (detail below)
  • Learn how to make charcoal
  • It’s an excellent documentary – it won Critic’s Week at the Cannes Film Festival 2017
The Breakdown

Makala starts with Kabwita (our protagonist). The camera follows him through the bush. He’s carrying two axes on his shoulders. He’s looking for a good tree. After a minute or so, the perfect tree appears near the top of the shrub covered hill. After a quick prayer, Kabwita starts cutting down the tree.

Makala covers the whole process of making a living from charcoal. You’ll see Kabwita make the product (charcoal), transport it, and sell it. This is how he manages to live.

What’s amazing about the film is how intimate it is. The director, Emmanuel Gras, found Kabwita whilst working on his previous documentary (also set in DRC). Kabwita agreed to the film in return for help building the home he mentions in the film. This is how the director manages to get so many close-up shots of Kabwita documenting his trials and tribulations.

Because of the connection the close-ups establish between us (the audience) and Kabwita, there are many times when we want to reach out and help him. We can feel his struggle pushing the charcoal logs up hills and also his frustration when a lorry crashes into his livelihood. Of course, the director could help, but to do so would be to take away from our experience. It’s the director’s responsibility to direct the life of the charcoal maker. It’s our responsibility (the viewers) to be enlightened and be inspired to make a change.

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Conclusion

Makala is a beautiful film. The cinematography at times is almost unbelievably real. A lot of the shots are so intimate and close that you’d be forgiven for forgetting that this is a documentary. We are so used to seeing unrealistic intimate shots in Hollywood films (close-ups of people kissing that you’d never see in real life) but this kind of intimacy is unusual in Documentary film. In Makala you get to experience the life of the charcoal maker, not just witness it.

357

Beyond the Clouds (India) – Why You Watch Films on the Big Screen

Beyond the Clouds Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Are you looking for a big film for a bit of entertainment? With music, melodrama, and some epic shots? Look no further than Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds. This Iranian director is one of the best at making great family films (check out Children of Heaven). Plus, if you liked Slumdog Millionaire (another great Mumbai film made by a foreigner) you’ll love this. It’s pure entertainment.

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Why Watch Beyond the Clouds?
  • To be entertained! There’s big sweeping shots and beautiful colours! You’ll notice the echoes of Slumdog Millionaire
  • For the music composed by A R Rahman (it’s not a musical, but you’ll notice the Bollywood touch)
  • To learn to appreciate the NHS (and all other countries with public healthcare)
  •  See the melting pot of Indian diversity – in this film you’ll hear Hindi, Tamil, and bits of English
The Breakdown

Beyond the Clouds opens with a wide shot of a highway bridge in Mumbai. The camera tracks downwards to show us life under the highway. As Majid Majidi (the director) states, he wanted to get under the skin of the city, and right from the start he focuses on life that has escaped modernisation.

There’s a lot going on in each shot. We meet our protagonist walk-dancing along an empty path with his friend. They both hop on the back of a motorbike and zoom off down an empty straight road like cowboys riding towards the sunset. The sweeping camera movements and dance steps make it feel like you’re watching a big film. This is pure entertainment.

You’ll also be led by Majidi’s use of colours and darkness. When Amir visits his sister, she recounts all her traumas from the shadowed darkness of her bedroom. She has been ignored, emphasised by the darkness she is left in. Likewise the white sheets left to dry outside the busy clothes washers are a perfect symbol of innocence. Innocence that is fated to be stained…

Conclusion

This is why you go to watch films on the big screen. It has the wide sweeping shots, vivid colours, music, and plenty of melodrama. Yes, there’s a little cheesiness, but not enough to put you off. If you want to be entertained for a few hours, you can’t much go wrong watching Beyond the Clouds.

358

Loveless (Russia) – An Epic Drama for the Digital Age

Loveless Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’ve seen Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan you need to see Loveless. If you haven’t seen Leviathan, what are you waiting for? Loveless is another dark drama from Zvyagintsev of epic proportions. It’s comparable to one of Shakespeare’s dark plays updated for the digital age. Plus, it’s not just a reflection of Russian society, but a reflection of all our lives.

Why Watch Loveless?
  • You can’t find better drama than this
  • It’s a story you usually don’t see on screen – what happens after the happy marriage – and yes, it’s dark
  • It’s the follow up to Zvyagintsev’s award winning Leviathan and it’s already won the Cannes Jury prize, you don’t have to rely on our opinion!
  • The setting! The snow and empty spaces make it even more chilling!
The Breakdown

Loveless starts with snow. It makes the town it falls on seem more serene; the calm before the storm. It’s the end of school for the day and the camera follows 12 year old Alexey as he walks home on his own. He finds a strip of police ‘do not cross’ tape and waves drags it along with him through the snow before throwing it into a leafless tree. Unlike his parents, he’s just a regular kid.

The opening 5 minutes of the film are focused on Alexey, but then the film is hi-jacked by his parents. When Alexey returns home, we find his parents arguing (they’re getting divorced). From their argument, we follow them through a day of each of their lives at work and their affairs for the next 30 minutes of the film. Alexey’s parents are doubly selfish. They steal the film’s narrative from him and also indulge in their own self-interests whilst they have the limelight. They force Alexey out of the film.

You may also notice the abundance of empty spaces and silence in the movie. The director may linger on a shot after the character has left or remain fixed on a character for slightly longer than normal. Zvyagintsev left these visual and audible pauses for us to give us time to think. This allows us to become ‘co-authors’ as we have time to add in our own interpretations. You’ll see that whilst Loveless is a Russian film, the message is relevant to all of us – making it possible to interpret.

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Conclusion

Loveless was one of the stand out films for me at the London Film Festival 2017. Just like Leviathan (which you should watch if you haven’t already) it’s storytelling is at the top level. On top of that, the visuals are a perfect compliment – they make the dark bits of the story darker, and offer us breaks to become co-authors.

Watch it when you can!

 

359

Felicite (Democratic Republic of Congo) – A Champion of Creativity

Felicite Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Want to truly get involved in a film? In Felicite you are given the story-line and a bit of character development before you are almost left to your own devices. Like the great works of literature, you’ll have to add your own interpretations to draw your own conclusions. Also, there’s one thing that this film has over the great works of literature: the music!

Why Watch Felicite?
  • If you like music. The Kasai Allstars are all over this film!
  • To experience the chaos of Kinshasa
  • To take part in the film making process – like in the best pieces of literature, you’ll get to add your own interpretations
  • Come on, how many opportunities do you get to watch great film from the DRC?
The Breakdown

The film starts with Beya singing in a dusty bar in Kinshasa. The bar is small, the lighting is dim, and locals are clustered around tables drinking and catching up. As the locals drink and chat Beya puts crams everything into her voice. It’s like she’s trying everything to get everyone’s attention, to stand out in chaotic bar in a chaotic city.

Music is the driving force of Felicite. There’s the expressive, more free form music of the Kasai Allstars and Beya, and the structured symphony orchestra. The structured orchestral music signifies the moments of our lives that we cannot control: fate. It appears when Beya’s son is hospitalised and for other events out of her control. In contrast, the bluesy music of the Kasai Allstars signifies Beya’s response to fate. The melancholic emotion she puts into her singing is her acceptance of her fate and inability to control it.

The film is split into two parts. The first part is told in a classical format that all of us brought up on Hollywood films would recognise. You learn a bit about Beya, then her son is hospitalised, so she has to try and find money to pay for the treatment. It’s pretty familiar storytelling. In contrast, the second part is a lot more artistic and subjective. There’s some visions and dreams mixed into all the music. Unlike in part one where we can just accept what is shown to us, in part two we have to actively engage with the film and construct our own interpretations.

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Conclusion

Felicite is a work of art. Not in the sense that all movies are works of art, but in the sense that it pushes the boundaries of film. It is a champion of creativity, and uses music, and art (through the visions and dreams) to create a much more unique film. Best of all, unlike a lot of films, you are expected to take part in the film making process and add your own meaning.

360

Big Fish and Begonia – China’s Answer to Studio Ghibli?

Big Fish and Begonia Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

When a film is described as a combination of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away you should pay attention. Visually Big Fish and Begonia deserves the recognition. It is China’s biggest animation of all time and definitely matches the scope of the biggest animation films from around the world. If you’re a fan of the art of animation, this is for you – just don’t pay too much attention to the storyline!

Why Watch Big Fish & Begonia?
  • You’re a big fan of animation and the fantasy worlds it can create
  • To see China’s biggest animation ever!
  • You like the films of Studio Ghibli (see Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) and Disney (The Little Mermaid)
  • For some strong allegories of the perils of global warming
The Breakdown

We don’t care about the important questions any more. This is how a narrator opens Big Fish and Begonia. We sleep, we commute, we work, we eat, we sleep, and before long, we die.

Unfortunately, the dreamy philosophical musings didn’t last long. Or at least, they got lost in the confusing story-line. Instead, you should focus on the incredible visuals and appreciate the sheer scope of the animation. It also matches the scope of the great Studio Ghibli and dominant Disney.

You’ll also notice the very strong allegories to the importance of mother nature and the threats of global warming (there’s human trees and great floods). In fact, with no evil villain, the imagery of global warming is the main threat to the human characters. Global warming and nature have been themes of many of Disney and Studio Ghibli’s films. s this a first in Chinese animation?

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Conclusion

You’ll see the strange creatures and beautiful landscapes you expect to find in Studio Ghibli films. You’ll also see the magical animals you often see in the Disney classics. However, unfortunately the story-line doesn’t match the beautiful visuals.

If you’re a fan of the art of animation you’ll appreciate this film but if you’re all about the storytelling you may find this hard to watch.