Dare: Films that take you out of your comfort zone

Layla Fourie (South Africa) – How Long Can You Hold a Lie?

Layla Fourie Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Up for a slow-burning thriller with racial undertones? Here’s Layla Fourie, a young single mum in South Africa trying to earn an honest living. Unfortunately for her, an accident may derail all hopes of a normal life.

Why Watch Layla Fourie?

You like a good slow burning thriller
For the excellent acting of Layla’s son!
To hear one of the best (and simplest) interview questions
To continue exploring South African film (check out Tsotsi and District 9 first)

The Breakdown

Layla Fourie starts with what sounds like a doctor quizzing a woman about her health. Does she drink alcohol? Sometimes after work. Has she driven under the influence? Strange question for a doctor, but no. As the person asks her another question (has she ever lied?) the camera shows a lie test followed by a black hand tied to a pulse detector. It’s all part of a job interview, but it seems more like an interrogation. Luckily for Layla Fourie, she’s all lie-free.

However, at night the first piece of foreshadowing spells trouble: a car crash outside Layla’s apartment. The next night, whilst driving in the early hours of the morning with her young son, Layla is lost. She is obviously disorientated, she has to stop to look at a map and keeps flicking her headlights on and off (which doesn’t help clear up the darkness of the night). A few minutes later her son wakes up from a slumber and distracts her enough to crash into a man whose car has broken down.

Now it’s Layla’s time to lie. She becomes more suspicious of everyone and much less assured. Can she get away with what she’s done or will she be found out?

Conclusion

Whilst some of the coincidences seem a little bit too contrived, the film does keep up the tension for a lot of the film. If you’re into thrillers, especially those that delve into racism, then this film might just be for you.

Murder in Pacot (Haiti) – The Earthquake Reveals All

Murder in Pacot Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Do you want some drama? Well this film has plenty. In Murder in Pacot, Peck shines a light on all of the tensions that the earthquake revealed. You’ll hear fierce arguments from the start between Haitian’s and the NGOs, and between the middle and working classes. This is Haiti at it’s worst.

Why Watch Murder in Pacot?

It’s the fictional companion to Peck’s Fatal Assistance
There’s plenty of melodrama
It’s all shot in one household which becomes a microcosm for Haitian society (see La Soledad for a Venezuelan equivalent)
It’s a fierce attack on NGOs and Haitian society

The Breakdown

This film starts with dramatic music accompanying workers in white body suits carrying bodies pulled from the rubble. It’s 3 days since the 2010 Haiti earthquake struck and a middle-class couple are trying to get by after their house has been made almost inhabitable by officials. So they’re living in their former servants shed and need to let out their main house to try and make enough money to pay for repairs.

The person who starts renting their house is Alex, a young NGO worker from France. However, it is never clear what he does for the fictional ‘Beyond Aid’ NGO, as all he tells us is that ‘he helps’. Related image The only evidence of his work are of the photos he takes, featuring him with smiling kids reminiscent of your typical ‘gap-year’ pictures (see right). These pictures are his ‘trophies’. They symbolise his delusions that he is actually helping Haiti recover from the earthquake when he is really not helping at all.

Furthermore, Alex also has a Haitian girlfriend, Jennifer, who comes to live with him in the derelict house. She has escaped from the poor south of the country which has been devastated by the earthquake and is trying to use Alex as a way to get her to Europe.

Jennifer becomes a symbol of Haiti. Like many in Haiti, she lost her family and home in the earthquake and now she is temporarily enjoying the benefits of NGO support. She lets Alex (the NGO) take advantage of her in exchange for temporary shelter and food. She also lets her ‘brothers’ into the house when Alex is away to pleasure them. However, Jennifer, like Haiti is doomed to be exploited. She can never escape the society that she was born into and is doomed to be stuck in poverty.

Image result for murder in pacot

Conclusion

It’s clear that Peck (the director) doesn’t think much of the NGOs that came into Haiti following the earthquake. He makes Alex into a pathetic NGO worker who only works for the photos that he can share with his friends at home rather than actually committing to help change the country. In addition, Peck also attacks his fellow Haitians for taking advantage of Jennifer (our symbol of Haiti). She is free and beautiful, but is taken advantage of by men and the middle classes who are keen to keep her in her place in poverty.

Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces (Egypt)

Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

“We forgot your aunt!” *Two men appear carrying her in a bathtub complaining*

“You’re not carrying the pyramid”

“No! But at least that was one stone at a time!”

You’ll experience plenty of drama in Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces. But you’ll be transfixed throughout because of the quick-witted banter, flirting, and taunting.

Why Watch Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces?

You’re up for some Egyptian DRAMA
Learn how to cook some Egyptian dishes (perfect if you’re a cooking fan)
You’re a Norwich fan and will get a kick from seeing one of the cast members in a Norwich shirt
Or if you simply love wedding controversy and gossip!

Breakdown

Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces starts at a big celebration. The wealthiest man in town has hired the best chefs and has a big time governor as his guest of honor. But it’s obvious that none of the villagers like him. He picks problems with their cooking (even though they’re the experts) and takes offence at them calling him by his nickname. One thing is already clear from this opening – there’s going to be drama!

The film flashes back maybe a year earlier and follows the chefs from the opening scene. They’re getting ready for a big wedding. During the preparations one of the top chefs sees one of his old crushes return to the neighborhood from abroad. There’s also a secret marriage and plenty of extra-marital flirting. You just know there’s going to be trouble! If you like this kind of trouble this film might just be for you!

Conclusion

Just like in After the Battle Yousry Nasrallah’s Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces has plenty of juicy drama. There’s plenty of controversy, comebacks, and tension. If that’s your thing, you better find this film and watch it now!

Hail Mary – Jean-Luc Godard + The Bible

What does a radical filmmaker do when the energy of the New Wave is fading? He makes a film about the Virgin Mary and Joseph to provoke controversy from the Catholic Church.

Hail Mary Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

So what does a radical filmmaker do when the verve of the New Wave is over? He makes Hail Mary, a film about the Virgin Mary and Joseph to provoke controversy from the Catholic Church.

From: France, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: The Passion of Christ, Children of Men, Second Coming

Stitches – International Competition – SBIFF

In Stitches, a mother restarts her own investigation into the death of her newborn son 18 years ago. She believes he was stolen from her and that he’s potentially still alive. However, she has to also prove the police, her friends, and her family that she’s not insane.

The film spends most of its run time following the mother’s investigation. While she’s investigating, the audience also has to figure out if she’s crazy or not. She’s not the most engaging or sympathetic of characters as she doesn’t say anything to her family or friends. Her face is always blank and emotionless. We can only start to sympathise with her when her investigations are vindicated in some of the records she uncovers.

From that point on, the way she has to try to convince her family and friends of the truths she’s uncovered follows the routine of horror films:

The main character knows something the audience doesn’t.
The audience learns/sees something which makes them understand the main character.
The main character struggles to convince her friends and family.
Eventually, they prove something to a close family member or friend.
That friend or family member shows/convinces everyone else.

However, unfortunately there few things that let down the film for me. Firstly, I was never sold on the main character. Her face is expressionless for the whole film, making her hard to sympathise with or care about. Her actions and movements in contrast to her blank expression were always very obvious and rigid, which made them appear forced and unnatural, drawing attention to her role as an actor.

Secondly, it would have been good to have more background about the mother. it’s not clear why the lady starts the film so depressed all of a sudden. 18 years have passed, so why is she not talking to her daughter and suddenly so concerned to find her missing son again. It would also be good to know why she was put into a mental asylum and how she managed to get out and reintegrate herself into her family and society.

Lastly, I found the editing and cinematography of Stitches a bit off-putting. There were a lot of scenes with one character in clear focus with everything in the background blurred. In itself this works, but these shots were often cut with mid range shots where everything was in focus, making the editing feel a bit disjointed.

Overall Stitches covered an interesting story, but because of the hard to sympathise with feature character, I never got fully engaged in her investigation.