drama

86

Tony Manero (Chile) – Meet One Of the Craziest Characters on Film

Tony Manero Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Want to meet one of the craziest characters on film? Watch Tony Manero! It features an unpredictable madman that reminds me of both Begbie from Trainspotting and Anton Chigurgh from No Country for Old Men. He’s unpredictable and unnerving just like the brutal regime of Pinochet that he lives in.

Why Watch Tony Manero?
  • Meet an absolute nutjob that reminded me of Begbie from Trainspotting
  • Experience how strange and surreal life was under the Pinochet dictatorship
  • If you like your comedies very dark
  • To get to know director Pablo Larrain’s roots (he’s the guy that directed Jackie and Neruda)
The Breakdown

Image result for saturday night feverTony Manero opens with our anonymous middle aged male lead trying to get on a game show. He introduces himself as ‘Tony Manero’ and gets told by the producer to come back next week.

You may be thinking – who is Tony Manero? Well, he’s the guy in the poster on the left, the character that John Travolta plays in Saturday Night Fever. In this Chilean film, the main character idolises Tony Manero. He wants to be him. And I don’t mean that lightly… he really wants to be him.

This anonymous Tony Manero imposter makes this film. He’s a complete nutcase that will do anything to try and become Tony Manero. He goes mad when his local cinema stops playing Saturday Night fever and he gets even madder later on in the film.

Larrain (the director) doesn’t present us with a reason why his lead character is so crazy, but he does leave some clues. The clues are snippets of Pinochet’s interference in daily Chilean life, such as police shooting a guy walking with revolutionary posters. We can only assume that the brutal dictatorship has created this crazy Tony Manero wannabe.

Image result for tony manero film

Conclusion

Check out Tony Manero if you want to meet one of the craziest characters you will see on screen. The main character is pretty anonymous, unpredictable, and unnerving. He’s not a guy that you want to meet. Watch this film to get to know him from a distance.

 

87

The Great Warrior Skanderbeg (Albania)

The Great Warrior Skanderbeg Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Ever wanted to see an epic film from Albania? Image result for great warrior skanderbegHere’s your chance. In the spirit of the epic Soviet films from Sergei Eisenstein, The Great Warrior Skanderbeg does not disappoint. Yes, there are heavily stereotyped characters and a lot of nationalism, but there is also epic battles and even arm wrestling. If you’re up for watching something epic with an epic action movie character (think Conan the Barbarian) this one is for you. You can even watch it here on YouTube!

Why Watch Skanderbeg?
  • To see the most Albanian film not made by an Albanian
  • Learn about Albania’s most famous historical character (perhaps the first Albanian?)
  • You just finished Ben Hur and want to see something equally epic
  • For all the rivalries – watch the Skanderbeg face off against the Turks, the Venetians, and the Serbians!
The Breakdown

‘The Greatest Warrior of Albania’ flashes across the screen as some doors open to reveal an incredible view of a mountain valley. This film is about the myth of Skanderbeg, a myth which has constructed Skanderbeg as a national hero of Albania. As a result there is a lot of nationalist ‘propaganda’ which is not surprising considering that this is a co-production between the Soviet Union and Albania from the 1950s.

So how is it nationalist? It’s nationalist because Skanderbeg is depicted as a figure who united all the rival groups living under the Turks and Venetians as ‘Albanians.’ It’s nationalist because Albanian culture is shown throughout; there’s an Albanian wedding, Albanian Christianity, and Albanian costume.

What’s more is that the early story structure is almost identical to the story of Moses. Both Skanderbeg and Moses are princes of their future rivals, Skanderbeg serves the Turks while Moses serves Egypt. Secondly, they both receive a ‘call to action’ which leads Skanderbeg to betray the Turks and Moses to betray Egypt in favour of their people. They both become national leaders and demand liberty from the powers they formerly served. Skanderbeg becomes a leader of Albania, whilst Moses led the Israelites. Of course they both end up in epic climactic battles!

Conclusion

The Great Warrior Skanderbeg won prizes at Cannes after it’s release in the 1950s. Despite the unapologetic nationalism, it is an epic film. It has some epic battles with huge casts which are reminiscent of the master of epic film, Sergei Eisenstein (see Alexander Nevsky or Battleship Potemkin). You’ll also learn a fair bit about Albanian history and it’s relationships with the Italian Kingdoms, the Turks, and Serbians. Just ignore the overly stereotyped characters!

 

88

The Bait – London Film Festival 2016

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Image from The Bait

Another great film from the London Film Festival, The Bait explores the lives of a mix of people from Bengal. The Bait features an eclectic mix of characters: a young circus tightrope walker who tours the land with her parents, a postman who renounces his life to live up a tree with some monkeys, and a Rajah trying to capture his past glory by killing a tiger. There is magical realism, strong political undercurrents, and plenty of beautiful scenery.

Why Watch this Film?
  • For eccentric characters! One middle-aged man that dances in his palace, and another that lives up a tree with monkeys
  • See beautiful scenery – you’ll feel as if you’ve travelled to Bengal
  • It’s by an award winning Indian film maker – Buddhadeb Dasgupta
  • See the magic of anime brought to live action
The Breakdown

The film starts with old music playing from an old gramophone. An middle-aged man (the old Rajah) dances round and round a door frame in the middle of grassy hills. Is this a dream? Probably not. This is the eccentric Rajah, a man whose family has always held power in these lands until recently. His power is questioned by some documentary makers who do not believe he can catch a tiger.

The Rajah always plays old music, and always plays it on his old gramophone which he takes wherever he goes. The old music reminds him of the past glory of his family, something that is fading rapidly. He can’t even entertain his wife, a woman trapped in his palace. Instead of adapting to modernity, he tries to recapture his former glory by going on a quest to kill a tiger.

Outside of the three main characters, the film is dominated by the beautiful Bengali landscape. The rolling green hills, the dry lands, and the marshy swampland captures the diversity of Bengal (which is also captured in the characters). Instead of city noise, we hear birds, monkeys, water – everything that is lost in the city. The country is always full of life. The only evidence of built up civilisation were a few electricity pylons in the far background of one shot and the grand palace of the Rajah slowly being covered with moss.

The Bait is like a collection of fables. Each storyline portrays a different part of society, from the rich Rajah to the wandering street performers. Their social statuses are clear throughout and their identification creates the strong political undercurrent. Is there still a semi-caste system in India? Under the magical realism and humour, it seems that Dasgupta believes there still is.

89

Amor y Frijoles (Honduras) – Romantic Drama in Small Town Honduras

Amor y Frijoles Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you’re a fan of indie films or telenovelas, you’ll enjoy Amor y Frijoles. It’s got the feel of a heart-warming indie film, but the romantic drama of a Mexican telenovela.

Why Watch Amor y Frijoles?
  • Experience life in a typical town in Honduras
  • For telenovela level relationship drama
  • See typical Honduran food: Baleadas
  • Witness the effects of boredom on Ojojona’s inhabitants
The Breakdown

Amor y Frijoles starts with a load of establishing shots of the town of Ojojona as it wakes up in the morning. You’ll see shots of the churches, the streets, the butcher chopping meat, vendors preparing coffee, and the rural landscape which surrounds the town. It’s a typical Honduran town, and acts as a microcosm for the entire country.

This isn’t great news for Honduras. As whilst the town is portrayed well, the main characters are not. Firstly there’s Dionisio, Karen’s husband. He obviously doesn’t care for his wife as he comes home late every night and ignores her. Karen also suspects that he’s cheating, and he probably is, even if it’s never confirmed. Secondly there’s Ramiro, Karen’s best friends husband. At every opportunity he voyeuristically checks out Karen. There’s even one obvious shot of him gazing at her boobs.

Dionisio and Ramiro compose a pretty awful picture of Honduran men. But luckily(?) for them Karen stoops to their level and therefore half  vindicates their awful behavior by having a one-off affair with Ramiro, her best friend’s husband! The drama!

Why are their relationships so extra-marital?

There are so many extra-marital affairs because they are all bored. Karen cooks baleadas in the morning before she goes home and watches hours and hours of reality and religious TV. The directors show her following the same mundane routine everyday. It’s obvious she’s bored, but she’s too stuck by her routine to break from it. Therefore, it’s no surprise that when the TV breaks, she looks to other entertainment to fill the void.

This is also true for Ramiro, Karen’s best friends husband. He’s never shown doing anything other than driving around town aimlessly. It doesn’t look like he has a job or any hobbies to occupy his time. Therefore, without anything to do, he keeps trying to seduce Karen.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Amor y Frijoles is a well made, easy-to-watch Honduran film. It’s got the feel of a great indie film. However, the plot is anything but relaxing, it’s full of the relationship drama you expect to see in Latin American telenovelas.

For more controversial relationships in Central America, check out two films with Gabriel Garcia Bernal:

Or, if you’re after a more romantic love film, check out The Road Home by Zhang Yimou or Sepet, a teen love film set in Malaysia.

90

Battle In Heaven

Battle in Heaven Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This film is provocatively shocking! Even more so than the most shocking scenes of Heli or Y Tu Mama Tambien. If you’re not a fan of provocative images then this might not be for you. But if you can handle it, watch on, and see Mexico City. Witness the power structures, class divides, religion, and football.

Why Watch Battle in Heaven?
  • For something very provocative, like a lot of Mexican films!
  • To see Mexico City: the streets, the people, the shops, the rich neighbourhoods, and more
  • Big juxtapositions: Ugliness vs. Beauty, Rich vs. Poor, Powerful vs. Weak
  • For a pretty cool soundtrack (which often ends up distracting Carlos)
The Breakdown

In one of the most controversial openings of a film ever, the film opens with a close up of Carlos’ chubby face. He is middle aged, bearded, has dishevelled hair, and wears big glasses. He is not attractive. The camera then slowly pans down his naked body, showing us his man boobs and huge belly. However instead of showing us his penis, we see the back of a female head with matted hair. Just in case it is not obvious what she is doing, the camera cuts to the side, showing her young face sucking the penis of this fat, middle aged man.

It is not the oral sex that is that is the most shocking part of the introduction but the pairing of the old man with the young woman. These two people should not be together. However, Reygadas later challenges our prejudices when he shows the naked bodies of Carlos and his even more chubby wife. Their paired naked bodies are even more repulsive than the opening scene, even though their pairing is way more normal. Provocation is a theme of Battle in Heaven, and Reygadas shows us shocking images of things that are wrong, and things that are not wrong, but equally shocking.

Outside of the provocation, Battle in Heaven portrays Mexico City well. Reygadas shows us the streets, the stall run by Carlos’ wife, and the rich neighbourhoods and the city centre. He also depicts two of the biggest things that constitute Mexico: Religion and Football. Firstly, there are a lot of football fanatics. The chief police inspector is wearing a football shirt, there’s an entire scene at a football game, and the Pumas win the Championship. Secondly, religion dominants the mise-en-scene (the setting) throughout. There are plenty of religious icons and pictures in all the houses (although not Ana’s house), there is a religious march of pilgrims, and we are shown the real image of La Virgen in the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

Conclusion

Battle in Heaven is dominated by some controversial film that, on one hand, challenge us, but on the other, might put you of from watching on. If you can look past the provocation, and the relatively bare plot, Reygadas’ film is a well thought out portrait of Mexico City. It is an opportunity to see what drives the city (football and religion), the rich/poor divide, the power structures (military and police), whilst watching city life.