Une jeune fille (2013)

Foto: Films 53/12

Slo naslov: -

Država: Kanada

Jezik: francoščina

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 85',  Imdb

Žanri: drama

Režija: Catherine Martin

Scenarij: Catherine Martin

Igrajo: Ariane Legault, Sébastien Ricard, Marie-Ève Bertrand, Hélène Florent

Življenje za mlado Chantal ni enostavno. Z mamo priklenjeno na posteljo, konstantnim pomanjkanjem denarja in brezposelnim očetom, ki se ni nikoli zmenil za njo ali njeno hudo bolno mater, na njeno mlado življenje že dolgo ni posijalo sonce. V njene oči sta se naselila žalost in obup, in ko se mati po dolgotrajni bolezni dokončno poslovi, Chantal nima več nobenega razloga, da bi ostala doma. V nahrbtnik vrže najnujnejše stvari, v žep spravi nekaj bankovcev, ki jih je z muko skrivala pred očetom, in odide. Mati ji je tik pred smrtjo s solznimi očmi pripovedovala o kraju, na katerem se je prvič in zadnjič v življenju počutila srečno – zato Chantal s seboj vzame fotografijo idilične plaže v obmorskem mestecu Gaspe in se odpravi tja. Denarja ji hitro zmanjka, zato začne spati pod mostovi in drugimi improviziranimi zaklonišči, zaradi lakote je njeno telo vedno šibkejše in punca naposled obleži ob zapuščeni makadamski cesti. Vprašanje je, kako bi se vse skupaj izteklo, če se v svojem terencu mimo ne bi pripeljal lokalni farmer Serge. Ta je s tal pobral njeno izčrpano telo in jo odpeljal na svojo kmetijo, jo nahranil in ji ponudil prenočišče. Serge je samotar, ki sam živi na veliki propadajoči farmi, ki jo je podedoval po smrti staršev in hitro izkaže se, da redkobesedni možakar v poznih tridesetih in mlada Chantal imata marsikaj skupnega. Serge začuti njeno stisko in ji za nekaj časa ponudi zatočišče, ona pa mu v zahvalo začne pomagati pri vsakdanjih opravilih. Tu režiserka in scenaristka Catherine Martin ob izdatni pomoči dveh glavnih igralcev, mlade Ariane Legault in Sébastiena Ricarda, vzpostavi intimen mikrokozmos dveh osamljenih duš, ki postopoma, skorajda brez besed, sobivajo in gradijo njun rahločuten odnos. Vprašaj, ki smo ga na začetku postavili, ko smo pretresali njegov motiv počasi bledi in ko opazujemo njuno interakcijo, vedno bolj očitno je, kako zelo dobro se ujemata. Razlika v letih je  dejavnik, ki ne dovoli postavitve njunega odnosa v vnaprej določen predal. Večjim delom sem imel občutek, da opazujemo odnos med očetom in hčerko, vendar sem v njunem odnosu vseeno začutil pridušeno seksualno napetost. Morda ne toliko v smislu naraščanje le-te, ampak predvsem kot neka utež, ki protagonista najbolj ovira, da se popolnoma sprostita in povežeta, predvsem na človeški ravni. Senzibilnost, s katero režiserka zgodbo krmari med temi čustvi, ki počasi prevzemajo oba protagonista, je ena ključnih vrednosti filma. Une jeune fille subtilno povezuje motive osamljenosti, minljivosti, navezanosti na določen kraj, odgovornosti do zapuščine prednikov in prvinskost čustev, ki se rojevajo ob zbliževanju dveh duš.

Ocena

Broadchurch (2013–2017) (1. sezona)

Foto: promocijsko gradivo

Slo naslov: Broadchurch 
Država: VB
Jezik: angleščina
Leto: 2013
Dolžina: 8 x 50' ,  Imdb
Žanri: krimi, drama, misterij
Slo recenzija: Koridor
Režija: James Strong, Euros Lyn
Scenarij: Chris Chibnall
Igrajo: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Carolyn Pickles, Arthur Darvill 

[ENG]

A seemingly calm and friendly seaside town becomes a town wrapped in secrets when the death of an eleven year old boy sparks an unwanted media frenzy. As the town's locals start to open up about what they do and don't know, it falls upon the police to catch the supposed killer.

Ocena

The Crash Reel (2013)

Slo naslov: -

Država: ZDA

Jezik: Angleščina

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 108',  Imdb

Žanri: Biografija, Dokumentarni, Športni

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Lucy Walker

Scenarij: Pedro Kos, Lucy Walker

Igrajo: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White, Mason Aguirre, Adam Pearce, Sarah Burke 

[ENG]

The dramatic story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snowboarding; and one explosive issue, Traumatic Brain Injury.  A comeback story with a difference.

This eye-popping film seamlessly combines twenty years of stunning action footage with new specially-shot verité footage and interviews as it follows U.S. champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce and exposes the irresistible but potentially fatal appeal of extreme sports. 

An escalating rivalry between Kevin and his nemesis Shaun White in the run-up to the 2010 Olympics leaves Shaun on top of the Olympic podium and Kevin in a coma following a training accident in Park City, Utah.  Kevin's tight-knit Vermont family flies to his side and helps him rebuild his life as a brain injury survivor.  But when he insists he wants to return to the sport he still loves, his family intervenes with his eloquent brother David speaking for all of them when he says, “I just don’t want you to die.” Kevin’s doctors caution him that even a small blow to the head could be enough to kill him. Will Kevin defy them and insist on pursuing his passion?  With his now impaired skills, what other options does he have?  How much risk is too much?  [Official Site]

Ocena

Feng ai (2013)

Drugi naslovi: Til Madness Do Us Part

Slo naslov: -

Država: Japonska, Francija, Hong Kong

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 227',  Imdb

Žanri: Dokumentarni

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Bing Wang

Scenarij: Bing Wang

Within the gates of an isolated mental institution in in southwest China's Yunnan province, patients are confined to one single floor of a building. Once locked in, with little contact from the outside world, anything goes.

The facility's inmates have been committed for different reasons: perhaps they may have a developmental disability, have committed murder, or simply angered local officials. But once inside, they all share the same life and cramped living quarters, staring at a barren, iron-fenced courtyard and seeking comfort and human warmth wherever they can find it.

'TIL MADNESS DO US PART uses handheld camerawork and digital video to interrogate mental illness and criminality, therapy and incarceration, and the relationship between individuals and society. Riveting, terrifying, tender—and unforgettable.

*******************

Mundane activities such as dressing and undressing oneself, lighting a cigarette, and lying beneath a blanket with another inmate come to seem like peoples' declarations of their own humanity. ...In chronicling individual, present-day lives, Wang gives a sense of his country's recent history. [Aaron Cutler, Cineaste]

Ocena

Le météore (2013)

Slo naslov: - 

Angleški naslov: The Meteor

Država: Kanada

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 85',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: François Delisle

Scenarij: François Delisle

Igrajo: Noémie Godin-Vigneau, François Delisle, Dany Boudreault

[ENG]

Pierre killed someone in a car accident while under the influence of drugs and subsequently fled the scene. Now he is in jail, where his mother visits him every week. His wife Suzanne left him over the course of his prison term and is now trying to find a new direction for her life. Three people (plus a prison guard and a young drug dealer) whose thoughts sometimes revolve around such everyday things as changing the oil in the car, but often also concern larger questions and feelings: loneliness, death, sex, guilt, freedom, life’s missed chances. The ties that connect these lives are as close as the disjunctions undertaken by the film on a formal level are radical. The protagonists never appear together and there is no dialogue. The characters’ inner worlds are conveyed via internal monologues in voiceover that flow into a stream of images more associative than descriptive. An awareness that the crucial senses which govern film perception are sight and hearing is created. The simultaneity of their employment generates a form of audiovisual stream of consciousness, carving out in almost religious manner what might constitute the essence of a person, beyond deeds or crimes: the soul.

******************

Delisle blends stark visual images with character voice-overs to convey the hurt and isolation that one family faces because one of its members is imprisoned. 

(Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter)

Ocena

Love Steaks (2013)

Slo naslov: -

Država: Nemčija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 90' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Komedija, Romantični  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Jakob Lass

Scenarij: Jakob Lass, Ines Schiller, Timon Schäppi

Igrajo: Lana Cooper, Franz Rogowski

[ENG]

Clemens starts a new job as a massage therapist in a luxury hotel. He is shy but sensitive and likes to work with his guests’ energies. The ladies he massages fall for his hands and make advances to him that throw him off balance. Lara, who works in the kitchen, tries it the hard way. She shakes Clemens up and brings him out of his shell. She is the knife, he is the spoon. Opposites attract. She tries to rid him of his fears, he tries to rid her of her addiction. Clemens finds Lara at the beach, carries her home and cleans the vomit from her face. They light boats on fire, take a nightdive into the hotel pool and drink coffee at the laundry cart so the fox won't find them. Clemens plays the guitar and Lara dances to it, although she can't. An unlikely couple falls in love. Dirty, bloody, great and honest. 

(Via german-films.de)

*******

Best Feature Film
Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival
November 6 - 10, 2014
Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Jury: This unconventional love story tells us yet again what good film making is about: you don’t need a big budget nor a major production company to create a remarkable movie. The recipe is simple but efficient: Carefully developed characters in an almost documentary like setting, strong acting, rough yet vivid photography, impactful music combined with refreshingly unpolished long takes. Brought together in the powerful direction of a first time director who does not hold back and surprises us with his energetic approach. The result is like a good meal. Unpretentious, raw, yet deeply satisfying. A powerful film that makes the audience hungry for more.

Ocena

Stop the Pounding Heart (2013)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA, Italija, Belgija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 101',  Imdb

Žanri: Dokumentarni, Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Roberto Minervini

Scenarij: Roberto Minervini, Diego Romero

Igrajo: Sara Carlson, Colby Trichell, Tim Carlson, LeeAnne Carlson, Katarina Carlson

[ENG]

Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known. In a stunning portrayal of contemporary America and the insular communities that dot its landscape, Stop the Pounding Heart is an exploration of adolescence, family and social values, gender roles, and religion in the rural American South. Written by Doc & Film International

*********************

Tantalisingly balanced between documentary and minimalist fiction, Stop The Pounding Heart sees Italian director Roberto Minervini exploring a curious borderline between cow-punching and Bible-bashing. Representing Minervini’s third visit to Texas following The Passage and last year’s Low Tide - and featuring some of the same real-life personalities - his latest film is essentially a documentary with some staged sequences, lyrically but unfussily shot and at times achieving a phenomenal intimacy with its subjects. (Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily)

Ocena

Oktober November (2013)

Slo naslov: Oktober november  

Drugi naslovi: October November 

Država: Avstrija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 114' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: Ekran

Režija: Götz Spielmann

Scenarij: Götz Spielmann

Igrajo: Nora von Waldstatten, Ursula Strauss, Peter Simonischek, Sebastian Koch, Johannes Zeiler, Andreas Ressl

[ENG]

Successful actress returns to her family home in rural Austria to visit her ailing father and her sister who spent her whole life taking care of him and her family. The reunion is marked by jealousy, introspection and a secret.

Goetz Spielmann follows his superb 2008 thriller 'Revanche' with this carefully constructed and beautifully acted tale of two sisters.

In his superb 2008 thriller “Revanche,” Goetz Spielmann followed his characters from the seedier streets of Vienna to a quiet rural hideaway. The Austrian filmmaker again makes resonant use of the tension between town and country, albeit to far gentler effect, in “October November,” a carefully constructed and beautifully acted tale of two very different sisters brought together when their aging father falls seriously ill. Old resentments resurface and long-kept secrets are duly excavated, but in a measured, compassionate manner that yields a persuasive and nuanced portrait of broken but not irreparable family ties. Spielmann’s storytelling remains too restrained for breakout international success, but its low-boil excellence should find a discerning arthouse audience. (Justin Chang, Variety)

Ocena

Club sandwich (2013)

Slo naslov: - 

Angleški naslov: Club Sandwich

Država: Mehika, Francija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 82',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Komedija   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Fernando Eimbcke

Scenarij: Fernando Eimbcke

Igrajo: María Renée Prudencio, Lucio Giménez Cacho, Danae Reynaud, Carolina Politi

[ENG]

While vacationing at a beachside resort, a single mother faces inevitable separation anxiety when her 15-year-old son — who is also her best friend — discovers magical chemistry with a girl his own age. Director Fernando Eimbcke approaches the subject with sensitivity while also presenting it as a wonderfully awkward, laugh-out-loud comedy.

Thirty-five-year-old single mom Paloma (María Renée Prudencio) and her fifteen year- old son Hector (Lucio Giménez Cacho) are vacationing at a resort near the beach. These two are best friends, spending endless amounts of time together, bantering back and forth, and sharing intimate thoughts as they rub sunscreen on each other's backs. This delicate balance is upset when Hector meets Jazmin (Danae Reynaud), a girl his age who is staying at the same resort. The sexual chemistry between the two teenagers is palpable, and Paloma finds herself, slowly but surely, becoming the third wheel.

Poignant and hilarious, Club Sandwich, Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke's third feature film, provides a humorous twist on the adolescent coming-of-age story that focuses on a mother's point of view.

As with his first feature, Duck Season, which played the Festival in 2004, Eimbcke constructs his story carefully, bringing us into close contact with his characters and their complexities. The relationship between mother and son is precisely drawn. We see them hanging out in their hotel room watching television, or languidly soaking in the sun. Deliberately, Eimbcke offers us some hints on the changes that are creeping into their relationship through Hector's secret friendship with Jazmin, while a clueless Paloma fails to face the inevitable.

Laugh-out-loud funny and culminating in a pricelessly comical, and very awkward, game of truth or dare, Club Sandwich ruminates on the shifting circumstances of a mother who has to learn how to navigate life without the constant companionship of her only child. (Diana Sanchez, Tiff)

Ocena

Iya monogatari: Oku no hito [The Tale of Iya] (2013)

Drugi naslovi: The Tale of Iya

Slo naslov: - 

Država: Japonska

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 169',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Tetsuichiro Tsuta

Scenarij: Tetsuichiro Tsuta, Masayuki Ueda

Igrajo: Rina Takeda, Shima Ohnishi, Min Tanaka, Hitoshi Murakami, Sachi Ishimaru

[ENG]

Story

It was summer when a stranger from Tokyo arrived at “Iya”, where the riches of nature still abound. This young man, named Kudo, was willing to live his new, self-sufficient life. He was exhausted by city life, and believed this beautiful land would give him some rest. On the contrary, the reality was not as easy as he thought. There was a confliction between a local construction company and a group of nature conservationists. Farmers are trying to save their harvests from harmful animals such as deer and monkeys. People are fighting for their own purposes: to get their job, to save the environment, or to survive.

One day, Kudo met Grandpa and a girl Haruna lives in the heart of the mountains. It was far away from any human habitations. No electricity, no gas, there was nothing but the nature. Their modest and humble life went by slow, and seemed eternal as if time stops.

Every morning, Grandpa climbs up the mountain to go to the little shrine to offer Omiki (sake) to the mountain god. Haruna goes to high school an hour away from home, and after that, helps Grandpa to plow his field. Feeling his heart gradually gets healed, Kudo thought that he finally found what he was looking for in their calm life. Soon Kudo started trying to transform a piece of wasteland into his own field.

Winter came. Snowstorm rages and wild beasts waste the fields even worse. Although Kudo has become used to the life in Iya, nature was harsh and he was too weak. Kudo despaired of himself, realized he would not be able to live without modern conveniences that he used to have in Tokyo.

On the other hand, a group of nature conservationists made their protest much stronger. “Save Iya! Save Iya!” Their voice echoed through the hills. But they too realized their movement was unsuccessful in the end.

Grandpa starts loosing his health, but he never stops climbing mountains whatever Haruna says. Haruna’s mind was clouded with anxiety that her life with Grandpa would no longer continue. And suddenly, without saying anything, Grandpa disappeared and never came back.

It was hard for Haruna to understand the loss of Grandpa but she also knew it was time to leave her home and live her own life. She decided to move to Tokyo to continue to college, and there she started working on an invention to get back her life in Iya with Grandpa.

7 years later, in Tokyo, Haruna received a letter from her childhood friend from Iya saying that she wants Haruna to see her baby. Haruna hardly remember about Iya and even about Grandpa. The only thing connected Haruna and Iya was her invention she was working on but it ended up in failure and disappointment. But somehow, this letter led her mind to Iya again.

Soon after, she was on the bus driving through the mountains of Iya. And what she saw there was Kudo looks just like Grandpa.

Festivals

2014, Tokyo International Film Festival (Special Mention) 
2014, Tromsø International Film Festival (Aurora Prize)
2014, Glasgow Film Festival
2014, Nippon Connection Film Festival　
2014, The 38th Hong Kong International Film Festival (Jury Prize)

Ocena

Kurnaz - Fünf Jahre Leben [Five Years] (2013)

Drugi naslovi: Five Years

Slo naslov: Pet let

Država: Nemčija, Francija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 95',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: - 

Režija: Stefan Schaller

Scenarij: Stefan Schaller

Igrajo: Sascha Alexander Gersak, Ben Miles, Marc Hodapp,  Tayfun Bademsoy, Burak Yigit

[SLO]

Resnična zgodba o Nemcu turškega rodu Muratu Kurnazu, po krivici zaprtem v zloglasni ječi za politične obsojence v Guantánamu – enem najstrašnejših zaporov na svetu, kjer goli boj za preživetje zahteva skoraj nadčloveške napore.

Nemec turškega rodu Murat Kurnaz je bil od leta 2001 do leta 2006 zaprt v ameriških jetniških taboriščih v Afganistanu ter v kubanskem zalivu Guantánamo Bay. Kot mladi, komaj 19-letni spreobrnjenec v islam je bil na verskem romanju v Pakistan, ko so ga aretirali zaradi suma terorizma. Film temelji na resničnih dogodkih in pripoveduje njegovo zgodbo: kako so ga mučili in nepretrgoma zasliševali v neusmiljenem zaporu v Guantánamu. Zgodba se osredotoča na odnos med Kurnazom in njegovim ameriškim zasliševalcem Gailom Holfordom, ki skuša pridobiti njegovo zaupanje, da bi Kurnaz priznal očitana dejanja, medtem ko se nadaljuje fizično in psihološko mučenje. Potrebni sta železna volja in neomajnost, da bi v takih okoliščinah Kurnaz lahko ohranil prepričanje o lastni nedolžnosti. (Vir: www.hbo.si)

[ENG]

How Murat Kurnaz ended up in Guantanamo Bay is a mysterious story. 5 YEARS investigates the psychological aspect of this endless and unjustified "imprisonment" where Kurnaz had to endure never ending physical and psychological torture.

Ocena

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors (2013)

Slo naslov: -

Država: ZDA

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 102',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: - 

Režija: Sam Fleischner

Scenarij: Rose Lichter-Marck, Micah Bloomberg 

Igrajo: Andrea Suarez Paz, Jesus Sanchez-Velez, Azul Zorrilla, Tenoch Huerta, Marsha Stephanie Blake

[ENG]

"Stand Clear of the Closing Doors" is the story of Ricky, a 13-year-old boy with autism, and his mother, Mariana. An undocumented immigrant from Mexico, Mariana works long days cleaning houses while Ricky, deeply imaginative but painfully isolated, struggles to cope. They live in Rockaway Beach, Queens along with Ricky’s rebellious older sister, Carla, and semi-absent father, Ricardo Sr. 

Carla doesn’t pick Ricky up from school one day and as he walks home alone, he is scolded by Mariana over the phone. Blocking out his mother’s wrath, he is swooned by a mysterious dragon figure into the subway. This marks the beginning of the young boy’s odyssey of self-discovery, where his confrontation with the bizarre, indifferent world of the subway pushes him to interact with the world. Mariana’s search brings her out into her neighborhood in new ways. She forms a new relationship with the beach and befriends a shopkeeper who knows her son. As days pass with no sign of Ricky and an impending hurricane, the divisions that the family has tried to ignore are brought to light.

"Stand Clear of the Closing Doors" is a family drama rooted in the vibrant depiction of a seldom-seen community on the city’s edge. With an eye-opening view of life on the autism spectrum, the film simultaneously explores the strains of the immigrant experience. The film is about identity and conformity; communication and intolerance. It explores the dark spaces between us, seeking out the peculiar threads that tie us together. (source: official site)

[Festivals]

2013 Tribeca Film Festival: Best Narrative Feature - Special Jury Mention
2013 Deauville American Film Festival: Jury Special Prize

Ocena

Bairokêshon [Bilocation] (2013)

Drugi naslovi: Bilocation

Slo naslov: -

Država: Japonska

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: '132 (EE) ,  Imdb

Žanri: Grozljivka, Triler 

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Mari Asato

Scenarij: Mari Asato, Haruka Hojo

Igrajo: Asami Mizukawa, Yosuke Asari, Chukichi Kubo, Kento Senga, Sho Takada, Kosuke Toyohara

[ENG]

Shinobu Takamura (Asami Mizukawa) is an aspiring painter. One day, she is accused of using counterfeit money. Shinobu is confused by the allegation, because she never did such a thing and was at home when the crime occurred. Police Officer Kanou then appears and takes her to a place. When they get there, a group of people are already gathered. All of the people there are concerned over a doppelganger like existence that looks just like them and acts like them. They call that existence "bilocation".

"Bilocation" is a supernatural phenomenon in which an individual appears in two different places at the same time, which has been reported historically worldwide. What if your alter ego exceeds your experience and ability? And what if he/she tries to prevent you from standing in the way of him/her? Can you accept it, or will you kill the other "you"? Bilocation depicts the nightmare of an alter ego that endangers not only your identity but also your very existence. It is an imaginative psychological thriller unlike anything you've ever seen.

[Notes]

Based on the novel "Bilocation" by Haruka Hojo (published October 23, 2010 by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd).

[Film Festivals]

2013, 26th Tokyo International Film Festival 

2014, 16th Udine Far East Film Festival

Ocena

Gangster te voli [Gangster of Love] (2013)

Slovenski naslov: -
Država: Hrvaška, Nemčija
Leto: 2013
Žanri: Dokumentarni, Komedija, Drama
Dolžina: 75',  Imdb 
Režija: Nebojša Slijepčević
Scenarij: Nebojša Slijepčević, Vanja Jambrović
Igrajo: Nedeljko Babić 

Nedjeljko Babić »Gangster« je eden izmed bolj znanih obrazov v Imotskem, majhnem dalmatinskem mestu, ki leži kakih osemdeset kilometrov jugovzhodno od Splita. G. Babić prepoznavnosti ne dolguje gangsterskim »podvigom,« saj dotični gospod v resnici nima nobenih stikov s kriminalnim podzemljem. Vzdevek se ga je (kot sam pojasni) prejel zaradi njegove iznajdljivosti in sodi v tisto kategorijo vzdevkov, ki nimajo veliko skupnega z dejanskim stanjem stvari. Gospod Nedeljko je pred 25-imi leti spoznal, da mu poklic parketarja ne diši več in ubral povsem drugačno karierno pot. Možakar s skrbno urejenimi brki in temnimi očali je pred četrt stoletja začel kariero poklicnega ženitnega posrednika in do danes mu je v Imotskem in širši okolici uspelo združiti več kot tristo zakonskih parov. Sokrajani so nanj na začetku gotovo gledali nekoliko postrani, a z naraščanjem števila uspešnih posredovanj je rasel tudi njegov ugled. Gangster danes na večjih prireditvah kot so (v teh krajih zelo popularne) bikoborbe sedi zraven uradnega napovedovalca in preko razglasa ponuja svoje storitve. Pred časom je izdal tudi svoj prvi CD, njegove pesmi lahko slišimo na valovih lokalnih radijskih postaj. Nato na njegova vrata potrka Maja, mati samohranilka, ki po propadlem, z nasiljem zaznamovanem zakonu, išče novega partnerja. Gangster je prepričan, da bo za Majo hitro našel primernega kandidata, a že po začetnem otipavanju potencialnih kandidatov je jasno, da ženska z otrokom (ki je poleg tega še priseljenka), za lokalne samce ni najboljša izbira.

Gangster te ljubi je pronicljiv dokumentarec, ki pokaže, kako včasih pri iskanju ljubezni pomembno vlogo igrajo tudi na videz nepomembne stvari, kot so geografska širina in dolžina. V ruralnih krajih dalmatinskega zaledja ni težko dobiti mlado jagnjetino, ali ob mrzlem pivu skupaj z navdušeno množico opazovati borbe bikov. Malo težje je najti ustrezno partnerko ali partnerja, ob katerem/kateri lahko upaš na ljubezen.  In čeprav iz ust nekega moškega slišimo, da je ženska kot drač, ki lahko uspeva vsepovsod in vsakršnih pogojih, število samcev v teh  krajih ga postavlja na laž. Če bi to bilo res, potem bi naš Gangster hitro ostal brez dela, toda debelina njegovih fasciklov govori drugače. Vsi potencialni kandidati imajo svoj spis s fotografijo, v katerem so zapisane osnovne karakteristike. Gangsterjev kratek povzetek vrlin se običajno začne s "fin in kulturen," na tretjem mestu so potem navadno tiste ključne prednosti: dobra služba, trinadstropna hiša, dobra pokojnina… Gangster… je dolgometražni prvenec Nebojše Slijepčevića, ki je pred tem snemal kratke dokumentarce in tako nabiral dragocene izkušnje, rezultat teh kratkometražnih ogrevanj pa je zares zanimiv prvenec, ki je po moji oceni eden boljših dosežkov hrvaške dokumentaristike v zadnjem obdobju. Slijepčeviću uspe v kompaktnih 75 minut trajanja povedati zelo veliko. Lahko bi rekli, da njegov film na tistem najbolj splošnem nivoju poveže več zgodbic, katerih rdeča nit je osamljenost protagonistov. Na drugem, nemara še pomembnejšem nivoju film funkcionira kot kritična observacija okolja, v katerem zavezanost tradicionalističnim vrednotam generira številne predsodke, nacionalizem (ki ga večina zmotno enači z domoljubjem), moški šovinizem… Ena redkih svetlih izjem je prav Gangster, ki kot nekakšen razsvetljenec med sokrajani poskuša širiti strpnost, toleranco in ljubezen, ki kot sam pravi, ne pozna meja, vere, ali barve kože. Slijepčević zna identificirati ključna vprašanja in obenem vse skupaj pospremiti z avtentično, na situacijo in okolje odlično adaptirano komiko, in prav zato v Gangsterju… vidim odlično uravnoteženo tragikomedijo, vredno omembe in pozornosti. 

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Uroki garmonii [Harmony Lessons] (2013)

Slovenski naslov: Učne ure harmonije
Država: Kazahstan, Nemčija, Francija
Leto: 2013
Žanri: Drama  
Dolžina: 120',  Imdb
Režija: Emir Baigazin
Scenarij: Emir Baigazin
Igrajo: Timur Aidarbekov, Aslan Anarbayev, Mukhtar Andassov, Anelya Adilbekova, Beibitzhan Muslimov, Bagila Kobenova, Adlet Anarbekov

Vse do trenutka, ko učenec, ki je pred kratkim prišel iz urbanega središča, na mizo ne postavi mobilnega telefona, bi lahko sklepali, da se zgodba Učnih ur harmonije odvija pred kakimi petdesetimi leti. Naprava prinese spoznanje, da se življenje v ruralnem Kazahstanu v zadnjih pol stoletja ni veliko spreminjalo. Naš glavni junak, 13-letni Aslan živi z babico v osamljeni, razpadajoči hiši na robu vasi. Spoznamo ga ravno v trenutku, ko skupaj s sošolci opravlja redni sistematski pregled, na katerem doživi največje ponižanje v njegovem mladem življenju. Vodja šolske tolpe Bolat mu s svojimi pajdaši namesti zlobno potegavščino, po kateri Aslan še dolgo ne bo mogel spiti kozarca vode, brez občutka slabosti v želodcu. A tudi to za nasilneža, ki od drugih učencev z grožnjami in udarci izsiljuje tedensko »pristojbino« v denarju, ni dovolj. Ostalim dijakom prepove druženje z Aslanom in ga tako potisne v popolno izolacijo, ki jo prekine prihod že omenjenega novega učenca, ki se zoperstavi navodilom lokalnega alfa samca. Aslan v novincu najde prijatelja in zaščitnika, ki ga sam ni iskal, saj se je nekako že navadil na osamljeno življenje v izolaciji. Zdaj, ko je nekdo proti njemu pomolil roko prijateljstva, ne ve, ali je bolje to roko sprejeti, ali nadaljevati z mirnim obstojem v osami. Napetost narašča in ko Bolat pretepe njegovega novega prijatelja in še enega dobrohotnega sošolca, Aslan skuje maščevalni načrt.

Nekateri so Učne ure harmonije ujeli že na predlanskem Liffu, vsi ostali, ki smo zamudili to priložnost, smo bili obsojeni na dolgo čakanje na DVD plošček, še nekaj dodatnih mesecev je trajalo, da smo dobili ustrezne podnapise. Celovečerni prvenec kazahstanskega režiserja Emirja Baigazina je bil premierno predvajan na filmskem festivalu v Berlinu, kjer je prejel srebrnega medveda za najboljšo fotografijo, nadaljnje festivalsko življenje pa je filmu prineslo še več nagrad na uglednih lokacijah (Karlovi Vari, Tribeca, Tokijo). Večina tistih, ki so pisali o filmu, je kot osnovno misel prepoznala darvinistično teorijo o razvoju organizmov, utemeljeno na naravni selekciji, po kateri izmed preštevilnih organizmov preživijo le uspešnejši, bolj prilagodljivi. Ideja, ki jo Baigazin poudari z eksperimentalno-raziskovalnimi hobiji glavnega protagonista (ta se v prostem času posveča preučevanju ščurkov in kuščarjev, v katerih se vedno znova ponavlja motiv nadvlade močnejšega organizma nad šibkejšim). Motiv šibkega, ki postane hrana močnejšega, simbolično napoveduje že uvodni prizor klanja ovce. Meso živali bo za nekaj časa zadovoljilo potrebe dvočlanske družine in tako odigralo svojo vlogo v evolucijskem procesu. Režiser to misel potem še dodatno nadgradi in ji ponudi dodatno dimenzijo s tem, ko Bolata, sicer glavnega antagonista, postavi pod vpliv in komando dveh starejših delinkventov. Tako tudi glavni antagonist postane le člen v prehranjevalni verigi, ki ga vodijo preživitveni nagoni. Zgodba na drugem, bolj konvencionalnem nivoju funkcionira kot mešanica eksistencialne drame o odraščanju in filma o maščevanju, ki potem v zadnji tretjini zapluje v vode, v katerih se fokus preusmeri na preiskavo zločina in neizogibne kazni. Učne ure… so film z močno vizualno komponento in suverenimi igralskimi nastopi celotne igralske zasedbe, sestavljene iz pretežno neprofesionalnih igralcev. Emir Baigazin se je dotaknil še nekaterih pomembnih tem: za pedagogi, ki ne storijo nič, da preprečijo nasilje v šolskih in obšolskih prostorih in policistih, ki priznanja krivde izsiljujejo z mučenjem in nečastnimi triki, je moč prepoznati metaforo stanja celotne družbe. Učne ure… so torej upravičeno deležne velike pozornosti in zanimivo bo spremljati nadaljnji razvoj avtorjeve kariere, ki letos dokončuje svoj drugi celovečerec Ranenyy Angel.

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