January 8 to January 14, 2015
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film
film
by Robin E. simmons
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f you’re reading this online Wednesday, January 7 or a hardcopy on January 8, several of the films listed here have yet to be shown. Even if the PSIFF website (www.psfilmfest.org/) says the films are sold out; it’s likely you can still get into the theater if you go to the venue as a stand-by patron. It’s my guess some or all of these films will also be included at the close of the fest among the “audience favorites” for an additional screening. Again, check the website.
which the characters go through huge arcs. Urushadze won the Warsaw Film Festival’s Best Director award. Last year, it was a Top Ten audience pick at PSIFF. This year it has returned as Estonia’s submission for Best Foreign Language film. TIMBUKTU
rural Connecticut and tries to sort out the differences between his acting life and real life. Barry Levinson directs this adaptation (by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede) of Philip Roth’s acerbic novel with a light touch. About halfway through, everything gets very interesting when a young lesbian (a terrific Greta Gerwig) with a 16 year crush on Simon shows up. Or is it all in Simon’s unreliable mind? This strange and delightful film is kind of a companion piece to BIRDMAN, but of a lesser fever. Friday, January 9, 7 PM, PSHS and Saturday, January 10, 12:00 PM, PSHS. SPIRIT/WILL/LOSS
“A city of eight million people and everybody knows everybody.” After a twelve-year absence from the big screen, Peter Bogdanovich is back with an overwrought and sometimes over-written but intermittently hilarious throwback to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s. There are generous doses of Ernst Lubitsch, Howard Hawks, Frank Capra and Preston Sturges throughout this silly, lightweight cotton candy of a movie. Setting off the complications, is Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), a married Broadway director, who is so smitten with Izzy Finkelstein (Imogen Poots), a freespirited Brooklyn prostitute who longs to be an actress, he gives her a no strings assistance of $30,000 cash to advance her acting career. Naturally, this triggers an unlikely chain of events that touches nearly everyone in his circle. Besides the adorable Poots and a Woody Allenish Wilson, the terrific cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Rhys Ifans, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte and Austin Pendleton. Quentin Tarantino, Cybill Shepherd and Tatum O’Neal make brief but recognizable cameos. North American premiere. Friday, January 9, 8 PM, Camelot. THE HUMBLING When ageing actor Simon (Al Pacino) discovers that his audience is no longer “participating” with him, he has a crisis of identity. His mojo gone, he retires to
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by heidi simmons
Exploring the Wild Side in Palm Springs PSIFF: WIld Tales
PSIFF: LAST CALL
SHE’S FUNNY THAT WAY
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who live in a lighthouse with their father, Conor, who is grief stricken over the loss of his beloved wife a few years earlier. When Saoirse discovers their mom’s shell flute, the ethereal music she creates opens a secret locked deep in their mother’s past. But when Saoirse is taken into the sea by a group of smiling seals wearing their mom’s shiny, mystical coat, Ben realizes that his sister holds the power to bring the ancient stories their mother told them to life — but in order to keep these tales alive, she needs to find her voice. And to do that, he must overcome his deepest fears. From Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore, who gave us the equally beautiful Academy ©Award nominated THE SECRET OF THE KELLS. TANGERINES
This superbly crafted art film – literally -- is about three artists who suffered challenging physical and mental blows -- actually, in one case -- but continued to do what they most loved; that is, being Creative. This beautiful meditation hovers over the ephemeral intersection of loss and love. But much more than that, it is a celebration of the transcendent nature of the human spirit. This exceptional film by husband and wife team Erinnisse (director and editor) and Patryk 9cinematographer) is one of the seven world premieres. Don’t miss this if art is in any way is part of your life. Even more so, it is not. . Saturday, January 10, 1:30 PM, Camelot and Sunday, January 11, 2:30 PM, Regal. SONG OF THE SEA The breathtaking animated Celtic myth is about big brother Ben and mute sis Saoirse
From Estonia, Georgian director Zaza Urushadze’s war drama was inspired by the bloody 1992 conflict between Georgia and the Russian backed Abkhazia Republic in which the Estonians were forced to return to the country of their origin. Of the few people who chose to remain behind are old carpenter Ivo and his neighbor Markus, whose livelihood is his tangerine orchard. When fighting takes place outside his door, Ivo takes in two wounded men – both enemies of each other. This wonderful pacifist parable plays out like a thriller in
Timbuktu is a city in West Africa near the southern border of the Sahara. Director by Abderrahmane Sissako’s fascinating film is about the brief invasion of radical Islam’s militant rebels into the relatively serene community of moderate, peaceful Muslims. Beautifully photographed, with exceptional regional music. I liked the film’s use of English, Arabic, and French among the spoken languages. But the heart of the film is the absurdist noose that threatens to choke the population with the vagaries of specific and ever more restrictive, closeminded, Jihadist demands. The resulting confusion between differing groups is frightening. It would be funny if it weren’t so deadly. A brave film that demands to be seen. Created a stir at Cannes. WILD TALES The audience I saw this with enjoyed these wickedly funny stand alone – but linked by a revenge motif -- short tales as much or more than any of the films I’ve seen at this year’s PSIFF. Argentine writer director Damián Szifrón has a deliciously dark sense of humor that frees him to examine extremes of the human condition. You know that moment when one follows through on an impulse that you know is wrong yet is overwhelmingly compelling. Like when your driving and someone cuts in front of you and flips you off and you decide to follow him or her… My guess is this unexpected comedy will be nominated for Best Foreign Film. Pedro Almodóvar produced. Saturday, January 10, 8:00 PM, Camelot.
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small commotion breaks out at the Palm Springs International Film Festival filmmaker’s check-in desk at the Renaissance Esmeralda. It’s the good kind of raised voices – happy, excited, lots of praise and thank yous. At the center of the hubbub is a young man, blonde, thin and with a big friendly smile. He loops on the turquois lanyard that indicates he’s a filmmaker. Two older men soon hustle him off, as he nods at the kind people who have so graciously welcomed him. When the PR people who run the press office tell me who he is, I get the same excited feeling. It is the writer and director of WILD TALES, Damián Szifrón of Argentina. His movie consists of six short stories that unfold in 120 minutes with one underlying theme: Revenge! And it feels so, so good. That is, as long as your only role is watching the film. Beautifully photographed and wonderfully acted, WILD TALES stands out as a fun yet dangerous movie about people behaving very badly. Many who have seen it, can’t easily shake it. Those in the PSIFF Hospitality Suite huddle around the filmmaker wanting to say something about his movie and take selfies with him. And that includes me. Szifrón has been on a wild ride since his film was completed in 2014. He has been all around the world showing WILD TALES in festivals garnering similar enthusiastic response. He just got off the plane in Palm Springs when his handlers, who seem to know very little about him, march him through his schedule. But they’re on task to get Szifrón to his screening and engagements. Szifrón is only in town two and a half days before he must show WILD TALES in New York. When the handlers are busy shuffling papers, I take my opportunity to tell him how much I enjoyed the film and I ask if we can talk. Szifrón is animated and shares like an old friend. Considering the dark subject matter, I am most curious about peoples’ enthusiastic guilty pleasure toward WILD TALES. “The great pleasure of WILD TALES is the idea of loosing control,” he said. “Animals
act on instinct, but humans repress their instincts. The film explores what happens when men and women let go and stop repressing themselves.” Szifrón shot the film in eight weeks for $4,000,000. He was able to get top talent because of the allure of the complex character roles and the short filming schedule. WILD TALES is one of nine films in the PSIFF to be considered for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar©. Szifrón has worked as a writer in episodic television and directed two other feature films. “I started writing these short episodes years ago and I noticed there was a theme, “ he said. “I liked exploring the freedom of imagination and how far it might go. Reality was my inspiration. It had to be real to work.” Szifrón admires Alfred Hitchcock and structured the stories to twist and surprise. He let his imagination go and allowed nature to take its course. “People like it because they think of themselves in the situation and wonder what they might or might not do,” Szifrón said. “It’s a release from their stressful lives. And they can safely laugh or judge because it’s not them.” Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar and his brother Agustín came on board as producers after they read the script, helping the movie pick up momentum. They share Szifrón’s humor and appreciated the anthology film with its vengeance theme. WILD TALES made a splash at the Cannes Film festival and continues to charm audiences wherever it’s screened. When Szifrón’s handler called time on our conversation, the writer director thanked me then hugged and kissed me on both cheeks, as is the Argentine custom. As Szifrón skedaddled to his screening, I found it amazing that WILD TALES came from such a sweet and charming guy who doesn’t seem to have a vengeful bone in his body. But I guess one never knows.
January 8 to January 14, 2015
APSIFF: Trifecta of Talent Spirit / Will / Loss
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t’s ten o’clock Friday morning, January 2nd, the first day of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and there is already a labyrinth of compact lines in front of the Camelot and Regal theaters. These lines will be the norm through January 12. Filmgoers wear jackets, gloves and hats to deal with the lingering low temperatures, but their faces are bright and sunny with cinematic anticipation. Behind the scenes, the PSIFF headquarters are abuzz at the Renaissance Esmeralda. Volunteers man the Hospitality Suite with coffee, sweet rolls and fresh picked fruit. The pressroom is organized with friendly faces who wrangle media requests. And the Film Society graciously welcomes arriving filmmakers from all over the world. Zeberiah Newman, Erinnesse and Patryk Rebisz already don their photo badges, which hang from turquois lanyards that identify them as filmmakers. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, they have put up posters and spread postcards to generate interest and get people to attend their documentary film SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS. Their excitement is tangible and their energy is contagous. Like new parents, they are proud and eager to share their baby. SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS is a project close to their hearts that reflects their own artistic sensibility, passion and integrity. This child of theirs was conceived in 2009 and only came to full term two weeks before its world Premiere at PSIFF. “We didn’t want to compromise our vision. We considered every second of images and kept making changes until we were all satisfied,” said Erinnesse co-director and editor. “We love the film and it is better than what thought it could be.” There were times when Erinnesse fired herself from the project in order to get a fresh look at the material. “It took me awhile to find the right rhythm in the cutting,” she said. Erinnesse listened to avant-garde musicians during the process to enhance her editing mojo. SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS features three artists who each overcome a disability to continue to do what they most love. Alice Wingwall is a blind photographer, Graham Sharpe is a hearing impaired musician and Katie Dallam is a sculptor/painter who lost half her brain. The book When Walls Become Doorways: Creativity and the Transforming Illness by Tobi Zausner, Ph.D., served as source material. “I was only interested in making this film if we could explore what lies underneath the process of creating the art,” said Patryk, co-director and cinematographer. “I didn’t want to simplify the artistic process as many art documentaries often do. I wanted to capture, in images, the moment when the artist has creative inspiration and see how it translates.” Indeed SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS is a film that explores the process of creating art. The film itself is an artistic achievement filled with transcendent images and music. The
documentary is a celebration of the creative process and the triumph of the artistic spirit. The Rebiszes and Newman are all artists. Newman is a Juilliard trained actor. Erinnisse is a film and television editor and Patryk is an art school graduate who has worked on hundreds of film projects and commercials. SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS is their first project together under their company banner Tupelo Productions. The three did limited fundraising and invested their own money. Erinnisse and Patryk married during the making of the film. “We’ve been married two years but it feels like fifteen,” said Errinesse sweetly. The co-directors learned a lot about each other, the film business and the creative processes very quickly. “We would see things so differently and then come to a place where we saw it brand new.” For Patryk, SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS was much more intense than he thought it would be. “There were so many decisions that had to be made on the spot. I often had to rethink my approach,” he said. Patryk is from Poland but has lived in the states for half his life. “I read literature and philosophy to help expand my thinking. I always saw the film in terms of ideas,” he said. “It was important because I wanted to go beyond traditional content.” Photographer Wingwall and sculptor/ painter Dallam will attend the SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS premiere along with the filmmakers for a Q&A after the Saturday showing. Tupelo partner and co-producer Newman has a home in Palm Springs. “Palm Springs is such a special place and the city is so supportive,” said Newman. “It is the perfect place to premiere SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS. We’re honored to be here and share our film with the community and filmgoers.” Local business Ernest Coffee is sponsoring a reception for the film. SPIRIT/ WILL / LOSS will have its world premiere Saturday, January 10, 1:30 PM at the Camelot Theatres and will show again Sunday, January 11, 2:30 PM at the Palm Springs Regal 9. Newman wants everyone to know that tickets are available at the box office even though online tickets say, “sold out.”
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