Film Comment Selects '11
Film Comment Selects 2011
Highlights from Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual 'Film Comments Selects' series
Another year has passed and once again, the Film Society of Lincoln Center regales rapt audiences with its Film Comment Selects series. Named after the popular magazine, known for its eclectic approach to current film genres and filmmakers, the series mirrors the publication’s ethos by bringing together a disparate array of films from around the world in many genres in blending them together into a unique viewing stew.
This year’s highlights included a selection of popular French actress/director Isild Le Besco’s works (including her latest Bas-Fonds), three films by Shoah director Claude Lanzmann, a diptych of controversial German filmmaker Thomas Harlan’s Nazi-themed titles (Our Nazi, Wundkanal), as well as various other previews and rarities that currently remain undistributed. All in all, FSLC did not disappoint in its program this year. Listed below are a few choice picks that I had the pleasure of viewing this year.
Velvet Underground and Nico (Andy Warhol, 1966) – An essential document for any and all Factory, Warhol, and Velvet Underground/Lou Reed fans, this film is a 70-min. recording of a typical VU jam session with the alluring addition of Nico herself. Banging on a tambourine and exuding a glacial coolness, the Germanic chanteuse has never appeared more alluring yet distant. Nico’s near total disinterest in the entire session itself fits perfect within the Warhol ethos of pure affectless. Flanking her on either side though are the leather clad and sunglass-sporting presences of Lou Reed and John Cale, collaborators and future enemies, constantly banging away on electric guitar and viola exploring feedback vibrations and atonal chording to create a miasma of sound anchored by Mo Tucker’s simplistically precise drumming and Sterling Morrison’s guitar noodling.
Meanwhile, the constant mechanical focus shifts, snap zooms, and pans performed by Warhol (or whoever actually operated the 16mm Bolex camera) signify the first phase of Andy’s cinematic explorations. While there is certainly more conventional on-screen action than other earlier works like Empire, Velvet Underground and Nico still operates within Warhol’s strategy of pure recording rather than dramatic staging. The camera work is near amateurish however that quickly becomes part of the charm. Not long after this film though, he and his Factory associates would begin moving in a more overt, theatrical direction with films like The Chelsea Girls before Paul Morrissey eventually took over all film production and directed films like Flesh, Women In Revolt, as well as the horror sexploitation classics Flesh For Frankenstein and Blood For Dracula. For aficionados of the Factory universe, familiar faces like Gerard Malanga (Andy’s longtime assistant) are welcome. For everyone else watching, Andy in a little over an hour captured what made the Velvets an intriguing organism by showcasing their original hipster aloofness and power while the rest of the world was safely grooving to Sgt. Pepper.
Klaus Kinski: Jesus Christ the Savior (Peter Geyer, 2008) – Compiled from archival footage, German filmmaker Peter Geyer presents viewers with a powerful live document showcasing the raw, unhinged genius of cult actor (and Werner Herzog collaborator) Klaus Kinski in as pure a form as possible. Shortly before he signed onto his first Herzog film, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Kinski held a live performance of his politically fiery yet often morose, 30-page monologue detailing the life of Christ to a packed crowd. Casting himself as the savior, Kinski quickly lambasted the audience for its comfortable complacency and re-contextualized as a revolutionary rather than gentle teacher.
The actor, clothed in an odd costume of purple flairs and paisley blouse, weighs into the crowd relentlessly until the inevitably heckles and push back begins at which point, all bets are off. What began as a diatribe quickly devolves into a verbal skirmish as performer personally lambasts hecklers who question his ego and sincerity. As his expletive-laced insults gain steam, Kinski’s crazed eyes and engorged veins communicate the venom he holds for those questioning his vision. Only when a near-riot erupts does some semblance of order finally return. However, by this point, the poison has been sapped and a near shell remains, still advancing forward his monologue and hoping to achieve a connection with those around him. This performance is more informative of an actor’s psyche and commitment than any episode of Inside The Actors Studio could hope to express.
Demi-tarif (Isild Le Besco, 2003) – French actress Isild Le Besco made her auteur bones with this intriguing docudrama containing some of the most naturalistic child performances yet captured on film (or video in this case). Le Besco herself handles the narration in this largely wordless tale of three Parisian children, ages 7-9, which are perpetually abandoned by their off-screen mother and left to fend for themselves in the city. Left with little resources, the trio hustles and cajoles every adult around them to survive, whether it is ducking through subway turnstiles, shoplifting candy and food at the local market, or brazenly panhandling, they are able to keep food on their table and clothes on their backs.
However, despite treating Paris as their own private playground and flaunting their freedom before Le Besco’s consumer-grade video camera, the isolation and desperation felt by the children is unavoidable as it is captured by frequent fits of crying and sadness. Even when their mother does intervene, it is on an ephemeral basis. The viewer is never educated as to why these kids are left alone but one is able to gather that their mother does care about them but perhaps does not know how to care for them. A minor but important distinction. Lacking beginning or really an end, Demi-tarif instead exists within a claustrophobic celebration of the moment, since that is all this trio experiences life as daily. No past, no future, just fun in the moment to hopefully hold back the tears a little longer.
Charly (Isild Le Besco, 2007) – Le Besco’s second directorial effort, Charly, is a natural extension of Demi-tarif as it again explores the theme of youth braving the harshness of real life, while maintaining some semblance of normality. The film stars the director’s younger brother, Kolia Litscher, as Nicolas, a listless 14-year old kid whose lack of ambition puts him at odds with his grandparents and school teachers. Moving through his life without any motivation or care, he is inspired one day to run away from home to reach an island retreat. While en route, he ends up stranded in a small village and is immediately taken in by a local prostitute named Charly (Julie-Marie Parmentier).
She brings him home to her shabby trailer located on the outskirts of town. Upon his arrival, Charly puts Nicolas to work right away in cleaning the trailer and setting up daily chores for him to do, providing for once some structure in the boy’s life. As the pair grow mutually dependent upon one another, their relationship grows from one of convenience into caring as they recognize the emotional tumult in one another. Charly herself finds an emotional soul mate and even initiates him into the wonders of sex in a scene that is honest and awkward without being exploitive. Parmentier is brilliant in her realistically layered performance that reminds the viewer that despite being aware of the darker sides of human nature, Charly is above all else a young girl trying to survive and maintain dignity. The film represents a leap forward for Le Besco without sacrificing any of her sensibility.
Domaine (Patric Chiha, 2009) – Touted as John Waters’ favorite film of 2010, it is not difficult to guess why when watching this ode to walking which examines the downfall of a brilliant but sick French mathematician. Mirroring the real-life relationship between Albert Einstein and troubled mathematician Kurt Godel, Domaine follows the relationship between Nadia (Beatrice Dalle), a French mathematician who models much of her work on Godel’s theorems, and her gay nephew Pierre (Isaie Sultan). The duo’s relationship is more a platonic friendship than familial relationship as their frequent walks allow Nadia to share her past loves and desires with the young man. Displaying an almost incestuous intimacy at times, Nadia and Pierre are joined at the spiritual hip until it becomes clear that her sustained drinking problem begins unraveling her life.
As Pierre observes his once confident and cool aunt slowly succumb to the chaos that her profession works to solve, he questions his own loyalty to her leading to an emotional spiral that can only end tragically for both of them. Anchoring the story is Dalle’s poignant yet stylish turn in this unapologetic melodrama. Her cool, sensual manner is effortlessly displayed, often winning the attention of men she casually plays with yet hiding the crippling uncertainty she feels about her life as alcohol ravages her body. With Pierre as her only intimate connection left in a world that’s all but abandoned her, Nadia desperately clings to him. Dalle’s breakdown before one’s eyes is deep and painful to watch but is played out with tragic inevitability. Sultan’s ability to transform Pierre’s initial entrancement of his aunt into eventual disgust is subtle but wholly believable. Together, they energize Domaine with passion, turmoil, and unapologetic intensity. John certainly picked a good one here.
To learn more about these films and other Film Society of Lincoln Center events, check out www.filmlinc.com
