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Toronto Film Fest, Day Two
A much better day. Two films, one excellent, one good. Oh, and I came this close to seeing Viggo in the flesh. Edit: Or maybe Orli.
Title: 3-Iron
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Country: South Korea
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
Tae-suk is a young man who breaks into houses not to steal from them, but to stay in them for the night. In return, he does small chores for the unseen owners: fixes broken appliances, washes laundry. One day he breaks into a house that still has someone in it. Sun-hwa is the wife of an abusive businessman. When her husband returns unexpectedly from a trip and starts beating her again, Tae-suk deals with him and goes on the run with Sun-hwa. The delicate story of their relationship is told almost entirely without words, and the actors are more than up for it. This is the second film by Kim I've seen in the last few months--the other was Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring--and I've loved them both. It might be time to steel myself for some of his more extreme movies. (The guy's a filmmaking machine and works across all genres.)
Title: Symmetry
Director: Konrad Niewolski
Country: Poland
P's Rating: Recommended
Lukasz is a young, unemployed university graduate who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While coming home from the movies, he's arrested by police for an assault he didn't commit. And when the woman who accused him dies suddenly, he's stuck in prison in a legal limbo. Determined not to become a "loser," in prison, Lukasz asks to be placed with the hardened criminals and finds that he has what it takes to hold his own. This isn't over the top prison drama, but deals with the mundane realities of prison life. Lukasz's growth from a scared kid to a hardened prisoner who's willing to perform an illegal act to protect others is all the more powerful because it's subtly done.
And as for the nearly seeing a LotR guy thing, Viggo's in town shooting the new Cronenberg film and Orli's here for the film fest. While I was waiting in line for Symmetry, I notice there was a commotion at the head of the line. One of the fest volunteers came back and informed us that "it's whatsisname from Lord of the Rings." Alas, I was by myself for that screening and couldn't get out of line to see who it was without losing my spot. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for the next time.
Title: 3-Iron
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Country: South Korea
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
Tae-suk is a young man who breaks into houses not to steal from them, but to stay in them for the night. In return, he does small chores for the unseen owners: fixes broken appliances, washes laundry. One day he breaks into a house that still has someone in it. Sun-hwa is the wife of an abusive businessman. When her husband returns unexpectedly from a trip and starts beating her again, Tae-suk deals with him and goes on the run with Sun-hwa. The delicate story of their relationship is told almost entirely without words, and the actors are more than up for it. This is the second film by Kim I've seen in the last few months--the other was Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring--and I've loved them both. It might be time to steel myself for some of his more extreme movies. (The guy's a filmmaking machine and works across all genres.)
Title: Symmetry
Director: Konrad Niewolski
Country: Poland
P's Rating: Recommended
Lukasz is a young, unemployed university graduate who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While coming home from the movies, he's arrested by police for an assault he didn't commit. And when the woman who accused him dies suddenly, he's stuck in prison in a legal limbo. Determined not to become a "loser," in prison, Lukasz asks to be placed with the hardened criminals and finds that he has what it takes to hold his own. This isn't over the top prison drama, but deals with the mundane realities of prison life. Lukasz's growth from a scared kid to a hardened prisoner who's willing to perform an illegal act to protect others is all the more powerful because it's subtly done.
And as for the nearly seeing a LotR guy thing, Viggo's in town shooting the new Cronenberg film and Orli's here for the film fest. While I was waiting in line for Symmetry, I notice there was a commotion at the head of the line. One of the fest volunteers came back and informed us that "it's whatsisname from Lord of the Rings." Alas, I was by myself for that screening and couldn't get out of line to see who it was without losing my spot. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for the next time.