A Single Man (2009)
Directed by Tom Ford
It’s your last day. What would you do? For professor George Falconer the answer is easy: retrieving important documents, closing bank accounts, writing letters to his friends as well as his last will. With unflinching actions and melancholic gestures, Colin Firth creates a most enthralling character, imbued by the sheer emotion of loss and yet adjusted to the repressed feelings he considers necessary to suppress even in his last day. After losing his partner and lover, there is no deterrence in his decision: he will kill himself at the end of the day.
How then could he spend his last 24 hours? Many would have extravagant and unordinary ideas, but the truth is that George Falconer upholds his daily routine facing this day as any other. He wakes up, takes a shower, gets dressed, drives to university, teaches his last class and decides to join his old friend Charlie (amazingly interpreted by Julianne Moore) for supper. Tom Ford’s remarkable film takes Christopher Isherwood’s novel and turns it into a tour de force in which emotions and the human condition are on full display.
Everything seems different when you realize you are watching things for the last time. And so George finally lets go, acting and speaking to people in ways he had not even considered before. Through constant flashbacks, the viewer catches a few glances of the relationship George had with Jim. They had been together for 16 years and if not for a fatal accident they would still be together. Can life lose all meaning once we lost our loved ones? It certainly would seem like it; George finds himself not only disgruntled but also devoid of any hope. He dreads tomorrow. And why should he inflict himself with the torture of existing, day after day, if existence has proven to be so painful and dire?
Some answers can be found in Slavoj Zizek and Jacques Lacan theories; more specifically in the notions of real and symbolic death. Evidently, we will suffer a biological death in which our bodies will fail and eventually disintegrate, that’s what happens with Jim. This death occurs in the Real, and it entails the obliteration of our material selves. But we can also suffer a Symbolic death that has nothing to do with the annihilation of our actual bodies, but rather the destruction of our Symbolic universe and the extermination of our subject positions. Whenever people remember our names, remember our deeds and so on we continue to exist in the Symbolic even though we have died in the Real. Therefore, Jim is not truly dead as George remembers him constantly, but here evocation does not provide the necessary narrative of closure, the grieving process remains incomplete.
There is a fissure that separates the two deaths which can be filled either by manifestations of the monstrous or the beautiful. That is why the presence of Kenny, Nicholas Hoult’s character, is of supreme importance. He is not only the embodiment of beauty but he also provides the companionship George so urgently needs. Only through Kenny and the bonding they start developing will George experience an epiphany (“A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh”). A revelation in which he will understand why is it important to let go of the past, to put the pain away and to take a real risk: to accept life and keep on living.
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El día miércoles asistí a la inauguración de “La proyección del deseo” del artista argentino Claudio Gallina en la Galería Enlace. Paralelamente también se inauguraba la nueva muestra de Nani Cárdenas (quien a principios de año expuso en Yvonne Sanguineti) y Kyle Huffman.
La pintura de Gallina es extraordinaria, exuda una energía juvenil y una mezcla entre candor y erotismo ad portas que no dejará indiferente a ningún espectador. Con pinceladas impecables e imágenes bien balanceadas, Gallina demuestra todo su talento en esta muestra. Del mismo modo, las instalaciones de Cárdenas son una evidencia de su creatividad y versatilidad como artista.
Como llegué tarde esta vez me quedé sin catálogo, pero igual me quedé conversando con Marcos Palacios. De todas maneras regreso la próxima semana para fotografiar todos los cuadros, algo tengo que hacer para sobrellevar la ausencia del catálogo.
Al día siguiente, jueves, se inauguraba la muestra Shanty Town de Rodrigo La Hoz en la nueva galería barranquina Sala 58. Como dibujante, admiro mucho los trabajos realizados a lápiz o con tinta china, en este caso, la exposición reúne diversos dibujos de La Hoz, que nos obligan a reflexionar sobre aquellas cosas que usualmente no ocupan nuestra atención, con un estilo muy particular, heredero quizá de algunos de los grandes maestros del underground norteamericano, La Hoz sabe impactar con sus imágenes.
En esta ocasión me encontré con muchos reyrrojinos como yo: José Arturo Lugón, Juan Diego Capurro, Alexis Paz Ferrand, entre otros. Aunque, claro, conversé mucho más con Juan Diego y Paz, ambos fans del cómic, y les comenté brevemente, o más bien torpemente a causa de los abundantes vasos de whisky que tomé durante la noche (no es mi culpa, les juro que hay un mozo recontra atento que prácticamente me persigue con la bandeja y siempre me pregunta si quiero otro whisky), mi labor en The Gathering. Fue muy simpático encontrarme con ellos, podría decir que este fue el mejor momento de la semana si no fuera por la divertidísima cena que tuvo lugar el día lunes en Madam Tusan.
Fuimos solamente cinco pero pasamos una noche muy entretenida. Yo empecé con una “nalanjita”, un cóctel de pisco quebranta, aguaymanto y naranjita china, para pasar a los dim sum (algunos verdaderas innovaciones con insumos como el camote), y a los platos de fondo: pollo a lo Bruce Lee, chancho hecho en caja china, chi jau kay. Y terminé con un cheesecake de té verde, realmente sabroso, aunque también probé los wantancitos rellenos de chocolate y la copa de sychee (un granizado con níspero chino y espuma de pisco sour, realmente recomendable). El té y las galletas de la fortuna fueron cortesía de la casa. La atención fue muy buena, y la comida estuvo muy bien, aunque noté que los platos más tradicionales (el arroz chaufa, por ejemplo) eran quizá los menos logrados. Sin duda, lo recomendable es probar las especialidades de la casa.
It has become a bit of a tradition to ‘recap’ the films I’ve seen each year. So, in 2008 I had the opportunity to see (or see again): Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), I would have never imagined that it was possible to make a musical based on Jack the Ripper, but Tim Burton not only did it but he also knocked it out of the park. 30 Days of Night (2007), based on the comic book by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, was simply the best vampire movie I’ve seen in a long time; vampires have become so irrelevant in other productions but here they are, once again, the harbingers of horror that invade a town in Alaska in which there is no sunlight for a month.
I have an especial fondness for horror movies. Or stories with suspense and / or extraordinary events. I went to see The Happening (2008) afraid that it could be disappointing. People have criticized the final explanation behind the big threat, but it still has a scientific base just as good as any other explanation in sci-fi movies. Some scientists even defend the concept of Gaea, as a living planet; and there are writers that have built upon this theory. The original title was going to be either The Green Planet or The Green Effect, but regardless of that there was an undeniable ecologic approach. Even if the explanations offered in the movie are unconvincing, there is always the line someone says at the beginning “it is an act of nature that we may never fully understand”. Not everything in life can be explained, and it is nice to see a movie that accepts that. About the acting, I don't have complaints. Like other Shyamalan's movies, everything in it has a reason to be there. And yes, I approve the ending.
I love horror films but if I had to choose one particular subgenre it would the one that started with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). Filmed in black and white, it tells the story of a group of survivors that take refuge in a country house and struggle desperately against hordes and hordes of living dead, just as scary as it was four decades ago, “Night of the Living Dead” remains a true classic. Romero has directed many zombie related films, but arguably the best one in the present decade would be Diary of the Dead (2007), a sharp analysis of our times: excess of information that ultimately confuses people, deceiving mass media, multiple interpretations of reality (is every opinion valid?, well, it would look like it on the Internet). With lots of suspense and gory deaths, it truly deserves all the praise it can get.
Of course, no listing would be complete without the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960) not only includes one of the most famous and memorable scenes in the history of cinema (the murder in the shower) but it also proves that a psychological thriller can be more terrifying than a traditional horror film. A true classic, Psycho makes it into my top 100 list, an honor that is only bestowed upon the best. Wind Chill (2007) is a remarkable horror film: two college students share the same car but they get trapped in a snowstorm, forced to remain in the car they soon start witnessing supernatural manifestations and once they realize their lives are at risk, they must decide how to survive; director Gregory Jacobs takes advantage of the settings and, with only two characters, captures completely the viewer’s attention.
When psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan wrote about being “between two deaths”, he probably never imagined that someone would make of the theory a most fascinating film: Den Osynlige (2002), directed by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist, tells the story of a boy that is brutally attacked, as a consequence, he turns into a ghost that is not really a ghost, he is in-between worlds but he’s also summarizing the symbolic death and the real death. Fracture (2007) describes a perfect crime, but perhaps the greatest appeal here is Anthony Hopkin’s character, a wealthy sociopath, a genius, a man so full of hatred that simply mesmerizes the viewer.
No Country for Old Men (2007) comes from the minds of the Coen brothers, I haven’t read the novel that inspired the movie, but it seems to me like there were some plot holes and frankly I don’t know who to blame: the directors, the screenwriters or the novelist. Anyway, great acting and stunning visuals make this a worthy production. Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park (2007) shares some traits with Elephant, here the long sequences serve to get inside the mind of the protagonist, a boy that is very secluded into a world of his own, much like any teenager his age. A skating park becomes the scenario in which the protagonist tries to find his place in the world, but as he’s trying to define himself, he will face a life-changing moment when an older guy persuades him to accompany him. With a very subtle homoerotic subtext, Gus Van Sant once again proves that art and experimentation are filmic requirements.
Woody Allen is one of my most respected and admired directors: Scoop (2006), is a bitter-sweet film in which an afterlife manifestation accuses Lord Lyman of committing murder. As a consequence, Sid and Sondra (interpreted by Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson) will start investigating the noble man. There is also homicides in Cassandra’s Dream (2007), a film that shares some elements with “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and even “Match Point”. They say everyone (and everything) has a price and when two brothers (Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) are offered a chance to receive an enormous amount of money, they think that’s the solution to all their problems… except that they must first kill a man.
Todd Field’s Little Children (2006) deals with that which is beneath the peaceful façade of American suburbs. Characters that are driven by their particular perversions must deal with life as it is. Highly recommendable. Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006) gives us a future in which humans are no longer able to procreate, in world devoid of hope, life has lost all meaning; Cuarón manages to convey such desperation and raw emotion in this film that one feels immersed in the story since the first minute.
Cabeza de perro (2006) is the story of a boy that must come to terms with his neurological conditions, young actor Juan José Ballesta makes a most memorable performance, bringing tenderness and teenage awkwardness together. Dioses (2008) directed by Peruvian filmmaker Josué Méndez is a very interesting approach to social marginalization which finds in private beaches an ideal setting; especially enthralling is the incestuous relationship between Sergio Gjurinovic’s character and his sister. Paris Je t’aime (2006) is a compilation of short films directed by some of the best contemporary filmmakers: Isabel Coixet, Gus Van Sant, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuarón, Wes Craven, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, etc.
Rian Johnson’s Brick (2005) gathers two very talented actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lukas Haas. A crime has been committed and a high-school student decides to investigate what happened, like cinema noir adapted to teenage dynamics, this film displays some of the most original ideas I’ve seen in a long time. It definitely deserves a spot on my top 100 films. Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007) is an extraordinary story that sums up ambition, the oil business and religious zealousness, not only Daniel Day Lewis gives a great performance but also Paul Dano (an actor who has worked in astonishing independent films such as Michael Cuesta’s L.I.E.). Art School Confidential (2006) deals with the value of art in today’s society, as it criticizes with humor what is deemed as art according to experts and galleries. David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises (2007) delves into the Russian mob and a particular crime. Raw violence and intense moments give special momentum to the film. Run Lola Run (1998), or Lola Rennt (original title), is a fast-paced adventure that presents several alternatives as the protagonist decides what course of action is the most appropriate.
The Night Listener (2006) focuses on a homosexual writer who becomes very interested in the manuscript of a teenage boy, they start talking on the phone frequently but as the man tries to get closer to the boy, his friends warn him to stay away. Running with Scissors (2006), based on the book by Augusten Burroughs, tells the life of a boy as he grows up, the rupture of his family after her mother declares she is a lesbian, and the peculiar machinations of a crazy shrink; heart-wrenching, powerful and controversial, Ryan Murphy’s film depicts the protagonist, a gay teenager, in a most unique and innovative manner. This film also makes it into my top 100. Sommersturm (2004), revolves around a gay teenager and his best friend, a heterosexual boy; when they travel to participate in a sports competition, their relationship starts to fall apart; and things get even worse when they find out one of the teams they’re competing against is formed entirely by gay boys.
I’ve been a fan of Christopher Nolan since Memento, and The Dark Knight (2008) was probably the best comic book related film I’ve seen. I don’t think it’s easy to translate well established characters such as Batman onto the big screen, but Nolan creates the definitive Dark Knight film. Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy 2: the Golden Army (2008) is much better than the first one, is so full of fantasy and epic moments that viewers will be in awe once they see it. Sky High (2005) is actually an “all-ages” movie, hardly the kind of production I pay attention to, but since young actor Michael Angarano has starred in impressive independent productions (Dear Wendy, Snow Angels, Bondage, etc.) I decided to give it a go, and I really enjoyed it, it’s fun and charming. Iron Man (2008) was quite a surprise, faithful to the character’s personality, the movie takes a Marvel hero into new heights (and Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark). The Incredible Hulk (2008) was a good sequel (my favorite scene is the one that has Stan Lee reaching for a bottle in the fridge, pure gold).
Other good films: “Joyeux Noel” and “Flags of our Fathers”, two different but valid ways to understand war. “Idiocracy” a delightful comedy about idiots outnumbering smart people. “Hollywoodland”, “Dreamland” and “Kidulthood”, intense dramas. “The Matthew Shepard Story” (based on real life events); “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” takes a chapter of the revolution in Ireland. “The illusionist” magic and illusionism mixed together.
And more horror (and suspense) movies: The grudge 2, Wrong turn 2: dead end, Hostel 2, Vacancy, El orfanato, Believers, Deathwatch, Saw, Texas chainsaw massacre, The Texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning, Friday the 13th 7: the new blood, Slither, Return to the house in haunted hill, The reaping, 1408, Anatomie, Saw III, Going to pieces: the rise and fall of the slasher film.
Other movies: All the king’s men, Half light, November, Stories of lost souls, Aeon flux, The watcher, The slingshot, Dahmer, The number 23, Jumper, Eragon, Havoc 2: normal adolescent behavior, Steel city, American dreamz, Copying Beethoven, Breaking and entering, 10th and wolf, The dog problem, Edmond, Street kings, A scanner darkly, Stay alive, Dead calm, Eating out, Little fish, Barely legal, Woody Allen: a life in film, The house sitter, We own the night, The black dahlia, Delirious, Rendition road, Body of lies, Superbad, The day the Earth stood still, Elementarteilchen, La bande du drugstore, Sonnen alleen, Den brysommen mannen, A cause de un garcon, Lake Tahoe, Perro come perro, Saint Gaine. And the ones I found disappointing: La zona, Quantum of solace, X- Files 2: I want to believe.
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Ya es una tradición comentar las películas que he visto cada año. Ahora me concentraré en todo lo que vi (o volví a ver) en el 2008: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), nunca hubiera imaginado que se podía hacer un musical sobre Jack el Destripador, pero Tim Burton lo hizo realmente bien. 30 Days of Night (2007), basado en el cómic de Steve Niles y Ben Templesmith, fue simplemente la mejor película sobre vampiros que he visto en mucho tiempo, una vez más, estos seres vuelven a ser los emisarios del horror al invadir un pueblo en Alaska en donde no hay luz solar durante un mes.
Lo sobrenatural, el suspenso y las películas de terror me apasionan. Cuando fui a ver The Happening (2008) no sabía qué esperar. El título original del film de Shyamalan iba a ser "El Planeta Verde" o "El Efecto Verde", demostrando una clara línea ecológica. Y aunque el desenlace de la película decepcione a muchos yo considero que es válido; tal como dice alguien en los primeros minutos "es un acto de la naturaleza que quizá nunca entendamos". Y es que no todo en la vida puede ser explicado. ¿Ya mencioné que soy un fan del terror?, bueno, si tuviese que elegir un subgénero en particular sería el que empezó con Night of the Living Dead (1968) de George A. Romero. Filmada en blanco y negro, narra las peripecias de un grupo de sobrevivientes que se refugian en una casa. Después de cuatro décadas, los muertos vivientes siguen más vigentes que nunca. Esto queda demostrado en Diary of the Dead (2007), un agudo análisis de nuestra época: exceso de información que en última instancia confunde a la gente, medios de comunicación deshonestos, múltiples interpretaciones de la realidad, etc. Si agregamos el suspenso y las muertes sangrientas, estamos frente a una película que no podemos dejar de lado.
Desde luego, ningún listado estaría completo sin el maestro del suspenso, Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960) no sólo incluye una de las más famosas e inolvidables escenas de la historia del cine (el asesinato en la ducha) sino también demuestra que un thriller psicológico puede ser más aterrador que el terror tradicional. Un verdadero clásico que está en mi lista de las mejores 100 películas. Wind Chill (2007) es una impresionante película de terror: dos estudiantes universitarios comparten el mismo carro pero quedan atrapados en una tormenta de nieve, obligados a permanecer en el vehículo pronto empiezan a observar manifestaciones sobrenaturales... descubriendo así que sus vidas están en peligro. Gregory Jacobs, el director, aprovecha al máximo los espacios cubiertos de hielo, y con sólo dos personajes captura por completo la atención del espectador.
Cuando el psicoanalista Jacques Lacan escribió sobre el "entre dos muertes", probablemente nunca imaginó que alguien convertiría la teoría en una película: Den Osynlige (2002), dirigida por Joel Bergvall y Simon Sandquist, se centra en un chico brutalmente golpeado que yace entre el mundo de los vivos y los muertos, en consecuencia, deambula como un fantasma, pero no es un fantasma tradicional porque sigue estando atrapado entre la muerte real y la simbólica. Fracture (2007) describe el crimen perfecto, pero tal vez lo más atrayente sea el personaje interpretado por Anthony Hopkin, un adinerado sociópata, un genio, un sujeto tan lleno de odio que hipnotiza al espectador.
No Country for Old Men (2007), es de los hermanos Coen. No he leído la novela que es la base de la cinta, pero me parece que argumentalmente hay varios puntos flojos, no sé a quién culpar, a los directores, a los guionistas o al novelista. De todos modos, con un trabajo visual impecable y actuaciones de primera, vale la pena verla. Paranoid Park (2007) de Gus Van Sant comparte influencias con Elephant, aquí las secuencias largas sirven para entrar en la mente del protagonista, un muchacho aislado que vive en su propio mundo. La práctica del skate le sirve, como a cualquier adolescente, para definirse a sí mismo; no obstante, enfrentará un momento crucial en su vida cuando un hombre lo invita a pasar el rato con él. Con un muy sutil subtexto homoerótico, Gus Van Sant comprueba que el arte y la experimentación son requisitos indispensables.
Woody Allen es uno de los cineastas que más admiro y respeto. Scoop (2006) es una agridulce historia en la que una manifestación espectral acusa a Lord Lyman de varios asesinatos. En consecuencia, Sid y Sondra (interpretados por Woody Allen y Scarlett Johansson) empezarán a investigar al noble. También hay homicidios en Cassandra’s Dream (2007), producción que comparte elementos con “Crimes and Misdemeanors” e incluso “Match Point”. Se dice que todos tenemos un precio, y cuando dos hermanos (Colin Farrell y Ewan McGregor) tienen la oportunidad de recibir una enorme suma de dinero, creen que han encontrado la solución a sus problemas... aunque a cambio deban asesinar a un hombre.
Little Children (2006) de Todd Field explora aquello que subyace a la pacífica fachada del suburbio americano. Los personajes están impulsados por sus perversiones particulares. Children of Men (2006) de Alfonso Cuarón es la visión de un futuro en donde no hay nacimientos. Incapaces de procrear, la esperanza ha abandonado a la humanidad. Cuarón logra transmitir una desesperación y una emoción cruda que hacen que nos sumerjamos en la historia desde la primera escena.
Cabeza de perro (2006), es la historia de un chaval con una extraña condición neurológica, el joven actor Juan José Ballesta hace un trabajo formidable, mezclando ternura y torpeza adolescentes. Dioses (2008), del cineasta peruano Josué Méndez es un interesante enfoque sobre la marginalización, que tiene como escenario principal las playas privadas (playas como las de Asia, en donde estoy los fines de semana en verano); vale resaltar la relación incestuosa entre el personaje interpretado por Sergio Gjurinovic y su hermana. Paris Je t’aime (2006) es una selección de cortometrajes dirigidos por algunos de los mejores cineastas contemporáneos: Gus Van Sant, Isabel Coixet, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuarón, Wes Craven, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, etc.
Brick (2005) de Rian Johnson reúne a dos talentosos actores: Joseph Gordon-Levitt y Lukas Haas. Un crimen ha sido cometido cerca de un colegio, y un estudiante de secundaria decide investigar lo ocurrido; el cine negro se adapta a las temáticas juveniles en este film que desarrolla algunas de las ideas más originales que he visto últimamente. Merece, sin duda, estar en mi lista de las 100 mejores películas. There Will Be Blood (2007) de Paul Thomas Anderson es una magistral historia que sintetiza la ambición, el negocio del petróleo y el fanatismo religioso; no sólo Daniel Day Lewis deslumbra con su actuación sino también Paul Dano (actor que ha incursionado en el cine independiente, por ejemplo en L.I.E. de Michael Cuesta). Art School Confidential (2006) critica con mucho humor el mundo del arte actual, ¿qué es arte?, ¿y por qué solamente los expertos y las galerías imparten las reglas? Eastern Promises (2007) de David Cronenberg recrea los actos de la mafia rusa; violencia cruda y momentos intensos refuerzan la película. Run Lola Run (1998) es una veloz aventura con múltiples desenlaces, cada decisión de la protagonista crea alternativas diferentes.
The Night Listener (2006) se enfoca en un escritor homosexual que al leer el manuscrito de un chico de 14 años empieza a comunicarse con él telefónicamente. Sin embargo, todos sus amigos le advierten del peligro que puede haber en una relación de esta naturaleza. Running with Scissors (2006), basada en el libro de Augusten Burroughs, repasa la vida de un chico, la ruptura del hogar cuando su madre se declara lesbiana y las maquinaciones de un psiquiatra lunático; el film de Ryan Murphy nos muestra al protagonista, un adolescente gay, de la forma más inolvidable y original. Va para el top 100. Sommersturm (2004) se centra en un adolescente gay y su mejor amigo, un chico heterosexual; cuando viajan para competir en un torneo de remo, su amistad se deteriora, y las cosas parecen empeorar cuando descubren que el equipo rival está conformado únicamente por jóvenes gay.
He sido fan de Christopher Nolan desde Memento, y considero que The Dark Knight (2008) es probablemente la mejor producción basada en un personaje establecido (como Batman). Hellboy 2: the Golden Army (2008) de Guillermo del Toro es mucho mejor que la primera, cargada de fantasía y momentos épicos Hellboy 2 lo tiene todo para impresionar al espectador. Sky High (2005) es en realidad una película para "todas las edades", es decir, no es algo a lo que usualmente prestaría atención, pero como el joven actor Michael Angarano había actuado en notables cintas independientes (Dear Wendy, Snow Angels, Bondage, etc.) decidí verla de todos modos, y realmente la disfruté, fue encantadora y divertida. Iron Man (2008) fue toda una sopresa, fiel a la personalidad de Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. elevó el nivel de las producciones de Marvel. The Incredible Hulk (2008) fue una buena secuela (mi escena favorita es la de Stan Lee, oro puro).
Otros films de interés: “Joyeux Noel” y “Flags of our Fathers”, dos diferentes pero válidos enfoques sobre la guerra. “Idiocracy” una deliciosa comedia sobre un mundo poblado por idiotas y en donde los inteligentes están casi en extinción. “Hollywoodland”, “Dreamland” y “Kidulthood”, dramas intensos. “The Matthew Shepard Story” (basada en hechos reales); “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”, un capítulo de la revolución en Irlanda. “The illusionist”, magia e ilusión.
Y, obviamente, más terror (y suspenso): The grudge 2, Wrong turn 2: dead end, Hostel 2, Vacancy, El orfanato, Believers, Deathwatch, Saw, Texas chainsaw massacre, The Texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning, Friday the 13th 7: the new blood, Slither, Return to the house in haunted hill, The reaping, 1408, Anatomie, Saw III, Going to pieces: the rise and fall of the slasher film.
Otras películas: All the king’s men, Half light, November, Stories of lost souls, Aeon flux, The watcher, The slingshot, Dahmer, The number 23, Jumper, Eragon, Havoc 2: normal adolescent behavior, Steel city, American dreamz, Copying Beethoven, Breaking and entering, 10th and wolf, The dog problem, Edmond, Street kings, A scanner darkly, Stay alive, Dead calm, Eating out, Little fish, Barely legal, Woody Allen: a life in film, The house sitter, We own the night, The black dahlia, Delirious, Rendition road, Body of lies, Superbad, The day the Earth stood still, Elementarteilchen, La bande du drugstore, Sonnen alleen, Den brysommen mannen, A cause de un garcon, Lake Tahoe, Perro come perro, Saint Gaine. Y las que me parecieron decepcionantes: La zona, Quantum of solace, X- Files 2: I want to believe.
Directed by Gregg Araki
It all starts and ends with a little league’s pedophile coach and two kids: Neil and Brian, who unbeknownst to their parents are the victims of a sexual predator. But what is the authentic aftermath of this encounter between the man and the 8-year-old children?The repercussions of sexual abuse will affect greatly the lives of Neil and Brian, but in so many different ways that one could almost wonder if they shared the same experience. As a matter of fact, being sexually abused is such a traumatic event for Brian that he blocks it out of his mind unable to cope with the real, and he then proceeds to fill in the memory gaps with a fantasy of alien abduction. Recurring to such self-defense mechanisms is quite a normal psychological strategy, but it also mingles well with a recurring theme in Araki’s cinematography.
Neil, on the other hand, fills in the gashing void with an idealized image of the pedophile. After all, during an entire summer the two of them spend many nights together. Neil actually functions as an accomplice, helping the coach to lure in unsuspecting boys, thus creating a perverse bond between them. Perhaps one of the greatest accomplishes of the novel is to invert the roles, creating a pedophile that seems to be nicer and more caring than the boys’ parents, while at the same time embedding at least one of the victims with an attitude that one would find difficult to sympathize with. Araki’s film, of course, thrives because of that: the complexity between the characters relationships. This is not, after all, a lesson of morality. Here the coach leaves the town, with an untarnished reputation, and leaves behind Neil, a very obsessed boy who admits later that “it's a huge part of me. No one ever made me feel that way before or since [...] I was his one true love”.
Perversion seems to be the one predominant constant throughout Neil’s life, but as Lacan would define it, a perverse individual is the one who assumes the position of the object-instrument of the "will-to-enjoy" (volonté-de-jouissance), which is not his own will but that of the big Other. In this case, Neil accepts to serve as a garish tool of pleasure for the coach, and years later, as a teenage hustler, he has no quandaries when it is his turn to be the instrument of joy of the other (namely his clients). Emotionally detached from everyone, only a girl, a friend from childhood, remains as his one and true humane anchor. His mother, after all, has always been a carefree woman, constantly hooking up with men, and paying no attention to his son; that’s why when Neil is about to depart to New York, she looks at him and utters “my baby, all grown up”, not as a typical motherly affirmation but rather a discovery: time flew by, and she wasn’t there at all.
Brian’s dreams are a reminder that another boy was with him the night of the alien abduction, consequently the insecure boy starts the search for Neil, and learns of his whereabouts just after Neil has left for the big city. It is then that Neil’s friend, Eric, a very flamboyant gay kid, befriends him. Brian is quite a timid and introversive teenager, perhaps as a result of having a very dominant mother and an absent father (even before he abandons the family, he was only there to state how disappointed he was at his son). Eric describes him as "weirdly asexual" (even without knowing how Brian had violently rejected a UFO obsessed woman that intended to caress his penis); indeed, Brian is unable to reclaim sexuality for himself, and after having always lived in a world of his own he finds in Eric’s friendship everything he needs to break out of his shelf.
As a male prostitute, Neil finds the horror of the real in New York, and he will soon realize how dangerous his line of business can get. Back in town, Eric is preparing himself to let go of the one reality that has sustained and nurtured his psyche, but can he embrace the real if Neil tells him exactly what happened that fatidic night?
Araki brilliantly depicts this honest, heart-wrenching and unruly story, taking advantage of the exceptional acting qualities of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Neil), a daring and talented actor that has worked in many interesting independent films, such as Brick, The Lookout or Latter Days (a gay themed movie). This actor finds in Brady Corbet (Brian) the ideal partner; Corbet creates a subtle but fascinating character, completely different from his roles in Funny Games US or Thirteen, proving not only that he is a great actor but that he also knows how to choose the best directors to work with.
And that's why Mysterious Skin makes it into my top 100 films. I highly recommend it.
And by the way, I'm glad to see that every month my blog gets more visits. Cheers!
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Fiel a los principios de Coherencia, mi rechazo por la candidata a la presidencia prevaleció. Ni siquiera haber perdido casi dos mil dólares en la bolsa de valores de Lima logró disuadirme. Aunque, por supuesto, como decía Fernando De Szyszlo en relación al otro candidato, a ese tampoco le creo.
Así que decidí hacer lo único sensato, o sea contribuir con las arcas fiscales. Con la multa evito la votación, y me ahorro esa sensación horrible de tener que elegir a un mal menor (y honestamente, nunca he tenido la línea Sartriana de Mario Vargas Llosa que le permite hacer justamente eso, elegir una de las dos opciones, a pesar de todo).
Las pérdidas también me han hecho ver que algunos ajustes son necesarios, al menos por ahora. Así, por ejemplo, he cancelado mis tarjetas de crédito, todas menos una. Así que adiós a tarjetas con límites de 5000 soles (como la del BBVA que siempre me sacó de apuros) y cosas por el estilo. Para bien o para mal, este domingo ha sido elegido el próximo mandatario del país.
I didn’t have much time this month… So basically I only saw half a dozen films and, of course, a lot of short films. Let’s start with A Perfect Getaway (2009), a thriller with a very promising beginning but ultimately a bit of a forced ending. The Company of Wolves (1984) is a back to the basics approach on fairy tales, with a special emphasis on sexuality, rape and sexual awakening. Dorian Blues (2004) is a great comedy that follows the life of high school student Dorian and his conservative and traditional family.
The Cement Garden (1993) is a dramatic film based on Ian McEwan’s novel. Dark humor, decay and ominous moments find a most poetic expression thanks to director Andrew Birkin. For a more in depth analysis please check out my review on IMDB and, as usual, if you consider it useful vote for it here.
Other films of interest were District 9 (2009), a very compelling sci-fi metaphor that should make us think of the apartheid and other discriminatory practices. El último verano de la Boyita (2009), is an interesting film from Argentina that deals with cross-dressing, transsexual characters and gender issues.
And now onto the short films: That thing we do (2003), is a Canadian production that confronts the life of a homosexual man with a young boy who is just starting to discover his own sexuality. Trevor (1994) tells the story of a young boy that doesn’t want to be labeled as gay, even though at times he displays a very effeminate behavior. Death in Venice, CA (1994) is a homage to the classic Visconti’s film (which I wrote a review on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067445/usercomments?start=10) although it combines also elements from Lolita.
From Ireland comes Stand up – don’t stand for homophobic bullying (2011), a short but optimistic take on a very serious problem. Follow you follow me (1979) tells the story of best friends Peter and Joseph, two boys that go to the same high school and see each other often after class… until parental pressure puts the friendship on the brink of collapse. For a more in depth analysis please check out my review on IMDB (it’ll be easy to find because it’s the only review for this short film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229394/usercomments
Clu Gulager’s A Day with the Boys (1969) is a fierce exploration of childhood amorality and unbridled violence; this is a strong, original short film that remains as powerful as it was after four decades.
Pascal-Alex Vincent’s Candy Boy (2007), a French animated film tackles on environmental issues and orphan boys. Twoyoungmen, UT (2009) expresses the need for male companionship (John Cameron Mitchell and Tom Kalin appear in the credits in the “thanks to” section). Blokes (2010), from Chile, is an extraordinary story about masturbatory fantasies, sexual awakening and prying mothers. David (2005) focuses on a young mute boy as he runs into an unemployed albeit horny Mexican man. Sweat (2008) is set in a bath house, and explores briefly the protagonist’s need for adventures.
Heiko (2008) is production from Portugal that dares to take bondage and fetishism to the ultimate conclusion. Postmortem (2004) deals with old romantic flames. Braedrabylta (2007), from Iceland, depicts a cold and devastating reality, devoid of any real passion or joy, in this setting, two professional wrestlers must decide what comes first: wrestling or love. Vandalen (2008) ventures into the world of graffiti and the complicated relationship between two graffiti artists.
Love (2008), from Sweden, is centered on a college student named Love: he feels ashamed of being a virgin at 22; at the same time, Sebastian, married with a woman, feels the need to circumnavigate his heterosexual position by engaging into homosexual intercourse. Once the two of them meet, problems arise. For a more in depth analysis please check out my review on IMDB and, as usual, if you consider it useful vote for it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1494794/usercomments
Shakespeare’s Sonnets is a take on college and the friendship between two students. Pascal-Alex Vincent’s En Colo (2010) shares an anecdotic episode: the first kiss; although in this case it’ll be a boy on boy kiss. Pascal-Alex Vincent also directs Far West (2003), examines family dynamics as a young gay lad visits his grandfather in a rural French town. Finally, Go Go Reject is a funny comedy about dancing and body types. I also saw other short films such as Twenty-Two, Lilo Wanders, All you can eat, The Toe Heel Polka and On Earth as it is in Heaven.
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En todo mayo solamente he visto media docena de películas... y muchos cortometrajes. Así que empecemos con A Perfect Getaway (2009), producción con un inicio prometedor pero un final un tanto forzado. The Company of Wolves (1984) toma una conocida fábula infantil y la narra tal como fue escrita originalmente, haciendo especial énfasis en el despertar sexual de la protagonista y en la amenaza de violación. Dorian Blues (2004) es una ingeniosa comedia sobre la vida de un estudiante de secundaria y su conservadora y tradicional familia.
The Cement Garden (1993) de Andrew Birkin, se basa en la novela de Ian McEwan. El humor oscuro, la decadencia y los momentos ominosos son expresados poéticamente gracias al talento del director. Para un comentario más elaborado por favor revisan mi reseña en IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106535/usercomments?start=10 y si pueden voten por ella.
Otras películas interesantes fueron District 9 (2009) una impactante metáfora de ciencia ficción que nos hace reflexionar sobre el apartheid y otras prácticas discriminatorias. El último verano de la Boyita (2009) es una cinta argentina que maneja temas como el travestismo, la transexualidad y los problemas de género.
Y ahora vamos con los cortometrajes: That thing we do (2003) es una producción canadiense que reúne a un homosexual adulto y a un niño que empieza a descubrir su sexualidad. Trevor (1994) narra las experiencias de un chiquillo que no quiere ser etiquetado como gay, aunque sus gestos afeminados terminan por traicionarlo. Death in Venice, CA (1994) es un homenaje a la obra clásica de Visconti (pueden leer una reseña en http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067445/usercomments?start=10) aunque también combina elementos de Lolita.
Desde Irlanda llega Stand up – don’t stand for homophobic bullying (2011) una apuesta optimista para un serio problema actual. Follow you follow me (1979) resume la amistad entre Peter y Joseph, dos chicos de colegio que están juntos todo el tiempo hasta que sus padres deciden que no deben verse más. Pueden encontrar mi reseña en IMDB fácilmente porque es la única que ha sido escrita sobre este cortometraje: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229394/usercomments
A Day with the Boys (1969) de Clu Gulager es una feroz exploración de la amoralidad infantil y de la violencia sin límites: este original cortometraje, es tan impactante hoy como hace cuatro décadas.
Candy Boy (2007) de Pascal-Alex Vincent (animación francesa) dedica su atención a problemas ecológicos y a niños huérfanos. Twoyoungmen, UT (2009) expresa la necesidad de buscar compañía masculina (John Cameron Mitchell y Tom Kalin aparecen en los créditos). Blokes (2010), de Chile, es una extraordinaria historia sobre fantasías masturbatorias, despertar sexual y madres invasivas. David (2005) se enfoca en un chico mudo que conoce a un mexicano desempleado. Sweat (2008) explora la necesidad de aventuras del protagonista en un sauna.
Heiko (2008), cortometraje portugués, se a treve a llevar la dominación y el fetichismo hasta el extremo. Braedrabylta (2007) es una fría y devastadora mirada a la realidad de Islandia; dos luchadores profesionales deben decidir qué es más importante: la lucha libre o el amor libre. Vandalen (2008) se aventura en el mundo del graffiti y en la relación conflictiva entre dos grafiteros.
Love (2008), de Suecia, se centra en un joven estudiante universitario llamado Love, quien avergonzado de ser virgen a los 22 años aceptará pasar la noche con un hombre un tanto siniestro. Pueden leer más en IMDB y votar por mi reseña: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1494794/usercomments
Shakespeare’s Sonnets aborda la amistad entre dos alumnos de una universidad. En Colo (2010) de Pascal-Alex Vincent presenta una anécdota sobre el primer beso, aunque aquí se trata de un beso entre dos chicos. Pascal-Alex Vincent también dirige Far West (2003), un relato sobre dinámicas familiares protagonizado por un adolescente gay que visita a su abuelo en un pueblo rural de Francia. Go Go Reject es una divertida comedia sobre baile. También vi otros cortometrajes como Twenty-Two, Lilo Wanders, All you can eat, The Toe Heel Polka y On Earth as it is in Heaven.
My first published work appeared in July 2010. Then in February 2011 I was again part of the roster of talented up and coming writers and artists that worked together in the second volume of this independent comic anthology; in this occasion, though, I also managed to illustrate Joe Kalicki’s story. I didn’t participate in volume 3 but I was already writing my horror story for volume 4, our very own “scary comic”.
I decided to get help for this special issue, and so I found a very talented and amazing artist named Irapuan Luiz, (www.irapuanluiz.com); he was able to draw all the difficult scenes I had in mind, and I think he nailed it. Watching his work, a true act of creation of almost epic proportions, has made me feel like the proudest author on Earth. Well, I guess everyone feels like that the first time they see their script turned into art but I still feel absolutely excited about this. Honestly, I can’t wait to see our collaboration in print.
And for those who wonder what have I been up to lately, here’s a hint: the Romance issue. I was asked to draw Cal Cleary’s story which I did way before the deadline. So I will post my first and second penciled versions, the inked version and the final version which includes some digital modifications as well as the letters. Hope you enjoy watching the whole process.
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Mi primer trabajo publicado apareció en julio de 2010. En febrero de este año salió el segundo número y también allí hubo una historia escrita y dibujada por mí, aunque también tuve tiempo para dibujar la historia de otro colaborador. Nadie podrá acusarme de acaparar la atención, porque lo cierto es que en el tercer número me mantuve al margen. No obstante, el siguiente número de esta antología de cómic independiente sale en un par de meses, y esta vez el tema es TERROR.
No podría estar más satisfecho con la historia de cuatro páginas que escribí para esta ocasión, en especial porque esta es la primera vez que trabajo en colaboración con un artista talentoso y capaz: Irapuan Luiz (www.irapuanluiz.com). Observar cómo otro artista interpretaba y dibujaba mi guión ha sido una experiencia sin igual, un verdadero acto de creación, casi mágico.
Y para los que echen de menos mis dibujos, no se preocupen. En el quinto número de la antología, centrado en temas románticos, aparecerá una historia escrita por Cal Cleary y dibujada por mí. A continuación va, entonces, la primera página en una versión preliminar a lápiz, seguida de la versión previa al paso de tinta, la versión entintada, y finalmente la versión definitiva que incluye algunos retoques digitales y las letras.
Por cierto, me olvidaba comentar que este sábado asistí a la celebración de los seis años de Coherencia (www.coherencia.pe). Me encontré con Augusto Rey, con quien colaboré para su campaña al congreso, con varios de los integrantes de Gobierno Coherente que conocí durante las fechas de campaña, y por supuesto también con integrantes de Proyecto Coherencia que acabo de conocer. Uno de los detalles que más me agradó fue ver la sección de fotos que resumía, año a año, la labor de coherencia, y encontrarme a mí mismo en una de las fotos de este año, tomada un par de semanas antes de la primera vuelta electoral.
