CAIRO: Film festivals have become a haven for us, the film fans, from the mediocre commercial films shown for the most part throughout the year on Egypt s big screens. The number of film festivals has been on the rise in recent years, and the unexpected and overwhelming success of the European Film Festival in the Galaxy cinema complex in 2004 dramatically increased the popularity of European films. Film lovers have since been attending subsequent film festivals despite the fact none of them have had an impressive line-up of films to emulate the success of the 2004 festival.
Which is why it was somewhat bizarre when I learned about the new European Film Caravan on Wednesday, March 29. The selected films showing in the festival were quite remarkable, with three of the biggest European films of last year, Caché, Joyeux Noel and L enfant, in their Egyptian premiere. The Caravan, however, featured a surprisingly low-key opening; it wasn t announced beforehand in any major, or minor, media channels, and all publicity was restricted to a tiny advertisement in the Al Ahram newspaper on the day of the opening.
Moreover, there was no actual schedule for the festival until the second or third day, and the festival failed to gain any kind of momentum. The sad fact is the festival screened some of the best films shown in Egyptian theaters in recent months, and had it been done correctly, as in, the organizers presenting information concerning it beforehand, it could have been a commercial success.
Compiling a brief report about the best movies I saw during the festival, which has recently ended, was a daunting, difficult task to undertake since, as I mentioned earlier, there were numerous exceptional films shown during the last couple of weeks. I preferred to choose the four best films of the Caravan. My choice is based on the films that transcended their cultural barriers to present a universal idea or a humanistic set of identifiable emotions. So, without any further ado, here are the best films of the European Film Caravan:
Sophie Scholl- Last Days
I was at first skeptical about Sophie Scholl in spite of the critical acclaim it received. The film is an account of the trial and execution of Sophie Scholl, a member of the resistance group The White Rose in 1943 Nazi Germany, who was caught disseminating anti-Nazi leaflets at the University of Munich.
The film looked at first to be a formulaic Bio-Pick with long, boring scenes of interrogation. Besides, Scholl s life has been the subject of two other notable films (The White Rose and Last Five Days, both in 1982) and I didn t imagine that director Marc Rothemund could have anything new to add or improve to an already well known story. Fortunately, I was mistaken.
The atrocities of the Third Reich are mentioned briefly in the interrogation scenes, which are based on the actual transcripts of Scholl s dialogue with her interrogator, but aren t the main focus of the film. The film is essentially about the courage of this 21-year-old woman who truly believed in something and sacrificed her life for it.
Julia Jentsch s performance is nothing less than astounding. Sophie Scholl appears to be a modern Joan of Arc, a larger-than-life figure, but Jentsch plays Scholl with heart-capturing vulnerability and earthly simplicity. Scholl seemed like an ordinary girl; she liked American music, had a fiancée who she deeply loved and enjoyed all the small things in life. What separated her from the rest is not only her courage, but her great faith as well.
Sophie Scholl is inspiring and moving without the slightest hint of sentimentality; a rare gem among the recent worthless historical flicks.
Les Poupées Russes (The Russian Dolls)
Cédric Klapisch s sequel to 2002 s L Auberge Espagnole is by far one of the best romantic comedies I ve seen in a long time. L Auberge Espagnole, a huge hit in France, was a beautiful, nostalgic postcard from college life. Les Poupées Russes, which takes place seven years later, address the doubts, fears and agony of early adulthood in a manner that feels realistic, but is, in fact, mainly whimsical.
Xavier (Romain Duris) is a 29-year-old soap opera writer who occasionally writes biographical pieces about supermodels and other inconsequential figures. He s still striving to a write a proper cliché-free story; his love life is a mess and his endeavors in finding the perfect girl always end up in failure.
The majority of the first film s cast reprise their roles in the sequel, but the real revelation of the film is Kelly Reilly, whose Wendy has changed from the uptight, sensible college student to an endearing, charming and loving young woman who somehow consistently find herself with the wrong man. Wendy s love story with Xavier is so sweet and tender, you can t help but rooting all the way for them.
Les Poupées Russes is a very entertaining film that doesn t pretend to be otherwise. The characters seem to be shielded from the problems of the real world, but the performances and the script are so good and earnest that for at least the 125 minutes the film is running, the real world becomes a kind of distant alternative universe for us. Finally, I have to note that the ending is so engaging and delightful that I left the theater with a huge grin on my face. This is a film that knows what its audience wants and graciously grants it to them without compromising the integrity of the story or resorting to Hollywood’s worn-out formulas.
Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)
On Christmas Eve 1914, amid the First World War, the German, French and Scottish troops chose to cease-fire for just this night in order to celebrate Christmas. Joyeux Noël, which is based on this extraordinary true event, is possibly the only hopeful, uplifting war film ever made.
Director Christian Carion made a clever decision in refusing to concentrate on depicting the dreadfulness of war. The real strength of the film is the detail of the incident itself. The most magical moment of the film takes place when all three troops, still hiding in their trenches, begin to sing Silent Night, start to gradually climb out of their ditches, hold their Christmas trees and cautiously walk to meet with the other soldiers. At this particular moment, I tried to recall feeling so overjoyed in any other of the tens of war films I ve seen over the years; naturally, I failed.
The truce continued for a couple of days and lasted to New Year s Eve on other fronts. The film shows how these soldiers were reluctant to fight after enjoying the sweet taste of peace, and the way they managed to overlook their imposed hatred toward each other.
It s hard to imagine such an event could take place in today s war arena. The world was supposed to have improved after the end of the two world wars, but judging by all the conflicts that took place afterwards, it’s obvious that it hasn’t. Joyeux Noël is a celebration of real men who discovered, in the most unlikely circumstances, what it means to be human.
L Enfant (The Child)
The 2005 Palme D or winner at the Cannes Film Festival is, by all cinematic standards, a masterpiece. The film tells the story of Bruno (Jérémie Renier), a reckless 20-year-old hustler who sells his new born baby in the black market. From this point onward, the film changes from being a social commentary about greed, directionless adolescents and poverty in Belgium to a powerful story about redemption.
The directors of the film, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, have developed over the years a distinctive style of cinematic realism, with films like Rosetta and The Promise. L Enfant feels like a documentary; most scenes are shot in their natural locations via handheld camera and despite the gritty reality of both the story and the small Belgian city of Seraing, the Dardennes capture the subtle beauty of both the city and Bruno s instinctive, child-like moments with his girlfriend.
The most striking aspect about the Dardennes style though is how they refuse to inflict any judgment on their characters. Bruno may have committed a seri
ous crime; he appears to be selfish, inconsiderate and totally oblivious to his new responsibilities. But that doesn t mean he s incapable of loving, admitting his mistakes or seeking to become a better man.
Some critics have described L Enfant as a melodrama, but I fully disagree. Melodrama is characterized by unexpected external forces that interfere with the will of the story s characters. L Enfant is about the choices Bruno makes and the consequences of those choices. It s those choices through which Bruno finds his salvation; those choices that finally transform him from a child to a man.
