FESTIVAL DIARY – Days 3 & 4

It’s been a whirlwind couple of days and I am still trying to catch my breath. My schedule has been a little crazy and trying to write about it all has been a challenge to say the least.  The schedule is easing up finally and I am able to put some of my thoughts into words on all that I have seen and done up until now.

Day 3

On Saturday, I had 2 screenings and the privilege of interviewing one on one Oscar winner Jane Campion, the writer/director of Bright Star. We had a thoroughly enjoyable conversation at the beautiful Royal York Hotel, one of Toronto’s finest historic hotels. I will bring to you that interview in a later article in the weeks ahead.

The first screening of the day was to have been the controversial Lars Von Trier film, Antichrist.¬† Although I had a ticket for it, my gut instinct that day to what I have been reading about some of the scenes was to avoid it for now and I tried to see An Education instead, which was an early morning screening as well.¬† But as is the case with films which have an incredible amount of buzz, if you don‚Äôt actually have a ticket it is usually very difficult to get in.¬† If you take a chance and wait in the Rush Line which is the line you wait in case there are spare seats, sometimes you are lucky. Unfortunately I wasn‚Äôt. So I‚Äôll have to wait like most of the public for An Education to be released to finally see it. As for Antichrist, maybe when I am more brave I’ll want to see it later but for now I think I‚Äôll pass on the female genital mutilation.

Later in the day I went to see The Vintner’s Luck directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider).  Adapted from the novel by Elizabeth Knox, the film is a complex film to describe. The main plot of the film deals with a nineteenth century French peasant, Sobran Jodeau (Jèrèmie Renier),who wants to create wine in his own vineyard. One night, an angel Xas (Gaspard Ulliel) brings some vines for Sobran to plant. Eventually success comes to Sobran, not only by being able to produce some of the finest wine, but by also taking over managing the vineyards of Baroness Aurora de Valday (Vera Farmiga).

There are metaphors and imagery weaved throughout the film with their connection between life, love, death and winemaking.  It’s an interesting and audacious film. The film was presented by the director and most of the cast including Renier, Ullie, Farmiga and Keisha-Castle Hughes(Whale Rider), who plays Sobran’s wife and is in her first adult role.

Day 4

On Sunday morning I had interviews with Jason Reitman, the writer/director of Up in the Air as well as some of the cast including Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.  The interviews were at the Four Season’s Hotel and they each had a lot of interesting things to say about the making of the film and working with George Clooney which I will bring to you in the weeks ahead.

Later in the day I went to a screening of Dorian Grey where Oliver Parker, the director of the film was present and did a Question and Answer session after the film. Based on the classic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the film tells the story of a naive and very hansome Dorian (Ben Barnes) who is slowly corrupted by a world that the charming Lord Henry Wotton(Colin Firth) has introduced him to.  A mutual friend paints Dorian’s portrait that captures his youth and beauty. While admiring his own image, Dorian decides he would rather sell his soul than age.  The handsome Ben Barnes is ideally suited for this role because he is on the one hand able to portray a young innocent man and then also someone who descends into evil. In talking about comparisons to the 1945 film, Parker said he was able to delve into the more sexual and sensual elements in the book in addition to the clever wit of Oscar Wilde.  The film touches on a number of genres but mainly period drama and Gothic horror. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.  Fine performances by Ben Barnes and Colin Firth.

Second screening of the day was Mao’s Last Dancer. Directed by Bruce Beresford, the film tells the story of ballet dancer Li Cunxin who defected in 1981 to the US from China and played well in the film by Chi Cao. Based on Cunxin’s autobiography, the film chronicles most of the dancer’s life including growing up in poverty in China’s Shandong Province. There are some spectacular and exciting dance sequences in this film. The story is told in chronological order and in a conventional unoriginal melodramatic style. Enjoyable supporting performances by Bruce Greenwood as Houston artistic director Ben Stevenson and Kyle McLaughlan as attorney Charles Foster.

The last movie of the night was the Gala Premiere of Chloe at Roy Thompson Hall.  There were a number of people who spoke prior to the screening including The Mayor of Toronto who showed his appreciation that the film was made in Toronto.  In fact, many of Toronto’s famous neighbourhoods and landmarks are featured prominently throughout the film.  As a Torontonian, it was such a thrill to see the beauty of my city finally being represented as Toronto and not Chicago or New York or any number of US cities that Toronto has doubled in for over the years in film. Director Atom Egoyan, Ivan Reitman, one of the producers of the film, Erin Cressida Wilson (screenwriter), Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried were all present as well.

Based on the 2003 French Film Nathalie, Chloe tells the story of a Toronto couple, Catherine and David ( Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson).  Catherine is a doctor and David is a professor, and along with their talented son, who plays piano, they appear to have it all.  Catherine begins to suspect that David has not been faithful. To test her husband she hires an escort named Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce him and report back to her. The film explores the common themes in many of Egoyan’s films such as alienation, eroticism, the search for human connection and that things as they appear are not always what they seem.  Julianne is wonderful in this film. As Catherine, the audience feels her pain, desperation and loneliness of not being able to connect emotionally with both her husband or her son.  Amanda Seyfried gives a performance that is both vulnerable and sensual. The complexity of her performance is like nothing that she has ever done before and I was pleasantly surprised at how good she is in this film.  Egoyan weaves an engrossing psychological journey that has a film noir quality to it.  Excellent film.

Next post:        Precious, Harry Brown, Ondine