STRANGER BY THE LAKE - MIFF 2013

“Stranger By The Lake” is forever going to be infamous for its unsimulated homosexual sex scenes, which really is a shame, because these actually happen to be the least interesting aspect of the whole film.  Due to the aforementioned scenes, I will admit that I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch “Stranger By The Lake” but decided that the fact that these scenes scared me was reason enough to see the film and I am glad that I did because I found it to be a good little film about human interactions.

Set on an unnamed lake where gay men regularly frequent, in the hope of acquiring anonymous sex which takes place in the forest located just behind the beach, we meet Franck, a handsome young man who currently is unlucky in love.  He has just started coming back regularly to this nude beach after a prolonged absence and he seems to be more interested in finding love then most of the men who come to this beach.  One day while swimming in the lake, Franck notices a man who regularly sits further down from the beach and is always by himself and he decides to introduce himself.  The man is Henri, and after a brief discussion with Franck, we find out that he is a heterosexual man who has just divorced his long-time partner.  When quizzed on why he likes sitting so close to a beach that is an infamous hunting ground for homosexuals, he casually replies that he likes the solitude.  From this brief conversation, a beautiful plutonic relationship is formed between these two men as they regularly see each other and engage in conversation.  Meanwhile, Franck is involved in another relationship altogether on the beach, as he finds himself falling in love with the very dangerous Michel.  The reason why Michel is so dangerous is because we know that earlier in the film he drowned his previous lover, but Franck also knows this as he was the only witness to the crime (unbeknownst to Michel) and yet he still pursues a relationship with him.  However when the dead body finally surfaces and the police start digging around for clues, Michel starts to become edgy and even more dangerous as Franck finds himself in a relationship he may want to get out of sooner rather than later, or he may find himself as Michel’s next victim.

I initially felt that this film was going to be too much for me, with all of the constant full frontal male nudity and graphic sex scenes, but surprisingly I really liked “Stranger By The Lake”.  The strongest element of the film was the friendship between Franck and Henri because it was a relationship where no one wanted anything from the other except conversation and it really became quite beautiful.  Henri is obviously a very sad and lonely figure, but he is a man who also does not make judgments.  He knows that most of the men at the lake are only there for sex and yet, it does not bother him.  He accepts people for who they are and nothing else.  There is a lovely moment near the end of the film when he tells Franck that he gets excited just thinking about having a conversation with him, so excited that his heart beats so fast as if in love.  Franck smiles and confirms he has the same non-romantic feeling for Henri too.

This is another film that is superbly acted with a standout performance from leading man Pierre Deladonchamps as Franck.  He portrays this man as one who is desperate to make a connection in this world with someone and in doing so finds himself in trouble with the wrong man, whilst at the same time forging a true friendship with the most unlikely person he would have suspected.  Deladonchamps gives Franck a calm presence, he is a quiet man and respectful to everyone.  It appears that he is afraid of conflict and at times, it seems that he may have a death wish.  As I highlighted above, his scenes with Patrick d’Assumcao (who plays Henri) are the standout of the film, with the casual conversations between the two men feeling totally realistic.

Meanwhile Christophe Paou gives an absolutely sinister performance as Michel; he is so unlikable from the outset that it baffles me why Franck would ever be attracted to the man.  He is at times sleazy, is always jealous, and expects Franck to play by certain rules that he himself refuses to play by.  The fact that he is also a murderer doesn’t help his cause particularly late in the film when he starts to get edgier because of the police influence around him.

“Stranger By The Lake” is a beautiful looking film which is mainly due to the lake in the title.  Director Alain Guiraudie gets the most out of his location and makes it look stunning on screen.  The entire film actually takes place in the confines of the lake and the forest behind the lake’s beach (as well as the beach’s car park) where all of the sexual activity takes place.  It is well known that “Stranger By The Lake” has unsimulated sex scenes in it, but these really only consist of a couple of scenes of fellatio, some masturbation and one scene of ejaculation.  While I was not offended by these scenes, I do wonder why they were necessary.  It would have been just as simple to simulate these moments and not lose anything in regards to the story in the process.  In fact, I think that the inclusion of these moments works against the film, mainly because the film will not be able to be shown in as many places which is a shame as it is quite a good film.

Due to the quiet and controlled nature of the film, the thriller aspects of it seem to be more subdued than they would normally be, and as a result are not as strong as the human interactions.  That said, there is a fantastic suspense sequence midway through the film when Michel calls out to Franck to come swimming in the lake.  Knowing that Michel drowned his previous lover in the exact same place, Franck tentatively swims out unknowing whether or not it is for the final time.  It is the one time in the film that generates true suspense.  Even at the end of the film when there are a couple of scenes of violence, these scenes come out of nowhere rather than being built up by suspense.  As well as the thriller elements, “Stranger By The Lake” is also consistently funny at times, with a recurring joke about the guy masturbating in the forest and the hilarious police inspector who appears to have walked off of a “Pink Panther” film.

Overall, I was surprised just how much I enjoyed “Stranger By The Lake”, as it turned out to be a pretty great film.  No doubt it is a confronting film with all of the nudity and graphic sexual scenes, but it is the human interactions that come across as so genuine that makes the film as good as it is.  While the thriller elements do not necessarily work as well due to the subdued atmosphere of the film, at the end of the day “Stranger By The Lake” is well worth seeing.

3.5 Stars.

LOVELACE - MIFF 2013

After the struggles I had with my concentration watching “Rhino Season”, I joked with a friend that I was glad my next film was a Hollywood production because there would be no reason to concentrate.  Although an obviously pissy remark to make, it turned out to be quite prophetic and not because of the negative.  It turned out that “Lovelace”, directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s account of the making of the adult hit “Deep Throat” and the years of torment and abuse its star had to face in the years following, was a very entertaining film and Linda Lovelace’s story was so enthralling that my mind never wondered once.

“Lovelace” begins in the early 70’s where we are introduced to our titular character; a sweet, naïve girl who at the mere mention of sex, gets totally embarrassed.  One day at a party on the beach with her best friend Patsy, Linda meets up with the dashing and totally charismatic Chuck.  He immediately falls for the shy girl and attempts to pursue her eventually succeeding.  One night after staying out later than expected with Chuck, Linda arrives home to her overbearing mother when a fight breaks out between them and ends with Linda being slapped across the face.  This act of violence is the catalyst that sees Linda moving out of home and living with Chuck, and the two eventually marry.  Sometime later though the couple are having trouble; Chuck owes money to people everywhere and he comes up with the idea to offer his wife to perform in an adult film due to a unique technique she has in the bedroom.  The film was “Deep Throat” and history shows us that the film was a massive success making millions in profit.  From this film we witness how in a matter of months, Lovelace has become a massive celebrity and reveling in the glitz and glamour of the world.  Suddenly we are thrown into a room where Linda is taking a lie-detector test for her new book, and we are then witness to the same story again from the start, but this time we are given the real and very sad facts of the girl known as Linda Lovelace, the making of “Deep Throat” and the consequences that followed the making of such an iconic film.

When “Lovelace” began, I sat there watching the film and I was shocked.  I could not believe that they had made the making of “Deep Throat” into a comedy, and what shocked me more was how much I was enjoying it.  At the same time I was thinking, this is the film that Lovelace claimed she was repeatedly raped on and because of this she was an outspoken person against pornography for the rest of her life; how did they have the balls to make this film into a comedy?  It then gets to that point in the film when everything changes, Linda is on the lie-detector and we go through the story again, but this time it is presented in a much different light.  Gone are the laughs and all that remains is a total sadness.  Suddenly the film becomes a serious drama and my respect for it rose greatly as I realized that we were initially given the story the way it was originally presented to the American public when “Deep Throat” premiered and then juxtaposing it with what really happened.  The contrast between the two stories is shocking.  The first is presented as if the making of “Deep Throat” was all glamour and parties, laughing and love.  It made Linda into a star and was loved the world over because of it.  The second half shows a much darker storyline about a woman suffering from constant spousal abuse, rape and the constant stigma for being in a film she was forced to make by her husband; being the butt of everyone’s joke, and it is an incredibly sad side of the story.

Setting aside the weightless roles she normally finds herself playing, Amanda Seyfried is electric as the troubled Lovelace.  The role gives her the opportunity to show the whole gamut of emotions and she nails them all.  The first half of the film she is so bubbly and energetic and full of fun, loving the chance to make this iconic porn film.  When the film becomes the dark drama it does in the second half, we really get to see Seyfried’s acting chops particularly in a very painful scene between her and her mother (an unrecognizable Sharon Stone) when she pleads with her to let her come home for a couple of days.  It is all in her eyes; the fear, the sadness, the desperation to do anything to get out of the trouble she has found herself in, only to have her mother tell her that her place is by the side of her husband, sending her straight back to the hell she has come from.  The performance that steals the film though is Peter Sarsgaard as the abusive Chuck.  He is both as charming as a fox (making it very easy to see how Linda initially fell in love with this scumbag) and as terrifying as anything at different times in the film.  There are moments late in this film where Sarsgaard literally scared me; he was so believable as this despicable man who was willing to force his wife into anything if it would help him out in the long run.  There is one shot of him just standing there, staring at Linda, and the evil behind those eyes just sent chills down my spine.  The rest of the film is littered with cameos and small roles from well known actors like Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, Chloe Sevigny, Juno Temple, Robert Patrick and Chris Noth and they are all excellent; if nothing else “Lovelace” is a well acted film, but James Franco has been terribly miscast as a young(er) Hugh Hefner, and his performance is actually embarrassing.

While there is some actual debate as to whether or not Linda Lovelace’s take on what happened on the making of “Deep Throat” is the truth or just a revisionist take on history after her fifteen minutes had faded, the events presented in the film made me a believer and it all seemed very real.  “Lovelace” is such a sad tale and has more heartbreaking scenes in a single film than I can remember.  The very painful scene when Linda talks to her father on the phone after he has just walked out of her movie, the scene when she asks her mother for help only to be sent back to her husband, the scene when she thinks she is about to be saved by the police only to have them ask her for an autograph when they realize who she is, the horrible Hugh Hefner scene, and the absolutely disgusting moment when Chuck leaves Linda in a room with three men who have paid to have their way with her while he waits outside the room; all these combined make for a completely heartbreaking film and if these scenes were an indication of what really happened to Linda in reality than not only does it sickens me, but I am amazed that she was able to fight her way out of it and make something out of her life.

It is well known that Linda was very outspoken about her ordeal in making “Deep Throat” and was an advocate against pornography for the rest of her life, and it is a shame that this part of her life was not explored in the film (except for a token scene towards the end) as I think this would have made “Lovelace” a much richer film as well as given more of an insight into just who Linda was away from her “Lovelace” persona.  There is a sad and poignant moment when Linda expresses her frustration at the fact that she was in the pornography industry for a grand total of seventeen days, but it is these seventeen days that everyone bases their judgment on her life on and as her as a person.

Overall, I found “Lovelace” to be an incredibly sad tale but I really liked the film a lot.  It has two fantastic lead performances from Seyfried and Sarsgaard, and another from Sharon Stone who is just unrecognizable in the role of Linda’s mother.  What is interesting is that although I really enjoyed the film, I am still aware that it could be considered a lightweight affair.  Compared to a film like “Boogie Nights”, which shares the similar subject of pornography, there is a world of difference in the quality of both films.  Still in the moment, I thought that “Lovelace” was a fair achievement and I would recommend it.

3.5 Stars.

RHINO SEASON - MIFF 2013

Sadly, once again, my screening of “Rhino Season” was affected by the fact that I was suffering from illness and was quite tired.  My concentration levels were ultimately lowered and I struggled a little with this film and as a result my memory of it has also suffered.

From the MIFF guide, the story of “Rhino Season” is about “a poet during the reign of Shah is imprisoned as part of Iran’s destructive Islamic revolution due to petty jealousies of a driver who desires his beautiful wife.  Released after serving a tortuous 30-year sentence, he sets out to reunite with the woman he loves”.

The main thing I remember about “Rhino Season” is just how incredibly sad the whole story is; first with how the poet, Sahel, is initially imprisoned for such a lengthy time over such a trivial matter, second the fact that his wife Mina thinks him dead for over twenty years while he is still suffering within the prison, and finally, the ending of the film (which I will not give away).  In fact the whole film permeates with sadness throughout and even though the film is beautiful at times, it is also really depressing.  While I attempt to see every Iranian film that plays at MIFF (even though “Rhino Season” is actually a Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey co-production, director Bahman Ghobadi comes from Iran), there was another reason I was so keen to see “Rhino Season” and that was the inclusion of Monica Bellucci in the cast.  Bellucci is an incredible actress who seems capable of performing with any language.  Here she speaks Persian fluently and comes across as very convincing as an Iranian woman.  Her performance is very subdued and subtle, filled with tiny movements as opposed to large gestures.  She is quietly spoken and there is a sadness behind her eyes, as well as a tiredness when we see her later in life, that totally exposes how hard life has been for her after her own prison sentence.  Early on in the film before her arrest, she shines in her opulence surrounded by her glamorous mansion and possessions, that to see her the way she is towards the finale is just heartbreaking.

Behrouz Vossoughi is devastating in his performance as the poet who loses everything in his life, and like Bellucci excels in his depiction of a person weary from the horrors of his life.  His role is mainly a silent one, as he barely speaks, but there is no doubting the pain and anger within him. We witness Sahel silently pining for his wife from a distance as he recognizes the pain in Mina’s eyes while remembering the good times they shared.  What appears to be a search for redemption, as Sahel looks for the woman he loves, ends up becoming a quest for revenge and reason that will ultimately destroy the poet’s life for good.  

The greatest aspect of “Rhino Season” is its amazing visual style and cinematography from Turaj Aslani.  This is a seriously beautiful film that is full of gorgeous images that will make your jaw drop.  One scene that has to be seen to be believed is a scene when Sahel is tied up to a pole, when the sky opens up and begins to rain turtles.  It is stunningly beautiful and surreal all at once.  In fact the more “Rhino Season” goes along, the more surreal it becomes with images becoming symbolic rather than depicting the truth.  The image of the rhino becomes a frequent and powerful one in the final third of the film, but as beautiful as it is, unfortunately the rhino has been rendered via CGI which is not of the best quality. 

Overall, I found “Rhino Season” to be a beautiful film but an incredibly sad one.  Due to the film’s slow pace and surreal tone in places, this isn’t going to be a film for everyone but it has been well acted and gorgeously shot.  The story is based on a true story and being a film that criticizes the Islamic regime AND features female nudity within it, the entire film had to be shot in Turkey, as opposed to Iran due to censorship in that country, so whatever you may think of the film, you have to respect the filmmaker’s dedication to getting the story made.

3 Stars.