By Roger Costa
MIMOSAS
As a group of drivers wait for their daily individual assignment, they are entertained by a story-teller among them: he announces the events of creation, an encounter between God and His angels, a moment of prostrating, and also of betrayal and condemnation for the disobedient fallen angel. The story immediately connects to the narrative and the wide open space, the passing time and the glorious landscapes. Oliver Laxe’s sumptuous soft comedy is structured as an adventurous Western-style, and opens with the introduction of a Sheikh leading his followers, with their Caravan through the great mountainous wilderness of Morocco. When their leader dies on the way, they need help to continue their journey safely, as well as protecting the corpse. The storyteller (an excellent, naturally intriguing Shakib Ben Omar) is sent for their aid, and along with two mysterious outlaws and the remaining, will strive to conclude the mission. Perhaps the most gorgeously shot, visually arresting film of this early Spring season, Laxe’s vigorous cinematic skills certainly classify him as a filmmaker of profound lyricism: the screen is taken with breathtaking contemplative images, while the players wander in the incredible scenario as a reference to existential assurance and God-related topics. Winner of the Critics Week Grand Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and awarded Best Film and Best Actor (Shakib) at Cairo International Film Festival, director Laxe divides the narrative in three “Prostrating” acts, conceiving a precise, purely enlightening cinematic experience.
(A Grasshopper Film Release. Runs April 14-20 exclusively at Anthology Film Archives NYC.)
BY THE TIME IT GETS DARK
A young woman is collecting pieces for her new project in a remote paradisiac area. She interviews a political resistant survivor, and turns the camera to herself creating parallels between generations, as it initiates as a double intimate and personal account on female strength. A couple of lovebirds calmly walk by the river; actors re-enact the scenario of prisoners being brutalized by guards; people pray around the luminous trees; an actor prepares for his next shots, while travelling around Asia, interacting with fans, and experiencing the depths of love- lying naked in bed, he listens to his girl’s comments on how much she likes each part of his body. Thai director Anocha Suwichakornpong’s second feature is a strongly sensitive and intensely poetic portrait of all these topics seen through the feminine perspective. A blend of documentary, fiction, experimental and magical realism, she captures elegant moments with dazzling shots, astonishingly shaped frames, absorbing the inner emotions of the characters, their struggle, traumas and desires. Using colorful and subtle metaphors to address political corruption, brutality and social divergences, as well as a study on modern love, this unique observational film interconnects many stories with incredible serenity, promoting a transcendental, fresh and inventive, highly artistic gem.
(A KimStim Release. Opens Friday, April 14th exclusively at Film Society of Lincoln Center NYC.)
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