RSIFF, 11: The Origin-al Don Quixote, in a Ferrari
At an average length of 100 minutes, and a 14-hour day, which is what is available to an average person, after accounting for sleeping, eating, travel, etc., I should think four. Spot on. RSIFF allowed you to book 4 tickets a day, 48 hours in advance, as the clock clocks. But there are the riders, which mean, “but….”. Shows began only at four o’clock or a little before that, in the afternoon, and continued till late in the night. Can you still make it four? Maybe on some days you could, but not every day.
Tickets could be sold out before you logged on. There could be an awards function or a lunch or a dinner that day. There was a quiet, dignified dinner hosted by the German Consulate and a more vibrant lunch by NEOM. NEOM is derived from two words. Envisioned by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, the first three letters come from the Ancient Greek prefix neo – meaning 'new'. The 'M' is the first from 'Mustaqbal' (in Urdu, it is mustaqbil), an Arabic word meaning 'future'. The M is also the first letter of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. NEOM is a place that will be made up of a number of regions – including the linear city THE LINE, the centre for advanced and clean industries, Oxagon, Saudi Arabia’s mountain destination, Trojena, and their luxury island resort, Sindalah.
Coming back to film viewing options. If you are a journalist, there might be a press conference or interview or some sort of interaction within those hours when a film you want to see is scheduled. Your chosen films could be scheduled concurrently or overlapping each other, and you do not want to see those films, tickets for which are available. The other catch was you could book up to four tickets totally every 24 hours, for any of the films on the current date and the next day. This was a bit confusing, because you could end up with no tickets for the day on which you make the booking, and anything between 1-4 tickets for the next day, depending, obviously, on the availability. But these are occupational hazards. There is so much happening, and you cannot be there at all places at all times.
As I leafed through the festival catalogue, which came in a handy, 12.5 x 11.5 cms., with red a (what else?) cover, I was shocked to discover that I had not seen any of the films listed, even after reaching 1/3rd of the catalogue. Most of the films listed in the pages I skimmed were short films, so that might be an explanation. I prefer features to shorts, given the choice. The first ‘seen’ film that greeted me in the catalogue was Lapata (Lost) Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, which could do with a better title. This is the directorial debut of Kiran Rao, Mrs. Aamir Khan, and is produced by him. With the exception of Ravi Kishan, it has an unknown cast, with the surprise packet being Chhaya Kadam, who is terribly gifted, but appeared grafted in this film. She is one of those Marathi actors who have made the transition to Hindustani, with relative ease. For Ravi, it was a tailor-made role, and he made the most of it.
Surprising you with consummate performances, Lapata Ladies is a tricky blend of suspense and social commentary, sprinkled with comedy. It takes upon itself too much and does not make the impact that this kind of film could make. Child marriage, the tradition of girls and women forced to wear long ghunghats (part of a woman’s clothing, covering their faces completely, and dangling about a foot downwards, corrupt policemen and politicians, some earthy humour, and hope. A women-centric film, based on a published story by Biplab Goswami, a man, and adapted by two women, Sneha Desai and Divyanidhi Sharma, it has its moments, and can be considered a promising debut. See bottom for my rating of Lapata Ladies, rated G by the festival.
This was a first for me. Ratings at a film festival? Well, it is helpful in deciding what sort of cinema you want you or your family to see. There were five categories.
G: Appropriate for audiences of all ages.
PG: Parental Guidance advised for children below 12.
PG 15: Parental Guidance advised for children below 15.
R15: Restricted to audiences above 15.
R18: Restricted to audiences above 18.
HWJN, the opening film, rated PG15, was almost on the same level as Lapata Ladies, but the two films could not be more different. Ferrari, listed as an International Spectacular, was a biopic about Enzo Ferrari, the man who made the company an iconic legend. It has Adam Driver (did his surname get him the role?) playing the gritty Italian, who lives a triple life: a race-car maniac, a caring husband, and a …man who has a mistress and a child from her. It’s directed by Michael Mann, and, man o man, do the cars fly! It has you would expect from a title like Ferrari, and was one of the better films I saw at RSIFF, although Adam Driver as Enzo is not a great performance. At PG15, adrenaline, anyone?
Origin was classy too. It begins as a chronicle of race relations in the United States of America, and spans the globe to explore this subject, from Nazi Germany to India. It convinces you that it is caste, and not religion or class, that divides races. Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Caste: The Origin of Our Discontent, by Isabel Wilkerson, and directed by Ava DuVernay, whose reputation precedes her, the film has Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor playing Wilkerson, an almost retired investigative reporter, who is drawn back into the profession by the killing of a black boy, Trayvon Martin, by a white police officer. She delves into Although real and documentary-like, the film has archival footage and flashbacks that enrich the narrative, and it moves at just the right pace. A gem of a movie, rightfully rated PG15.
Made in New Zealand, Miles from Nowhere is on the lines of some of the Anglo‑Indian or Americo-Indian films that we saw during the last three decades. Integration of races and migrants into the mainstream of a Caucasian majority country. A series in six parts, the film i8s about a Muslim song-writer in Auckland, it addresses Islamophobia and has an authentic cast of Australians and Kiwis. R15, Miles from Nowhere is neither here nor there. It is a niche audience series that you could skip. It appears that six episodes of 20 minutes each have been welded together to form a unit.
Directed by Lee Jung-Gon, The Deal is a Korean crime/suspense/thriller some novelty, but it wears off as the film progresses and it looks like any routine Korean crime drama, about a silly kidnapping by three young men of their friend that soon turns sour. Rated PG15, it did not have much to offer. Lost in La Mancha is a documentary about Terry Gilliam’s go at the windmill- chasing Don Quixote.
Directed by Louise Pepe and Keith Fulton, the film re-affirms the belief that whosoever tries to make a film on the legendary, mythical, quixotic character, will need God on his side with problems. Gilliam is no exception. First he cannot put together the required budget and then his lead actor has a bad injury. It is the second part of a double, the first being He Dreams of La Mancha. Of little interest to the layman, the film will appeal to selected cineastes, critics and film society members. Look out for a young, young Johnny Depp.
Rating Time
HWJN: **
Lapata Ladies: **1/2
Ferrari: ***1/2
Origin: ****
Miles from Nowhere: **
The Deal: **
Lost in La Mancha: ***
