Frameline

MONSTERS.: when it’s time to move on

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MONSTERS.

In the ambitious and innovative Monsters., writer-director Marius Olteanu unspools his story one chapter at a time. First we follow Dana (Judith State), a morose woman whose behavior is bewildering her cab driver – and the audience. In the second chapter, we meet two men, one of them Arthur (Christian Popa), and try to figure out the connection to the first chapter. The third and final chapter weaves the stories together into a romantic tragedy. (And, yes, there is a period in the film’s title.)

[MILD SPOILER: The movie is about a couple in love who want to have a conventional marriage, but whose relationship cannot succeed in that form.]

Monsters. is Olteanu’s feature film debut. Stylistically, Monsters. is typical of Romanian Slow Cinema, long takes and all, and it depicts a 24-hour story in under two hours.

Olteanu is an ambitious and fearless filmmaker. The beginning and most of Monsters. is in an unfamiliar, vertical aspect ratio; right away, we know that we’re watching something different. And, just when we’ve settled in, Olteanu CHANGES the aspect ratio to make points about the content. This dynamic aspect ratio and the film’s structure are self-conscious, but it’s clear that Oltenau is aspirational and innovative. I’m looking forward to what he has in store for us next.

Both lead actors are very good. State is up to the challenge of playing a sad character who is always aggrieved without becoming tiresome. Serban Pavlu is especially excellent as an off-puttingly meticulous Grindr hookup.

Frameline hosts the North American premiere of Monsters..

CARMEN Y LOLA: sexual awakening and a glimpse into the urban Romani

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CARMEN Y LOLA

Carmen y Lola is a sexual coming of age story set among urban Romani people in contemporary Spain. 16-year-old Lola (Zaira Romero) is a smart, talented and feisty kid; she knows that she likes girls and wants a career; how she can do either within her traditional Romani culture is a dilemma. Buoyant 17-year-old Carmen (Rosy Rodriguez) embraces her future – being married off to a handsome young Roma man – but meeting Lola awakens her to other choices – and to her own sexual preference.

I’ve seen movies about the Romani people (widely known as Gypsies) before – usually historical period pieces and always with itinerant Romani. There are no wagons or RVs in Carmen y Lola; these characters live in the hardscrabble suburbs of Madrid. (Almost 2% of Spain’s population is Romani.)

We also get to see the ugly face of anti-Romani prejudice (which I’ve just learned is called antiziganism). Carmen y Lola is unsparing in its point of view that the Romani are held down by both external racism and some of their own patriarchal and anti-education Roma traditions.

There’s also a welcome element of cultural tourism here. We get to watch a Romani betrothal ritual, a Romani evangelical church service and an all-female flamenco party.

Carmen y Lola is the directorial debut of Arantxa Echevarria. It’s one of the successful first features showcased in this year’s Frameline film festival.

SONG LANG: operatic romance in a Vietnamese opera

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Isaac and Lien Binh Phat in SONG LANG, playing at Frameline.

Song Lang is writer-director Leon Le’s groundbreaking romantic tragedy. Set in 1990s Vietnam, Dung (Lien Binh Phat) is an effectively brutal collector for a loan shark, Sent to collect from an on-the-skids traditional opera company, Dung is about to trash the company’s wardrobe, when he encounters the opera’s charismatic lead singer Phung (Isaac). Dung has a female bed buddy, but Phung triggers some strong feelings in Dung. The evolving relationship between the two soars – until the consequences of Dung’s business catch up.

Song Lang is a great-looking movie. The color palette reflects the tropical vibrancy of Vietnam, and the sets and the costumes of the cải lương opera are breathtaking.

Isaac and Lien Binh Phat in SONG LANG, playing at Frameline.

Song Lang is also a love letter to cải lương itself; the art form is depicted beautifully and affectionately. And the story reveals that Dung himself has his own connection to cải lương.

Both leads are very good. This is the first screen credit for Lien Binh Phat, who won an acting award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

American audiences will expect more physical expressions of passion than are portrayed in this film romance. This is a Vietnamese film.

On the other hand, there is one distracting moment for Vietnamese-American – when there’s a quick hug of grandma – no one hugs their grandma in Vietnam.

But, as is common in Vietnamese cinema, this is a tearjerker. It’s too easy to call this just “the Vietnamese Brokeback Mountain“. It’s an especially beautiful film with two original characters.

I also recommend this LA Times article on Leon Le and how he came to make Song Lang.

Frameline hosts the North American premiere of Song Lang. This is the directorial debut for Leon Le and is one of several first features in the Frameline program.

FRAMELINE: the documentaries

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MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT, directed by Robert Anderson Clift and Hilary Demmon

Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is underway and offers a rich selection of documentaries.

  • Frameline’s closing night film, the emotionally powerful documentary, Gay Chorus Deep South. It tracks the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus concert tour through the Deep South in the aftermath of the Trump election. This will be an audience-pleaser; bring hankies.
  • The best doc in the fest may be Making Montgomery Clift, from directors Robert Anderson Clift and Hilary Demmon. It’s an unexpectedly insightful and nuanced probe into the life of Clift’s uncle, the movie star Montgomery Clift.
  • Anybody who attends Frameline (or SFFILM or Noir City, for that matter) knows the Twin Peaks bar at the corner of Castro and Market. Through the Windows tells the story of the first San Francisco gay bar set up to let patrons and passers-by observe each other directly.
  • The documentary short that plays before Through the Windows, Dressing Up Like Mrs. Doubtfire, explores the history of cross-dressing in the movies and the impact of the Robin Williams performance in Mrs. Doubtfire. There are several intriguing threads in this short, which could be expanded into a future doc feature.