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A Few of International Feature Oscar Hopefuls

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Every country (except the U.S.) can submit one film for Oscar consideration for Best International Feature Film. How a country makes that choice varies. There are certain criteria, including how much English is allowed. The Academy has a process through which the films are reviewed eventually ending up with the five films nominated for the award. In early February the short list (this year it will include 15 films) will be announced.

I have had a chance to see some of the films submitted (either at festivals or through screeners), but still it is only about 1/6 of the list of films hoping for recognition. Here is a look at the ones I’ve seen, with links to our reviews if available.

Denmark: Another Round. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. A group of friends test a hypothesis that keeping a constant 0.05% blood alcohol level is the key to happiness. Vinterberg is a masterful director and has made this a film of humor and pathos. Screenfish review of Another Round. Since it made my year end top films list, I would obviously be happy for this to get a nomination. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

France: Two of Us tells the story of Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier), two retired women who have been romantically involved for decades. Though they spend their daily lives together, their relationship has remained largely in secret over that time, especially to Madeleine’s family. However, when Madeleine suddenly falls ill, their relationship is turned upside down and Nina must find a way to hide their secret while also caring for the woman that she loves. Directed by Fillipo Meneghetti, Two of Us is a powerful and heartbreaking piece that puts the wildness of love on full display. Well-written and earnestly performed, Two of Us is a simple film about what it means to care for someone so deeply that you’ll do anything to support them in their time of need. 

Hong Kong: Better Days. Directed by Derek Tsang. Chen Nian is trying to prepare for a college entrance exam. She and others face bullying at the school. After an encounter with Xiao Bei, a young street thug, the boy becomes Chen Nian’s protector. Can Chen Nian escape the violence around her, or will she become part of the violence? Well made film, but not as strong as some others. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

India: Jallikattu. Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. When a buffalo escapes from the butcher, the whole village goes into action to try to recapture it before it destroys everything. As the day moves into night, the situation devolves to the point we aren’t sure if the animal is the real beast or the people. Interestingly, the film is bookended with title cards with verses from Revelation. (20: 1-3 at the beginning, 19:17-18 at the end). It’s a dark comedy with some very interesting camera and editing work.

Ivory Coast: Night of the Kings. Directed by Philippe Lacôte. Set in an African prison, a new prisoner is named by the convict boss as the new “Roman”, storyteller. On the night of the red moon, the Roman must tell a story that takes all night. There is a sort of Greek chorus that acts out parts of the story. Meanwhile, the boss is near death and a rival faction is hoping to seize power. It has a bit of magical realism. Interesting, but not compelling storytelling. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

Japan: True Mothers. Directed by Naomi Kawase. Six years after a couple adopt a baby boy, they get a phone call from a woman claiming to be his birth mother and wants him back—or money. The film spends a great deal of time on each woman’s story before we get to the conflict and resolution. It may be a little overlong, but still a worthy story. Screenfish review of True Mothers.

Kazakhstan:The Crying Steppe. Directed by Marina Kunarova. The story of the Great Famine that was the result of Soviet policies during the 1920s and 1930s. Although there are some wonderful landscapes, the story is dismal. This is very much a Kazak story that evokes national pride and animosity toward the Soviet system. I would be very surprised to see this make it to the shortlist, let alone a nomination.

Latvia: Blizzard of Souls. Directed by Dzintars Dreiberge. The story of a young Latvian (Latvia was then part of the Russian Empire) who goes off to fight in World War I.  The innocence of youth gives way to the brutality of war. We see the terrible suffering and loss. It also runs through the early stages of Communist Revolution, and the eventual independence of Latvia. It is a very patriotic film. Screenfish review of Blizzard of Souls.

Mexico: I’m No Longer Here. Directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra. Ulises, the leader of Los Terkos , a cambia dance crew in Monterrey, Mexico, must flee to the US after witnessing a drive-by shooting. In Queens, he is lost. He doesn’t know the language. He has no connection to his culture. He’s befriended by a young Asian girl who lets him squat on her grandfather’s roof. His life had been completely centered in cambia, but now there is nothing to give him direction or purpose. To be so alone in New York City is just part of the sorrow we watch in this tragic tale. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

North Macedonia: Willow. Directed by Milcho Manchevski. This is a trio of stories that focus on motherhood. All three stories focus on women who had trouble conceiving. The first, set in medieval times, is a peasant woman who goes to a crone for help. When, after the child comes, the couple isn’t willing to pay the high price, tragedy waits. The second couple (in modern times) finally conceive twins, but again tragedy will bring darkness into the marriage. The third story focuses on the sister of the woman in the second story, who adopted a child after years of trying to conceive. But there may be something wrong with the child. Very well done chance to think about love, motherhood, and striving for happiness.

Peru: Song Without a Name. Directed by Melina León. A young pregnant indigenous woman learns of a clinic in the city that will provide free maternity services. When she gives birth, however, they steal her baby for foreign adoption. In her grief she works with a journalist to seek the government’s help. The film has some wonderful scenes of the indigenous cultural arts. A very moving story of people who are treated as invisible and worthless by society. A very good film. Screenfish review of Song Without a Name.

Portugal: Vitalina Verela. Directed by Pedro Costa. A very measured, slow-moving film that has extraordinary s cinematography of light and shadow and the use of a static camera. A Cape Verdean woman whose husband left her 25 years earlier to work in Portugal, arrives in Lisbon to discover he was buried three days before. She learns bits of his life as she moves around the immigrant slum. The life they had in Cape Verde seems much preferable to what she finds here. A faithless priest reflects on the darkness of life here.

Romania: Collective. Directed by Alexander Nanau. Documentary about the aftermath of a fire at a Bucharest nightclub. Many of the victims died of infections they got in the hospital. Investigative journalist began to trace the governmental corruption. An amazing part of the film is that the new health minister gave the filmmaker total access. This is a film about the importance of the press to confront governmental lies. Very good doc. It would certainly be worth consideration in both this category and in the documentary category. Screenfish review of Collective. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

Slovakia: The Auschwitz Report. Directed by Peter Bebjak. The story of two prisoners who seek to escape and bring information of what is going on to the outside world. The first half of the film takes place in the concentration camp, where following their escape, the other prisoners suffer increasing punishment. The second half is their journey to get across the border and report. But even then, their reports of the horrors are met with deep scepticism.

Spain: The Endless Trench. Directed by Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi, and Jose Mari Goenaga. Based on true events, this is the story of a man who, with his wife’s help, hides in his house for over 30 years. During the Spanish Civil War, he escaped capture by the Nationalists and found his way home where he first hid in a hole under a cabinet, and later in a narrow room created by a false wall. Even after the war, through World War II and beyond, he is considered a war criminal until an amnesty is declared in 1969. The stresses of the confinement play out in their lives. They live in constant fear, even when it is time to come out of hiding. An excellently done film about the confines we often must deal with in our lives. It’s easy to extrapolate to the COVID-19 world.

Sudan: You Will Die at Twenty. Directed by Amjad Abu Alata. When a local holy man prophesizes that a child will die when he turns twenty, he begins with a sheltered life, but even after he begins to learn the Quran, his life is geared around his impending death. The entire village believes this is God’s will—except for a photographer who has recently returned from traveling the world. Can the boy find a way to live fully? Screenfish review of You Will Die at Twenty.

Switzerland: My Little Sister. Directed by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronica Reymond. A woman tries to give her actor twin brother one more time on stage before he dies. Her efforts could well cost her a very high price. The film is really about the bond that the siblings share. Screenfish review of My Little Sister.

Fatima: When Faith Meets Facts

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It’s no surprise that religious faith and scientific inquiry often struggle to see eye to eye. 

Historically, there has always been a tension between believing in Divine miracles and a more pragmatic approach to the world. This division serves as the core of Italian cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo’s latest film, Fatima, which delves into the plausibility of historical accounts of spiritual visions and how that affects the people involved. 

Set in 1917, Fatima tells the story of three young children in Fátima, Portugal who report seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. Committed to their stories, their revelations inspire those who believe but also anger those in power who simply cannot understand how this could have taken place. Although their opponents demand that they recant their stories, the children remain steadfast in their belief. As word spreads of their vision, tens of thousands of religious faithful flock to the site in the hopes of seeing a miracle themselves.

Co-written and directed by Pontecorvo, Fatima is an engaging drama that puts the question of faith and its relationship to history front and centre. Though the narrative moves slowly at times, Fatima wants to take its time in wrestling with the balance between truth and fiction, especially as it relates to the Divine. Beautifully shot in sweeping landscapes, Pontecorvo uses his background in cinematography to accentuate the isolation of the people of Fatima. In doing so, he also makes them small at the hands of their surroundings, visually humbling them in the face of perceived larger spiritual forces. (It’s worth noting that, in present day conversations, scenes are filmed in close proximity which has the opposite effect by giving balance to spiritual and scientific arguments.) 

Given the film’s subject matter, much of the cast does a good job playing their characters with reverence, even if it doesn’t always feel that they have much to do. However, it’s the conversation between present day Sister Lucia (Sonia Braga) and Professor Nichols (Harvey Keitel) that provides the most energy to the film.

By telling the story in flashback, Pontecorvo is able to question the validity of Sister Lucia’s claims from a distance but also with respect. As Professor Nichols continues to press her arguments, he views her stubborn refusal to admit that she has been lying with increasing contempt yet the film does not judge her. Instead, Fatima portrays her with strength and courage for holding on for her convictions. Though Nichols may not believe her claims, what matters most in Fatima is that Sister Lucia believes it. To her, this was an encounter with the Divine and it changed the course of her life (not to mention those who also were present). 

Interestingly, Sister Lucia’s confidence in the Divine seems threatening to Professor Nichols’ more practical worldview. Through his relentless interrogation, he seems bent on pushing her to ‘confess’ not to disprove her story but rather to validate his own skepticism. In other words, as he continues to press, Nichols’ dependence on what is tangible appears rooted in his own fear to acknowledge that there are things in the world that he cannot understand. This tension between the scientific and the spiritual anchors the film and showcases the challenges in finding common ground between the two points of view. (In this way, it’s also worth noting that these conversations also reflect the tone of similar discussions within our modern-day context as well.)

In the end, Fatima is an interesting look at the events surrounding the supposed miracle that took place in Portugal. However, the real power of the film lies not within the full story of the event but whether or not such events ever took place and the consequences of that, if true.

Fatima is on VOD on August 28th, 2020.

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman S2E3: Just Look

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(Photo Credit: National Geographic/Savas Georgalis)

I think there comes at least one time in every person’s life where s/he seriously contemplates if God exists. Perhaps it’s in a time where everything in life is falling apart and there is nowhere else to turn (see Job). Perhaps it’s a reflection about the words someone else has said on the subject.  It could even be a realization that something seems to be missing in life.  For me personally, it came from sitting on a vacant beach one afternoon and watching the waves crash on the shore.  My thought was simply this: “I cannot understand how someone can look at the ocean or the beauty of nature and not believe there is a God.”  The final episode of the second season of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (Monday, 9PM/8CT Nat Geo) discusses the proof of God we all look for.  The answers have the ability to drive us right to him—if we’ll allow for it.

(Photo Credit: National Geographic/Seth Nejame)

In my opinion, this was the strongest episode this season by a large margin.  It felt like a return to the questioning, inquisitive nature that encouraged people to take an interest in faith.  Freeman showcases his usual alluring charm and sharp analysis as he introduces a number of ways people find personal proofs for God.  Sujo John’s story was fascinating—he survived 9/11 after climbing down 81 floors to escape. There’s more, but I won’t give it away.  These times of crisis will often drive us to a realization that God is real.  Of course, this also brings up the question of why God allows some to live and others to perish in situations.  John’s comment involved peace and the confidence that if he was to die, everything would be okay.

Some people see miracles as proof—the dancing of the sun in the sky in Fatima, Portugal (top photo) is one example. Some people find their proof in healing others via dead ancestors, such as villages in Namibia.  Others find God’s proof within themselves, like some Buddhists who have the ability to channel what they call “inner fire,” giving them the ability to raise their body temperatures through meditation. Many Muslims see their proof in the words of their holy book, the Qu’ran.  Even scientists aren’t immune to looking for proofs of God, as theoretical physicist Art Lovie shares by describing nature and mathematical equations that demonstrate the existence of life itself.

(Photo Credit: National Geographic/Reza Riazi)

Freeman ends the episode by noting that we’ll find God in the space between knowledge and doubt. If this is to be taken at face value, it means that somewhere within us is a space only he can fill. The French mathematician Blaise Pascal said something to that exact effect: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing.” Christians believe the form of the filling comes only through Jesus, who is proof of God in human form. He calmed the wind and waves (Mark 4:35-41), healed people (see Matthew 15:30 for one example), and even sweat blood at one point (Luke 22:29-44).  But without Jesus’ return to life after death, his life was lived in vain.  And yet God allows nature, individual situations, and other people to help bring about the filling of the vacuum.  This way, people are without excuse regarding a proof of God, because it’s seen every day (see Romans 1:18-20).  All that has to be done is to slow down, stop, and look around to see it.

I’m looking forward to a third season of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman.  There’s way more to God than meets the eye, and the show has just scratched the surface.  Who knows what will be found as we go deeper?