There are a lot of movies this fall. As already reported, around twenty Latvian films are in preparation for their premiere by the end of December. Three of them – Sam’s Travels, The Prompter And Lover – are already available in cinemas and waiting for viewers. Latvian films have not waited for better times, when the number of admissions in cinemas will reach pre-pandemic attendance indicators. Fall film festivals don’t expect them either – no pearl of the baltic, taking place from 21 to 28 September, the Riga International Film Festival, which takes place less than a month later, is much broader in terms of repertoire and operates internationally IFF line (from 13 to 23 October).
Baltic pearls twenty films are on offer this year. The poster, as usual, includes films from the program of the most important film festival in the world – Cannes, audience-friendly films with actors known to the older generations, this and that of the classics that resonate in our historical memory, as well as some film about the fashion industry. This is pretty much all if we try to put them together on the shelves Baltic pearls thematic guidelines of the program. Also worth mentioning are two Russian films, which the festival offers without entering into discussion about ignoring Russian films on the international scene. Baltic pearl it is not the only festival open to seemingly alternative Russian projects. Such is the festival of Cannes, Locarno, Karlovy Vary and other important European cultural institutions, where Kirila Serebrennikova has been presented in recent months. Tchaikovsky’s wife a Natašas Merkulovas a Alekseja Chupova Captain Volkonogov fled (Co-production by Russia, Estonia and France) – both films can be seen in the pearl of the Baltic.
For a large audience
Argentine and Spanish film Unexpected end / official Competencia it’s an elegant and audience-friendly irony about the behind-the-scenes world of cinema, as well as the addiction of a multimillionaire who decides to make history by funding a radical arthouse film. It is directed by an exalted woman (Penelope Cruz), who invites famous actors (Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martinez) to film. Perhaps, the film can also see the macho revenge, which was triggered by discussions about the role of women in film (for example, the sexual orientation of the character of Penelope Cruz, a lesbian, is emphasized). However, there are some ironic details in the film about European art cinema and the festival business. The actors also upload their characters with gusto.
The film has the potential to attract viewers, despite its age Best seller (directed by Leanne Rosler) starring British classic Michael Caine. It seems like every year in the pearl of the Baltic is a film about a frustrated writer who disappears from the public eye and returns to the fore by passing through the machinery of modern marketing strategies. Such a film is also this year.
Juliette Binoche is one of the most active French actresses, so director Claire Denis’s melodramas are logical With love and fury / Avec amour et acharnement presence – a story of former lovers who meet after many years. The actress has a great partner in the film, Vincent Lindon, who served as the chair of the jury committee at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. You can’t even blame Izabella Ipera for inaction, which she constantly films. On offer is director Laurent Lariviere’s play Joan and her men / À propos de Joan, which is a reflection on the sexuality of a mature woman.
Classic section
Perhaps those who lived through the early 1980s in Soviet Latvia remember that the film The stuntman (1980, directed by Richard Rush) was shown in theaters and became a smash hit. The film is also worth seeing in 2022. At least for me, watching it again revealed countless nuances that were not limited to Peter O’Toole’s extravagant directing solo. The master of tricks reinforces the mythology of cinema, the director’s status as a demiurge, cinema as a wonderful world, a machine for building an artificial reality with a well-defined vertical of power dominated by the director’s god and his whims. A director whose powers are to subjugate and destroy. Along with Peter O’Toole, long-forgotten actors Steve Railsbeck and Barbara Hershey have outstanding roles.
From the Cannes repertoire
The films of the Cannes Film Festival program are made Baltic pearls the most valuable offer The film Decision to leave / Decision to leave became my favorite in Cannes this year. World-renowned South Korean director Chanwook Park’s work is elegant, nuanced black mole, which recounts the attempts of a private investigator to uncover both the crimes and the relationship with the fatal woman. Chanwook Park won the Best Director Award at Cannes.
Directed by Alì Abbasi Holy spider / holy spider is one of the films of the Cannes festival that offers a socio-critical vision of the reality of Middle Eastern countries. The Holy Spider director lives in Scandinavia, otherwise the film simply wouldn’t be possible. The lead role of a journalist in this thriller is played by Zara Amira Ebrahimi, an Iranian actress living in France. Prostitutes are killed in Tehran, while the police are not interested in investigating these crimes, a reporter takes the initiative. Zara Amira Ebrahimi’s win as Best Actress at Cannes is a compelling argument to see the film, as is director Ali Abbasi’s compelling style and critical gaze on Iran’s patriarchal and religiously fanatical society.
Another Cannes film is from Canadian director David Cronenberg Crimes of the future. Metaphorical by David Cronenberg body horror the works have become classics of the 20th century (Videodrom, Musa / The fly etc.). All the classics get tired, including David Cronenberg, who Future crimes satirizes our obsession with body transformation, the cult of eternal youth, plastic surgery, narcissism and exhibitionism – all those sins we see every day on my social networks. The film features an excellent trio of actors: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart.
French director Michel Khazanavičs’ irony about the film industry behind the scenes will be screened in Riga The final assembly or Zombies in Cannes/ Coupez. The film was written extensively before the Cannes Film Festival, expressing outrage over the Z title. In the context of the war initiated by Russia, it was grossly inadequate. Subsequently, the title of the film was also changed. Reviews after the first were confidential and critical.
The film left the Cannes out-of-competition program A souvenir. A new beginning / The memory: part II starring the regal Tilda Swinton. The story of his relationship with director Joan Hogue is special, they have both worked together multiple times, focusing closely on stories of women in need, even in the film environment. In this film, Tilda Swinton stars with her daughter Honora Swinton-Byrne.
It is worth seeing on the big screen The Hand of God by the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, a sentimental autobiographical look at his youth by the director himself. The film won the prize at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
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