Watch this space for the latest reviews fresh from Cannes 2015.
Son of Saul
Dir. László Nemes
2015, 107 mins, Hungary
A masterful and terrifying debut feature that brings an entirely fresh visual language to bear on this most challenging of topics. László Nemes’ highly acclaimed drama focuses on Saul, a Hungarian Jewish member of the Sonderkommando in an unnamed death camp, who, discovering the body of his son, is determined to ensure that he will receive a dignified burial.
Avoiding the temptation to divide protagonists into good and bad, Nemes paints instead a far more nuanced and disturbing picture of the moral imperatives and daily realities faced by all. What he succeeds in doing is creating an entirely original and significant portrait, and contributing to a far deeper understanding of the machinery of the Holocaust. One of the surprise critical successes of the 2015 Cannes competition and undoubtedly one of the most important features on this subject of the last decade. Michael Etherton
—-
Afterthought
Dir. Elad Keidan
2015, 105 mins, Israel
The only Israeli feature to be selected for the 2015 Cannes Film Festival this is a contemplative and loving hommage to the city of Haifa that tracks two men in the midst of crisis during the course of one sunny afternoon.
Uri is heading downhill from the leafy middle-class heights of the city to escape his army reserve duty while Moshe is trekking uphill from the hot and noisy working class port district in search of his wife’s lost earring.
Elad Keidan is a director who is in no hurry, creating long, sweeping shots that reveal the hidden life of the city through snatched conversations and sounds. The film includes some delightful tableaux including a hilariously observed courtroom scene where Uri falsely testifies on behalf of a school bully whom he meets by chance. Querky, gently amusing and an elegiac essay on the changing face of an extraordinary city, this is a festival debut from an original voice – one to watch for the future. Michael Etherton
—-
Based on the award-winning autobiographical novel by Amos Oz, Portman reveals herself as a director of outstanding imagination and authority in this standout debut feature.
Set amidst the turbulent birth pangs of the state of Israel, Portman plays Oz’s mother Fania, an ethereal and romantic woman, struggling as a new immigrant together with her intellectual young husband, Arieh, to find their place in the dust and heat of Jerusalem. Traumatised by the memory of what they have left behind, Fania swings unpredictably between inspiring the nascent young writer with whimsical tales of a far away land to retreating into a lost world.
Engrossing from start to finish Portman succeeds in the daunting task of both retaining as much of the original words of Oz’s novel while effectively conveying its more enigmatic sensibilities in her own unique cinematic language. Supported by strong performances from Gilad Kahana as Arieh and Amir Tessler as the young Amos Oz this is an impressive debut from an important new directorial talent. Michael Etherton
Dirs. Tarzan & Arab Nasser
Semaine de la Critique Cannes 2015
Starring Hiam Abass
Bitter internecine conflict and subtle social observation make unusual bedfellows in this Palestinian drama from twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser. The film, which has been selected for Critics Week at Cannes 2015, is entirely set within the hot and suffocating confines of a beauty salon in Gaza. An argumentative cast of woman from an angry divorcee (Hiam Abbass) to a veiled religious fundamentalist to a young and beautiful bride-to-be gradually reveal personal lives and a side of Palestinian life that is rarely depicted. Men, sex, marriage and relationships are at the heart of the conversation and comic moments that ensue.
Conflict is never far away however, both in the ever present buzzing overhead of an Israeli drone, and more immediately from a violent pitch battle being fought outside between Palestinian factions. It’s a gruelling and uncompromising watch but what emerges is a promising and edgy chamber piece that unexpectedly champions the rights and untapped talents of women in a society that remains deeply divided and patriarchal.
Michael Etherton