Unfortunately, I failed to see enough foreign pictures in 2011 to be any kind of authority. From what I’ve read the South Korean film “Poetry” is the one to see. The Christian Bale Chinese film “The Flowers of War” directed by Yimou Zhang (“House of Flying Daggers”) has failed to impress the critics from what I’ve seen online. And this is too bad because it is China’s official submission to the Academy Awards. I did see the Jackie Chan film “1911” and it was really heavy lifting. In fact, I can’t imagine that “The Flowers of War” could be any better. “1911” might acquire a “Heaven’s Gate” kind of reputation, however, which might help it find a cult following.
I did watch “The Last Circus” in the safety and comfort of my own home. Wow! That Spainish horror/comedy is one zany flick. But is it any good? I didn’t write a review, but I might have given it a “fix” rating for that special qualified viewer who can take violence dished out by circus clowns. I have to say that the opening battle sequences featuring a clown in drag with two swords slicing his way through the ranks was a rousing highlight. And if you’re into that sort of thing, “The Last Circus” is for you. But the battle sequences early on in “1911” are pretty well-staged too, but they hardly save the dreary film.
The French film “Potiche” was released here in 2011, and it was awfully entertaining. Catherine Deneuve is wonderful as Suzanne Pujol, a housewife who decides to enter politics in 1970s France. Gerard Depardieu is fun as her former lover and liberal politician who becomes her unlikely ally.
“TrollHunter” was really awesome. Yes, it was awesome, because it took the tired mockumentary form with ample nods to “Blair Witch” and made it work again. It doesn’t feel new, or fresh, and there is some cheating with the visual scope here and there, but it was damned entertaining. After watching “TrollHunter,” you might never cross a bridge without some trepidation ever again.
My favorite foreign film of the year has to be “Happy, Happy.” The story of Kaja (an award-worthy Agnes Kittelsen), who is a housewife living in a rural community with her son and hunter husband. When a couple from the city moves in next door, Kaja begins an abrupt sexual relationship with her new neighbor’s husband. Why she is so sexually aggressive is at first a mystery that deepens as the story unfolds. You might not think that a movie about adultery and promiscuity could be sweet and feel so entirely wholesome, but “Happy, Happy” is really very wonderful. Think of it as a mature and insightful polar opposite to the dark and horrifying “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
Next: Number 10 – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
