Skip to content

drama

Levity * Ed Solomon * 2003

The director of the terrible “Bill and Ted” films made a nice drama with a bunch of famous actors. Billy Bob Thornton is Manuel Jordan, a man who spend 23 years in prison because he shot a man during the robery of a shop. Being released he searches for redemption. He comes back to the city where he used to live and finds himself running into the rotten spots of society. The film touches on several problems of our society without becoming to heavy or moralising. There is a disco where people use too much drugs. There are two gangs fighting eachother for nothing. A local ‘priest’ (a wonderfull part by Morgan Freeman) turns out to be a criminal. Then we have Jordan himself who tries to make sense of the world that he lives in and especially his feelings of guilt. The film may be a drama, but there is also room for humor, especially Thornton’s extreme ‘dryness’ is great. A very nice film.

De Legende Van De Bokkerijders * Karst van der Meulen * 1994

When I got these TV-series on DVD, I thought that it was one of these old Dutch series now available on DVD. This Dutch/Flemish series even look old, but they seem to be of 1994, Van de Meulen’s last work even. The series give an over-romantisized vision on the famous “Bokkerijders” (in nowadays spelling this would be “Bokkenrijders” btw.) gang. “Bokkerijders” literary means “goat riders”. Like in the famous song “Goat-riders in the sky”, this devilish gang would fly through the nightly sky on their goats. Myths were spun around the theme, giving the goat-riders many elements of the “wild hunt” in which Odin/Wodan leads his army of the dead through the sky in certain times of the year. In fact the “Bokkerijders” were a violent criminal gang (or gangs) that ravaged the Dutch province of Limburg (and Noord-Brabant and a part of Flanders according to some) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The trials are quite well recorded and the criminal acts documented (usually violent robs of churches and farms). The “Bokkerijders” supposedly swore on “the dead hand” and they had a pact with the devil, they appeared out of nothing and disappeared into thin air. That is why ‘the devil thing’ I suppose. The “Bokkerijders” already got romantisized elements during the Romantic period and more so in more recent times. To speak with the Dutch scholar of folklore Gerard Rooijakkers, the bad elements in our folklore that we cannot get rid off, are romantisized and re-used to make them harmless. The violent gang of the “Bokkerijders”, became fighters for the weak and poor and against suppression of the Austrian leaders and the Church. This is the version that you will get in these series. Amusing, not boring, another well- produced Dutch series about the Middle Ages and in this case, adding to the mystifying or a dark element of our past.

Kunpan * Tanit Jitnokul * 2002

According to the back of the box this is the Tai reaction to “Gladiator” and the film has “massive battle scenes”, but that was not the reason for me picking it out. Also I doubt that people who like “Gladiator” will automatically like this film. It is far too strange! The film is about a young man whose father was executed after failing to bring an order of the king to a proper end. The boy gets an aduction and follows his father as a leader in the army. He is ordered to knock down a rebelion, succeeds and gets all the glory. Before, he had married a beautiful girl, but a rival marries her in the time that he is away. Coming back, the frustrated Kaew (who has received the name “Kunpan” for his deeds) looses his mind over this fact and turns to black magic. This eventually helps him to become a good man again.

The film is largely a drama where two lovers can’t reach eachother, later do, but loose eachother again. Then jalousy and revenge arise. Here and there there are indeed battle-scenes showing the great leadership of Kaew and his father and at the end Kaew’s son, but don’t hire this film for these few short scenes alone! Then there are very strange and sometimes dark scenes about rituals and magical actions and you get to see how magic was used in battles.

A strange mix of different genres, not totally convincing, but surely not disapointing. Spoken in Tai by the way.

Der Krieger Und Die Kaiserin * Tom Tykwer * 2000

What a strange translation of the title in the international version. “Der Krieger Under Die Kaiserin” means “the warrior and the empress” but the English version is called “The Princess And The Warrior”. Anyway, this is the film that Tom Tykwer made after his wonderfull “Lola Rennt” (Lola Runs).

“Der Krieger…” is a fairytale-like film in which Simone/Sissi (Franka Potente) is run over by a truck caused by the chasing of the criminal Bodo (Benno Fürmann). ‘Accidentally’ the two ‘meet’ under the truck, Bodo saves Sissi’s life and disappears. Sissi turns out to be born in a mental-institution and became assistant. She can’t get over the idea that the meeting wasn’t accidental and she goes to look for Bodo. At first he doesn’t want to see her, but in the end all turns out fine, however also this is relative.

Obviously the idea behind the film is “nothing happens without a reason”. “Der Krieger…” is very slow, totally unlike “Lola Rennt” but charming and beautiful.

A Knight’s Tale * Brian Helgeland * 2001

Another one that I saw flying. I haven’t seen this movie play in any cinema in Seattle, but neither does it seem to be shown in Europe. But you don’t miss much anyway. Just a movie about knights in general and lance-fights in particular. Nothing special.

King Arthur * Antoine Fuqua * 2004

I didn’t have very high expectations about this film, but I wanted to see it anyway. Everything is as expected. “King Arthur” is a Hollywood adventure film with Gladiator-like fighting scenes. What I dislike most is that the makers made up their own Arthur story instead of taking one of the traditional ones. The creators want us to believe that their version is more historically correct. Arthur and his knights are Sarmatians. When the Romans conquered the near East, their group was so brave that they became a Roman elite-warrior group. Being send out to Brittain they fight for the Romans and eventually get the feel for the original inhabitants of Brittain and fight the Saxons.
Arthur comes out a bit whimpy. Moreover, he is extremely Christian, while his soldiers remain ‘pagan’. The battle scenes are not really special, the ‘historical context’ is in a way interesting, but I have my doubts about the authenticity. All in all “King Arthur” would have been amusing if the film had another title/subject.

Intimacy * Patrice Chéreau * 2000

From the director of the brilliant “La Reine Margot” comes this “explicit and confronting” film. I suppose that most of you have heard of it. However it got good critics almost allover, some people thought it to be ‘too explicit’ for a ‘normal’ film, while what you hear about it most is that it is a ‘sophisticated sexfilm’. So what is my own conclusion? “Intimacy” is very much like ‘that other’ film “Une Laison Pornographique”. The story for both films is about two people who meet solely for sex. In the French film the two people first grow towards eachother but later split, in “Intimacy” Claire is looking for nothing more than sex while Jay goes out to find who Claire is in normal life. Not too interesting stories in either film, so what about that other thing? Maybe “Intimacy” is a bit more explicit, but only in the sense that you sometimes see genitals which is unlike most other ‘normal’ films, but there isn’t that much sex in it in general and I suppose if you expect that or are looking for that, you better focus your attention on another kind of film.
Overall I had hoped “Intimacy” to be more beautiful and also a bit more of content would have been nice.

În Fiecare Zi Dumnezeu Ne Saruta Pe Gura * Sinisa Dragin * 2002

This film is best known by the English title “Every Day God Kisses Us On The Mouth”. This Romenian film tells the story of Dumitru who is both a slayer of animals (butcher) and slayer of men (because of his bad temper). We follow him when he goes drinking and gambling with his friends, his family-affairs and later how he goes looking for his father. It is a strange film. The story has large holes, but the scenes are quite slow. This gives a bit an idea of fast-slow. Because of the hopeless situation, drinking and violence, the film reminded me a bit of “One Were Warriors”. Shot in nice brown-colours making it an alright drama from a country you don’t get to see too much films from.

The Human Stain * Robert Benton * 2003

I hadn’t heard of this film, am not familiar with the director (however I know some of his many films as director or producer) and the box had a not too interesting story for this drama-film. On the other side, when Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman sign for a film, there must be something to it. I suppose both wanted to show that they can still act, and they can. The film is about a man who is born a white negro and tries to hide his actual background. Late in his life he is accused of racism and his life is ruined. Then he meets a much younger woman with a terrible past.

The film is brought nicely and the not too original story slowly develops. All actors do great and the atmosphere makes “The Human Stain” an agreeable drama.

Heavenly Creatures * Peter Jackson * 1994

I have first seen this film quite a while ago, and I must have bought it on video before I started this film-section, because I can’t image having forgotten to review it! A wonderfull film and just one of the few that I found good enough to buy.

The story is not really original anymore, but “Heavenly Creatures” was one of the earlier coming up with it. Juliete (Kate Winslet) and Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) are young girls not quite in comfort with their surroundings. Juliete has been dragged all over the world by her rich parents, Pauline kicks against everything in her surroundings. Her school, her poor parents and especially her mother. Both rebels create their own dreamworlds. Having found out to have a very similar way of thinking and the girls become friends. Their friendship becomes so intense that the parents begin to think about homosexuality, a crime in the time the story plays (1953) and especially for girls their age (14/15).
Losing more and more touch with reality the girls build out their “forth world” with complete generations of royal inhabitents made up or also living in the real world. When the time comes the girls have to be separated, the two reach for extreme methods thought off by Pauline.

A great and very impressive/emotional film that is based on the real diaries of Pauline and which keeps the middle between drama, fantasy, thriller and a bit of horror. Later followed by similar films like “The Virgin Suicides” (which is also great) and less good films.