Movie reviews

CLIMAX

Some trivia from a meeting with director Gaspar Noe: The master shots weren't written. For the director a script is needed only to get funding: "Imagine if painters had to write down what they're going to paint", in reality actors are instructed on set, they don't read the script. He puts in the music he likes dancing to. The movie cost 2 million euro, 200 euro was the cost of music rights. He became a movie director because he didn't really know what to do in life: "At some point I wanted to be a drug dealer". Last but not least, while the film says it's based on true events from France, it's not true. The movie was inspired by the atmosphere at the Berghain in Berlin.

FIVE FLAVOURS FILM FESTIVAL

Random information and trivia: This year's festival, coming up in November will feature among others ""红海行动" ("Operation Red Sea") - a Chinese blockbuster from 2018, No. 1 in China, No. 9 in the world which is like American action cinema from the 80s. Midi Z, whose "14 Apples" will be shown, is a director known for his interest in new technologies, he makes 3D or panoramic movies to watch online and witness the story from different angles. Apparently Netflix and Amazon produce the most serials in Japan, not in the US. 2 episodes of "Folklore" will be shown in this festival and another two at the festival in Toronto. Another title is "서울역" ("Seoul Station") - the animation which was later renamed to feature "부산행" ("Train to Busan") - said to be full of suspense, you don't know when the zombies will attack. One of cartoons will be on misogyny. Chinese producers usually look for funds in European festivals or in the country. Taiwanese audience is rarely interested in local cinema. Asian Film Awards are aspiring to become Asian Oscars and are structured similarly. They present blockbusters in only 2 or 3 festivals in Europe and Five Flavours is one of the lucky two this year. AFA movies also attract the biggest audience to the festival. There'll be also a bookshop with books and DVDs, lectures and an onigiri ("a Japanese sandwich") workshop. The festival got no PISF (Polish Film Institute) funding this year. No Bollywood or similar genre will be presented due to the smaller number of movies. No North Korean productions either but there are few films made there so that's the reason.

Radio Azja Asian music festival will follow from 6th to 9th December and will include: German minimal techno combined with Asian tunes on the 1st day, bangra on the 2nd, the last but one performance is going to be a dance troup dancing as if they were flying to progressive music. There'll be a Bollywood dance workshop conducted by the bangra band. The performers at the music festival are often artists who create the music for the movies from the film festival.

SAMUI SONG

Recommended. The beginning's slow-paced. But the simple, separate scenes, step by step, build a story so ambiguous and puzzling it got my heart racing. Music, both Western, e.g. Mozart, and Thai, seamlessly blends in. The ending is bewildering. Did she run over herself? What was real and what was a movie? Did she imagine an alternative life with a woman? In the light of these doubts the role she practises before an audition sounds like what she's saying to herself. Even if the conversation with her agent on acting is tongue-in-cheek - taken the unusual movie we watch.