IFFK 2010 – Day 2

I managed to watch four films in IFFK 2010 today: What You Don’t See, an Austrian film directed by Wolfgang Fischer, Irma Wep, part of the retrospective of the post New Wave French director Olivier Assayas, Domaine, a rather recent French film directed by Patric Chiha, and Songs of Love and Hate, a Swiss film directed by Katalin Godros. The last mentioned is easily the best film of the day, with its deft portrayal of the complex relationships within a family.

What You Don’t See

The films title is perhaps indicative of its content. On the surface, it appears a simple enough film about a teenaged boy coming to a resort with his mother and her lover. He meets another rash youngster and his girl companion. The mother and her lover spend most of their time together, while the boy roams with his new found friends. His mother is somewhat guilty about having an affair and seeks is permission to marry her lover. But nothing goes according to the plan, as his friend kills the beloved pet dog of his mother’s lover. Things, then, take an unexpected twist. As I said, the storyline appears simple enough. But as the film unfolds, the narrative becomes complex. I could not draw much from the film. What you don’t see is what you probably get.

Irma Wep

I decided to watch Irma Wep after seeing the lively documentary Olivier Assayas, This film was made in 1999. It is a satiric film about the pseudo intellectualism in French film industry, and provides a fly-on-the-wall narration of the events surrounding the remake of a French horror film, Irma Wep. An actress from Hong Kong, known for her performances in stunt movies, reaches Paris to take the lead role of the movie. She is confronted with an ensemble of typical film folks: busy executives, hopelessly pretentious directors, and quarrelling crew members.

The film is fun to watch, but it did not live up to my expectations, which had been fuelled rather irrationally by yesterday’s documentary. Before the screening of the movie, Beena Paul, creative director of the festival, introduced Olivier Assayas to the audience. He spoke a few words too.

Songs of Love and Hate

It is a family drama of a different kind that narrates the perils of growing up. Set in a farming village, the film deals with the story of Rico, a wine yard farmer, his wife, and their two daughters. His elder daughter, Lilly, has an affair with a neighbourhood boy. Rico’s approach towards his daughter changes when he learns about her affair (or possibly after he saw her naked body accidentally). This creates reverberations in the whole family. Lilly’s attitude towards life, especially towards her parents changes. His wife too understands the changes in him. Tension grips the relationship within the family members.

The film portrays the dark sides of human psyche and sexuality (as the director said, apologetically in fact, before the screening). But she deserves praise for the deft handling of such a delicate subject. A good movie, the best so far for me in this year’s IFFK.