Jornal da Mostra
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Edição:
Renata de Almeida e Leon Cakoff
Festival favors french cinema with greater privilege and opportunity
"Flandres" may be regarded as the best film in the career of Bruno Dumont after "A Vida de Jesus/ The Life of Jesus", "L`Humanité/ Humanity", and the extremely weird "Twentynne Palms". The human element in "Flandres" is evident in traits common to prior films: brutality of feeling, heavy, joyless sex, instinct elevated to total irrationality. From the region of Flandres, close to the Belgian frontier, of Flemish culture, a group of friends depart for a war in a non-distinct Arab country leaving their youth behind. Cowed by fear and the real dangers of the guerrilla traps, they become monstrous, killing and raping, and experience heavy casualties. Only the hope of love persists, but preceded by an even deeper apprenticeship in the abyss of barbarism. "Flandres" was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury, a kind of second prize at the Cannes Festival.
"Indigènes" by Rachid Bouchareb ("Little Senegal") is a true lesson in history and a blow to historians. At least to the official history of France that has always chosen to ignore the heroic efforts of over 130 thousand soldiers recruited from what were then French colonies of Arab culture. This is the real story of four `natives` who leave the same Algerian village to fight on French territory against the troops from Nazi Germany. More than the outcry at the fact this struggle was completely overlooked, Bouchareb`s film shows the racism and the third-class treatment dispensed to these soldiers, with the war in full spate. The result is a film that may, possibly, become popular owing to the realism of the action in battle and the tension prevalent throughout - just as in the best classics in cinema on World War II. The quartet of `native` actors is also excellent, with French actors of Arab origin in a rare film, worthy of all those of their own mien - Jamel Debbouze, Sammy Nacéri, Sami Bouajila, and Roschdy Zem. In Hollywood films, they would be given roles only as terrorists. All four actors, and, in addition, Bernard Blancan, were awarded an original collective prize for Best Actor.
The fourth French film in Competition was "Quand j`Étais Chanteur/
The Singer", by Xavier Giannoli, with the great merit that the film salvages
old popular songs from ballroom dancing, with famous actor Gérard Depardieu
in his best form. And, as an actor. Nostalgic, afraid that the karaokê
fever will put an end to his decadent career, the singer loses out for good
when he falls for a girl who, one night, comes to listen to him sing, out of
sheer curiosity. His strenuous efforts to arrest time and foster worship for
the nostalgia in popular songs, is soon to change pace. He must now change his
mode of singing, even if this is to spell an end to his career as ballroom entertainer
for nostalgic couples, once and for all. The best about the film is what is
evident to spectators of any age.French cinema was over-privileged at this festival,
but did not do too badly.
For further information:
www.festival-cannes.org
