NYFF 2017 // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE FLORIDA PROJECT"

BY MATEO MORENO

Sean Baker didn't exactly change the game when two years ago he shot his film Tangerine completely on an iPhone, but he challenged the game, pushing for more creative ways of storytelling on smaller budgets. That film told a hilarious and spectacular tale about Transgender Prostitutes and pushed a truly original idea into the indie mainstream. Now with his follow up THE FLORIDA PROJECT he has crafted a lucious, stunning, and heartfelt ode to a broken down hotel and the beautiful and sometimes damaged residents within.

Willem Dafoe is Bobby, the all around "everything" at "The Magic Castle," a roadside hotel. He does everything from managing it to being the handyman and babysitter of the children who run around the place. The kids run around and cause little bits of chaos, but aren't bad kids. They just live in a world where running around a hotel parking lot, kicking around an abandened house, and being a bit of a pain is what kids do during the day. They're growing up in a very different world than most kids and at least have each other and Bobby. The kids are all first time actors and every beat seems like a truly authentic moment. They are living each moment of this film, truly, for the first time. Dafoe's performance is wonderous as well, also alive with spontaneity. Stealing every other moment is another first time actor - Bria Vinaite. She is the parent of one of the rambuncious children in the hotel, often struggling to pay the rent and keep things afloat for her and her little girl. She adores her daughter, even if she doesn't quite know how to be a good example. From her fiery dialogue with Dafoe to her shockingly violent outbursts, she earns your love and breaks your heart.

The Florida Project is all of those things and more. It's less of a narrative film (though there is a loose narritive structure to it) and more of moment after moment of life happening in a broken Disney World. It's a stunning second feature from Baker, and one that will sit with you long after the credits roll.

VERDICT: MUST SEE

SCREENPLAY BY Sean Baker and Bergoch DIRECTED BY Sean Baker STARRING Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, Bria Vinaite. PLAYING AS PART OF THE 2017 55TH ANNUAL NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: https://www.filmlinc.org/

NYFF at 51 REVIEW // A TOUCH OF SIN

BY LIZ WHITTEMORE

THE 51ST NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL, RUNNING FROM SEPTEMBER 27TH - OCTOBER 13TH, IS BEING COVERED THIS YEAR BY OUR CONTRIBUTORS MATEO MORENO, LIZ WHITTEMORE, AND CODY LANG

How much can a human being really take before they snap? How much abuse, be it verbal, physical, or emotional, do we allow in our everyday routine? Written and directed by Jia Zhangke, A Touch of Sin is a portrait for 4 different people in a rage. Four people who are so oppressed by the ever changing economic climate that they lose control and ultimately their only outlet is death.  

The film is presented in 4 distinct vignettes. First we have Dahai (Jiang Wu), a coal miner who comes to grips with the corruption being perpetrated by his village leaders. At first, he attempts to spread his presumptions to anyone who will listen, but no one does. He appeals to the village leader, is brushed aside, and then is severely beaten for the embarrassment he may have caused. Once injured, he is publicly mocked thus leading him to lose all sense of right and wrong. Dahai takes a shot gun and confronts each person who humiliated him, a few simply in his path of destruction. As an audience, we are treated to an up close and personal bloodbath. The gore factor ramps up pretty quickly.

The second story revolves around a migrant worker named Zhao San (Wang Baoqiang) coming home for the New Year. Somewhere along his travels he see that he has picked up a hand gun. He expresses to wife that he will be leaving soon again because he is bored. He prefers the wandering life, sending money home to his family. We are never truly sure what it is he does, but we get a taste when he see him commit a masterfully timed armed robbery.  Next, we meet Xiao Yu (Zhao Tao). She is pretty receptionist at a sauna who is also having an affair with a local businessman. When a client requests she give him a massage, she refuses, He proceeds to beat her over the head with his money and call her names. Finally, she can take no more and attacks back, leading her to wander the streets covered in blood.

The final story follows a young factory worker (newcomer, Luo Lanshan) who bounces from job to job trying his hardest to become better. Just when we think he will settle at a position set up by a friend, he receives a belittling phone call from his mother, destroying any and all hope he had left.  Each of the four stories is connected by either another passing character in a scene, by a picture, or a location in the film. It has a bit of a 6 degrees feeling. Zhangke explains that these 4 stories are based on actual events that transpired in China in recent years. Contemporary life in China is changing so very rapidly that people are turning to violence as a means of self satisfaction. Much like the socioeconomic divide we have here in the US. We are seeing violent crime on the rise within the lower income brackets and the almost complete dissolution of the middle class.  A Touch of Sin will hit home for anyone who has ever felt the oppression of the economy. While it could have been a bit shorter in length, the story mostly keeps you engaged, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s a sort of “Damn the Man” story, but in a way gone horribly awry.

VERDICT: A Solid Choice

Written and Directed by: Jia Zhangke Starring: Jiang Wu, Wang Baoqiang, Zhao Tao, Luo Lanshan Country: China Language: Chinese with English Subtitles Content Advisory: Gory Violence and Language

BOTTOM LINE:  It will make you think twice before you act. The stories will ring true in one way or another. Money can truly be the root of all evil.

NYFF at 51 Review: Like Father, Like Son

BY LIZ WHITTEMORE

THE 51ST NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL, RUNNING FROM SEPTEMBER 27TH - OCTOBER 13TH, IS BEING COVERED THIS YEAR BY OUR CONTRIBUTORS MATEO MORENO, LIZ WHITTEMORE, AND CODY LANG

Fathering a child is easy, but being a Dad is a whole other story. In the Sundance Select film, Like Father, Like Son, two families are challenged to come to a solution to a problem they were not expecting to ever face. One father, in particular, must face himself before he can face his own family.  Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) is a businessman who believes that hard work will ultimately get you “the win” in life. The story begins during an interview with his wife (Machiko Ono) and 6 year old son, Keita, and what must be a very elite private school. Keita has been well groomed for his trial at the school, answering emotional questions and being observed in art and movement. Ryota runs his household in the same manner as his job. He is strict but not harsh. He works long hours 7 days a week, while his wife, Midorino, is happy to raise Keita all by herself. Ryota seems to have trouble relating to his son when he is not an immediate success at small tasks, such as piano lessons. Midorino appears to be the traditional submissive Japanese wife, yet their relationship flows with a comfortable elegance.  

Soon, they receive a phone call from the hospital where Keita was born. It seems that two babies were switched just after their births. With DNA testing, it is determined definitively that Keita is not their biological son. We are then introduced to the Saiki family; the other victims of this mistake.  At first glance, Yukari (Yoko Maki) and Yudai (Lily Franky) appear to be more interested in the settlement money than figuring out what is best for the two boys. The two families decided the best way to figure out this whole mess is to begin by having Saturday night sleepovers. Each family will swap their son for the night so they can begin to get familiar with one another. It’s a slow, uphill battle particularly for Ryota. He realizes that having monetary means and a rigid life does not necessarily lend well to nurturing a child. While the Saiki family live in a cramped house above Yudai’s shop, we quickly learn they give all their time to their children. They eat dinner, fly kites and even bathe together. Ryota struggles to understand how this family dynamic would be any better than his, partly by confronting his lack of a relationship with his own father. The choice is not as clear as one might think. Do you keep the child you’ve raised? Do you embrace the child that has your blood? 

All four lead performances are brilliant. Masaharu Fukuyama has a strong presence and he finds truth in this unusual situation moment by moment. Machiko Ono has such grace and honesty. She and Yoko Maki play beautifully off each other; communicating in only a way one mother can to another. Lily Franky is a bumbling yet lovable man. He has such a delicate touch with the children in the film, you can see the joy his children bring him.  Taking on the hat trick of writing, directing, and editing is Hirokazu Kore-eda. He has masterfully woven a tale of blood versus love. When there is little dialogue, he does an incredible job highlighting the visual differences between the two families, skyscrapers and city lights for one, country landscapes and small living quarters for the other. The film unfolds roughly over a year. Much of the time we are a party to the travel between the city and the country. We ride on trains and in the front seats of the car past power lines and fields. Kore-eda takes us on a literal journey with both families. He explains that the story comes from a very personal place in which he is still discovering what it means to be a father to his now 5 year old daughter.This film is a gorgeous tale of self discovery and has already been recognized by The Jury Prize at 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

VERDICT: Must See

Written and Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring:  Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yoko Maki, Lily Franky Country: Japan Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

BOTTOM LINE: Intriguing story of family dynamics and absolutely culturally transcendent. Like Father, Like Son is a family movie no matter how you were raised. Go with loved ones.