Movies

The Act of Killing is undoubtedly one of the most radical proposals that surely we can find in the current film scene. And is that a merger between reality and fiction stands as the only means to represent paradigmatic sample of human brutality: genocide. Because this fictional documentary aims to address one of the least known genocides s. XX, the case in Indonesia between 1965 and 1966, which were killed over 1 million people a communist affiliation, in the hands of a government that served as gangsters, from the private sphere, who executed the Most of the victims. A genocide that has been buried by neglect, and that the directors, Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn, intended to retrieve and render, but how to represent such brutality? Well the answer is unbeatable: the executors have taken that perpetrated the genocide and they staged killings methods used, so that fictionalize the murders in this as the only way to access its meaning. And, given the bizarre proposal involves The Act of Killing, needed more answers, in an interview with Christine Cynn, its co-director, at the Documenta Madrid 2013 , we have discovered some of the reasons that have led to his shooting and have guided its staging:

Dearest Executioners

One of the aspects that conmocionan of the film is the ease with which the executioners camera directly narrate the atrocities they committed, without shame or develop a sense of guilt, and even dare to stage murder methods which appealed in the genocide. And Christine Cynn interviews allowed us to discover it was not even necessary to convince them or pretend that the documentary was not critical of the genocide: "It was easy to contact the murderers and perpetrators of genocide. Had sex with multiple perpetrators, the protagonist was the 41st murderer I interviewed. But they do not have problems out in front of the camera: they are proud of what we have done them all. do not have to convince them, because they think their role has been essential to overthrow communism. "

But really, this movie is what these executioners were waiting. Because the perpetrators had been inspired by the film to build their own methods of killing, especially detective films, and therefore, this film could be a recreation of this ambiguity that lived during the genocide, fusing cinema and reality: "The murderers were attracted to the film and wanted to be in movies, and he wanted to speak to the camera as if it were in your favorite film genre. He really wanted to dramatize the murder, because he was in a movie. had to find costumes and makeup but he wanted integrated into the film and its aesthetics. People ask me, how did you get them? Are they really wanted to do, is what they most wanted to do.

Every film is a fiction

Christine Cynn did not want to make a documentary with archival footage, to function as a kind of archeology of the past. Because what she wants is to investigate the spaces is born evil intended submersion into the depths of evil. Therefore, no good historical research, as this is not agreed to the minds of his protagonists: it was necessary to resort to fiction. In the interview with Christine Cynn discovered a fundamental idea: "With this film was to document the imagination."

In addition, Christine Cynn knows that reality can not be captured in a documentary rough because the camera always involves construction. Therefore, you prefer to take the fiction as a method of access to reality and the past: "And there's always a fiction in the documentary, the fact that there is a camera rolling and acted like he was not, is actually a fiction, not true. Why not use the camera to catalyze a reality that is actually a performance: the camera picks up an idea, not raw reality ".

And all life is also a fiction

His film uses cinematic language when recreating the killings, as if asistiésemos to a torture scene in a thriller or detective films. But this is not to point out that the representation of violence lead to increased violence in reality: "The idea that violence begets film is too simple, not at any time intend to support it." His idea is more complex, as it is stating how fictionalized reality unconsciously, so we are unable to access the raw reality, and act through their image: "The division between what we consume and what we are not as strong, and that boundary is the identity. We see ourselves through the filter of film, television, as a frame. use the language of film to see ourselves. If we did one film about yourself, you know you would use the language of film fiction ".

In the background is the idea that Jean Baudrillard argued in Culture and simulation, which warned that the reality has been supplanted by the image reproducing means and, therefore, we no longer live but in a simulated reality, which has lost any connection to the source that spawned. Therefore, the executors resort to language of cinema to perpetrate massacres. And, from this simulation, reproduced in the cinema, where the real story has been supplanted by their representation in images and narrative conventions of film, we interpret our own life: "I do not support the simple idea that we are characters in our own existence. But normally ordered life according to the principles of film history, with the beginning, the end and the phases of the redemption, the anticlimax, etc. And even organize from memory film narratives, and The Act of Killing is a film about the price which is well conceive reality. And is that life has no beginning or end, and yet always extract the meaning from the end to look at life history, even when they are fictions ".

And this has a consequence on our conception of reality to fictionalize our world view, there are elements that are driven from their representation in the simulation, and one of them is the pain, which is banished. In sham no pain and therefore, implementers can use violence without guilt, they do not believe they are causing suffering to live in the real virtuality we have built in the s. XX. And is that a fictional conception of life is undoubtedly reducing reality, and The Act of Killing aims to bring the violence to the image: "But at the same time, is a film about what is not in the frame, about what is missing from this cinematic memory, since many images will not fit on this way of organizing the past. "

The impact of the film

And, if something certifies this film is that the film still has a major influence on society. In fact, its release reminds us that stage in the western film in which a film could fail to cinephilia shocked at what he represents in his images, something which no longer exists as often, thanks to freedom of expression and the abolition of censorship (either the Hayes Code, or censure Franco) has allowed the representation of any event on celluloid. But Indonesia has established a pact of forgetting on the subject and you can not talk openly about the genocide, so it could generate controversy in the country. In fact, the credits are made up of people who have not been able to fix his name because his life would be in danger, and we can only find the word "anonymous". For now, at least found its place among the rooms of the country: "I am a pessimist by nature, but the film is having a great echo in Indonesia. Has not been released in theaters, but in special passes, and every day they see more spectators, and even a film magazine has devoted a monograph to the film. This is surprising, because the army has great power over what is published. After hearing the terrible story of the most terrible worlds, I found hope in the international attention that is taking the film, it can create effects ".

And The Act of Killing at least should serve to stir the conscience of the people and force them to revisit the past, not only to those who lived, but also to new generations who for years have lived in historical amnesia "With The Act of Killing want to start a debate, especially for the younger generations, who never knew the genocide. Many young people are shocked to learn of the massacre throughout the film, and wonder: why did this happen and why nobody spoke of it, neither parents nor teachers?'s a very positive if the film generates these effects. "

The entry "We organized our memory from the narratives of cinema" appears first in Extracine .

As each spring, with the first heat that predict the approach of summer, glamor invades the Boulevard de la Croisette and Cannes is decked out to welcome the world's top filmmakers. While, out of competition, The Great Gatsby is responsible for opening the festival, we make a brief review of the films competing in the official section of Cannes 2013, which will be the sixty-sixth edition of the leading film festival in the world .

Le passé

After getting the Golden Bear in Berlin and the Oscar for best foreign language film Jodaeiye Nader az Simin ( Nader and Simin, a separation ), Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi presents first film in the official selection at Cannes. A film shot in French with echoes of his previous acclaimed since after four years of separation, Ahmad arrives in Paris from Tehran, at the request of Marie, his French wife, to proceed with the formalities of divorce. During his short stay, Ahmad Check troubled relationship that Marie has with his daughter, Lucie. Ahmad's efforts to try to improve this relationship will expose a secret from the past. The cast of Le passe we meet with presences as stimulating as those of Bérénice Béjo and Tahar Rahim, star of The Artist the first and the second of A Prophet, both won prizes at Cannes.

Only lovers left alive

Old known Cannes Festival, three films directed by Jim Jarmusch, Broken Flowers, Mystery train and Stranger than paradise, and a short film, have been awarded previously in the Croisette. In his seventh film in competition has the presence of Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright and Slimane Dazi, which help you to create a story as cryptic as his later works, which turns here around a love story that has spread over several centuries, which could threaten the collapse of the modern world.

Heli

After presenting Bastards and Blood in Un Certain Regard, winning the FIPRESCI latter, the Spanish-born filmmaker based in Mexico, Amat Escalante, Heli presents competition. This is the story of Stella, a young girl of 12 years Mexican whose family is embroiled in a gear of violence when she falls for a policeman involved in drug trafficking.

The immigrant

Member of the Jury at Cannes in 2009, the U.S. director James Gray, doubly appears in Blood Ties Cannes out of competition and, for the fourth time in the official section, with The Immigrant. Starring Jeremy Renner, Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix, takes us back to the early twenties, when Ewa and her sister Magda leave Poland for the promised land. Arriving in New York, Magda is sick with tuberculosis, so it is under quarantine. Alone and helpless, Ewa, ready to accept any sacrifice, just entangled in prostitution. A beam of light opens the way to a better life in the company of Orlando, a magician, and his cousin Bruno, but they had reckoned without the latter's jealousy.

La vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2 (Blue is the warmest color)

Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos star in the first film in the official section directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, creator of award-winning films as L'dodge (Games of love and chance) or Couscous, this time adapting a graphic novel in which we see how the universe Julie is disrupted when he falls unexpectedly from a mysterious woman with blue hair. The possible that your friends and family give back, but she just finding herself. Come on, nothing to do with the British singer.

Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a plains indian

Member of the jury for short films in 1998, Arnaud Desplechin returns for the eighth time at the Cannes Film Festival with a film starring Benicio del Toro and Mathieu Amalric. The film centers around Jimmy Picard, an Indian fighter blackfoot Geurra Second World, which is admitted to a military hospital in diseases of the brain. Dizziness, temporary blindness and hearing loss are some of the disorders suffered Jimmy, for which no physiological causes, which imposes a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Without thier, the hospital decided to seek a second opinion from a specialist in Native American cultures.

Michael Kohlhaas

Winner of the award for best actor last year for Jagten, Mads Mikkelsen returns to the Croisette with the fourth film by Arnaud des Pallières, which is his first in competition. A story that takes us back to the sixteenth century, when a prosperous merchant of horses has a happy and prosperous life, but that the victim of an injustice recruit an army to plunder the cities and restore their rights. The cast of the film we find names such stimulants as Bruno Ganz, Melusine Mayance, Denis Lavant, Roxane Duran, Paul Bartel and Spanish Sergi Lopez.

Grigris

Member of the jury in 2011, is the second time that a film directed by Mahamt-Saleh Haroun compete in the official section of Cannes, earning above the Jury Prize for A Screaming homo (A scraming man). His new proposal focuses on the history of grigris a 25 year old who dreams of being a dancer, despite his paralyzed leg. If we add that because of his seriously ill uncle decides to work for gasoline dealers, we can picture the new territories facing.

A château en Italie

If it had happened before would have thought that the French filmmaker Valeria Bruni Tedeschi pulled out of your surname, worse with her ​​sister, Carla Bruni, we can safely say that it is on its own merits in the official section of the festival. The first, as well, which is his third feature after September Il facie plus a Camel ... and Actresses, which itself was present at Cannes, but in Un Certain Regard, winning the Special Jury Prize. As usual, not only directs and participates in the script, but also stars in the story of a family of Italian industrial bourgeoisie that was just disintegrating while picking love how Louise and Nathan.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Ninth time that the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen compete in the official section of Cannes, participating in three other times in other sections. If you got the Palme d'Or with Barton Fink, have also taken the prize for best director three times by titles like The man who was not there, Fargo and again, Barton Fink. This is the Coens' first foray into the world of music through a drama set in the 60s about Llewyn Davis, an imaginary folk musician Bob Dylan-style. The cast appearances are integrated as different and interesting as Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, F Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman usual. All a bit eccentric right?

Admission Cannes 2013: Simple Guide for the official (1) appears first in Extracine .

With the Cannes Film Festival about to start, it was clear that the Croisette was going to be a breeding ground for all sorts rumors and gossip about new productions. One that has drawn more attention, both seem not to be a film that seeks to sneak in successive editions of the festival, for the character of his previous thug, is the remake of The Toxic Avenger which has long planned to direct Steve Pink , which reunites the team that made ​​possible Hot Tub Time Machine .

What in your day out a cult film, suitable only for visual predators and rats video store, now plan to present it as a wig of action adventures aimed at a mainstream audience. Something that would have secured if the negotiation to include Arnold Schwarzenegger in the project ends up being positive. Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman were the original directors of this endearing Troma Entertainment production in which Marvin Ferd III, a scrawny janitor of a gym in a picturesque New Jersey, experienced an extraordinary mutation after falling into a bucket of radioactive liquid. The metamorphosis makes him a being of no less monstrous appearance than he already had, but whose mop in his hand at the time of processing, makes him a genuine hero ready to "cleanse" the world of all evil. unconventional hero, who walks in tutu and has a girlfriend blind, literally and figuradadmente.

Schwarzenegger imagine chasing the bad guys with her mop Tromaville? Surely there must be rife among many panic, but you can breathe easy: Arny is not intended to take the mop not even play the lead character. Your goal is not cleaning the gym assistant, but another character. What continues to worry, because I do not think now is willing to cede the spotlight to others to retreat to a discrete second with a nice cast character. In any case, I do not care to destroy and distort history because we can always always always use the original film, which directly tend to cause all these remakes and movie reviews as mythical as endearing, reminding us of the reasons why we like those movies that were made before.

The entrance The Toxic Avenger: Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to be in the remake, but mop appears first in Extracine .

Paramount Pictures invited us to a special screening of World War Z, the adaptation of Max Brooks's novel directed by Marc Forster and produces and stars Brad Pitt. The filmmaker has been who has warned us that what we were seeing were not exactly the first 15 minutes of the film, but some fragments whose assembly was not definitive, nor the sound effects and soundtrack. And thank goodness, because if you really are able to maintain the intensity of these three sequences throughout the whole film, I can assure that this is one of the most shocking films this summer (winter for those who live in the southern hemisphere world). Some of the sequences and had seen, at least partially, in the trailer , but witness it on the big screen in all its magnitude and splendor, given the considerable adrenaline rush that will be exposed to all those who are considering to see World War Z .

Best of all is that, as passed us at one of the promotional videos , this vision of the virus is not limited to make a new zombie movie, but like many other authors before, it is a metaphorical film which not only seem to be talking about the current economic crisis, which spread from one country to another as if it were a real virus but fail to criticize and question actions and attitudes of certain groups. I do not intend to fall into the spoiler, but one of the sequences, which happens in Israel, has some interesting interpretations with those walls that rose initially to control the entry of terrorists and prevent them anywhere to creep, now serving very appropriately to contain the zombies ... If you really got its first purpose, no need to explain if they will gain second.

Anyway, it may be early to held, great would our disappointment (at least mine) if these three sequences were the best that Marc Forster and his team can give him, but hopefully it's just a small sample. It should also be alert that is a little forced the ability of the character played by Brad Pitt to reach a conclusion (as it seems it does) in one of the sequences, while his family flees terrified of zombies gives you time to check the it takes a person to get infected. Too smart, savvy this guy. Anyway, I intend to not jump to conclusions and very encouraged by these developments that Paramount has given us, I'll be ready for anything that might lie ahead with World War Z.

The entrance World War Z: adrenaline rush within 15 minutes that Paramount has given us see first appears in Extracine .