TIFF DAY 5

TIFF DAY 5

It was my intention to watch Away From Her today at 10:00AM, but I arrived to a very long line of industry and press. So far, the busiest film I’ve seen, including Borat and For Your Consideration. So, instead of snaking around stanchions with increasingly ferocious filmies, I decided to take the time to do some work, and catch films later in the day.

1pm
THE KILLER WITHIN
I had heard this documentary compared to Capturing the Friedmans, a docu-mystery which I loved. And the first ten minutes of this film failed to disappoint, as we were introduced to a meek 70-something man who murdered his college bully in his sleep 50 years ago. The film was his coming out: Subtitles told us this is the first time he would share his story with his friends, family, co-workers, and the world. Bob Brechtel claims that his goal is to wake the world up to the dangers of ‘bully culture’, that he deducts incubates killers and victims from a young age. Then, we meet the brother of the man he killed, who says that if Brechtel says he murdered his brother because he was bullied, then it’s a figment of his legally insane imagination and the slander must stop.

It looked to be a classic, 'who do you beleive' type of setup, with all the makings of an eventual 3rd act showdown where the viewer could form their own conclusion as to the merit and validity of the subject’s argument. But they never met.

The result was an interesting case centered around a bland, uninteresting subject that went nowhere. Sure, he gave ‘full disclosure’, but to what result? What conclusion? It was more than evident that the audience was bored as hell after 45 minutes. I would much rather have continued to chat with Steven Zeitchik, the Variety reporter sitting beside me.

3pm
A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
I chose this film because the line for ‘Half Life of Timofey Berezin’ was daunting. And I’m glad I did.

This is the directorial debut of veteran screenwriter Santiago Amigorena. Roughly half the film took place in Paris, half in Venice, hence a natural France/Italy co-pro.

The film was a thrill-less thriller about the five days leading up to 9/11. I say it was thrill-less because it was a sexy character drama that focused significantly more on the interactions of three strangers than it did on the whodunit. I thought the script was excellent (no surprise), and with lots of close-ups of its beautiful stars (especially Sara Forestier, who’s a French version of Michelle Rodriguez, only attractive) I almost didn’t notice it was 20 minutes too long. Almost.

What the film suggests is that it’s as absurd to think the CIA rerouted the planes that dropped the Twin Towers as it is to think no one but Bin Laden knew what was going to happen.

The latter is what comprises the film’s story, about a shadowy American who tells the Saudis that they should withdraw ALL of their American holdings immediately– but not why.

Why? is the big question in this film, and I am of the opinion that as long as you get your answers at the end, asking WHY is an excellent way to watch a movie. And the audience applauded despite a flat, predictable climax, which I think says something coming from such a jaded, seen-it-all-before group.

5:45PM
THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY
This is exactly the type of rom-com debut feature you would expect from an actor-turned-writer/director: wacky, out-there characters (I would bet thousands he pitched them as Quirky), some funny dialogue, some really bad jokes, a decent soundtrack, and the obnoxious ‘speed up/slow down’ thing that young directors seem to get so jazzed about. The result is a poor movie with some good moments. And Isla Fisher’s father sticking her diaphragm into his sandwich is not one of them.

Jason Biggs was good in this film, even if it was the same character he played in the American Pie franchise (it didn’t help matters that his father character was the same, watered down version of Eugene Levy’s in those films). Joey Pants’ turn as a jailbird father rivals Tim Robbins' racist villain as the worst performance by a good actor at this festival.

Director Michael Ian Black is an asshole, if his Celebrity Poker performance is any indication, and therefore I feel no fault in declaring this movie a delicate disaster. The entire premise, about a guy who asks a complete stranger to marry him – she says yes – is ridiculous and requires a great leap of faith. Even worse is the typical ‘girl uncovers guy’s secret and kicks him out’ moment at the mid-point of the 2nd act that lacked any firepower whatsoever. Zero emotional impact. Why? Because these two strangers did not yet formed a relationship (his fault as the writer, and another reason why young directors shouldn't necessarily direct their own scripts). For god's sake, they hadn’t even kissed before she finds out he was once engaged and banishes him to take public transit home.

I wish that all first-time romantic comedy writers could read this script. It’s an excellent example of how a few gaggy set-pieces and ‘zany’ characters DO NOT guarantee gold on the screen, but instead can isolate the audience and their emotions if small things like ‘plot’ and ‘logic’ aren’t tended to.

And now, I’m going home. Got a headache and a tickle in my throat. I hope I’m not getting sick.