Daily Riffs From TIFF

Well, Gentle Readers, TIFFAPALOOZA 2009, is off to a flying start and as promised I will be giving you a blow by blow description, of all the films assayed, by your intrepid (and soon to be extremely sleep-deprived), reporter.

Today, was the first day of the festival and I saw a total of 2 movies. for me this is considered a "light" day, but as The Carpenters sang: 'We've only just begun.' My first film was one I actually had to rush,because I didn't get it on the first go round. It was a real winner and a great way to start off the festival with a "bang." Unfortunately. the second film which I had been greatly anticipated, was more of a "whimper." More on that one, later.

First, the good news: LONE SCHERFIG's film called AN EDUCATION, is a sheer delight, with a real star-making performance by its ingenue-star, CAREY MULLIGAN. With a wonderful script by NICK HORNBY, and stellar support from PETER SARSGAARD and the great ALFRED MOLINA (who as one audience member put it, has never 'sucked' in a film). The story takes place in a drab suburb of London in the early sixties and is based on a memoir by LYNN BARBER. Mulligan plays a savvy student an all-girls school, who plans to rise up out of her working class background and go to Oxford. Her plans are derailed by a charming, yet somehow sinister rogue played by Sarsgaard, (who acts with a very convincing English accent), who sweeps her off her feet and over to Paris. Mulligan projects some of the gamine quality, of a young Audrey Hepburn, and carries the film on her capable shoulders with great aplomb. It is very enjoyable and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

...on the other hand...

My second film was the latest film from that daring, 'dogma' darling: LARS VON TRIER. It is called ANTICHRIST, and it, unlike Mr. Molina - IT SUCKED!!! Let me start off by praising Mr. Von Trier, before I proceed to bury him. I have always been a big fan of his oeuvre, always looking forward to his next offering. For instance, I thought that BREAKING THE WAVES, which won the Palme d'or at Cannes, the year it was made, was a masterpiece. As far as this film is concerned, it is certainly a "piece" of something. This is Von Trier's "stab" at making a horror film and oh, 'the horror, the horror...' To be fair he seems to be grappling with some big themes: good and evil, innocence and "paradise" lost, sex and guilt etc. You see WILEM DAFOE and CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG, play a couple, whose young son falls out of a window, while they are making love, the wife is wracked with guilt and so they go into the woods and...ohhh, never mind, it doesn't really matter. The themes are lost amid all of Von Trier's artsy-fartsy imagery. The movie was only partly redeemed by the performances of the two leads, who really give it their all (and I mean "all" in two very brave performances. Oh, and let's not forget the gutsy performance by the fox with the bell (huh)? It all becomes exceedingly violent, thoroughly unpleasant and really not one whit scary. Better luck net time Mr. Von Trier.

But, on to (hopefully), bigger and better things, as day 2 beckons and so does my pillow. Good night Gentle Readers, everywhere.

T.T.F.N.