The
12th Chennai International Film Festival @ Woodlands, Woodlands Symphony,
Casino, Inox-3 (Russian Cultural Centre)
December
18 - 25 2014
|
Time→
Date↓
|
1000
|
1200
|
1500
|
1700
|
1915
|
|
18th Thur.
|
Missed
|
Missed
|
The Dark Valley
Austria |2014|114|WC
Das finstere Tal
Dir. Andreas
Prochaska
Revenge thriller in a remote Alps village- 5 (F)
|
Opening
Film
In the
name of my daughter
France|2014|116
L'homme
qu'on aimait trop
Dire.
Andre Techine
Rich
Mother vs Daughter -4
|
|
19th
Friday
|
Honeymoon
Czeh|2013|92|WC
Libanky
Dir.
Jan Hrebejk
Psycho
thriller- on wedding day - 4
|
Juliets
Taiwan|2010|106|WC
Juliets
Dir.
Hou Ch-Jan, Shen-ko-Shang
A triptych : stories of 3 characters of same
name & their love affair, 1st sad,
2nd mad, 3rd gay - 2
|
Adomya
- Life goes on
Assamese|2014|99|IP
Dir.Bobby
Sarma Baruah
AIDS-inflicted
widow's (thro' her lorry driver husband) plight/stigma & how she brings up her daughter as a
doctor -3
|
I
loved You so much
Turkey|2013|90|WC
Dir.
Orhan Tekeoglu
Oyloe
sevdim ki seni
A
family man rescues & falls in love with a Russian lady seeking a job in
Turkey, but pushed into … - 4
|
Rabbit
Proof Fence
Australia|2002|94|R-PN
Dir.
Philip Noyce
The
escapade of 3 (impure) aborigine kids along the 'fence' from separation home,
back to their village. Real life story - 5+
|
|
20th
Sat.
|
Marsella
Spain|2014|95|WC
Marseille
Dir.
Belen Macias
An
adopted girl taken back by her
drug-addict recovered mother to meet her father but hands over her to the
foster parents - 5
|
West
Germany|2013|102|GCF
Lagerfeue
Dir.
Christian Schochow
Mother
& son emigrate to West Germany but father really dead? - 4
|
Missed
|
Swapaanam
Malayalam|2013|152|IP
Dir.
Shaji N.Karun
How
the life of a chenda player falling in love with a Mohini Attam dancer ruins
his life - 3
|
2030
Vietnam|2014|99|WC
Dir. Minh
Nguyen-Vo
NUOC
(Water)
Futuristic
science film on global warming &rise of water level - 2
|
|
21st
Sun.
|
Of
Horses & Men
Iceland|2013|81|WC
Dir.
Benedikt Erlingsson
Life
in a remote village revolving around horses & people - 5+
|
Mateo
Colambia|2014|86|WC
Dir.
Mario Gamboa
How
a boy, mother & circle rise
against his don uncle - 5
|
Fish
& Cat
Iran|2013|134|CF-Iran
Mahi
va gorbeh
Dir.
Shahram Mokri
Single-frame
film. Kite flying camp & scouting for a person to be slaughtered for
cooking.
Dreary
landscape, dead slow , poor acting- 1.
|
Behaviour
Cuba|2014|108|WC
Conducta
Dir.
Ernfesto Daranas
A
teacher's reformist attitude, in particular towards a boy - 5+
|
Insecure
France|2014|83|CF-F
Qui
vive
Dir.
Marianne Tardieu
A
youth trying to become a male nurse works as a guard in a mall; to pacify
harassing teenagers, gives off supply details for looting, leading to
shootout & death. How he comes out … - 4
|
|
22nd
Mon.
|
Swim
Little Fish, Swim
USA|2013|96|WC
Dir.
Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis
Wife
a nurse, husband an idealist musician without steady income; Enter daughter
(artist) of a famous painter mother who wants to prove her mettle-3
|
1000
Rupee Note
Marathi|2014|88|IP
Ek
Hazarachi
Dir.
Srihari Sathe
A
poor woman gets Rs. 1000 notes from a politician on election eve; travails on
trying to spend it; caught by police
to be counterfeit & their brutality - 5+
|
The
New World
Netherlands|2013|83|WC
Dir.
Jaap van Heusden
De
nieuwe wereld
An
African immigrant at detention centre vs. the cleaning woman there .End - his application rejected &
sent back - 5
|
Two days,
One night
Belgium|2014|94|WC
Deux
jours, une nui
Dir.
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
A
woman employee takes efforts to get back her job vs. bonus of all others - 5
|
Aadim
Vichar
Odiya|2014|115|IP
Dir.
Sabyasachi Mohapatra
Life
in a tribal community vs. scheming Brahmin money lender .sometimes over
dramatic (widow's plight) & gaudy, new dress of tribal people.- 3
|
|
23rd
Tue.
|
Kidon
Israel
& France|2013|97|WC
Dir.
Emmanuel Naccache
Thriller
-how former Mossad agents faked the killing of a terrorist and escaped with loot-5
|
The
Enemy Within
Greece|2013|107|WC
O
ehthros mou
Dir.
Yorgos Tsemberopoulos
An
idealist garden supply store owner's home is ransacked; with his neighbour's
help, identifies and avenges, leading to…
- 4
|
December
One
Kannada|2014|97|IP
Dir.
P. Seshadri
How
a good-intentioned publicity stunt of a CM staying & eating in the house
of an AIDS patient's family (fact not known to the village) causes
ostracization of the family - 5
|
Three
Obsessions
Bengali|2014|120|IP
Dir.
Bauddhayan Mukherji
Teenkahon.
A
triptych: The infatuation of a little boy, the affair with another's wife who
had just died; police officer's affair with a dancer, who causes his wife's
death - the degeneration of values and social fabric and language - 4
|
Oblivion
Ethiopia|2014|99|WC
Difret
Dir.:
Zeresenay Medhari
Based
on true incident; a lawyer's fight against tribal customary kidnapping &
marrying of girls - 5+
|
|
24th
Wed.
|
Fantasia
China|2014|85|WC
Dir.
Wang Chao
Sick
factory father, heavy medical cost., daughter joins night club, son's fantasy
-2
|
Heavenly
Shift
Hungary|2013|100|CF-H
Dir.Mark
Bodzsa
steni muszak
An
immigrant's ploys to bring in his lover also, by working in an ambulance-4
|
One
for the Road
Mexico|2014|91|WC
Dir.
Jack Zagha Kababie
En el
ultimo trago
How
elderly friends help fulfill the last wish of their friend - 5
|
The
Fool
Russia|2014|116|WC
Dir.
Yuriy Bykov
Durak
Corruption
everywhere -burst ing pipeline in an old housing colony - a 'foolish' plumber's
effort to save -5+
|
Obsessed
Korea|2014|132|WC
In-gan-jung
dok
Love
affair of a war veteran & his junior (who worships him)'s wife- 4
|
|
25th
Thur.
|
The
Owners
Kazakhstan|2014|93|WC
Ukkili
kamshat
Dir.
Adhilkhan Yerzhanov
3
children shift from city to ancestral house, occupied illegally by district
officer's brother; eldest is jailed, sick sister dies, younger brother shoots
bad guys. Very, very poor acting. No emotion at all - 1
|
On the
Wings of Imagination
Iran|2014|100|CF-Iran
Dir.
Frahad Mehrampar
Dramatist
father & down syndrome daughter visit a far off village; mental
conversation with dead wife; insight into life & story; daughter lost on
the way in mist. Lovely landscape but slow moving- 2.
|
Blitzpatrollie
S.Africa|2013|109|WC
Dir.
Andrew Wessels
Funny
story of a cop & his mates -3
|
Fly, Dakota,
Fly
Japan|2013|109|WC
Tobe!
Dakota
Dir.
Seiji Aburatani
British
Dakota, after WW II, lands on the beach of a remote Japan village; overcoming
hatred, help fly Dakota - 5
|
Closing
Ceremony
+
Winning Tamil Film
(missed)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WC- World Cinema TC-Tamil Competition
IP-Indian Panoramas CF-F- Country Focus France CF-H - Country Focus Hungary GCF-German
Contemporary Films CF-Iran - Country Focus Iran FCF-French
Contemporary Films R-PN-Retro of
Phillip Noyce DRF-Dutch Romantic
Films
My Ranking of Films - top to bottom - 5+ to 1
Total movies seen = 35/39
Rating No. of films Rating No.
of films
5+ :6 3 :5
5 :9 2 :4
4 :9 1 :
2
On 12th CIFF - Watched a total of 35 films
out of the 39 screenings.
This was my first experience of CIFF. Many
thanks for the wonderful opportunity .
My aim was to see at least one good film in
as many languages as possible.
As per my opinion, of the films I watched, 6
get 5+ ranking, 9 get 5 points,
another 9 get 4 points, 5 get 3 points, 4 get
2 points and 2 get 1 point.
The top 5+ films are
- The Fool, Behaviour, Oblivion, 1000 rupee note,
Rabbit Proof Fence, Of Horses & Men.
Those that got 5 Points are:
Mateo, December One, Fly, Dakota, Fly,
One for the Road, Kidon, Two Days One Night, The New World,
Marsella, The Dark Valley
The worst were: The Owners, Fish & Cat
(got just 1 point in my ranking)
Pl. screen pure films like
Behaviour, Oblivion, Mateo, The Fool, Rabbit Proof Fence,
1000 rupee note, December One, Two Days One
Night, One for the road, The Dark
Valley, Fly Dakota Fly, The new world, etc.,
that can be enjoyed by the whole family,
without any embarrassment.
At the next CIFF, I would NOT like to watch slow moving films like The Owners
or the Fish & Cat.
S. Balakrishnan, 98409 17608
krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in
