CMFH Massive Missives

I really have no excuse for not seeing all of the Foreign Language Films and Documentary Features. After all, the Palm Springs International Film Fest showed each and every country’s official entry before the final fives were announced. But of the twenty movies I saw at the fest, I didn’t get in all of these ten.

Frankly, I have a beef with the Academy for splitting the Best Pic into English-produced and non-English-produced flicks. It’s especially ridiculous in a year when Babel’s director is from Mexico and Letters from Iwo Jima is spoken almost entirely in Japanese. The Academy is simply afraid our English films will get knocked out of the park, and they should feel threatened. It’s about time we appreciated international contributions to film and quit being childish about subtitles.

But enough fussin’. I only saw three out five within each of the Foreign and Documentary categories, so I can’t pick the best, but here’s what I thought of the ones I did see:

I let my emotions rule my choice for this category. Deliver Us from Evil got me in my gut. Seriously, at times it almost made me physically ill. A documentation of a pedophile priest who, after he has molested most children in his congregation, moves on to the neighboring county to do the same, will do that to a person. And the fact that the Catholic Church covered this up is equally sickening.

This film was tough to watch and blatantly sided with the victims, but I don’t think documentaries are obligated to present their story like a newscast. I think they just need to be honest and truthful. And I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for documentaries. Maybe it’s growing up in a house that appreciated PBS and National Geographic, but I think documentaries are wonderful proof that there are an infinite number of fascinating stories in the world, ready to be told. Unfortunately all of the ones (that I’ve seen) up for Oscars are also upsetting.

An Inconvenient Truth has been the surprise documentary hit of the year. To be honest, I’m not sure why it’s done so well. But if folks are getting the movie’s message, then more power to it, because there are too many people in the world fighting against it. Honestly, how can someone have the gall to say that cleaning up the world is a bad thing? Unless you own an industrial plant -- and I don’t know too many folks who do -- and don’t want to pay to upgrade your machinery, you should have absolutely no reason for opposing global warming.

But the film itself is rather dry as far as documentaries are concerned. I realize most people assume documentaries are boring and tedious, but they really don’t have to be. The film related Al’s slideshow complete with sad polar bear cartoon, but I think it could have been more. However, this documentary has gotten the most attention (and again, I’m very glad for that), so it will probably win.

On the flip side, Jesus Camp is my idea of a pop documentary. And I mean no disrespect, it is simply more easily digestible than other documentaries. It also manages to present both sides of the story, or rather, it could be appreciated by both sides. The church camp could use it as a recruitment tape, and the rest of us sinners could view it as an unnatural child training ground for future ultra-right-wing politicos. The film is very clean and well-assembled, and is a worthy candidate. However, Deliver Us from Evil dug deep, and of those that I saw, deserves recognition.

Note: I have not seen After the Wedding or The Lives of Others, though the unanimous PSIFF buzz on the latter was that it was outstanding, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing it. But where, or where, is Volver?

Of the three I saw, it is a complete toss up between two, and I’d be thrilled if either won. But I’m going to pick Pan's Labyrinth for its incredibly beautiful and fantastical storytelling.

Not only amazing in imagery but terribly beautiful in its method for rendering the cruel world of a country torn apart by its own people, this film managed to meld fantasy and reality without any suggestion that one is dominant. It is mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time, exploiting the horrors of war and its effects on our psyches.

Days of Glory also displays the injustices of a civil war, though in this film the competing soldiers are supposed to be fighting together. Delving into the untold inequalities concerning the French army in World War II and the treatment of their own North African soldiers, this film makes no claims that every man is a hero and every battle is worth fighting. It is thought-provoking and upsetting, and worthy of every minute of your time.

Lacking in a war theme but ripe with injustice is Water, a film concerning the inhuman treatment of widows in 1930s India. The images are beautiful and meditative, the seven-year-old widow is delightful, but the treatment of these faultless women is perverse. However, as well-told as this film is, the two others don’t give it a chance.