Scenes From The The Best of the Fest - 2001
by Destiny Lilly
From the land of Haggis and single malts comes one of the world's most enduring film festivals, the 55th annual Edinburgh Film Festival.
Our London reviewer, Ms. Destiny Lilly, attended this year's Edinburgh Film Festival, held in August. She sends us warm wishes and a few reviews, with the promise of more to come.
Thanks, Destiny.
Jump Tomorrow
Directed by Joel Hopkins
Jump Tomorrow is a funny and engaging comedy of cultures clashing and merging. George (Tunde Adebimpe) is a shy New Yorker of Nigerian descent , who has agreed to an arranged marriage as a last act of devotion to his departed parents. He arrives at the airport to meet his betrothed, but he's late, a day late. Instead he meets Alicia (Natalia Verbeke), a free-spirited Spanish girl who insists on calling him 'Jorge,' and Gerard (Hippolyte Girardot), a distraught Frenchman whose girlfriend has just declined his proposal of marriage. Gerard persuades George to act on his attraction to Alicia, and as they chase her toward the Canadian border, a hilarious string of comic capers ensue.
Although the plot is fairly predictable, there's a freshness and a naiveté to Jump Tomorrow that proves undeniably infectious. First time director Joel Hopkins has assembled a talented cast of lesser known actors to tell this heart-warming story. Adebimpe's performance as the straight-laced George serves asa perfect foil for Girardot's bon vivant Gerard. Verbeke has the charm and looks of Penelope Cruz, but unlike her compatriot, Verbeke never tries to steal every scene. The supporting performances are strong as well, especially Patricia Mauceri as Alicia's mother, and Abiola Wendy Abrams as George's fiancé.
The bright and breezy score adds a touch of magic to this modern day fairy tale, and the gorgeous cinematography adds brightness and mirth to the New York locations. Hopkins shows a tremendous amount of talent in this lovely film, and the cast matches his brilliance.
Mullet
Directed by David Caesar
This flawed, but enjoyable tale of rural Australian life stars Ben Mendelsohn as Eddie 'Mullet' Maloney. A mullet is a useless fish with a disgusting taste, and this nickname suits Eddie well. After disappearing three years ago, Eddie has returned home to find that few people are happy to see him. His old girlfriend Tully (Susie Porter) has married his brother, Pete (Andrew S. Gilbert) the town's police chief. Only Kay (Belinda McClory), a local bargirl who has always had a little crush on Eddie, welcomes him home with open arms. As Eddie struggles to readjust to his old surroundings, the tension in his family builds.
By far the best thing about the film is Mendolsohn's performance. His portayal is subtle and smart without being pretentious. His work with McClory is the strongest as they confront their demons and their attraction for each other. Gilbert's over-stressed policeman has effective moments, but he often plays the character as too much of a weakling. Porter struggles with her non-descript character, she might as well be called 'love interest' because that's the only object her character serves.
As the film's tension starts to build, Caesar inserts a totally implausible ending on the film, that shows that he basically had no idea how the film should end, but Mullet is worth seeing, for Mendelsohn's performance and it's honest take on life down under.
The Sleepy Time Gal
Directed by Christopher Munch
The Sleepy Time Gal tells the tale of Frances (Jacqueline Bisset), a mother, former radio DJ, writer, and all around renaissance woman. She also happens to have cancer. Her two sons were fathered by two different men; one is gay and the other she hasn't seen in years, and she also gave up a child for adoption thirty years ago. Oh, and she has an overbearing, bigoted mother. If this sounds overly complex, you're right. Munch goes in too many directions in The Sleepy Time Gal and none of the divergent story lines of Frances's life is the least bit engaging.
Bisset gives one of the best performances of her career, and Martha Plimpton, as Frances's long lost daughter, plays her character with great attention to detail. Nicky Stahl shines as Frances's loving son, Morgan, but this all comes to naught because the script has no idea what it wants to say. The result is a boring and dull succession of scenes from Frances's past and present. All of the characters that float in and out of her life seem superfluous and tedious. This lack of focus makes it nearly impossible to identify with the characters, even though some of them are quite well played.
Munch showed so much promise with his 1996 film, Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, and 1991's The Hours and the Times, but The Sleepy Time Gal has none of the charm, beauty, and mystery that his previous films contained. Many issues are approached, but never confronted, and this makes The Sleepy Time Gal a very sleepy time indeed.
Mirrorball: Pure creative cool from the world of pop
Mirrorball combined several programs of music videos and documentaries and contained by far the most exciting work featured at the festival. In the past, many have dismissed music video as a lesser art form, but the dazzling collection of talent displayed in Mirrorball should make those critics eat their words.
The animated videos were visually stunning, especially Shynola's work for Radiohead's 'Pyramid Song,' and Pete Candeland and Jamie Hewlett's work for the crazy cartoon Gorillaz. High- tech videos are definitely cool, but some of the low budget clips were equally impressive. The video for 'Witness' by Roots Manuva, where the 26 year-old rapper participates in a kindergarten sports day, is one of the most hilarious pieces I've ever scene. Over the 20 years since the dawn of MTV, music video has evolved to encompass a wide range of visual delights. There will always be videos with scantily clad women doing unmentionable things, but there are also artistic, inspirational works pioneered by true virtuosos of the field.
Of course, not all of the Mirrorball selections were videos in the traditional sense. A Visual Record chronicles the making of the album Regeneration by the British band The Divine Comedy. The band's bassist, Bryan Mills, shot footage of the band formulating ideas in the studio and taking well-deserved breaks on the beach. The film is skilfully edited to show how each song evolves from an idea into a reality, and Mills's honest and human approach to his subject makes him one to watch in the future.
Scratch profiled the history of the DJ, from the humble beginnings of hip hop to the full fledged dance craze of today. Director Doug Pray pays homage to old school pioneers like Mix Master Mike as well as giving props to new school heroes like Fat Boy Slim. The film has a funky and fabulous built-in soundtrack, and the turntable wizards are amazing to watch. Many of the seasoned feature film directors at Edinburgh should have been taking notes from these young directors whose work prove more engaging, intense, and relevant than most of the big star vehicles.
Distiny Lilly is a writer and film critic living in England.
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