Month: January 2022

Spoiler alert. This is going to be an official love declaration to Joaquin Phoenix.

For those who know me, you must have heard my story of the screening of “Joker” at the Venice Film Festival a hundred times. I am going to repeat it once again. Because this is and always will be one of the strongest moments cinema gave to me.

First the context. One of the good things of a festival is that, unless you do your little research on the net, you know almost nothing about what you are going to watch. What you have available is the name of the Director, the main cast, the name of the movie and a 2 sentences short summary of the plot (that usually leaves you with more questions than answers).

Second thing is that, in Venice, in a non-COVID context, you usually have the opportunity to get an “abonamento” that allows you to see most of the official selection in 10 days (at a quite democratic price). Meaning that for 10 days, your evenings are rhythmed by two screenings in a row starting from around 8pm until whenever the second movie ends. When the second movie happens to be a 3-4 hours long one (which occurred a few times), it can be a long evening.

“Joker” was the second movie screened during one of our September 2019 festival evenings. Now, from my earlier posts you might have understood that I am not a Batman (or any kind of superhero) girl. You might thus guess that I was more than suspicious about what I was going to see on the screen (by my own festival principles, I had not done any research on the topic). The presence of Joaquin Phoenix in the cast raised some doubts, though – in my Cartesian head, it did not fit with at all this “Batman shit”. I could therefore describe my state of mind as extremely doubtful and confused.

The funny part of the story says that, after 15 minutes of normal screening, the sound system went down in the movie hall (a huge temporary construction, built just for the festival). For an additional 15 minutes, the audience contemplated the screen whilst dialogues were almost inaudible. At first, everyone was convinced this was a part of the movie effects. That Arthur’s unsettled nature showed in the weird sounds that were coming out of the screen. Until someone finally concluded that, something was obviously wrong. The entire movie hall started shouting and clapping. The screening stopped, the lights turned on. 

By that time, it must have been around 11:30pm or midnight. On a usual festival evening, such an event would have meant that half of the hall would get up and leave the screening – keeping the energy up for the next days. In this specific case, at least 95% of it remained seated. Because, by that time, after 15 minutes of screening with sound, and 15 minutes of screening without, everyone had already understood that what we were looking at was an absolute masterpiece. My eyes were wide opened, and the only thing I could say was “oh my god”.

It took about another 20 minutes to get the festival crew to fix the technical issues. During this time everyone kept on waiting, absolutely determined to see the rest of the movie from which we had only gotten a sneak peak. The screening finally restarted, almost from the beginning. Except for one Italian guy, shouting angrily “but we have already seen this!”, no one seemed to mind re watching. 

The rest is history, the 9 minutes of standing ovation in the Sala Grande, the Golden Lion, and the Oscar. And me who kept on repeating “oh my god” for at least two additional days. 

Before seeing “Joker”, I was already convinced Joaquin Phoenix was one of the best actors of his generation. After that day, the only conclusion I could come up with was that he was at least very close to Daniel Day Lewis’ genius (which on my personal ladder is the equivalent of the Holy Grail). He had officially entered my very selective “Cinema Pantheon”.

This explains why, when “C’mon C’mon” started screening in Brussels on Wednesday, I immediately disregarded all my “support small cinemas” principles, grabbed my movie-buddie Evghenia, and run to the UGC.

You know that situation when you already love the movie before you have even seen it? That was exactly the state of mind I was in yesterday. My smile was broad, waiting for it to start. All my movie chakras were opened and fully receptive. Maybe this is exactly why I went through an anti-climax (the exact anti-thesis of my “Joker” experience).

As it is often the case, too much expectation ends up killing the excitement.

Do not take me wrong. Joaquin was beyond perfect as usual. As solar as he was dark in “Joker”. I do not think I have ever seen him as radiant as this – troubled only in an average human way, generally well balanced, loving and kind. The chemistry he has with that kid is something coming from outer space. There is nothing artificial or sounding false about it. God knows I have a very performant radar for cheesy adult/kids story. My degree of tolerance is usually close to zero for those.

So yes, I really loved all the family-related part of the picture – the love between the brother and the sister (shaken only by life circumstances), the mom’s infinite tolerance for her son’s more than strong and original personality, the way Joaquin puts words on the challenges that he is facing while interacting with this tough little human. It feels so true. So real that it is hard to believe that, in the end, all this comes down to outstanding acting performances.

My frustration came from the fact that I did not get enough of the above. Long shots of black and white American cities and highways disturbed my pleasure – quite aesthetic indeed; but why do I have to watch those when they are taking my mind away from theses beautifully human scenes I have just witnessed? Even the interviews with American teenagers, illustrating Phoenix’s job in the movie, triggered impatience and frustration in me.

I kept on thinking that it was so close to being the movie I was hoping to see. That without all these unnecessary ornaments it would have been so much more.

Beware that my current state of mind might have something to do with my mixed feelings about what I saw. My movie-buddy, who is usually way less tolerant than me to slowness and aesthetics, did not have the same reservations as mine. She loved it. As a majority of journalists/film experts did.  I can only say that the moments offered by Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffman and Woody Norman are worth a million. For the rest, I leave you to judge (and maybe let me know 😉 )

I admit it. This place is becoming my living room extension. These are the perks of living in the city centre. You don’t even have the excuse of being lazy and having to take a crowded metro. You just have to put on a coat, grab your shoes and walk 10 minutes to your movie seat. And YES, you even have many seats to pick from.

Let’s assume that, by default, you pass by the UGC without even looking at it. Besides what your posh “I am better than all this commercial crap” self considers as a mediocre programming – no, no I swear it wasn’t me you saw at the first UGC James Bond screening last September, you MUST be mistaken – your grumpy old Sunday self doesn’t like teenagers with huge popcorn bowls and active mobile phone screens.

Even though you still have the Galeries and the Palace to choose from, you always end up in the Aventure lately. There are several reasons to that: a) first, you have to balance equally your support to small cinemas. Since you spent your summer/autumn season almost exclusively at the Palace and the Galeries, it seems only fair that the Aventure gets its share b) let’s face it, their programming is really nice lately and c) I honestly wonder who is the genius who invented these reclining seats in room 3. That person deserves a Nobel price.

Based on the fact that since the beginning of 2022, you have injected your cat 42 times with insulin, attempted (unsuccessfully) at least 15 times at getting a drop of blood from her ear and paid over 250 EUR of veterinary fees (just for a preliminary/stabilizing treatment), the fact that your Sunday screening of “Riders of Justice” is actually scheduled in room 3 feels like winning at the lottery.

Your friends stare at you with a mix of compassion and worry when you display with excitement how to recline your genius seat up and down and up and down and up and down. Maybe it’s indeed been slightly too much for you, lately. Any case, you are unable to take that childish grin off your face.

Believe me, that grin is not going anywhere once the movie starts.

Of course, first you have to accept the fact that Mads Mikkelsen does not look like Mads Mikkelsen. Seen from your perspective, it is a disappointment. Given the level of failure experienced in the past months, Mads Mikkelsen dancing in the final scene of “Drunk” remains one of the sexiest things you had the opportunity to see in 2021.

Mads’ pretty cheekbones will however not show up on the screen for you this time (because there is a big – criminal #verypersonalopinionagain – hairy beard hiding them). You will therefore have to rely on a hopefully decent level of Danish dark humour to compensate for their (very tragic) absence. However, as your entire life has recently turned into one big cynical joke, you are not an easy one to get in terms of dark jokes. For a while, you remain suspicious. Is it going to end up in too big a caricature?

It takes about 10 minutes for your first laugh to burst out. From then on, it never stops. The recipe is not totally innovative or unseen though. We have witnessed these lost souls’ gatherings in many movies (starting with Jeff Lebowski and his bowling buddies). Nevertheless, it still works. At least for me, it is hard to resist to this specific batch of losers. Because of the Danish phlegm that they keep, even in the most violent situations. Because of their often-unexpected reactions and replicas (I am still laughing at that Ukrainian tale with no point at all); and because of the deep humanity and fragility that stems from each single one them – despite the fact that, let’s face it, they are absolute barbarians.

But then again, who is the biggest barbarian? Is it the seemingly feeling-less soldier with anger-management issues who (literally) breaks everyone’s nose before there is any chance to even start a conversation? Is it the data obsessed geek aggressively shouting as well as hyperventilating whenever something doesn’t go his way? Or is it the rest of the humanity, the one that strikes you by its growing indifference and intolerance?  

At least these broken guys stick together and accept their wounded selves without any judgement and with way more love given than so many so-called “civilized” individuals would give. And believe me, it feels heart-warming to watch.

Yeah Yeah, I know a week ago I was very much into avoiding anything too dramatic for the sake of my own sanity. It lasted for 8 days . The longing was too strong to resist. Off I grabbed pre-8th chemo papa and headed out for a little session of MacBeth – a classical and crunchy mixture of treason, murder, madness, you name it.

Now, you might wonder why I very regularly grab pre/post chemo papa to accompany me to the movie theater. Let’s say that cinema is the one big passion we share (despite his active attempts at making tennis another one – resulting in an epic failure). And let’s add that it became a common passion thanks to his numerous endeavours in the early 90s at making me watch something slightly more subtle than “Forever Young” .

I remember exactly what movie did the trick and where it happened. It was Ken Loach’s “Ladybird, Ladybird” at the Arenberg (now the Galeries).

This movie was definitely a revelation. It made me realize that cinema does not only have to be a tool allowing you to escape from reality. As a down to earth person, I actually LIKE reality – although I do not deny it is sometimes (often) frustrating, hopeless and even heart breaking. “Ladybird, Ladybird” made me understand that cinema can as well be a powerful denouncing tool, a way to make people think, discuss and discover realities they would have never even thought about otherwise. It could even become a means to make people want to change or act on these realities.

Believe me, when you understand this at 14, it feels life changing. Especially when it means that Mel Gibson loses, from one day to the other, most of the significance he has had for you until then. Let’s call it growing.  

Now, let us set things straight. I am not a robot. I am only human after all. Sometimes, what one needs is a simple escape from the reality. Spaceships, aliens or superheroes never really worked for me (I seem to be too down to earth for that). What DOES seem to work for me is a Coen brothers’ movie. I can’t help it. These guys just make me laugh to tears. I am perfectly aware that this is not the case for everyone. I do have that memory of me and my friend Dina watching “A Serious Man” together. Me laughing wholeheartedly. Her, just not reacting at all. Looking at me as if we were on two different planets.

That was actually another revelation. Cynical humour is not universal. Apparently, not everyone would laugh like me when my boss tells me “I would suggest one simple injection that would solve your cat’s diabetes problem for good”. I love my cat. However, to me, when one is joking about the challenges he/she is facing (even in the darkest possible way), these challenges stop looking as insurmountable as they did a while ago. Lately it feels like a vast part of the planet would tend to disagree with me. My best bet is that it would either be utterly shocked at my boss’ joke or, even better, sue him for it.    

So back to the Coen brothers. “Coen” was eventually the only word that convinced me to give “The Tragedy of Macbeth” a chance. I think it is obvious (at least from my latest post) that I am currently more on “escape” mode than on the “let’s rethink the meaning of humanity” one. Therefore, if you say Shakespeare, I say no thank you. If you say Macbeth, I would insist further that no, not exactly what I need at this stage. Only when someone smart mentioned the name Joel Coen did curiosity win over: Joel Coen? Like the one from Joel and Ethan Coen? Like the fathers of the Dude? But why and how on earth would he go for Macbeth?

And that’s how, a week later, you find yourself sitting once again in your comfy Aventure seat. The queue for tickets was bigger than a week ago. Seems like “Licorice Pizza” is a pretty big and unexpected success. Somehow, you find this fact very comforting.

I have to admit that it takes a bit of time (at least in my personal case) to accept what is on offer on the screen. At first, it seems like a quite austere production. A not very dynamic black and white square. A limited setting that does not allow for much distraction. The focus is meant to be on the actors. For the next fifteen minutes, you enter into a discussion with yourself: is there an added value to this? Why make a movie out of it, if it feels like watching a theatre play?

But then, slowly, it’s hard to explain how, it grows on you. The fact that the focus is not on any actor but on fantastic actors (Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, as Lord and Lady Macbeth) does definitely help a lot. The words pronounced, though you heard them hundreds of time (at least in parts and, let’s admit it, without really understanding them), seem to gain a new meaning, to make much more sense than before.  Additionally, what you initially saw as an austere and restrictive framing turns into a limitless space for creative expression. That little black and white square, it is just incredible what you can do with it in terms of light, atmosphere and angles!

Conclusion is: it won me over, and that was honestly quite a surprise to me. Don’t expect Coen cynicism and humour though. Expect the dark Shakespearian tragedy it is – but with additional seasoning that definitely makes the difference (at least for me): stunning acting performances and that little Coen je ne sais quoi that makes something you thought you had seen many times, look unexpectedly different and original.

You know that year that, besides the traditional hangover, starts with your dad’s seventh chemo and an urgent visit at the vet’s (as your cat looks weird since a week)? That moment when the vet announces his diagnosis? Those 5 minutes when, sitting on your chair (still at the vet’s) you are considering how on earth you will be able to inject twice per day, at regular intervals, your (quite “active”) tiger with insulin? These few seconds when the vet showcases how to get a drop of blood from your cat’s ear to measure with a glucometer her sugar levels (because yes, apparently, you are expected to repeat this exercise twice per day from now on)?

That is when everything goes blank in your head.

So there you are, still sitting on the vet’s chair, contemplating your cat – who, unlike you, looks pretty relaxed and is happily purring on the medical table. You, on the other hand, are unable to move or say anything because your brain is desperately trying to process the information: “how is this possibly going to work out? It HAS to work out! Yes, but HOW can it work out? And, any case, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE CAT HAS DIABETES?!”

The above explains why, by the 4th of January 2022, you are convinced that your year is basically screwed. Fatalism has caught up with you. Oh well, I mean, we’ve survived 2020 and 2021. We can as well do with a fucked up 2022. Nothing new… You’re just not sure how your liver will cope with the (regularly increasing) quantity of alcohol needed to keep the spirits up. Wha’ever, we’ll deal with that in 2023… or 2024.

And then comes Wednesday. Wednesdays, in Belgium, usually mean new movie releases (aka, a potential tiny little light in the middle of the very dark tunnel).

Unless, of course, the Belgian government decides to close cinemas from one day to another. Because, you know, something has to be done against COVID. And, as it’s not so cool to close shopping malls or bars, we might as well just close cinemas and theatres. Luckily for you, that governmental attempt happened a week ago. It failed. The Belgian Conseil d’Etat (who basically blocked the government’s not so legal and fair move) is since then your new bestie. Thanks to that, you can at least envisage hiding your miserable self in the dark room by the big screen.

Given the circumstances, the aim is to avoid anything too dark. You’re usually not really good at it. Thinking about the last movies you saw, you might want to reconsider your strategy: if possible, let’s avoid senile dementia, bipolarity, cancer, alcoholism and autism. Problem is, you’re not really into fantasy, romantic comedies or super-heroes. This limits the options.

Luckily for you, that is exactly when you remember the trailer you saw a couple of days ago. Smiling teenagers, nice music and a weird looking Bradley Cooper explaining how to pronounce “Barbara Streisand” correctly. Additionally, the title of the movie, “Licorice Pizza”, sounds as light as could be. The name of the Director is also a quality insurance. Paul Thomas Anderson. Hello my friends “There Will be Blood” and “The Master” (among others), I liked you very much. This should do.

So, off you grab your post-7th-chemo papa and your post-cat-diabetes-diagnosis-traumatized self and head to the Aventure, one of your favourite little movie theater in town. Unexpectedly there is quite a queue. It seems like many others got irritated with the Belgian government in the past week. As you are still on hysterical mode (WHAT DO YOU MEAN DIABETES?!!!) and maybe slightly under the influence of strong nail polish smell (those who know the Aventure, know what I am talking about), the thought crosses you mind to shout theatrically “Vive le Conseil d’Etat!” while queuing. Fortunately, being aware of your own febrile condition, you reconsider this option as fast as it came. You just get your tickets, show diligently your COVID QR code and go and grab a seat (the most comfy ones in town according to me).

And that’s when the magic happens and when 2022 unexpectedly grants you with your first 2 hours of (pretty vital) mental rest and enchantment. Young Cooper Hoffman obviously inherited the genius of his very much missed dad. Alana Haim should switch from her musical career to cinema (at least it would make my ears very happy… #verypersonalopinionalert). And just watching one scene more charming than the other (at least based on the state you’re in), listening to legendary music and realizing that you are laughing out loud together with many of your cinema buddies, makes your dramatic life circumstances feel way lighter than a moment ago.

Not that the Belgian government would care, according to it you’d better go and buy new shoes.

Any case, looking at what feels like a batch of friends having fun together, exchanging the most absurd dialogues possible and creating as improbable situations as may be (you sometimes even get your Jim Jarmush happy vibes), it naturally crosses your mind that the whole film crew, starting with Paul Thomas Anderson himself, must have enjoyed itself so much while putting this together. Maybe it’s the case. Maybe it’s just that Anderson is as, or even more, talented than you thought. Maybe it’s both. Any case, to you the picture transpires happiness, lightness and warmth.

And that’s how, for the first time in 2022, going back home through dark, windy and very rainy Brussels you allow yourself to think (at least for a while) that, provided you get a sufficient quantity of Licorice Pizzas in the months to come, you might survive whatever comes next. And your cat as well.