Feast of Love

Morgan Freeman opens ‘Feast of Love’ with a monologue about how the Greek Gods ‘first invented love to keep them entertained, and then invented laughter to keep them sane.’ But to categorise this film as a Rom-Com would be to belittle it. Instead this is a self-contained portrayal of a friendship group, the constituents of which attempt to cope with nothing less than the undulating nature of love, life and death and everything that accompanies; the joy of becoming, the pain of parting, and the questions of self-worth and morality that arise within each of us. The film is driven by an ensemble cast of actors who are recognisable from smaller roles in bigger films and who revel in the extra screen time afforded to them here. This is embodied by the beautifully considered performance of Jane Alexander (Aunt May in the Spiderman franchise). Her relationship with Morgan Freeman is an intimate depiction of a quietly troubled marriage that provides the film with its dramatic fulcrum.

‘Feast of Love’ approaches its subject matter with sincerity and maturity, but slightly betrays itself by an overly sanitised ending. I wonder if it would have provided a more enduring impression if it had pursued a more realistic conclusion than the current one which, although undeniably cinematic, is a tad contrived. Nevertheless, this is a warm film that leaves a warm feeling, and I can certainly recommend it as a night out with the missus.

DayWatch

‘DayWatch’, the follow up 2004’s ‘Nightwatch’, has been billed as the rebirth of Russian cinema. If so, I reckon Eisenstein and co will be spinning in their graves. The film explores the eternal battle between the light and dark forces of the world, aka vampires and plain old humans. One can, therefore, describe ‘DayWatch’ as an imaginative but failed rehash of the gothic horror genre that’s been recycled so many times by Hollywood, latterly in such films as ‘Van Helsing,’ ‘Constantine’ and ‘Underworld.’ What makes ‘DayWatch’ even more unwatchable than the aforementioned is that it appears Russia has only just discovered the wonders of CGI and strobe lighting, allied with the nagging suspicion that vodka was consumed in the editing room. The only lasting effect this film provided was a headache.

The Counterfeiters

‘The Counterfeiters’ is the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, (played by Karl Markovics, the German version of Daniel Craig). Sorowitsch is a counterfeiter extraordinaire and lives the high life, surrounded by alcohol and women and wealth. As war descends he is arrested and finds himself, along with a million or so other Jews, in the death camps of Auschwitz. But Sorowitsch’s crime is also the key to his survival, because the Nazis need his skills to help finance their war effort. ‘Operation Bernhard,’ as it was known, became the biggest money scam in history, as over 130 million pound sterling was printed inside the hard walls of Auschwitz, in conditions that defy belief. As an artist, approaching something as impenetrable and unrepresentable as the holocaust is to invite failure, but this film succeeds as well, maybe better, than any other I have seen. Auschwitz became what it was because it relied on its prisoners to pursue survival over everything else, and this film captures that perfectly. But in addition, it becomes a parable about humanity overcoming any obstacle, and of individuals retaining dignity and idealism in the face of the most extreme racist persecution, a message that is as relevant today as it was over sixty years ago.

Once

A busker stands on the streets of Dublin. Only when the shops close and the shoppers leave does he have the bravery to sing his own songs. A young, pretty Czechoslovakian immigrant gives him 10 cents and asks him whom he wrote the song about. The next day she takes him to a music shop and he teaches her one of his songs. And so their relationship begins. ‘Once’ is an open-hearted, beautiful depiction of two people who share a love of music and who are inspired by each other to pursue that love. Writer and Director John Carney borrows from the Dogma style of directing, employing long takes on hand held cameras that allow the audience to develop an intimacy and emotional investment with the characters that is beguiling. Instead of relying on traditional plot-devices, the simplicity of this film is its main strength. You just get picked up and taken along for the ride. Carney’s intention was to ‘make an original film that was almost like a visual album.’ He has certainly achieved in that. The song ‘Falling Slowly,’ in particular, climbs inside your head and assumes residence. I found myself humming the tune all the way home and then downloading the soundtrack when I got in. This is a gentle and disarming modern love story that is worth seeing more than once.