Maria Full of Grace

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The Colombian teenager Maria accidentally gets pregnant. She is unhappy with her life, quits her job, ditches her boyfriend, only to end up becoming a drug mule. For this she needs to swallow about sixty rather large pellets of cocaine (the thought of which is absolutely nauseating!) and transport them to New York City in her stomach. Of course things don’t go as planned.

The story is beautifully told and Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria) gives a very moving performance in this authentic (as she explains in the DVD specials) tale.

(Photo: flickr/Phil Gyford)

Funny Games U.S.

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A remake of the 1997 Austrian Funny Games (which I personally haven’t seen but have been told is pretty much exactly the same thing, just in German).

The story didn’t shock me as much as I expected it to. Two bored young men slaughter happy families for fun at their weekend cabins. Oh well…

What made me really uncomfortable were the shots the director Michael Haneke used. Somehow he never shows the things the audience would expect to see. And then in other scenes he just keeps the camera on the actors way longer then what should be. This leads to a strange mixture of the characters’ struggle in the film and the actors’ struggle to keep going. There is one scene in which Naomi Watts is desperately trying to get to her feet even though her legs are tied together. There are no cuts or camera tricks, therefore the actress is actually in the same helpless situation as her film character. Very creepy. But well done.

The Forsyte Saga (Series Two)

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The story continues (See: The Forsyte Saga (Series One), May 26). Irene is now married to Jolyon Forsyte and they have a son, Jon. Soames Forsyte married a French woman with whom he has a daughter, Fleur.

After a brief meeting as children, Fleur and Jon meet again, by chance, as young adults. It is love at first sight (well, second, really). The gorgeous Fleur turns out to be very much like her father, head-strong and possessive. She decides they should keep their relationship a secret and that they should elope to Scotland.

When Irene and Soames find out about the love between their children, they do everything to prevent a relationship. Jolyon dies and everything changes. Jon sides with his mother, whereas Fleur wants to stick to the original plan.

It is really great to watch the second series, because you already know the characters and the story of their lives so well. Four heartbreaking episodes. If it is possible, the second series is even more beautiful than the first.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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One of my all-time favourite films! I just love everything about it: Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey, their characters, the feeling it creates, the soundtrack, New York, the whole thing. Sometimes I get the urge to watch it, like putting on a CD, just to feel the mood of the film.

Clementine is tired of her relationship with Joel and decides, as a lark, to have him erased from her memory. Lacuna Inc. provides this possibility. When Joel finds out, he wants to have the procedure done as well.

His memories of their lives together is a roller coaster of happiness and despair. I fell in love with both of them from the first time I watched it.

(Photos: Ness/ Montauk and Grand Central Station 2006, both places were used in the film)

Cassandra’s Dream

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Woody Allen’s new film. (His latest film, Vicky Christina Barcelona, was just shown at Cannes. It will take a while for it to come to the cinemas.) Cassandra’s Dream is the last film of a London trilogy. But I would place it right in the middle: not nearly as good as Match Point (which is fantastic), but definitely not as bad as Scoop (which is simply not good).

Two brothers, Ian and Terry (played by Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell), are having serious financial problems and turn to their rich uncle (the wonderful Tom Wilkinson) for support. He is more then willing to help the boys out: “Family is the most important thing in life,” he exclaims. There is just one small favour he needs in return. Uncle Howard wants the two to “get rid of” a business relation who is threatening to disclose facts that would mean ruination for him. How far would you go?

McGregor and Farrell really make the film. They are hysterically tragic. Two failures looking for a bit of happiness in this world. There is just no way not to love them.

(Photo: Ness/ London 2007)

Fatih Akin

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Im Juli (In July) and Gegen die Wand (Head-on), directed by Fatih Akin

Im Juli is a romantic road movie. Simple plot but interesting locations. The journey starts in Hamburg and ends in Istanbul. The absolute loser Daniel falls in love with a beautiful Turkish girl and follows her to Istanbul. In a car, lorry, ship, on foot, car again. Juli, who is in love with Daniel without telling him, travels with him. Of course in the end Daniel finds himself and his true love.

Somehow I felt that this film is missing a certain maturity. It is a bit clumsy, playing too much with extremes. E.g. at first Daniel is the most boring person anyone could meet and then he turns into a total hunk. There is no real sensitivity to the story or the characters.

Gegen die Wand is a lot more grown up. The story is more complex and cinematically it’s much better as well. Here the young Turkish girl Sibel does not want to live by her parents’ rules any longer. After a suicide attempt she meets Cahit Tomruk at the hospital and convinces him to marry her. She promises that their marriage will just be like being roommates. Being married means freedom for Sibel. Now she can go out and do whatever she likes to do, get a job, a tattoo and sleep around.

After a while Sibel and Cahit start to fall in love but neither of them knows how to approach the subject. At the climax of the film it all turns into a disaster. The ending is quite refreshing. Personally I much prefer this film to Im Juli. It is absolutely recommendable.

Fun Fact: Both films are partly shot in Hamburg. Mostly Altona. It is nice to see the city on the screen.

(Photos: flickr/ Straight No Chaser and Wasoxygen)

Sex and the City – The Film

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I couldn’t help but wonder, would they really be able to pull off a SATC film? Turns out, they would. And they did it well. It’s got all the drama, the labels, the sex and the city. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte have grown up over the past few years but stayed true to themselves. The story is no more or less believable than the series, great entertainment. If you are a fan, go and watch it!

And man, there is a lot of product placement. I’m sure girls all over the world will want iphones, Chanel bags and Prada shoes.

(Photo: Ness/ 5th Ave, NYC, 2006)