British film festival a refreshing change

By Joko E.H. Anwar

JAKARTA (JP): If you have already seen two great British films which are currently being shown in theaters here, Billy Elliot and Snatch, and are hungry for more British entries, there is good news.

The Telkomsel British Film Festival 2001 opens on Friday in Jakarta with Love's Labour's Lost and runs until April 15.

The films are a welcome diversion from the formulaic Hollywood vehicles usually served up in local theaters. And for the next 10 days you will not have to head over to the VCD haven of Glodok for those grainy, hard-on-the-eyes pirated copies of alternative movies.

After you have seen some of the festival's movies, you will find yourself muttering, "If only it was always this way ..."

The event, organized by The British Council, features 10 feature films which will be shown at Djakarta Theater, Haji Usmar Ismail Film Center (PPHUI) as well as Pondok Indah 21 and Lippo Karawaci 21.

One short film will also be shown in every screening of the feature films, except at PPHUI. The festival will also be held in Bandung and Surabaya.

Although some of the films -- Cotton Mary,The Princess and the Goblin, Tube Tales -- are relatively weak choices, the rest are movies to be savored. They include Sundance Film Festival entry New Year's Day, an interesting story of two 17-year-old boys who decide to kill themselves on the next New Year's Day but first set out to realize their friends' dreams. They rob a bank, beat up a policeman, burn down their school, just to name a few of their activities.

And soccer fans will get a kick from Moving the Goalposts, an anthological film telling the stories of people who are crazy about the sport and how their love for the game greatly affects their lives.

Here are the other picks from the festival.

Trainspotting: The ultra-cool dope saga which shook up the film industry and moviegoers around the world upon its release in 1996.

Many youngsters here wear T-shirts bearing the film's title just to be considered cool, regardless of whether they have actually seen it. Danny Boyle directed this movie after he made the critically acclaimed, hip psychological drama Shallow Grave about friendship, betrayal, madness and mutilated bodies.

Trainspotting serves film audiences as justly as Hunter S. Thompson's drug opus Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas does for readers. The film has gained a cult status as towering as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.

It tells the story of narc junkie Renton -- a role which launched Ewan McGregor's career -- and several assorted characters he calls friends who do not give a damn about what they are supposed to do with their lives.

"Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future ... But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?"

That is Renton's opening narration in the movie when he is being chased by the police after shoplifting for his heroin addiction.

The film does a great job of introducing the character, which seems to have inspired some young film-director-wannabes here to copy it for their sophomoric efforts.

Beware, however, because although the film is a masterpiece, it is not to everyone's taste as it explores the sometimes comic, sometimes harrying realities of addiction.

(Djakarta Theater: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 7; 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10; 5:45 p.m. Thursday, April 12; 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., Friday, April 13). (Lippo 21: 4:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., Saturday, April 14). (Pondok Indah Mall: 4:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., Sunday, April 8; 2 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., Sunday, April 15).

The Full Monty: Another must-see winning comedy, which is set in the onetime city of steel, Sheffield, England.

The industry is in a slump, forcing many steel-mill workers out of a job.

Gaz (Robert Carlyle) is a divorced man trying to support his son and maintain his self-respect. Inspired by a Chippendales- like revue which is a hit among local women, Gaz may have found a way to get out of the cursed state of unemployment.

He starts to gather more of his friends to join him. Well, he does eventually succeed in getting them together, but soon learns that they have bigger problems than they think.

The guys cannot dance and are no hunks. But they spread the word they will do the "full monty", British slang for getting totally naked -- even though they doubt they can deliver.

(Djakarta Theater: 5:45 p.m. and 10 p.m., Saturday, April 7; 5:45 p.m, Tuesday, April 10; 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 11; 8 p.m., Friday, April 13). (Lippo 21: 6:30 p.m., Sunday, April 8; 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, April 15). (Pondok Indah Mall: 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 14).

Notting Hill: An endearing romantic comedy starring America's sweetheart Julia Roberts as a world famous star who walks into the life of a bookshop owner (Hugh Grant).

The film is an enchanting, intimate, heart-warming movie, thanks to good performances from the entire cast, including a group of British actors you will recognize from other movies (Four Weddings and a Funeral) but may not know their names.

There is also a surprising chemistry between the two stars, with much made of the quirky differences between the English and American "characters".

(Djakarta Theater: 8 p.m., Sunday, April 8; 10 p.m., Tuesday, April 10; 8 p.m., Saturday, April 14; 3 p.m., Sunday, April 15). (Lippo 21: 2 p.m., Friday, April 13). (Pondok Indah Mall: 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 7).

Love's Labour's Lost: Devotees of the Bard will want to see Kenneth Branagh's version of the comic romp, transformed into a 1930s musical.

The King of Navarre (Nivola) and three of his companions make a public oath to stay away from women for three years.

It is not too long before the Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) arrives with her three attractive companions.

Soon their commitment is put to the test as the guys fall in love at first sight.

There are several good dance numbers, but the film, which generally did not receive good reviews from critics, is marred by Hollywood-like production numbers.

(Djakarta Theater: 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 6: 3 p.m., Sunday, April 8; 10 p.m., Thursday, April 12; 5:45 p.m., Friday, April 13.). (Lippo 21: 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 14). (Pondok Indah Mall: 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 7; 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Sunday, April 15).

Full listings for the film festival, including showings in Bandung and Surabaya, are available on www.britishcouncil.or.id.