TUK to screen European cinema

TUK to screen European cinema

Mandy Marahimin, Contributor, Jakarta

Each year, more than 100 films are given an award.

However, only a few awards are considered highly credible or
prestigious. Each of these represents a particular viewpoint --
and this is what usually makes each interesting.

However, in the last few years we have witnessed how these
awards have somehow moved toward the same objective and adapted
to the same "taste" in assessing movies.

We see increasing similarities between selections, which takes
all the fun out of guessing what film will win what category.

Thankfully, in Dec. 2004, the European Film Awards gave some
alternative films the attention they deserved. The audacious
choices of the European Film Award jury will make you raise your
eyebrows, not just for the style of the filmmaking or
storytelling, but more for the societal issues the films convey.

These are the films that Teater Utan Kayu (TUK), will screen
this weekend, and you shouldn't miss them.

Fair warning should be given, though: some of these films may
not suit your personal or moral taste, but they are still
interesting to watch.

A discussion with screenwriter Prima Rusdi is scheduled on
Sunday, Feb. 20, at 5 p.m., and will discuss the bold issues
today's European filmmakers have raised via their films.

Gegen die Wand (Fatih Akin, Germany)

Fatih Akin is considered the latest genius in German cinema,
and this film will show you why, without doubt. It captures the
fatalistic life of two Turkish immigrants in Germany.

They meet by chance and impulsively decide to get married
because they think it will be their ticket to freedom.

Later on, they find out that it only traps them in a vicious
circle from which they cannot escape.

It was declared Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival, and
became the first German Film to get an award for 18 years. This
is also the film that received the nod for Best Picture at the
2004 European Film Awards.

(Screens on Friday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.)

The Sea Inside (Alejandro Amenabar, Spain)

An inspiring story that tells of the bravery of one man who
fought for the right to choose his own death. It is based on the
life of Ramon Sampedro, and discusses the highly sensitive issue
of euthanasia.

It's a cry reaching out for human compassion, to understand
other people's emotions, and it forces us to contemplate the
meaning of the word, "life".

Amenabar previously directed Open Your Eyes (the original
version of Hollywood's Vanilla Sky) and The Others. In The Sea
Inside, he didn't only direct it, but also coproduced, cowrote
and edited it, and composed the music score.

(Screens on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m.)

Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, UK)

Made by a veteran director with a reputation for
improvisation, Vera Drake is a film that raises the delicate
issue of abortion.

The eponymous character is an elderly woman who is cheerful
and always helpful. It just happens that she helps a lot of women
to abort their unborn fetuses.

The film certainly poses complex questions and portrays the
ambiguities in the subject matter it presents, especially for
prolife supporters.

But what will shock you most is its honesty. During the making
of the film, none of the actors (except for Imelda Staunton, who
plays Vera Drake) knew that the film was about abortion until
their characters found out.

(Screens on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m.)

A Hole in My Heart (Lukas Moodysson, Sweden)

This will be particularly hard to digest. It tells a story of
a relationship between a father, his son, his friend and a woman.

In the film, these four people are in one house together.
Three of them are making a cheap porn film, while one (the son)
stays in his own room, philosophizing about life.

It's a very shocking (if not disappointing) attempt from
Moodysson, whose last films included the tragic Lilya-4-Ever, the
warm hearted Together, and the smart F**king Amal.

(Screens on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.)

5 X 2 (Francois Ozon, France)

This film consists of five segments, each of which shows a
phase of a relationship between a man and a woman. It's the same
old story, but it's told backwards.

This approach has been used before in Memento and
Irreversible, but it is a very effective device to make us aware
of the small loopholes in every relationship that might not be as
clear if it were told in a usual chronological form.

Although avid Ozon fans have dubbed this film the most un-Ozon
film to date, it still bear traces of the director's cinematic
hallmarks.

(Screens on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m.)

Bad Education (Pedro Almodovar, Spain)

This is not filled with Almodovar's usual comical flair, but
may be his most personal film yet. Instead of showing us the
bitter reality of outcasts in society (as he usually does in his
previous films), the story feels more like a folktale your
parents wouldn't tell you.

The film tells the story of two boys abused by their priest
and schoolteacher. As the story evolves, we discover the real
background behind each character.

Unlike Almodovar's other films, Bad Education doesn't make you
feel sympathetic about the extreme characters, but it still gives
you that raw feeling you would get from all his films.

Just because it is made by Almodovar is enough reason to see
this film.

(Screens on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m.)

TUK is at Jl. Uta Kayu 68, East Jakarta