CUFF ’13: A Grand Canal

A sailor is never particularly comfortable on land, even under the best circumstances. As a result, they are decidedly unsuited to dealing with system-rigging gangsters, or at least such was the case for one boy's father in the hybrid short film A Grand Canal (trailer here), which screens during the 2013 Columbia University Film Festival, an annual showcase for Columbia MFA students’ thesis films and screenplays.

The narrator tells us his father resembled and sounded like Chinese pop singer Liu Huan.  Singing Liu’s signature tunes was one of the captain’s few pleasures that did not involve navigating the rivers and canals near their provincial port town.  Largely an absentee father, his young son still idolizes him.  Unfortunately, when the local “boss” refuses to pay an invoice, it jeopardizes his father’s small fleet.

One of the biggest surprises of Canal is the way it becomes a meditation on the healing potential of art (especially cinema). Ma frequently upends audience expectations, playing ironic games with the flashback structure.  Yet, it never feels showy or excessively hipsterish.  In fact, it is quite touching, in good measure due to a remarkable lead performance from Mei Song Shun, who delivers dignity and gravitas in spades.  He can also sing.

Although Canal is set some twenty or so years in the past, its story remains quite timely as China struggles with increasingly predatory manifestations of crony-capitalism (within an avowed socialist system, which is quite the trick).  It is quite an impressive looking production and a completely absorbing film.  Highly recommended, A Grand Canal will doubtlessly intrigue China watchers but also resonate as a paternal drama.  It screens tomorrow (5/4) at the Walter Reade Theater as part of Program C at this year’s Columbia University Film Festival.  Southern Californians should also note details on the 2013 Los Angeles edition of the fest will be announced shortly.

CUFF ’13: When Sunny Gets Blue

Musicians are like athletes.  An injury can potentially end a brilliant career.  Like Evan Horne, the protagonist of Bill Moody’s jazz mysteries, Jonathan Clay is a pianist struggling with injured hands, who suddenly finds himself involved with the criminal element in Oded Naaman’s When Sunny Gets Blue (trailer here), which screens in New York as part of the 2013 Columbia University Film Festival, an annual showcase for Columbia MFA students’ thesis films and screenplays.

Clay is not a good patient.  Suffering from acute carpal tunnel syndrome, he is frustrated by the slow rehabilitation process.  In fact, he has given up on physical therapy. When he returns from a session of self-pitying and boozing, he is surprised to find a woman in his apartment.  She is there to warn him about the thugs who show up shortly thereafter. 

Yes, her name is Sunny, as in the title Jack Segal & Martin Fisher standard that seems to have great meaning for Clay.  It is a good one, recorded by the likes of Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughan, and Nat King Cole, but it is not exactly overplayed and fits the vibe of Naaman’s film quite well.  (The credits inspired by Blue Note Records graphic designer Reid Miles are also a nice touch.)

Indeed, Sunny has a hip sensibility that should please jazz fans.  In a strange way it manages to be both ambiguous and completely satisfying.  Naaman deftly establishes a distinctive mood that is too light-hearted to be called noir, but too dark to be considered anything else.  It certainly fits the jazz life, as does Jonathan Monro’s standout performance.  He gets a convincing case of the blues, yet remains sincere and grounded, even when doing some odd things.  As someone who knows a lot of musicians, his performance always feels right to me.

A great short film, the nineteen minute When Sunny Gets Blues is an Indiewire Project of the Week that actually panned out.  It should serve as quite a positive representative for Columbia as it gets festival play.  Highly recommended for jazz fans and film programmers, When Sunny Gets Blue screens this Saturday (5/4) as part of the Columbia Film Festival’s Program D at the Walter Reade Theater.