Fantastic Fest ’14: Jacky in the Kingdom of Women

Islamist apologists always assure us that Muslim women feel more comfortable and empowered in restrictive clothes. Here’s their chance to try the burqa on for size. It the backward fictional nation of Bubunne, women have all legal authority and subjugate their uneducated men like chattel. One sad sack man-victim harbors a deep crush on the supreme leader’s heir apparent-daughter, but he has lost his ticket to the grand ball in Riad Sattouf’s satirical Cinderella-riff, Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (trailer here), which screens during the 2014 Fantastic Fest.

As a male “pleb,” Jacky is about as low as it gets in Bubunne, but women find him attractive (there’s no accounting for taste in this militarist theocracy), so he has always hoped General Bubunne XVI’s daughter, logically known as The Colonel, would choose him to be her “Big Dummy.” Unfortunately, when Jacky’s mother dies, his mean aunt and uncle give his ticket to the cattle-call ball to his ugly cousin. Yet, through a series of misadventures, Jacky will somehow gatecrash the soiree, disguised as a woman, Twelfth Night style.

Although the official religion of Bubunne venerates horses instead of a prophet, it is not hard to see what it is based on. Given the chadors worn by men, the frequent denunciations of blasphemy, public executions, and rampant sexism and homophobia, if you cannot recognize Bubunne as an analog for the Islamist regimes, you are willfully blind enough to work children’s protective services in Rotherham.

It is therefore little exaggeration to describe Sattouf’s screenplay as extraordinarily bold, but Twenty-First Century viewers might wish his satire came with more jokes. However, the audience that could probably stand to gain the most from seeing the gender tables turned is not exactly known for its collective funny bone. Subtlety can also be an iffy proposition, but Kingdom’s depiction of religiously justified oppression should be in-your-face enough to register some kind of response (like a fatwa).

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s performance as the Colonel is also rather brave, for a host of reasons that would be spoilery to explain. It is safe to say she is a good sport, whose mysterious screen presence perfectly suits the film. However, Vincent Lacoste’s Jacky is so passive and pathetic, viewers will want to bully him along with the rest of the film’s villains. At least Michel Hazanavicius brings some redemptive verve as Julin, an underground propagandist who was close friends with Jacky’s late father. Anémone (co-star of the beloved holiday classic, Santa Stinks) also shows a flair for physical humor as the miserable old General.

Kingdom earns considerable points for satirizing subjects that consider themselves off limits to such treatment, but the characters and narrative never really engage on an emotional level. Still, when it is funny, the jokes also land with a sting. Recommended on balance for free-thinkers, Jacky in the Kingdom of Women screens again this coming Monday (9/22) as part of this year’s Fantastic Fest. 

Fantastic Fest ’14: Norway

Zano is the worst sort of over the hill hipster. He is a vampire. Technically, he is not getting any older, but he is still not maturing much either. Yet, he somehow comes across rather world weary and sad. Much to his own surprise, Zano will learn even he has an ethical line he will not cross in Yannis Veslemes’ feverishly odd Norway (trailer here), which screens sometime during the 2014 Fantastic Festival.

It is 1984 and disco still rules Athens’ nightclubs. Zano has come for some hedonism, but he cannot connect with the mortician friend who is supposed to be his host. Making his way to a low-rent discotheque, Zano drinks, dances, and strikes out with live-bodied women he puts the moves on. In the process, he crosses paths with a former actor-turned gangster and a fellow vampire who looks even sicklier than he does. However, things really get complicated when he meets Alice, an earthly party girl, who is also a bit of a predator herself.

Frankly, they have a rather awkward introduction, considering the way Zano chomps down on the neck of her Norwegian drug dealer, Peter. Yet, somehow they both go off into the night together, pulling along the zombie-like Peter as he undergoes the undead transformation. It seems Zano will eventually get what he wants from Alice, but he suspects she might be have a secret agenda, which of course she does.

It is hard to believe Norway and popular franchises like Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries share any sort of kinship, despite their common ostensible subject of vampires. From the trance-inducing music to the hazy ultra-1980s cinematography, Norway is more of a contact-buzz than a proper horror film. There is no denying the stylishness of Veslemes’ approach, particularly his undisguised use of model trains during Zano’s travel sequences. Cinematography Christos Karamanis gives it all an unusually striking look that evokes classic film noir and vintage comic art.

Yet, probably Veslemes’ most bizarre ingredient is the scruffy hound dog Vangelis Mourikis, head-bobbing his way through the film as Zano. Somehow Mourikis and Veslemes successfully walk a fine line, making their protagonist vampire a total loon, but not so far out there we can’t relate to him on some hard to define level.

This is the sort of film that will have you thinking to yourself “this is so weird” from start to finish. Arguably, the plot is not so over-the-top when compared to other genre films (although it takes a seriously outrageous turn), but it is just executed in such a distinctively whacked-out (but mostly accessible) manner. In fact, the vibe is so overpowering, viewers might not fully realize how strangely good Mourikis is. Highly recommended for adventurous genre fans, Norway will screen sometime during this year’s Fantastic Fest, running through this coming Thursday (9/25) in Austin, Texas.

Fantastic Fest ’14: Tombville

If John-Paul Sartre rewrote Hostel, you sure wouldn’t want to be a character in it. Poor hapless David pretty much finds himself in that position. The horror is menacing and downright existential in Nikolas List’s Tombville (trailer here), which screens sometime during the 2014 Fantastic Fest (where they don’t trouble themselves over bourgeoisie things like schedules).

Waking up barefoot with no memory, David is essentially trapped in a strange town, where the sun never shines. After a few vaguely hostile encounters, a cryptic figure reveals to the twentysomething he will only be allowed to leave when he figures out why he is there in the first place. In between harrowing encounters, including one rather uncomfortable interrogation session, David starts searching his reawakened childhood memories for clues. Needless to say, there are usually very good reasons why the mind represses some incidents, but he seems to be on the right track when he discovers artifacts from his past in this eerie town.

Working with the barest of sets, List creates the most sinister mood and environment you will see on film in a month of Black Sabbaths. It is not a gore-fest or torture porn, but Tombville is still decidedly not for the fate of heart. We are talking dark here, in every sense.

Frankly, this is more of a sizzle-reel for what List and cinematographer Camille Langlois can do with a camera and a flashlight than an actor’s showcase. Still, Pierre Lognay certainly looks convincingly terrified and much abused as David. Frequent French screen heavy Eric Godon also makes a chilling villain, but it would be spoilery to explain how so.

Even though List has a somewhat experimental aesthetic and incorporates elements borrowed from westerns and psychological thrillers like Spellbound, Tombville is absolutely, positively horror. It runs less than seventy minutes, but it would be difficult to maintain such a malevolent vibe much longer. It is impressive work, recommended for hearty genre fans (instead of casual midnight movie dilettantes). It screens sometime over the coming week (9/18-9/25), when this year’s Fantastic Fest commences in Austin, Texas.