SIFF ’14: The Voice Thief (short)

You could say it is another manifestation of the Malickian Phenomenon. After decades without a new film, Alejandro Jodorowsky has entered a period of unexpected productivity. With Jodorowsky’s Dune, Frank Pavich’s documentary examination of his ill-fated attempt to adapt the science fiction classic, still fresh in theaters, Jodorwosky’s long awaited chronicle of his formative years is finally due to open in New York this coming Friday. Yet, the most Jodorowskian film of all might be his son Adan’s new short film, based on a story by the old man himself. Expect impassioned strangeness when Jodorowsky’s The Voice Thief (trailer here) screens at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival.

It is hard to be married to a diva, but Noev is utterly devoted to Naya. Unfortunately, she is no Maria Callas. When a particularly nasty review sparks a spat the long submissive Noev finally snaps. His brief choke hold will have dire consequences: the loss of her voice. Desperate to make amends, he heads off into the night with his trusty bell jar to steal her a new one. He picks some odd targets though. This will become rather vexing when Naya takes on the traits of her purloined voices’ original owners.

So if you are looking for a film in which a transvestite midget prostitute plays an important role, the Jodorowsky family is here to serve. It is indeed a family affair, with brother Cristobal (a.k.a. Axel) appearing as Noev. Although Adan has previously been better known as a musician, as a filmmaker, he is clearly a chip off the trippy block. With its lush and bizarre sets and costumes, as well as the deliberately discomfiting aria, Thief often resembles the Third Element’s freaky cousin.

For some reason, Thief is often classified under the experimental rubric, but it follows a pretty well defined narrative path—whereas visually, it is totally out there. The attention dedicated to human weakness and perversity gets a bit tiresome even during its twenty-six minute running time (but just wait for The Dance of Reality). Still, Thief also boasts Asia Argento as Naya, so every cult film aficionado should have some familiarity with it. After all, it is destined to be revived for every Jodorowosky retrospective, because he just does not have that many films to program and one of them is Tusk.

Technically, Thief is a heck of a short. Cinematographer Alexis Zabe makes the rich colors look truly decadent, bordering on the outright lurid. Costume designer Aymeric Bergada du Cadet and art director Julien Richard also contribute some madly inspired work. The dark vibe is not a problem, but it just feels a bit soulsick once it gets where it is going. Regardless, it is the sort of surreal, defiantly phantasmic outing Jodorowsky loyalists will appreciate. Recommended for the fanbase and those who appreciate cinema’s design artisans, The Voice Thief screens next Sunday (5/25) as part of the WTF! 2014 short film block at this year’s SIFF.

SIFF ’14: Hard to be a God

There is a Prime Directive applied to earthlings on this foreign world, but it is much less rigid than the version in Star Trek. Killing the locals is strictly prohibited, but a little gentle development guidance is encouraged. Unfortunately, the home-worlders have collectively turned their backs on intellectual enlightenment in the late Aleksey Yuryevich German’s science fiction-in-name-only magnum opus, Hard to be a God (trailer here), which screens during the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival.

You should really fortify yourself for this one. Over a decade in the making, including some six years of principle shooting, German’s adaptation of the Strugatsky Brothers’ novel is not for the faint of heart or the short of attention span. Since Stalker was also based on a Strugatsky novel, Tarkovsky is often suggested as a comparison, but the dream-like vibe and highly composed black-and-white visuals are also somewhat to Guy Maddin at his most self-indulgent.

Let’s be clear. If you require a strong narrative through-line then stop right here. Throughout Hard German is far more interested in setting the scene and rubbing our noses in it than telling us what happens next. In the future, supposedly intelligent humanoid life is discovered on the planet Arkanar. Yet, just when its Renaissance period should have started, the state initiated a campaign against so-called “wise-guys.” Secretly integrating themselves into society as powerful noblemen, thirty scientists try to do what they can to protect the beleaguered intellectual class against the forces of the “Greys,” but Arkanar just does not want to be helped.

German focuses on Don Rumata, a rather rakish Earthling in disguise, as he ostensibly seeks out the hunted Dr. Budakh. However, he spends an awful lot of time farting around with his servants. From time to time, he will also do a solid for the Falstaffian Baron Pampa, while sparring with the Greys. Frankly, this probably makes Hard sound more plotty than it really is. Think large, festering set pieces rather than fights and chases.

Hard clocks in just under the three hour mark and German makes the audience feel the passing of each and every minute. He also supplies several years’ worth of the hardiest moviegoer’s cinematic quota for pee, poop, and snot. His vision (completed by his filmmaker son Aleksey Jr. and co-screenwriter wife Svetlana Karmalita) allows us no illusions regarding just what the Dark Ages entailed.

Nevertheless, cinematographers Vladimir Ilyin and Yuri Klimenko make it all look absolutely breathtaking, often in the manner of a Brueghel painting. (Ironically though, Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross, an attempt to render a Brueghel canvas on film is somehow less static and more accessible than German’s world-building.) Yet, somehow lead actor Leonid Yarmolnik never wilts under the exhausting force of German’s mise-en-scéne. As Rumata, he is unflaggingly intense and roguishly charismatic, even when literally wallowing in the muck and mire.

This is an unusually redolent film. At times, you can practically smell the mud—at least we’ll call it mud for now. On the other hand, if you are waiting for a rocket ship or a ray gun then good luck to you. Although German passed away in early 2013, it is rather eerie watching Hard at a time when Putin also seems to be choosing militarism and barbarism. Indeed, the linkage between ignorance and state power is intentional and directly informed by the Soviet experience, but viewers still have to dig for it. Ultimately, Hard to be a God is a fascinating and often punishing film to experience. Recommended for those who want to be able to say they have seen it for themselves, it screens tomorrow (5/16), this Saturday (5/17) and the following Saturday (5/24) during this year’s SIFF.

SFIFF ’14: Miss Zombie

Could you ever fall in love with a zombie? Don’t answer too quickly. The point at which humanity ends is open to debate in Sabu’s intimately stripped down Miss Zombie (trailer here), which screens during the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival.

In the very near future, zombies are a fact of life, but Dr. Teramoto is still rather surprised when an old colleague ships him one for safe-keeping. As long as they do not feed Shara meat, she should remain docile, but her instructions come with a handy pistol, just in case (hello Chekhov). In spite of the neighbors’ protests, Shara soon settles into a Sisyphean existence scrubbing the Teramotos’ flagstone veranda.

However, Shara seems to inspire very human-like responses from those around her. Teramoto’s wife Shizuko feels pity for her, while their son Kenichi is fascinated by her mysterious presence. Unfortunately, the doctor’s lecherous groundskeepers act on their vilest impulses towards her, with his silent acquiescence. When tragedy unexpectedly strikes, Shara’s relationship with the family will become far more complex.

Miss Zombie has the general sensibilities of the zombie film Joseph Losey never made. To a large extent, the human exploitation of zombies represents more conventional class and gender conflicts (which are present too, barely contained beneath the film’s surface). It also directly explores notions of human sentiency, hinting at lingering sense memories from Shara’s previous life.

Without question, Ayaka Komatsu gives the finest zombie performance probably ever. She is the film’s lynchpin, anchor, and all-around MVP. Watching her so subtly yet so vividly project her stirrings of memory and consciousness is absolutely heartbreaking. Bub from Day of the Dead simply cannot hold a candle to her. She also gets some key support from Makoto Togashi and young Riku Onishi, as Shizuko and Kenichi Teramoto, who figure prominently in the emotionally heavy third act.

Fortunately, Sabu’s relatively simple but deep-as-the-ocean story is worthy of her efforts. For a genre film, Miss Zombie packs a shocking wallop of a punch. Daisuke Sôma’s mostly black-and-white cinematography is also unusually stylish, conveying a vibe that is part old school Romero and part Cassavetes.

With Miss Zombie, Sabu really raises the stakes for zombie films. The same old shuffling hordes simply will not cut it anymore. It ranks alongside the original Night of the Living Dead, but takes viewers to a very different place. Highly recommended for genre fans and those who appreciate social allegories of any stripe, Miss Zombie screens Friday (5/16), Saturday (5/24) and Sunday (5/25) during this year’s Seattle International Film Festival.