Another highlight at the St. Louis International Film Festival

by Pier Marton | Nov 9, 2010 | Asia, Care, Death, Eco, France, Human Rights, Ideas, Idées, Middle-East, Politics, Racism, Review, Site, STL, Travel

At the SLIFF – my short review:
WELCOME
Like all worthwhile duties, opening up to a stranger or a foreigner requires an effort. This French film embraces with a quiet passion the struggles of a renewed multi-ethnic Europe to come to terms with some of the changes. As alter-egos, boundaries and waves appear and disappear we, the audience, will be moved. As in all decent art, the important questions remain: in spite of all of the transitions, do we ever arrive – and will the laws change? –> A+
An interview with the director, Phillipe Loiret.
The Australian website for the film.

News & Olds

BREAK THE SURFACE
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To ride the unbalance* between:
1. excellence and a kind, singular and porous identity that contains some of the scruples, humor, humility, musicality & the beauty of a harsh and confusing, yet benign and rich reality – away from distractions.
2. the stupidity and blindness of complacency, violence, injustice, pretense, egos, short-term… wishful… and group “thinking,” and empty talk – in all of their surprising embodiments. And the false sense of fullness all of this provides.
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An appeal for a world NOT so caught up in anthropo/ego/euro/ethno/oculo/esthetico -CENTRISM.
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1. Beware of those who claim to be strong – they are often dangerous.
2. Unmask the hoax of “centrality” – ask an “EX-centric” for assistance?
3. Perceive the arrogance of normalcy: everybody, in one way or another, is handicapped… which brings us back to 1.
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*Not unrelated to “There is beauty and there are the humiliated. Whatever difficulties the enterprise may present, I should like never to be unfaithful either to the second or the first.” — Albert Camus