SLIFF BUZZ 2015: 3 GEMS

Three of my favorite films at the 24th Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival
TWO OUT OF THREE PLAY TODAY!

In Transit by Albert Maysles

Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8:15pm
In Transit
“… having a good look at the world…”
The last of the great direct cinema documentary filmmakers, the recently deceased Albert Maysles (Salesman, Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens, Running Fence…) leaves us with an allegory about our passage on earth. What we assumed would be just a generic cross-country train ride turns out to be an eloquent love letter to humanity.
With a rarely seen fragility and gentleness, this tour de force of a film allows us to sense how precious each life is. Each individual’s aspirations and vulnerability is magically brought to light: one of the most touching film experience at this festival!

The Fool by Yuri Bykov - here, Artyom Bystrov, the main protagonist.

The Fool by Yuri Bykov: Artyom Bystrov, the main protagonist.

Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 4:50pm
The Fool
Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place. Molière
Not unlike the recent Leviathan, this is another powerful film decrying Russia’s pervasive corruption. Here, as in a Dostoyevsky novel, the characters and the situations are so vibrant and rich that their inner moral dilemmas become our own struggle.
In the midst of the squalor of a small Russian town, through its understated acting and gritty realism, a suspense as worthy as that of a James Bond film, slowly but surely, takes shape.
How institutions and the self-serving individuals that populate them can hold onto their morally bankrupt power…
It is easy to extrapolate and look at the impending world-wide ecological disaster, but that’s only my own interpretation…
The indictment left me breathless..

Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra

Already played twice!
Embrace of the Serpent
The jungle is that thick environment where, with proper guidance life-giving/pharmaceutical treasures can be found. That part of the world, often referred to as “the lungs of the earth” is, due to industrial expansion, vanishing at an alarming rate – in the past 100 years we have destroyed 50% of our forests.
By following their actual diaries, this sumptuous and sensual film – some would call it an hallucinatory trip – pays tribute to two explorers and their guides as they venture into unknown regions of Colombia. One of the most astonishing and luminous film at the St. Louis International Film Festival!