Battle in Heaven, a Mexican film by Reygadas about a man who, with his wife, kidnaps a baby. The baby dies and he confides in a Generals daughter, whom he knows works as a whore in a brothel. This information leads to a bizarre psycho sexual dynamic between the man and the girl.
I enjoyed the film. It was a film that works on the intellect. I had little emotional involvement which, at face value is negative, but I feel that films can work to involve us in two primary ways. Emotionally and intellectually. This was decidedly in the later category.
With a measured, beautiful shooting style and a expert eye for composition, we are guided into Mexico City by one of the working class and the city seems like any city. The movie is shot in a manner that distances us from the people. The film is famous for having scenes of actual "hardcore" sex. The scenes are not titillating, however, and fit perfectly into the film. It is also good to see a film where the lead is not an attractive person. It added to the realism of a film that had little.
I gave it 4 stars, mainly due to how my mind goes back to it well after I watched it.
Next was Sherry Baby. Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as a former drug addict and mother, just released from prison and trying to find her way in the world, this was a 3 star film for me. Perhaps it will jump up to 4, where I initially thought I would rate it, as I think more about it.
Gyllenhaal gives an important and believable performance, anchoring the film. This film is what is right about independent film; stories that need to be told in a manner that doesn't insult the intelligence of it's audience. There is a sense that things are going to go wrong. This has the opposite effect of Battle in Heaven, making Sherry Baby one of the most emotional films I saw that was released in 2006.
Motel, an independent movie about a Chinese thirteen year old who lives with a cast of colorful (not really) characters that include a borderline fascist mother and a drunken, whore monger, Korean lodger. It was interesting at parts and funny at other parts. All told it wasn't that good of a film. The poster/dvd box was better than the film.
There are some parts that ring with the truth of adolescence and the pain that comes with being 13. However the film was uneven and felt more like a series of short films tied together with a thin premise. Performances were weak. Visually the cast was perfect but it didn't translate into a compelling story.
I give it two stars but it is very close to being 3. I looked at the movies that were similar to it and that I had rated 3 stars and Motel didn't measure up.
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