by MALCOLM FRASER

Renaissance

This French science-fiction thriller is an animation tour-de-force. Director Christian Volckman, in his first feature outing, has developed a bold new aesthetic with motion capture technology, which digitizes the movements of live actors, building a strong base of realistic movement and expression, which he then tweaks to the limits of abstraction. Rendered in a world of stark black and white (with nary even a shade of grey), the result is often beautiful, sometimes dizzying, and makes Waking Life look like Rocket Robin Hood.

In the film’s Paris of 2054, the city is dominated by the Avalon corporation, who peddle anti-aging beauty products. Ilona (Romola Garai), a young scientist working for the company, is kidnapped while trying to track down a mysterious formula. Renegade cop Karas (Daniel Craig) is assigned to the case, and quickly gets drawn into a mystery involving rogue scientist Dr. Muller (Ian Holm), suspicious Avalon honcho Dellenbach (Jonathan Pryce) and Ilona’s sister Bislane (Catherine McCormack), who has seductive ways and divided loyalties. As Karas gets closer to finding Ilona, people involved in the case start turning up dead, and a host of sinister motives are uncovered.

The animation is so striking that it overwhelms a critical response to the film. Without it, the story might be a pretty standard dystopian sci-fi noir flick. The themes aren’t all that deep, and there’s a strong whiff of cliché to the characters, plot and dialogue. But the visual style has undeniable power; it’s worth seeing for its audacious originality alone.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

The latest from Chinese director Zhang Yimou is a complete 180 from the wild kung-fu action and grandiose visuals of his last two films, House of Flying Daggers and Hero. Instead, it’s a subdued human drama told at the unhurried pace of a classic arthouse film.

Takata (Ken Takakura) is a middle-aged Japanese fisherman who’s estranged from his dying son. In a last-ditch attempt at reconciliation, he goes to China to fulfill one of his son’s unfinished projects, videotaping a folk opera in a small village. The film’s title is that of the opera, but also doubles as a description of the plot as Takata travels far and wide, encountering many obstacles to his quest. The fact that his hapless translator Lingo (Qiu Lin) barely speaks any Japanese and that the local opera star is in jail don’t phase him, and he navigates the Chinese bureaucracy, the harsh rural landscape and the hordes of uncomprehending locals with equal determination. There’s a recurring theme of miscommunication; Takata frequently misses calls and misinterprets information, throwing the meaning of his journey into question.

Both extremely slow-paced and unabashedly sentimental, Riding Alone is certainly not for all tastes. But it’s full of beautiful moments: a prison band playing folk opera under a rotating disco ball, hundreds of villagers eating communally at a vast outdoor table and other subtly rendered tableaus. Takata’s weathered face captures all the turmoil of his repressed emotions, and Yimou crafts the story with great delicacy.

Renaissance and Riding Alone For Thousands
of Miles open this Friday, Oct. 13

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