The word on the World

>> Montreal's biggest--if not best--film festival turns 25

by MATTHEW HAYS

So this is the landmark we're all supposed to celebrate. Serge Losique's own private fest, The World, is turning a quarter century old. Truly bitter critics might say it was DOA on its own birthday, but seeing as the mood is supposed to be celebratory, let's just say it's in an ambulance.

Yep, we're beating that old dead horse again (forgive the non-PETA-friendly imagery). But how can we not? Arts journalists and film critics, ethically, really should speak out when things smell bad, and this fest, more often than not, does.

Losique, as usual, is simply not granting interviews (at least not to anyone who might have a critical thought in their head). And again, he and his cronies are hiding behind the rather pathetic smokescreen saying that the Toronto event is about nothing but Hollywood, while the World is truly international. Come on, guys, you're going to have to do better than that. Anyone who's gone to the T.O. Fest will tell you: it's very international, with tons of subtitled movies from all over the world. It's also got the best selection of home-grown movies, with Quebec's own filmmaking community flocking there. It's also an expertly curated event, with thoughtful, intelligent and novel programming. Being a public institution, it's also accountable. If there are questionable practices on the part of the organizers, they must answer for it--unlike our ringmaster. These are not good signs for the home team.

Thus the World seems rather sad, less a shadow of its former self than a bundle of missed opportunities. Who, after all, would rather visit Toronto than Montreal? We had a world-class opportunity to host the biggest, brightest and best film fest on the planet, and we blew it. We could have been a contender. Blind government and corporate sponsorship of this event, despite the seemingly endless justifiable criticism, hasn't helped.

Losique has become the out-of-touch autocrat of the film fest world, a celluloid tin-pot dictator: clinging to past achievements, some real but most imagined, while ignoring any constructive criticism that comes his way, he seems almost oblivious to the sinking island he's on.

So happy birthday, World Fest. Despite all the bitching and griping by the local film community and by media types and film critics--who generally agree the entire affair is a mess--the public still attend in droves (but I suspect those attendance figures are spiked, big time). With well over 200 features in the event, there are, indeed, some films well worth catching. Here are some of our picks, pans and previews. Good luck wading through all the mediocrity in an effort to find the gems. They do exist, just not as in as great a proportion as they should.

Domestic bliss

A true gem has arrived at the fest this year from Brazil. Maids is a funny and lively comedy about a gaggle of struggling domestic workers based in Sao Paulo. Directors Fernando Meirelles and Nando Olival exhibit a good deal of confidence here; their actors shine as a group of hardworking, not-always-so-lucky women, trying to make do with their thankless, wildly underpaying jobs. The film shifts gears constantly, and the colourful mélange of well-drawn characters make for a fascinating 90-odd minutes. Also playing as part of the section dedicated to Latin American Cinema will be The Pinochet Case (El Caso Pinochet), Patricio Guzman's feature-length documentary exploring the intricacies of the case which lead to the former Chilean leader being arrested in Britain after being treated there with surgery for back pain. Guzman examines Pinochet's links to Chilean state terrorism and torture and to the debate that swirled around his arrest in Britain.

Leave it to the Aussies to make such a striking film about alcoholics. Alkinos Tsilimidos's Silent Partner is based on the novel by Daniel Keene, and tells a simple but stirring story about two hapless drunks (played brilliantly by David Field and Syd Brisbane) who pin all their hopes on a greyhound they dope up to be their winner in a dog race. It's gruelling and unblinking--like many of the best and most profound films about boozing and the grittier side of life. You'll emerge saddened by this film, but also deeply affected. Family life is given a unique twist in the Italian Ignorant Fairies. After her husband dies in a car crash, Antonia is devastated. She soon learns he was having a long time affair with another woman. But an investigation reveals that the other woman is in fact the other man, and that her husband was a raging bisexual. Antonia must then come to terms with her husband's parallel life.

Everybody dance

Those who love Indian musicals as much as I do will have their appetites sated with Waves, Mani Ratnam's romance about a passionate young couple who are forced to marry secretly because of disapproving parents. When the bride's parents later attempt to arrange a marriage for her, they're forced to share the truth and let their families know that they're already wed. Ratnam shoots his dreamy musical numbers in rich, saturated colours, with his actors executing a strange choreography that looks more like cheerleading rather than dancing. Still, it's good fun, with traditional dance moves we expect from Bollywood-style musicals replaced with numbers that capture the shampoo-commercial aesthetic perfectly. Or there's Disco Pigs--a film that should sell on its title alone--a bizarre Irish entry about two young tykes who are madly in love, named "Pig" and "Runt." The film has been earning winning reviews in Europe for its first-time director, Kirsten Sheridan.

American indies

Larry Clark, the American photographer whose Kids shocked audiences in '95, returns to dark teen territory with Bully, based on the novel by James W. Schutze. Clark again depicts the nihilism found among a group of adolescents as they coast through their amoral lives. Nick Stahl, Rachel Miner and Brad Renfro star. Though I haven't yet seen the film, it's on my must-see list, as it's already earned the praise of a number of prominent U.S. film critics, who've declared it the brightest bit of bleak chic in years. Billy Bob Thornton has generated a great deal of buzz with his latest, an oddball comedy by the name of Daddy & Them which boasts one of the oddest casts in years. The film concerns the plight of a family who are forced to reunite in order to bust their uncle out of jail. How's this list for a mindfuck cast: Thornton is joined by Laura Dern, Brenda Blethyn, Andy Griffith, Kelly Preston, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Affleck and the late great Jim Varney.

CanCon redux

Bob Clark (the man behind Porky's, one of the most successful Canuck films of all time) directs a heartfelt adolescent romance called Now & Forever. It's about two youths and the evolution of their relationship as they grow into adults. This one's a winner for its cast alone, as hottie Adam Beach and Mia Kirshner play the leads (Theresa Russell and Callum Keith Rennie co-star). In the experimental vein, B.C. multimedia artist Gordon Halloran will be presenting his feature debut, Singing the Bones. The film is a surreal exploration of the lives of three women, a midwife, a mother and an obstetrician, whose lives collide on the night of a childbirth. As well, look for Concordia film school grad Lisa Fitzgibbons, whose latest, après..., premieres at this year's fest. The film involves a family coming to terms with the fact that their late father's death was in fact a suicide.

The return of sex

Those who enjoyed Romance two years ago at the World will want to catch French auteur Catherine Breillat's latest film, À Ma Soeur! (Fat Girl). Romance, of course, became famous for its graphic sex scenes and for Breillat's casting calls (which included Italian porn legend Rocco Siffredi). In this film, the director grapples with female body image, as an overweight young girl deals with her overbearing, slimmer sister. This is one of the most anticipated films of the year, due in large part to the considerable reputation Breillat has secured for herself as France's bad-girl director.

Running out of Worldly headlines

by MATTHEW HAYS

Yep, every year we Mirror types have been handed a unique and virtually impossible challenge. No, not getting out of bed in the morning! Every August we must come up with cutesy, funny, witty, ingenious and/or lively headlines with the word World in them. Here is a sampling of some of our best (and worst) from years past:

What in the World

World beat

The Trouble with the World

Around the World in ten days

Solving the World's problems

How Worldly

World of wonder

A World of possibilities on celluloid

What, me Worldly?

(Actually, I made that last one up just now.)