Saving the world one film at a time: The True Cost & Co

You might wonder why, oh, why I am not posting films I love so often any more. Is it because I'm not watching any? Is it because I don't have the time to talk about them? And if the answer for the above is yes, you will still wonder: is it ever possible for a passionate cinephile to give up on his passion?

Well, the answer is yes and the answer is no at the same time. There has to be something that takes over. Something bigger. Something better.

To cut a long story short, no, I haven't stop watching films, but I watch much less than before, and, dear friends, it's true that I don't find the time to analyse them much, especially in written. Only because I am more concerned with other things, such as changing the world (sic).

So here it goes: lately I have been drawn to films describing or asking for a change. The environmentalist in me, the activist in me, grew stronger and stronger. I watch documentaries that inspire me, that make me part of a global movement for change. A movement that advocates love and respect for our planet, our fellow human beings and everything in between. You can call it the transition movement, or you can give it any other name, but it all boils down to one thing: the need for humanity to stop being reckless with natural resources, whether they are soil, woods, oceans or, why not, workers in the developing countries (this last one being human resources). 

So, here are the four films I've watched over the past months and touched me to the bone. Were they all inspiring? Because, inspiring documentaries are more convincing, you will say. And I will agree with you. Well, they were not all inspiring. I guess at least one of them left me in despair, if I'm allowed to admit that. With a feeling that things might or might not change, and the chances are with the latter. But, you know what? Even this feeling makes you wanna fight to change the unchangeable.

Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? (2013)

"Could anything be more brain tingling than the man behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep animating his afternoon spent with the great Noam Chomsky?" This is how the Penguin Think Smarter Newsletter presents the experimental documentary by Michel Gondry, but let me tell you one thing: experiments are always interesting, but not  always successful. 

Is the Man who is Tall Happy? (2013), the film which screens imminently in Edinburgh Film Festival, has already -lucky us- screened in Luxembourg Film Festival end of February; it was the only one that made me leave my cosy room and make my way to the cinema which was, after all, less than fifteen-minutes walk away. I cannot say I didn't enjoy seeing it. An extremely self-conscious conversation (and, yes, I love that) between Gondry, who was commenting between bits of dialogue on his French accent which was apparently hard to get, the phrasing of a question which was not clearly understood by the other party and so on so forth, and one of the greatest thinkers of our times, Noam Chomsky. 

Hand-made animation, funny and colourful intertwined with philosophical concepts on their way to their simplified version (sic). You know what? As much as I enjoyed watching this delirium of words and images, I couldn't help coming out of the cinema feeling confused to a certain extent. Why? Because it is humanly impossible to grasp 100% of what is going on on screen. You will get most of it, if you manage to stay focused -that becomes harder at times, exactly because of the "distracting" animation, but you won't have the feeling you fully "got it", except if you've studied Chomsky beforehand, I guess. Image and words are fighting one against the other for the viewers' attention, I'm afraid, and I'm not sure who wins in the end.

Kisses to the Children (2011) and Judaism in Greece

There are shocking historical facts that sometimes fail to make an impression, probably due to the overwhelming amount of information we are fed and never quite digest. Sure, we've heard it all before,  but did we ever found the time to contemplate upon the true nature of facts and figures? There are atrocious topics shadowing the cities we love to live in, but we never had the time to properly address them. It is a pity that each one of us does not dedicate a thought for no more than a split second to acknowledge people who were massively and systematically eradicated with no obvious reason. Could any reason be solid enough to sustain such an unimaginable act, after all? History sometimes doesn't make sense.

The Holocaust was probably the most shivering paradigm of a time when history ceased making any sense. Thousands of people boarded ships and trains; little did they carry with them. They feared the worse, but what awaited them was out of the scope of anyone's imagination; that was a puzzling assumption to make upon hearing that nobody took seriously a Greek Jew who escaped from Auschwitz and went back to Thessaloniki to describe the atrocities that were taking place back there. Nobody took him seriously, they thought he has gone nuts; and that was a sane person's reaction.

Sweetheart Come (2012)

Luxembourg is very much into documentaries lately. Hamilius, a docu on hip hop and graffiti culture largely filmed in the very center of the city, hence the name on 2010 made quite a sensation. On 2011 the big hit was a documentary on  life in the countryside, featuring lovely cows in its poster, De Bauerblues, and rating first in the box office between the Luxembourgish productions and co-productions -even if High/Low got the prize for best docu on Luxemburgish Film Prize. 2012 saw even more documentary productions, among others the most famed   and productive local director Andy Sleck's D'Belle Epoque starring the beautiful Vicky Krieps, Cello Tales by Anne Schiltz and Sweetheart Come, which particularly caught my attention. I don't know which one will be the hit in the box-office and on Letzebuerg Filmpreis this season,  but I doubt it will be this one. Sweetheart come, is a beautiful piece of cinematography, but definitely not tailored-made for the conservative little audience of the Grand Duchy. 

Gulabi Gang (2012)

India is changing, no matter how slowly. It's a message full of hope, coming from a documentary that takes upon the deeds of Sampat Pal Devi, a middle aged Indian who dared to go against social injustice in general and domestic abuse/violence that women are largely facing in particular; she questioned the children marriages, the dowries, the corruption of the authorities that remained idle in many cases due to bribery and she managed to bring about a wind of change.

Catastroika (2012)

Catastroika is a Russian term to describe the ruthless mass privatization of the post-communist Russia, that turned the country into ruins, but created billionaires. "It was a decimation of a nation" Naomi Klein states on the strategy. Catastroika is also a film you can watch right here, on your desktop or laptop for free, courtesy of its Creative Commons license and its crowd-funded production. It is free to watch, because it's imperative to watch; it can teach you a thing or two on your rights as a citizen: your right to free education, to a decent transport system, your right to drink water and use electricity, because they are "public service" without being thieved of to have this advantage.

Leonardo Da Vinci Live!

Have you ever seen an exhibition without actually being there? Being away from the town and the country altogether? Well, I did. Not alone, we had a full house yesterday night in Utopia -it was the same for London screenings, as I read- where the Leonardo Da Vinci   live broadcast was screened. The most comprehensive Leonardo exhibition in London's National Gallery travelled to many people's living rooms before it opens its doors to the public back in November, and after its finale, it travelled   overseas, as well. A big art event it was; and being so mediated, it gave up on some of its exclusivity in favour of a literary "art for all" doctrine. Works of a Master that never stood side by side till now, were enjoyed by audiences (probably eating pop-corn?), while explained and analysed by experts.

Beware: you are entering the Discovery Zone

I woke up feeling tired, as if I was around of the world not in 80, but just in one day, yesterday. I am sure I didn't --I was in Lux all along--, so I tried to understand where this feeling of exhaustion could be coming from. Then, I noticed a saumon-orange bracelet on my right wrist, and it all came together in a sec. Yesterday, it was my first go at Discovery Zone; without even wearing a protective shield.

It all begun around noon: I started preparing for some kind of adventure, of which the details were still quite unclear. I took a bus to Utopolis, met some fellow travellers with a high sense of danger (looked like they could take good care of me) and we started fiddling with alarming red ribbons amidst a vast, empty hall. Soon, the audience was there, cheerful and ready to discover; easy-going and relaxed people, a mixture of nations and races, that's how it is over here, consistency of the non-consistency of the masses reigns our small community.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

The dedicated and Oscar nominated guy from Super Size Me (2004), Morgan Spurlock, who gained around 10 kilos eating only McDonalds for a month is now back with a vengeance with yet another documentary, to enlighten audiences on product placement. I quote Limité:

"With humor and insight, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold unmasks the marketing process to bring audiences behind closed doors directly into the pitch meetings and marketing presentations which ultimately inform our everyday entertainment decisions."

LONDON or it is a journey to the end of the world

“A catalogue of modern miseries. With its fake traditions, its Irish war, its militarism, and secrecy, its silly old judges, its hatred of intellectuals, its ill-health and bad food, its sexual repression, its hypocrisy and racism. And its indolence. It’s so exotic. So home-made.”

Ένας Άγγλος ύστερα από 7 χρόνια απουσίας, γυρίζει στο πολυαγαπημένο του Λονδίνο ύστερα από προτροπή του φίλου του Robinson. Φανταστικά πρόσωπα και οι δύο, ανήκουν σε μια τάξη intellectuals και flaneurs που μισούν την πολιτική σκηνή της Αγγλίας και αποζητούν να βρουν λύση σ’ αυτό που ονομάζουν “the problem of London”. Τριγυρίζουν σε όλο τον Λονδίνο και παραπονιούνται ή σχολιάζουν εύστοχα με αφορμή αγάλματα, σπίτια που κάποτε κατοικήθηκαν από ποιητές και πολιτικά συμβάντα.

Αν είσαι ευτυχισμένος τουρίστας, πιθανόν να μην καταλάβεις ότι το επονομαζόμενο “the problem of London” πράγματι υπάρχει. Ο Patrick Keiller πάντως το εντόπισε ήδη το 1992, τη χρονιά της επανεκλογής του John Major και των βομβαρδισμών του IRA. Άλλοι είναι αυτοί που βάζουν τις βόμβες αυτό τον καιρό, αλλά αυτό δεν είναι παρά μια μικρή λεπτομέρεια. Το πρόβλημα επιμένει, πλανάται πάνω από τον Τάμεση και αφήνει παντελώς αδιάφορους μόνο τους γλάρους που κρώζουν εκδικητικά πάνω από τα νερά του.

Καυστική αφήγηση που την αισθάνεσαι μέχρι μεδούλι κυρίως αν ζεις ή έζησες εδώ. Αν σκοπεύεις να ζήσεις, τότε σίγουρα δε θα δώσεις βάση, γιατί το Λονδίνο ξέρει καλά να προστατεύει τη φήμη του και να παρουσιάζεται ως άλλος παράδεισος στα όνειρά μας.

Το κέντρο και τα προάστεια, η βασιλική φρουρά με τα γελοία καπέλα, αγροτικές τοποθεσίες και μια αγελάδα να βόσκει, όλα χώρεσαν μέσα σε 82 λεπτά. Πολλά έχουν αλλάξει και η απουσία του Eye of London είναι η πιο ανησυχητική. Μια περίεργη ιδέα και λίγες μέρες σχεδιασμού και κατασκευής έφτασαν για να αλλάξουν εντελώς τη θέα από αρκετές γέφυρες του Τάμεση, κυρίως τη Waterloo και Hungerford Bridge που το αντικρύζουν. Αυτό που έλειπε το ‘92 είναι τώρα το κατεξοχήν Λονδρέζικο trademark και η κραυγαλέα απόδειξη της έντασης που δημιουργείται όταν μια πόλη κοπιάζει πολύ να δημιουργήσει κάτι πέρα από τη κάπως βαρετή ιστορία του και τα μουντά κτίρια και τους τεράστιους όγκους τους και τα δαντελωτά περιγράμματα.

Σταθερή κάμερα, αριστοτεχνικό καδράρισμα, μακάρι η ζωή στο Λονδίνο να ήταν έστω τόσο όμορφη όσο σ’ αυτό το ντοκυμαντέρ. Γιατί εύκολη, φτηνή, ηλιόλουστη, ελεύθερη ή χαρούμενη δεν είναι, όλα αυτά μας τα αποκλείει ο ρεαλιστής σκηνοθέτης-σεναριογράφος, που είναι ακόμη πιο θαυμαστός για το κουράγιο του να αντιμετωπίσει και να εκθέσει τη θλιβερή πραγματικότητα παρόλο που είναι Άγγλος ο ίδιος. Ακόμη πιο διασκεδαστικό είναι να ακούμε τον Paul Scofield, στο ρόλο του αφηγητή, να αρθρώνει χαιρέκακα και άνετα προτάσεις τόσο βαριές όσο οι πέτρες του Stonehenge. Κλείνω με ένα χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα( όπως ακριβώς άρχισα).

“London is under siege from a suburban government who uses homelessness, pollution, crime and the most expensive and run down public transport system of any metropolitan city in Europe as a weapon against Londoners’ lingering desire to the freedoms of city life.”