Zen Road Trip ëEnlightenmentí Mixes Slapstick With Spiritual Journey by Ky N. Nguyen After making its Washington premiere at Filmfest DC 2000, the entertaining German comedy ìEnlightenment Guaranteedî returns for a theatrical engagement. The unique road movie begins as Gustav (Gustav Peter W^hler), a feng shui consultant, is preparing to leave Munich for an extended visit to a Zen Buddhist monastery outside Tokyo. Personal disasters strike him and his brother Uwe (Uwe Ochsenknecht) nearly simultaneously. To escape his midlife crisis, the drunken Uwe begs to tag along with Gustav. Upon arrival in Tokyo, the brothers go out for dinner but get lost returning to their hotel. Without money or personal belongings, the already frenzied pair embark on a series of humorous, often slapstick, cultural misadventures. With the effects of globalization, however, the storyís major contrast is not between East and West. (Indeed, the brothers are saved when they meet a German expatriate working in a German-themed bar.) The striking difference occurs when Gustav and Uwe leave Tokyoís urban jungle and arrive at the serenity of the Zen monastery. After another frustrating period of adjustment, they undergo a transformation that leaves themóand the audienceópeacefully content by the time they go home. Director Dorris D^rrie repeats the theme of a spiritual quest that she has explored in some of her previous work, including the sublime ìAm I Beautiful?î in which the effective W^hler and Ochsenknecht also appear. D^rrie used the technology of digital video (DV) to make an inexpensive ($1 million), completely independent movie. The look of DV helped create an intimate, realistic tone. Many scenes feel as if they are from a home movie or documentary. The small, portable cameras helped the crew blend into the crowd in Tokyo, where video cameras are ubiquitous. The small size of the crew made it possible for them to live and shoot in an actual monastery, where the cast and crew followed the monasteryís rules during their two-week stay. (Now thatís method acting.) At the Bavarian Film Awards, ìEnlightenment Guaranteedî shared the prize for Best Production. Ochsenknecht was awarded Best Actor, also for his performance in ìSoccer Rules!î part of the New Films from Germany series at Visions, which has been filling some of the void left by the closing of the independent Key and Biograph theaters. ìEnlightenment Guaranteedî (in German, English, and Japanese with English subtitles; 109 minutes) opens Feb. 9 at Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge. Mysteries Behind ëVendÙmeí Vincent Malivert (Bernard Fresson) is the respected proprietor of a prestigious Paris jewelry store on the trendy Place VendÙme facing the Ritz. His wife, the aging beauty Marianne (Catherine Deneuve), has long been in an emotional stupor fueled by alcoholism, drifting in and out of treatment centers. (Fresson and Deneuve starred together in Luis BuÒuelís 1967 ìBelle de Jour.î) Nathalie (Emmanuelle Seigner), in more ways than one a younger version of Marianne, is a pretty, ambitious saleswoman at Malivertís store. Nathalie is practically stalked by her ex-boyfriend Jean-Pierre (Jean-Pierre Bacri), an attorney disbarred for embezzlement. Sheís now involved with the shady Battistelli (Jacques Dutronc, also a popular French singer and composer), who is linked with the Russian mafia. The emergence of suspiciously acquired diamonds contributes to the downfall of Vincent and the shop. In the aftermath, Marianne surprises everyone by emerging from the shadows to reclaim her life. The regal Deneuve carries the film as its magnificent centerpiece. Her cold eyes and stark features illustrate the changes in Marianneís state of mind between despair and hope. Washington, D.C., area audiences have been fortunate to have seen Deneuve demonstrate her range here and in several other films released in the past year: ìTime Regained,î ìDancer in the Dark,î and ìEast-West.î (Weíre still waiting for ìPola Xî directed by Leos Carax.) Other members of the ensemble cast also deliver fine performances. A pleasant surprise is Seigner, perhaps best known as the wife of U.S. exiled director Roman Polanski. She reveals hidden talents in the performance of her career, showing she can be more than just a pretty and pouting face. In ìPlace VendÙme,î nobody is who he or she appears to be at first glance, and everyone is connected in unexpected ways. Actress-turned-director Nicole Garcia constructs an unconventional thriller based more on character development than on plot, slowly unveiling details that reveal both. Garciaís restrained direction creates a mood of subtle tension sustained throughout the film. Laurent Daillandís dark photography reinforces the film noir atmosphere. ìPlace VendÙmeî received 12 French CÈsar nominations for best French film, direction, writing, cinematography, editing, sound, production design, costume design, and acting performances by Deneuve, Seigner, Fresson, and Dutronc. Deneuve won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival, where the film was in the running for the Golden Lion. Place VendÙmeî (in French and English with English subtitles, 115 minutes, scope) opens Feb. 2 at Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge. ëSnatchí: Romp Through Underground On the lighter side, the chase of stolen diamonds serves as the central plot element of ìSnatch,î British director Guy Ritchieís equally lively follow-up to his breakthrough ìLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.î Like its predecessor, ìSnatchî has flashy cinematography, slick editing, interlocking plot lines, distinctive dialogue (particularly one-liners), and far too many charismatic characters to mention. Back are British cast members Jason Statham (gangster/boxing promoter Turkish), soccer star Vinnie Jones (towering Bullet Tooth Tony), and Jason Flemyng (in a bit role). Globalizationís presence is felt with the addition of a multicultural cast of characters: Hasidic Jews, blacks, Russians (Rade Serbedzija), Irish gypsy ìpikeysî (Flemyng, Brad Pitt), and even Americans (Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina). After Franky Four Fingers (Del Toro) executes a jewel heist in Antwerp, he disappears in London because of a scheme orchestrated by Russian mobster Boris the Blade (Serbedzija). Cousin Avi (Farina) arrives from New York to find him and hires Bullet Tooth Tony, a thug fond of the track ìLucky Starî performed by Madonna (Mrs. Ritchie). Meanwhile, Turkish gets into trouble with the boxing impresario Brick Top (Alan Ford) because of the actions of the unintelligible pikey boxer Mickey One Punch OíNeil (the fabulous Pitt, who steals his scenes). Countless plot twists ensue. ìSnatchî starts out slowly before shifting into high gear for the remainder of the film. Ritchieís sophomore effort has the look and feel of the latest episode in the comic strip: another fast-paced ensemble comedy full of dumb criminals bumbling their jobs. ìSnatchî has antecedents in the British gangster flicks of the 1960s and í70s and the neo-gangster phenomenon of the í90s sparked by ìPulp Fiction.î Ritchie is a better director than writer, and the enthusiasm of ìSnatchî overcomes the storyís lack of originality. ìSnatchî is a lot of fun, but where will Ritchie go from here? Then again, the Brits have made a long running and continually popular series rehashing the James Bond formula. ìSnatchî (in English, 104 minutes) is now playing at area theaters. Repertory Notes The National Gallery of Arts February program includes Silent Divas of Italian Cinema, ìbeautifully restored with live piano accompaniment,î and the Films of Valerio Zurlini. ìOne of the great directors of the post-World War II period in Italy, Valerio Zurlini (1926-1982) built his reputation on literary, visually beautiful films.î The Freer and Sackler galleries continue the Merchant Ivory in India series. James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Jhabvala are scheduled to appear following the screening of ìAutobiography of a Princessî (Feb. 25, 2 p.m.). The Goethe-Institutís exhibition of Universum Film A.G. (UFA) posters, on display through March 2, is accompanied by selected Library of Congress screenings beginning Feb. 27. See the International Film Directory and Film Clips for details. Ky N. Nguyen is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.