The Washington Diplomat

Doom With a View
Award-Winning ‘Son’s Room’ Offers Masterful Study of Mourning
by Ky N. Nguyen

Death is always tragic, but the sudden impact of an unexpected loss can be especially devastating. In “The Son’s Room,” a masterfully pensive psychological study of a family’s mourning, writer-director-actor Nanni Moretti skillfully addresses the matter with exceptional care and sensitivity. His assured direction, deliberate pacing and unobtrusive camerawork focus the viewer’s attention on his intelligent script. The actors’ entirely believable emotional displays are reinforced by thoughtful music choices.

The film’s conventional structure doesn’t detract from its simple brilliance. “The Son’s Room” may not be groundbreaking cinema, but Moretti’s latest work is a marked change of pace for the “Italian Woody Allen.” Though still intensely personal, it’s the least autobiographical, comedic and political work of his career. “The Son’s Room” won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes, the most prestigious prize in world cinema.

In the seaside town of Ancona, Giovanni (Moretti) is a sympathetic psychoanalyst tending to the wild concerns and neuroses of his patients. His office is adjacent to the family apartment, where he shares a calm middle-class life with his loving wife Paola (Laura Morante), somewhat distant teenage son Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice), and athletic daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca).

Moretti’s elegant design contrasts Giovanni’s two worlds: His chaotic professional environment is separated from the placid domestic tranquility next door. That barrier is convincingly shattered after Andrea dies in a freak accident. The family members all break down and cope poorly with their loss. Unable to communicate their feelings, their lives become disrupted.

One day, a previously unknown element of Andrea’s past surfaces. As the family members reassess what they know about him, they reconnect with his memory and with one another. As they come to closure with their loss, a mood of optimism returns to the film and to their lives.

“The Son’s Room (La Stanza del Figlio)” (Italian; 99 min.) opens Fri., Feb. 8.

Hidden Thicket of ‘Lantana’

Directed by Ray Lawrence, “Lantana” refers to the Australian plant consisting of delicate flowers and leaves on the outside, hiding pointed branches inside. It’s billed as the Australian “Magnolia,” where seemingly innocuous chance meetings result in a thicket of messy entanglements. The multiple characters and plots become interwoven around the disappearance of a woman in Sydney.

“Lantana” is a fascinating hybrid of genres. In one sense, it’s a murder mystery, but the criminal plot points aren’t conventionally explained. Partially a thriller, the sustained tension lies more in the relationships rather than in the action. The movie is largely a character study, albeit one concentrating on the interactions of characters rather than their individuality.

Based on the play “Speaking in Tongues,” the film is refreshingly cinematic for a stage adaptation. The steady camerawork is quietly effective in transcending the static death grip plaguing so many filmed plays. The actors are captured at their best, showcasing the talents of the ensemble cast, including Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake and Peter Phelps.

“Lantana” (English; 121 min.; scope) is now playing locally, including Cinema Arts.

Flying in Exile

Named after the old Jaroslav Jezek song, “Dark Blue World” offers a visually dazzling but thematically modest tribute to the Czechoslovakian pilots who fought for the B ritish Royal Air Force during World War II. Director Jan Sverák’s follow-up to the Academy Award-winning “Kolya” offers intimate portraits of distinctive characters, painted with a vast palette of emotions.

The script by Zdenek Sverák, Jan’s father, skillfully constructs the movie’s troublesome historical and political background. The low-key direction gently pulls the audience into the vividly photographed world where the exiled pilots train in linguistic and cultural confusion. Despite its relatively low budget, the film contains very realistic flight scenes rivaling the much more expensive “Pearl Harbor.”

Like the American blockbuster, the story involves two pilots—best friends—who are in love with the same woman, in this case a British war wife (Tara Fitzgerald) whose husband is missing in action. When the RAF veterans return home after the war, they’re imprisoned by the communists, who seek to squelch any possibility of revolt by the war heroes.

“Dark Blue World (Tmavomodry Svet)” (Czech, English and German; 114 min.; scope) opens Fri., Feb. 8.

Heartfelt ‘Debut’

Directed by Gene Cajayon, “The Debut” is a heartfelt portrayal of the tensions surrounding a Filipino-American family. With enthusiastic and sincere acting, the independent production compensates for stereotypical characters, excessive melodrama, and modest production values. The predictable story addresses the conflict between assimilation and embracing the family’s cultural values.

High school senior Ben is a cartoonist who wants to attend CalArts and turn down a pre-med scholarship to UCLA, which would anger his father. Ben doesn’t know Tagalog and has two white best friends, causing him to be labeled a “coconut”: brown on the outside, white on the inside. At events surrounding his sister’s 18th birthday party, Ben comes to appreciate his heritage.

In many ways a traditional coming-of-age story, “The Debut” is spiced with an infusion of Filipino culture, including some colorful dance numbers. The older cast is filled with veteran actors, including legends from the Philippines. Ben’s quest to “fit in,” though universal, takes on additional complexity within the framework of the immigrant experience.

“The Debut” (English and Tagalog; 89 min.) opens Fri., Feb. 8 at AMC Hoffmann.

Chaos Theory: Love 101

The wide-eyed and expressive actress Audrey Tautou (“Amélie”) returns in “Happenstance,” another crowd-pleasing tale of serendipity and love set in Paris. Directed by Laurent Firode, the film charmingly demonstrates the “butterfly effect” of the chaos theory: a butterfly’s flapping wings can result in storms across the ocean. In Paris, a young man and woman meet through a series of random events.

Set in a single day, the action follows 30 characters zooming wildly throughout the city. Firode maintains a steady pace amid the mess of activity, bringing out assured performances from the ensemble cast. The light, seemingly improvised feel makes the story go down easily.

Still, it’s not all fluff, making social commentary about the place of Arabs in Paris. While chance and fate are prominent, the movie muses philosophically about personal responsibility for one’s future. Like “Amélie” and unlike “Lantana,” the film presents an optimistic view of life, reinforcing the morality of good deeds being rewarded and bad deeds going punished.

“Happenstance (Le Battement d’Ailes du Papillon)” (French; 97 min.; scope) opens Fri., Feb. 15 at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge.

Chinese ‘Bicycle Thief’

Vittorio de Sica’s Neorealistic classic “The Bicycle Thief” receives a modern Chinese update in “Beijing Bicycle,” winner of the Silver Bear at Berlin. Directed by Xiaoshuai Wang, the story is transplanted to modern day Beijing, where the bicycle is still significant as a symbol of valuable transportation. Wang creates a vivid portrait of a troubled society in transition from communism to capitalism.

Guei, a newly transplanted country boy, has landed a new job as a courier, which is threatened when his bicycle is stolen before he’s even paid for it out of his wages. City boy Jian, a private school student, buys the bike from a flea market simply because he cherishes the status symbol he must have to keep up with the Joneses. After they meet, the duo fight physically and philosophically for ownership of the bike.

Like much Chinese cinema, “Beijing Bicycle” is simply shot in a distanced, mostly nonjudgmental fashion—with the exception of some glorification of the working class. Mostly, Wang lets the viewer sit back and make his or her own observations.

“Beijing Bicycle (Shiqi Sui De Dan Che)” (Mandarin; 113 min.) opens Fri., Feb. 8 in Washington, D.C., and Fri., Feb. 15 at Cinema Arts.

Korean Cold War

Very little Korean cinema has been seen in the United States, so don’t miss this opportunity. Directed by Je-Gyu Kang, “Shiri” is South Korea’s all-time box office champion and a hit across Asia. Blending action and romance, it features Suk-Gyu Han, the top Korean movie star.
South Korean secret agents hunt down North Korean commandos who’ve stolen an experimental explosive from Seoul. Though bolstered by the political subtext, the serviceable plot mostly works as a framework for the impressive set pieces.

Especially for a budget of $5 million (six times that of the average Korean movie), the production values and action sequences are superb, emulating some of the best of American and Hong Kong movies. The stock characters and dialogue indicate Kang’s study of the American action genre.

“Shiri” marks a transition point for the Korean New Wave. Before, South Korean productions had to rely on the state-mandated “quota system” for economic viability. Already, it’s the new Korean model for cinema success, which may unfortunately result in a flood of inferior copycats that weaken the industry.

“Shiri (Swiri)” (Korean; 124 min.; scope) opens Fri., Feb. 8.

Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

Repertory Notes

From Feb. 1-7, AFI showcases master Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-Liang’s “What Time Is It There?” French director Patrice Chereau’s (“Intimacy,” recently at Visions) “Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train” and “Queen Margot” play the weekend of Feb. 8-10 ((202) 833-2348, www.afi.com/exhibition/nft.asp).

The embassies of Spain, France and Mexico continue their retrospective of Spanish director Luis Buñuel through Feb. 10 at La Maison Française ((202) 944-6091, www.la-maison-francaise.com).

The National Gallery of Art presents programs about artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Paris Commune, and The Flaherty Seminar on the art and politics of independent film ((202) 842-6799, htt p://nga.gov/programs/film.htm.)

The first-time Iranian filmmakers series runs through Feb. 17 at the Freer and Sackler Galleries ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/programs/film.htm).

On Feb. 17 at 10:30 a.m., Cinema Art Bethesda screens Japanese director Nagisa Oshima’s “Taboo” at GCC Mazza Gallerie ((301) 365-3679).

On Feb. 20 at 7 p.m., the tongue-in-cheek spy thriller “Q Planes” (1939), starring Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richards, shows at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop ((202) 547-6839, http://filmsonthehill.com).