Vincere

The Chicago International Film Festival is now over. It was really good this year. A lot of the films looked really good (although I did not get to see nearly as many as I wanted because of my class schedule). I am hoping to catch more of them when they come out on dvd. This year was really cool. I actually got to volunteer. I met some great people and even saw Jacqueline Bisset. There was one film in particular that I got to see that I want to mention and definitely recommend to anyone that is interesting in international cinema.

The closely guarded story of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's secret lover and son is revealed in fittingly operatic proportions is this electrifying tour de force. Thunderstruck by the young Mussolini's charisms, Ida Dalser gives up everything to help champion his revolutionary ideas. When he disappears during World War I and later resurfaces with a new wife, the scorned Dasler and her son are locked away in separate asylums for more than a decade. But Ida will not disappear without a fight...

Vincere was written and directed by Marco Bellocchio. It stars Giovanna Messogiorno as Ida Dalser. She did an absolutely amazing job. International audiences may recognize her from her role in Love in the Time of Cholera. I also saw her earlier this year at the Chicago Cultural Center in Notturno Bus (also definitely worth checking out...click here to see my review). It also stars Filippo Timi as Benito Mussolini and Benito Albino. He also did an amazing job. I really look forward to seeing him again this coming year in The American with George Clooney.

The synopsis above mentions that the film is very operatic. This is a perfect adjective to describe it. I had to sit in the front row, because I had rush tickets. I didn't mind. The film was visually spectacular, and the subtitles were really large. I also really liked that the film was interlaced with actual, historical footage. It is the perfect film for someone interested in history or this time period or even someone that doesn't know that much about this period of time.

If anyone sees it, let me know what you think.

Chicago International Film Festival

Twenty more films have been announced for the 45th Chicago International Film Festival. Here are some of the ones that I definitely want to see.

Against the Current is directed by Peter Callahan. Paul, still wracked with grief five years after his wife's death, has a goal: to swim the entire length of the Hudson River in a month. His friends Jess and Liz come along on the adventure, but they are dismayed when Paul reveals the true purpose behind his trip. by turns wry and sorrowful, this unconventional indie-drama-meets-road-trip-movie stars Joseph Fiennes, Justin Kirk, Elizabeth Reaser, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Mary Tyler More.

An Education is directed by Lone Scherfig. In post-war, pre-Beatles London suburbs, a bright schoolgirl (Carey Mulligan) is torn between studying for a place at Oxford and the more exciting alternative offered to her by a charismatic older man (Peter Sarsgaard)...Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Sally Hawkins, and Emma Thompson also star.

Love and Savagery is directed by John N. Smith. Asleepy town along Ireland's magnificent rocky western coast plays host to a lyrical tale of forbidden love between Michael and Cathleen, a passionate geologist/poet from Newfoundland and the lovely, gentle waitress at the local pub. Undeterred by the many enemies he amasses for wooing Cathleen, Michael forces her to question the path she's chosen, and decide whether her love for a man can be stronger than her love for God.

No Hard Feelings is directed by Yves Hanchar. It's 1955, and troublemaker Laurent finds himself at a Belgian boarding school, where a teacher there recognized his intelligence and encourages him to write. As Laurent's talent develops, he adopts his inspiring teacher as a father figure, while at the same time wondering about his real father, who disappeared during the war. As Laurent investigates the past, he is forded to confront his present.

Made in Hungaria is directed by Gergely Fonyo. It's rock'n'roll verses communism in this rollicking musical comedy. Pompadoured teen Miki and his parents return to opressive 1960s Hungary after four years in the States. Miki's stash of contraband Jack Daniels and 45s by Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis makes him a hit with local kids starved for American pop culture, but it'll be harder to win over his ex-flame Vera...and especially the local comrades.

The Revenant is directed by Kerry Prior. A zombie buddy comedy with political overtones? After being killed in combat, U.S. soldier Bart Gregory inexplicably rises from his grave, a walking, talking rotting corpse (or revenant), but otherwise himself. With the help of his friend Joey, he discovers he can not only keep from decomposing without killing the innocent but also clean up the mean streets of Los Angeles, all while cruising through the night in a 1979 Camaro.

The Girl on the Train is directed by Andre Techine. Jeanne is a beautiful, freewheeling 22-year-old with a penchant for telling little white lies and avoiding a real job. When her flash-in-the-pan relationship with the audacious and vaguely mysterious Franck goes sour in a big way, the heartbroken girl spins a story there's no coming back fromm Emillie Dequenne (Rosetta) and Catherine Deneuve highlight the excellent ensemble cast in this sexy, complex drama about deception and its repercussions.

Women in Trouble is directed by Sebastian Gutierrez. A pregnant porn star, a couple of call girls, a scorned psychiatrist, ,a teenage goth, a flight attendant with a crush on a famous passenger...the troubles of this cluster of LA women couldn't be more different, but on one crazy day feminine compassion will alter all of their lives. Devilish humor, razor-sharp scripting, and a knockout ensemble of talented actresses (inclucing Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, and Marley Shelton) turn Trouble into pure Pleasure.

Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Festival happens every year in October. So far, only seventeen of the films have been announced. More will be announced later this month. I thought that I would say a little bit about the films that I am planning on seeing.

The first film is called Antichrist. It is written and directed by Lars von Trier and stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It is a dark, erotic love story from the controversial writer/director of Dogville, Dancer in the Dark and Breaking Waves. A grieving couple retreats to an isolated cabin in the woods to repair their broken hearts an troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse...

Vincere is written and directed by Marco Bellocchio and stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi. The closely guarded story of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's secret lover and son is revealed in fittingly operatic proportiona in this electrifying tour de force.

A Frozen Flower is directed by Ha Yu and stars Jin-mo Ju and Ji-hyo Song. This bold and provocative tale of the forbidden love between a 13th-century Korean king and his male guard is laced with lust, betrayal, and epic battles.

Hipsters is written and directed by Valery Todorovsky. Moscow, 1955. soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn't enough to stop a group of young "hipsters" from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin' their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year's Slumdog Millionaire?

Notturno Bus

I just went to the Chicago Cultural Center with my roommate, Sarah, to see a free sneak preview of Night Bus (Notturno Bus). The showing was part of the International Summer Screenings Program. I absolutely loved it. It took a little while at the beginning to really get into the plot, but after that, it was really good.

The film was directed by Davide Marengo and originally came out in 2007. It starred Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Valerio Mastandrea. The film centers around Franz, a bus driver with a gambling habit and Leila, a thief. I feel like the film was best described right before the showing by the head of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago as a film that is a bit Noir-ish and a bit Romantic Comedy. I believe that the film is coming back in October as part of the festival, and I would encourage anyone to check it out.