2010. Dir: Julian Schnabel. Starring: Hiam Abbass, Freida Pinto, Omar Metwally, Alexander Siddig and Ruba Blal. ●●●○○
Over the years cinema has been littered with personal filmaking, statements from writers, directors or actors with which they intend to pass on their wisdom and change the way we, as an audience, view the world. On rare occasions these efforts are memorable, often they are risible, but mostly they are worthy but oh so very dull. Unfortunately Miral, the fourth biopic directed by former New York artist Julian Schnabel, falls distinctly into that third category.
The story is essentially about the eponymous Miral (played with monotonous solidity by Freida Pinto of Slumdog fame) and the complexity of her political and emotional journey through the Palestinian Intifida of 1987 onwards. It also concenrs the three women who most shape her life: Her Teacher, the real-life Hind Husseni (Hiam Abbas, fine) whose work and death bookend the movie; her mother (Yasmine Elmasri, the best of the women) an abused Palestinian giurl who sinks into prostitution and alcoholism and her aunt (an underused Ruba Blal) who was radicalised, dynamited an Isreali cinema (during Polanski's Repulison no less) and was subsequently incarcerated following the 7 day war in 1967. Each of these women present different choices that Miral has to make - in the face of the Isreali occupation should she show caring stoicism, desperation or merciless revenge.
The film breaks into chapters for each of the women, ending with Miral, and this episodic structure becomes the movies biggest failing. Each of the first sections seems rushed and incomplete - of course they can only be complete if Miral chooses to follow their example - and the film as a whole seems to lck the focus necessary for Schnabel to make his grand statement.
I suspect, as with Miral, Schnabel and Rula Jebreal the novelist and scriptwriter wish to present Hind Husseni as the ideal. A woman who dedicated her life to educations orphans of the occupation, positive that education is the only way out of poverty and out of repression. Miral Iman father, a superb Alexander Siddig, also believes in the path of passive resistance, sure that there is a way forward through dialogue rather than through the instruments of terrorism.
Perhaps the closest character to the minds of the production team is Omar Metwally as Hani the Hamas activist Miral falls for. Whilst a charismatic on-screen presence Metwally is saddled with some of the most expositional dialogue as to render his performance unnecessary. Two scenes in particulary - a day time picnic and a midnight assignation as meant to be signs of their buidding romance but his earnest monlogues about the future of a two state solution seem horrendously out of place.
There is plenty on the sidelines to enjoy though. You could start with the celebrity cameos; lefties Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe turn up to secure funding and to bring in a US/Brit audience and not much else...
Seriously, my favourite section was where Miral stayed with her aunt and cousin recouperating from an injury. Her cousin has struck a relationship with a young Jewish girl and the humourous and conflicting reactions from eacdh family is a delight. Especially Miral aunt who turns the Palestinian mother up to 11 (talking fast is Arabic, wearing traditional attire she usually shuns) when her potentially daughter in law comes over for the first time. These comic vignettes could form the basis of a delicious film about inter-religious acceptance and abstract prejudice - but alas we were up for a much more plodding sermon about politics in the Middle East.
Cinematography comes courtesy of Eric Gautier (Motorcycle Diaries, Into the Wild) and you can recognise his lensing style, with many of the more experimental florishes of Schnabel's previous films put aside.
Overall I would say I wanted this film to be so much more than it was. The Palestinian/Isreali conflict deserves a film that truly illuminates the conflict in totality. This filmed failed to do so without it turning into a lecture. That is a very great shame.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Miral
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Conflict resolution - (Out this week - 03/12/10)
Somewhat complicated week - not least because of the range of quality films hitting cinemas. I am currently typing in a random hotel in Bournemouth, and am beginning to worry if I'm going to make it back to Manchester this weekend, let alone make it to the local multiplex. I love snow, but apparantly the UK road network is less keen on the concept. (And the computer I'm using is so crap I can't copy and paste so the blobs are just numbers!!!) Film of the week - should it be relevant - is Miral.
No picture either I'm afraid - damned if I can work this thing...
Bathory
The first out of the gate of the Elizabeth Bathory movies, this one stars Anna Friel as the alleged bloodthirsty Countess. This version aims to act as a counterbalance to the popular myth and attempts to show the accusations of mass murder were simply a reaction to a womans quest for power in a world of men.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 3
Be all and End All
British black comedy - I like to warn you up front - about a teenage boy with a fatal heart condition who just wants to lose his virginity before it's too late. I wish I could reach into the screen and tell him it's probably not worth the effort.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 3
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
Follow on from the 1995 TV series "Fist of Fury", itself a remake of the Bruce Lee classic film, Donnie Yen plays the returning legend who infiltrates the Mafia in an attempt to fight off the Japanese armies.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 3
Love Life
Also known as Stricken, this movie looks like a pure slice of European miserablism as Carice van Houten learns of her impending demise whilst having sex in clinical looking apartments.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 3
Megamind
Will Ferrell plays the titular super villian in this latest blcok busting animation with Brad Pitt as his superhero adversary. Will likely be the biggest money maker of this weeks releases, but I can't help thinking it's chances would have been better if it came out before Despicable Me.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 4
Miral
Julian Schnabel's look at the political and religious divides in Jerusalem follows four Palestinian women over forty years. Reviews suggest the ball has been dropped and it fails to hit the heights of Schnabel's previous works, but it's a subject rarely delved into and one that I confess an interest in hence it's high score. Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe cameo in the movie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 6
Monsters
This is certainly the runaway favourite with the critics, a monster movie made on a shoestring budget by an up and coming British director Gareth Edwards and blurring the boundaries between romantic road movie and special effect alien invasion pic.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 5
Of Gods and Men
This years French entry for the Foreign language Oscar looks at the passion that drives people to serve God before their self as six monks in a true life story remain in an Algerian monastry in grave danger to themselves. Highly regarded at Cannes.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 4
Rare Exports
This is an unusual Finish take on the Santa Claus stories with a not quite human saint who knows who's naughty and nice but tends to concentrate on the punishments for the naughty. Clearly the most bonkers of this weeks releases, and all the more exciting because of it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 4
Sectretariat
Horsey drama about the horse that won the triple crown - apparently a major flat racing feat in the US - starring Diane Lane, John Malkovich, James Cromwell and a horse. The clips from the races look fantastic, the rest less so.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 4
Warrior's Way
Massively delayed New Zealand Western with Dong-gun Jang as a warrior assassin forced to assimilate himself in the badlands with Danny Huston and Geoffrey Rush out to get him.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: 3
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Tuesday Trailers - Miral
Julian Schnabels latest film is apparently the most straight forward of his pictures, taking a look at the Isreali/Palestinian conflict through the eyes of a girl in a Jersalem orphanage. Hiam Abbas is the headmistress, Freida Pint plays the girl as a grown up. Reviews from the festivals haven't been great, but it's rare to see a film tackle this subject from the outside so I'll certainly be going.
Miral opens on 03 December 2010.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Film News (07/02/09)
An unbelievable busy week for film news. So crowded in fact we'll just dive straight into it.
King Lear
You wait years before a decent King Lear adaptation and then two come at once. Last year Anthony Hopkins signed on to play the aging monach who splits his kingdom, under the watchful gaze of Joshua Michael Stern; this week it's Al Pacino railing at the storm and reuniting with his Merchant of Venice director Michael Radford. Now I love King Lear, it's the play that got me into acting, but I doubt both of these will be released - so which will it be? My moneys on Al, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Miral
Julian Schnabel is set to begin principle photography on his Israeli-Palestinian epic Miral in April. Starring Hiam Abbas (The Visitor) as a Palestinian to runs a orphanage in Jersulam the film will show how the relationship between the 2 nations has developed over the last 50 years. It's all going to be filmed on location and I persanally cannot wait to see a film that puts this extraordinary conflict into some perpective.
Moneyball
It's extemely difficult to keep tracks of Steven Soderbergh, but with the delays on Cleo it looks like he's bumped Moneyball up to the top of his things to do list. The film concerns the development of a computer algorithm to selct the best baseball team with a limited budget, fantasy baseball if you will, only done by a real team manager. If that doesn't make your inner geek glow I don't know what will. 
Silence
Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro as signed on to play Jesuit priests bringing christianity to Japan in Martin Scorcese's next film. This pairing seems like an excellent one, but I think I'm going to need more to stop me from classifying this as The Mission in a kimono. 
Start
Brandon Koener's "Now the Hell Will Start" has been optioned by 40 Acres and a Mule. The non-fiction novel relates how an African-American soldier murdered his Lieutenant and then escaped into the Burmese jungle eventually being accepted by the natives.
Valentine's Day
Would anyone like to see 10 strangers in Los Angeles briefly connect their lives over Valentine's Day in a variety of forced coincidences and bizarre cupid led entanglements? No? Just me then.
The Ward
I'm not really a horror fan, but Amber Heard (the titular All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) is preparing to enter the Ward. Cue scary noises and tales of long dead mental patients with grudges. And lots of running around semi-naked, probably. 
