Published by Edinburgh International Festival on 02/08/12

Interview by Alexandra Wingate, filming and editing by Kate Risbey Thomson

Violinist Nicola Benedetti discusses Polish composer Szymanowski ahead of her performance of his Violin Concerto No. 1 with the London Symphony Orchestra at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.

EIFF 2012: Feature – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 27/06/12

Wojciech Smarzowski / Poland / 2011 / 94 mins

4 out of 5 stars

Among all the horrors of World War II, what’s often forgotten are the struggles of the Masurian people. Tucked away in the northeast of Poland and after years of persecution by the Nazis, the Soviet advancement saw communities destroyed, the few surviving men killed, and women raped regularly and indiscriminately. Returning from fighting to deliver Rose (Agata Kulesza) her dead husband’s wedding ring, Tadeusz (Marcin Dorocinski) develops a tender and fiercely loyal relationship with the isolated widow as the Masurians struggle to defend their culture, their land, and their people.

Sensitively portrayed and carefully ensuring that distressing scenes are not over-done, director Wojciech Smarzowski has created a beautifully emotionally meditation on the indestructible nature of love. Both Kulesza and Dorocinski give captivating performances, portraying a rollercoaster of emotions with exceptional dignity and respect for the people who really experienced what were horrifying circumstances. Set among the lakes and greenery of the Masuria region, the backdrop is at times breathtaking, at others desolate, subtly reflecting the joys and sadness of both the story and Europe’s sorrowful history. Though of cultural and historical significance, what Rose most reminds us is that, even when humanity is at its very cruelest, love will continue to endure.

EIFF 2012: Feature – International Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 27/06/12

Marshall Lewy / USA / 2012 / 93 mins

3 out of 5 stars

In the words of Billy Joel, only the good die young. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the music industry, where real talent is too often cut short: Bob Marley, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix - the list goes on and on. Years after the death of his bandmate brother, a guilt-ridden Lachlan (Robert Carlyle) is penniless, growing increasingly dependent on alcohol, and isolated from his family. And with a DUI offence under his belt, he’s now facing deportation back to Scotland from his adoptive home in the USA.

As is to be expected of an actor of his calibre, Carlyle gives a compelling and utterly ‘real’ performance, able to evoke sympathy even when Lachlan is being completely irresponsible and selfish. The attachment to music is a hook likely to suck in a wide audience, while the handling of the loss of a loved one – particularly one that also spells the end of a promising career – is interwoven into a light enough story not to becoming overly depressing. The film falls down slightly towards the end, where everything comes tidily together with a neat little bow, jarring with the more painful reality of the rest of the plot. That said, this is a solid film that, if nothing else, acts as a reminder of just how talented and often underestimated Carlyle is.

EIFF 2012: Feature – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 27/06/12

Gabe Torres / USA / 2012 / 91 mins

2 out of 5 stars

Since 9/11, Hollywood has found a renewed zest for the All-American hero who protects his country against the threat of terrorists. Waking up inside a glass box in the back of a car, secret service agent Jeremy (Stephen Dorff) faces mental and physical torture as his captors try to extract top secret information that could bring down the very heart of the United States government.

If you’ve seen Buried, you’ve pretty much seen Brake. In such one actor, one setting films, the pressure is inescapably on the lead; Dorff is convincing enough and does a good job in what must be a demanding role, but where there is interaction with others it feels forced and unnatural – more the fault of director Gabe Torres than Dorff. The plot has a twist that seems to think it’s a lot more intelligent than it is; its only unpredictability lies in the fact that it bears little relation to the rest of the story, which comes across of lazy writing from Timothy Mannion. Although there are a few nail-biting moments where the horror of the situation overtakes any criticisms, it’s not enough to pull away from tired clichés and into a film that defines itself from other man-in-box thrillers.

EIFF 2012: Documentary – International Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 26/06/12

Juan Ignacio Domínguez / Argentina / 2011 / 78 mins

2 out of 5 stars

Zorro was a champion rodeo horse, celebrated across the South American circuit for being unconquerable by even the strongest riders. Through a series of interviews and archive footage of Zorro, director Juan Ignacio Domínguez explores the horse’s life through the men who rode him.

Domínguez has compensated well for limited and low quality archive footage of Zorro by turning sequences into moving pieces of art, but not to such a profound extent that it justifies the film’s other failings. The whole thing has an air of incompetence about it; the subtitles are littered with spelling and grammatical errors meaning that too much time is wasted wondering what a ‘corse’ is (it’s a horse), the poor recording quality of the interviews is distracting both visually and aurally, and the unexplained horse-related jargon will alienate most viewers. No effort is made to give the story any context or to explain who the interviewees are, which creates an inevitable lack of interest among the shrinking audience. The over-explanation of the fatal injuries sustained by one rider – without giving any background to him as a fellow human being – is disrespectful at best and perverse at worst. This film raises far more questions that it makes any attempt to answer, and fails to enthuse enough passion to bother finding out afterwards.

EIFF 2012: Documentary – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 24/06/12

Mads Brügger / Denmark / 2011 / 93 mins

4 out of 5 stars

Dubbed as Denmark’s answer to Sacha Baron Cohen, documentarist and satirist Mads Brügger is in the Central African Republic to buy himself diplomatic immunity and set himself up with a nice little blood diamond business. Impersonating a cold, arrogant racist, Brügger pays his way into the country’s political elite, exposing a worryingly high number of corrupt officials, including those from the UK and Europe.

Anyone expecting anything resembling Baron Cohen’s over-the-top tomfoolery will be sadly disappointed; Brügger is much subtler, going undercover to act a role rather than playing up as a caricature. But the result is an incredibly disturbing and bravely executed insight into the dangerous world of high-level corruption and blood diamonds. Indeed, the level of corruption is like a minefield, with everyone lying to each other yet somehow all in cahoots together, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, becomes confusing as the film progresses. Given the undercover nature of the film, those involved seem surprisingly happy to be filmed, which means the overall picture and sound quality is far superior to many others of the genre. This is an astonishingly complex and revealing piece of investigative journalism, and the risk Brügger took by going into the lion’s den and exposing the true nature of so-called ‘diplomacy’ in the Central African Republic is highly commendable.

EIFF 2012: Feature – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 24/06/12

Boris Rodriguez / Canada, Denmark / 2011 / 83 mins

4 out of 5 stars

Every artist needs inspiration. The problem for Lars (Thure Lindhardt) is that what really gets his paintbrush moving is blood and guts. Luckily for him, his new job comes with an expectation that he look after vulnerable Eddie (Dylan Smith); a lonely mute with a frowned-upon tendency to get up in the middle of the night and eat anything that moves.

Any film that includes the line “Eddie’s outside, he’s eating people” is bound to be either horrendously bad or ingeniously good. Thankfully, it’s the latter. As the title suggests, this is a bizarre and often hilarious film delivered by director and co-writer Boris Rodriguez with deadpan faux-sincerity. Despite his savage acts of violence, Smith is adorably innocent as Eddie, while Lindhart captures a deliciously creepy progression from nice out-of-towner who’s a bit confused by his new friend, to art-obsessed, selfish maniac. The jots of comedy that slowly and subtly develop into ridiculousness are a clever touch, emphasising the all-round poke of fun at the arts as a medium obsessed with brutality. A mad plot, plenty of gore and oodles of humour; this film has all the makings of a cult classic.

EIFF 2012: Feature – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 24/06/12

Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda / USA / 2012 / 86 min

3 out of 5 stars

Imagine a world where nature no longer exists; where grass is artificial, bushes are inflatable and trees are operated by remote control; where fresh air is a commodity sold in plastic bottles. In Thneedville, trees have become a thing of legend – so when Ted (Zac Efron) decides to find a real one, he finds himself at the mercy of the man who destroyed them all.

It’s difficult to fault a film with such a valuable message. The ugly truth of capitalism and the destruction of the environment is explained for a young audience impressively simply yet thoroughly, leaving no doubt that corporate greed, deception and a disregard for nature are all absolutely unforgivable. The 3D graphics are deliciously juicy with layer upon layer of depth, while the wonderfully eccentric design with gravity-defying roads, top-heavy houses and fluffy lollipop trees is a treat for both the eyes and the imagination. Although full of energy, it takes a while for the real story to kick in – and when it does, the momentum starts to struggle. Although it’s only 86 minutes long, it somehow it feels much longer, with the plot spending too long on some parts and not enough on others. That said, Dr Seuss’ fabular warning to take individual responsibility to protect all that is good in the world is a valuable reminder, making this a worthwhile film for the family.

EIFF 2012: Documentary – UK Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 22/06/12

Nicole N Horanyi, Heidi Kim Andersen / Denmark / 2011 / 59 min

3 out of 5 stars

It’s estimated that one in three Filipino children grow up with one of their parents working abroad. Whether it’s paying for medical bills, trying to provide an education for their children, or generally lifting their families out of poverty, almost every penny gets sent home. In this hour-long documentary, three young women working in Denmark give an honest insight into their struggles with visa issues, social marginalization, and missing their families.

Although not particularly cinematic and much more suited for TV, this is a sensitively told and well framed damnation of rich societies that allow exploitation of the weak. That said, there’s a little too much focus on the obvious; of course working alone thousands of miles away from home is hard. The real problem with the au pair programme – traditionally an expenses-paid cultural exchange – is that it seems little more than a cover for making people work long hours with rare holidays (if any) for a pittance of a salary. This is a point that is only touched upon, and the total absence of an alternative voice gives this film little opportunity to really delve into important legal and ethical issues. What is the government’s position on cheap, imported labour? How do the au pairs’ host families justify exploiting someone is such a vulnerable position? Without this objective angle, this film falls sadly short.

EIFF 2012: Documentary – European Premiere

Published by TVBomb on 20/06/12

Bart Layton / UK / 2012 / 95 min

5 out of 5 stars

Three years after he disappeared form his Texas home at the age of 13, Nicholas Barclay reappears in Spain. Having been tortured and abused by his abductors, he returns home a different boy – but not just emotionally. His blond hair is now dark, his blue eyes are now brown, and he speaks English with a French accent. To the rest of the world, this man clearly is not Nicholas. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the missing boy’s family welcome him with open arms.

A mind-bogglingly intriguing insight into the human psyche, the circumstances of this story quite literally could not get any weirder, nor more disturbing; if this were fiction, it would be dismissed as unbelievable. The narrative has been expertly woven together by director Bart Layton in a way that heightens the horror just when it seems things can’t get any worse, and to excruciatingly tense effect. The level of access is impressive, including in-depth interviews with Nicholas’ family as well as conman Frédéric Bourdin himself, all of whom, at least in most parts, speak with unprecedented honesty. Full of twists and revelations, this really is hair-raising stuff that has to be seen to believed, while the true fate of poor Nicholas is sure to leave audiences divided.