FILM SPOTTING: WFF 2009 edition | Part One
{FILM SPOTTING}
I’m not sure if there will be a part two of my WFF film spotting, but there might be ;-P Won’t have time to attend the Warsaw Film Festival properly this year or to read through exactly what they’re showing, but here’s some stuff that caught my eye immediately, just by looking at the titles released so far (a full list is supposed to be up tomorrow).
The Girlfriend Experience (USA, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): None - WFF might be the only opportunity to see it.
Runtime: 78′
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Sasha Grey
Production House: 2929 Productions, Extension 765, HDNet Films
Plot: (from imdb)
A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work.
Featurette
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
I’m not particularly into Soderbergh and it’s only had average reviews. The topic seems rather cliché as well.
The excited part of me thinks that…
I’ve been really looking forward to watching this because of Sasha Grey. I should probably explain my fixation with her… I once watched her on the Tyra Banks show on youtube (I don’t even remember how I came across that clip). The show was clearly orchestrated to show how the sex industry is luring young, naive and innocent girls and destroying their lives. For most of the guests it was true, but Tyra made a mistake when she invited Sasha Grey to the show. I think Sasha was 18 at the time (she’s 22 now), but however Tyra Banks tried to manipulate and prove her point (and she clearly did her best with the editing of Sasha’s interview as well), Sasha Grey just wasn’t having any of it. She chose the career of a porn star very consciously and she is totally honest and unapologetic about it. There’s something about how bluntly and forcefully she makes her opinions known that really impresses me. I’ve since read and watched quite a few of her interviews and I just love her *grin* Haven’t seen any of her porn films - don’t feel particularly inclined to, but now that she’s starting a mainstream acting career alongside her adult film one I just have to see her *grin*
Świnki (Germany/Poland, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): None yet - I assume this will be released though… just hasn’t gotten a distributor quite yet
Runtime: 94′
Director: Robert Glinski
Cast: Filip Garbacz
Production House: 42film
Plot: A story about teenage prostitutes on the Polish-German border.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
Actually there are no specific things that put me off…
The excited part of me thinks that…
The topic, though sensationalistic, looks interesting. The boy on the trailer looks fantastic and has been much praised for the part. And it sounds like Robert Gliński may have done something on the level of Cześć Tereska again, though I guess I will have to watch it to find out *grin*
Mammoth (Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): None AFAIK and I’ve no idea if this will be released…
Runtime: 125′
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Michelle Williams
Production House: Memfis Film
Plot: (from imdb)
While on a trip to Thailand, a successful American businessman tries to radically change his life. Back in New York, his wife and daughter find their relationship with their live-in Filipino maid changing around them. At the same time, in the Philippines, the maid’s family struggles to deal with her absence.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
There’s nothing about the trailer and nothing that I’ve heard about it that has gotten me excited.
The excited part of me thinks that…
It’s Lukas Moodysson and Gael Garcia Bernal together. I absolutely loved Moodysson’s first three films, the ones I’ve seen after that not so much… I really do like to follow him though cause he’s chosen a bizarre path for himself!
Gael Garcia Bernal is one of those guys who not only I like as an actor, but who usually chooses some interesting projects, so he must have had his reasons to choose this one *grin*
