very good but Temptetaions of St Tont is better
My vote history: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=41932309
Just watched the trailer for "Temptations of St Tont" and it looks very compelling. I hope that the film makes it to Canadian art house cinemas.
share[deleted]
Häbi-häbi. Kas sina vaatad ainult filme tuntud inimestest?
shareDon´t know about the "especially bad", but the awkward, self conscious philosophizing that reared its head from time to time should have been dusted off somewhat; at any rate though, the film is fairly laconic so it doesn´t amount to more than a distraction. For another thing, some of the acting performances didn´t quite make the nut either - the failure to properly adapt to the more naturalistic requirements of film acting is a common flaw amongst Estonian actors who, of course, work in theaters most of the time. And Tolk, who doesn´t, needs to work on his bloody diction (otherwise a good idea to stick a non-pro actor in it, I guess that´s one way to work around the mentioned problem of approaching movie acting with theatrical sensibilities - for an amateur he does pretty good overall). And in the end I suppose one could say that Õunpuu ultimately fails to tie what he´s out say, together in a fully coherent manner, leaving the picture feeling perhaps a little intellectually sloppy - unlike the source novel that builds beautifully up to a devastating statement on its time and place, painting an amazingly detailed and textured mural of which interests seem to go almost everywhere, relating itself also to larger things than the film does as its stabs at existentialism tend to come across a bit tacked on while it´s mainly content to twirl around relationships like some bloody Stiffy Allen production.
Other than that though, it´s a rather successfully poetic endevour with its cool, downbeat flow and numerous speechless interludes; as far as creating mood goes, it´s definitely a resounding success most of the time - starting with the very first image of Tolk shivering in wind high up on a balcony. It´s a funny film, too, one that manages blend humor with depression without going off rails tonally as it rolls on with such a natural confidence as almost no Estonian film before it. So if my complaining above seems a bit excessive, that´s only because there´s finally a film of ours you can take fully seriously and compare it to real cinematic art without feeling you´re parodying film critique.
And, talking of that "real cinematic art", here is a succinct tip as to what to expect from it in a language film buffs understand: it´s like Cassavetes and Altman meeting on Kaurismäki´s home turf... or just a hundred kilometers to the south. 7,5-8/10.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan