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BERLINALE SPECIAL GALA


PANORAMA


Rus. 2011. 154 mins Director Alexander Zeldovich Production company Ren Film International sales Beta Cinema, www. betacinema.com Producer Dmitri Lesnevsky Screenplay Alexander Zeldovich, Vladimir Sorokin Cinematography Alexandre Ilkhovski Editors Neil Farrell, Andrei Nazarov Music Leonid Desyatnikov Main cast Maxim Sukhanov, Justine Waddell,Vitaly Kishchenko, Danila Kozlovsky, Daniela Stoyanovich, Nina Loschinina


Target REVIEWED BY JONATHAN ROMNEY


French critics often use the term ‘UFO’ to denote bizarre uncate- gorisable and unexpected films — in which case Russian futur- istic epic Target (Mishen) is a UFO on Independence Day’s scale. This bizarre offering from veteran director Alexander Zeldov-


ich will strike many as a folly, but it can be justifiably tagged as visionary, with a boldly conceived dystopian vision dressed in elegant visuals which build up a thoroughly conceived imagining of the near future — with an unapologetically philosophical spin. Apt reference points might be Minority Report and Solaris,


with side orders of The Matrix, Kubrick and even Fellini. The film deserves to acquire cult status at the very least, and while its more cerebral thrust might deter the straight sci-fi market, intel- ligent marketing could make it a niche hit with discerning audi- ences open to arthouse/genre crossover. The film is set largely in Moscow in 2020, a sleeker, shinier,


CGI-enhanced version of the present. Future Russia is mas- sively influenced by China, with a huge superhighway slicing the country, taking lorries direct from Guangzhou to Paris. And, as in the present, Russian society is divided between the poor and the outrageously wealthy. Zeldovich’s characters fall in the latter camp. Viktor


(Sukhanov) is the middle-aged Minister of Natural Resources, who lives in luxury with his younger wife, Zoya (Waddell). Able to afford the impossible, Viktor and Zoya head out on a journey to the Altai mountains, where the super-wealthy can access the source of eternal youth — an abandoned astrophysics facility named the ‘Target’, where they expose themselves to cosmic rays. Also in the party are Zoya’s brother, Mitya (Kozlovsky), a


flashy TV host; Nikolai (Kishchenko), an alpha-male customs official; and Anna (Stoyanovich), hostess of a Chinese-for- beginners radio broadcast. Returning to Moscow, the group find they have what they asked for — but with not entirely happy long-term results. Massive in conception, the film is an elusive hybrid — less con-


ventional science fiction than a philosophical contemplation of the human condition, good and evil, power, desire and sex (of which there is a lot, between characters in various permutations). This is a very Russian film — which means characters are


partial to reciting Lermontov poems. But amid the philosophy, there is some striking and spectacular future-world imagery, some bold, big-scale motorway action and even a run-in with Chinese gangsters. An anomaly by Western standards, Target belongs in the


great Russian sci-fi/art tradition of writers such as Zamyatin and the Strugatsky brothers — not to mention Tarkovsky. Sleeker and flashier than that great, Target nevertheless has some of the enigmatic magic of Solaris, mixed with FX-era glitz, a combination it carries off with breathtaking flair.


February 17, 2011 Screen International in Berlin 7 n


Chi. 2011. 127mins Director/screenplay Chen Kaige Production companies TIK Films, Stellar Mega Film Company, 21 Century Shengkai Film, Shanghai Film Group Co International sales Arclight/Easternlight, www.arclightfilms.com Producers Chen Hong, Qin Hong Cinematography Yang Shu Production designer Liu Qing Editor Derek Hui Main cast Ge You, Wang Xue Qi, Fan Bing Bing, Hung Xiao Ming, Hai Qing, Zhang Feng Yi, Vincent Zhao, William Wang, Zhao Wen Hao, Han Jue


Sacrifice REVIEWEDBY FIONNUALA HALLIGAN


Chinese cinema’s elder statesman Chen Kaige casts an eye back in time to his country’s Yuan period for a traditional revenge drama distinguished by strong performances from leads Ge You and Wang Xue Qi. Tightly plotted despite its 127-minute running time, this tale


of infanticide and revenge is low on the action demanded by fol- lowers of this genre, but Sacrifice (Zhao Shi Gu Er) could win over regional audiences thanks to its compelling leads and engrossing script. The first half-hour alone, involving a master- fully staged assassination plot, demonstrates a return to form for Chen, though theatrical action outside Asia seems a long shot. Played convincingly as an earthbound melodrama, it is a little


bit jarring when, during its occasional fight sequences, Sacrifice suddenly takes to the air for some brief but enthusiastic wire work, or a newborn baby flies in the sky after a protagonist slips on some fish. Once it settles down, however, this is the kind of enjoyable baby-swap fare of which folklore tales are made (Sac- rifice is based on a Chinese play). The action centres around China’s foremost actor Ge (winner


of the Cannes acting prize for To Live), playing humble doctor Cheng Ying. Attending the eagerly anticipated birth of a child and heir at the royal palace, he himself has just welcomed a son into the world, despite his advanced years. Fate swings into action, however, when army general Tu’an Gu (the marvellously sinister Wang Xue Qi) decides he has had enough of being side- lined by the ruling Zhao clan. The answer is naturally to wipe out the entire family, with


some fancy assassination footwork followed neatly by a crisply cut montage of murder and mayhem. Cheng finds himself delivering the last of the Zhao clan as Tu’an’s soldiers encircle the royal compound and ends up holding two newborn babies as Tu’an threatens a country-wide Herod-style massacre of infants. While the title gives a strong indication of how this plays out


for the good doctor, Sacrifice still manages to maintain its pace as it skips through the years to a dramatic final showdown, los- ing its grip only during the final scenes as the film itself is sacri- ficed to its melodrama. Chen, working with cameraman Yang Shu and production


designer Liu Qing, avoids an over-ripe period feel here, refusing to allow his elaborate interiors to take centre stage and opting for a washed-out colour palette. Support is strong across the board, from Fan Bing Bing as the regal princess to handsomely scarred Han Jue as the general’s former supporter.


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