REVIEWS
The Snows Of Kilimanjaro
REVIEWEDBY JONATHAN ROMNEY
Inspired not by the eponymous Hemingway novel but by Victor Hugo’s poem How Good Are The Poor, the latest film from Marseille-born direc- tor Robert Guédiguian will strike many as old- school leftie sentimentalism of the most shameless kind. But, despite the obvious creakiness of its melodramatic narrative, there is no denying the passion, big-heartedness and political conviction that go into The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro). The latest of Guédiguian’s films to draw inspi-
ration from his home turf, working-class district L’Estaque — celebrated most famously in 1997’s Marius And Jeanette — this engaging if sometimes implausible film may be vin ordinaire in terms of cinematic execution, but shows a distinct auteur touch in its idiosyncratic emotional energy. One of the most likeable regular ensembles in
the business make this a watchable pleasure even when the contrivance stretches belief. The French following of Guédiguian and his actors should give the film a solid if unspectacular domestic presence, but abroad, the film will have to be sold on its quintessential Frenchness to get beyond an honourable festival airing. Wearing its old-school socialist commitment
on its sleeve from the start, the film begins with union rep Michel (Daroussin) reading out a list of names picked from a box — men who are losing their factory jobs. Out of solidarity, he has put his own name in the box and faces unemployment with dogged optimism. At their wedding anniver-
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Fr-Bel-It. 2011. 107mins Director/producer Robert Guédiguian Production companies Agat Films & Cie, France 3 Cinéma International sales Films Distribution, www.
filmsdistribution.com Screenplay Robert Guédiguian, Jean-Louis Milesi Cinematography Pierre Milon Editor Bernard Sasia Production designer Michel Vandestien Main cast Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Maryline Canto, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet
sary, he and his wife Marie-Claire (Ascaride) are presented with a bundle of money and a ticket for an African dream holiday. But they lose both when they are robbed at gunpoint. A chance clue reveals to Michel that one of the
thieves is former co-worker Christophe (Leprince- Ringuet), embittered at losing his job. In fact Christophe, who likes to act the defiant
bad guy, is also a dutiful carer to his two kid broth- ers. Marie-Claire and Michel realise that if Chris- tophe faces justice, the boys will be left uncared for — which prompts much often over-explicit musing on solidarity, social responsibility and what the question of being working-class means to different generations. At its best, Guédiguian’s L’Estaque cycle revives
the regional pride of Marcel Pagnol and the socialist humanism of Jean Renoir, and these qualities shine in the best scenes between the cast
members, who exude a rare sense of family inti- macy. Darroussin’s crumpled gruffness makes him extremely credible as a thinking, feeling socialist, while Ascaride remains unchallenged as French cinema’s reigning ‘woman of the people’ in the Anna Magnani mould. Some characterisation is uncomfortably broad
— there is no shortage of cold-eyed bureaucrats and snippy hautes bourgeoises, while Karole Rocher goes wildly over the top as a textbook ‘bad mother’. But Guédiguian also revels in subverting expectation — it is the largely unlikeable Christo- phe who really gets Michel thinking when he fires off a few political home truths at him. The film is uneven and sometimes mawkish,
but you have to take Guédiguian’s films as you find them. And if you can get past the sometimes huggy earnestness, this one is engaging, thought- provoking and difficult to dislike.
UN CERTAIN REGARD Stopped On Track REVIEWEDBYALLANHUNTER
A good life is measured by the quality of its pass- ing in Stopped On Track (Halt Auf Freier Strecke), an emotionally intense, dramatically compelling account of a dying man’s final months. Director Andreas Dresen puts the viewer through the wringer in a film which is unrelentingly heart- breaking but also life-affirming. The value of a loving family, loyal friends, fond
memories and strong connections never seems as important as in the moment when they disappear forever. There is a commercial price to pay for the
commendable candour of his approach. Most audiences would rather watch Johnny Depp chase the fountain of youth than attend a film in which they are confronted by their own mortality. Dresen has a fondness for boldly going where
others fear to tread — from septuagenarian sex lives in 2008’s Cloud 9 (Wolke 9) to terminal illness here. His growing reputation and strong critical support should help this film to overcome resist- ance to the subject matter and attain a respectable theatrical life in line with his previous films. Dresen’s working methods on Stopped On Track
adhere closely to the principles of Mike Leigh, with all of the dialogue improvised by the actors, genuine members of the medical profession woven into the story and situations culled from a truthful
Ger. 2011. 110mins Director Andreas Dresen Production Companies Rommel Film EK, Rundfunk Berlin- Brandenburg, Arte International sales The Match Factory, www.
the-match-factory.com Producer Peter Rommel Screenplay Andreas Dresen, Cooky Ziesche Cinematography Michael Hammon Production designer Susanne Hopf Editor Jorg Hauschild Main cast Milan Peschel, Steffi Kuhnert, Bernhard Schutz, Talisa Lilly Lemke, Mika Nilson Seidel
distillation of life rather than the imagination of a screenwriter. The sledgehammer blow is delivered in the
opening scene as a (genuine) doctor informs 40- year-old Frank (Peschel) that his brain tumour is inoperable and he has a matter of months to live. His wife Simone (Kuhnert) must decide how to break the news to their children, 14-year-old Lili (Lemke) and eight-year-old Mika (Seidel). The son offers simple, unconditional love while the daugh- ter’s response is more complex. The film progresses through all the expected
stages of terminal illness — from anger to fear, denial and acceptance — showing the physical decline of Frank and the impact on his nearest and dearest. His behaviour becomes unpredictable, his presence a burden as they must attend to practi- calities such as funeral arrangements. The film is realistic apart from occasional
moments which stray into fantasy — Frank’s tumour takes human form — shades of Bertrand Blier’s 2010 film The Clink Of Ice (Le Bruit Des Gla- cons) — and he hears radio bulletins offering progress reports on its development. Those moments feel a distraction from the overall tone but do provide brief and acceptable respite from the unutterable sadness of what is unfolding before our eyes. Peschel is an effective, everyman presence as
the dying Frank while Steffi Kuhnert rises to the more emotionally demanding role of the wife cop- ing with everything that life and death throws in her way.
May 17, 2011 Screen International at the Cannes Film Festival 23 n
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