REVIEWS MAVERICKS


US. 2011. 94mins Directors Albert Maysles, Bradley Kaplan Production company/ sales Maysles Films Inc, www.mayslesfilms.com Producer Bradley Kaplan Cinematography Albert Maysles Editor Ian Mankiewicz Music Paul McCartney, Jay- Z, Elton John, James Taylor, The Who, Eric Clapton, Bill Clinton, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow


The Love We Make REVIEWED BYLEONARD KLADY


Part profile, part history, part concert, The Love We Make centres on Paul McCartney and his involvement with The Concert For New York City that occurred in October 2001 on the heels of the 9/11 tragedy. The material will be broadcast in the US via Show- time as part of a 10th anniversary commemoration of the event and will travel best via the small screen and through DVD sales. Though pushed along by the looming concert, the film


emerges as both an insightful examination of celebrity and ulti- mately an emotional experience for both its music and the con- text that involved such performers as Billy Joel, The Who, James Taylor and The Rolling Stones. But it is McCartney who anchors the piece. In the opening moments he tells of how he was on a plane about to leave New York when the Twin Towers were hit… and never got off the ground. Co-directed by Albert Maysles who chronicled The Beatles’


first visit to the US in 1964, the film is actually more reminiscent of his contemporaneous Meet Marlon Brando. Maysles’ work has always been characterised by his ability to be unobtrusive, which allows his subjects to be at ease. Apart from colour footage of television interviews and the


concert itself, the film is in a somewhat grainy black-and-white that underlines its vintage. Considerable advancements have taken place in digital film-making in the past decade and the choice of monochrome both identifies the period and sidesteps the sometimes primitive aspect of the film-making of the time. McCartney becomes less dominant when the concert begins


though his interaction with other performers, fellow celebrities and organisers informs us about his musicianship and manage- ment skills. One sees, in brief snatches with the likes of Eric Clapton and Sheryl Crow, his ability to convey quickly how they will collaborate without the benefit of rehearsal. The Love We Make finally captures the emotion of the event


with such songs as A New York State Of Mind, Fire And Rain and Our Song gaining texture as intercut shots of the crowd (includ- ing firefighters and police) sing along, providing a personal connection to the lyrics that is genuinely potent.


CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA


Nor. 2011. 88mins Director Jens Lien Production companies Friland Produksjon, Les Films d’Antoine, Nimbus Film, Film i Vast, Gotafilm International sales Films Distribution, www. filmsdistribution.com Producers Christian Fredrik Martin, Antoine Simkine, Bo Erhardt, Maja Dyekjaer, Tomas Eskilsson, Christer Nillsen Executive producers John Lydon, Asle Vatn Screenplay Nikolaj Frobenius based on his book Theory And Practice Cinematography Morten Soborg Production designer Are Sjaastad Editor Vidar Flataukan Music Ginge Anvik Main cast Asmund Hoeg, Sven Nordin, Sonja Richter, Tony Veisle Skarpsmo


Sons Of Norway REVIEWED BY ALLAN HUNTER


The anarchic ethos of the punk era is championed in Sons Of Norway, a bittersweet coming-of age-drama based on the “men- dacious autobiography” of Nikolaj Frobenius. The story of a 13-year-old boy coping with the death of his mother and the fail- ings of his liberal father in late 1970s Norway balances wry laughs with darker undertones to create a likeable film with the potential to become a crowdpleaser in Scandinavian territories. The brash exterior conceals a fairly conventional, soft-centred


interior but there are enough quirks and emotional hooks on display to endear this to audiences who have embraced similar fare such as Fucking Amal or C.R.A.Z.Y. Further festival screen- ings and some theatrical interest seem assured. The latest feature from The Bothersome Man director Jens


Lien focuses mostly on the ebb and flow of the ties that bind 13-year-old Nikolaj (Hoeg) to his hippie father Magnus (Nor- din). Magnus is an idealistic architect who has moved the family into Rykkinn, an experimental housing scheme built on the belief everyone can live in perfect harmony. When his mother is killed in an accident, Nikolaj is faced with


a father who would rather be his friend than a parent. A blast of The Sex Pistols’ music inspires Nikolaj to cut his hair, push a safety pin through his cheek and embrace the values of a punk. He seems to be craving his father’s disapproval but Magnus supports his choice and wants to come along for the ride. Sons Of Norway (Sonner Av Norge) mines a rich vein of


humour from the way parents can embarrass their offspring. The eternally game, well-meaning Magnus drags a mortified Nikolaj to a naturist retreat and even volunteers to play in his punk band when the drummer is indisposed. It becomes increasingly impossible for Nikolaj to assert himself as a rebel when there is nothing to rebel against. The watchful eyes of Asmund Hoeg convey the real grief and


pain Nikolaj is forced to endure beneath his growing frustra- tion. The Sex Pistols’ music provides much of the soundtrack; John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) was executive producer of the film and has a typically eccentric cameo offering words of wis- dom to his young acolyte.


n 22 Screen International at the Toronto Film Festival September 10, 2011


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