LAFF2014. Film Reviews: "The Liberator", "The Overnighters", "Walking Under Water"

Los Angeles Film Festival Diary

Sunday, June 15, 2014

I missed the first four days of the LA Film Festival because of some personal matters that i had to attend to. (I am interviewing for a new day job!)

So, I went yesterday and saw three films. One was a feature film about the heroic life of Venezuela's national hero Simon Bolivar and two documentaries.
 

The cast of "The Liberator" introducing the film at its
LAFF screening last night.





















"The Liberator" is an excellent biopic about Bolivar and features an outstanding performance by Edgar Ramirez and a truly memorable score by Venezuela's pride Gustavo Dudamel! The film chronicles the life of Bolivar from his privileged childhood to his revolutionary struggles to liberate South America from the Spaniards. It's both an epic and an intimate look at a hero that is not as popular as his modern-day Latin American equivalents but whose achievements far surpass that of many. 

Rating: 5 Stars



The author with "The Overnighters" director Jessy Moss



"The Overnighters" is a remarkable American documentary about a pastor who housed the homeless migrants searching for jobs in an oil town in North Dakota. The filmmaker shot the film over 18 months with zero crew to assist him. Amazing! The documentary also had a surprising conclusion that somewhat detracts from the main subject but offers a glimpse into the fortuitous possibilities of documentary filmmaking.

Rating: 

3 Stars 

"Walking Under Water" is a fascinating docu-drama about the disappearing culture of the Badjao tribe in the islands of Borneo. The underwater photography is splendid and the film powerful. Some scenes call to mind Dante Mendoza's "Thy Womb" but this movie has a far better scope, resonates more and feels more authentic.

Rating:

4 ½ Stars

On first glance, it would seem that the three films I saw share nothing in common but i like to find some common thread in the movies i watch on the same day (call it festival programming, I suppose) and I like to make a narrative of the films and try to rationalize why each one complements the other. And I found one:

The films are about people waging to varying degrees a battle against seemingly insurmountable odds.

In "The Overnightert", the jobless and homeless are fighting for their dignity. In "Walking Under Water", the Badjao people are fighting for their identity. And in "The Liberator", the oppressed are fighting for liberty.

In that regard, I invite you all to consider helping the young protagonist of "Walking Under Water" in securing a bright future for himself. Please help. Thanks.

XXX

Raymond Lo