SFFLA 2014 Diary, Final Day

While the Grammys was on yesterday, I was happily watching four great features and one very funny Oscar-nominated live-action short called "Why Do I Have to Do Everything?" -- the entire theater was laughing non-stop for nearly 10 minutes -- at the 15th Scandinavian Film Fest being held at the WGA Theater.

I missed the Swedish film "Reliance" (dir. William Olsson) in the morning because I spent the previous night watching Rafael Nadal’s finals match at the Australian Open. He lost, sadly.

 

Clockwise: Conversations on Serious Topics,
Two Lives, The Shooter, We Are the Best!

The first movie I saw was this poignant Lithuanian quasi-documentary "Conversations On Serious Topics" (dir. Giedre Beinoriute) which features interviews with 12 kids (some in foster care, some orphans, some with disabilities) and they all take on questions about love, loneliness, dreams and their concept of faith, marriage and divorce. It’s a brisk 65-minute minimalist film. Arresting and quite revealing!

My 2nd film was Denmark's "The Shooter" (dir. Annette K. Olesen), a sleek film that has all the hallmarks of a polished Hollywood thriller. The score and editing are impressive!



Georg Maas with the author

My 3rd film was Germany's entry to this years's Oscars "Two Lives" (dir. Georg Maas) and it was a suspenseful drama about a woman who is hiding a terrible secret about her identity... Great perfs! The director had an interesting Q&A after and he fielded questions about the inspiration of the film, the real-life stories from which he based his film, the authenticity of the location, and the poetic ending. Afterwards, I had a picture with him in the lobby. Not a selfie, though.

Georg Maas, James Koenig

My favorite film yesterday was Lukas Moodyson's award-winning, buoyant and celebratory "We Are the Best!" It is a film about 3 girls who formed a punk band despite being told that punk was dead! A lovely film that pulsates with life and youthful exuberance! This one earned the biggest applause from me!

Yesterday was the Fest’s final day. It was my first year attending and I was so impressed by the film selections and the organized and congenial atmosphere of the festival. Kudos to festival founder/director James Koenig for a great event!

XXX

Raymond Lo

SFFLA 2014 Diary

I saw four films today at the Scandinavian Film Festval held at the WGA! I saw 3 great dramas and 1 bad horror movie.

My favorite is the Swedish "Call Girl" (dir. Mikael Marcimain) -- a true account of the lurid and explosive sex scandal that rocked Sweden involving the highest officials of the government during the late 70s. It's easily the most accomplished of the four, filmmaking-wise, that is.

I also enjoyed the the curiously titled "Mother, I Love You" (dir. Janis Nords) from Latvia -- a heartwarming drama about a boy who is struggling with his relationship with his mom and his tendency to solve his juvenile mistakes with equally juvenile solutions... 

Finland's "The Disciple" (dir. Ulrika Bengtsin), set in an island during the late '30s, is an allegorical tale of a family's suffering from the abusive treatment of their patriarch -- the film's photography is so beautiful and painterly!

Iceland's "Frost" (dir. Reynir Lyngdal) is my least favorite of the four movies. It is another variation of that lazy found footage genre that, to its credit, managed to elicit considerable thrills but failed to deliver the suspense it tried so hard to build --- halfway through the movie, i was wishing for Olaf or Elsa to show up and belt those memorable "Frozen" songs! The location where they shot the movie is breathtaking however.

SFFLA runs until today January 26th. It runs annually during winter.

XXX

Raymond Lo