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Behind
the Sun
Brazil 2001, Cert. 12
Director: Walter Salles
Star Rating * * * *
 Brazil
1910, and a peasant family is mourning the death of a
son, murdered by a member of a neighbouring family. The
feuding is a traditional cycle of violence which the proud
patriarchs are unwilling to end. 20-year-old Tonio (Rodrigo
Santoro) is ordered to avenge his brother's death by murdering
his neighbour's son - an act which will, he knows, lead
to his own murder.
Directed
by Walter Salles (Central Station), this is a thought-provoking
work, dripping with traditional themes of honour, vengeance
and family values. Respect and fear of the father is contrasted
with the tender love between Tonio and his younger brother
(Ravi Ramos Lacerda) just as the fixed attitudes of the
older generation contrast with the courage and liberalism
of the young. The film meanders as the brothers await
the next full moon - a time to kill and be killed - while
the harshness of peasant life in rural Brazil is bathed
in a surreal golden glow by ace cinematographer Walter
Carvalho. This simple poignant tale will alas unfold too
slowly for many modern cinema-goers, but those who stick
with it will find meaningful reward on many levels.
Odeon
and UCG from April 5
Y
Tu Mama Tambien
(And Your Mother Too)
Mexico 2001, Cert. 18
Director: Alfonso Cuaran
Star Rating * * * *
In
present day Mexico City, two teenage boys, Tenoch (Diego
Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) are spending the
last weeks of summer together before they go off to university.
After their girlfriends leave for an Italian holiday,
the boys - one the son of a wealthy politician, the other
from a poor background - invite Luisa (Maribel Verdu),
the attractive wife of Tenoch's cousin, to come on a trip
with them to Heaven's Mouth, a fictional beach. The three
embark on a road trip to the beach, during which the boys
confess some secrets, explore their friendship and share
sex with Luisa. This sophisticated coming-of-age tale
takes us on a journey, through the politics of Mexico,
class, friendship, love and sex. A narrator conveys additional
information, statistics and events of which the protagonists
are unaware, drawing attention to the fact that even best
friends don't know each other or realise what is truly
going on around them in the world. This device adds to
the depth of the film, which was deservedly a huge hit
in Mexico, and 40-year-old director Alfonso Cuaran proves
that he is capable of far more significant work than his
previous Hollywood features (A Little Princess, 1995,
Great Expectations, 1997).
Duke
of York's from April 12
OTHER
HIGHLIGHTS
Cinematheque:
THE VEIL, never-broadcast 50's horror show with an introduction
by Boris Karloff. (April 7).
THE
HIRED HAND, Peter Fonda's follow up to Easy Rider (April
11).
ANTONIO
DAS MORTES (Gloauber Rocha 1969 Brazil), mystical revolutionary
fable as an assassin hired by the government teams up
with oppressed peasants (April 14).
L'IMMORTELLE
(Alain Robbe-Grillet 1962 Fr/It/Tur), fragmented mystery
romance set in a strange labyrinthine city. Grillet's
movie debut. (April 21).
The
Gardner Arts Centre:
LA STRADA (Federico Fellini, 1954 Italy), considered by
many to be Fellini's most beautiful and powerful film
(April 21).
ATANARJUAT
[THE FAST RUNNER] (Zacharias Kanuk, 2001 Canada), a rare
opportunity to see an Inuit film. A story of two brothers,
a neighbouring family and an evil spirit. (April 21).
copyright New Insight 2002
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