4-20-2008
I only had two films today, but they were strangely similar. The first
doc was itself not a winner, and the second one was about a
couple who, by and large, aren’t winners.
Victoire Terminus (3/8) was being plugged as a film
about female boxers in the Congo trying to put together a tournament
while political unrest rages in their country. Ummmmm... I guess
that’s what it was about? I really don’t know. I mean, yes, there were
female boxers in the movie, and they boxed... and there was footage of
rally after rally leading up to an election... but, honestly, had I not
read the program notes beforehand I would have had no clue what the
point of the film actually was. None of the women are ever interviewed
directly, just observed. Instead, one of their (male) coaches gets face
time. There were no title cards or any onscreen text to outline what
was happening or who the women are, so I couldn’t identify any of them
by name after watching them for nearly 90 very-long minutes. It didn’t
help that one of the filmmakers stood onstage beforehand for a
five-minute preamble explaining the background of what we were
about to watch. Unless he plans on doing this for every single
screening of this film, I suspect I won’t be the only one left
scratching her head as the closing credits roll.
I was
similarly unsure of the intent behind my second film of the day,
Song Sung Blue (5/8), which profiles a Milwaukee couple—Lightning and Thunder (Mike and Claire Sardina)—who perform as a Neil
Diamond/Patsy Cline tribute act. This was the film that my friend
warned me about yesterday, and I have to say that I kind of reacted to
it in the same way she had: it felt a little exploitative of a rather
depressing situation. I actually felt bad for Mike and Claire,
instead of inspired by their drive. This movie is sort of the
anti-Anvil. Where that film celebrated the determination and
pure passion of a group of middle-aged dreamers who never give up, this
film seemed to showcase the (rather serious and unpleasant) downside of
being blinded by your own dream-chasing. What sounds like it
might be a campy romp is, instead, a rather sobering glimpse at a
dysfunctional family, who barely make ends meet, compromise their
health and endure one setback after another... all the while desperately
pursuing one more minute in the ever-fading “spotlight.” In the Q&A
after the film, director Greg Kohs said he made the movie to “help” the
family. But, as I sat there watching it and hearing the audience
laugh at situations onscreen that were probably not meant to be
at all funny, I had to wonder if he succeeded or if Song Sung
Blue will wind up eliciting pity for its subjects rather than
praise.
In better news, there won’t be a transit strike (at least, not yet) in
the city tomorrow, so I can continue to see films! On deck for
tomorrow, cults and sex-change operations...
