Film Fetish Friday: To Rome With Love, A Royal Affair, Rebelle

Aug 24, 2012 | by Anouk | Art, Event

About the author

As a freelance journalist, Anouk (26) usually writes about what other people do or like. In her precious spare time she watches arthouse films. Not a few. A lot, thanks to her trusted Cineville pass. Here she can finally share her film-fetish with the world.

To watch or not to watch? I will tour around Amsterdam’s cinemas and answer this crucial question every Friday. Without mercy, of course. Sucky films will be slaughtered, cinematographic pearls will be appreciated as such. Or the other way around. After all, good taste is in the eye of the beholder.

To Rome With Love

O, how I was looking forward to this new Woody Allen film. After London, Barcelona and Paris, the over productive film maker set foot in one of the most beautiful cities of Southern Europe: Rome. The trailer seemed so promising: Penélope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and even the master himself. All the different characters tell the story of the buzzling metropole. At least, that is what Allen tried to do. After a while I suddenly realized that I wasn’t looking at a great Woody Allen picture, but at a pretty mediocre film. As a fan it hurts to admit it, but To Rome With Love just isn’t that good. Of course you’ll be entertained and your eyes will be pleased with scenic shots. Yet, the mind has to settle for caricatures and uninspired plots. Woody, I expected more from your 42nd film.

Watch this film in Cineville’s Cinecenter, The Movies and EYE. Also in Pathe (City and Tuschinski).

A Royal Affair

A film about the Danish royal family? Yes. Should you be interested? Yes. In short: It’s 1766. The sister of the English king is 15 when her brother decides she has to go to Denmark to marry the Danish king. Who is also her cousin. He’s 17 and prefers spending his time with hookers instead. The fresh queen starts a love affair with the court physician. This Johann Friedrich Struensee is very into the Enlightenment Movement and he uses the queen to push through his ideas. No more torture and death penalties. Voltaire was very enthusiastic, the Danish aristocracy was less amused. In 1772 they organize a violent coup. Great story, but the Danes aren’t that proud of this piece of history. Director Nikolaj Arcel is the first one to make a film about it. He mixes personal stories with the bigger picture very well. This might not be a film you would choose to go to naturally and that’s exactly why I recommend it.

Watch this film in Cineville’s Cinecenter and Het Ketelhuis. Also in Café 16cc and Pathe (City and Tuschinski).

Rebelle

I am not that fond of films about African child soldiers, but that is all Marco Borsato’s fault. Kim Nguyen made a – thank god – totally different film about the subject. The Canadian-Vietnamese director shows that the childeren often enjoy their status and that they don’t want to be ‘saved’. Very refreshing. The story is about the young girl Komona (played by Rachel Mwanza, who was found on the streets of Kinshasa). Komona has to shoot her parents to be part of an army, led by ‘Big Tiger’. He makes her, and the other kids, do drugs. A great way to escape reality. Big Tiger even says she has magic powers and names Konoma a ‘war witch’. In the end the (pregnant) Konoma tries to get away. What happens isn’t very realistic, but you’ll forgive Nguyen. His Rebelle is told from an interesting perspective.

Watch this film in Cineville’s EYE and Rialto.