Film Fetish Friday: Killing Them Softly, A Respectable Family, Jagten

Oct 26, 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.

Yep, I failed last week. Don’t blame me, blame Next Monday’s Hangover’s awesome parties. Luckily, this film week has a lot of good stuff to offer.

Killing Them Softly

“America is not a country. It’s a business. So just fucking pay me.” Nope, Killing Them Softly doesn’t do subtlety. The world (especially the States) is full of shadiness embodied by bankers, politicians and (small) criminals. Director Andrew Dominik works together with Brad Pitt for the second time after The Assasinasion of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Pitt is Jackie Cogan, a hit-man who seems to work for everyone, even the police. When two dumb-asses (Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn) rob an illegal betting game, Cogan flies in another hit-man (James ‘Tony Soprano’ Gandolfini) to do the job. Too bad, this guy is busier with booze and hookers than with the actual job.

In this film noir production, in a city where it always seems to rain, lots of good actors (Pitt, Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta) do their trick. That -and some of the dialogues- is what makes Killing Them Softly very cool. Not very original though.

Watch this film in Cineville’s Kriterion. Also in Pathe cinemas (Arena, City and De Munt).

A Respectable Family

Iran, always a good background for a dramatic family portrait. In A Separation and Circumstance that worked out well, in A Respectable Family.. not so much. It probably has to to with director Massoud Bakhshi wanting to tell too many stories. That of the political history of Iran, that of modern day society in Iran, that of Arash’s being in Iran and that of his dirty family secret. It’s hard to understand what this film is really about. Sure, it’s about Arash. An academic who’s back in his motherland after living in Europe for 22 years. His father just died and he has to deal with some paperwork. It seems his father earned a lot of money and he wants Arash and his mother to have it. But then Arash’s half brother gets (aggressively) involved.

Slowly, we learn about the history of this ‘respectable family’. And in the meantime we hope the best for Arash. We can’t feel much else, ’cause he remains a two dimensional character that is used by Bakhshi just to tell some stories about Iran.

Watch this film in Cineville’s Rialto.

Jagten

You can expect to be in for a intense, uncomfortable ride in this film by the director of Festen. With Jagten Thomas Vinterberg takes another contemporary taboo by the horns: child sexual abuse. Teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is accused by a young girl that claims he put his hands on her. Proof or no proof, Lucas is not allowed to do his job anymore. Also, the townspeople start a witch hunt. Vinterberg tells interesting things about how the human mind works, without being a pedantic ‘know it all’. A must see, if you ask me.

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