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Jakarta Post

Cinema of the unsaid at Europe on Screen

October November: (Courtesy of EoS)Films do not always focus on what is said

Makbul Mubarak (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, May 7, 2014

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Cinema of the unsaid at Europe on Screen October November: (Courtesy of EoS)" border="0" height="270" width="500">October November: (Courtesy of EoS)

Films do not always focus on what is said. Some focus on what has been left unsaid.

On Wednesday, the sixth day of the Europe on Screen film festival will offer two movies made in this spirit, whose plot points lie outside the foreground.

October November from Austria provides the best example. Eschewing boisterousness, it stays calm and dwells on its characters in the background.

The film tells about two sisters who haven’t met in a long time, reuniting at their childhood home to nurse their dying father.

Sonja is a blooming young actress who is getting sucked little-by-little into the hypocrisy of the urban socialites. The film opens with her being slapped in the bathroom by the wife of her lover.

The first several scenes effectively place Sonja in a position where she gradually grows farther from her father while getting closer to the pretentious lifestyle of her fellows.

After hearing the news about her father, Sonja heads home to meet her older sibling, Verena, who has spent her life in their rural home looking after their widowed father.

Coming home as a popular actress, the dark-haired beauty Sonja becomes the talk of the town. Fans come over and wish her a prosper career.

The beauty of Sonja casts a spell on a country doctor whom Verena is fond of. Verena thinks that Sonja intentionally seduces the doctor while Sonja doesn’t think so. On the other hand, the doctor becomes more and more enchanted by Sonja’s charm. The dying father then becomes a sideshow.

Despite its straightforward conflict in the foreground, October November has its center elsewhere. The film urges the audiences to linger in the empty moments, where, for example, people wait for somebody to die.

Several scenes show the unconscious father while his two daughters wait in silence. The film never bothers to explain if they are waiting for his awakening or his death.

Director Götz Spielmann eloquently uses the empty moments to build a drama with a strong nuances. In every silence, we are left to ponder that there must be some secrets in this family that motivates these somber moments. There must be resentments and hopes behind all those unspoken gestures.

Meanwhile, the only non-European film in the entire festival is the Arabian-language Wadjda, which became a local hit for its honest portrayal of women’s life in Saudi Arabia.

Although not filmed in Europe, Wadjda qualifies for inclusion in the festival due to backing from Continental investors and a predominantly German crew beneath the line.

Written and directed by Saudi Arabia’s first woman director, Haifaa al-Mansour, Wadjda takes its title from the name of the film’s protagonist, a little girl who dreams of getting a bicycle to go play with her male friends.

Wadjda: (Courtesy of EoS)October November: <)

October November: (Courtesy of EoS)

Films do not always focus on what is said. Some focus on what has been left unsaid.

On Wednesday, the sixth day of the Europe on Screen film festival will offer two movies made in this spirit, whose plot points lie outside the foreground.

October November from Austria provides the best example. Eschewing boisterousness, it stays calm and dwells on its characters in the background.

The film tells about two sisters who haven'€™t met in a long time, reuniting at their childhood home to nurse their dying father.

Sonja is a blooming young actress who is getting sucked little-by-little into the hypocrisy of the urban socialites. The film opens with her being slapped in the bathroom by the wife of her lover.

The first several scenes effectively place Sonja in a position where she gradually grows farther from her father while getting closer to the pretentious lifestyle of her fellows.

After hearing the news about her father, Sonja heads home to meet her older sibling, Verena, who has spent her life in their rural home looking after their widowed father.

Coming home as a popular actress, the dark-haired beauty Sonja becomes the talk of the town. Fans come over and wish her a prosper career.

The beauty of Sonja casts a spell on a country doctor whom Verena is fond of. Verena thinks that Sonja intentionally seduces the doctor while Sonja doesn'€™t think so. On the other hand, the doctor becomes more and more enchanted by Sonja'€™s charm. The dying father then becomes a sideshow.

Despite its straightforward conflict in the foreground, October November has its center elsewhere. The film urges the audiences to linger in the empty moments, where, for example, people wait for somebody to die.

Several scenes show the unconscious father while his two daughters wait in silence. The film never bothers to explain if they are waiting for his awakening or his death.

Director Götz Spielmann eloquently uses the empty moments to build a drama with a strong nuances. In every silence, we are left to ponder that there must be some secrets in this family that motivates these somber moments. There must be resentments and hopes behind all those unspoken gestures.

Meanwhile, the only non-European film in the entire festival is the Arabian-language Wadjda, which became a local hit for its honest portrayal of women'€™s life in Saudi Arabia.

Although not filmed in Europe, Wadjda qualifies for inclusion in the festival due to backing from Continental investors and a predominantly German crew beneath the line.

Written and directed by Saudi Arabia'€™s first woman director, Haifaa al-Mansour, Wadjda takes its title from the name of the film'€™s protagonist, a little girl who dreams of getting a bicycle to go play with her male friends.

Wadjda: (Courtesy of EoS)
Wadjda: (Courtesy of EoS)
In Saudi Arabia, women are forbidden to drive vehicles. Even Wadjda'€™s mother needs a male driver to take her to places. Thus Wadjda'€™s dreams are utopian: Not only does she not have money, she would not be allowed to ride one even if she did.

Wadjda has a strong social statement behind the child'€™s perspective it borrows, adroitly addressing the discrimination faced by women in a male-dominated culture.

In a basic way, the film evokes the classic neorealist film The Bicycle Thief, which touched upon the class disparity in post-war Italy through a bicycle-as-narrative-apparatus.

Like The Bicycle Thief, Wadjda takes is shot realistically. The film takes us deep into the streets of the Saudi capital. Director al-Mansour seems want to keep every detail as it is, no matter how onerous.

To realize that vision, al-Mansour had to face the authorities in many filming locations. Many scenes were shot without local permission, forcing the crew had to run and hide after shooting.

Despite a straightforward plot, the significance of Wadjda lies in its production method, which puts filmmaking as an art of fighting against oppression '€” a spirit that is everywhere in the movie.

Wednesday is also the last day for in Jakarta to catch the Hungarian editing tour-de-force Final Cut '€” Ladies & Gentlemen. The story '€” a typical boy-meets-girl plot '€” is told through clips from an astounding 514 films, ranging from the Lumiere Brothers'€™ The Arrival of the Mail Train to Avatar. The film is a cineaste'€™s delight, which, due to licensing, that viewers may not be able to see again. Don'€™t miss it.

Wadjda screens on May 7 at Erasmus Huis and on May 11 at Goethe Haus in Jakarta, while October November screens on May 7 at the Goethe Haus and on May 10 at IFI Salemba in Jakarta. For more information, visit europeonscreen.org.

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