Message2Man National Competition/ 2

A non-urban selection, indeed. Most of the films in the national competition took place outside the big cities. And very often in Siberia. Films about people and culture, clashes between indigenous people and the so-called civilisation like in ”The Land Where Mammoths Slumber” (Eva Belova), that is an informative documentation about the Nenets culture, where the reindeers have almost disappeared, but where they still have their ”chums”, tents, now often with tv and internet. A man with a foot in both cultures is the one conveying the dilemmas they face, another one is an artist, a charismatic man, who claims that bureaucrats are the worst enemies for the nenets, ”human rats”! The film stays on the informative level far from the artistic ambition that we have seen from the hands of Estonian Mark Soosaar.

I am afraid that I don’t have many fine words for another film far away from big cities – ”Kamchatka – the Cure for Hatred” (Yulia Mironova) that follows a war correspondent, who takes refuge in this far east island filming himself and his spouse, they get a child, she returns to Moscow, he stays and one year later he is back in war in Syria! I don’t see or hear reflections on the traumas he is to have brought from the Chechen war. The title remains a postulate.

Talking about war – ”Edges of Memory” (Anton Moiseenko) is a film with

talking faces, war veterans, who remembers, personalities, who are good to watch and listen to, an absolutely non-heroic story, and yet why does the director include a young, mostly smiling soldier of today, who says nothing but pops up once in a while… is it to say that this is what is waiting for you? A forced element into the narrative, I think.

Also disappointing for me – more so as I am a big fan of what Marina Razbezhkina and her film school is doing – was ”Yamaha” (Inna Omelchenko) about the young man who can not find a place to perform his passion, because he is making noise with his yamaha… the film lacks energy, I find it flat, sorry. A pity as my first note on the paper was: Finally a film about young people!

AND NOW TO THE ONES I LIKED…

First of all Tatyana Soboleva’s ”Siberian Floating Hospital” (PHOTO) that I first met at the Baltic Sea Forum in Riga 2011 and that I now saw on the big screen that ”liked” the beauty of the images, the warm and respectful approach to the characters on the ship, these fine women, first of all, who are away from home for six months to travel to remote areas to offer the locals medical assistance. Soboleva has filmed for years, you can see that – time is quality.

But also ”In Search of Happiness” by Dmitry Sidorov and Svetlana Demidova about the couple, who ”left the big city in search of peace, solitude, and freedom” – almost 30 years ago. They have bees, goats – who have names – and themselves, and a son, Ilya, and that is where the trouble begins. Ilya takes beautiful photos, he helps on the farm, but he also has a girl friend, with whom he skypes and with whom he would like to live, much to the disappointment of especially the mother, who thinks that Katya, the girl in question, should just give up her ideas about studying and come and live with them. There is a great scene, where the three of them argue about this theme; it’s not difficult to have sympathy for the grown-up young man, who has no future with mum and dad in this far-away dream of their’s. Producer Viktor Skubey told me that the budget they had allowed for two weeks of shooting and three weeks of editing. On that background, a very fine result it is for a 70 minutes long film.

And Olga Maurina succeeded to create atmosphere and catch situations in ”Sons” about boys, orphans, in a foster family. There is a fine observed intimacy in the scenes and she dares to have long scenes where nothing happens – contrary to the wonderful symbolic scenes, where the new boy Igoryek learns – by himself – to bike. Touching and funny at the same time. 40 minutes long, fine for a documentary like that.

Form, think about form, how do you want to convey your theme as a film – Elena Laskari has done so with her ”Ceremony”, in stylistical terms the only original film (56 mins.) in the Russian competition at the Message2Man 2015. Boris Borisovich, the boss of the posh crematorium is the character of the film, the one who calls the funeral ceremony a theatre play, where you have to create a scenario of your own leaving this earth. And the director follows him superbly in this point of view. The film is staged as the procedures are, the clothes to wear by the performers of the ceremony intercut with small episodes where the relatives have to confirm that the name on the urn with the ashes is the right one. Some take the urn to have the ashes spread somewhere. There is also a sequence where you can test how it is to lie in a coffin and be lowered down in the ground! – And the question is put: Do you want to be beautiful in the coffin? You can of course have a pre-paid contract set up, the music to be chosen, the text to be read, all it tested, also in new uniforms. ”When children die”… is there as well in a film that is fascinating to watch, a theatre performance indeed at a special, rich place in Russia.

http://www.message2man.com/en/

  

Russian Police Attacks Documentary Director

Russian Georgy Molodtsov sent this message to be placed on filmkommentaren.dk:

Andrey Gryazev, director of the prominent documentary film “Tomorrow” was beaten up by police, who were waiting for him near his house after funerals of one of art group “Voina” members. “Tomorrow” was successfully screened and awarded all over the world and premiered in Russia within the Moscow International Film Festival, where it was noticed by head of the jury Pawel Pawlikovsky, recent Academy award winner.

The description of the film, taken from the website of idfa:

“The most striking sight in contemporary Russian art is Voina (“War”), a radical artist collective. The founders are Vor (“Thief”) and Koza (“Goat”), and they walk the thin line between art and crime. They paint a gigantic penis on the bridge across from the headquarters of the Federal Security Service and tip police cruisers over by night, as a protest against the force that they would also like to “topple.” Under the title “Palace Revolution,” they filmed themselves doing this, suggesting that their actions were only intended to recover the ball of their one-year-old son Kasper. Their little toddler is often in tow during their illegal acts, and when they get brutally arrested, he watches it all happen. A product of the squatter movement, Voina once boasted two members in its Moscow chapter who would go on to Pussy Riot fame. Director Andrey Gryazev passes no judgment on Voina’s view on life or its political actions, which the state considers to be vandalism and downright incitement. He spends time with two of the collective’s most outspoken members, who provide themselves with food by means of shoplifting and engage in some hefty arguments before carrying out their acts of anarchism. These people live in the moment, hoping that tomorrow they will be able to change everything…”

… link below to a short interview with the director:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/focus-andrey-gryazev-tomorrow

Message2Man National Competition

I came to M2M for Russian documentaries and have so far been watching 16 of the 23 in the ”National Competition of Documentary Films” in the Velikan cinema number 4 – good seats, almost full house for all screenings. With people walking in and out of the cinema, some even come for the last five minutes (!), quite disturbing, writes a grumpy man, who thinks respect for the filmmakers and their works is important. Do your zapping from one channel to the other at home in front of the television set. Not in the cinema, please!

The selection of films this year, one more reason to be grumpy, sorry, is pretty weak. Does this really qualify for a national competition I have asked myself several times. Is this an image of the general quality of Russian documentaries today? Or do other festival in Russia take the best?

The selectors show it already – a quote from the catalogue: The topics of the films vary widely, but of course include some of the favorite themes of Russian documentaries: village elders and city eccentrics, simple Russian workers and lonely philosophers, parents and children, children and school, a bit of politics, a bit of war…The National Competition always tries to embrace as many sides of our daily life as possible and show what surrounds us, whether hidden or obvious…

Themes are mentioned but no artistic criteria, for obvious reasons, as most of

the films I have seen are quite ordinary in narrative terms with bad editing and medium quality cinematography. I asked some Russian filmmakers why editing seems to be such a problem in Russian documentaries. The answer was that there are no teaching in editing and that the directors want to do the editing themselves: ”Keep your fingers away from my work”.

Yesterday at a lecture at the university I mentioned that 20 years ago – at the Balticum Film & TV Festival on Bornholm in Denmark – the filmmakers from Russia and the Baltic states said that an editor in their world was one with technical skills, not necessarily one with a creative function. A filmmakers at the university confirmed that this is still the case! At the university I also asked the 200 students, what they were aiming for. Most of them raised their hand for fiction films, 10-15 for documentary, and ONE wanted to become a producer. Yes, producers, how many are there in Russia or should I ask, how is the profession considered? Several have said to me ”a producer’s job is to bring money to the table”, they listen with respect, when I say ”… and to be the partner of the director, to be constructive and critical, to be involved”.

The films in this first report, that is the one with critical remarks, as I will get back in the second one to the few titles that have quality: ”The Conversation” (Anastasia Novikova) (PHOTO), short film school film about lonely man with mobile phone trying to get in contact with his wife in the hospital, nice but could have been shorter than the 22 mins. it is. ”Swimmers” (Kristina Paustian), different stylistical elements, a narrative mess, psychedelic, super-pretentious. ”Rebalda” (Elena Otrepieva), a visit to Solovki, where camps have been and people with criminal records still live, interesting it could have been, but the editing destroys it all. As does the bombastic music. ”The Countryman” (Anastasia Zverkova), black man in Irkutsk, tram driver and weather man on tv, he is sympathetic, the duration of 15 mins, is sympathetic, no big objections but at a National Competition, the best of the best… ”Grumant. Island of Communism” (Ivan Tverdovsky) (54 mins.), I might not have understood it totally, this film from Svalbard, made in an old-fashioned propaganda style, history and today, confusing…”Everyday Life of an Usual Peasant” (Ekaterina Dorofeeva) is sweet, as the protagonist is sweet. She lives half of the year alone in nature with her animals, the other half husband and son are there to help her with tourism. But again, sorry, poor story building, could have been so much better. As could ”Maria’s Home” (Alexei Lagerev), a sympathetic visit to a place for disabled, you can only have sympathy with the project and the people but as a film, maybe fine as a tv-documentary, will have an audience. ”Way to Charon” (Yury Manusov) is an insult to the audience, close-ups of dead Ukrainian soldiers being picked up by Russian soldiers, 10 minutes of disgusting reportage material wrapped in some philosophical comments in the beginning and end. Finally, ”Tsurtsula” (Alexei Nikolayev) has indeed production value but I don’t get why the director want us to be interested in going with him to Mongolia to a deserted Soviet military camp, where Mongolian soldier are based now. A nostalgic trip for the director, but what does he want to say? What is the message to Man?

I read that the three men jury consists of one film critic and two philosophers, interesting to know what they can take from the selection!

http://www.message2man.com/en/

 

 

Viktor Kossakovsky: Varicella

I hope the audience will become infected, Kossakovsky said to me with a smile before the world premiere of his children documentary, ”Varicella” (Chickenpox). He was there on stage with one of his stars, Polina and with a twelve year old boy, who had made the music for the film! Sorry, did not catch his name…

The film is wonderful and beautiful, joyful and playful, you laugh and enjoy and you suffer a bit with big sister Nastya, when she cries and cries because she does not get the high mark, she had hoped for. But she qualifies for the next class at the ballet academy that is the main location of the film, where the sisters go to train with trainers, who demand quite a lot. But we also see them at home having their games – see photo.

Every image in this film is carefully composed, Kossakovsky lets them stand or have longer sequences like the pillow fights, girls against boys with Nastya in action, whereas the smaller Polina stands a bit in the background watching a world that will also be hers in some years. The girls are adorable because the camera makes them adorable, because the film has the right rythm of editing, because the director dares to stylize with some animation sequences, because Viktor Kossakovsky is a master in conveying emotions. The film is shot in St. Petersburg, like a painting a camera total shot of Neva marks that. Documentary poetry this is.

Infected? Totally!

The film is in the international short documentary competition here is St. Petersburg at the Message2Man festival.  

Sweden, Norway, Denmark, 2015, 22 mins.

Message to Man Film Festival – 25 Years

Mikhail Litvyakov – Misha – rushed into the cinema for a National Competition programme, saw me and Viktor Skubey, producer and dear friend from many years of visiting St. Petersburg, came to hug and picked out proudly a 56 page booklet, well illustrated, his memories from the quarter of a century, where he has been heading the festival. Easy reading, full of anecdotes it is, but also mentioning the different moments of crisis that I think every festival with that age has experienced. Misha was director general of the festival from 1988 until 2011, where film director Alexei Uchitel took over as president with Misha as the honorary President, always around full of energy and humour.

It’s pleasant reading – ”they” have all been here: Richard Leacock, Leo Hurwitz, Erwin Leiser, Herz Frank, Volker Schlöndorff, Tonino Guerra, Godfrey Reggio, Kusturica, Agnes Varda, Ulrich Seild and so on – and Leni Riefenstahl, and that created a lot of problems. A quote: … I definitely did not expect the scandal that erupted even before she arrived. In the free newspaper Metro, Oleg Stirzhak’s article ”Triumph of Forgetfulness” appeared, in which he accused the organizers of the festival of forgetting about the Blockade and basically rehabilitating fascism…”

But there are also memories from the time, when the festival had to say goodbye to the requirement that all films had to be submitted on film material, the consequent technical changes in the cinemas, and of course there has been constant fund raising problems.

Russian directors have started their career at the Message to Man festival: Sergey Dvortsevoy and Viktor Kossakovski as the most prominent names. The latter premiered his new film here the other night – review will follow.

http://www.message2man.com/en/

Estonian Winner in Vilnius

Estonian filmmaker Margus Ounapuu wrote to me yesterday after having read the text from the Vilnius Documentary Film Festival: as I know there was also third prize announced? You’re post look like a bit half at the moment?..

Right he is, the Estonian film “Journey to the Maggot Feeder” was also awarded, it was on the third place in the Baltic competition at the festival. I apologize. Have not seen the film but here is a description from the internet:

The documentary embarks on a journey to the Arctic and some of the darkest alleys of the matriarchal world of the aboriginal Chukchi. An ancient Chukchi folk tale, The Maggot Feeder, was the inspiration for animator Priit Tender who pairs up with filmmaker Liivo Niglas to solve the tale’s bizarre mystery and why it is misunderstood by some Western audiences. Priit goes to Chukotka to reveal the deeper layers of the folk story in this anthropological road movie that features Chukchi and European scholars and the behind the scenes creation of the animation,The Maggot Feeder.

DIRECTORS | Liivo Niglas, Priit Tender
YEAR | 2015
LENGTH | 68 minutes
LANGUAGE | Estonian w/English subtitles

http://estdocs.com/films/journey-to-the-maggot-feeder/

Jeppe Søgaard og Christian Bonke: Uffes alternativ

Det er på DR2 i aften 20:45 første del af denne tv-dokumentar sendes og den ramte skærm er målet for det store og langvarige projekt Søgård og Bonke har gennemført sammen med Uffe Elbek som gennemgående medvirkende i filmen. For det er en film om ham: ”Dette er vores portrætfilm om Uffe Elbæk. Optaget over de sidste 5 års turbulente rejse i dansk politik. Det er blevet til en helt utrolig historie om den lille mands kamp mod det etablerede. Der er lidt af et eventyr over Uffe’s vej igennem det danske politiske landskab. Lidt Klods Hans, lidt Kejserens nye Klæder og i den grad Jeppe på Bjerget…” skriver instruktørerne i pressematerialet. Det er altså en belærende historie om snobberiet omkring magten, om dens hensynsløshed og om medierne som sidder i krogen og skriver det hele ned og frydes over hvert fejltrin, til den lille dreng i en ny retorik spontant kommer med en afslørende iagttagelse.

Filmens fortællemetode er også klassisk: ”Det er en traditionel følgedokumentar i direkt cinema stil. Uden brug af interviews. Der indgår end ikke et masterinterview med Uffe selv. Vi har fulgt med uden at påvirke slagets gang… For os har det været vigtigt, at det skulle være levende og vi ville vise politik i øjenhøjde, så alle danskere kan se med – selv uden politisk indsigt. Vi har flittig brug af arkiv for at påvise Uffes store modstand fra systemet; både politikere og medier. Det har været nødvendigt for igen ikke at påvirke processen, men vise den, som medierne har valgt at bringe historierne. Dette lag fungerer som en stærk modstander, men også som en tidsangiver og medfortæller.”

Sådan skriver Søgaard og Bonke videre, og det er jo selve opskriften på tv-dokumentaren gennem et halvt århundrede, den ene af retningerne. Den anden bygger på interviews. Der er fluen på væggen og der er talking heads. Herligt sådan at få de filmfaglige præmisser, kunstneriske og journalistiske, lagt åbent frem omkring et nyt værk. Så kan værket fungere som illustration og måske senere som forbillede, som skoleeksempel. Og sådan forholder det sig med Uffes alternativ, synes jeg. Der er meget som lykkes, der er bestemt også svagheder.

Tag nu fortællerstemmen som burde være så vigtig, men som jeg forstår Søgaard og Bonke ikke kan lide, den hører ikke med i den valgte rene stil. Der er dog en fortællerstemme i dokumentaren, men den er på en mærkelig måde svag og så er den blot konstaterende og ind imellem faktisk postulerende: ”Uffe har en afvæbnende retorik…”, ja det kan jeg jo for så vidt se og høre, men jeg havde egentlig gerne tillige set eller hørt en analyse af denne retorik, en undersøgelse af dette centrale greb i hovedpersonens politiske praksis. Så jeg savner den rolige kloge stemme, analysen, overvejelsen, jeg savner filmens essay.

Det er egentlig så mærkeligt at det handler om politisk og kunstnerisk alternativ tænkning og praksis og Søgaard og Bonke så vælger at gå ganske konventionelt til værks. Det er der i sig selv ikke noget galt i, men det enestående udelukkes så, jeg overraskes ikke i forløbet. Det skal dog også siges, at jeg lærer en masse om Uffe Elbek undervejs, og jeg kan godt lide det jeg lærer, jeg ændrer syn på ham.

Men jeg savner mere, jeg mangler især meget lange scener som etablerer nogle af de mange optagelser af samvær især i møder, som dramaer med egen indre dynamik som jeg ville kunne tage til mig og grunde over. Søgaard og Bonke er tilsyneladende, nok fordi de har neddæmpet fortællerstemmen, mest interesseret i meningsbærende replikker og færdige pointer, små brikker af tekst, som de kan bygge fortællingen med. Når jeg tænker tilbage er der én eneste scene jeg husker som sådan, og den er fra arkivet og egentlig ikke deres, men dog i deres reportagestil og deres kloge valg. Det er fra Uffe Elbeks overdragelse af Kulturministeriet til Marianne Jelved. Spillet mellem de to er smukt og gribende, et lille drama i sig selv.

Det store drama, fortællingen på 88 minutters story line er således som de æstetiske principper har været håndhævet helt og aldeles overladt til arbejdet i klipperummet. Historien om Uffe og hans alternativ er her mere end en tekst, mere end en billedfordybelse. Den har nærmet sig det musikalske forløb, og det er gennemført omhyggeligt. Klippet i Uffes alternativ etablerer en uafbrudt pulserende bølge af filmklip, arkiv og observerende kamera, der er ikke så stor forskel, ikke fotografisk, end ikke tidens ændringer, da der klippes og fortælles kronologisk gennem de fem år. Klippet etablerer elegant en glidende, næsten organisk urolig strøm af replikker og statements og bevægelser, ind imellem muntert dansende og trapezsvingende, hele tiden omgivet af støj og uro omkring Uffe Elbeks forunderligt konstante ro og hans i det alt sammen så genkendelige stemme. Hvis jeg måske ikke var fascineret af manden før Søgaard og Bonkes tv-dokumentar må jeg bestemt være det efter. Det her er ikke bare ok tv, det er en hel del mere.

Danmark 2015, 2 x 44 min.

SYNOPSIS

Dette er fortællingen om en af de mest utraditionelle danske politikere i nyere tid. Et stykke Danmarkshistorie om tilblivelsen af det nye parti; Alternativet. Vi følger Uffe Elbæk over fem år. Da vi møder ham i 2010, er han en aldeles ukendt politiker, med en fortid i Århus byråd. Efter en lang valgkamp, hvor Uffe og hans frivillige i sidste øjeblik lykkedes at trænge igennem mediemuren, bliver der af den nye regering pludseligt peget på ham, som landets nye kulturminister. Uffes mange ambitioner for kulturen lider et kraftigt nederlag i mødet med virkeligheden. Ministerråderummet er mere begrænset end først antaget.

I stedet påbegynder Uffe en række initiativer, der skal bryde med det rigide politiske system. Bla. laver han offentlige høringer, hvor almindelige borgere kan komme med input til ministeren.

Et af disse bliver afholdt på AFUK, Akademiet for utæmmet kreativitet. Herefter går Uffe på meget kort tid igennem et stormvejr, som medierne navngav Gøglergate, der munder ud i at han må trække sig fra posten.

Uffe Elbæk afgår både som kulturminister og som Radikal politiker og er nu løsgænger i Folketinget. Han har fået nogle gevaldige knubs af pressen og er i færd med at slikke sine sår. Ingen tager den tidligere kaospilot særlig seriøst.

Men i al hemmelighed har han samlet en lille skare fortrolige mennesker omkring sig og er begyndt at etablere et helt nyt parti. Vi følger partiet blive opbygget fra bunden, og deres politik skabt via open source og dialog møder. Partiet kommer i folketinget med 9 mandater, på trods af, at ingen havde spået dem en chance. Uffes alternativ er i høj grad en fortælling om én mands kamp for at ændre den politiske kultur. (Fra pressemeddelelsen)

CREDITS

Manuskript og instruktion: Jeppe Søgaard Nielsen og Christian Bonke. Foto: Jeppe Søgaard Nielsen, Christian Bonke og Louise Leth. Klip: Bodil Kjærhauge, Jacob Duus og Anders Refn. Produktion: Lise Saxtrup. DR2 redaktion: Mette Hoffmann Meyer.

Lithuanian Docs Win in Vilnius

The winners of Vilnius Documentary Film Festival Baltic competition have been appointed and the top two were from the hosting country:

Veteran Audrius Stonys took the first prize for his “Gates of the Lamb” that I have written the following words about: This film, which is visual, have very few words, uses music, has no “story” as such but lets us enjoy Faces Faces Faces, mostly in profile at the right part of the image – great cinematography – and music and a solemn atmosphere with fine small humoristic sequences with children with open faces not really understanding, and yet… what is going on. Audrius Stonys is back to a world that he masters as noone else.

Giedre Zickyté took the second prize for her ”Master and Tatyana” that I have written the following words about: So, there it is, the film about the Lithuanian photographer Vitas Luckus (1943-1987), his life, his art and first of all his love story with muse and wife, Tatyana. It is made by Giedre Zickyte, who has been working on it for years. I heard about it five (maybe more) years ago, when she was pitching the film at the Baltic Sea Forum, and since then I have had the pleasure to watch sequences and rough versions. Yes, pleasure, because Giedre Zickyte has kept the passion for her film the whole way through, and pleasure because you can see Quality, high Quality in the final film. For me it’s brilliant, nothing less… the whole review, click.

The photo of Audrius Stonys thanking for the main award is taken from the FB page of the festival – © Mindaugas Česlikauskas

http://vdff.lt/en

Christian Sønderby Jepsen: Naturens uorden

 

Alle Christian Sønderby Jepsens film har en tydelig mand i centrum, en mand med en lidenskab, en mand med udstråling, en mand som ganske naturligt er i filmen, som er en egentlig medvirkende. Mandens lidenskab er et forehavende, et projekt: at vinde en arvesag, at vinde titlen som landets bedste fuglespotter, at opklare en kompliceret sag om et justitsmord, at få ret over sin nabo, at få samlet alle sine 12 børn i en harmoni. Over sådanne særprægede menneskeliv ude i det almindelige liv bygger Sønderby Jepsen i klipperummet ved optagelser han har lavet som fluen på væggen under lange samvær med den medvirkende gennem måneder og år et drama, som skildrer dette hver gang eksistentielle projekt, denne lidenskab i en kurve gennem modstand og tilbageslag hen imod en løsning, en succes, en indsigt.

Den medvirkende mand af den slags i den nye film Naturens Uorden er Jacob Nossell. Hans projekt er voldsomt stort, han har sat sig for at lave et ”selvbiografisk teaterstykke om normalitet, identitet og meningen med livet”, som det i begyndelsen af filmen skrives hvidt på sort på et skilt, og få det sat op på Det kongelige Teater. Sønderby Jepsen er steget på projektet og følger det med sit kamera og skaber sit værk om hans værk, med ham og med teaterinstruktøren Thomas Corneliussen og skuespilleren Kristoffer Fabricius (dublerer Nossell i forestillingen) som aldeles vigtige medvirkende i hovedpersonens ambitiøse forehavende.

Åbningsbilledet er præcist og smukt. Jacob Nossell står rygvendt til kameraet på den tomme scene i Det Kongelige Teater og kigger ud i den oplyste, tomme teatersal hvor han og jeg hører det publikum som han filmen igennem vil arbejde på at blive i stand til at møde. Han og jeg hører publikum klappe. Hans første replik lyder: ”Hej! Mit navn er Jacob. Når folk møder mig for første gang, så får de en instinktiv impuls til enten at flygte fra mig eller også slå mig ihjel. Så vi skal nok få en rigtig hyggelig aften i aften.” Musikken sætter ind, det er filmmusik til en stor film. Ingen tvivl om det, jeg er tryg.

Så tager Nossell fat på researchen, han tager det journalistiske arbejde alvorligt, tager fagets metode på sig, samler materiale til teaterstykket og til filmen, til sit manuskript i samarbejde med Thomas Corneliusssen og til sit treatment sammen med Christian Sønderby Jepsen. Han besøger og interviewer med sig selv som både undersøgende journalist og objekt for undersøgelsen en filosof, en neurolog, en dagbladsredaktør, en personalechef på DR, ”nu er jeg rigtig vred” siger Nossell da han hurtigt fjerner sig fra oplevelsen, fra begrundelsen for at han ikke kan komme i praktik der, han ser jo mærkelig ud og han taler så højt, hvad han ikke selv ved, med sit talebesvær ikke selv kan regulere. Derefter er der så resarch i en medicinhistorisk museumssamling med mennesker i sprit, med misfostre fra dengang, med konkrete belæg for hvad der tidligere ansås for normalt. Og oplevelsen sætter sig som idé til filmens plakat.

Det er barske møder. Der er især et med en antropolog, en forsker som er sikker på at om nogle år vil unormalitet blive sorteret fra, handicaps som spastisk lammelse i hvert fald, og der er igen en ansættelsessamtale, denne gang med Miki Mistrata på Ekstra Bladet som placerer Jacob Nossell midt i en Gaussk kurve over journalistisk talent tegnet i luften med hånden, placerer ham midt i den store masse af almindelighed og normalitet, og slår fast at han bestemt ikke er noget stort journalistisk talent. End ikke en 14 dages praktikplads kan han få på hans avis.

Jeg derimod som tilskuer glæder mig i en række oplevelser i dette, er glad for at møderne med vidnerne er er skildret som samvær, klippet som samvær, samlet i naturlige sekvenser som begivenheder på Jacob Nossells vandring fra sted til sted, altid rygvendt, kameraet er lige bag ham, følger ham. Jeg fryder mig over denne elegante sammenføjning af to, både ret ens og temmelig forskellige projekter, skuespillet og dokumentarfilmen. Denne sammenføjning er selve rammen om fortællingen idet manuskriptskrivningen i teatret er fælles og de samtidige forunderøgelser er fælles, og det bliver derefter filmens byggesten og handling.

Der er meget mere at glæde sig over i Christian Sønderby Jepsens nye film. Der er først og fremmest gjort plads til pausen som bliver til en meget lang scene fuld af betydninger. Efter samtalen med neurologen forklarer denne rolige, kompetente mand Nossell, at scanningen viser at det slet ikke står så galt til med hjernen, skaden som er skyld i talevanskelighederne og det motoriske besvær er ikke voldsom og det meste er normalt. Og Nossell er lykkelig. Sønderby Jepsen benytter med det samme situationen til fra bag kameraet at spørge: ”Ville du gerne have et andet liv end det du har lige nu?” Jacob Nossell går helt i stå, men hans ansigtsudtryks kadence af glidende følelses- og overvejelsesskift fylder scenen i meget lang tid, og jeg holder vejret til svaret tøvende kommer. Det er en meget smuk filmscene. Et andet eksempel er optagelsen fra en prøve på en scene i teaterforestillingen. Nossell sidder ved sit skrivebord bag sin computer midt på det ellers tomme scenegulv. Thomas Corneliussen sidder alene på en af stolene nede i salen. Jacob Nossell skriver på et digt til sit ufødte barn og læser det med sin vaklende stemme højt undervejs. Der er mange pauser på grund af mange følelsers ankomst til sindet: er dette en mulighed eller er det endnu en dagdrøm? Ler han? Græder han? Er det rollens mimik eller er det hans? Jeg ved det ikke. Filmens inderste nerve svinger her som et eftertankens pendul: person / karakter… teater / film… forestilling / virkelighed… Der er mange pauser, lange. Og scenen er lang. Kameraet svigter ikke, der klippes ikke væk. Jeg har god tid. Det er en god tekst og det er en meget meget smuk filmscene.

Naturens uorden er en forbilledlig dokumentarfilm med en ikke et øjeblik svigtende hovedperson og to andre gennemgående præstationer, en teaterinstruktør og en skuespiller, på samme måde konstant gribende personskildringer. Dertil en uafbrudt række præcise scenerækker med fascinerende eksperter og andre fagfolk som Nossell i filmens handling opsøger. Alle disse er instrueret og klippet frem til fuld prægnans og autenticitet samt konstant nærvær. Sådan ser en film ud når et konsekvent arbejde med det iagttagende kameras metode lykkes og afklaret resulterer i en yderst kompliceret historie, en biografi over en skrøbeligt sammensat person og en undersøgelse af eksistensens betingelser og bliver en både munter og dybt rystende skildring af dette udsatte, følsomme og konstant eftertænksomme menneske.

Danmark 2015, 95 min.

Jacob Nossell

SYNOPSIS

Science is bringing us closer to creating the perfect human being. But what are the consequences of defying natural evolution? Recent advances in medical science bring us closer to the prospect of creating a genetically perfect and flawless human existence. An unborn human life can be screened and influenced in so many different ways. Sperm banks offer to determine the sex, eye color and blood type of your dream child. Nuchal scans and genetic tests allow us to reject defects before it is too late. The goal is to give a worthwhile and healthy life to as many people as possible. A life without disabilities. Or rather – a normal life.

24-year-old Jacob Nossell is really bright, but he does not fit the typical idea of a dream child or the perfect life. Jacob suffers from cerebral palsy, a congenital physical disability. In addition to affecting his speech, it causes muscle cramps and stiffness. His words run together when he speaks and his movements are limited. With a normal intellect in a weakened body Jacob Nossell is the embodiment of the dilemma of normality – e is too disabled to be truly accepted by society and too normal to accept his own fate. Therefore Jacob has decided to stage a performance at the Royal Danish Theatre (Human Phase-out), and put matters straight once and for all. He will do away with normality as defined by the majority.

The film Natural disorder, together with Jacob, examines, tests and challenges modern society’s concept of normality. The film follows the development of Jacob’s performance from his collection of empirical data to the premiere at the Royal Theatre. But the film also witnesses Jacob’s inner musings during the process and reaches the point where we get to know his most personal thoughts. The theatrical process will be combined with an independent cinematic layer that visually reflects on future scenarios concerning normality and disability. A “fable of consequences” spiralling from the fact that it is scientifically possible today to design the people of tomorrow. The unwanted can be eliminated. We take a close look at the near future, where someone like Jacob only exists in a glass jar in a scientific museum. The aim is to make a moving film describing the ethical crossroads in human evolution anno 2013. (CPHDOX, Forum Projects 2013)

CREDITS

Manuskript, fotografi og instruktion: Christian Sønderby Jepsen, medvirkende: Jacob Yoon Egeskov Nossell, Thomas Corneliussen og  Kristoffer Fabricius, klip: Rasmus Stensgaard Madsen, musik: Jonas Colstrup, produktion: Malene Flindt Pedersen, Moving Documentary, distribution: DOXBIO. Alle credits, se DFI fakta, link nedenfor.

PREMIERE: 7. OKTOBER

Filmen vises i en række biografer. Hvilke biografer, hvor og tidspunkt og billetbestilling se link nedenfor.

FILMOGRAFI

”Fuglekongerne” (2012), ”Testamentet” (2012), ”Min fætter er pirat” (2010), ”Dømt for terror” (2010), medinstruktører: Miki Mistrati og Nagieb Khaja, ”Side by Side” (2008)

Om Christian Sønderby Jepsens værker, se samlede blogindlæg på Filmkommentaren. dk

LINKS

http://www.dfi.dk/faktaomfilm/film/da/92783.aspx?id=92783  (DFI’s fakta)

https://www.facebook.com/naturensuorden?fref=ts  (filmens Facebookside)

http://www.doxbio.dk/kob-billet/  (liste over biografer som viser Naturens uorden 7. oktober og frem)

Jafar Pahani: Taxi Teheran

 

The French poster for the film catches perfectly the sweet, light and unpretentious atmosphere of the latest work made by a director, who lives under a berufsverbot from the state he lives in: he is not allowed to make films, he is not allowed to leave the country. And it introduces the characters, or should I say: The teacher who argues with the man (third from the right), who has quite strong opinions on what should be done to criminals. The little man who sells films on dvd even those that are not finished yet (!), the two older ladies who enter with a bowl of goldfish, the niece who wants to make films as her uncle, the taxidriving director Pahani, but has been told by her school teacher, that certain rules have to be followed, the boy who is in her film, but can not be as he ”commits a crime” on camera, and finally the flower-carrying, smiling dissident-colleague to Pahani.

The film starts, Pahani is behind the wheel, he takes the driver’s seat with a camera that can be positioned so it catches what happens outside and inside with the characters entering, those on the poster. It is joyful to watch with small situations that reflect a debate on human rights in Iran, that susperstition lives well among the older generation, that you can get whatever film you want in piracy copies (I experienced that myself back in 2000 when I visited Teheran), that there are rules for what you can film and what not.

Pahani himself, the taxi driving film director, comes out as a mild and generous character – one of the kind of taxi drivers you seldom meet – he listens to the stories that he has created for the film – and makes his job as a film director, who loves his citizens and who lives as they do, coping with the many restrictions.

Iran, 2015, 82 mins.

You can only love that film, that opens theatrically in Copenhagen, Grand Teatret October 1st.