Film Fest 2008 Day 4 - PABLO TRAPERO

I am going to break with tradition and talk about only one of the films that I saw today (I walked out of the other one, knowing I didn't want to see it and it was WORSE then I thought it would be, come on what teacher encourages her student to tell her class a FAKE story about how his FATHER BEING A TERROIST! And ACT LIKE ITS TRUE?! Atom Egoyan, I'm sorry even though you are one of Canada's most celebrated directors, we just don't get along...)

I am not a film critic, I know I act like one sometimes, as I watch a lot of movies and know a lot about pop culture, etc., etc. I'm afraid in this instance I need to act like I know what I'm talking about. Pablo Trapero is a great director, he is far too under appreciated. I've seen every one of his 4 films at TIFF. Every year I scan the film descriptions hoping to see his name. His first film was El Bonaerense, a gritty portrayal of the police force in Argentina, seeing that film changed my view on cinema, and I started becoming interested in the 'new wave, neo realist' South American films that are rarely shown outside of the film festival. Pablo doesn't pander to the audience, he doesn't judge his characters or their choices, he aims to show his films in the most realistic light, almost documentary style.

Leonera (Lion's Den), his latest film, is sublime. Words can't describe its brilliance...the lead actress was so magnificent, every facial expression, every sigh, every shrug, she just nailed it, you thought you were watching a documentary on this woman's life, it seemed like she was actually living it! The film is about a pregnant woman, Julia, sent to prison for murder. That's it, that's the film! I know, how exciting right. Just watching her struggles, her triumphs, the way she changes into this strong, tough mother made every moment of the film come alive. I actually felt physically sick by the end, it welled up inside me as I clenched my fists. I am always taken out of films by my surroundings, I just can't let a movie draw me in completely, but I was overtaken by Leonera. I felt like I was a mother in the prison. I felt like I lived their life and accomplished their triumphs and fought with them along side Julia. People actually yelled BRAVO as the credits rolled, which usually happens only the snooty galas.

I'm not sure his work appeals to everyone, he really is a hyper realistic director, so much so that his films can seem a bit slow if you aren't interested in the subject matter (others found his film Rolling Family slow moving, whereas I was entranced by it). But honestly, Leonera is film for film lovers. Hollywood actresses, why don't you get over yourselves and learn to act with the passion of Leonera's lead, Martina Gusman.


P.S. Pablo using the gorgeous Rodrigo Santoro as the 'bad guy' was a stroke of genius. I gasped when he appeared, and you never knew whether you could trust him, ever...