May 24, 2008Cannes Day Ten: New York, Teaching Kidsand Some Bad MagicSynecdoche, New York -- Oscar-winning screenwriter CharlieKaufman's directorial debut is a typically convoluted, highconcept tale about a theatrical director (Philip SeymourHoffman) whose wife (Catherine Keener) runs off to Berlin withtheir daughter and becomes a famous painter (while theirdaughter grows up off screen, gets a full body tattoo and startsdating Jennifer Jason Leigh).</p><p> Hoffman gets a MacArthur grantand heads to New York City where he finds a huge warehouseand builds a full-scale replica of the city and peoples it withactors playing himself and everyone in his life and directs themall, along with ultimately millions of others.</p><p> They rehearse thisplay for decades while outside the warehouse the world seemsto descend into chaos.</p><p> I'm always aware it's an artificialconstruct rather than getting caught up in the tale, thoughaffecting moments -- like Diane Weist speaking into Hoffman'sear via mike and directing him, Tom Noonan hovering overHoffman while studying Hoffman and so on -- can be found.Only for devoted fans, I think.</p><p> The critic next to me wassurprised no one booed it.</p><p> Generally gets mixed notices.</p><p> The Class/Entre Les Murs -- After an amusing press conferencefor the documentary about the Chelsea Hotel by Abel Ferrara, Irealize that one of the last two films in Competition is playing atnoon and rush into a very crowded screening (it's playing thenext morning at 8:30 am and many people will be gone or, likeme, don't want to get up that early.</p><p> Directed by Laurent Cantet,it's based on a best-selling nonfiction novel by FrancoisBegaudeau, a teacher who documented one year at a tougher (iepoorer) Paris junior high school filled with kids from alldifferent races and backgrounds.</p><p> Begaudeau is also the star ofthe film, which takes place entirely in the school.</p><p> Cantet is oneof the best and least heralded directors working today, withVisit our other sitesAdvocate.comOut.comOutTraveler.comPopnographyAdvocate GenQMr SardonicAdvocate InsiderOut.com StyleListHereTV.comGayWired.comAdvertisement CategoriesBingham Cup 2008BooksCannes 2008Cannes Film FestivalCelebsCoachellaComic-Con 2007Current AffairsFashionFilmAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/2008/05/cannes-day-ten.html 1 of 47/22/09 4:13 PMseveral good to great films to his credit: Human Resources,Time Out, Heading South and now this.</p><p> In fact, "The Class" isprobably my favorite film in Competition.</p><p> Subtle, funny andemotional, it's got a cast of kids equal to the kids who appearedin season four of HBO's "The Wire," which was also set in aschool.</p><p> As with Il Divo, I might not remember all their namesbut I know six or so of these kids (in a class of 24) very very welland the teacher most of all.</p><p> He's clearly dedicated and smart,gently butting heads with another teacher who always wants toenforce the rules and sees the kids as the enemy.</p><p> Thisdescription is already blunter and less shaded then the filmitself, which has no villains or heroes (not even our teacher)and is always wiling to look deeper to empathize with all thecharacters.</p><p> Some of the teachers snap under the pressure oftrying to educate unruly kids who talk back and see no futureand therefore no reason to learn.</p><p> We see teacher meetings andparent-teacher conferences and disciplinary hearings but aboveall our teacher in his classroom with these kids, teaching themgrammar and writing.</p><p> His constant balancing act of trying tohear them out and let them express themselves naturallywithout losing control of the class is engrossing in and of itself.And the kids are so vidid.</p><p> One smart girl with a wicked tonguealways challenges the teacher ("Why do you always use suchwhite names?" she said when he puts a sentence on the boardthat begins "Bill likes..." "Why not Ahmed?") (In a sign of howsubtle and real the film is, I really liked this girl while my friendStephen couldn't stand her and thought she was atroublemaker.) A cute gay kid who is always hanging out withthe other girls.</p><p> The new kid Carl who was kicked out of anotherschool for misbehaving.</p><p> Boubacar, who loves football/soccer,and can be cajoled into contributing after making a funnycomment.</p><p> Wei, a sweet, friendly Asian kid.</p><p> The girl who feelsthe professor has it in for her and says she's going to sit in theback and not speak to him for the rest of the year.</p><p> AndSoulemane, a student who constantly gets into trouble withother teachers and who Francois really makes an effort toencourage -- praising a self-portrait done with photographs,dealing with his parents and so on.</p><p> Heartbreakingly, an offhandcomment in a teacher's meeting (where student representativesattend) gets back to Soulemane, which shames him and leads toa cascading series of events where everyone -- including theteacher -- makes tragic mistakes.</p><p> A film like this makes "DeadPoets Society" and "To Sir With Love" and "Blackboard Jungle"seem simplistic in comparison.</p><p> It deals with gender and classand intelligence and immigrants vs citizens in the most natural,unaffected way by simply looking carefully at these characters.Gripping, moving, and painfully real, it's surely the film to turnFilm FestivalsFood and DrinkIowa Caucus 2008LesbianMusicOutfest 2008PartiesPoliticsProvincetown Film Festival 2008Queen Mary 2 Historic CrossingReligionScienceSexSportsSydney Mardi Gras 2008Taylor Hanson for The AdvocateTelevisionThe DinahThe HRC Logo ForumThe L WordTheaterTravelRecent PostsMTV Video Music Awards...</p><p> Cheap, Or What?Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles: 30 Years YoungEric McCormack Auctions Off Porsche for ProjectAngel FoodWhat is the Advocate Insider? On 90210!OUTFEST REVIEW: Another Gay SequelAwards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, and Mama"Sordid Lives" Screens to a Sold-Out CrowdOUTFEST REVIEW: The World UnseenOUTFEST REVIEW: The Lost CoastOUTFEST REVIEW: Eleven MinutesRecent Commentscelebrity picture on OUTFEST REVIEW: The LostCoastvimax on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamapenis enlargement pills on Michael Guest is all smilespenis enlargement on Michael Guest is all smilespenis enlargement on Amman SegregatesLou on Cruise programming we missed...michaelj72 on "XXY" -- Another Terrific Queer FilmAt Cannesvigrx on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamaAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/2008/05/cannes-day-ten.html 2 of 47/22/09 4:13 PMCantet into a director with a worldwide audience.My Magic -- Following "The Class" is no easy task, and thisSingaporean film dumped at 4:30 p.m. on Friday certainly isn'tup to it.</p><p> The most entertaining part of the movie is getting in:they don't admit the journalists until the lights are down andthey're herded into the balcony.</p><p> The balcony is dangerouslysteep and extremely dark -- you can literally be ready to sit in aseat without realizing it's already taken.</p><p> All the journalists pullout their cell phones in the vain hope that the tiny light emittedby the screen will glow enough to give them a sense of wherethey are.</p><p> It doesn't, but you do get to see the vivid image of allthose phones waving frantically in the air like some sort ofspastic rock concert where a line of fans heads up into therafters.</p><p> The film itself should not be in Competition.</p><p> A smallslot in a smaller fest category might be kind for a movie from acountry that makes so few films, but even there it would need agenerous audience.</p><p> It's the story of a giant man, a drunkard,who comes home hopelessly ill every night after weepinglycalling his ex-wife.</p><p> Their little son cleans him up, angry andconfused.</p><p> The boy does homework for other students so theycan have a little money, while the father just busses tables andgets wasted again and again.</p><p> The dad also casually does magictricks and feats of skin piercing because he has an exceptionaltolerance of pain.</p><p> When the boy isn't cleaning up vomit, he'ssitting on his grandmother's grave crying and saying he missesher and is angry at his mother and father.</p><p> The dad gets thenot-so-bright idea of getting himself beat to death by thugs whowill pay for the pleasure, thus giving hs orphaned son a chanceat a better life.</p><p> Ugh.Posted at 01:22 AM in Cannes 2008 | PermalinkTrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry:http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341ca4b653ef00e5527b1e748833Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Cannes Day Ten: NewYork, Teaching Kids and Some Bad Magic:CommentsVerify your CommentPreviewing your CommentPosted by: | This is only a preview.</p><p> Your comment has not yet been posted.</p><p> Post Edit vimax on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamaomar on Amman SegregatesArchivesSeptember 2008July 2008June 2008May 2008April 2008March 2008February 2008January 2008December 2007November 2007September 2008SunMonTueWedThuFriSat 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930 Subscribe to this blog's feedAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/2008/05/cannes-day-ten.html 3 of 47/22/09 4:13 PMYour comment could not be posted.</p><p> Error type:Your comment has been posted.</p><p> Post another commentThe letters and numbers you entered did not match the image.Please try again.As a final step before posting your comment, enter the lettersand numbers you see in the image below.</p><p> This preventsautomated programs from posting comments.Having trouble reading this image? 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