Hey Kazik,
This week I watched The Pleasure of Being Robbed as well as Tangerine.
There were small moments in The Pleasure of Being Robbed that I really took to – the unexpected puppy and kittens within the stolen bags, the juicy grapes of the street vendor, the sort of funny interaction she had with the polar bear. I think that if I had watched this movie when I was twenty, I would have perhaps appreciated the subtleties of the story.But today, as a twenty five year old, I found myself longing for a more engaging plot. The unlikeable central character didn’t help – we discussed that last week within the context of Diamond Tongues, what it means to have an unlikeable female lead. I did love watching her weaving her way around Manhattan, avoiding cars while jaywalking. The story contained a very genuine yet subtle celebration of the city, and I can definitely appreciate its inclusion on the list for that reason.
Tangerine on the other hand was fantastic – the colour correction blew me away, the lead actors were mesmerizing, the story sort of hilarious in its intensity and boldness, and the ending was just so perfect. The ugliest part of a cherished city suddenly became so beautiful in the golden afternoon light, the soundtrack adding such movement and energy to the piece. And there was such heart in the story, behind all the chaos and ridiculousness was the story of a real friendship, it was a story of forgiveness above all things. Really glad I saw this one.
I’ll likely be sending over a new script tomorrow, if everything goes according to plan.
I have a casting session that will end around 7ish tomorrow – could I give you a call either tomorrow night or Thursday night?
Hope all is well with you. Great job at the TIFF breakfast, it was such a great event, and I really walked away from the session with such new and exciting thoughts about the Canadian film industry. Hope you enjoyed the morning.
Cheers
Rebeccah