By Ali Moosavi.
At my age, receiving such an award may be a sign that you have reached the end of the line and this is an appreciation for going on this journey that I have travelled for 44 years. But I don’t see it that way. I can’t imagine any other life than writing and making films.”
–Pedro Almodóvar, accepting a Donostia Award
This year’s festival began with the rather interesting and somewhat controversial selection of Emmanuelle for the opening film. I belong to the generation who remember the original Emmanuelle (1974), which became a sensation, being the first soft porn movie to gain mainstream distribution. It was so successful at the box office that several more “Emmanuelles” were made. In the new Emmanuelle, Noemie Merlant plays the eponymous character. She reviews luxury hotels for a journal and for unexplained reasons her editor wants her to write a bad review of the current hotel she is staying at, a luxury hotel in Hong Kong managed by Margot Parson (Naomi Watts). The film is driven by a psychological battle between Merlant and Watts, as well as Merlant and a mysterious Japanese man (Will Sharpe). With Audrey Diwan at the helm, whose previous movie Happening won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, I expected to see a film more attuned with our times; perhaps with a more feminist approach and something deeper to say about the male and female sexual desires. The film is rather lame with a meandering script and a major disappointment from this talented director.
Fortunately, the next film that I watched, I’m Still Here (see top image) by Brazilian film-maker Walter Salles, was one of the best films at the festival. It tells the true story of Eunice Paiva, whose husband Rubens Paiva, was taken away for questioning by the security forces one night in 1970, when Brazil was under martial law, and never seen again. Rubens Pavia was a former member of the Brazilian Congress and a critic of martial law. We witness Eunice Paiva’s persistent and tireless efforts over the course of forty years to establish what really happened to her husband and demand justice. During this time, in addition to psychological and financial suffering, Eunice and her family endured interrogation and psychological torture, as well as solitary confinement, but she never gave up her search for the truth. The script is based on a book written by Rubens Paiva’s son and features an unforgettable performance by Fernanda Torres as Eunice Pavia. Another interesting point in the film is the brief appearance of Fernanda Montenegro, who briefly appears as Eunice Pavia aged 90. Twenty-five years ago, she starred in Walter Salles’ masterpiece, Central Station, and was nominated for an Oscar.
Another Brazilian film, the documentary Apocalypse in the Tropics, provides an interesting comparison to Walter Salles’ film. Petra Costa, from whom I had previously seen before the thought-provoking documentary The Edge of Democracy, here shows the collaboration between evangelical church and right-wing politicians in Brazil, which led to the imprisonment of former president and presidential candidate Lula and election of the right-wing and evangelical candidate Bolsonaro for the presidency of Brazil. Costa shows that the main power was in the hands of Silas Malafaia, who was the leader of the evangelicals in Brazil, and Bolsonaro was the puppet that danced to Malafaia’s tune. The most interesting part of the documentary concerns the recent presidential elections in Brazil, where Lula succeeded in defeating Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s supporters, like Trump’s, stormed Brazil’s congress building, seized it and called on the military to oust Lula in a military coup. After seeing the calamities that the military government of Brazil brought on the people of that country in Walter Salles’s film, to see large crowds of Brazilians pleading with the army to oust a democratically elected president was an eye opener.
I am Nevenka from Spain is related to the a Me-Too movement and is based on a true story in the 1990s, in which a Spanish woman named Nevenka Fernández became the first woman in Spain to sue a powerful politician for sexual harassment. This was by no means a straightforward case, as the sexual relationship between Nevenka and her boss had started consensually but later, when she tried to end it, he not just wouldn’t stop, but made life hell for her at work. Furthermore, most of the people in the city where the accused man was the mayor supported him, and even some of Nevenk’s close friends and her relatives tried to put pressure on her to drop the case. The film can be divided into several parts: Nevenka’s acquaintance with the mayor and her appointment by him to a high position in the municipality, the friendship and then sexual relations between the two and Nevenka’s futile attempts to end their relationship, and finally Nevenka’s court case. I am Nevenka does not add anything new to this topic, cinematically or thematically, which recently has been the subject of a number of movies. However, its subject matter is important, and although it does not break new ground cinematically, it deserves attention for its frank treatment of an important issue.
The Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, came to San Sebastian after winning the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival. Fargeat’s name can also be added to Julia Ducournau, (Cannes winner in 2021 with Titane) and many others as David Cronenberg’s disciples. With the help of Demi Moore, Fargeat shows us a world in which men have control and for whom a woman’s appearance is more important than her inner self. Demi Moore plays Elizabeth, a supermodel who is the star of a home Jane Fonda style keep fit television show. Now that she’s older, the TV show manager (played by Dennis Quaid) fires her. But Elizabeth receives a substance that by injecting it a younger, fitter, and more beautiful girl literally comes out of her. The sections of the movie where Elizabeth “gives birth” to Sue (Margaret Quailey) are very reminiscent of Cronenberg’s films. Fargeat has also taken inspiration from a number of movies, including Brian De Palma’s Carrie and even Hitchcock’s Vertigo, whose music is also played in the film! Substance is well made, provocative and few well-known actresses would have been willing to play the role played by Demi Moore.
Emilia Perez is a musical by Jacques Audiard about a gangster who undergoes a sex change operation whereby he becomes a woman named Emilia Perez and thus escapes the clutches of the law. Audiard has managed to create a mix of several genres: musical, film noir, gangster movies in a way that will satisfy fans of all these genres. All three of the film’s main stars: Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and especially Karla Sofia Gascon (as Emilia Perez) shine, and all three shared the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival, where Audiard also received the Special Jury Prize.
Every year in San Sebastian the Donostia lifetime achievement award is given to one or more artists. The first Donostia award this year was presented to Spanish actor Javier Bardem. He was actually given this award last year, but was not in San Sebastian to receive it because of the actors’ strike. After receiving the statuette, Bardem said, “I accept this award with love and respect for the festival, which has helped me so much, both personally and professionally.” Bardem dedicated the award to his late mother, his wife, Penelope Cruz, who was present in the hall, and their children.
Rumours is co-directed by three Canadians, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, and Guy Madden. It is reminiscent of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, but lacks Luis Buñuel’s masterful infusing of humour within socio-political themes. Here, the G7 leaders gather in a forest to issue a joint statement on a global crisis. The film-makers’ jokes start with the choice of actors: Cate Blanchett as the German Chancellor and Charles Dance with a thick English accent as the President of the United States! Rumours is a fusion of horror, politics and humour. Fans of Guy Madden’s cinema can easily see his influence on the film’s visual look. Rumours is entertaining and has something to say, but it is several steps below Buñuel’s standard.
When I read that Conclave is about the gathering of cardinals from different parts of the world to elect a new Pope, after the death of the current Pope, I expected a film full of heavy dialogue, but the presence of actors such as Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci and the direction of Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) promised something well worth seeing. Conclave was very different from what I expected, a breathtaking thriller that had more surprises than any thriller I’ve seen in years, and it makes us speculate until the last minute. It well acted by all the actors and supremely well directed.
François Ozon is one of France’s most prolific film-makers. When Fall is Coming is his 20th film in the last twenty years. When I interviewed him after the film, he said that because his films are made with relatively low budgets, he is able to make films one after the other. Ozon is one of those film-makers whose films I either like a lot or don’t care much for. My favourite films of his are Swimming Pool (2003) and In the House (2012). When Fall is Coming is one of Ozon’s best works. A black comedy about a grandmother who is happy to see her grandson during the school holidays. Her daughter has never forgiven her mother for what she has done in the past (we’ll find out about Grandma’s past later), and when her mother mistakenly gives her poisonous mushrooms for lunch, she takes her son away and tells her mum that she will never see her grandson’s face again. Ozon has been able to create believable and likeable characters and events that are tragic and funny at the same time. When Fall is Coming is a delight that regularly takes us by surprise. It won two awards for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
One of my favourite actors is the French actress Isabelle Huppert. She blew me away with her talent the first time I saw her on the screen in The Lacemaker in 1977. She is also a prolific actress with more than 150 films to her name. She was at the San Sebastian Film Festival, with A Traveller’s Needs, written and directed by Korean film-maker Hong Sang-soo. She plays a French teacher in Korea, and like Song-soo’s other films, it is unconventional and a quiet delight. I met Huppert briefly and congratulated her on her usual great performance.
In my opinion, without a doubt, the weakest film of the festival was Serpent’s Path. With a very good cast and a director with the surname Kurosawa, and a revenge theme set in France, my expectation was at the very least, an engaging film. It was anything but. Serpent’s Path, the story of a French man who, with the help of a Japanese woman, wants to avenge the death of his daughter from those responsible for this crime, is a confused and pointless film with a lot of unnecessary violence and disturbing scenes that lead nowhere.
I also wasn’t taken with the next film, The End, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, a musical about a family that lives in an underground bunker after most of the Earth’s inhabitants have been wiped out by a disaster. I’ve been an admirer of Oppenheimer’s compelling political documentaries about Indonesia, The Act of Killing (2013) and The Look of Silence (2014), both nominated for Oscars. Oppenheimer should be applauded for choosing a 148-minute apocalyptic musical for his debut feature film. He has a great cast in The End which includes Tilda Swinton, Lennie James, George MacKay and Michael Shannon. The End deals with important issues such as race and class discrimination, which persist even in an apocalypse! But somehow these themes don’t fit in this musical. Furthermore, The End delivers all its pertinent messages in the first 90 minutes and from then on drags a bit. I’m sure The End will have its ardent fans, but I’m not one of them.
One of the most interesting American independent film-makers in recent years is Sean Baker with movies like The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021). This year, he won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival with his latest, Anora, giving a typical Sean Baker twist to the old and oft told tale of a rich boy falling in love with a poor girl and having to overcome his family’s opposition to this class mismatched romance. Anora (Mikey Madison, in a career defining role) is a sex worker with whom a young Russian billionaire (Mark Eidelshtein) has a whirlwind sex-drinks-drug infused romance culminating in a Vegas wedding. That’s before his family sends in the local Russian mafia, represented by a local priest (Sean Baker regular Karren Karagulian in a memorable performance) to sort things out. Anora is a very entertaining and funny film, and at the same time presenting a more realistic picture of such a romance than Hollywood films like Pretty Woman. The characters in the film, even in small roles, are memorable and believable and somewhat endearing. Baker also took part in a public discussion about his films and career.
In Hard Truths, Mike Leigh implies that by talking, empathizing, and understanding others, life will become much easier and more enjoyable for you and all those around you.”
On Falling by young Portuguese director Laura Carreira could be described as a Loachesque film (Ken Loach is also one of the producers). Carrera who lives and works in Scotland has won many awards for her short films, and this is her first feature film. On Falling looks at the lives of a group of immigrants in Scotland who are engaged in low paid temporary jobs. The film focuses on a Portuguese girl who barely makes ends meet with her earnings. She and several other immigrants, from different countries live together, and Carrera shows the unity and empathy between them. We also see the pride and dignity of these immigrants, who, even when they are penniless, prefer to endure a little hunger in order to get the next wage, even though they know that friends and other immigrants are always ready and willing to help. Carrera also shows that many local Scots sympathize with them despite the current wave of right wing, anti-immigration populist policies prevalent in many European countries. In San Sebastián, Carrera received the award for best director.
The second Donostia lifetime achievement award was presented to Cate Blanchett by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, who recently directed Blanchett in the TV mini-series Disclaimer. A video congratulations message was also broadcast from George Clooney, who co-starred with Blanchett in The Good German and The Monuments Men, also directing her in the latter film. In accepting the award Blanchett said: “As an Australian working abroad, I have had the privilege of crossing many borders and travelling around the world. It is an honour for me to receive this award in the Basque Nation, in this great and lively festival that transcends many cultural and cinematic boundaries. She added; “our creative life requires doubts and possibilities. We need to be humble and say, ‘I don’t know, and I’m here to learn.’ She ended her acceptance speech by quoting the Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector: “Everything I do not know becomes a part of me, and in this ignorance I begin to understand everything.”
Johnny Depp came to San Sebastian with his directorial debut, Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness. The much-in-demand Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio plays the Italian painter and sculptor Modigilani. The film covers three days from the period that Modigilani lived in Paris. Like many famous artists, he was not known during his lifetime and lived penniless and in misery. In the film, Modigilani makes futile attempts to sell his work and spends much of his time with two other poor artists, Utrillo and Soutine drinking and bumming around. When a famous collector (Al Pacino) tells Modigilani that his paintings are worthless but offers to buy one of his sculptures for a large sum of money, Modigilani refuses. Depp doesn’t tell us much about Modigilani, his aspirations and desires, and what drives and inspires him. Instead, we spend a lot of time with the supporting characters, who are not that uninteresting.
I was supposed to interview Johnny Depp. Then we were told that a group of five of us would interview Depp, Scamarcio, and Modi’s female star, Antonia Desplat. We reluctantly agreed, but after they said that a group of twelve of us would have 20 minutes for this triple interview, we collectively decided that this was one step too far and left. An hour or two later, I saw that the news of Depp’s boycott by us had appeared in Variety and Deadline!
Leos Carax is a director who has always broken down barriers in cinema with films like Holy Motors and Annette. He had come to San Sebastian with the short film It’s Not Me, which was very similar to Jean-Luc Godard’s The Image Book. By showing clips from several films that influenced him, and the presence of Denis Lavant as his alter ego, Carax talks about his career and the films which have influenced him.
Mike Leigh was present at the festival with Hard Truths, about Pansy, a black English woman (reuniting Leigh with Marianne Jean-Baptiste 28 years after the Palm d’Or winning Secrets and Lies), who sees life as a half-empty glass, constantly grumbling to her husband and son, and getting into arguments and verbal fights outside the house over every little thing with anyone, from shop assistants to supermarket checkout girls. Pansy thinks that life has given her a losing card while handing the aces to her younger sister Chantelle (Michele Austin) who runs a hairdressing salon and is the polar opposite of Pansy in character, happy go lucky and kind and caring to everyone. Mike Leigh implies that by talking, empathizing, and understanding others, life will become much easier and more enjoyable for you and all those around you.
Costa-Gavras a the age of 91 had come to San Sebastian with his 27th film as director, The Last Breath, a film about death and how to deal with dying when it has become a certainty. A famous French writer (Denis Podalydes) after going for a routine medical check-up becomes obsessed with the concept of death and spends his time with a doctor (Kad Merad) who works in a department dedicated to dealing with terminal patients. Hiam Abbas, Angela Molina and Charlotte Rampling portray some of these patients, each choosing a different way to leave this world. The film will also make one wonder whether death is also preoccupying this nonagenarian director. I did put this question and others to Costa-Gavras when I spoke to him, in a forthcoming interview.
Paul Schrader was not present at the festival, but his most recent film, Oh, Canada was screened in the Pearls section, which contains selections from major film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Toronto. Richard Gere, reuniting with Schrader 44 years after American Gigolo plays Leo Fife, a famous documentary filmmaker who went to Canada to dodge the draft during the Vietnam War and made several documentaries there. Now, after many years, he has decided to talk about his past life for the first time in front of the camera, in front of his wife (Uma Thurman). In an interesting choice by Schrader, both Gere and Jacob Elrody plays the young Leo fife. The whole film hinges on Leo Fife’s character, who despite Gere’s fine performance, I did not find interesting enough to carry the film.
The third and final Donostia award was presented to Pedro Almodóvar, who has been the most widely known and admired face of Spanish Cinema for over 40 years. Almodóvar’s latest, Venice Golden Lion winning film, The Room Next Door was screened at the festival. Death is the film’s theme in which a woman (Tilda Swinton) who suffers from an incurable cancer, asks her old friend (Julianne Moore) to accompany her to a beautiful house that she has rented and stay in the room next door until she commits suicide. Both actors are spectacular as usual and John Turturro matches them in a supporting role. Almodóvar’s usual colourful visual sense is present but not the humour which accompanies the drama in his movies. His Donostia award was presented to him by Tilda Swinton. In his speech Almodóvar said that his love for cinema had determined the course of his life and probably saved him from many dangers. He added: “At my age, receiving such an award may be a sign that you have reached the end of the line and this is an appreciation for going on this journey that I have travelled for 44 years. But I don’t see it that way. I can’t imagine any other life than writing and making films. Cinema is my life more than ever, and my life without cinema is meaningless. My new film is a response to the hate-filled messages that fill the media daily. My film is the opposite: sympathy, friendship and help.
The storyline of The Marching Band is an oft repeated one and does not break any new ground. Two brothers were adopted by two different families as children. One brother is raised by a wealthy family and becomes a famous conductor, while the other, who grows up in a working-class family, becomes a blue-collar worker. The conductor’s needs for a bone marrow transplant to save him from terminal cancer makes him aware of the existence of his brother, who also happens to be a part-time trombone player in a local orchestra, who are participating in a national competition. Yes and they desperately need a conductor! Well, you can almost guess the rest of the story, Almost, because its French director, Emmanuel Courcol, has a surprise or two up his sleeve. The Marching Band is definitely a crowd pleaser. It won the hearts of San Sebastian audiences and received the Basque Audience Award. Pierre Lottin, who plays the trombone playing brother, plays a role very similar to that in François Ozon’s When Fall is Coming for which he received the Best Supporting Actor award at San Sebastian.
Monica Bellucci, accompanied by Tim Burton, brought glamour to San Sebastian, but sadly with the forgettable film Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs, which doesn’t tell us much about Maria Callas, but instead the entire film is devoted to conversations with Monica Bellucci in which she tells us about herself and her work. Fortunately, the film is only 73 minutes.
All the stars and celebrities in San Sebastian stay at the luxurious Marina Crista Hotel and there are always people gathering outside the hotel, hoping for a glimpse and maybe a selfie with one of the celebrities. The visiting artists are also generally obliging and chat and take selfies with their fans.
Paolo Sorrentino, who I first fell in love with his movies when I watched The Consequences of Love at the 2004 Dubai Film Festival, was in San Sebastián with Parthenope. Beauty is the theme of the film which tells the story of a girl named Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta) with a mesmerizing beauty whose life is full of ups and downs and with whom many men fall in love. Sorrentino’s mastery of visual expression is at its highest here, though the film does not have the depth and impact of his top draw films such as The Great Beauty. Gary Oldman has a brief role in the film, and I wish his role was bigger because the scenes between Oldman and Dalla Porta are the strongest parts of the film. An interesting thing for me was to see Stefania Sanderelli, the star of the Italian films of the 60s and 70s playing Partenope as an old, and still beautiful,woman.
Pamela Anderson, the star of the 90s TV show Baywatch, was in San Sebastian with The Last Showgirl, directed by Francis Coppola’s grandson, Gia Coppola. This turned out to be the most unexpected film of the festival. Pamela Anderson shines in her role as a Vegas dancer having to face the bitter truth that her days as a showgirl are over. She has made many sacrifices to maintain her career, the biggest being losing contact with her daughter. Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista provide excellent support and all three could be in running for Oscars. Gia Coppola’s direction could also be recognised come the awards season.
Marco is an Spanish film co-directed by Jon Garano and Aitor Arregi about a real character named Enric Marco, who falsely claimed that he was a prisoner in a Nazi camp and a Holocaust survivor. With this lie, he became president of the Association of Holocaust Victims in Spain, until a journalist exposed the lie. Apart from historical interest, Marco does not have much to recommend it.
One of the sections of the San Sebastian Film Festival is Retrospective Cinema, and I always try to see one or two films from this section. But this year things were different because this year’s retrospective was dedicated to one of my favourite genres: Italian crime cinema from the 1940s to the present. Twenty-two films were screened in this section by directors such as Luchino Visconti, Pietro Germi, Luigi Zampa, Damiano Damiani, Francesco Rosi, Elio Petri, Marco Bellocchio. I had seen some of these films before, such as Illustrious Corpses, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, The Moro Case, Good Morning Night, and Gomorra, but I wanted to see all the others! In the end, I settled for six films from this section. Four Ways Out by Pietro Germi is about a robbery at a football stadium by four amateur thieves, each of whom has turned to crime out of desperate social needs. One was a famous footballer who lost everything, including his fiancée (Gina Lollobrigida), after breaking his leg. The film is from 1951 and seems to have been heavily inspired by John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle which was made a year earlier. The script was written by Federico Fellini, Pietro Germi and two others. The Facts of Murder was my favourite of those I watched in this section. It is directed by Pietro Germi and combines film noir with the Italian neorealist cinema. After a robbery and murder, a Columbo type, but tough detective (played by Pietro Germi) tries to find the thief and the killer. The young Claudia Cardinale is the main heroine in this film. The City Stands Trial by Luigi Zampa is about a prosecutor who gets into a tally with the Naples Mafia. In The Day of the Owl by Damiano Damiani, Franco Nero is the head of the police in a small town who falls into conflict with the local mafia, whose boss played by Lee J. Cobb (with an Italian dub). The young Claudia Cardinale also has an important role. The film is lensed by Tonino Delli Colli,who in addition to working with Pasolini and Fellini, has also shot Leone’s masterpieces The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America. Damiani seems to have wanted to go against the conventions of the Italian commercial cinema, but be closer to the prevailing truth at the time. At the end of the film, we see that Lee J. Cobb and all his gang, who have committed several crimes during the film, sitting together scot-free and having a good time while the police chief is transferred to another city. After the end of the festival, and watching the new films, most of which were below my expectation, I wished that I had seen all the films in this retrospective section!
The closing film of the festival was We Live in Time, directed by John Crowley, whose Brooklyn I had admired before. In this film, which goes back and forth in time, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh play a young couple whose joys, accomplishments, and tragedies we share. It is a well-made film with good performances by the two principals and should do well at the box office.
In the end, the Golden Pearl Award for Best Film went to Afternoons of Solitude by Albert Serra from Spain, and the Best Actor award went to Patricia Lopez for Glimmers. The special jury prize went to The Last Showgirl, and San Sebastian has also followed the recent tradition of some festivals and does not differentiate between male and female actors for Best Actor prize.
Ali Moosavi has worked in documentary television and has written for Film Magazine (Iran), Cine-Eye (London), and Film International (Sweden). He contributed to the second volume of The Directory of World Cinema: Iran (Intellect, 2015).