February 11, 2015
The
Portland Observer Black
History Month
Page 11
Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart are high wattage stars in ‘Clouds of Sils Marioa,’ one of the featured films at the Portland International Film Festival, and one of
the pictures expected to get a theatrical release.
to go, so don’t miss the opportu-
nity to see more films from all over
the world. Films will play all over
the city and you can buy advance
tickets on the festival's website,
Troubles.” More honestly than most festivals.nwfilm.org/piff38, by
war movies, it depicts a tangle of
betrayal, divided loyalties, lies, and
double-crosses that certainly char-
acterized that conflict but is actually
the very stuff of war. But you don’t
need a lesson in Northern Island
politics to follow what is happen-
ing when this young soldier gets
left behind, unarmed, in hostile
territory. While focusing on de-
picting this particular story with
tension and immediacy, director
Yann DeMange also manages to
illuminate some things that are
true of all such conflicts. It’s aus-
picious work for a first feature
film.
I expect that “Clouds of Sils
Maria” will also get a theatrical run,
if only because of its high wattage
stars, Kristen Stewart and Juliette
Binoche. Though mostly in English,
the film feels very French—that is,
the story is very mannered and fre-
quently solipsistic, concerned more
with subtle shifts in perspective than
with plot dramatics. Binoche plays
an international star (not unlike her-
self) who is at a personal and career
crossroads, and Stewart plays her
very capable personal assistant.
Both women are excellent and the
film provides a credible window into
what that kind of life might be like,
including the insecurities and self-
doubt that plague particularly women
in film industry. In the end, though,
it is a lot of talking and it’s not clear
that anything satisfying ever hap-
pens.
There is still a week and a half
World in Focus
continued
from page
stakes that didn’t always seem to
add up, and the filmmaker employs
some flashy touches that fell flat for
me. Still, the story never lacks for
interest. (Plays again on Wednes-
day Feb. 18)
“Belle and Sebastian,” based on
a beloved French novel and adapted
from a popular 1965 television se-
ries, is built around the friendship
between a motherless six-year-old
boy and a mountain dog who his
village treats as a threat. Set in the
Alps during the German occupation
in 1943, the film intends some obvi-
ous parallels between the threats
experienced by the dog and those
experienced by the villagers at the
hands of the Nazis, and the story-
telling all around is pretty clumsy
and over-simplified, even allowing
for its intention to be a family film.
That said, the boy and dog are im-
mensely likeable, and the scenery of
the Alps is gorgeous. It was a huge
hit in France and has the potential to
please audiences here as well. (Plays
again on Friday, Feb. 13 and Mon-
day, Feb. 16)
And now for a couple to watch
for in theaters soon:
The festival run for“’71” is past,
but it will be released theatrically in
mid-March and is worth watching
for. It stars Jack O’Connell, recog-
nizable from the less-arresting re-
cent film “Unbroken,” as an English
army recruit sent over to Belfast in
1971 at the height of the northern
Ireland conflict termed “the
phone at 503-276-4310 or at the
box office at the Mark Building,
Portland Art Museum, 1119 S.W.
Park Ave.
Darleen Ortega is a judge on the
Oregon Court of Appeals and the
first woman of color to serve in that
capacity. Her movie review column
Opinionated Judge appears regu-
larly in The Portland Observer. You
can find her movie blog at
opinionatedjudge.blogspot.com.