March 13, 2019
Page 7
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
o PinionAted
J udge
by
d arleen o rtega
Films to Watch
or Avoid at PIFF
d arleen o rtega
Now that the Portland Inter-
national Film Festival (PIFF) is
in full swing, here is a sampler
of films to watch for (or avoid,
depending on your perspec-
tive).
I was worried that “Af-
ghan Cycles” would be the
sort of documentary that ex-
ploits stories of oppression to
foment feelings of superiority
in American audiences. I sup-
pose that will likely still hap-
by
Afghan life than we usually get
in the West, including some
historical context and some
examples of men who support
and even admire these wom-
en— and rightly so. It plays on
Friday, March 15 at Fox Tower.
“Winter Flies” is beguiling
in its low-key way. Two teen-
age boys encounter each other
while both are running away,
apparently evoking no concern
from any caring adults--and
embark on a road trip across
Competitive cycling opens a world to Afghan women in “Afghan
Cycles” one of the documentaries to watch at this year’s Portland
International Film Festival.
pen, but I wouldn’t blame this
film, which mostly lets Afghan
women speak for themselves
about how competitive cy-
cling opens their worlds and
why they are willing to pay
such a frequently high price to
train and compete. They face
violence and criticism that is
honestly baffling, but emerges
from this examination is a more
specific and nuanced portrait of
the Czech Republic in a stolen
Audi. Their immaturity and
determination keep them plow-
ing forward, as hard to stop as
winter flies--and occasionally
as annoying, though each defi-
nitely has his endearing mo-
ments. The film made me wish
for the little-boys-with-good-
hearts who are still visible,
but being overcome by their
unrealistically “adult” visions
of joining the French Foreign
Legion and bedding a young
hitchhiker. The film plays Sun-
day, March 17 at Whitsell Au-
ditorium and Monday, March
18 at Cinemagic.
“Chained for Life,” written
and directed by American Aar-
on Schimberg, means to probe
our unspoken assumptions
about beauty and deformity
with a story of the making of
a film-within-the-film starring
typically beautiful actors and
adding (and arguably exploit-
ing) disabled and deformed
actors. It succeeds in some
ways; though self-conscious
and affected, revolving the sto-
ry around the shoot helmed by
a Werner Herzog- like director,
the film displays a good under-
standing of the ways that dis-
abled folks and those who don’t
fit norms of beauty are othered.
By constantly shifting settings
and perspectives, Schimberg
means to question what we find
C ontinued on P age 14