CIFF: Volcano

This screening from Iceland at 2011's Chicago International Film Festival was billed as an unconventional "coming of age" story. When referring to coming of age stories, we are used to seeing portrayals of the confusing years of puberty, but in Volcano, the person coming of age is the just-retired Hannes. In small ways we see how Hannes dominates his family and this story is of his realization that he has to mature emotionally as well take responsibility for things that should matter to him, namely the people in his life.  The film was written and directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson.


Hannes is reluctantly giving up his job as a school caretaker, where he relishes his small bits of power. After his retirement party, Hannes briefly considers suicide, but instead takes his retirement to heart. After all, his wife Anna is more than happy to cook his meals and clean his clothes, what more can he desire?   That desire seems to be fishing in his dump of a boat, which springs an awful leak, prompting Hannes to prop it up in the back garden to repair.

But Anna suffers a stroke, leaving her in a comatose, vegetative state. This, coupled with an overheard conversation between their grown children criticizing him, makes Hannes suddenly realize how selfish he has been, and with gusto he aims to take care of his wife's every need, a grand gesture payback for all she has done for him over the years even if she can't appreciate it.  But Hannes finds the job a bigger physical and emotional toll than he can take, and we see him teetering on that fine line of increasing Anna's pain medication to end both their suffering.

Devil's Diary

This is a made for TV Canadian movie. A teen girl plays a prank on her friend at a cemetery, leading to the discovery of an evil object. Ursula, the moody one, finds a blank diary by a gravestone which she believes is something special, although her friend Dominique pooh poohs that idea.

When kids at school pick on Ursula, she writes revenge tales in the diary, which come true. The head of the mean girls, Heather, instigates her entourage to steal the diary, but she finds it empty. It's because another of the entourage, falling under the power of the diary, has kept the real thing for herself and uses it for her own devices.

Meanwhile, Dominique, concerned about the strange change in Ursula's demeanor, consults her local priest. He and another priest realize the Devil's diary is real and tries to get the diary back. Dominique tries to form an intervention for Ursula but it is too late.

Wait Until Spring, Bandini

A typically scripted story of an immigrant Italian family, headed by Joe Mantegna, just prior to the Depression. The film is told mostly from the view of the eldest son, young Arturo.

Bandini (Mantegna) is not taking care of his wife and three boys very well. They're behind in rent and running a tab at the grocery store. Bandini's best bet is betting, in poker games, although he doesn't do very well in that either.

A friend gets him a temporary job fixing the fireplace of a rich widow (Faye Dunaway) and her loneliness compels her to make moves on Bandini and eventually make an offer of marriage, which he refuses out of "honor." But stress in providing for his family brings him back to her. Although he remains faithful, he is tempted by the widow's wealthy lifestyle and beauty.

Meanwhile Bandini's wife (Ornella Muti) is trying to keep the boys in line: Arturo who doesn't take the church confessional seriously, August who has aspirations to become a man of religion and thus often admonishing what is a sin, and the innocent little Frederico.

Things become more stressful when Bandini stays even longer at the widow's, which Arturo, being the eldest,  begins to understand is a problem, but his mother is naively hopeful for his quick return.

Past seven days

It's been busy the last few weekends so I haven't had a lot of time for movies.  This last one was no different.  I did watch a few TV DVDs though, the series Monk starring Tony Shalhoub, and Callan, an old spy series starring a young Edward Woodward.

GF*BF
Midwest Independent Film Festival--Female Filmmakers
The Kings of Summer
The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Past seven days

The Chicago Latino Film Festival ended and it felt like a better and more enjoyable experience than last year.  Although I missed out on one film that was sold out (May Days), my choice of a replacement movie (Did You Score?) was a lighthearted romantic dramedy told from the male perspective that I still enjoyed.

Anima Buenos Aires
Blancanieves
Peru Sabe
Speechless
Student Academy Award Films