So my TFF experience this year was very true to my roots - the Balkans and the Russians. First movie, "Here and There", Darko Lungulov's narrative whose main topic is so very familiar to me. Here and there, New York and Belgrade, Belgrade and New York. Very short summary: A "man with the van", Branko (Branislav Trifunovic), pays a middle-aged has been musician who is currently too depressed to get out of bed, to go to Belgrade, Serbia, marry his girlfriend and bring her back on a fiance visa. So there, familiar areas emerge even in the pitch line: Belgrade - my hometown, New York - my other hometown, visa - my lovely hurdles...well, yeah that's kind of where it ends as I have not been very much immersed in jazz slow style musician circles or immigrant movers and shakers. Loved: David Thorton (also Cindy Lauper's husband and that's why she miraculously agreed to play a cameo in a Serbian movie) and Mirjana Karanovic are superb, delicious in their silent pain of what life has brought them, yet still allowing the fire to ignite, even just a little bit. Loved: the music score, the older streets of Belgrade, the back and forth between quick life in New York and slow, yet not relaxing life in Belgrade. Loved: Branislav Trifunovic, mainly because of his resemblance to Sergej. Not so much: the Belgrade post-war sentimentalism and no new, modern angle of Belgrade. Yet again we had to pass through Kneza Milosa to see the physical damages of the '99 Nato bombing. It apparently takes 10 years to renovate a building. but renovations haven't even started, because of reasons like this. So that in this type of movie or any media or tourist visit, the city can proudly display its wounds - over and over again. How constructive to country healing is that? So yes, filmmakers from the region, please give us a new angle of Belgrade, even a new angle on the war....Enough said on that topic. Congrats for the best New York narrative award.
The other movie I saw is called "Newsmakers" (Russian, 2009), Anders Banke's remake of Johnnie To's Breaking News. First, I tend to lose respect for remakes unless there is a really good reason there should be one. Especially if the remake is from a movie in the same generation. Even though the movie cannot be categorized as good or even decent by any means, for some reason I found the actual watching experience quite entertaining. Mainly because of two non-trivial achievements by the director and cast: (1) The shooting scenes, including the opening one in the middle of Moscow are mind-blowing. Literally. Cannot stop watching. (2) The gansters are hot and sharp and make you want to be around them. Especially during the unrealistic dinner scene with the hostages. And that's all.
Out of all big festivals, Tribeca seems to seek out or select (whichever way it is) movies from the Balkan region more than other festivals. So watching two, including one award winning one, was very appropriate and satisfying. Still on my list: Rudo y Cursi, The Fixer, The Good Guy, Partly Private, American Casino, The Girlfriend Experience, Only When I Dance...
