Monday, November 3, 2008

film spoiler: grande ecole, understanding art films

when mecir heard the song his brother composed, he didn't like it. the song was a love song, thus, for him it shouldn't be that tragic. it should implore more of a celebration, where everyone should be at the highlight of their lives and rejoicing for they have finally met the person who will complete them. until mecir finds out how idealistically romantic he was.

the film grande ecole is a french film that tells the story of paul, a rich graduate school student who fell in the depths and complications of both his girl friend's bet another person's love and even his own. the bet is all about who will able to seduce paul's new room mate, louis-arnault. they have decided that if agnes wins, paul will be forced not to explore his sexuality anymore, which was wins, agnes will leave him.



but in between this, paul meets mecir, a young arabic worker, who will eventually fell in love with him. until everyone will realize the meaning of life far from what they it to be.



at the end, mecir will recall one of the lines in his brother's song. "now, i walked with my head up in the stars to keep my tears from fallin." from there, he realizes what love really is, different from what he have thought it to be.



for me, there are four things that make a film a good one. first, if it is able to effortlessly tackle a wide array of issues. second, if it is able to transgress the audience from being one. third, if it makes the audience think instead of just taking what is being fed. and finally, if it is able to make the audience carry the story even after the film has ended. unsurprisingly, grand ecole bagged all these qualifications.


with the emergence of various indipendent movies from all corners of the media industry, no one can blame an audience, if he just get tired of getting the same bitter doze of what most call as art films. typically, the ingredients are low resolution camera, random actors, gruesome story plot that should touch an "immoral" or taboo subject. mix them together and alas! here goes your art film. but putting naked bodies in the film don't necessarily constitute an art film and this is what the film subtly tells us. you just don't put something into a scene and let the audience figure it out and connect it the story. although grand ecole exposed quite a large number of naked and provoking bodies in the film, it didn't leave its audience figuring where to jump to next. it provided a subtle and dimly exposing idea of what is it all about, in order to, to sew the great pattern.



for the new film makers, just please consider this entry.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks interesting!!

Niel said...

2nd post ni ewik na merong pwet...

hahaha!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I prefer watching art, foreign, independent films over hollywood films most of the time. It satisfies me more. I also like French films.

I rented "Grande Ecole" a while back and I truely enojoyed it. It's a well-produced movie based on a play. I was actually moved by this movie. The actor who plays Meric, does a knockout job in bringing his character to life. He is also quite charming and delightful in the Special Features section of the DVD :):):)

Some say that this movie would appear mostly to gay men, I think others will find it provocative as regards its views of human sexuality, love, and desire. For me, the movie makes the point that human desire for another can exist regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

I'm super glad that you like art films and you watched this movie! You might want to see the movie "Romance" and "Short Bus."

Have you seen the French movie "Amelie"? If not, you have to see it! It's one of my most favorite movies of all time :) It stars Audrey Tastou...she's also in the movie "Happenstance."

:)

~Kinesics

lucas said...

interesting. i'll check it out then.

i'm really fascinated by art films. what separates them from mainstream movies was how consistency and the quality of the story. the plot maybe simple but the raw events makes it worth-watching...

third, if it makes the audience think instead of just taking what is being fed.--i totally agree. this is very evident in good spy and mytery movies...hehehe!

paece out!

southdude said...

i have to get a copy of that! :-)

KRIS JASPER said...

HI WC!

RE post: Hmmm...

. said...

Me kopya ka ewwwik?

Question: Have you seen the movie Crying Ladies? Do you think it can be considered an art film?

Chyng said...

basta when it's a Pink Film, I love it when it showcases thet it is just a normal love story of two people. Walang na dapat issue yung gender.

rheiboy17 said...

hmmmn, your commentary made this film more interesting. clever.

Anonymous said...

well, im a Film graduate and i love both independent and mainstream films.

And I'm in love with French cinema. If youve read my top50 all time fave films entry, madami dun, French.

Pero yung circle namin, yung batch namin sa UP film, we refuse to call anything "art film." Kasi para sa amin, Film is art. Period.

Kasi when you label something as "art film" which is mostly applied to independent films, it somehow creates an impression that mainstream films are not art --- which is not true because as far as I am concerned, most of the greatest films of all time are commercially made (The Godfather, Citizen Kane, etc.)

Even some of the FOREIGN-language films that most people consider "independent" are actually mainstream films in their respective countries. La lang. hehe.

A.Dimaano said...

Sounds like one of the cliche queer films out there. Sorry =)

A.Dimaano said...

I'm a saddistic moviegoer kasi. I don't buy the happy endings that films, such as queer films, depict on screen.

escape said...

i beleive this is very very important "if it makes the audience think instead of just taking what is being fed".

the geek said...

taray ni mr scheez....(peace? hehehe)