Molodist film festival has reached middle age. When the 40th edition of the Kyiv-based festival, which translates as “Youth,” opens on Oct. 23, it will be under the title Molodist XL, to emphasize its age and size.
The quality of this year’s offerings certainly makes the festival a big deal. The jury, chaired by Marc Caro, a French director famous for “Delicatessen” (1991) and “The City of the Lost Children” (1995), will have a tough choice to make from the 13 feature-length films.
Only two of them have already had huge international success: Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” and “My Joy” by Sergey Loznitsa. Both were in the Cannes Film Festival official program earlier this year.
There’s plenty more to watch besides these hits, playing in their original language. The films will be screened in Kyiv, Zhovten and Kinopanorama theaters through Oct. 31. Here is our pick of the five movies that you shouldn’t miss during Molodist.
‘Juan’ (2010)
Denmark
Directed by Kasper Holten
Juan is every woman’s dream. He is charming, sensitive and sexy.
But Juan is restless in his constant search for new victories on the sexual front, using women, then casting them aside.
That makes him the perfect choice for his friend Leporello, who wants to create a true masterpiece – a filmed database of all the women Juan has conquered.
Danish director Casper Holten re-imagines Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” to portray a modern playboy, who uses women to live life to the full.
This movie has not been released yet, so Molodist visitors will be the first to see it.
‘Stricken’ (2009)
The Netherlands
Directed by Reinout Oerlemans
There have been lots of movies about people with cancer and other deadly diseases. This one shows what happens when that is coupled with a lack of love and support in a seemingly happy marriage.
Stijn and Carmen are a happy couple raising a child. They are young and successful, but their perfect world is ruined when Carmen is diagnosed with breast cancer.
We see her in hospital going through radiation therapy before one of her breasts gets amputated. She is lost in her grief and finds little support from her husband who is coping in his own way, by starting a second life, spending nights in alcoholic journeys and sexual adventures with other women.
Carmen knows her husband is unfaithful, but she can’t do anything about it until she starts recovering. Now it’s the time to fix their broken marriage and start building a happy family once again. But is it really possible after all that happened?
‘Sound of Noise’ (2010)
Sweden-France
Directed by Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjarne Nilsson
“Sound of Noise” is the first musical cop film ever, according to its directors.
The plot is certainly unique. Amadeus, a police officer, was born to a family of famous musicians. No wonder he hates music.
The fun begins when he faces the worst case he could ever imagine. A group of eccentric drummers has decided to launch a musical attack in the city using the city itself as an instrument. The hapless band is using the buildings to produce unbearable noise.
Amadeus is in a desperate hunt for the crazy musicians. But everything changes when he finds out that the girl he is in love with is in charge of the criminals.
‘My Joy’ (2010)
Ukraine-Germany-Netherlands
Directed by Sergey Loznitsa
This film is Ukraine’s pride and pain at the same time. Not often can we see a movie at least partly made by Ukrainians that impresses the audience in Cannes.
The gritty film “My Joy” is made by Ukrainian filmmaker Loznitsa. It shocked the world’s most respected movie festival this spring with its harrowing depiction of a descent into madness and murder.
It depicts the journey of a truck driver through contemporary Russia. A few days in his life seem to be a never-ending nightmare: He is sucked into the everyday madness of Russian reality. His mental health deteriorates and he turns into a killer.
His journey towards madness is depicted with scenes of violence and corruption with some flashbacks from the past, some from World War II.
Russia is a world of degradation, says the movie. Some critics describe it as a poetical portrayal of ugliness, while others say it makes a bad name for Ukraine.
‘Tehroun’ (2010)
Iran
Directed by Nader T. Homayoun
Modern Iran is a branch of hell. That’s the message you’ll most likely take from the powerful and shocking “Tehroun.”
Ibrahim has left his village, family and pregnant wife to try his luck in Tehran. But as soon as he gets to the asphalt jungle, his dreams become a terrible nightmare.
He soon finds himself involved in the trafficking of new-born children. He wanders the streets of Tehran with a stolen baby he claims to be his own.
This is not what Ibrahim imagined Tehran to be, but that’s all his city of dreams can offer him now. And the question is whether he will be able to remain human in a city where there is no place for anything human.
Kyiv Post news editor Alexey Bondarev can be contacted at [email protected]
