SINCE 1998, Cine Europa has been an event to highlight on one?s list of must-sees, and this year is no different. The festival marks its 12th year in the country, and the quality of films being screened this year shows us why the annual event has garnered a huge following since it was first launched.
Screening at the Shang Cineplex from September 11 to 20, the festival has an impressive 18-film lineup from the European Union?s member countries ? Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. These movies range from family-friendly fare and period dramas to frothy rom-coms and tense thrillers.
There?s even a fairy tale thrown in. ?Give the Devil His Due (There?s No Joking With Devils)? from director Hynek Bocan is a Czech classic: It?s a funny, satirical sorbet of a movie that blends traditional fairy-tale themes and manages to inject them with vim, vigor and a dash of vinegar. Filmed in the 1980s, it remains remarkably fresh. And, while its visual effects aren?t as slick as the ones we?ve grown used to in today?s productions, they still work. The production might be too subtle to appeal to young children, but their parents and older siblings will find much to enjoy here.
If you?re in the mood for a bit of a scare, Spain?s ?Rec,? from Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza, will get your adrenaline pumping. Folks will probably be more familiar with the film?s Hollywood version, ?Quarantine,? which wasn?t a bad remake at all. ?Rec,? however, is scarier.
Point of view
Shot from the point of view of a TV crew?s cameraman, who by virtue of his role remains unseen for most of the movie, the film follows a television reporter (Manuela Velasco) into an apartment building where a zombie-turning virus is percolating. The plot is your usual zombie movie plot, but the tension is never broken throughout, and the way it mounts until the final climactic scene is perfect.
The tension builds slower in ?Just Another Love Story,? but it?s equally effective. Directed by Danish director Ole Bornedal, this film noir-ish suspense thriller is an edgy, visually compelling exploration of what it?s like to live someone else?s life and the consequences of that deception.
Notable titles
These three films are only a sampling of what?s in store for film buffs at Cine Europa 12. Other notable titles: Austria?s ?Free to Leave?; Belgium?s ?The Last Summer?; Finland?s ?Christmas Story?; France?s ?You and Me?; Germany?s ?The Wave?; Italy?s ?The Demons of St. Petersburg,? and the UK?s ?The Duchess.?
The festival closes in Manila this weekend and will then screen its entries at the Liceo de Cagayan de Oro from October 2 to 4 and at Ayala Center Cebu from October 9 to 11. Catch them before they leave town ? this is probably your only chance to see them on the big screen. And, don?t be fazed by the serpentine queue, it?s part of the experience.
