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Grimfarrow wrote:The Berlin Film Festival thread has zero replies (except from me), despite it being THE most important festival for gays (it's about the Teddy!).

Here's a list of gay films at this year's Berlin Film Fest main sections.

.....

"Container," directed by Lukas Moodysson (Sweden)

What's up with Moodysson's new film? I know nothing about it, but would be interested in knowing why you termed it as a gay-related film.

rs98762001 wrote:What's up with Moodysson's new film? I know nothing about it, but would be interested in knowing why you termed it as a gay-related film.

I'd like to hear someone expound on this as well. I had no idea he was even making a new film.

Poetic, experimental and different, CONTAINER is described by Lukas Moodysson as "a black and white silent movie with sound" and with the following words: "A woman in a man's body. A man in a woman's body. Jesus in Mary's stomach. The water breaks. It floods into me. I can't close the lid. My heart is full".

Title: CONTAINER
Original Title: CONTAINER
Director(s): Lukas Moodysson
Director of Photography: Jesper Kurlandsky, Lukas Moodysson
Sound Editor: Hans Möller
Editor: Jesper Kurlandsky, Andreas Nilsson
Screenwriter(s): Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Drama/Experimental
Length: 72 min
Format: 35mm
Screen Ratio: 1:1.85
Sound: Dolby Digital
Language spoken: English
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year of Production: 2005
Producer(s): Lars Jönsson
Production Company: Memfis film
Domestic release: 2006

PRINCIPAL CAST:
Mariha Ã…berg
Peter Lorentzon
voice by Jena Malone

Sounds pretentious as hell, but fascinating.

I still haven't caught up with HOLE IN MY HEART, but Moodysson's first three features were all incredibly beautiful in wildly different ways.

rs98762001 wrote: What's up with Moodysson's new film? I know nothing about it, but would be interested in knowing why you termed it as a gay-related film.

Nothing to get excited over - it got into Berlin based more on his name than on the actual quality of the film. The reason why it's "gay" is because it has Transgender issues in it. It's even more whacked than A HOLE IN MY HEART, which of course raises the issue of whether that's wise to begin with.

Grimfarrow wrote: Nothing to get excited over - it got into Berlin based more on his name than on the actual quality of the film. The reason why it's "gay" is because it has Transgender issues in it. It's even more whacked than A HOLE IN MY HEART, which of course raises the issue of whether that's wise to begin with.

Hmmm, I was afraid Moodysson might go this route after he stated that A HOLE IN MY HEART was "definitely" the best film he's made, despite the (or perhaps because of) abhorrent critical reaction to the picture.

For those who may be interested here are some images from the film that I don't know what really to say about... can be found here... http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2006/Container/

Here's a very positive reaction to the film from cineuropa.org.

Container full of pleasant surprises

Container, Lukas Moodysson´s fifth feature after a number of award-winning films, such as Together(2000) and Lilya 4-Ever (2002), is having its official screening today in Berlin's Panorama section. Although the film is a real experimental piece of filmmaking, everyone involved in the project should rest assured as audience reaction to last night's world premiere was very positive. Furthermore, after today's press screening, a US distributor said: "I'm really impressed. I was very disappointed by Moodysson´s previous film, A Hole In My Heart, but my faith in him is restored!"

Good news then for Trust Film Sales, which is handling international sales for the film, and producer Lars Jönsson of Memfis Film, who has given the Swedish director his full support since the very beginning of his career.

Like most films from the enfant terrible of Swedish cinema, Container is a trip into unknown territory. "A woman in a man´s body. A man in a woman´s body. Jesus in Mary´s stomach. Her water breaks. It floods into me. I can´t close the lid. My heart is full," is the three-line synopsis of Moodysson's film. An experimental film shot in black and white, Container is like a musical score with a continuous narration by US actress Jena Malone, who delivers (in a soft and sexy voice) a text expressing the director´s personal phobias and obsessions with war, sex, religion, celebrity and the fear of death while images with no linear structure illustrate Moodysson's poetic, and slightly depressing, vision. The two lead characters played by Swedish actor Peter Lorentzon and Thai-born dancer Mariha Aberg are thrown in the film, or container, like pieces of meat, zombies walking through shattered rooms or areas devastated by war and Chernobyl. In this nightmarish vision where a woman is trapped inside a man´s body, the outside world and other people are an act of aggression against the sensitive leading man/woman who acts like an autistic person. Because for Moodysson, "Container is an autistic film".

In spite of its "difficult" subject and style, the film is subtle, sensitive, full of pleasant contrasts between the soft spoken voice-over and the harsh words and images presented. Moodysson even manages to throw in touches of humour about pop culture and his own fear of paparazzi and fame.

indieWIRE reports a slightly different reaction. Excerpts:

In the case of Moodysson's "Container," probably few will ever have a chance to see the movie in a theater on a Saturday night, and when the film screened in Berlin over the weekend, many spent very little time noshing on popcorn before heading for the exits. Yet, the film stirred numerous discussions. "Those of you that didn't like 'A Hole in My Heart' because it was 'strange' should watch out for this film -- it is even more strange," Moodysson warned in press notes for the movie. Introducing the film's first screening in person, with perhaps more than a hundred people waiting outside unable to get into the large overcrowded theater, the director seemed a bit intimidated by the size of the movie screen. "This is a very small film," he said.

. . .

Asked, during a Q & A session, to explain his reasons for making the experimental film, Moodysson said, "All films are experiments." Comparing his previous work to this new film, he said, "I just have to speak with difference voices. "Then I had to speak with a different voice, now I speak with this one." Another audience member, a self-proclaimed fan of Moodysson's first feature "Fucking Amal" (which debuted at the Berlinale in 1998), also asked about the direction of the filmmaker's career. " I could go back...this time I did not make 'Fucking Amal', I made something else."

. . .

The deepest explanation that the director offered, near the end of the Q & A was that, "On one level this film is about filmmaking," and he advised, "One way (to watch it) is to close your eyes and hear, (and then) close your ears and watch." He added, "There are 3 or 4 films happening at same time -- one is voiceover and one is image, that can be difficult."

As the Q & A began to wind down, one audience member asked the film's producer Lars Jonsson, from Memfis Film, for some insight. He said plainly, "I thought it was time for (Lukas) to have total editorial freedom, I have never seen him so happy."

Kierkegaard has finally sunk in on this swede. Take a look at the trailer here:

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/006755.html

Myra Breckinridge wrote:Kierkegaard has finally sunk in on this swede. Take a look at the trailer here:

Just wondering if the "in" and the "on" aren't superfluous in this sentence.

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:

Myra Breckinridge wrote:Kierkegaard has finally sunk in on this swede. Take a look at the trailer here:

Just wondering if the "in" and the "on" aren't superfluous in this sentence.

WTF??? Is this serious, or some philosophical joke that went over my head?

jorencain wrote:

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:

Myra Breckinridge wrote:Kierkegaard has finally sunk in on this swede. Take a look at the trailer here:

Just wondering if the "in" and the "on" aren't superfluous in this sentence.

WTF??? Is this serious, or some philosophical joke that went over my head?

Both.

It does look quite hilariously pretentious.

But I'll happily give Moodysson the benefit of the doubt. When I finally saw A HOLE IN MY HEART I was absolutely blown away by it. It's certainly difficult to watch at times, but I think it's one of the most misunderstood films of the last few years. Moodysson's passion, heart, and anger comes through - almost bleeds through - in a strong and raw fashion that you rarely see on screen. It was also extremely, blackly funny, which I think many didn't get. Another curveball from a consistently fascinating and challenging filmmaker.

the container trailer totally rocks!!

I liked the idea behind this film much more than the results. The B&W footage is often quite beautiful, and the narrator's frequent jumps between metaphysical and spiritual musings, pop culture references, and self-loathing, suicidal thoughts had the potential to be quite effective and poignant. But the actress doing the narrating is a bit too nasally and ultimately unconvincing, and the writing of the narration is pretty uninspired. After a while it all gets to be fairly tedious, as you feel the opportunity for something truly great slipping away. A shame, but still a promising effort from Moodysson I think. Most people will hate it, but I like this direction he's heading in, if he can execute his ideas a little better next time.

This one is already available for pre-order.

The disc specs haven't been announced yet, so there's no guarantee that it will include the English-language version.

Could you please keep us posted on that one, ola t? I'd be very grateful, as I'm sure others would too.

I emailed the DVD producer and he says the disc will include both the Swedish and English audio tracks.

ola t wrote:I emailed the DVD producer and he says the disc will include both the Swedish and English audio tracks.

Great news, maybe the Swedish version (assuming it has corresponding English subtitles) will be more to my liking. This is a film I wanted badly to be a knockout, but the voiceover and the English narration certainly hampered things for me.

ola t wrote:I emailed the DVD producer and he says the disc will include both the Swedish and English audio tracks.

Fantastic news! No need to wait for a UK or US release now.

Looks like the Swedish disc is available now. I haven't bought it, and probably won't be, so I can't say anything about the quality, but I noticed that the back cover explicitly says it has no subtitles -- just the Swedish and English audio tracks. No extras mentioned.

I have mine pre-ordered. Will report about its contents when it arrives.