|
所给评分： --
Defurne's rich and beautiful short films examine gay love and loss. His headily romantic aesthetic draws upon other artists from Dreyer and Eisenstein to photographers Herbert List and Pierre and Gilles, but is distinctively his own. A largely unprofessional cast brings a charming innocence to the overwrought worlds they inhabit.
In CAMPFIRE, on a tense camping trip, a lovesick boy scout is forced to choose between his girlfriend and his best friend. The death of the martyred Saint Sebastian, pierced by arrows, acquires a seductive yet horrific sheen in SAINT. PARTICULARLY NOW, IN SPRING aches with unspoken gay desire as teenaged boys compete in athletic events. SAILOR perfectly captures the dreams and uncertainties of first love with its poignant tale of a teenager who falls in love with a sailor.
Summary: Four Good Art Films
Comment: 'Campfire' is a collection of four short films by Belgian director Bavo Defurne. I had enjoyed seeing the title film and one or two others at film festivals and was pleased to have this DVD appear. It would be easy to suppose four different people produced each movie since the techniques used vary so much. The most noticeable common feature is the scaled back or non-existent dialogue. The visuals are rich and the actors as gorgeous as can be. There are skin shots in all four.
Campfire ('Kampvuur', 1999, color, 20 minutes, Flemish with English subtitles) features boyscout Tijl (played by Joram Schurmans), his close friend, girlscout Ineke (played by Circe Lethem), and prankster boyscout Wout (played by Koen van Heule) at summer camp. Tijl and Wout eye each other and go off camping together. Lots of feelings arise amongst the three leads. Some campfires are just too hot for roasting marshmallows. 'Campfire', the most 'normal' of the four movies, got a lot of favorable buzz after the film festival. I like it a lot. Wout's photo is on the front cover; Wout and Tijl have a small photo on the back of the DVD case.
'Particularly Now, in Spring' (1995, black & white, 8 minutes, voiceover in English) shows anonymous high school students going through exercises, swimming, dressing, and undressing. The camera tracks one (Olaf Nollen) while the voiceover tells of the character's desire to be an actor, to keep a solidarity with his fellow students, and to have dreams. The camerawork is in a style reminiscent of Sergei Eisenstein. The two bottom photos on the back of the DVD case come from this film.
'Sailor' ('Matroos', 1997, color, 17 minutes, no dialogue) has a Pierre et Gilles look. A fellow who likes to be in a bathtub thinks of a sailor friend. They ride a motorcycle, go to the beach, and drink beer. The sailor goes to sea. They trade gifts. Now the sailor is coming home. What then? Throughout there are lots of small special effects ' big stars, glowing sunsets, mailing a nebula to your lover etc. Henry Mancini's 'Charade' tune makes an appearance.
'Saint' (1996, black & white, 10 minutes, no dialogue, English title card) is a straightforward retelling of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian in a simple, natural setting. The star of 'Particularly Now, in Spring', Olaf Nollen, gets to be Sebastian. There a couple of villains in charge, some soldiers, a boy who watches the arrest and notifies Sebastian's supporters, and one fellow who seems extra eager to run to Sebastian's assistance. The execution scene is quite erotic. There are more close-ups than usual, maybe a bit like Carl Dreyer in 'The Passion of Joan of Arc.' The top photo on the back of the DVD case shows the as yet unsainted title character in a guarded moment.
|