EURweb |
TWO FAVORITES AT THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: 'Journey To The End of the Night' & 'Local Color'
This father/son duo has carved out a decent living in one of the most notoriously dangerous places in Brazil. They own a successful nightclub and brothel but dream of having a better life. Rosso wants to take his young second wife and 5 year- old son Lazare to a new city to start over and Paul wants to get from under mounting debt due to an uncontrollable drug habit and also get rid of his father. Paul hates his father and blames him for all his troubles.
A way for their dreams to come true presents itself when a customer of the club is killed and leaves behind a suitcase full of drugs worth a substantial amount of money. Rosso and Paul see their opportunity and arrange a buy with some Nigerian drug dealers. The Nigerians are not very trusting, however, and want the drop to be made by a Nigerian man who speaks Yoruba. This is where Wemba (Mos Def) comes in. He is the dish washer at the nightclub and a Nigerian immigrant who the father has grown to respect. Wemba has to deliver the drugs and bring the money back safely traveling through the nocturnal and perilous underbelly of Sao Paulo. Wemba is fearful but brave when he is faced with some harrowing situations on his way back to club. During the course of the night there are a series of events, including Paul’s fateful encounter with a transvestite, that culminate into an unspeakable tragedy involving everyone.
The cinematography is dark and dirty giving the film a disturbing realism (feels like you’re right there) in capturing the ugliness of a city filled with death, drugs and illicit sex.
Mos Def gives an extraordinary performance as the immigrant Wemba - perfecting a Nigerian accent and speaking Yoruba. This is a true testament to his talent as an observer of people and of life – reflected in him both as an actor and a rapper. Mos Def’s character in this film is somewhat shy and seemingly the only person in the movie that has a sense of value and morality.
Brendan Fraser as the son Paul gives a stunning if not shocking performance – he is diabolic in this movie, scary and psychotic. This is a side of Fraser’s acting that we have not seen. Paul is a disturbed person who envies his father and is perhaps jealous of how he dotes on his younger son. Rosso doesn’t seem to have a clue as to how strongly his oldest son feels. The audience discovers only at the end what caused Paul to be such a sad and despicable character. When a person is deprived of love/light, there is only darkness and Paul walks on the dark side.
The rest of cast is great also. Some of the other cast members are: Sandino Moreno (Angie), Alice Braga (Monique) and Matheus Nachtergaele (transvestite). Nachtergaele is a very famous actor in Brazil and was captivating in this role. The Nigerians were not actors but people the director/writer Eric Eason took off the streets and amazingly they delivered a convincing performance. Eason also revealed that a lot of the prostitutes in the brothel were actual working prostitutes- “street casting” is one of the factors that make this movie feel so real.
You will find Journey to the End of the Night a fascinating film to watch.
LOCAL COLOR: TOUCHING AND INSPIRATIONAL – A nostalgic look back to an age of awakening. Ray Liotta (John Sr.), Armin Mueller-Stahl (Seroff) and Trevor Morgan (John) star in George Gallo’s coming- of- age story Local Color.
Filmmaker George Gallo’s screenwriting and directing credits include Midnight Run and Bad Boys I & II. He is an accomplished artist and the film features over three hundred of his paintings.
Local Color is a semi-autobiographical account of Gallo’s life as an eighteen year old impressionist painter during the summer of 1974. It tells the story of a talented but troubled art student, John, who in an effort to perfect his art befriends Seroff -an elderly alcoholic master painter. John has idolized the genius of Seroff paintings for a long time and is elated when he discovers that he lives in his hometown.
Sadly, Seroff has become a recluse turning his back on life and his art. After several failed attempts by John to convince this cantankerous old man to be his mentor, Seroff finally gives in to teach him and invites John to his country home in Pennsylvania for the summer. John goes with Seroff against his father, John Sr.’s, (Ray Liotta) wishes – John Sr. is a “man’s man” and is convinced Seroff is a homosexual. He is also concerned that his son maybe gay as well because he loves painting. This story line lends itself to some humorous moments and Liotta is hysterically funny in this part.
Once John is at the country house he starts to get paranoid and thinks his father may be right, especially when Seroff burst into his room one night to see if he is comfortable. His fears prove to be unfounded and Seroff and John become fast friends. John’s eagerness, however, leads to disappointment when Seroff tricks him into wallpapering, painting and fixing his house instead of teaching him to paint. Seroff is a complicated man and there is a method to his madness. Gradually, he reveals his kindness, generosity and emotion hidden beneath a seemingly hard shell and finally shows John how to awake his imagination. Seroff also learns, from John, how to awake his passion for life and art again. The teacher learns from the student.
The cinematography in this film is breathtaking. Well framed landscapes are striking; much like impressionist paintings. I’m sure things were done digitally to create this effect but it is so natural that it’s like seeing through the artist’s eyes - a beautifully shot film. Armin Mueller-Stahl is charming, humorous and so delightful as Seroff. After reading the script, he came out of retirement to do this role. Trevor Morgan as John portrays a kind of impressionable vulnerability that is refreshing. He engages you with his eyes and those eyes, according to the director, are what convinced him to cast Trevor for the part. Ray Liotta is outstanding as John Sr. Other cast members include Ron Perlman, Samantha Mathis and Charles Durning.
There are valuable lessons in this movie. Anyone who has a dream will be inspired by it. Gallo has given us a gift by sharing the wisdom and insight of his mentor through Local Color.
Dianne Quander is a writer in New York City. She can be reached at dqstyle7@earthlink.net
.jpg)
