The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Michael Haneke and the story behind ‘Amour’ Posted: 13 Feb 2013 03:38 AM PST  German director Michael Haneke, Golden Globe winner for best foreign film "Amour" arrives at the HBO after-party following the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 13, 2013. — Reuters pic The unflinching take on devotion, growing old and illness has also picked up Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Film and Best Actress for Emmanuelle Riva's performance as bed-ridden Anne. Haneke, who is also known for 2001's "The Piano Teacher" and 1997's "Funny Games" and its 2007 Hollywood remake, is the favourite to win the Best Foreign Film award for which he was nominated in 2010 for "The White Ribbon." Haneke, 70, spoke to Reuters from Madrid, where he is directing the Mozart opera "Cosi Fan Tutte," about the film, what it would mean to win an Oscar, and his future plans. Q: What do you make of some of the critics who, in their praise, have called the drama a horror film for its graphic portrayal of the end of life? A: I believe that it has been a bit exaggerated how the film has been portrayed. The film is shocking, but the truth is always shocking. It's no walk in the park, but it's difficult and serious, and that makes it contemplative. I assume that I have an adult audience and that they'll understand the situation. The film shouldn't be a distraction (from life) — as many films are — but the film is also not meant to shock. Q: What intentions did you set out with? A: I wanted to make a film about how we deal with the suffering of the people that we love. I could've certainly made a film about a couple married for 40 years with a child who dies of cancer. That would only be a tragic, singular case and less representative. But we all grow old and nearly all of us get sick and that subject matter is more general and concerns nearly everyone one of us. I've also heard in the reception to the film from people that have said it's just like what happened to me and my family. Indeed, that crosses generations as young people live through how their grandparents die or become ill or simply suffer, and now their parents are in the same situation. It's a matter that affects everyone. Q: Did you have an inspiration for the film? A: The story arose out of my family. My aunt killed herself at the age of 93 and before she did it she asked me whether or not I could help her. I loved her very much and to watch her suffer was very difficult, but I certainly couldn't help her (kill herself) because I'd be thrown in jail. Personally, I don't believe I could've done it anyway. Q: Did you expect "Amour" to receive five Oscar nominations? A: No, certainly not. I had hoped and figured ... that one or another nomination would come our way but I was naturally, like many, pleasantly surprised. Q: How will it be to be a star of sorts at the Oscars? A: Star? Those who are invited are of course stars (laughs) ... I certainly find it delightful to get dressed up with these people that the entire world knows and to compete alongside them. It's quite enjoyable. Q: What will it be like if "Amour" wins? A: I'll be happy. We're happy about any prize but you don't make films to win awards. Nonetheless, you're certainly quite happy about the recognition. For the film, it also makes it possible for many more to see it. And each prize piques the interest of more people to watch the film. Q: How much longer do you intend to keep making films? A: As long as I can. I don't know that answer. I could drop dead tomorrow or fall seriously ill. I'm no longer 25 years old but I don't plan on calling it quits anytime soon, and perhaps that annoys someone somewhere. — Reuters |
| Director Panahi defies Iran ban to make another film Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:15 AM PST  Members of the Peace Film Award jury hold banners to support Iranian director Jafar Panahi who is co-director of the movie "Parde" (Closed Curtain) at the 63rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 12, 2013. — Reuters pic The movie, in competition at the Berlin film festival, has its premiere yesterday, but Panahi was not expected on the red carpet despite festival organisers saying the German government had requested he be allowed to travel. His co-director and compatriot Kamboziya Partovi did attend a press conference along with actress Maryam Moghadam, but would not be drawn on what the consequences of making the movie could be for Panahi or others involved. "Nothing has happened up until now," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "We do not know what the future holds for us." Moghadam acknowledged she was taking a risk by acting in a project involving Panahi, a darling of the Western film festival circuit and best known for his 2000 movie "The Circle" and "Offside" released six years later. His socially engaged films about issues such as women's rights in Iran and support for the political opposition have made him a target of the Iranian authorities. In 2010 he was banned from making films for 20 years and sentenced to six years in prison for "propaganda against the system", although he is now under house arrest. Moghadam, who has dual Swedish and Iranian nationality, told Reuters she would try to continue travelling to Iran, where she had family. "I am not the only one (taking risks)," she said. "Closed Curtain" is the second picture Panahi has made in defiance of the ban, and it remains to be seen whether the 52-year-old faces further punishment for a movie that has drawn major attention in Berlin. "This is Not a Film", made in 2011, was reportedly smuggled out of the country on a USB stick hidden inside a cake. EMPTY VILLA, FEAR, FRUSTRATION "Closed Curtain" is set in an empty villa in Iran, presumably beside the Caspian Sea. A man, played by Partovi, arrives with his dog, and proceeds to draw the curtains and black out the windows, sealing himself off from the world outside and preventing the authorities — real and imagined — from seeing what was happening. When the dog accidentally switches on the television, we see footage of stray dogs being rounded up and killed, explaining why he had to be smuggled in inside a bag and kept indoors. A young man and woman, on the run from the police, burst in and the woman stays, but her existence and that of the man becomes unclear as viewers must decide if they are fictional characters in Panahi's script or actual people. The layers of reality multiply as Panahi himself arrives, and posters advertising some of his past movies are revealed beneath sheets before being covered up again. In the allegory of Panahi's life under house arrest and inability to work freely, we see him walking into the sea at one point, a reference to taking his own life. "He was not constantly thinking about suicide, no, because then he wouldn't have been able to make the film," Partovi said. "But if I imagine myself unable to work and just sitting at home, then I am sure I would start to think about suicide." According to Partovi, "Closed Curtain" was made out of a desire to express oneself, even though it was unlikely to be seen by people inside Iran. "It's difficult to work, but not being able to work is even more difficult, and especially when you are at the height of your career. You become depressed, and I believe this is shown in the film and it comes through." The mood is one of frustration, fear and anger, as young people are rounded up for having parties and drinking alcohol. "She is a young woman like many other women in my country," Moghadam said of her character Melika. "She is a symbol of many other young women who struggle," added the actress, who was wearing a hat to cover her hair. She said her character represented "the dark side of his (Panahi's) mind ... that part that doesn't hope any more and wants to give up." — Reuters |
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