In the second part of our CityNews.ca preview we take a look at some of the ten-day festival's hits and misses.
Bhutto - This documentary on the short life of two-time Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto starts with a bang. Found footage, including CNN tapes, recounts Bhutto’s return to her homeland in 2007. After the gripping, tense beginning – after all, we know how this story ends – the film reverts to a primer (complete with graphs, maps, and animated graphics) on the history of Pakistan and the Bhutto family. It’s never dry but those who are already aware of Pakistan’s history might find that the film covers well-known ground. Interviews with her family members, friends and foes paint a varied portrait of the controversial figure. (EC) Screens on May 1 at 6:15pm at Bloor Cinema and May 4 at 11am at Isabel Bader Theatre.
Dish: Women, Waitressing & the Art of Service – “If you want to make tips, you’ve got to play the game,” a waitress says at the beginning of the film. It’s women’s work on display here, with candid commentary on aging, serving and dealing with rude customers. Southern Ontario diners are featured, as are high-end Parisian restaurants where only men are allowed to serve. Vintage instructional videos show how little things have changed. (EC) Screens on April 30 at 9:15pm at Bloor Cinema, May 8 at 1:30pm at The Royal Cinema and May 9 at 6:30pm at Bloor Cinema.
Grace, Milly, Lucy...Child Soldiers – The film is quiet and slow, unexpectedly so for a film about war and the Lord’s Resistance Army. The three titular women were all kidnapped as children from their homes in Uganda, repeatedly raped and forced to fight. Their experiences mean that learning to live in a peaceful setting is a difficult task, especially when there are few job prospects. The audience doesn’t see any of the violence, we only hear their stories. (EC) Screens on May 5 at 7:30pm and May 8 at 4pm at the The Royal Cinema.
Life With Murder *CityNews.ca Pick* – One of the creepiest films, fictional or otherwise, I have ever seen. A family of four in Chatham, ON, is shattered when daughter Jennifer is found shot to death in her home. Her brother, Mason, is eventually convicted of first-degree murder. His parents, Leslie and Brian, refuse to give up their belief in their son’s innocence and visit him continually at Warkworth prison. They celebrate birthdays, have barbecues and drink tea in a mostly unsupervised setting. Director John Kastner got unbelievable access to police tapes, including interrogations with Mason, Leslie and Brian. Mason’s aunts are also interviewed. (EC) Screens on May 1 at 8:45pm at Isabel Bader Theatre and May 9 at 3:45pm at Bloor Cinema.
Leave Them Laughing – Comedian, singer and single mother Carla Zilbersmith was diagnosed with ALS in 2006. The film tracks her life both before and after the chatty, funny, flirty woman ends up nearly unable to move and in a wheelchair. Her son and father offer remarkably candid interviews, and Carla’s frank look at her condition is leavened with Borscht-belt style humour.(EC) Screens on May 6 at 9:15pm at Isabel Bader Theatre and May 8 at 3:15pm at Bloor Cinema.
Flawed *CityNews.ca Pick* – In about 12 minutes, Flawed tells a more complex story and uncovers more truth than many docs can with an extra hour. Using whimsical drawings, artist Andrea Dorfman tells the tale of how her romantic relationship with a plastic surgeon forced her to confront what she saw as her biggest flaw: her nose. Honest, thought-provoking and funny, the film will no doubt prompt viewers to examine their own imperfections – physical and otherwise. (MC) Screens with Small Wonders on April 30 at 9:30pm at Cumberland and May 2 at 5pm at Innis Town Hall.
Waste Land *CityNews.ca Pick* – In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, the career choices are few. Some choose prostitution, but a good many make their living salvaging recyclable materials from Jardim Gramacho, the largest landfill in the world by daily volume. In this Sundance audience award-winner, Brazilian artist Vik Muniz employs the catadores of Jardim Gramacho to help him produce his latest installation, portraits of them made of garbage. What makes this documentary are the characters – a collection of remarkable people who, because of bad luck or circumstance, have found themselves among the poorest of the poor. (MC) Screens on May 1 at 7pm at Isabel Bader Theatre and May 5 at 9:15pm at Bloor Cinema.
Nénette – In theory, it sounds like an intriguing concept: leave the camera rolling on a group of captive orangutans as they go about their daily activities and reveal their beastlike nature. In reality, orangutans are not expressive animals and – although, in fact, observant and curious – often appear bored. Nénette, the 40-year-old matriarch, is the star attraction at the Jardin des Plantes menagerie in Paris, and views of her drinking tea, devouring containers of yogurt and twiddling her fingers are rounded out with commentary from zookeepers and visitors as they watch her watching them. (MC) Screens on May 6 at 7pm and May 8 at 4:30pm at Isabel Bader Theatre.
The Story of Furious Pete *CityNews.ca Pick* – Pete Czerwinski can eat 14 slices of pizza in 10 minutes. He can eat a 72-ounce steak in seven minutes and a pound of butter in three. He is currently a world-renowned competitive eater but, surprisingly, almost died from anorexia as a teen. Much like professional eating, The Story of Furious Pete is at once fascinating, disgusting and entertaining. It's the portrait of a man who overcame his difficulties with a lot of determination and even more chutzpah. (MC) Screens on April 30 at 7:30pm at the Royal Cinema and May 9 at Cumberland.
Candyman: The David Klein Story – "I never really wondered who invented Jelly Bellys. I just always assumed it was the Easter bunny." So says Weird Al Yankovic in this doc about David Klein, the eccentric candy inventor behind the iconic jellybean. But just as he bought 100 balloons at Disneyland only to give them away, and doled out free ice cream to kids from a rented truck, Klein ended up handing over his business too – a decision that has haunted him ever since. (MC) Screens on May 1 at 9:45pm at the ROM Theatre and May, 4 at 1:30pm at Cumberland.