euroflicks

In the post-Miramax, post-Dogme age, sometimes the only way to tell that a movie is European is that the characters speak a foreign language (say, British). It used to be that bad teeth and profuse body hair would distinguish a Keira Knightley from a Natalie Portman, a Lena Headey from a Winona Ryder, or a Sophie Okonedo from a Nia Long. Now the lassies are hot, and we can only tell they're not American because they swear like a Royal Navyman. Just musing; not all that related to today's reviews.

Aberdeen (2000)
5 Stars
Directed by Hans Petter Moland
Starring Stellan Skarsgård, Lena Headey, Charlotte Rampling
Excellent little film in the best Scandinavian tradition. Skarsgård is thoroughly convincing as the drunk father and Headey appealing as the fiesty lost child. Both evoke sympathy, which a bleak story like this really needs. Despite obvious parallels to Breaking the Waves and Leaving Las Vegas, this movie is altogether less pretentious and more skilled, less monstrous and more humane.

The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) (2004)
4 Stars
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Starring Javier Bardem
A skillfully-made biopic about euthanasia. As a topical biopic, it suffers from the opposite of what I love about Aberdeen: everything about it is pretentious. I'm talking poetry readings, speeches, helicopter shots, and show-me-the-Oscar acting. But the real problem is I couldn't empathize with the protagonist, Ramón Sampedro. Amenábar concentrates on what was admirable and beautiful about Ramón, leaving me unable to comprehend at a gut level why he so desperately needs to die. Million Dollar Baby made me feel that, and it is a superior film for it. Still, Mar adentro is exceptionally well-made and Bardem's performance is impressive, so I can't in good conscience give it only three stars.