Jury duty and a singing comeback at Cine Europa 20

The contemporary and the classic converge at the 20^th edition of Cine Europa, the film festival that boasts not just the longest but the widest reach in the country. Unfortunately, the dreaded traffic of Metro Manila makes it difficult for me to take full advantage of the 24 films from 16 EU countries lined up this year. So far, I’ve already seen just two films, Germany’s The Verdict/Terror - Ihr Urteil and France’s Souvenir during the press preview screening and the festival’s opening night respectively.

The Verdict/Terror - Ihr Urteil (Germany)

Guilty or not guilty? That is what the audience need to decide while watching The Verdict/Terror - Ihr Urteil (2016), which was directed by Lars Kraume. The courtroom drama has the audience taking the role of the jury which would decide not only the verdict but which of the two endings filmed will be shown.

The man on trial is Major Lars Koch, played by Florian David Fitz, an air force pilot who defied his superior’s orders and shot down a passenger plane with 164 people on board. The plane, hijacked by terrorists, was on course to crash on a packed stadium filled with 70,000 spectators.

And I did take this opportunity to be part of the jury very seriously. I have never been more focused on reading English subtitles so that I would make an informed decision when it was time to cast my vote. Because of this intense focus, I almost never noticed that the film only had one scene (an impressive looking court room) and that everything happened in the course of one day (if only our trials can arrive at a verdict that soon!). It was only later on that I learned that this was adapted from a play by Ferdinand von Shirach with the audience also casting a vote to decide the ending.

At a time when popcorn flicks, summer blockbusters, and CGI heavy movies dominate cinemas, a film such as The Verdict is much welcomed. It forces audiences to focus on the dialogue and think deeply on relevant issues that the world is facing today. And I would make it pass that the movie was originally shown on German television and not on the big screen.

Souvenir (France)

In Souvenir (2016) by Bavo Defurne, Lilliane, played by the incomparable Isabelle Huppert, has settled into the mundane life of a faceless/nameless worker putting the final garnish at a pâté factory. Four decades ago, she was Laura who shot to fame as she almost won the European Song Contest (think Eurovision and all the campiness that entails). Then enter into the picture new factory employee Jean, played by Kévin Azaïs, an aspiring boxer who figures out Lilliane’s past life in the spotlight. The next thing you know, Jean has managed to book her gigs (lousy ones) eventually paving the way for her to attempt a comeback via entering the European Song Contest. Oh yeah, before I forget the two also enter into a May-December love affair much to the dismay/delight of Jean’s father who still had the hots for her as he did decades ago.

Huppert’s unimpressive vocals and the stiff choreography whenever she performs failed to convince me that Laura was a big deal back then and that a successful comeback was indeed possible. Also, the subplot involving Laura’s former husband/manager Tony Jones felt too forced and unnecessary as conflict between the two lovebirds needed to happen and a third party/former flame is a very convenient one. And don’t get me started on the ghostwriting aspect that never gets resolved.

I know that Huppert has an impressive filmography and Souvenir is one of her lighter fares. But once I got over the novelty of the age difference between the two lovers and also the idea of her singing (which I wasn’t really too thrilled at even though I had her “Je dis oui” from Joli garçon still ringing in my head a couple of days after), the film is ultimately forgettable. This has just want me to dig up and see Huppert’s more substantial films like La Cérémonie if I have the courage to see i again since it still haunts me to this day.

I really wish that I could see more films in the remaining days of the festival. If only the Shangri-La Plaza Mall was just a stone’s throw away from where I live. Presented by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, Cine Europa screenings at the Shang Cineplex are still ongoing until September 26, 2017.