i saw two more films yesterday, monkey warfare (imdb) and day night, day night (imdb). they were very different films (about as different as night and, err, nevermind)
"monkey warfare" is a canadian film about a pair of former leftist radicals in toronto. they meet a young radical, and must confront what they once were. the “aging radical confronting his/her past” is a well worn path. the movie pulls it off pretty well, and on a remarkably tight budget. but because this kind of thing has been done before, it was fairly obvious where the film was going early on. in short, i enjoyed it, but it wasn't great. but that’s good enough for me to proclaim that the monkey rule still stands. all hail the monkey rule!
"day night, day night" was much more serious. the film was from the point of view of a would-be suicide bomber and follows her last 48 hours as she waits for instructions and then goes to kill herself (and others) in the middle of times square. the unusual thing about the film was how it erased all the other issues that usually surround the phenomenon of suicide bombings. there was no mention of politics, religion, the "cause" or any morality. the bomber, i guess, looked like she could have been arab, but she also could have been a number of other ethnic groups. she didn't have a foreign accent, nor did the people who gave her instructions (they mostly appeared on screen in masks). she wore no religious symbols or dress (though she had a necklace with a key around her neck) the film provided no motive for the bombing; it never explained what her group stood for or was trying to accomplish, nor did it explain why the bomber herself might sign up for such a plan. the bomber didn't even have a name, much less a motive. the credits just listed her as "she."
by stripping away all context, all we are left with are the humanity of the suicide bomber herself, which is what makes the film so disconcerting. most of the film simply shows her waiting, nervously fiddling with her clothes, brushing her teeth, etc.it sounds dull, but really effective at building the tension that drives the film. just as "she" waits nervously in her hotel room for instructions, you are also waiting with her. there's no soundtrack to artificially ratchet up the tension.
the problem with the film is that i don't think a phenomenon like suicide bombing can be understood without the context. and for that reason, i think "day night" really doesn't tell us anything about the real-world phenomenon. but what is remarkable about "day night day night" is that even without a context, without a background, motive or even a name, "she" still felt like a very real person.
p.s. thanks to ll cool for recommending "day night day night"
p.p.s. i saw "day night day night" with dave. his review is here.
