By The BKONTHESCENE Team
Our first stop for Day#7 was Canadian film Mademoiselle Kenopsia, Directed by Denis Côté (QnA photos at Lightbox screening). A woman totally alone (actor Larissa Corriveau) is in an empty building, waiting for something to happen. And the audience is also waiting but is fascinated by the acting and the setting. It seems like an old factory. Very desolate. It’s a meditation on loneliness. Totally cinematic. Dealing with the isolation we’ve all had at one time or another. Mademoiselle Kenopsia’s gaze can be felt even when offscreen. A bit haunting. The only other essential person in the film is a woman who appears out of nowhere. Smoking and gesturing with her cigarette as she speaks in her own secret language.
The next film was-Poolman.It is a comedic film noir story of an anxious Zen-loving Hollywood poolman/aspiring PI, played by Chris Pine, who also directed for the first time, in search of truth about corruption in LA, a la Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. With a star-studded cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annette Bening, and Danny DeVito, the audience is in for a treat as the amateur investigators sneak around LA to uncover and prove corruption among the elected civic council and ambitious developers, especially after given clues by the enticing femme fatale named June Del Rey (DeWanda Wise).
Origin is director Ava DuVernay’s emotional tour-de-force adaptation of author Isabel Wilkerson’s life and of the New York Times bestselling book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. #Caste, #OneRace, #WeAreOne, and #FightRacism can be seen to be the rallying mottos. Caste is seen as the origin of our discontents. A world without caste is free. Dalits (untouchables) in India, Jews in Nazi Germany, and Blacks everywhere have been victimized by the oppression of the caste system.
Freedom to love, go wherever, express…
Origin, the film, explores the intellectual background to the thesis behind Isabel Wilkerson assertion that the caste system is the root of discrimination in the world.
Fair Play is a fascinating film about the reversal of roles in a time of the #MeToo movement in the alpha-male dominated world of Wall Street’s hedge fund offices.
Emily (Dynevor) and Luke (Ehrenreich), coworkers at One Crest Capitol hedge fund, are the loving couple, just engaged and getting ready to have their engagement party, but after she gets promoted to the portfolio manager role that he coveted, the clandestine, due to strict non-dating corporate rules, couple’s relationship goes awry with dire consequences.
Fair Play is the Wall Street for the #MeToo era, as writer-director Chloe Domont’s feature debut revealing the ruthless world among the demanding hedge fund managers.
The Promised Land is the remarkable dramatic story of the trials and tribulations of a former Danish army officer, Ludvig Kahlen, played by the strong, stoic and rugged Mads Mikkelsen, convinced that he can covert rocky barren land in Jutland into a food-producing settlement officially sanctioned by King Frederik V in 18th century Denmark, with the prize of bestowed nobility and land ownership with settlers. The path to nobility and land ownership is littered with many obstacles, in addition to the harsh winters and lack of funding, including those imposed especially by the ambitious villainous landowner Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg).
RBC Red Carpet Gallery attendees enjoyed the red carpet arrivals of many gala stars at Roy Thomson Hall such as the stars of the Korean film “The Smugglers.”
El Sabor de la Navidad film screening
Salma Hayek Pinault in a beautiful white dress was welcomed with cheers from her fans, waiting across from the Royal Alexandra Theatre. She and her cast arrived before the screening for El Sabor de la Navidad, starring Mariana Treviño and Andrés Almeida.
Mexican-American superstar Salma Hayek Pinault produces this heartfelt Mexican dramedy that weaves together three stories depicting the high emotions surrounding one of the most important festivities of the year, Christmas.
When Gerardo sneaks into Valeria’s kitchen to help her prepare traditional Mexican dishes for the Christmas dinners of several families, he realizes her deep commitment to cooking is all about love. He tries to express his sudden feelings for her, but in vain. It’s a Mexican family story about issues dealing with adult children returning to visit and letting adult children grow to be how they want. It’s a fun film with friends taking part in Santa Claus duties with fights and misunderstandings. The ending brings everyone together, opening their hearts and sharing the true spirit of the season, Navidad.
That was the end of Day#8 and we departed the area of our last screener to rest up for Day#9.
BKonthescene 