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SERIOUS RESERVATIONSMichael Gillespie talks low-budget filmmakingwith a man who learned from the best, Steven Lewis Simpson. Rez Bomb, his new film, is screening at GFF this week.

Outside the western, we see very little of Native American life in contemporary cinema. Eschewing stereotypes and delivering a fresh spin on the both noir and the love story, Steven Lewis Simpson’s Rez Bomb, is a stylish and gritty thriller about two lovers (one white, one Lakota) in the Pine Ridge American Indian reservation of South Dakota. It’s a very American story, so how did Aberdeen-born Simpson end up shooting on the rez? “The story was written for Edinburgh” he says, “I shot the first nine minutes there in 1996, so to me the story is completely universal. It could be a girl from the housing estates and an upper middle class guy”. Simpson changed his mind, however, after a 1999 visit to the reservation, a place “so unique visually it really captures the imagination”. Coincidentally, that visit was in conjunction with Kelvingrove Museum, a bid to repatriate a Wounded Knee Ghost church overseen by GFF board member Liz Cameron. As Simpson says, “it’s appropriate that we brought it here as, if it wasn’t for her, it may never have gotten made”.

Rez Bomb is Simpson’s fourth feature film, his third in five years. In an age when many British filmmakers are struggling to make even one film, it’s inspiring to know someone has taken the buffalo by the horns. But then again, he is a student of B-movie supremo Roger Corman. “I learned that making a movie was not the big deal that everybody makes it out to be. There was one film I worked on in post-production. Corman went down to the studio on Thursday, saw it was going to be free in a few days, came into the office to pitch on Friday, re-wrote an old script Saturday Sunday, cast Monday Tuesday Wednesday and started shooting on Thursday. They could do that because they had the infrastructure and attitude. It really demystified it”. This corner-cutting, shoot from the hip approach is not one British-based directors are renowned for. What does Simpson see as the problem facing so many in our industry? “Filmmakers here have more creative freedom than those working for the studios. I think many just lack boldness and ambition”.

whaT’s insiDe?

Gff bOx OfficeOrder tickets from the box office at

www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk

or call 0141 332 6535

or visitGlasgow Film Theatre

12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB

info@glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk

2 » TOMOrrOw’s picksOur highlights of tomorrow’s films and events

2 » inDepenDenT sTaTeStephen Mitchell finds out what’s making up the American Independent strand

3 » reviewsThe Class *****Who Killed Nancy? *Let the Right One In ****

4 » whaT’s new OnlineUpdating you on new online content for GFF

4 » a (sTressful) niGhT aT The MOvies

Zee Alhassani suggests a little screen etiquette.

4 » win TickeTs!Enter our quiz and win 2 tickets to see The Class

The cineskinny

Produced by The Skinny magazine in association with the Glasgow Film Festival

eDiTOrs Gail Tolley Michael GillespielayOuT Eve McConnachie Emma Faulkner

2 the CineSkinny TUESDAY 17 FEBRUARY www.theSkinny.Co.uk

Independent State

In a period of Hollywood obsession with comic-book heroes, the fantastical and digitised animal anthropomorphism, “The State of Independents” provides a welcome retrospective of a year in American Independent Cinema, embracing transgressive and marginalised views of a modern America left sadly untouched by the current trend to distance mainstream US movie experiences from social reality.

Films such as Charlie Levi’s directorial debut Childless appear to be actively attempting to redress this imbalance. Centred on the death of teenage Katherine (Natalie Dreyfuss), Childless records the reactions of the adults around her (and Katherine herself) through a series of offbeat soliloquies that strive to create a vivid picture of their own selfish interests and drives. Unflinching and innovative in the form of its critique of the society the girl has departed, Childless seems to epitomise the festival’s promise to provide the “grittiest and wittiest” American film has to offer.

In stark contrast, Bart Got a Room appears influenced by more recognisable, outrageous American coming-of-age comedies. Evoking recurrent themes of first love, sexual conquest and social inadequacy, the pressures of adolescent romantic life form the basis of protagonist Danny Stein’s (Steven Kaplan) comedic quest: not only must he find a date for the prom, but a hotel room to take her to afterwards. Whilst this appears a familiar formula for an American Pie-esque juvenile gross-out offering, the self-proclaimed autobiographical elements channelled by filmmaker Brian Hecker provide a source of authenticity that has garnered the film near-universal acclaim, aided clearly by performances from the ever-impressive William H. Macy and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Cheryl Hines.

Prince of Broadway returns “The State of Independents” to more serious territory.

Relocating the much-maligned

image of the American single mother in the form of a Ghanaian man, Lucky (Prince Adu), Sean Baker’s Independent Spirit Award-nominated film attacks subjects of family and immigrant life in Manhattan, aided by the stylistic naturalism of the handheld camera and his use of unprofessional actors. Continuing “Indie” trends in empowering alternative perspectives on prominent American social fixations, this unflinching depiction of a young man’s struggles with the shock of unexpected responsibilities will hope to tap into the same zeitgeist that propelled Juno to unprecedented popular and critical success in 2008.

Ballast transposes an equally sombre take on the family from the streets of Manhattan to the Mississippi Delta, as Lance Hammer’s slow-burning tale of three individuals coping with the shock of a violent suicide lays bare the complexity of alienated personal relationships in the rural heart of the United States. Single mother Marlee (Tara Riggs) attempts to find salvation from her harsh domestic setting by moving into a shared dwelling with Lawrence (Michael J. Smith Sr.), a local man with whom she has never seen eye-to-eye, himself struggling to come to terms with the death of his twin brother. Winning multiple awards at Sundance (including Best Director for Hammer and Best Cinematography) and procuring prominent critical endorsements from Roger Ebert and Kenneth Turan, Ballast promises to be a moving, visually stunning highlight of this year’s festival.

stephen Mitchell looks at the American indie presence at GFF this year.

TOMOrrOw’s

picks

The class15.30 @ GfTWinner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes and a 5* review from us.

arTisTs’ aniMaTiOn prOGraMMe19.30 @ TraMwaySeries of animations from leading avant-garde filmmakers, introduced by artist Sebastian Beurkner.

an iOlaire19.00 @ The MiTchell TheaTreAn opportunity to see this fascinating documentary about the sinking of HMY Iolaire.

charaDe18.30 @ cinewOrlDAn Hitchcockian-style thriller featuring our queen of elegance, Audrey Hepburn.

aM i black enOuGh fOr yOu?18.15 @ The GrOsvenOrMusic biopic about 70s soul singer Billy Paul.

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reviewsThe classDirector: Laurent Cantet

if there’s one scene that captures most succinctly the challenge of educating and engaging a modern, multicultural group of children in The Class, it’s the view from above the playground where the only thing the children have in common is their pathological fascination with patently disaffecting mobiles and iPods. Director Laurent Cantet weaves his closely-knit vignettes with these silent shots that say as much about multiculturalism and education in France as the effortlessly natural and intelligent script. Ostensibly the film follows French teacher Francois Marin’s (Francois Begaudeau, who

also co-wrote the script) year teaching his disruptive and largely disinterested class, and yet the narrative is largely irrelevant because The Class reveals so much of itself through smaller details. Its greatest strength lies in its quiet, progressive pacing; it steadily extracts drama with utilitarian vigour from otherwise innocuous space, and the breadth of issues it touches on whilst maintaining its even-handed editing marks The Class as textbook film-making of the highest standard.

Ray Philp

whO killeD nancy?Director: Alan G. Parker

after seeing alan G. parker’s Who Killed Nancy? it seems quite plausible that Sid Vicious did not kill Nancy Spungen. Unfortunately, the evidence of this could have been revealed forcefully in a matter of moments and the rest of the film merely attends to Vicious and Spungen in a way that reiterates what anyone who has seen Sid and Nancy and any of the numerous talking head infested nostal gia-trip films on punk have said time and time again. If anything, the increased focus on the pair through recollections and archive materials makes them not only less likeable but less interesting. However true this may be, it is unlikely that Who Killed Nancy? will lessen the proliferation of Sid images on t-shirts, badges, or baby bibs, though now when we see them we can feel assured they are images of a man who was many things, but probably not a murderer.

Tyler Parks

leT The riGhT One inDirector: Tomas Alfredson

if i’d known Let the Right One In was a vampire film, I wouldn’t have bothered seeing it, which would have been very much my loss. In fact, it defies pigeonholing, blending the vampire theme with the crushing isolation suffered by a bullied 12-year-old boy. Tense beginnings move from the macabre to the darkly humorous, all against the backdrop of a snowy suburb of Stockholm. Oskar dreams of

revenge, but he doesn’t have the nerve to stand up to his classmates. As his new neighbour Eli is driven to feed under cover of darkness, the local community struggles to com-prehend a series of grisly murders. Scenes of blood and gore are fleet-ing, and all the more disturbing for it. It’s about the supernatural, yes, but it’s also a hauntingly beauti-ful film about very much human themes, like connections forged

between outsiders, about the cruel things that kids do to each other, about love and acceptance and desperate circumstances. Under the direction of Tomas Alfredsson, the breathtaking cinematography and magical realism draw the audience in, ensuring that the film will stay with the viewer for a long time after seeing it.

Nine

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a (sTressful) niGhT aT The MOvies.

PI CTURE the scene. Comfortably wedged into your seat, trusty bucket of over-priced but oh-so-essential popcorn (salted, before you ask) by your side, all eyes on the screen ahead. So far so good. Yet, in my opinion, going to the cinema has become less of a form of escapism, and more of an open invitation for my stress levels to go through the roof.But why you ask? And what are these horrendous faux pas that should be avoided at all costs? Number 1, and a contender for the single most devilish thing to do at the cinema: Talking. All. The. Way. Through. Did I pay to listen to you phone your friend and loudly complain about the singing? In Mamma Mia? No, I didn’t. Perhaps this wasn’t the next best thing to Die Hard 3 was it? WAS IT?That grotesquely large cup of Diet Coke starting to look like the wrong idea? Too bad. It’s not my fault you fell for the devious salemanship of the girl behind the counter. I don’t care if it’s only another 50p for a large. And I’m not moving to let you out. Suck it up.Did you know that Irish tinker Colin Farrell used to be in Ballykissangel? Do you think telling me this inane piece of information made me enjoy the last, touching, scene in In Bruges any more? It didn’t. I guess all those lonely Friday nights perusing your Film 101 handbook weren’t such an investment after all.Emotions. And losing control of them. Beautiful and exciting most of the time, but put someone in a room with a big screen and suddenly they become caricatures of themselves. That goes for anyone who laughs like a hyena at the most inappropriate moments, but especially to the frankly insane woman who cried hysterically during the last few minutes of Brokeback Mountain. And I mean really hysterically. If you really must display such open emotion do it at home. Please. Plus, as we all know, the only movie that it is credible to cry at is E.T.That new Orange trailer? It’s not good. Neither was the one before that. The next one will suck just as hard as well. So don’t get all excited when they burst forth. So, dear fellow film-buff, next time you decide to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster or arty feature please keep in mind that somewhere, lurking in the back row, will be an avid movie-goer dreaming of a world where going to the cinema doesn’t involve several valium beforehand. Better yet, wait until whatever it is you must see comes out on DVD. That or my ulcer will reach the iceberg-that-took-down-Titanic-esque proportions.

win TickeTs!We have two tickets for tomorrow evening’s screening of Laurent Cantet’s Palme D’Or winner, The Class. The film follows teacher Francois Begaudeau as he tries to convince a volatile group of 14 and 15-year-olds that learning can truly improve their lives. A compassionate and life-affirming movie. To win, answer the following question:

Who played the lead in the true-life high school drama, Dangerous Minds?email michael@theskinny.co.uk by 10am 19th Feb to enter

What’s new online?Comment online at the GFF site, MySpace, Facebook & on The Skinny’s web forums.infOFor the latest reviews, features and interviews covering the whole spectrum of GFF events go to www.theskinny.co.uk

phOTOs Have a browse of the latest photography and video interviews at www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk

chaTExercise your armchair critic skills and comments on the films you’ve seen on The Skinny forum www.theskinny.co.uk/forums pic Of The Day

Scottish film director Richard Jobson talks to audience members before the screening of his latest film New Town Killers on Monday evening.

whaT DiD yOu Think?We asked those coming out of Marley & Me what they thought

PHOTO : SCOTT NEIL

Zee Alhassani

“Faithful to the book. Take your hankies!.”

“Not for the faint- hearted -especially dog lovers! Very

funny but abittersweet ending.”

“Film was really fun, light-hearted but at the same time really sad.”

“Fantastic representation of the book and Marley was brilliant - well done.”