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2011, 04-04:
Review of film: “SHE CAME ALONG” = Report # 04 on LATINO Film Festival
+ Q&A with Director ESSI RAFAEL
+ Q&A with Director ESSI RAFAEL
“SHE CAME ALONG” / “ELA VEIO ME VER” (in Portuguese)
I’ve been seeing around 2 to 4 films each day at the LATINO FILM FESTIVAL, a number of which have been very WELL-done...
... However, all that viewing has left little time to actually write-up my reviews from the notes I’ve made & to then POST them online. My plan is to do them little-by-little, as time allows...
... At this time, with the “BRAZIL Night” (“Noite do Brasil”) special event coming up on Wednesday, April 6th, I am going to give you some information about a Brazilian film I saw from an up-&-coming young director named ESSI RAFAEL...
... The film is a 17-minute short being shown with a fine documentary called “DREAMS OF HAITI” (which I plan to review later)...
... Before the program officially started, ESSI was introduced by one of the Staff members from the Festival... In very good English, Essi spoke of how it was a real THRILL for him to be at the Festival-- his 1st trip to Chicago (which he was enjoying), and the first INTERNATIONAL Festival he’s ever attended!...
... He described how his film is about teenagers in Brazil, with observations about their shyness, their dreams and their feelings, & he hopes we’ll enjoy it. He promised to return after the screenings of both films (his & the documentary) to hold a Q&A (Question & Answer) session...
... In the film, a young man named Delcides (who is seemingly played by GERALDO ESPINOLA, if I read the quickly-running credits correctly) is sort of talking to himself as he contemplates a DATE he’s set-up with a girl from school...
... He’s worried about how the girl he’d invited might find the place he’d chosen as sort of “disgusting”, & concerned about whether she’d LIKE him...
... When he sees a couple kissing as he waits for his own date to arrive, he becomes afraid that she’s “probably” seeing someone ELSE & thus most likely won’t even show up for the date...
... But, the girl (named Tatiane) soon arrives, apologizing for being late... After meeting, they both live with a great deal of clumsiness as they try to get to “know” each other a bit by talking as they walk thru the town...
... They talk about their names, with Delcides saying he feels he has a sort of “poor” first name, tho Tatiane feels it’s fine. She speaks of how people often wrongly call her Tatiana... He wants to take her for some food, but she says she’s already eaten a meal-- tho he hadn’t...
... Shyly, Delcides suggests maybe they could have at least have some ice cream. He’s pleased -- and “relieved” – that Tatiane ACCEPTS that idea... They walk some more, & you see some nice creative efforts by the director, such as a REFLECTION of them...
... Eventually, they go into a restaurant... First, you see a view of the couple from outside...
... And then you see some views of them from the inside... Cleverly, the director shows how each of them -- especially Delcides -- has “PLANNED” for things to TALK about, under “headings” like Religion, Love, Life, and so on (to try to get “around” the anxiety he feels about his efforts)...
... He also shows us how they’re thinking about things they should (or shouldn’t) do or say, such as Tatiane contemplating specially working on her HAIR (which Delcides compliments her on at the table)...
... They uneasily talk about school a bit, about food like ice cream (such as being concerned they might get “fat”)... We see how each of them privately wonders things along the lines of, “Does he really fancy me?” & the like...
... After the ice cream, they go walking a bit more... He at one point talks about DOGS & how he likes them. He’s pleased when she asks him about his dogs, & he said his family has 5 including a new puppy... They talk about a “frankfurter”-shaped dog (seemingly meaning a dachshund, but the subtitle speaks of a “basset hound”)
... We see how Delcides tentatively contemplates trying to hold Tatiane’s hand-- but then keeps “BACKING AWAY” from actually going thru with it, fearful she might think him too “forward”...
... We see Tatiane “expecting” (to herself) that Delcides will try to kiss her, & how she should “respond” to that... But, their parting has the typical discomfort of so many millions of “new” relationships around the world...
... It’s difficult to develop characters & their personalities in a SHORT-length film-- but the director did that very skillfully, I think...
... Due to that, & the clever, funny and “knowing” way the director handled this well-acted story of a budding new relationship, I’m rating this at 8.5 out of 10 stars...
= = = = = = = = =
Q&A with Director ESSI RAFAEL
... After the showing of his film and the documentary about the terrible earthquake in Haiti, ESSI returned to hold a Q&A session with the audience...
... As happens often in such a situation, people were hesitant to begin the questioning. But, as “usual”, I was happy to “start-off” the session:
... I commented on how I was impressed with the fine way he showed the awkwardness of his young characters, & wondered about his BACKGROUND in making movies...
... With enthusiasm, he spoke of how yes, he did study film-making at a University (for 2+ years) in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, near the country of Paraguay (in the SW part of Brazil. Later, in a private talk, he told me it was in his home city of Campo Grande, around 500 or so miles NW of Sao Paulo or about 700 miles W of Rio de Janeiro)...
... He commented about where he shot the movie that, he finds it special to “be able to do your film in YOUR city”, it gives him a feeling of comfort...
... And, he loves the opportunity of being able to show it to an INTERNATIONAL audience, finding it makes for a real interesting situation in life, an “ADVENTURE” to be here & meet with other directors and the like!...
... Since the audience didn’t tend to ask too many questions, I myself asked more, such as, what OTHER films he’s done. He said, well, he’s done 10-12 or so VIDEOS, which he’s posted on “YOU TUBE” to be able to show others...
... One concerns some DOGS he likes [as shown in the photo below, from his video “VIDA ORDINARIA”]...
... Essi said, he’s been doing movies for like 5 years. When I asked about FUTURE projects, he said, he hopes to do a documentary where he follows the lives of 12 students over a 4-year period. Plus, he has a “fiction” one he’d like to do-- but that requires getting government FUNDING to do it!...
... To a “follow-up” question from another man in the audience, Essi explained more about the situation of getting funding. Besides the NATIONAL government, various States also provide some funding for certain projects...
... So, actually, he feels he’s in a better position than most to be ABLE to get funding, especially from the STATE & possibly some “local” City funding, in that he (in effect) is not in a “crowded” area with a large number of people applying to do such projects where he lives...
... He agrees, it requires a lot of WORK to get funding overall, but, he feels it’s WORTH the efforts to be able to follow his dreams...
... And, he feels it helps to do things like showing VIDEOS (both on the internet & in small “gatherings”), & especially to do various FESTIVALS such as this (and ones in Latin America) where you can make “CONTACTS” with others in the industry...
... So, he’s really LOVING the whole experience of traveling around with his film...
... After the main Q&A, Essi related that he’ll soon be leaving for Florida, but he’s “available” on FACEBOOK...
... He told me, he’s had a fine time going around Chicago, visiting the ART INSTITUTE & MILLENNIUM PARK & the observatory in the HANCOCK Building, & even getting a Chicago CityPass to be able to visit various other MUSEUMS + a ticket to see his 1st-ever BASEBALL game (the Cubs at Wrigley Field)... (I was glad he’s working to get to “KNOW” an area like that)!...
... So, as you see, there’s a bunch of film-making TALENT all around the world, & it seems to be expanding all the time...
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