The 2019 European Union Film Festival has many gems from the region
THE struggle for acceptance, especially for a teenager, is something everyone understands, and so Swedish film Sami Blood (Sameblod in Swedish) makes for a compelling watch. The sweeping cinematography of Nordic natural beauty is another good reason.
I had not heard much of the Sami people before this film, and watching it with English subtitles taught me much about this indigenous people of Norway who herd reindeers.
I was especially drawn to the yoik songs, a haunting lyrical musical expression.
This 2017 debut feature by Amanda Kernell, with Sami heritage, is set in the 1930s at a time of colonialism towards the Sami people.
The tale revolves around two Sami sisters who have lost touch with each other.
Why? When young, they had to attend school far from their northern lands.
The film touches on the racism they —and other similar children — had to endure at their boarding school.
Epithets such as "filthy Lapps” and “circus animals” are hurled at the children. They also endure degrading physical examinations.
Torn between two worlds — one heritage and other modern — the sisters make their choices.
The central character is brilliantly played by Lene Cecilia Sparrok as a teenager and Maj-Doris Rimpias an adult.
The story reminds me of the treatment given to American Indians and other indigenous peoples around the world.
Sami Blood is a hard look at cultural assimilation or cultural bereavement, about land theft and a disappearing way of life today.
The award-winning Sami Blood left me moved, shocked at times. I thought it was a brave addition to the 19 films under the 20th edition of the European Film Festival 2019 which opened on Oct 17 at selected GSC cinemas.
Another stellar movie is Norway’s The King’s Choice (Kongens nei), a rather heroic tale of a largely ceremonial king who gets his act together in a crisis, the start of the Second World War.
It’s heroic because King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen) refuses to surrender to the Nazis.
A German envoy is given carte blanche by Hitler to negotiate directly with the king to allow German troops into the country, under the pretext of defending Norway from a British invasion.
Hostilities are at home too with politicians veering this way and that way. The king’s own family are torn apart.
Some may find this war movie directed by Erik Poppe slow-moving, others may be taken up by the wheelings and dealings of the craft of statehood.
King Haakon V11 did do his best, as shown in this movie, but was eventually outplayed by a politician, whose name, Quisling, has become synonymous with “traitor” in that country.
The King’s Choice made it to the 2017 shortlist of Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
Another movie about a king is a comedy from Belgium called King of the Belgians, about increasingly non-porous borders and a king on tour.
It’s a funny 2016 take on a road trip, where a queen wants a documentary made on her husband, King Nicolas III (Peter Van den Begin), that will show the royal family in a flattering way.
The family is on a state visit to Turkey when a French-speaking region of southern Belgium called Wallonia declares independence.
A strange storm cuts off phone lines and air travel, and King Nicholas must travel through Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania to get home.
This king is really tall and he gets into odd situations and costumes. He meets all kinds of people on his way back home. He is also gentle and slow but he certainly rises to the call of duty!
Directed and written by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth, this mockumentary is so far-fetched in premise that it’s hilarious.
From the Netherlands comes the 2018 movie The Conductor (De Dirigent). It’s a true account of a Dutch emigre, Antonia Brico, to the United States in the 1920s who dreams of becoming a musician and a conductor.
It was a time when women were told to get married, and not look for jobs.
Directed by Maria Peters, the cast is led by Christanne de Bruijn who gives a moving portrayal of a woman who sets out to pursue her ambition with single-minded tenacity.
When her piano teacher tells her not to take the exam to enter the music conservatory, she goes back to her motherland, and begs a famous conductor, Mengelberg, to teach her how to conduct.
There is romance, and the music draws you into the narrative of this woman who is so passionate about learning her craft.
Can love and music marry to make a woman’s dream come true? She was one woman before 100 men in the orchestra. Amazing story-telling!
Other films in the EUFF 2019 staple include France’s moving Invisibles (Les Invisibles).
Based on a documentary, the feature film tells of a group of social workers who are doing everything they can to help the women from a homeless shelter integrate back into society.
Six films — Lada Kamenski (Croatia), Winter Flies (Czech Republic), Ailo’s Journey (Finland), The Romantic Exiles (Spain), Don’t Stop Me Now (Italy) and As Needed (Italy) — will be screened for free at participating cinemas.
Coupons for the free screenings can be downloaded or screenshot from www.euff.com.my and redeemed at the participating GSC ticketing counters on a first-come, first-served basis.
For details, visit www.euff.com.my or www.gsc.com.my
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