Fantasy never goes out of Fashion. Obsession is Optional.
I saw two more films – part of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). One movie is a satire which takes place during WWII. The other is present day. They are both completely different however there is a common denominator which turns out to be that both of the main characters in each film have created their own fantasy. Both are psychologically damaged. It’s an interesting character study of obsessed individuals.
Who You Think I Am (CELLE QUE VOUS CROYEZ)
This film is in French with subtitles. It was the Canadian Premiere. I wanted to see it because the theme is very current involving online dating…sort of. But it’s not what you think exactly. It shows the extremes of getting carried away with the romantic fantasy.
Claire Millaud (Binoche) is a 50+ year old woman who creates a fake profile on social media to spy on Ludo, her lover. She becomes Clara, a beautiful woman half her age explaining to her therapist that Clara is really her niece. She is just using photos of her niece.
A friend of Ludo’s named Alex sees her profile and is instantly captivated. Claire as Clara ends up falling for Alex. She gets trapped in the fantasy and takes it way too far. This is a more relatable film only in the sense that you can kind of understand how something like this can happen. Claire is divorced. Her husband has left her for another woman. She is not sure about her current relationship status. Someone new, younger and attractive is paying close attention and the illusory gets intertwined with the reality to the extent that she almost forgets who she really is and cannot stop herself from keeping up the deception. I found it intriguing at how dangerously misleading many dating profiles can be and what can occur as a result of. It’s apparent that people tell white lies however this is far more precarious. Yes…quite the captivating story. Binoche of course is excellent, as usual.
Jojo Rabbit
Unfortunately I was not crazy about this film. Apparently it did well recently at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It certainly has its moments but overall it was not for me.
*Taika Waititi (the New Zealand director who also stars at Jojo’s imaginary friend, the one and only Hitler) described Jojo Rabbit as an “anti-fuckface satire.” Based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, it’s about a young member of the Hitler Youth named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) who learns that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl named Elsa (poignantly played by New Zealand actress Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. Last summer Waititi tweeted “What better way to insult Hitler than having him portrayed by a Polynesian Jew?” Surely!
My favourite moments were the interactions between Jojo and Elsa where Jojo has a change of heart and realizes with astonished surprise that jews have feelings just like regular people. Of course the message comes through about revelation and redemption, however in most parts it was just too silly for me and I personally think it missed the mark. On the humour that is! Other people seemed to love it though.
The movie also stars Rebel Wilson as a proud Nazi child instructor and Sam Rockwell as a gun shooting Nazi.
The film fest is on until October 11th. For information on more films and/or to buy tickets please visit:
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