OVP: Best Foreign Language Film (2008)
The Nominees Were...
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany
The Class, France
Departures, Japan
Revanche, Austria
Waltz with Bashir, Israel
The Class, France
Departures, Japan
Revanche, Austria
Waltz with Bashir, Israel
My Thoughts: We continue on into the Foreign Film categories for 2008, as we slowly approach the top eight (I will say we're moving MUCH faster on this year than we did 2013, so I'm feeling pretty darn good). As a result, we're going to get to perhaps the only category where we're actually running through a large number of films that we've reviewed here on the blog before (there are links above for each of the reviews if you want a more comprehensive outlook on my thoughts). We'll go chronologically backward, then, of what films that I have seen, starting with Waltz with Bashir.
It's easy for me to advocate for Waltz when it comes to the Animated Feature race. That race is so reliant upon style, and quite frankly the competition isn't usually as strong for a nomination-there are far more foreign film contenders than animated features in a given year. However, we run into a weird issue with Waltz with Bashir that I just can't get over. The film is wonderfully iconic, frequently creating haunting imagery and each individual scene plays marvelously in itself, but the film itself is too disjointed. The main character's amnesia becomes almost pointless-he recalls everything at such a perfect, opportune time that if this weren't an Israeli film about the horrors of war, you'd confuse it with a subplot on General Hospital. Honestly, I could never quite get over the film's plot, and how it couldn't decipher itself between being a documentary or being a fictional film-it's a fascinating film, but a fascinating failure in my opinion.
The Baader Meinhof Complex doesn't suffer from this issue of editing and plotting-the film knows exactly what it's doing there, and arguably is the most interesting movie from an editor's perspective-everything feels very urgent, told in the manner of a thriller, and though it's based on an historical period in German history, even if you know the ending you still are shocked to see how the deaths of these characters is highlighted. The film would have been better off with stronger character development, in my opinion, which would have aided the Robin Hood vs. Band of Thugs argument the movie is going for (the film is in many ways trying to borrow from Arthur Penn's Bonnie & Clyde, finding ways to make sexy young vigilantes both heroes and villains). As a result, we get a fascinating film that also fails in a crucial area (where it could have gone from fascinating to fantastic), but is much better-plotted than Waltz even if it lacks its visual style.
With Revanche, however, we find a movie that manages to succeed on both levels and is pretty much stupendous in every way you can imagine. The film finds a genuine way to create proper twists in the actual movie, with desperation from the two leads played by Johannes Krisch and Irina Potapenko as they engage in an affair of both carnality and of potential urgency, as neither of them have a lot to live for as their stories intertwine. The film creates fully-fleshed out characters, with a plot that genuinely has you at the edge of your seat-by the time the ending has come, you have no idea what will happen next for these characters, but in a way that feels authentic to the story flow and everything just feels right. It's a weird conundrum, as arguably the film's least interesting scenes happen in the first fifteen minutes, lulling you into a "really?" stupor and then it constantly kicks your ass for questioning where the film is headed. A quiet marvel.
At the time of the Oscars, many critics found themselves debating heavily between The Class and Waltz with Bashir for their eventual favorite, but the film Departures was the movie they figured AMPAS would go for, as it was by-far the most traditional film of the bunch. They were right in this regard, as Departures has a lot of those standard tropes that the Academy loves in this category: stories of death told across multiple generations, redemption, and occasionally awkward humor. Departures has all of those things, but it also rarely got over the hump of why our main character became such a pariah for a job that someone has to do in Japanese culture-it's a bit like society having a downward look on morticians or janitors, which makes little sense, particularly considering the film is relatively modern. The film is rife with cliche, and never really gets past its struggle between being somber and cute-the balance never feels right, and while I see what AMPAS liked about it, what they loved were weirdly the attributes that I hated most about the film which felt too predictable and interchangeable with other movies.
The Class on the other hand, somehow starts out with a plot that is entirely cliched and potentially filled with schmaltz (oh Dead Poets Society, what have you wrought?), and instead creates something not short of genius. I loved this movie-it felt so authentic in a way few films do of this style. It never relies on cliches and "oh captain, my captain," but instead on a teacher who is desperately finding some way to connect not just with his students, but their world. The film finds him dealing with apathy and bigotry between his diverse students in a way that feels like it's never been done on film before (and believe me, it has), and is anchored by both a wonderfully-edited picture (the film never leaves the school ground), and a magnificent central performance by Francois Begaudeau, who is shockingly making his film debut as an actor in the movie. I loved every frame, and the ending felt incomplete in the best of ways.
It's easy for me to advocate for Waltz when it comes to the Animated Feature race. That race is so reliant upon style, and quite frankly the competition isn't usually as strong for a nomination-there are far more foreign film contenders than animated features in a given year. However, we run into a weird issue with Waltz with Bashir that I just can't get over. The film is wonderfully iconic, frequently creating haunting imagery and each individual scene plays marvelously in itself, but the film itself is too disjointed. The main character's amnesia becomes almost pointless-he recalls everything at such a perfect, opportune time that if this weren't an Israeli film about the horrors of war, you'd confuse it with a subplot on General Hospital. Honestly, I could never quite get over the film's plot, and how it couldn't decipher itself between being a documentary or being a fictional film-it's a fascinating film, but a fascinating failure in my opinion.
The Baader Meinhof Complex doesn't suffer from this issue of editing and plotting-the film knows exactly what it's doing there, and arguably is the most interesting movie from an editor's perspective-everything feels very urgent, told in the manner of a thriller, and though it's based on an historical period in German history, even if you know the ending you still are shocked to see how the deaths of these characters is highlighted. The film would have been better off with stronger character development, in my opinion, which would have aided the Robin Hood vs. Band of Thugs argument the movie is going for (the film is in many ways trying to borrow from Arthur Penn's Bonnie & Clyde, finding ways to make sexy young vigilantes both heroes and villains). As a result, we get a fascinating film that also fails in a crucial area (where it could have gone from fascinating to fantastic), but is much better-plotted than Waltz even if it lacks its visual style.
With Revanche, however, we find a movie that manages to succeed on both levels and is pretty much stupendous in every way you can imagine. The film finds a genuine way to create proper twists in the actual movie, with desperation from the two leads played by Johannes Krisch and Irina Potapenko as they engage in an affair of both carnality and of potential urgency, as neither of them have a lot to live for as their stories intertwine. The film creates fully-fleshed out characters, with a plot that genuinely has you at the edge of your seat-by the time the ending has come, you have no idea what will happen next for these characters, but in a way that feels authentic to the story flow and everything just feels right. It's a weird conundrum, as arguably the film's least interesting scenes happen in the first fifteen minutes, lulling you into a "really?" stupor and then it constantly kicks your ass for questioning where the film is headed. A quiet marvel.
At the time of the Oscars, many critics found themselves debating heavily between The Class and Waltz with Bashir for their eventual favorite, but the film Departures was the movie they figured AMPAS would go for, as it was by-far the most traditional film of the bunch. They were right in this regard, as Departures has a lot of those standard tropes that the Academy loves in this category: stories of death told across multiple generations, redemption, and occasionally awkward humor. Departures has all of those things, but it also rarely got over the hump of why our main character became such a pariah for a job that someone has to do in Japanese culture-it's a bit like society having a downward look on morticians or janitors, which makes little sense, particularly considering the film is relatively modern. The film is rife with cliche, and never really gets past its struggle between being somber and cute-the balance never feels right, and while I see what AMPAS liked about it, what they loved were weirdly the attributes that I hated most about the film which felt too predictable and interchangeable with other movies.
The Class on the other hand, somehow starts out with a plot that is entirely cliched and potentially filled with schmaltz (oh Dead Poets Society, what have you wrought?), and instead creates something not short of genius. I loved this movie-it felt so authentic in a way few films do of this style. It never relies on cliches and "oh captain, my captain," but instead on a teacher who is desperately finding some way to connect not just with his students, but their world. The film finds him dealing with apathy and bigotry between his diverse students in a way that feels like it's never been done on film before (and believe me, it has), and is anchored by both a wonderfully-edited picture (the film never leaves the school ground), and a magnificent central performance by Francois Begaudeau, who is shockingly making his film debut as an actor in the movie. I loved every frame, and the ending felt incomplete in the best of ways.
Other Precursor Contenders: Awards ceremonies like the Goyas and the Cesars aren't good representatives here since it's typically honoring the main films of a specific country, so I usually only count the Globes amongst the awards bodies we check-in with for Foreign Language film. The HFPA sided with Waltz with Bashir as their victor, with only The Baader Meinhof Complex also being included from the Oscar nominations, as the Globes selected Everlasting Moments, Gomorrah, and I've Loved You So Long as their other choices.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I don't really want this field to be filled up with just French contenders, but if there weren't a country limit I probably would have found room for I've Loved You So Long and A Christmas Tale as I enjoyed both immensely.
Oscar’s Choice: Oscar disagreed with the Globes, choosing the more traditional Departures over The Class and Waltz with Bashir. In hindsight, considering its overall impact on the cinema, it's hard to believe Bashir didn't end up victorious.
My Choice: For me it's a battle between The Class and Revanche, and though I think Revanche surprised me more, I'm going to go with The Class as it felt like a harder accomplishment to create. With that, France wins its first OVP (no country has won more than one quite yet), and we have Baader Meinhof, Bashir, and Departures finishing off the list.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Has anyone seen all five of these films? If so, are you more with AMPAS on Departures, HFPA on Bashir, or me with The Class (or are you going to advocate for the other two)? Anyone have any films they wish had made the cut? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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