Ahmed Hassan fights for a better future for Egypt in THE SQUARE
THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN) (Jehane Noujaim, 2013)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
October 25 – November 13
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org
www.thesquarefilm.com
“During the early days, we agreed to stay united no matter what,” Ahmed Hassan tells those around him in Jehane Noujaim’s powerful and important documentary The Square. “When we were united, we brought down the dictator. How do we succeed now? We succeed by uniting once again.” But Ahmed, one of several Egyptian revolutionaries who Noujaim follows for two years in the film, finds that it is not that easy to bring everyone together, as the government leaders continue to change and factions develop that favor the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. Putting her own life in danger, Noujaim (The Control Room, Startup.com) is right in the middle of it all as she shares the stories of Ahmed, a young man who is determined to see the revolution through until peace and justice prevail; Magdy Ashour, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who must choose between his own personal beliefs and that of his power-hungry organization; and Khalid Abdalla, the British-Egyptian star of The Kite Runner and United 93 who becomes an activist like his father, serving as the revolution’s main link to the international community through the media and by posting videos. In The Square, a 2013 New York Film Festival selection, Noujaim also introduces viewers to human rights lawyer Ragia Omran, protest singer Ramy Essam, and filmmaker Aida El Kashef, none of whom are willing to give in even as the violence increases.
Documentary offers an inside look at the occupation of Tahrir Square by Egyptians demanding freedom and democracy
In the documentary, Noujaim includes footage of televised political speeches and interviews that contradict what is actually happening in Tahrir Square as elections near. Reminiscent of Stefano Savona’s Tahrir: Liberation Square, which played at the 2011 New York Film Festival, The Square makes the audience feel like it’s in Tahrir Square, rooting for the revolutionaries to gain the freedom and democracy they so covet. The film also features several stunning shots of the massive crowds, most memorably as thousands of men kneel down in unison to pray to Mecca. Among its many strengths, The Square personalizes the revolution in such a way as to reveal that a small group of people can indeed make a difference, although sometimes they just have to keep on fighting and fighting and fighting. The Square opens October 25 at Film Forum, with Noujaim, Abdalla, and producer Karim Amer participating in Q&As following the 7:50 shows on October 25 and 26 and the 3:20 show on October 27.
Academy Award Nomination: Best Documentary Feature
In 1965, Polish-French auteur Roman Polanski followed his Oscar-nominated debut feature, Knife in the Water, with his first English-language film, the psychological masterpiece Repulsion. Catherine Deneuve gives a mesmerizing performance as Carol Ledoux, a deeply troubled, beautiful young woman who shies away from the world, hiding something that has turned her into a frightened childlike creature who barely speaks. A manicurist who lives in London with her sister, Hélène (Yvonne Furneaux), Carol becomes entranced by cracks in the sidewalk, suddenly going nearly catatonic at their sight; in bed at night, she is terrified of the walls, which seem to break apart as she grips tight to the covers. A proper gentleman (John Fraser) is trying to start a relationship with her, but she ignores him or forgets about their meetings, unable to make any genuine connections. Deneuve’s every movement, from the blink of an eye to a wave of her hand, reveals Carol’s submerged inner turmoil and desperation, leading to an ending that is both shocking and not surprising. Shot in a creepy black-and-white by Gilbert Taylor (A Hard Day’s Night, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) and featuring a pulsating score by jazz legend Chico Hamilton, Repulsion is a brilliant journey into the limitations and possibilities of the human mind, with Polanski expertly navigating through a complex terrain. Winner of a pair of awards at the fifteenth Berlin International Film Festival, Repulsion, the first of Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy (followed by 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby and 1976’s The Tenant), will be having a special screening October 26 at 2:00 at the Museum of the Moving Image in honor of Polanski’s eightieth birthday and will be introduced by James Greenberg, author of the new book Roman Polanski: A Retrospective, who will be signing books after the screening.
Danny Huston and Bernard Rose continue their adaptations of the work of Leo Tolstoy in the inside-joke-laden, fair-to-middling Two Jacks. Following 1997’s Anna Karenina, 2000’s Ivansxtc, and 2008’s The Kreutzer Sonata, writer, director, editor, and cinematographer Rose and executive producer and star Huston explore Hollywood legend in the film, which is based on the Tolstoy short story “Two Hussars.” The first half, shot in black-and-white, features Huston as Jack Hussar, a cigar-chomping old-time Hollywood auteur seeking financing for a picture he wants to make in Africa; any resemblance to Danny’s father, director John Huston, is purely on purpose. Shuttled around by huge fan and wannabe filmmaker Brad Perry (Dave Pressler), Hussar goes to a party where he meets the glittering Diana (Siennna Miller) and eventually gets into more than a bit of trouble. The second half of the film, shot in color, takes place several decades later, as Jack’s son, Jack Hussar Jr., played by Boardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston, Danny’s nephew and John’s grandson, arrives in Hollywood to make his first movie, getting involved with an older Diana (Jacqueline Bisset), her daughter, Lily (Rosie Fellner), his father’s card-playing producer, Lorenzo (narrator Richard Portnow), and Lorenzo’s young girlfriend, Laura (Scarlett Kapella). Like father, like son; much of the action in the second half mimics what happened in the first half. Two Jacks never quite achieves its goals, caught between its main narrative and creating a meta surrounding the Huston family. It ends up being overly predictable and disjointed, although it does have its moments, particularly the scenes involving Jack Sr. and Diana. Two Jacks, which premiered at the 2012 Montreal World Film Festival, opens October 18 at Cinema Village; meanwhile, Rose and Danny Huston have already made their next Tolstoy adaptation, Boxing Day.