Page 42 - The Hollywood Reporter (January 2020)

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AWARDS SEASON

P L A Y B O O K

I N T E R N A T I O N A L F E A T U R E F I L M

PERSONAL

1
CONFLICT

ON A GLOBAL

SCALE

Class warfare and culture clashes fuel the emotional
fires at the center of the international film race, with
five films telling universal and explosive stories
By Boyd van Hoeij

B ong Joon Ho’s acclaimed actors was nominated). And
Parasite, which also
Sundance favorite Honeyland also
landed five other Oscar
scored a best documentary nod,
nominations includ- becoming the first title ever to
ing best picture, best director double-dip in these categories.
and best original screenplay, Do multiple nominations make
looks like the film to beat in the this trio the logical frontrunners? 4
international feature film derby. Or will they spread the love too
The first Korean film ever to thin as voters choose
be nominated for any Oscar is their top picks in
joined by four European films in different categories,
the international category: Pain allowing room for an
and Glory, directed by Spanish unexpected Polish or
Bong
maestro Pedro Almodóvar; French victory? and thematically, is Almodóvar’s for Almodóvar.
French filmmaker Ladj Ly’s In terms of highly stylized approach, familiar Unlike Pain and Glory, no
debut, Les Misérables; Polish themes and genres, from his extensive filmography, knowledge of Jan Komasa’s life
submission Corpus Christi from the nominees might which he himself mines in this or previous films (which include
helmer Jan Komasa; and North at first glance look thinly veiled autobiographi- Berlinale hit Suicide Room) is
Stefanov
Macedonian nonfiction entry like an almost ran- cal film (said to form a trilogy required to deepen your apprecia-
Honeyland, from rookie docu- dom cross section with Law of Desire and Bad tion of Corpus Christi. This soberly
mentarians Tamara Kotevska and of world cinema. Education). Banderas’ protagonist told and powerful story explores
Ljubomir Stefanov. Parasite, about a is a celebrated film director with the predicament of a troubled
Unusually, this year the Kotevska near-destitute clan a hairstyle, apartment and young man who pretends to be a
category formerly known as posing as valiant obsessions that keep remind- priest in a small community that
best film in a foreign language (and unrelated) new employees of ing us of the master himself. is trying to get over a fatal car
includes a total of three titles a stinking rich family, combines Unsurprisingly for someone crash. Whereas the protagonists
with other nominations as well. genre tropes in black comedy who made a film called All About of Parasite might seem interested

Besides Parasite’s enviable haul and suspense with social com- My Mother, there’s an homage simply in bettering their own PASSPORT: ADOBE STOCK. CORPUS: COURTESY OF TIFF. HONEYLAND: LJUBO STEFANOV/NEON. PAIN: MANOLO PAVÓN/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS. PARASITE: COURTESY OF NEON. MISERABLES: COURTESY OF LE PACTE. BONG, KOTEVSKA: JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY IMAGES. KOMASA: VIVIEN KILLILEA/GETTY IMAGES. LY: ARAYA DIAZ/GETTY IMAGES. ALMODOVAR: VALERIE MACON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.
of six, there’s Pain and Glory, mentary. Honeyland, on the other to his mother, played by Julietta station by profiting from the stu-
which also scored a best actor nod hand, chronicles the tough life Serrano and by Penélope Cruz pidity of the rich, the 20-year-old,
for Antonio Banderas, suggest- of Hatidze Muratova, said to be in flashbacks that turn out to be a saucer-eyed Polish protagonist STEFANOV: JESSE GRANT/GETTY IMAGES FOR INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION.
ing widespread support among the last woman practicing wild fictionalized enhancement of here almost accidentally morphs
the Academy’s largest branch, honey hunting in the Balkans, in the original madre, all the while into someone both he and the
the actors (regrettably, none of a stripped-down, vérité style. suggesting themes of personal village seem to need for differ-
Parasite’s large cast of superlative Quite the opposite, visually struggle and the power of cinema ent reasons. Monetary gain or

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