Friday, October 16
A French comedy about half a dozen musicians and the crises they encounter after being booked to perform a New Year’s Eve concert in a castle in Normandy, directed by professional musician Denis Dercourt. (600 N. Michigan, 4:45)
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl
Among the most provocative works about the intersection of British and Muslim culture in contemporary England is “My Son the Fanatic,” a short story by Hanif Kureishi that describes generational, religious, and ethical conflicts in a depressed northern town. Kureishi adapted his story for this feature, though he later clashed with director Udayan Prasad over the production. The film focuses on emigre cabdriver Parvez, whose love and respect for most things in his adopted country put him at loggerheads with his newly fundamentalist Muslim son. Unfortunately Prasad, a veteran BBC television director, never finds the right tone for the story. He gives the film a garish, cartoonish quality (exemplified by Stellan Skarsgard’s shameless overacting as a hedonistic German businessman) that undermines the tale’s intrinsic interest. (AS) (600 N. Michigan, 7:15)
Spring in My Hometown
A disgruntled 18-year-old burger-joint worker joins the Jewish Mafia as a hit man in a U.S. feature directed by Adam Bernstein; Deborah Harry plays the hero’s mother. (600 N. Michigan, 9:30)
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An idyllic tropical-island village in the Philippines is imperiled when its younger inhabitants are tempted by modern life in nearby Manila. The changes are seen through the eyes of Pepito, son of the island’s midwife; he too dreams of life in the big city but is torn by a sense of duty to his mother as her apprentice. The film does strive for some complexity, mostly by avoiding a simple “bad city versus innocent, happy island” tale. But director Marilou Diaz-Abaya has a difficult time deciding what kind of story she’s trying to tell and so opts for a little of everything: a coming-of-age story, a melodrama, a cautionary tale about the loss of tradition, and a drama sprinkled with some magic realism. I found myself wishing that she would simply cut loose and do an over-the-top melodrama, since the movie has all the makings of a good one. In the Navel of the Sea is certainly pleasant to watch, but it never amounts to much. (RP) (600 N. Michigan, 12:15)
