Spring HIFF film festival taking a European jaunt

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

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HIFF Spring Film Festival information April 11-17 Dole Signature Theatres $8 general, $6 for HIFF 'Ohana members, senior citizens, students, military; advance ticket sales begin April 8 528-3456, ext. 18; www.hiff.org Box office hours: noon to 5 p.m. April 8-10; noon-9 p.m. April 11-13; 5 to 9 p.m. April 14-17 Film lineup April 11: "Bend It Like Beckam," 6:30 p.m.; "Confidence," 9 p.m. April 12: "La Trilogie I," noon; "La Trilogie II," 3 p.m.; "The Tracker," 6:30 p.m.; "The Eye," 9 p.m. April 13: "A Decade Under the Influence," noon; "La Trilogie III," 3 p.m.; "Bollywood/Hollywood," 6:30 p.m.; "The Tracker," 9 p.m. April 14: "Monday Morning," 6:30 p.m.; "Poolhall Junkies," 9 p.m. April 15: "The Sea," 6:30 p.m.; "Dirty Deeds," 9 p.m. April 16: "Love for All Seasons," 6:30 p.m.; "Monday Morning," 9 p.m. April 17: "Champion," 6:30 p.m.; "Mondays in the Sun," 9 p.m.

The event, April 11-17 at Dole Signature Theatres, is "Eurocentric this year," said HIFF executive director Chuck Boller — "a truly egalitarian selection of films" giving Hawai'i fans an advance look at "exciting new works from across the globe." That includes Britain, France, Spain and Iceland, as well as the United States, Canada, Thailand and Australia.

Opening night will feature two titles:

"Bend It Like Beckham," a British entry directed by Gurinder Chadha, at 6:30 p.m. April 11. This Anglo-Indian production, a selection of the Toronto and Sundance film festivals, has been getting lots of press. Plot: Jess, a young girl from a strict Indian family that believes sports is inappropriate for women, loves soccer and British soccer legend David Beckham. She is forced to choose between tradition and her love of sports when Jules, a woman on a competitive team, enters her life.

"Confidence," an American feature directed by James Foley, at 9 p.m. April 11. Plot: A whodunnit with surprising twists and turns. An ensemble cast, led by Jake Vig (Edward Burns), is involved in an elaborate con job with smooth moves and the ability to score cash. A hypereccentric boss (Dustin Hoffman) is the catalyst for the payback.

The closing-night gala will feature "Mondays in the Sun," a Spanish feature by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, at 9 p.m. April 17. Plot: Drawing on a long line of European social melodramas examining the trials of the modern-day Spanish working class, this film departs from the archetypical working-class hero to paint a riveting and human depiction of men faced with a society that neither values nor needs their labors. The film stars the widely respected Javiar Bardem.

Other films slated

"A Decade Under the Influence" (USA): A documentary by Richard Gravenese and Ted Demme that examines social concerns of Americans: urbanization, wartime sentiments, countercultural expressions. Interview subjects include Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Julie Christie, Ellen Burstyn and Polly Platt, with clips from '70s films such as "Easy Rider," "M.A.S.H." and "Coming Home."

"The Sea" (Iceland): Director Baltasar Kormakur embarks on a treacherous journey through roiling undercurrents of family dysfunction, revealing struggles with modernization in his country's remote fishing villages and reflecting a heartless battle between the past and the future that culminates in a night of explosive rage.

"Monday Morning" (France): Vincent endures a mundane daily routine — to work and back in a life of incomprehensible contradictions — until he decides to travel to Venice to see what he's been missing.

"Bollywood/Hollywood" (Canada): East meets West in this genre-bending romp, blending Hollywood romantic comedy with the songs and dances of a Broadway musical, laced with melodrama and celebrating the collision between tradition and change. Rahul Khanna stars as a dashing young millionaire rebelling against the ways of his Caucasian pop star girlfriend, played by Jessica Pare.

"La Trilogie I — Cavale (On the Run)" (France/Belgium): A merciless and unstoppable political film noir from director Belvaux about an extreme left-wing terrorist who escapes from prison and proves that dinosaurs still can cause a lot of damage. First of three vignettes told in three different styles.

"La Trilogie II — Un Couple Epatant (An Amazing Couple) (France): The second and lightest of Belvaux's trilogy; this is a romantic comedy (think Doris Day with a dash of Rohmer).

"La Trilogie III — Apre La Vies (After Life) (France/Belgium): A glimpse of the complexities of modern life in the French city of Grenoble — the most intimate entry in Belvaux's trilogy."

"The Eye" (Thailand): Blind since childhood, Mun is overjoyed to get a cornea transplant, but she is startled by dark shapes in the corner of her vision — restless souls of the recently departed, unable to escape the horrible incidents that killed them. A thriller a la "The Sixth Sense," by the Pang brothers.

"The Tracker" (Australia): The Australian outback is the setting as four men search for a fugitive, an aboriginal man accused of murder. The searchers are "types" — the Fanatatic (Gary Sweet), the Follower (Damon Gameau), the Veteran (Grant Page) and the Tracker (David Gulpilil). A film by Rolf de Heer that is part historical drama and part metaphor for a nation.

"Dirty Deeds" (Australia): A glimpse at Australia's golden era, circa 1969, when crime pays, hoods are happy, molls are brassy, mistresses cheeky, and cops are crooked — but two American interlopers take the shine off the gleam.

"Love for All Seasons" (Hong Kong): Louis Koo is Tiger, a notorious philanderer who faces serious health issues. He seeks help from an all-female martial arts school, where Sammi Cheng, as May the headmistress, aids him in his path to recovery.

"Poolhall Junkies" (USA): A yarn about a young pool hustler's road to self-respect.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8067.