Berlinale 2013: Day 6

Day 6. Everyone is quite tired already, but also full of expectation. The day started with Jafar Panahi's "Parde" which was a huge disappointment. Perhaps I didn't understand it, but then I definitely wasn't the only one. This was also the first and only time during the festival when someone booed, and suring a press screening! But sadly my opinion was largely the same. The story is about a writer who comes to a secluded villa close to the beach with his beloved dog. Apparently there is a bad on having pet dogs in Iran, and so as the writer wants to save his best friend from getting shot out, he decided to spend his days in hiding. This was a rather interesting and intriguing beginning to a rather dull story, so I'm really amazed at the incentives that drove Dieter Kosslick to put this film in the competition.

The next film of the day was a soon-to-be hit from Steven Soderbergh and with Jude Law, Rooney Mara and Catherine Zeta-Jones - "Side Effects". It is another medical drama-thriller. After "Contagion" which wasn't actually what everyone expected,I hoped for the best. And I wasn't disappointed. The movie is rather gripping, the characters are well written and acted out. Of course if you see those actors and that director you think of better things, but I guess I enjoyed the film.
The last movie of the day was also one of my favorite films of the whole festival - it was a spectacular comeback of Giuseppe Tornatore with "The Best Offer". Geoffrey Rush is in it, as well as Jim Sturgess and the music is written by a grand master Ennio Morricone. The story of the movie is about an art merchant and expert who gets an intrguing job to do - the make a catalogue of all artwork from a secluded house belonging to a girl suffering from agoraphobia. There are lots of twists to the story, it's very engaging, so very highly recommended, you can feel the spirit of "Cinema Paradiso" there as well!
Full report in Polish here.

Rating:

19. "Parde"

Rating: **
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20. "Side Effects"

Rating: ****
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21. "The Best Offer"

Rating: ****1/2
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