57th BFI London Film Festival

This year, I amazed myself. Four films watched at this year's London Film Festival, and not one of them Japanese. Four films, in four different languages, from four different (sort) countries, spanning three continents. Once again, September was spent scouring through the Festival guide, highlighting all the films I am interested, only to find out that the 'must sees' are already fully booked, the main ones I want to watch are at times I can't see them, and that one man can't really watch over two hundred titles in a fortnight.

So, seeing as there's no Japanese to speak of, let's start with the home of the other language that I pretend to learn: Hungary. 'The Notebook', or 'Le Grand Cahier' or 'A Nagy Fuzet', is the story of two (count them) twin brothers sent to live with their battle-axe of a grandmother in a small village by the Austrian border during the Second World War. Before departing, they are given a big notebook (for those French and Hungarian speakers reading) to keep a record of their thoughts and learnings during the war years. As the war progresses, the two become more disillusioned as they grow older, finding few friends, other than a suitably pervy German officer, treated as bastards by many. It is in this that they learn that life is pain, as they start to inflict it on themselves, as well as those around them.

'A Nagy Fuzet' is, much like Hungary probably was during the war, an unpleasant experience. Regular scenes or torture, violence, fat people eating, racism and largely unnecessary, underage foot masturbation feature throughout its two hours, though any film set in the time and location could hardly be champagne and skittles. While not always speedy of pace, it draws you in, but will probably call you a nasty name.

From one scene of pain and suffering, to another: New York. Set in one of the lesser-known, slower outposts along the New York's coast, 'Stand Clear of the Closing Doors' is the story of autistic Ricky (played by Jesus...Sanchez-Velez), who one day decides to go on a bit of a wonder, getting no further than the New York Subway system, spending more time on it than the commute from Uxbridge to Balham.

The film has three major elements: the first is Ricky, the autistic son with a passion for drawing and unusual shapes. The second, Ricky's mother, Andrea, in many ways the lead character, whose determination sees her strive to locate her missing son, whether others help her or not. The third is that of the New York Subway. With a mix of staged and real-life scenarios caught on the city's trains. The first and the third combined are the most interesting element of the film, as Ricky tries to find his way in the strange network, confronting any number of dangerous faces and unique places.

A typical 'love letter to New York' in that 'isn't everything a bit crap, but we love it' kind of way, the film is set in the city's underground and a non-typical suburb, providing a slightly different portrait of the city. Yet more could have maybe been done here beyond a nice, little story about a vulnerable boy that goes wondering, leaving it more a scratch on the surface, rather than getting deep below it.

'A Touch of Sin' is the latest release form modern Chinese auteur, Jia Zhang-ke. In his typical manner of looking at the changing face of modern day China, here a host of loosely connected tales are told around the lives of unrelated characters and how one sin invariably leads to another, with Adam's sin-filled apple rearing its ugly head whenever necessary. The stories include corruption, greed, violence, adultery, lust and suicide, each committing their acts of sin for their own reasons.

Made with his signature claustrophobic feel and amateurish style, 'A Touch of Sin' isn't exactly him at his best, but works as a nice addition to his oeuvre. With moments of violence and comedy, there is a little more to keep the viewer entertained, compared to his more minimalist and silent moments, though his tackling of the subject matter has less depth here, with the 'sin' in question often coming as subtle as a brick. But, borne out of the numerous stories that seem to continually come out of modern day China, where small acts lead to outrageous moments, 'A Touch of Sin' keeps Jia Zhang-ke as one of the more vocal critics of modern day life in China.

'Bends' is a film that looks at the developing relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China, much like the sort of thing Wong Kar-wai did with 'Happy Together'. Much like Wong Kar-wai, director Flora Lau hired the services of Christopher Doyle as Director of Photography. Director Flora Lau has a friend called Wong Kar-wai, that isn't Wong Kar-wai.

The story focuses on two main characters: an aging woman, one of Hong Kong's wealthy elite, who finds her husband has disappeared, leaving her finances in doubt as she faces an uncertain future; the second is her driver, a young man living in the mainland that makes the trip across the border to work for her each day. With his young wife pregnant for a second time, he struggles to find a route for her into Hong Kong, so she can have the baby without any problems from the government.

The film is quite slow and languid, featuring lots of slow, still shots by Doyle, aided by the music in creating this feel. The film is one about uncertainty, with the financial future of those in Hong Kong put into question, as well as the new freedoms those in the mainland look towards. 'Bends' is a nice look at this relationship, but one that never pushes things too hard.

All four films viewed were good, solid efforts, but nothing that will really set the world alight. Maybe it's all about Japanese cinema for me. Scoff scoff.