I don't write reviews but decided to make an exception here. I saw "Love" first at the Tribeca festival, intrigued by a low-budget approach to the ambitious story. I liked it then but had I given it stars right after the screening, it would've been 8. A big plus to me was that I could not predict where the story would go and where it would end up. This happens rarely, as I see 15 movies a week, and in most cases know by the 10th minute everything that will happen till the end (just a reminder how stale most movies are nowadays). "Love" is original, and the retelling of the stories from different point-of-views is excellent, not gimmicky, as it was intrinsically linked to the stories itself. The characters are well fleshed-out, multidimensional, (not two-dimensional simplistic cartoon-types - hint: "serious" Hollywood movies) most impressive was the director's ability to make them all fragile human beings, in spite of bad or even horrible things some of them do. A nice film with great atmosphere, I thought then. As days passed however I couldn't get the haunting images out of my head. Recently I saw the film again during it's short run in NY, and liked it even more. The film works on so many different layers, it's astonishing. "Love" can also be read as political allegory, with its foreigners from neglected nations stuck in NY. I would call it a postmodern noir that quotes the conventions of the genre, as well as cinema history. It does so in an elegant and unpretentious manner, effortlessly and effectively switching from thriller to comedy to tragedy-- and still doesn't take itself too seriously. Highly original and strongly recommended.
Add a Review
-
matth196913 March 2006
-
lawrencem9925 November 2008One of the best films I have seen. I hope more people find it. So much better than another Hollywood movie. This is so real.
The acting is fantastic, performances have real passion and one cannot but feel related to one or another character. You really do care about the characters in this film.
The camera-work is also very engaging and while not ground-breaking it does not become repetitive and boring. The plot unwinds in a very satisfying manner; this film just feels right. The mood reminds me a little of films like crash. I'm surprised I had not heard of it before I stumbled upon it, but then again, this is just the way things go I suppose. Lots of great movies go unnoticed. -
noralee13 March 2006"Love" is an intriguing little thriller that crosses the roundelay storytelling technique of "Amores Perros" with the noir of the hit man doing one last job genre.
Shot all in New York City (diverse locales in Brooklyn and Queens, even though one scene is oddly identified as being on the Lower East Side), writer/director Vladan Nikolic connects people who have all come to New York to either reinvent or lose themselves. Mostly they are emigrants from strife-torn home countries around the world, but even the sole native is transplanted from Chicago. While they could live peacefully here, they bring violent baggage with them.
Each of the multi-ethnic characters is surrounded by irony, as each time a scene rewinds from another's perspective we find that the characters are not in fact what the other(s) perceive them to be, despite the actions that brought them to intersect.
The actors are quite appealing, as couples come together and fall apart, even as the titular emotion becomes a primary motivator for a range of activities from passion to revenge to self-sacrifice to robbery to murder. The haunted hit man (Sergej Trifunovic) at the center of the story has more depth than usual for such a character, as he becomes a symbol for the detritus of the war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia (and he does seem to find crumbling buildings that look like war ruins). The women are similarly haunted, particularly the world weary Geno Lechner, though one who starts out as a low rent Mata Hari just turns into a shrieking ex. Even the cop is not a stereotype, but as played by Peter Gevisser quite sweet. I did at first get a few characters confused, what with two gray-haired, heavy set guys with guns and two brunettes.
The voice-over narration at first seems out of florid 1940's pulp fiction, but is satisfyingly explained as the story comes full circle.
While the film is all in English, some of the dialog is in heavy accents that were a bit hard to understand to American ears, or it could have been the sound system at the tiny Two Boots Pioneer Theater where I saw it, along with some folks who were evidently listed in the credits as extras. I had tried to see it at the Tribeca Film Festival but hadn't been able to get in.
I appreciated the concept of the score by Standing in Lines to segue from street sounds like sirens to electronica, but it was extremely annoying to the ears, with the exception of effective covers of ethnic tunes. -
Too often these days, people judge films on their production value or how much money was wasted on special effects and expensive camera jibs, etc. And yet, hardly any of these big-budget films spend any time on developing a good script with realistic and engaging characters. To find stories with heart and well-rounded characters, we really need to seek out independent films. Unfortunately, there are not enough venues brave (smart) enough to accommodate such films that lack the unnecessary aspects of budget and star-power.
"Love" is a tremendous film. One needs to respect and take into account that despite having little to no budget, Vladan Nikolic (director/writer/editor) and Jim Stark (producer) have created a gripping story that accomplishes so much with so little. Great storytellers should not be silenced for lack of funds. Great storytellers like Mr. Nikolic and Mr. Stark should be revered for presenting a story with a taut and smart script, strong and engaging performances by noteworthy actors, and they do so with a laughable budget by industry standards. I say laughable only because most critics will say it's impossible to shoot a film and upgrade it to 35mm for less than the value of an SUV. Smart film-making is turning your limitations into strengths, and the choice to shoot on DV-24p (I believe they used the Panasonic DVX-100) is a great one that it lends to flexibility of location shooting (inconspicuous), and ability to transfer up to 35mm at a later date.
The non-linear storytelling is well planned. The use of narration is brilliantly justified in the conclusion of the film. Very smart writing and proves Mr. Nikolic's understanding of the narrative. Critics have likened "Love" to such films as "Pulp Fiction" "Rashomon" and "Dirty Pretty Things" and I think it deserves this recognition, as well.
The point of any good film is to expose its viewer to a greater understanding of the world and the many viewpoints and cultures and issues both past and present. Most films out today in theatres are just gimmicks or remakes. It takes guts and determination to work against budgetary odds. In my opinion, it shows that the cast and crew believed strongly in the story and vision and their leader/director and producer. Also noteworthy is the strength of the collaborating production companies: Studio Belgrade Films, Mikado Film (Italy), Why Not Productions (France), Thoke + Moebius Films (Germany), and Patrick Lindemaier (Swiss Effects film lab).
The cast is strong. I hope to see every one of them in more films. Sergej Trifunovic (Vanya) is one of the best young male actors in the film scene, today, in my opinion. I would say he is as close as a Klaus Kinsky as we have today (hopefully not like Kinsky was off-camera)! Geno Lechner (Anna) is equally powerful in her restraint and portrayal of her melancholy character. This is not an easy thing to accomplish for actors, but both do it brilliantly in their ability to emote powerful performances through subdued characters. (Heath Ledger was very effective at this in Brokeback Mountain). Expect to see big things from both of these actors in the future.
Jim Stark proves, once again, himself as one of the smartest and successful producers on the circuit. On his producing resume are such indie classics and strong films as: "Factotum" (also screenplay), "Cold Fever" (also screenplay), "Mystery Train", "Down by Law", "Night on Earth", and many others.
Original Score - the original score by Standing In Lines is solid and effective to the point that it never detracts from the story, but only enhances the pace and mood. In addition, the cameo and performance by Sxip Shirey is awesome... he is tremendous and this scene adds a hauntingly powerful moment to the film. It's good to see a film smart enough to use music/musicians that are willing to collaborate on the film. Too often, filmmakers use any music that they want just to get it on the circuit and they perish by this decision because the music rights issue is not cheap. I applaud all filmmakers and films that use local musicians that come from the same location as the film's shoot since it will only enhance the life of the story taking place there.
If you are judging this film on its production value restrictions (occasional out of focus clip or audio glitches) then you miss the point and I feel sorry for you. To the DP's credit, working with the Panasonic DVX-100 is not always easy since there is no auto-focus when in 24p cinematic mode, and the focus keyring is continuous, which makes it impossible to key focus stops or be able to properly handle any track shot. I think the camera crew did an impressive job with what I assume was a mostly run-and-gun production of covert filming. "Love" has great characters and a good solid story that will open your eyes wider than just the NYC streets. Plus, it may be your last chance to see Williamsburg, Brooklyn before the developers ruin it forever.
If you have not seen this film, or are having reservations about seeing a low-budget indie film, you need to recognize that film festivals like Tribecca, Venice, Prix Cinema, and Oldenburg only screen strong film-making accomplishments in the cinematic art.
Hats off to the entire crew, associate producers (Maggie Hease and Betty Garcia), DP (Vladimir Subotic), Jim Stark (producer) and Vladan Nikolic (writer/director/editor) for making this film despite all the presumed budgetary restrictions. A great accomplishment, and deserves recognition and more theatrical screenings. -
Afterson2 April 2009It is too bad that this movie has fallen under the cinematic radar. I came across this DVD at the video rental (should rename DVD rental). Anyway, the actors in this movie did a very good job, even though they are not well known Hollywood actors. It is such a delight to discover an unknown movie. I hate to say unknown, but what I mean is that very little marketing was initiated. This is far from the cookie cutter kind of Hollywood movie that Hollywood dishes out to its audience. In other words, this movie is not your typical Hollywood movie. If you have a open mind and heart, a movie goer should give it a chance. If your local video/DVD rental carries movies three years old or older, you should be able to find. It dates 2005.