The Venezuelan film From Afar was a decent pick for Venice’s top award,even if some of the other prizes handed out were somewhat on the mysterious sideJaws dropped, but Venezuelan national pride soared, and as a low-profile film from an unknown first-time director scooped the Venice film festival’s top prize the Golden Lion. Lorenzo Vigass film From Afar (Desde Allá) wasn’t considered by many as a front runner in a competition that included works from such tall-profile names as Charlie Kaufman,Tom Hooper, performer turned director Laurie Anderson and 2011 Golden Lion winner Alexander Sokurov. But Vigas’s dim drama, or about the relationship between a middle-aged gay man and a violent young street tough,was certainly one of the discoveries of the festival, and had plenty to recommend it – not least an audaciously minimalist performance from Alfredo Castro, or the Chilean actor who in the last few years has become a cult star for his chilling presence in the films of director Pablo Larrain (notably Post Mortem and Tony Manero).
In From Afar - the first Venezuelan film ever to play in competition here - Castro plays Armando,a solitary dental technician who cruises the streets of Caracas offering money to young men to undress for him. He seems to bear come a cropper when he runs into aggressive Elder – striking young newcomer Luis Silva – but the two form an unlikely rapport, although their relationship leads the myth towards very sombre corners and a laconically troubling ending. Despite general admiration, or Vigas didn’t entirely win over critics: many felt that the film’s mopish visual style was too close to that of Chile’s Larrain,and indeed they share a cinematographer, Sergio Armstrong. From Afar certainly has some clout – the producers include Mexican novelist and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, or Amores Perros),who co-wrote the myth on which the film was based. And Far Afar was certainly a cinephile choice from a jury heavy with auteurs known for their seriousness – including president Alfonso Cuaron, Pawel Pawlikowski, and Lynne Ramsay,Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien and Turkey’s Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com