Venice 71: Film Festival Miu Miu
Women’s Tales #7 - #8.
#7 - Spark and Light –
Kim So Yong. Spark and Light is directed by So Yong Kim. It’s the seventh
commission from Miu Miu Women’s Tales, the acclaimed short-film series by women
who critically celebrate femininity in the 21st century. “Mom’s stable, asleep. Drive safe! Xoxo Dad.”
Soon after Elizabeth receives this text message, her mother isn’t the only one
lost in sleep. Elizabeth’s car has broken down. It’s freezing cold, no sign of
life nearby. She just has to wait, patiently. The recovery guys will be here
soon, Elizabeth. Till then, she warms her young hands on the vents, drifts into
a strange slumber, followed by an even more surreal awakening. Icelandic
landscapes merge with Elizabeth’s memories. Fears are magically transformed
into comforting and fantastical fabrics. Father, upstairs, alone. This latest addition to Women’s Tales is
redolent of So Yong Kim’s previous features—such as For Ellen, Treeless
Mountain and Inbetween Days, which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2006
Sundance Film Festival. “I’ve always been obsessed with family dynamics,” says
the Korean born American writer and director, “I’m always trying to develop my
understanding of that.”In the new film, we see this take the shape of a mother
divided in two: one unconscious on a hospital bed; the other vibrantly alive
surrounded by love. Riley Keough’s acute performance as Elizabeth paired with
the poetic isolation of Iceland effectively multiplies the size of this
dream-like story. It adds new intellectual and emotional colour to the Miu Miu
Women’s Tales series: that twilight space between childhood, adulthood and
mortality."
Above. Attending the Miu
Miu Women’s Tales screening; Dakota Fanning, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Mara,
Felicity Jones, Lena Dunham and Nicoletta Romanoff.
Dakota Fanning with Lena
Dunham
Kirsten Dunst
#8 - Somebody – Miranda July. “Test my soil.
Deeper.” Have you ever found it
impossible to say something, face to face, to someone you know, someone you
love? The words just won’t come out? A new messaging service, SOMEBODY, by
Miranda July could help. It’s the star of her film for Miu Miu Womens’ Tales,
the eighth commission in the acclaimed short-film series by women directors who
critically celebrate femininity in the 21st century. Jessica wants to tell Caleb she can’t be his
girlfriend anymore. She opens up SOMEBODY, types in the heartbreaking message,
and selects Paul from a list. Paul is in the park. Paul’s phone dings. He eyes
Caleb having a picnic. Paul delivers the bad news—as Jessica. Eyes bawling.
Arms flapping. Caleb is, devastated. The
SOMEBODY app then totally saves Yolanda and Blanca’s friendship, makes Jeffy’s
marriage proposal to lonely Victoria, and initiates a curious ménage-a-trois
between two prison workers and a parched potted plant named Anthony. This latest addition to Womens’ Tales
showcases Miranda July’s unique ability to capture the strange tenderness of
contemporary relationships. SOMEBODY takes our endless hunger for
communication, technology, avatars and outsourcing, and blends it into what
seems to be a surreal near-future — but it’s not. It’s right now. In close
collaboration with Miu Miu, July worked with a team of developers to create this
radical and complex app; when the movie ends we’re invited to visit
somebody app.com to send or deliver our first message.
Above. Director Miranda
July.
Kate Mara
Felicity Jones
Alba
Rohrwacher
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