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Last update - 01:57 19/05/2008 Beirut, mon amour By Uri Klein Tags: Indiana Jones  CANNES - Perhaps we are seeing a worldwide trend here: "Waltz With Bashir," the animated documentary film by Israeli director Ari Folman, is not the only work at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival that tries to go beyond the traditional distinction between feature and documentary cinema. Another is "I Want To See," (Je Veux Voir) by the Lebanese directors Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige. Their film was screened during the program that accompanies the official competition and where prizes are also awarded. In "I Want To See" Catherine Deneuve, plays herself; she makes a short visit to Beirut to participate in a gala event. She asks her hosts to organize a visit to South Lebanon for her. The filmmakers have her meet with Rabih Mroueh, one of Lebanon's most famous actors, and the two set off in his car for his native village, Bint Jbail, which was totally destroyed during the last war. They are escorted by another car, whose passengers are supposed to protect the pair from the dangers liable to crop up. Deneuve's visit to Beirut and her meeting with Mroueh are the fictitious element of the film. All the rest is directed in documentary style. Even the first meeting between Deneuve and Mroueh, which takes place outside Deneuve's hotel, is filmed as a documentary. It really was the first meeting between the two, and its hesitancy lends it an aura of authenticity. The filmmakers say they directed it without a script, and the conversations between Deneuve and Mroueh really are the conversations the two conducted on their trip. Advertisement Deneuve, for example, is obsessed with seat belts; more than once she remembers that she forgot to buckle up, and she asks Mroueh how it is that Lebanese drivers drive without belts, against the law. Mroueh replies that in Lebanon's new situation after the last war, laws are no longer valid. Although "I Want To See" fascinated me, mainly because of its portrayal of Lebanon's sometimes breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, the film is a very strange work. What did Deneuve actually want to see in South Lebanon, and why? At one point, she even says to Mroueh, who is driving, that she almost certainly won't understand what she sees, but she still wants to see it. The film ignores such questions. In the information sheets distributed to journalists at Cannes, the two artists say they did not intend to create a political film. Sure enough, "I Want To See" lacks any historical or political context (although signs of what happened in Lebanon can be seen all during the trip, including posters praising the activities of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah). More than anything, "I Want To See" aims to be a paean to Lebanon's beauty and strength, and, through cinema icon Deneuve, it seeks to pose questions about cinema's ability to present a complex and painful reality. Although the filmmakers do not mention it, the memory of a much greater film echoes during their film; namely "Hiroshima, Mon Amour," Alain Resnais' 1959 film written by Marguerite Duras, which also presents the story of a French actress who comes for a visit to a disaster-struck city. There, too, the actress meets with a local resident, who also keeps repeating to her during the film that she has not seen a thing in Hiroshima. The comparison to "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" only emphasized the degree to which "I Want To See," despite the interest it arouses, is a vague work in terms of its intentions and achievements. Indiana Jones strikes again At a press conference yesterday after the screening of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the fourth film in the series, Steven Spielberg said there would be other Indiana films if the current one is successful and the audience demands more. Spielberg said he decided to continue the series after many people asked him when there would be another installment. He remarked with a smile that nobody had asked him when there would be a sequel to "Hawk" or "1941," referring to two of his flops. Also at the press conference were Harrison Ford, who once again plays Indiana Jones, producer George Lucas and Cate Blanchett, who plays the unscrupulous Russian agent. (When a Russian journalist asked her a question, Blanchett apologized to the Russian people for the way she presents them in the film.) Also present were Karen Allen, who played Indiana's love interest in the first film, John Hurt, who plays a fellow archaeologist, and Shia LeBeouf. At the debut screening yesterday, the plot was revealed for the first time; it turns out that LeBeouf plays Indiana Jones' son. In other words, he has a son. The plot in brief: In 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Russians want to get their hands on the Crystal Skull that will let them dominate the world. Spielberg said he was interested in transferring Indiana Jones from the pre-World War II world to the Atomic Age that followed, at the height of anti-Communist paranoia. Spielberg has put together a charming and enjoyable action film, which will probably be a huge hit - like a roller-coaster ride, with touches of humor and momentum. The audience that packed the theater applauded enthusiastically at the end. Hope in Sao Paulo Soccer, religion and crime are the main components that shape the world of Brazil's youth. That is the subject of the film "Linha de Passe," co-directed by Walter Salles, known mainly for his films "Central Station" and "Motorcycle Diaries," and Daniela Thomas. (The two already co-directed a film called "Foreign Land" in 1995). The film, which is participating in the competition for the Palme d'Or prize, was inspired by true stories. It depicts the story of four brothers, members of a single-parent family, whose mother is carrying her fifth child. All four try to escape the devastation that awaits most young people in Brazil. Each one tries to do so in his own way. The chance of their succeeding is slim, but the film leaves them a ray of hope. "Linha de Passe", which carefully documents Sao Paulo's gloomy and chaotic world, is a restrained realistic work whose likes we may have seen in the past, but it does its job directly and honestly. Sometimes it reminded me of the Israeli film "Vasermil" by Mushon Salmona, which described the social and existential situation in a style similar to that used by Salles and Thomas. Dario, one of the boys who aspires to be a soccer player, is played by Vinicius de Oliveira, the child Salles discovered in 1998 and played the lead in "Central Station." The family is also central to the Filipino film "Serbis," which is also competing at Cannes. But the film, directed by Brillante "Dante" Mendoza, treats this subject in an entirely different way than Salles and Thomas do. The film is an allegory describing the history of a large family that owns an old and neglected movie theater, which shows erotic Filipino movies from the 1970s. The theater, where the family also lives, is called Family, and is about to go bankrupt. The family members are in conflict with one another and ignore the fact that prostitution is the main activity at their movie theater. The result is a strange film that limps uncomfortably between its realistic and allegorical poles, and although there are effective moments, it does not add up to a satisfying work. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Fear of extinction The state of over 20 species of birds in Israel has worsened considerably. Taking advantage Jerusalem police probe possible gang rape of disabled woman.   1.   Last Tango In Beirut 07:21  |  Omar Tariff 20/05/08

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