35 Shots of Rum Film
From:May 4, 2010 20:00 to: May 4, 2010 22:00
Location: Ballina Arts Centre
35 Shots of Rum
(Dir: Claire Denis, France/Germany, 2008)
35 Shots of Rum opens on a long, wordless train sequence as Lionel (Alex Descas) a train conductor of African descent and his student daughter Josephine (Mati Diop) who is eager to assert her independence, make their separate ways home after work. Their tender relationship is evident as they share a meal in their cramped apartment on the far outskirts of Paris.
They are on close terms with neighbours Gabrielle (Nicole Dogué), a taxi driver with a long-standing crush on widower Lionel, and Noé (Gregoire Colin), a cool-looking guy with a cat who is often away on business. The love story between Joséphine and Noé is so understated it’s barely visible, until the whole gang heads off to a concert together and, while they dance in a bar, their feelings are revealed in front of Jséphine’s father.
An excellent cast fills in the blanks of the slight storyline, making more narrative superfluous. It is almost a shock when, toward the end, something out of the ordinary happens: Joséphine and Lionel take a trip to Germany to visit the grave of the dead mother and stop by to see Joséphine’s self-centered aunt (Ingrid Caven.) The scene comes late to delve into the past, but it does make an original bridge to the film’s typically understated conclusion.
Adm: €7 (seasonal membership rates available).
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