Camila (Maria Luisa Bemberg, 1984)

Camila is a film that is much more important as a historical artifact than as a good film in and of itself. The story of Camila O'Gorman and Father Ladislao Gutierrez, who ran away after falling in love in 1840s Argentina, and who were eventually arrested and executed without a trial, Camila was released in 1984, after Argentina returned to democracy and their free speech laws had been reinstated. As a political piece of work, it's a moving reminder of that country's past and how far they had come -- a commenter on Netflix remarked that it's pretty obvious that, although it was nominated in 1985 for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, it was made for Argentinian consumption. And that's true -- I didn't understand many of the exact references made to Argentinian history, but I understood the gist of the film. What happened to these two people was tragic, especially since Camila was pregnant at the time of her death (stated in the film, although wikipedia tells me she was 8 months (!!) gone at her death). What's not shown in the film, but I found out afterwards, is that the execution of Camila and Ladislao was a catalyst to bring down the reign of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, who is debated about so passionately in the film. That's a fitting, touching end to the film, that argues that love and humanity should come first. I think Bemberg should have put a post-script to her film, but I can understand why she didn't. A good film about a tragic historical event. 7/10

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Next of Kin (Atom Egoyan, 1984)

Another entry in my Atom Egoyan fest, Next of Kin is Egoyan's first feature, shot on basically nothing, yet is pretty impressive. Peter lives at home, doing nothing, and his parents eventually decide to take him to family therapy. Through his favorite activity, pretending, he finds the file of an Armenian family who gave their son up for adoption at a very young age, and are still grieving the loss. Peter decides to meet up with the family, and pretend to be the long-lost Bedros. While Peter is lily-white and bears no resemblance to the family (parents George and Sonya and daughter Azah), their willingness to believe is so strong that they welcome him with open arms. Although there is some sexual tension between Peter and Azah (she probably realizes he's lying, but never acknowledges it outright), he becomes a part of the family, and a unifying part at that. The ending of the story is appropriate and not very predictable, and the performances are all pretty strong. My favorite part about this DVD, though, was the amazing commentary by Egoyan himself. If I respected the talent of this man before, I respect his eloquence and intelligence even more now. The commentary is everything an interesting commentary should be: intelligent, interesting, funny, and inspiring. Egoyan isn't afraid to tear apart his first film, pointing out his faults and stubbornness as a first-time director, yet encouraging new filmmakers at the same time. I would encourage anyone interested in films or making films to listen to this commentary, as it's really the kind you hope for with such an intelligent, interesting film. 8/10 (including the commentary) RIYL: Exotica

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