Here are three films of the Main Competition of XIX Plus Camerimage!



Shame

In his sophomore feature Steve McQueen proves that he is a filmmaker of great maturity. By telling the story of Brandon (daring role of Michael Fassbender), a charming sex-addict who tries to cover his emotional emptiness with a routine consisting of countless erotic pleasures, McQueen takes up a theme still being considered in modern culture as a taboo. Golden-mouthed Brandon conquers the subsequent female heights, and the viewer discovers with anguish that he/she functions in a reality composed of verbal illusions, not practical actions. The protagonist is an athlete-like man who treats sex as another daily routine, just like taking shower, and the viewer realizes that he/she lives in a world where love became an object on exhibition, ready for sale. “Shame" is a film that fascinates and hurts at the same time, though for many viewers it might become a truly personal experience.

"Shame", courtesy of Gutek Film
The creative trio responsible for making this hypnotic film is completed with cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, whose work accentuates both the things that Brandon does, and everything he thinks about. Bobbitt has created a visual odyssey in which the border between truth and creation became blurred. By heavily using mirrors the cinematographer not only displays on camera the confusion of main characters, but also creates an impression of a world experienced through a glass, which reflects only one's distorted image. Bobbitt shoots the love scenes in a different manner - some are done with a great visual zest, increasing the stuffy atmosphere of the moment, and some are framed in a way revealing the artificialness of the whole act. Bobbitt's biggest visual success, however, is capturing on camera Michael Fassbender's face, emphasizing his swagger or empty look under which there is nothing but a disappointment in life.

Polish Title: Wstyd
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
Polish distributor: Gutek Film
Polish premiere: 2nd March 2012

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3

In his film Tom Tykwer presents an atypical love triangle - atypical due to the fact that it consists of three pairs that do not know about the existence of other pairs. “Three", a film full of deadpan humor, is about the people who conform to the abstract rules of society and cannot act outside the box to enable others, not only close friends, to reach them emotionally. It is both a satirical glance at the contemporary perspective of the world, filled with bits and pieces of reality and the lack of emotional stability, and a treatise on determinism, free will, and fate. Tykwer explores different types of formal means, dividing the screen into a few smaller ones, borrowing the editing style from music videos, and providing a mix of popcultural symbols. But he is quite serious in what he wants to discuss through the means of silver screen - the world in which everything is a sum of its elements cannot offer a place to establish anything that is complete.

"3", courtesy of Vivarto
“3" owes to Frank Griebe an impressive set of visual means that intensify the experience of being lost - the feeling all the main characters try to endure. The abovementioned division of the screen into several simultaneously happening places of action interweaves with the aesthetics of classic cinema and stylization into a magical realism; the scenes in slow-motion are completed by POV shots; the eye-catching, precise distribution of characters all over the frame perfectly balances the shots of symbolic ballet. What is more, Griebe films many locations through exposing their expressive colors, thus deepening the impression of chaos, both informational and visual, in which the irresponsible characters try to live and act.

Polish Title: Trzy
Original Title: Drei
Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Cinematography: Frank Griebe
Polish distributor: Vivarto
Polish premiere: 20th January 2012

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Melancholia

Lars von Trier's apocalypse is not only a global annihilation of the humankind - above all, it is a symbolic representation of personal ending of the world, stemming from the mental change that cannot be reversed. While the narration moves further, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) lose faith in everything they have ever believed in, although the infamous Danish director does not try to astonish the viewer with the amounting trouble. He just wants his concept to be taken seriously - that most of the people hide before the truth, not wanting to undergo any changes, as the true change draws along leaving behind the safe personal world and opening to the unknown. For when a human being loses the ground, he/she becomes entirely unpredictable.

"Melancholia", courtesy of Gutek Film
Manuel Alberto Claro, “Melancholia's" cinematographer, has created a number of scenes imprinting themselves into the viewers' imagination. Watching the sky, as the Moon's golden glimmer clashes with the pale-blue afterglow coming from a still quite distant unknown planet. The wedding reception, during which most of the action takes place, Claro bathed in the artificially golden light of grandeur, however, when the characters go outside, the emotions cool down, and they can experience the harshness of nature. Claro also films painting-like scenes that scream for printing and becoming wallpapers, nevertheless despite all the fascination with stylizing the world of “Melancholia", the cinematography is at its best only when Claro uses the visuals to explain the bonds between the main characters.

Polish Title: Melancholia
Directed by: Lars von Trier
Cinematography: Manuel Alberto Claro
Polish distributor: Gutek Film
Polish premiere: 27th May 2011