Oh to be young and in love and periodically a flesh-rending creature of globular, hairy, throbbing pulp. That’s the curse heaped upon the eponymous romantics in Jack and Diane , one of the more anticipated — and more disappointing — features in Tribeca 2012’s narrative competition. It’s hard to be too down on such lean passion; Jack and Diane ‘s premiere Friday night amounted to the culmination of nine years of work by filmmaker Bradley Rust Gray, whose acclaimed 2010 drama The Exploding Girl served as sort of a hetero prelude to the lesbian body horror/romance mashup swamping his latest: Diane (Juno Temple) is a hot British teen mess visiting her aunt in New York City, all babydoll dresses, knit watermelon halter tops and purple knee socks, rocked by the hormonal lighting strike that is butch, brooding Jack (Riley Keough). The girls club, they kiss, they bond, they exchange vaguely sweet Manhattan banalities (“I have a Metrocard if you want it”), and then… I don’t even know. On the one hand it’s not worth spoiling; jumpy genre reveals are involved, hinted at by customarily grisly animation by the Brothers Quay. On the other hand, Jack and Diane is too much of a mess to spoil, suffocated in the dynamics of longing without even the hope of dramatic — or even darkly comedic — satisfaction. It’s a movie whose shadowy genre overtones — a girl! In a bathroom! With a bloody nose! And a monster! — surrenders to the same auteurist A.D.D. that sank The Exploding Girl . For once, I would like to see Gray’s New York not refracted surveillance-style through long lenses and the fraught nubile wits of characters whose doe eyes and costumes connote virtually the whole story. Temple’s expressive genius — all matted blond hair and mischievous (and monstrous) pixie — goes only so far against Keough’s near-total blankness, getting most of its mileage out of a single early, affecting confessional between the star-crossed girls. Ultimately, though, it’s hard to know just how seriously to take Jack and Diane , with all its sinewy portent and bizarre porn digressions and tragicomic pube-shaving and actual straight-faced dialogue such as, “Do you have to take a shit? Try to do like I do and fart it out.” Viewers familiar with The Exploding Girl might realize after a while that they’re only staying with Jack and Diane for the promise of more B-list hipster-goddesses losing control; then it was Zoe Kazan’s simmering epileptic panic, and now it’s the viscera-devouring prospect of sapphic passion — in one case featuring Elvis Presley’s grandaughter (Keough’s mother is Lisa Marie Presley) and Kylie Minogue in a heavily tattooed cameo. It is what it is, and it never feels like much more. Nevertheless, there is at least one glint of salvation in Jack and Diane , though it has nothing to do with its filmmaking or performances (and here I should issue a spoiler alert): Keough and Minogue make out to the strains of Shellac’s rare and entrancing hate-punk ballad ” Doris ,” which I suppose means that someone somewhere has a clean MP3 of the notoriously vinyl-only single. Rejoice! Can I have a copy? Read all of Movieline’s Tribeca 2012 coverage here . Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
This past week, Movieline has spotlighted a number of Tribeca Film Festival filmmakers and trailers of their fest premieres. This weekend, we’re sharing more. If you’re in New York and want to see some films at the festival (or if you are looking for a taste of Tribeca from afar), here is a sneak glimpse of more of this year’s offerings from the festival’s World Narrative Competition and World Documentary Competition . Today’s spotlights include two features from Tribeca’s World Narrative Competition, Jack and Diane as well as Yossi . And from the World Documentary Competition, Movieline is featuring Downeast , Wavumba and The World Before Her . Be in the know and check them out — and share your thoughts on these and other Tribeca films. Jack and Diane by director Bradley Rust Gray – U.S. [World Narrative Competition] Synopsis : Tomboy Jack and bubbly Diane fall head over heels in love one hot summer in New York City. But neither Jack’s tough exterior nor Diane’s demure innocence prepare them for the intensity of their feelings. When Diane reveals she must leave the city for school in Europe at the end of the summer, Jack pushes her away. As Diane struggles to maintain their budding romance, she must also try to conceal from Jack the increasingly dark and violent visions that have begun to plague her. [Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Comments by Bradley Rust Gray… Jack and Diane quick pitch : Girl eats girl. Girl feels sorry about eating girl. Girl misses girl. There’s some gum chewing in the middle. …and why it’s worth seeing at Tribeca : It’s quite likely the only film playing in New York next week which has an animated vagina in it. Thoughts about the trailer : We were trying to capture that awkward budding moment when two people have just exposed their hearts to each other; they feel vulnerable, sensitive, and excited – all feelings which the film re-engages with in different ways. [Read Movieline’s review of Jack and Diane here .] Yossi by director Eytan Fox – Israel [World Narrative Competition] Synopsis : Returning to the role that won him TFF’s Best Actor award in Eytan Fox’s Yossi & Jagger in 2003, Ohad Knoller gives another extraordinary performance as Yossi, a closeted gay man living a solitary existence in Tel Aviv. A perennially sad, workaholic doctor, Yossi has his quiet world shaken when a middle-aged woman walks out of his past and into his examination room. Their brief but emotionally charged reunion unnerves Yossi enough to make him spontaneously leave Tel Aviv. On the desolate roads of southern Israel, a chance encounter with a group of lively soldiers ignites Yossi’s desire to awaken from his emotional slumber. [Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Comments by Eytan Fox… Yossi quick pitch : Yossi is a follow up to a film I made 10 years ago. It’s a character study of Yossi, of his psyche and soul. As the film starts, he is still suffering from post-traumatic stress due to the death of his lover during the war. He remains in the closet, so he is also at war with himself. As a cardiologist, he has essentially exchanged one army for another, because being a doctor also involves consistently dealing with crises and difficult issues. You even have a uniform! Ultimately, the film is about Yossi eventually processing the horrible things that have happened to him, things he has long repressed, and finding ways to escape the very difficult places that he has been in for years. He finally discovers a new way to define himself and create a new life. …and why it’s worth seeing at Tribeca : This is our world premiere for Yossi . I would say people should see it for Ohad Knoller’s performance. I’m just so impressed and moved by what he did with the character of Yossi again, ten years later. I don’t want to insult any other actors of mine or characters of mine, but I don’t think I’ve ever loved a character as much as Yossi as played by Ohad. Thoughts about the trailer : I think most American films are big on taglines, so I have some for Yossi . “It’s never too late to start your life” or “It’s never to too late to start again.” These might seem like clichés, but it takes a lot of hard work to change your life. You have to understand what you need to change, be brave and work to love yourself. Downeast by directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin – U.S. [World Documentary Competition] Synopsis : The slogan on the ‘Welcome to Maine’ sign leading into Gouldsboro reads “Open for Business,” but the recent closure of the sardine canning factory has brought this small coastal town to a total standstill. Its laid-off residents — mostly 70-year-olds — just want to get back to work, so when Italian immigrant Antonio Bussone arrives from Boston aiming to open a new lobster processing plant, most of the local labor welcomes him with open arms. After all, they’re sick of sending their lobsters to Canada when there’s a ready-and-willing workforce to process them at home. So why is tapping into federal relief funds to finance the plant turning into the biggest struggle of Antonio’s life? [Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Comments provided by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin… Downeast quick pitch : Downeast is a poetic exploration of Antonio Bussone’s tireless efforts to build a factory amidst conflict, navigate a faceless banking system, and employ a stagnant workforce that resides on the coast of Maine. …and why it’s worth seeing at Tribeca : The economic crises played out in the streets and suites of New York City. Downeast shows its impact on the lives of every day workers and those who press forward against the odds. Thoughts about the trailer : The trailer shows the tensions involved in opening a factory when multiple interests are involved. Wavumba by director Jeroen van Velzen – The Neterhalnds [World Documentary Competition] Synopsis : Mysticism and color reign in this stunning documentary, steeped in the fishermen lore of Kenya. Dutch filmmaker Jeroen van Velzen explores his visceral memories of an early youth spent in coastal Kenya, where a reverence for the sea reigns high. Via the locals’ enigmatic recitation of a well known folktale, we are introduced to a spirit-filled island, to which a fisherman’s visit has the magic to alternately bless or curse his bounty. [Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Comments by Jeroen van Velzen… Wavumba quick pitch : Wavumba is a film about an old fisherman, Mashoud, who wants to catch a big shark as he did in the old days. Mashoud brings me into a world where fantasy, belief and reality cannot be differentiated from one another. …and why it’s worth seeing at Tribeca : Not everyone has a childhood like mine, but every child grows up with amazing stories or myths he believes in. That makes this film more than just my personal discovery. By bringing you into the Kenyan reality, which is bound to other laws than ours, I want to wake up that feeling of magic you had as a child. Thoughts about the trailer : In the trailer I want convey the main story lines of the film. The reasons for heading back to Kenya and making the film are personal, but by following Mashoud on his quest to catch a big shark and by listening to myths told by an old Kenyan story teller I want to take people on a journey with me back to the world which inspired me. The World Before Her by director Nisha Pahuja – Canada [World Documentary Competition] Synopsis : Young, beautiful, and ambitious, Ankita and Ruhi compete in the Miss India pageant for the chance at a career in the beauty industry, one of the few opportunities for women to find success and empowerment in contemporary India. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Miss India is Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of the Hindu fundamentalist movement. Filming for the first time within a Durga Vahini camp, director Nisha Pahuja offsets the pageant narrative with that of camp leader Prachi, a fiery and compelling figure expressing a very different voice in the debate over women’s issues. [Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival] Comments by Nisha Pahuja… The World Before Her quick pitc h: The World Before Her looks at The Miss India beauty contest and a Hindu fundamentalist camp for girls — two competing ideas of India playing themselves out on the bodies of young women. …and why it’s worth seeing at Tribeca : There’s a lot more to the film than women in bikinis and women with guns – what’s happening in India really is a mirror that shows the West back to itself. We deal with two of the most critical and defining issues of the day – fundamentalism and capitalism. We also look at the struggles that women in India continue to face. Thoughts about the clip : In this clip you will meet Prachi our key fundamentalist character. She has a very complex relationship with her father and in this clip she expands on that relationship. In so doing Prachi points to the larger reality of female infanticide – still practiced in India. Read all of Movieline’s Tribeca 2012 coverage here .
