The short definition of ‘Last Film Show’ – the Nalin Pan film that, with success, a few drops of populism and a lot of commitment, the jury of the 66th edition of the seminci crowned with the golden spike – could be something like a
New less acclaimed and slightly crude (and no morricone) version of ‘cinema paradiso’.
But like all lazy descriptions, too obvious, does not do justice.
The chorus is similar, but the melody runs scarce and very pending not falling into each of the infinite traps that the film itself tends.
And it tends us.
And so, little by little, what was guess in its first planes and in its statement of intentions (“Thank you for illuminating the way …”, it is read) as a reformulation of the same, of fascination by the fascination of
Light and cinema, little by little it rises as an emotional, transparent and extremely honest rebuttal even from each of the common places that poses.
Nalin, who acquired global notoriety with his debut of 2001, ‘Samsara’, tells himself in the history of the Samay Child striked to make the Galaxy cinema of his city and the Bollywood heroes his only universe as possible.
With one foot in Leone and another at Satyajit Ray or Renoir, the tape manages to stay at all times in such a warm and recognizable place as perfectly aware of itself.
It scares that the film has no puff in recognizing the teachers in which he does expressly stand and through a label that does not admit doubts.
And there they appear from Lumière to Eadweard Verybridge, passing through David Lean, Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky.
But, in reality, that does nothing but confirm the absolute delivery and honesty, that not naive, far as much of the cargo academicism and the bottle nostalgia, with which Nalin tells us a story that, in truth, is his.
And hurrying, aside the colors of geography, that of all of us.
The film tells the existential adventure of its protagonist committed to bringing the contrary of his Blessed Father, to his poor social class, his teacher of myopic mathematics and the thick tradition that solidifies it.
But also, one step further, to progress that has an unfit running the cinema that the young Samay became his.
It is more recognition than nostalgia, more love letter than simple tribute.
It is the story of a fight that is also of the simple exercise of growing.
And so.
For the rest, you could discuss if ‘Last Film Show’ deserves more than great and irrefutable movies of the season that competed with it.
In the official section, do not forget, there were a good part of the best productions projected in both Venice and before in Cannes.
There was the golden lion, ‘the event’, by Audrey Diwan, or the awarded at the Croisette ‘Compartment No. 6’ of Jugo Kuosmann and ‘the worst person in the world’ of Joachim Trier, or ‘the card counter’ of
Paul Schrader.
It is logical to think that the jury chaired by Deepa Metha decided to give visibility to what he does not yet have.
And that, being debatable, craves if not just justifiable.
The rest of the palmarés endorsed the self-imposed mission to give a voice to what he does not have yet.
And in this way, he granted the silver spike to the prodigy of Neus Ballus that after being presented at the Locarno Festival landed in Valladolid convinced to erase the line that separates fiction and reality with an almost suicidal vocation.
‘Six Current Days’ is the story of three workers from a small plumbing and electricity company on the periphery of Barcelona that suddenly become the most transparent, fun and cruel (all at once) Window to the world work and all
the rest.
The Swiss Fred Ballif became better director for his watch and extremely naked gaze of host homes in ‘La Fam’.
And the indicated interpreters were Yury Borisvo for ‘Compartment No. 6’ and Yilka Gashi for ‘The Hive’.
The two very far from the most obvious that Renate’s works could be reinsfed in ‘the worst person in the world’ or the same Oscar Isaac in ‘the card counter’.
But that is why the juries exist.
And the juries failures.
Thus, the seminci closes with a remarkable golden spike framed in an official section, which if not rigorous premiere, yes very bright.
