I'm so glad that I had the chance to watch Rams (Hrútar) on a big screen at a nice and almost empty theater as Cine Brasilia. the more you can isolate yourself during the screening of this film, more sense it will make, I think.
I've said here before, Iceland is a dream destination for me. I long for the vast scenery, long distances without a soul. Too much land, just a few people, far from any bigger town. However, when this dream comes true, I'll be a tourist just passing by. I can just image what it would be like to live my whole life in such secluded places.
Rams put us straight inside this kind of life. We get to see two estranged brothers living side by side in their family farm. They're as stubborn as their beloved sheep. I couldn't avert my eyes, I was so mesmerized by it. We see this world mainly by the eyes of Gummi, one of the brothers. And his quest is not easy, even if showed in a quiet pace among the solitude of the Icelandic scenery.
I'm no strange to estranged siblings, unfortunately. It is no good, but, as a niece use to say, it is what we have for today. This movie shows how this kind of hurt is at the same time inevitable and extremely futile. But, most of all, it is just painfully sad, as the two brothers tell us here, in this really beautiful and strong movie.
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| Rams (Hrútar). Directed and written by Grimur Hákornason. Cast: Sigurôur Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júliusson, Charlote Boving. Iceland/Denmark/Norway/ Poland, 2015, 93 min., Color (Cine Brasilia). |
Sometimes, what gets wrong is the best in the end. That's what happened with me on this day. I was planning see Rams at 5 pm in order to be able to be in the line for tickets to the 8:30 pm screening of Faust, with the original score alive. However, Rams was showing only at 7 pm, just before Faust. Well, what could I do other than wait to see what would happen?
So, I was waiting for Rams to begin when the guy form the box office asked who wanted to see Faust, because he was going to give us tickets as we wouldn't be able to get them after. See? Sometimes we have just to wait (knowing which times are better is the hard part, though). After Rams, I seated at the front row until the auditorium was fully packed.
The live piano performance was unreal. What a difference the score makes especially on silent movies. The whole theater erupted in praise, applauding happily at the end. Martin Munch, German pianist, played for almost two hours non stop, in a strong and endearing performance, in a fit homage to F. W. Murnau's Faust (Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage). This movie from 1926 is worthy of a live performance. The amazing cinematography composed by the contrast between light and shadow is something else per se. And the story is great - the hell is on earth, and there's no need of an evil influence most of times actually. In a big screen with live music is an out of body experience. If only there wasn't a whole family munching on snacks for a good part of the movie... I hate hate hate crowded cinemas. But even so. Absolutely beautiful.
On the other hand, on the seat near me, there was a father with his 10 years old daughter. They were seated on the same chair, a bigger one for bigger viewers. Her commentaries were so clever, her reactions to the movie at the end, when she was in tears, so sad by what had happened on the story was a cute part of this already amazing experience.
I imagine you thinking right now: you were paying attention to the movie or to your surroundings? The thing is that I rarely lose sight of where I am, that's why I'd rather seat far from any other attendee in a movie theater. And everything here was a part of watching Faust with live music. Every sense is awake, there's no other way to describe it.
At the time of silent movies, a story could be different according to the song playing at the theater. Live music was usual for a while, and I just imagine what it was to consider it such an ordinary part of the movie experience. Because, on this day, a very lucky one for me, it was far from ordinary the time i spent in that theater, amazed by the incredible beauty surrounding me in images and sound (except the munching fest, of course).
So, I was waiting for Rams to begin when the guy form the box office asked who wanted to see Faust, because he was going to give us tickets as we wouldn't be able to get them after. See? Sometimes we have just to wait (knowing which times are better is the hard part, though). After Rams, I seated at the front row until the auditorium was fully packed.
On the other hand, on the seat near me, there was a father with his 10 years old daughter. They were seated on the same chair, a bigger one for bigger viewers. Her commentaries were so clever, her reactions to the movie at the end, when she was in tears, so sad by what had happened on the story was a cute part of this already amazing experience.
I imagine you thinking right now: you were paying attention to the movie or to your surroundings? The thing is that I rarely lose sight of where I am, that's why I'd rather seat far from any other attendee in a movie theater. And everything here was a part of watching Faust with live music. Every sense is awake, there's no other way to describe it.
At the time of silent movies, a story could be different according to the song playing at the theater. Live music was usual for a while, and I just imagine what it was to consider it such an ordinary part of the movie experience. Because, on this day, a very lucky one for me, it was far from ordinary the time i spent in that theater, amazed by the incredible beauty surrounding me in images and sound (except the munching fest, of course).
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| Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage. Directed by F. W. Murnau. Cast: Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn. Writers: Gerhart Hauptmann and Hans Kyser (titles), from the play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. German, 1926, 116 min. (restored version), Silent, Black and White (Cine Brasília). |
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