Saturday
Sep082018
Burning, The Cakemaker and more join the Foreign Film Race.
Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 8:00PM by Nathaniel R
We're now up to 31 Oscar submissions so, a third of our way to the finish line. Here are the new announcements since the last post.
- The Cakemaker- Israel
A gay drama about a man who becomes friends with his dead lover's wife (who didn't know they were involved). It just won the Ophir for Best Picture (along with Best Director, Actress, and more). This had a theatrical release in the US over the summer. Have y'all seen it? - Gutland - Luxembourg
We recently mentioned that this noir starring Frederic Lau (Victoria) and Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) is streaming on Amazon Prime. But when we mentioned it we had no idea it would be Oscar submitted. - The Resistant Banker - The Netherlands
WW II drama about a Dutch banker funding the resistance under the noses of Nazis. That sounds right up the ally of how Oscar used to play the Foreign Film category but times have changed. Will it be good enough to appeal to their WW II drama-loving previous natures? - Offenders - Serbia
A thriller about university students out to test a theory that human nature inevitably leads to anarchy. - Burning -South Korea
The Cannes hit which gets a US release in early November. Oscar is notoriously resistant to Asian cinema which is a total shame since this one has received rave reviews and its South Korea's third time choosing a Lee Chang-dong picture and he's such a talented filmmaker but Oscar has yet to recognize that. Or South Korea in general despite their awesome cinema. - Champions - Spain
A film about a team of disabled athletes starring real disabled people. It's apparently a huge crowd-pleasing hit in Spain
Related:
FOREIGN FILM PREDICTIONS
FOREIGN FILM SUBMISSION CHARTS
Reader Comments (19)
Rooting for Burning starinng gay hottie Yoo Ah In!
I adored The Cakemaker and sincerely hope it gets the nomination. A lovely look at grief, loneliness, and how we sincerely count on the people in our life to give us structure & purpose. Sarah Adler (who won Best Actress) was excellent, as was Tim Kalkhof as the titular character.
Cakemaker was sublime. Saw it twice. Highly recommended.
I liked The Cakemaker, but kept wondering, “Why is this not called The Baker?!?”
Spain is trying to disguise with a feel-good comedy the fact that it's a failed democracy that hits grannies at polling stations and prosecutes rappers and actors for their art.
Is The Cakemaker a remake? The plots rings a bell
@Peggy Sue
It definitely sounds familiar.
The Cakemaker was fabulous but almost entirely in English? I really expect this to get disqualified.
I haven’t seen ‘Burning’ yet, but previous Lee Chang-Dong works are brilliant. I would expect the Academy going gaga for Asian auteurs but weirdly, as you pointed out, they are reluctant to do so.
‘Champions’ is a delicious film, but I do not think it is the kind of film that will make the cut. It is a pity that ‘Carmen and Lola’, a wonderful love story between two gypsy girls, was not this year’s Spain’s choice, but I guess it didn’t open on time. Maybe next year...
Javiera, it seems that you have no idea of what a ‘failed democracy’ is, and I honestly hope that you’ll never know.
bonobo -- Don't you dare lecturing me. I've seen more people doing the fascist salute in Spain in the last year that in any documentary.
Javiera: Yes, recently I have also seen worrying numbers of people doing fascist and/or racist salutes in Spain, Germany, France or the USA. Fortunately, that doesn’t make those countries ‘failed democracies’ and it doesn’t transform the rest of their citizens into fascists. I have also seen many pro-independence fanatics who scare me too in Catalonia, where I am from (and I assume that where you are from, too). Some of them have called me a fascist just because I do not buy the idea of independence.
Defending your ideas is always good (and please, tell me in how many countries, apart from Spain, pro-independence parties can defend their projects in a Congress or Parliament), but telling lies about an entire country, trivializing certain terms and insulting those who don’t think like you does not certainly help. It only contributes to polarize even more the current political opinions everywhere. Things are never black or white and it is in the grey areas where people should meet. Like talking about awards and cinema, for example. At least, do we agree that ‘Champions’ will not be among the nominees next year and that last year’s submission (the Catalan-spoken ‘Summer 1993’) was a wonderful film? :)
I watched Gutland yesterday - it wasn't very good.
bonobo -- tell all that to the two people assaulted today in Barcelona by Franco supporters.
If they're going to go for an Asian film this year it'll probably be Shoplifters. Add Lebanon's CAPERNHAUM and I can't imagine three Asian titles making it in. Not when the rest of the field is so strong.
Finally saw Champions, the monster b.o. hit that Spain selected for competition...
I am a HUGE fan of Javier Fesser and I think not only that he's the best spanish director at work today - and probably up there with Buñuel and Berlanga as the BEST in Spanish history - but also that he clearly shows off his talent and skills in Champions in a way that I kind of expected. After watching the film, I think it's the dark horse of the race, whose frontrunner is obviously Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma". I'm going to summarize what Champions is, and why it can win.
Think of "The Full Monty" if the characters had disabilities and the actors portraying them DID had those disabilities in real life. Do you really think it would have lost Best Picture and Director? It wouldn't.
That's Champions for you. It's a really fun film that take its actors and characters without pity and as equals. A real achievement in equality, and the proof that those aren't actual disabilities but different capabilities. The screenplay shows it on several key points, and all actors are a delight, allowing themselves to free ride. It's a huge crowdpleaser which is impossible to hate. And a film so different and actually challenging, plus a milestone all at once, that will stand out of the Foreign Film competition and woul also stand out - quite clearly - of the actual Best Picture competition.
That doesn't mean the film is a masterpiece. But only because it comits two mistakes thad diminish the final result, objectively speaking...
1) The basic structure of the film, we've seen before so many times... how many times a coach/musician/artist finds redemption after teaching a group of outsiders/underdogs? I wish the film would have departed more from the tropes, than it does, even thought the ending is fully satisfying.
2) The ab(use) of music to underline feelings. It gets really cheesy and corny.
But I am aware those two problems aren't enough to make it an Awards juggernaut if correctly promoted. It has smashed reviews and b.o. already, awards sesaon is next.
My view is, IF it makes the first cut (well, the second, it has already made two cuts, choosen finalist for submission, and winning the submission), I trust on Fesser's experience in the Oscar race to play in his favor for promoting it into the final 5 and it is going to give Roma a run for its money. I'm saying Roma is winning, if not, probably Champions, if nominated.
My rating? *** 1/2 (out of 5) and C+ overall. But two changes and it would have been a masterpiece.
(and please, tell me in how many countries, apart from Spain, pro-independence parties can defend their projects in a Congress or Parliament)
You mean the politicians and the activists who are in jail without a proper trial? You're an embarrassment.
Paraguay just selected this morning The Heiresses
Peggy Sue, you do not know what I think about that issue in particular. And as I said, there is no need for insulting. It only embarrases yourself.
The Cakemaker is a lovely film. A lot of it is in English, though, as it is the only language the two main characters have in common. It's a beautiful portrait of the many ways we deal with grief, and a very deserving submission. I highly recommend it.