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The Portland International Film Festival didn’t seem to have any explicitly gay movies but themes of gender and power abound, certainly so in Sunday’s premiere screening of the French A Comedy of Power. A so called commingling of comedy and thriller A Comedy of Power emerges more like a look into the relationships between husband and wife, female friends and coworkers, as one woman intently pursues the corrupt political establishment. Whereas the American Law and Order or the British Touching Evil might take this story and make it a crime drama rife with the sounds of sirens and smashing gavels, the French intertwine the main character, Judge Jeanne Charmant-Killman’s (Isabelle Huppert), desire to clean up the government with the story of her tenuous relationship with a husband feeling overshadowed, and her intimate bond with a female peer. It accomplishes all this with a distinct lack of intrusive soundtrack or glorious camera work. It’s real. It’d raw. It’s psychological. It’s French.
 In such a film uncertainty and fluctuation are key. It opens with the nervous allergic itch-scratching of a soon to be imprisoned CEO who meets our extremely shrewd and powerful Judge very soon after. The first interrogation we see, coupled with her interaction with her husband, seem to portray Jeanne as the aggressive woman-monster archetype (“the Piranha”) we have become so familiar with. Her husband’s coworkers have even taken to calling him Mr. Charmant-Killman. And while I did catch the subtle intrusion of pink rubber gloves as Jeanne washes the dishes this insert did little to assure me that the film saw her power as a positive aspect of her character rather than as an infringement on her femininity. But the film is shrewder than I. This is merely a small interruption of the quite serious narrative with that of comedy. In fact, it might be the only truly amusing aspect of the film. And while the Power may paint Jeanne’s workaholic nature as troublesome to anyone wishing to lead a full and happy life, it also sees this same shortfall as saintly altruism. And while it is also easy to feel sorry for her neglected husband, who seems to truly love her, the film switches your sympathies quickly back to Jeanne. She is extremely intelligent and not uncaring. She’s not to be taken in, even by those who have appeared to be on her side in the past. And when yet another corrupt high-ranking official brings another woman into her department as her equal expecting that, because they are women, they will bring each other down in a rain of hair and nails, both recognize this and rise above their desire to do exactly that.
The happy ending that the title implies is never fully satisfied, and yet I was quite surprised to hear my coworker exclaim at the end, “Well that was depressing.” Ambiguity and a sort of longing ennui are emotions the French excel at portraying, and you will feel none of the same satisfaction or disappointment that you would after a Law and Order verdict. Nevertheless, feelings of sympathy and pride will abound. A comedy it’s not, but perhaps that is precisely the funniest part.
A Comedy of Power plays at the fest this Sunday the 18th at 7:30 at Whitsell Auditorium and Tuesday the 20th at Broadway. A complete schedule can be found on the NW Film Center website. […]
 Though I am often frustrated by Queerty’s treatment of anything other than male as an afterthought they do occasionally bless me qith really exceptional news…like Sofia Coppola’s remake of the Sarah Water’s tale of Victorian lesbian love, Tipping the Velvet. Better yet, it’s likely to star Eva Longoria and Beyoncé Knowles. I guess it shouldn’t come as too big a surprise. Longoria doesn’t seem to be afraid of looking a little lez happy.
I am not usually excited to hear about another British TV show or movie that we decided to steal and dumb down for an American audience but Coppola may just make a different enough film, hopefully one that doesn’t pander to American simpleness, that it may be worth it. The BBC mini-series version was a bit more flippant than the book and that angered some, but the BBC has always been irreverent and I appreciated the fresh perspective on the book, which is on my top 10 best queer books ever. The story is one I think is so interesting that a fresh perspective can still make a good film with nuances not seen before.
I had the very same thought as Queerty also that it seemed a little bizarre, considering the novel has no characters of color in it, that she would choose those 2, but Queerty says it in a much more amusing way: “We suppose Coppola’s using her artistic license on this one, which – despite what you may think after Marie Antoinette – is actually a good thing.”
Beyoncé says that it’s time for the ladies to get the same mainstream attention as the Brokeback men and the 2 potential stars are also supposed to have said that, “…they weren’t at all coy about the sex scenes. In fact they both seemed to think it would be more fun than doing the same work with a man.” Which I doubt I would be likely to hear from Heath Ledger but makes sense coming from women. I especially think this might be an easier gig for actresses who are already married or involved, seeing as co-stars can often end up as lovers…
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Erin over at Livejournal’s QueerPortland community group is calling for submissions for an animated film project on femmes. For a mere digital photo and short description you could be the next (gay) Betty Boop. Self-identified femmes. The deadline is November 15th. For more information visit the post over at Livejournal. […]
I recently ran across a bit of information provided to me by my blog tool that someone searching Google for a "real life Shortbus salon" ended up clicking on my blog. (I can see where the last 10 people have come from, it’s an imperfect tool but interesting…) Now I have concrete evidence that I’m not the only one…I did the same thing after watching the film. And though they may not all be clicking on my blog, I wonder how many others have searched as well. Shortbus’s portrayal of such a bohemia, wherein art, intellectualism and sex combine is a compelling one. One that people wish for. The question becomes though, is this synergistic utopia possible in real life? Certainly the desire to create is is there, but would attempts fail? Would it become too seedy? too exclusive? or too protested against to really work? Or have we just not tried? I remember reading Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land and was amazed at the main character’s final understanding of people and the world. The free love utopia he created, that led to his death, was one that seemed an exciting possibility but ultimately unattainable. Are we, as human, damned to ruin our own utopic dreams? And if they can live for only a short while are they worth creating? worth sacrificing for? This question became so much larger than a revival of 20s Paris salons for the modern age but both questions are interesting.
Can this fun place be made in real life. And if so, when do we start?
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I realize I’m a little late as the 10th annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Fest actually started yesterday. Luckily for all late-comers, including myself, the fest rages on for a full week. If you’… […]
While John Cameron Mitchell, creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was in town for a screening of his new film Shortbus (see review below), I was able to sit down with him and keep him from having fun… […]
Though the Portland Gay and Lesbian Film Festival isn’t until October, tonight kicks of the pride of fall with a Cinema 21 screening of John Cameron Mitchell’s (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) eyebrow… […]
I’m all for prurient interest, be it in film, performance, art, orwherever you can get it. I appreciate the value of enjoying somethingpurely for its shock value, gross-ness, or sex appeal. But thedyk… […]
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