Rebelle

English title: War Witch

Genre: humanitarian drama

With: Rachel Mwanza (Komona), Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien (the Rebel Commander), Serge Kanyinda (the Magician), Mizinga Mwinga (the Grand Tigre Royal), Ralph Prosper (the Butcher), Jean Kabuya (the School camp coach)

Director: Kim Nguyen

Screenplay: Kim Nguyen

Release: 2012

Studio: Item 7, Shen Studio

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

Sacrificed on the Altar of War    

 

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Story-line: somewhere in Equatorial Africa, a young woman named Komona speaks to the fetus in her womb: "One day, you will have to come out of my belly and I have to tell you how your mother became a soldier." Haunted by her appalling past, she prays God for the strength to love this child she had never planned on having.

Pluses: flawless acting by Rachel Mwanza and a convincing cast, a frank and logical screenplay that explores a tragic issue seldom discussed in the Western world, excellent direction that meets the technical challenges of location filming, beautiful cinematography (Nicolas Bolduc) and natural settings, professional production values.

Minuses: although some scenes are quite violent, they are essential to show the atrocious fate of child soldiers.

Comments: from the day she is orphaned and abducted at the tender age of 12 to the time of her pregnancy, Komona's life is a succession of horror stories that REBELLE documents unflinchingly but with the sympathy this woman truly deserves. What Québécois director Kim Nguyen has fashioned here is a very different, jarring and impressive film that weaves an extraordinary story and bears witness to human resilience in the face of brutality. This is what I call worthy, valuable cinema. 

 

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 Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Genre: science fiction film

With: Richard Dreyfuss (Roy Neary), François Truffaut (Claude Lacombe), Teri Garr (Ronnie, Roy’s wife), Melinda Dillon (Jillian Guiler), Cary Guffey (Barry, Jillian’s son), Bob Balaban (David Laughlin, the cartographer), J. Patrick McNamara (the project leader)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Screenplay: Steven Spielberg (with help from Hal Barwood, Jerry Belson, John Hill and Matthew Robbins)

Release: 1977

Studio: Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions, EMI Films

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.6/10

 

If There Are Intelligent Beings in the Cosmos, Why Would They Bother with Us Humans?

 

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Story-line: while a French scientist and a group of Americans rush to the Mexican desert to investigate the discovery of training planes lost for decades but still in working order, airline pilots in Indiana report sightings of luminous crafts flying at close range. Also in Indiana, several people witness strange, inexplicable phenomenons.

Pluses: superb acting by Richard Dreyfuss (one of Hollywood’s best in manic, hyperactive roles), François Truffaut (always a treat as an actor) and a disciplined cast, an effective and solidly written screenplay that sustains the mystery throughout and stokes an eerie, unsettling atmosphere, outstanding photography, a celebrated score by John Williams, remarkable special effects and top-grade production values.

Minuses: although the film is international in scope, insistent and annoying product placement gives it a strong (even excessive) American flavour.    

Comments: personally, I was irritated by Steven Spielberg’s constant (and rather manipulative) efforts to whip up a frenzied, hysterical mood around his story – a fault which should have warranted a lower score – but CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is truly redeemed by its technical merit and extraordinary ending. By defying conventional wisdom in the sci-fi genre, Spielberg provides a life-altering experience to his characters and otherworldly entertainment for movie buffs. Accept all of it – as little Barry has done – with a child’s openness and trust.   

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