Aspirins, Voyeurs, Orgies & Christmas

Cinema, Aspirin and Vultures, a Brazilian road-movie centered on the unexpected friendship between a local and a German entrepreneur, offered a fine character study, without ever falling into pathos. Talking about pathos, Merry Christmas, a French film set during World War II about the fraternization between enemies on Christmas Eve is without a doubt a great showcase for clichéd cinema and cheesy melodramas, providing plethora of unintentional laughs – something tells me the average American audience will love it while real cinephiles shouldn’t get fooled by such a screenwriting trickery. Mexican entry Stories of Disenchantment, one of the most provocative and experimental films I’ve seen in a while, should mostly appeal to fans of Fernando Arrabal, Guy Maddin & Abel Ferrara. But the highlight of the day – and one of the strongest moments of this festival -- was certainly Hidden, which marks the return of Michael Haneke at the top of his art, following the failure of Time of the Wolf.