Film Festival – What to see in Locarno this year?

It’s always difficult to clear your way, to preselect what you’re going to see in a festival as crowded as Locarno. Some will only go to see the Douglas Sirk retrospective, others will concentrate on the open-air screenings in the Piazza Grande, and still others will try to follow the next generation with the “Pardi di domani”. We have chosen two films that intrigue us and are an absolute must in this miniselection.

“Annie Anger” by Blandine Lenoir

Blandine Lenoir, who we know a bit as an actress, also makes films. This one features Laure Calamy, which in itself is already a good point. Moreover, it is co-written by Axelle Roppert, who had directed “Petite Solange”, shown here last year, and which we loved. Second positive point. And then there is the subject. The story of a worker, Annie, who accidentally becomes pregnant. It’s 1974, and abortions are still illegal. Also Annie comes into contact with the MLAC – Movement for the freedom of abortion and contraception, before the fight for the adoption of the law on abortion becomes her battle horse. So many assets that make us seriously want to see this film.

Piazza Grande, August 11.

“Skazka” d’Aleksandr Sokourov

Unlike Cannes (in particular), Locarno has not closed the door to Russian productions. Hence the completely surprising presence of the last Sokurov in official competition. This mysterious tale (its title means “fairy tale”) is similar to a daydream or a waking nightmare, according to the rare synoptic elements that can be found on the Net. This is confirmed by an equally strange trailer, which can be discovered on the festival website. But for those who know Sokurov, we shouldn’t be in completely unknown territory. Twisting the real or the fiction, he has basically only done that since he started filming. Golden Lion at Venice in 2011 with “Faust”, several times selected at Cannes, he came to Locarno in 1987 with “The Solitary Voice of Man”, which was his first fiction feature film. With “Skazka”, the circle may be complete.

Competition, between August 6 and 8.

«Imitation of Life» de Douglas Sirk

Absolute masterpiece, stunning melodrama – it is advisable to bring several packets of tissues –, “Imitation of Life” remains one of the greatest films in the history of cinema and the apogee of the work of Douglas Sirk. It will thus mark the end of this year’s retrospective event, resumed at the start of the school year at the Cinémathèque suisse in Lausanne. The bold projection is inevitably expected on the Piazza Grande. From the first images of the film, a rain of diamonds filling the screen while the credits scroll with the song of Earl Grant, vibrations should run through the assembly. A sublime evening in chills.

Piazza Grande, August 12.

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