Men, their medley of professions and myriad problems they find themselves in, form focal point of this weekend’s films brought before cinephiles by Vikalp Bengaluru (Films for Freedom) as part of the monthly date with documentaries. Travel to three continents of Canada, Portugal and Mexico on this celluloid trek and indulge yourselves in interesting and inviting world of barbers, illegal immigrants and generation of itinerant thieves as these docu-dramas tell their soulful sagas of survival amidst onerous odds.
Spotlighting on real-life barbers in Quebec, Claude Demebers’ charming and touching documentary — Barbers - A Men’s Story, captivates one with its wonderful ensemble of characters whom it explores.
A barber is one who acts as a confidant and a witness and chronicler to the society and its evolution over the passage of time. Barbers do more than just cut hair and shave beards. The film documents the dying breed of neighbourhood barbers with wit and charm, relating racy stories about other people’s interesting lives, giving one an inside view of barbershops, a haven where men talk freely among themselves. These endearing and dedicated legion of men, who have been their customers’ trusted confidants for decades, are approaching the twilight of their careers in a trade that is slowly dying out.
Joao Ribeiro’s Portugese film In Between Walls revolves around two illegal Ukranian immigrants engaged as construction workers in the suburbs of Lisbon. The two share a garage with three other illegal Ukranian immigrants. The film brings into sharp focus their lives which is full of contradictory feelings and nostalgia, and describes their final months in voluntary exile, when yearning for home becomes more acute while question of prolonging their stay arises. Finally they leave Portugal and the film follows their first few days in their own country. What kind of dreams can give them strength to live and survive in these inhuman conditions in a faraway land?
Everardo Gonzalez’s Mexican film The Old Thieves turns the arclight on a generation of thieves who were at their height in the ‘60s and are presently serving sentences of various periods. The documentary is also a poignant and pungent portrait of the Mexican criminal underworld of the time, its code of “ethics” and behaviour, and its cynical “alliances” with the police.
The documentary bears the distinct signature of director Gonzalez, as he interviews aged prisoners about their adventurous careers as thieves and their nostalgic tone in interviews cannot be overlooked, as we learn that crime has not only become much more frequent in Mexico City, but much more violent.
Screenings — Fri-Sun, 6.30 pm, Nani Cinematheque, Centre for Film & Drama, 5th Floor, Sona Towers, 71 Millers Road. Entrance by membership. Arrive early for registration.
For details call: 94484 67358 / 22356262/ 98440-75219.
