The Angel (El ángel) is an Argentinian-Spanish film directed by Luis Ortega, which premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard selection. Ortega is an up-and-coming young director from Argentina, who debuted with the film Black Box when he was only 19 years old. His talent was recognized by Pedro Almodovar, who produced the film Black Angel.
This biographical drama is about a serial killer known as the "Angel of Death" and "Black Angel", who is the longest-serving prisoner in the history of Argentina. Debutant Lorenzo Ferro plays the cruel teenager Carlos, who sets off on a bloody adventure with his best friend.
Unlike most of the films about serial killers, Ortega does not delve too deep into the killer’s psychology and seek justification in the dark past - Carlos was adored ever since he was a child, he grew up very happy, and looks like a real angel. How can someone so beautiful be so ugly on the inside? This film may not give a clear answer, but it provides a fascinating insight into the world of one of the most notorious Argentinian criminals. Ortega treats this dark figure in an interesting way and creates a film that is highly stylized, bathed in sunlight and bright colours, and interspersed with moments of humor. This is a subversive crime thriller that overcomes genre boundaries in an innovative way.
The White Crow is the third directing venture of Ralph Fiennes, whose previous two films, Coriolanus and The Invisible Woman, were also screened at FEST. The script was written by David Hare, a famous playwright, who also wrote the script for the films The Hours and The Reader.
The film tells the story of Rudolf Nureyev, a legendary Russian ballet dancer who made an outrageous scandal when he defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961. Fiennes gives us an insight into the artist's early life. The film begins with his birth on a trans-Siberian train, and follows him on his way to becoming one of the greatest ballet dancers of his generation. Nureyev, a stubborn, cheeky and disobedient young man, showed remarkable talent from an early age and gained reputation as an outstanding ballet dancer. That prompted Alexander Pushkin (Ralph Fiennes), the master of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, to take him under his wing. When travelling abroad, Nureyev was followed by the KGB and his every move was strictly monitored, but he still managed to acquire important friends, such as French girl Klara (Adèle Exarchopoulos), who was able to provide him political asylum. The story culminates the moment Nureyev decides to escape his minders and never to return to the Soviet Union again.
Hotel Mumbai is a thriller that examines one of the most current modern fears - what would you do if you found yourself in the midst of a terrorist attack?
Based on a true story of a terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai in 2008, the film is made up of several stories of hotel guests and employees, as well as four terrorists who carried out the attack. Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) plays one of the employees who suddenly has to become the rescuer of his guests. Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) plays the father who left his baby with the nanny and is trying to find them. In other stories, we see guests and employees who have decided to flee the scene, as well as those who have decided to stay, and their families who fearfully watch the news of the attack, we see the police and the attackers. Debutant Anthony Maras based his story on interviews with the victims of this incident and tried to create the tense atmosphere of a sudden attack as authentically as possible.
The 47th FEST will be held from February 22nd to March 3rd. The full programme will be available on January 28th.
