David O'ConnellMIFF 2010: My Dog Tulip/Women Without Men
August 4th 2010 03:58
My Dog Tulip
J.R. Ackerley’s tale of stodgy affection for his dog has been brought to life by directors Paul and Sandra Fierlinger bearing the kind of pompous, grating wit that begins to wear away your tolerance after about 15 minutes. This is the closest I’ve ever come to walking out of a cinema in my life. 'Insufferable' doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of listening to Christopher Plummer’s ceaseless narration as he relates in unerring detail his means of acquiring his Alsatian bitch Tulip and then - for a painfully large portion of the film - trying to find a sexual partner for her.
For starters, the animation is ugly and drab. Hand-drawn in a deliberately lo-fi manner it may be, but in an era of Pixar and 3D advancements that continually outduel the standards set by predecessors, having to suffer such a jolting regression, to endure what looks like a ten year old’s water-stained comic book come to life is nothing short of migraine-inducing.
The geriatrics in the crowd seemed to be having a gay old time with this, but I was comprehensively deflated in double quick time, looking for any distraction to avert my eyes from the screen. As a brisk little short film this may have worked, but elongated to 85 minutes it effectively morphed into the filmic equivalent of having my funny bone scraped with a blunt carving knife whilst a warty headmistress dragged her claws down a chalkboard the whole time.
There’s none of that here. Ackerley’s dry, detached devotion to his dog represents the kind of emotion a prisoner might eventually feel for his jailor. He barely tolerates the dog at first and the rest of their time together comes across more like scientific experiment reportage than an expression of the kind of bond most of us enjoy with Man’s Best Friend.
Women Without Men
A noted artist in Iran, Shirin Neshat’s directorial debut certainly has a strong aesthetic sense. Her visuals are immediately arresting, but as Women Without Men continues it becomes blatantly obvious that what she lacks is any sense of crafting drama that genuinely compels in any way. Her tale of four beleaguered women whose lives intersect in strange circumstances is without a backbone to keep it upstanding; there’s no dramatic through-line to maintain interest, so thin are the individual strands.
The occasional interjection of surreal, dream-like moments are well-conceived but ultimately only serve to tease us with how much more interesting the film might have been with a bit more stylistic daring.
There are elements to admire about Women Without Men but as pure drama I'd consider it a resounding failure. It’s static and dull, unwinding like an empty visual poem that incorporates an unfocused political angle to little effect. The occasional narration, meant to be a profound illumination into these beaten-down women just seems trite and unworthy of Neshat's obviously lofty intentions. A major disappointment.
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Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Interesting to here that Women Without Men is a bit of a flop too.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Gotta love that toilet paper advert with the dog. Your recent reviews have made me able to lick my wounds over my own film not getting into M.I.F.F., sounds like their were some strange decisions made this year. Hopefully you'll see some fresh and exciting films soon after this.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Haha, thanks Shaun, nothing like a sweet dose of venom directed at an easy target! It's only because I love dogs so much that I really held back on old Tulip herself!
There have been a few duds fly in under the radar this year, but in saying that I know for a fact a lot of people loved the same films that I've hated with a passion so far. I still say those people have dodgy taste but at least not everyone's been disappointed.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Thanks for the excuse to not have to man up to this one
Comment by Lynden Barber
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
The whole time I was wondering what everyone was laughing at - and why I'd missed out on the medication that was obviously handed out to most people before the screening!
Comment by Lynden Barber