I Am Belfast (15.)
Directed by Mark Cousins. Starring Helena Bereen. 84 mins
A new film by a former presenter of Moviedrome, the Sunday night 80s/90s BBC2 cult movie strand, is no longer an exciting prospect. Original presenter Alex Cox, burned through all his talent in his first two films (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy) and has been scrapping along ever since. His successor was Mark Cousins, the Whispering Death, a man who can suck the joy from anything he touches, but does so inadvertently and with great love. Here he gives us a tour around his home town.
Our guide is an elderly woman in a shawl (Bereen) who is Belfast itself, 10,000 years old. She sometimes appears before us but for the most part she and Cousins chunter away off screen, ephemeral off screen presences commenting on the scenes of everyday life they have filmed. Their commentary is mostly whimsical. It is the kind of film which is often described as “playful”, a critical term for something that is lighthearted, but not the least bit funny. Some of it is quite pretty to look at; leading cinematographer Christopher Doyle (2046, In the Mood For Love) shot some of it, Cousins did the rest. Maybe it is intended to be funny – the humour being in the disconnect between all this dull shots of Belfast streets and the specious statements being made by the pair on the soundtrack.
Depressingly, shamefully, interest perks up when half hour in, we come to The Troubles. Not just because now we have violence and drama but because now there is substance, something palpable. But after about ten minutes the film drifts back to idle flim flam. It is meant to be a display of resilience and hopefulness, but Cousins doesn't have the wings to fulfill that desire and the result is an even more spurious take on Of Time And The City.
We always hear how hard it is to get funding to make films in this country but the BFI and the regional arts bodies always seem to have Lottery money available for projects like these. The problem with Cousins as a film maker is the same one that he had as a presenter both on Moviedrome and Scene for Scene. Though he is utterly sincere in his love for film and desire to communicate that to as wide an audience as possible, there's a preciousness to his work that excludes and deters viewers. You may decide that this is not a man you want to share an enthusiasm with.
I Am Belfast (15.)
Directed by Mark Cousins. Starring Helena Bereen. 84 mins
A new film by a former presenter of Moviedrome, the Sunday night 80s/90s BBC2 cult movie strand, is no longer an exciting prospect. Original presenter Alex Cox, burned through all his talent in his first two films (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy) and has been scrapping along ever since. His successor was Mark Cousins, the Whispering Death, a man who can suck the joy from anything he touches, but does so inadvertently and with great love. Here he gives us a tour around his home town.
Our guide is an elderly woman in a shawl (Bereen) who is Belfast itself, 10,000 years old. She sometimes appears before us but for the most part she and Cousins chunter away off screen, ephemeral off screen presences commenting on the scenes of everyday life they have filmed. Their commentary is mostly whimsical. It is the kind of film which is often described as “playful”, a critical term for something that is lighthearted, but not the least bit funny. Some of it is quite pretty to look at; leading cinematographer Christopher Doyle (2046, In the Mood For Love) shot some of it, Cousins did the rest. Maybe it is intended to be funny – the humour being in the disconnect between all this dull shots of Belfast streets and the specious statements being made by the pair on the soundtrack.
Depressingly, shamefully, interest perks up when half hour in, we come to The Troubles. Not just because now we have violence and drama but because now there is substance, something palpable. But after about ten minutes the film drifts back to idle flim flam. It is meant to be a display of resilience and hopefulness, but Cousins doesn't have the wings to fulfill that desire and the result is an even more spurious take on Of Time And The City.
We always hear how hard it is to get funding to make films in this country but the BFI and the regional arts bodies always seem to have Lottery money available for projects like these. The problem with Cousins as a film maker is the same one that he had as a presenter both on Moviedrome and Scene for Scene. Though he is utterly sincere in his love for film and desire to communicate that to as wide an audience as possible, there's a preciousness to his work that excludes and deters viewers. You may decide that this is not a man you want to share an enthusiasm with.
