The 40th Molodist (Youth) Festival began with a befitting opening ceremony at the Shevchenko National Opera, with Gerard Depardieu and Renata Litvinova as emcees, starring BB, Nino Katamadze, and Spleen in the music interludes, but most importantly boasting a gathering of distinguished film directors and actors, such as Sophie Marceau, Fanny Ardant, Christopher Lambert, and Vladimir Menshov. All of them received the honorary Golden Deer awards for meritorious contributions to world cinematography.
The film festival’s opening screening was Alain Monne’s debut Cartagena (based on Eric Holder’s L’Homme de chevet), starring Marceau and Lambert.
France and Latin America are known to be abundant in moviemakers, producing many soap operas, so Marceau and Lambert have ample field experience.
Cartagena (the title of the movie is based on one of the most scenic Colombian coastal cities) is about Leo (played by Lambert), a drunk middle-aged ex-boxer who needs a job as another distraction from his other failures. He suddenly becomes the cook and nurse of Muriel (Marceau), a beautiful, free-spirited Parisienne, bed-ridden since a horrific accident. Her previous nurses, young girls, could tolerate her for only a couple of days. Muriel is also being looked after by Lucia (Margarita Rosa de Francisco) who is obviously in love with her.
Then there is Lina (Linnet Hernandez Valdes), a young hoodlum with boxing talent. Leo bets his old coach that he will turn her into a real prizefighter. The result is a kind of love quadrangle, shaky as well as dangerous.
The first half of the movie is a captivating drama, with due suspense, making one wonder whether the rest will be something like a sequel to Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, or that the plot will climax in an outburst of passion and violence. Or perhaps a screen version of a refined decadent novella?
Alain Monne chose the easiest path, which is understandable, what with his having worked for almost 20 years as assistant or executive producer on others’ productions. He couldn’t take the risk with his first film as a director, and he had a cast that would help him reach his goal. His project proved a success. Lambert looks interesting as a soft-hearted hoarse-voiced man, just as Marceau is good going through the transformation from an aggressively complaining patient to a woman softened and enlightened by love. The rest, however, is more complicated.
Cartagena’s overall mood and direction are explained by a combination of French and Latin American soap opera traditions. The French tradition is reflected in the refined composition of certain scenes, including the cast’s European restraint, the predominant yellow color (although the need to use this color remains anyone’s guess); the Latin American one is found in the usual soap-opera tearful cliches, ranging from Florencia Di Concilio’s heart-rending music to sentimental dialogs. Summing it up, the Latin American element is obviously predominant and it damages the production.
On the other hand, Cartagena is a genre movie, its main objective being to move the audience in a graceful manner. In fact, all film festivals are known to start with such genre box-office movies, so Molodist is no exception.
