I like a lot of Police, Adjective - the way it cleverly constricts and loosens time like an accordion (a stakeout seems to take a few minutes but is later revealed to have taken hours); the little comments, the playful and mordant cynicism, the mannerisms that ring true of everyday Romanian life, the self-deprecating jokes about the monikers 'Little Paris' or 'Little Prague'.
Although Politist Adjectiv stays clear of the dark past, one feels that this is a nation that has managed to haul itself to the surface only to be left flapping on the bank.
Whilst any wider political points that may be being made are left as undercurrent to the main narrative flow, the film does appear obsessed with the idea of language (and the way the interpretation of meaning can influence the minutiae of our lives) to such an extent that every conversation is yoked to its examination whether such discussions appear organic or not.
Politist Adjectiv would seem to aspire to realism, or at least aspire to follow the modern cinematic norms of what is deemed realist – minimalist acting, unglossed cinematography and cool, distanced observation. Within that context the gradual burial of character beneath theme is distracting, building artificial meaning on a supposedly guileless foundation.
Early on, from the moment a character had declared a theory of sport to be "a law", I knew this was in clairvoyant anticipation of a full-blown, bona fide essay on language and law culminating in an onanistic, intentionally and unintentionally farcical scene of looking up words in a dictionary.
It is a shame given the compelling long shots that made up the investigation and the flickers of understated and intelligent humour that inspired the opening sequences. It is a shame given that it's a film that isn't just about the past or about a depressing present. It made me proud and then it disappointed me.
Back, and with a bang!
ReplyDeleteJust two days ago, I came up with the realisation that the principal narrative difference between what I like to call the three "narrative arts" (literature, graphic literature and cinema) was in their conception of time.
In literature pure, it's an amorphous substance, a line can be a year same as it can be half a second.
In graphic literature, it's a shattered substance; comics (narratively) are nothing but a series of moments.
In cinema, it's a solid substance; one second on screen is one second in reel life (slo-mo and fast-forward are trivial exceptions, because the important thing is that the passing of fictional time is exactly the same as we experience it). To escape this , it has to resort to one of the methods of the previous two narrative arts, via the cut (comics) and the narration (literature).
This is not a historical distinction, I'm not saying that the cut originated in comics, just that it is a helpful progression of methods.
And now you say that time was compressed here, like in literature. How?
I forgot about drama, which breaks down the nice progression I had going there. It's somewhere in between comics and movies, with much less of a clear-cut characteristic method of dealing with time.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Stephen. I'm really glad you liked the film to a large extent. I totally loved it. Excellent essay here.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful writeup!!! I loved the director's earlier work 12:08 East of Bucharest, and hence watched Police, Adjective with a lot of anticipation & expectations. I can safely say that I wasn't disappointed on either count.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the few directors who have been at the forefront of the Roman New Wave prefer making, tonally speaking, two kinds of movies: black comedies filled with ironies, and deadly serious dramas. While 12:08 championed the former category along with California Dreamin', this one, championed by 4 Months..., belongs to the latter. Death of Mr. Lazerescu, however, belongs to both.
"Whilst any wider political points that may be being made are left as undercurrent to the main narrative flow, the film does appear obsessed with the idea of language (and the way the interpretation of meaning can influence the minutiae of our lives) to such an extent that every conversation is yoked to its examination whether such discussions appear organic or not." Touche!!!
You're right, Ronak.
ReplyDeleteOf course another difference is that things can happen simultaneously in the narrative of a novel but cannot be fully described simultaneously.
Another thing that may seem a little silly is that in literature it is hard to describe an object without using 'the' or 'a' when in reality actions are more like 'Dog walked street' - much like the subtitles in Godard's new film.
There are scenes which cut from the protagonist back to what he is watching and then back again and there is nothing to let us know that it is not in real time.
The fact that it is later revealed not only shows the mundanity and homegeneity of the job but is also a bit of a cheat given the light never changes during these apparently long stretches of time.
Thanks for the comments Ronak.
Thank you very much, JAFB.
ReplyDeleteI was away in Romania where I managed to get hold of a couple of Romanian films which I may write about soon.
Thank you, Shubhajit.
ReplyDelete"It seems the few directors who have been at the forefront of the Roman New Wave prefer making, tonally speaking, two kinds of movies: black comedies filled with ironies, and deadly serious dramas."
Yes, absolutely.
Welcome back indeed. I was fearing retirement here, but your trip to Romania is a delightful revelation. As it is I absolutely adore POLICE, ADJECTIVE, especially that brilliant and loquacious conclusion. I am not remotely disappointed with this masterpiece at all, and found it a breath of fresh air, and a continuance of teh glorious new Romanian cinema. As always, a most riveting read, and fascinating perceptions.
ReplyDeleteNow, I am patiently waiting to hear your verdict on Pixar's TOY STORY 3! Ha!
Thank you very much indeed, Sam.
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy that you enjoyed the film so much and, despite my reservations, I'm always glad to see Romanian art praised.
"Now, I am patiently waiting to hear your verdict on Pixar's TOY STORY 3! Ha!"
Haha.
Another film to add to my list.
ReplyDeleteMay not seek it out until winter, when more film watching is a must here.
Thanks and am still trying to find a copy of "Girl Who Leapt Through Time" at an affordable price. Soon I hope!
Cheers!
ps: was in germany for a month both times I was there, before the Wall came down and the year after. Sorry we never made it elsewhere.
My pleasure, Coffee Messiah.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can get hold of THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME and maybe tell me what you think of it.
Have you seen much of Europe?
Sadly, only a month in Berlin the year before the Wall came down and a month after it came down.
ReplyDeleteMy dad worked for UAL, but Jamaica/Bahamas, Canada and Hawaii, and throughout the states of course.
Should have gone to Europe when I actually had some money and it went somewhere, unlike today.
I will indeed get a copy of TGWLTT and will let you know. You've been 100% so far! Cheers!
Aha. I've never been beyond Europe, actually.
ReplyDeleteMust have been very interesting to be in Berlin at that time, such a powerful moment in history. I remember most watching the Revolution in Romania the same year on the television.
"I will indeed get a copy of TGWLTT and will let you know. You've been 100% so far! Cheers!"
My pleasure.