ArtFilmFest in Trencin, Slovakia July 21-26

View of Trencin Castle from the Cuban Bar

I'd heard quite a bit about the Trencin, Trencianske Teplice Art Film Festival so I was really looking forward to seeing the films this year.  Unfortunately not living in Trencin made it difficult to see all the films I wanted to see.  Trencin is about a 30 minute train ride from Piestany and the trains don't travel to Piestany from Trencin in the evening so I could only spend the day hours, but it was worthwhile all the same.  Trencianske Teplice is just east of Trencin a short ride (about 10 minutes) and is a lovely spa town.  I've been there several times but didn't make it to the late evening festival films.  

Being familiar with film festivals (I've worked many festivals as a volunteer) I knew it was important to get to the theatre early to get a seat.  It took a while to get the tickets, but once my colleague and I got them we were in the groove and made a pretty good go of it.  There was a hiccup on Sunday when I miss read the program so were weren't able to see the "Shorts".  I was disappointed because festival short films are usually my favorite films, but that's all part of the festival experience. Besides, it was an excuse to spend a couple of hours at the Cuban Bar with a spectacular view of Trencin Castle.

The films we did see were really good and a nice cross-section of International flavor. Here's my reviews:

Violet & Daisy

Two quirky, young assassins; Violet, Alexis Bledel (The Gilmore Girls) and her less than experienced partner in crime, Daisy, played by Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) meet their match, but in a good way, with a mysterious target, James Gandolfini (quite possibly his last feature film).  It's smartly written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter (Precious) Geoffrey Fletcher.  I'm sure it will only play in art theatre's in the U.S.  

My Dog Killer

The only film entry for Slovakia (the last Slovak entry at this festival was in 2011) is dark, and extremely disturbing.  Had I not been living in Slovakia over the last year, I might have been judgmental in all the wrong ways for the subject matter.  The film centers on a white supremacist, Merek and his dog Killer who is "used" by the white supremacist group Merek belongs to in order to scare and torture Gypsy's.  The film is shot in grey tones and you feel as though you are in a desperate place which of course, this young man is because of his circumstances.  His mother, who left Merek at a young age, to live with a Gypsy and subsequently had a child.  Merek's need for family and connection drives him to the racist group and ultimately his shame leads to an unthinkable conclusion.  The issue of the Roma's (Gypsy's) in Slovakia is centuries old and there is no easy solution.  Director, Mira Fornay provides long scenes with little action presumably to create tension and the sheer emptiness of Merek's life.  However, personally I think the film would be more effective with shorter cuts and would keep the edge of the film intact.

Wajma: An Afghan Love Story

Wajma is a pretty, young, immature yet smart girl living in a small Afghan village with her mother, grandmother and younger brother.  Her father is away for weeks at a time as a demolition expert.  As the title states, Wajma falls in love with a likable waiter, Mustafa, from a neighboring village. After continuous insistence from Mustafa the two make love and bing, Wajma is pregnant.  To this point this story could have taken place anywhere in the world, but in Afghanistan such relationships are punishable by death if the two lovers are caught "in the act".  If not, then the only recourse is marriage or shame.  Once Wajma's father is told of his daughter's indiscretion, the story turns dark very quickly and to no good end.  Actually as I was watching this film I began to think of how many women in the USA must feel in States where abortion and women's health issues are all but outlawed.  Could the USA be following in Afghan's footsteps?

The festival goes through 26 July.