_{Dorota Kedzierzawska}

Having previously seen the Polish Coming-of-Age film Jestem (I am), when I found out that the 2011 film Tomorrow Will Be Better (Jutro bedzie lepiej) was also directed by the outstanding filmmaker, Dorota Kedzierzawska, I knew that I had to watch it. And, when I did, I was not disappointed.  Present was the familiar artful photography and camerawork of Arthur Reinhart, which made such an impression on me while watching Jestem.  That, combined with Dorota’s dexterous directing of the young actors, created in Tomorrow Will Be Better a beautiful visual poem of childhood and hope -- which reminded me once again why many think of cinema as the seventh art.

Just like the meaning of a poem can sometimes be hard to grasp,  the plot of  Tomorrow Will Be Better does not offer much in terms of story development.  But the lack of complex or dramatic scenes does not present an obstacle to this film.  On the contrary,  instead of seeking out meaning, one is overpowered by the visual aesthetics and the charming appearance and talent of six-year-old Oleg Ryba  (whom I took for a girl at first), his brother  (11-year-old Jewgienij Ryba -one of the most expressive young actors I have ever seen) and  11-year-old Kinga Walenkiewicz .  They play the roles of homeless boys who live in a railway station of an unnamed Russian city.

Kinga Walenkiewicz, Oleg Ryba and Jewgienij Ryba in Tomorrow Will Be Better

One day, filled with the hope that “everything is greener on the other side”, the boys decide to try an illegal crossing of the Russian-Polish border -- yearning for a change in their lives and a “better tomorrow”.

Tomorrow Will Be Better is a road movie in its essence or at least its story would fit the definition of a road movie, which is defined as “a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually do so to escape their current lives.” -- the Dictionary of Media and Communications ^[1]. Of course,  one has to take into consideration that the  heroes of Tomorrow Will Be Better do not really have a place they could call home. Instead, one is  bewildered by the youthful spirits of its protagonists: their emotions (incredibly authentic), their determination and their optimism.

Tomorrow will be better !

The movie features only a small amount of dialogue -- as if the composition principle “show, don’t tell” had a major role in the film-making process. The visual aesthetics of the scenes, its skillful lighting (I don’t believe I have seen any other film with such attention to detail -- such as the sun reflection), wizardly crafted close ups and well chosen filming locations were the ingredients used by Dorota Kedzierzawska when creating this work of art.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPFZRrM6Olg

By now you know I loved the film, but be assured that I have not used a single superlative  (and if one slipped in,  it’s well deserved). Tomorrow Will Be Better won the Peace Film Awards at the 61st edition of the Berlin Film Festival and that’s just another testimony to its quality. I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending it to the readers of TheSkyKid.com.  Such movies make me optimistic about the future of cinema and the Coming-of-Age genre in particular.  And, when you watch the movie and love it (as you will), do not forget to check out the other movies directed by Dorota Kedzierzawska -- especially Jestem -- a review of which is also featured on the site .

Film title: Idi i smotri
Also known as: Jutro bedzie lepiej
Release year: 2011, Kid Film
Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska
Cast: Oleg Ryba, Jewgienij Ryba, Kinga Walenkiewicz, Kinga Walenkiewicz, Zygmunt Gorodowienko and others

Anne does not get why everyone around her is talking about love.  But she is not too worried about that thinking that one can’t fall in love at her age.  She is just like Pippi Longstocking — tomboyish, rebellious and full of energy and she could care less about boring stuff like love and feelings…

…that is until one day when everything changes.  Jørgen Ruge, the handsomest boy she has ever seen, moves into her neighborhood -- which results in a new kind of feelings and Anne finds herself constantly daydreaming.  It’s all too confusing for her who, unlike the more ” experienced ” girls in her class,  never has had a boyfriend.  And as if this were not enough — the class’s most popular girl, Elle, is also interested in Jørgen.

Scandinavian film directors, and particularly Norwegian ones such as Anne Sewitsky who worked on Totally True Love, have a unique approach to films about childhood.  Their emphasis on sincerity almost always guarantees that the audience will easily identify with the young characters in a  film as it almost always evokes sentimental association with their own childhoods.

Secret Message?

Thanks to the colorful cinematography (also featuring frequent closeups and dynamic camera movements), as well as to lively dialogue (two traits of the Scandinavin cinema),  Anne Sewitsky’s film feels fresh, lively and entertaining. The story of Anne and her first crush has something for everyone: challenges, drama, intrigue, romance, joy and sorrow  -- all of that plus a unique insight into what a ten-year-old girl can do in the name of love.

Friendship: Anne and Beate

The young cast of  Totally True Love is exceptional -- especially the charming Maria Annette Tanderød Berglyd and Aurora Bach Rodal in the roles of Anne and her best friend Beate. So expressive were their faces, so credible their acting that, after watching the film,  I feel I know what it is like to be a young girl in love (which, being a boy, is an experience I’ve obviously never had).  To me that’s evidence, not only of the talent of the young actresses, but also of the inspired guidance of Anne Sewitsky who has crafted a magical film despite no prior experience in directing children.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqzMxdyYNPg

In romance, some say girls should never take the initiative and some will say it’s impossible for someone that young to have such feelings.  This film proves both of those concepts wrong.

Have you ever been in love? If you nod your head, you are sure to enjoy Totally True Love.

Film title: Totally True Love
Also known as: Jorgen + Anne = sant
Release year: 2011 — Cinenord Spillefilm
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Cast: Maria Annette Tanderod Berglyd, Otto Garli, Aurora Bach Rodal,Vilde FredriksenVerlo, Kristin Langsrud, Peter Holene and others

On Monday, January 16, 2012, several members of the cast and production staff of the upcoming feature film Max’s Fantastic Adventures came together in Brewster, New York for a first rehearsal of the film.

Present were the four actors who will portray Max’s band of friends and with whom TheSkykid.com has previously done interviews: Gabriel Rush (Steven), Jacob Clemente (Harry), Kayla Vanderbilt (Samantha) and Joseph Harrington (Jason). Other previously cast actors participating in the rehearsal were Tristan Comeau (Max’s little brother Jimmy), as well as two other actors who will play minor roles in the film Andrew Chamberlain (young Gabriel)  and Ryan Jones (Jonathan).

Though the part of Max in the film has not been finalized to date, also present at the rehearsal was actor Talon Ackerman (who most recently appeared on Broadway as the young Clyde in the musical Bonnie and Clyde).  Talon is one of four finalists to play Max and he read Max’s lines at the rehearsal as an audition for the role.  After the rehearsal, Director Jonathan Bucari commented that he was very happy with what Talon brought to the table.  He said Talon “provided talent, energy and life to his character.”

Bucari was assisted on this day by several members of his creative and production team for the movie, including his assistant, the producer, associate producer, art director and an acting coach.  The young cast did a complete run through of all the scenes in which they appear in the film.  At the end of the day, Director Bucari was very satisfied with how the rehearsal had gone.  He stated, “The rehearsal went really well. I was really pleased to see how those kids have improved their skills as actors. The best moment I can recall from the rehearsal was to see the great pleasure and admiration they had for the story. It was a great privilege for me to work with such a great cast.”

Joseph gestures, while Talon and Jacob react and Jonathan looks pleased

The script is being constantly “tweaked” and four new scenes and some additional new dialogue had been added since the second table reading was done back in the Fall of 2011.  When asked for his impressions of the revised script Gabe Rush, who was the first actor to read the original script, said “I think the new revisions are fantastic and really add depth to the characters.”  He added “The reading/rehearsal went really well and with each reading it gets better and better. We are all looking forward to shoot!”

The rehearsal began with the cast going through the whole script, scene by scene like a conventional reading.  But at the end of every scene, Jonathan directed everyone (while the dialogue and action was fresh in their minds) into a stand up walk through of the scene, similar to how rehearsals are done for a play. The actors used their environment and performed as they would in front of a camera.

The five principal actors rehearse a scene

Sometimes, for very dramatic, scary or adventure scenes, music was played in the background — music similar to what Jonathan envisions the film’s score to sound like for those types of scenes.  He said by doing that “it was really helpful for the kids and we had a great time bringing the story to life.”

Joseph Harrington, who is the most recent of the principal actors to be cast, was asked what his impressions of the rehearsal were and how they compared to the rehearsals for the stage that he’s primarily used to.  Joseph replied “Last week’s first rehearsal for “Max” was awesome! It’s so nice to work with your friends! Most of us know each other from Billy Elliot the Musical so we already have a very tight bond. I think it will translate very well to the screen!”  He went on to say that this first “film rehearsal was still fairly similar to a theater-type rehearsal. But, I’m sure once cameras are in the picture, it will become a lot different. Also, for this film I know almost everyone, so the rehearsal room is a lot more relaxed. When I started Billy Elliot, in the early rehearsals I was alone learning the “Billy” part. So, it took a little bit longer to develop friendships and trust with one another.”

After the rehearsal, which took about four hours with three breaks, everyone present celebrated two birthdays (Gabe had turned 14 a few days earlier and on the day of the rehearsal it was Tristan’s mom’s birthday as well).

Tristan works with Director Jonathan Bucari

Since the rehearsal, Jonathan again added to the script — 10 new pages and 6 new scenes. He calls it “a privilege to be able to shape my script with such great actors”.

So what’s next in the movie making process?

Casting is complete and announcements will soon be made for the role of Max and for several adult characters in the film.  Once the announcement for the actor who will play Max is made, TheSkykid.com will do an exclusive interview with that actor as we have previously done with the four actors who will play his band of friends.  In the future, you can also expect to see further update articles about other aspects of the making of Max’s Fantastic Adventures.

There is not much more than that, though there are some subtle hints that there might be more than meets the eye.  I expected more development of the storyline -- a bit of controversy or a surprising ending at least -- of the kind that often transforms what would be an ordinary short film into a masterpiece. Yet, none of my expectations were met. Instead, a weak opening began thirteen minutes of  weak character development,  stilted acting  and boredom.

I find it hard to believe that this movie won several awards in festivals for independent cinema and am curious to know what the juries found in such merit in it. I do not usually write negative reviews but, in this case,  you wouldn’t be missing much if you skip The Strange Ones altogether.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86nhhNV058

If you have seen the film -- and have a different take on it , don’t hesitate to let me know.

Taking  filmmaking to the next level

We are glad that we are once again able to fulfill our commitment of supporting aspiring young filmmakers by announcing a scholarship for the 2012 Film School Prodigy Film Camp.  The scholarship will cover the entirety of the tuition fee (valued at $2000) and the winner will only be expected to cover his/her own transportation expenses to and from the Prodigy Camp  in the San Juan Islands in Seattle, Washington (USA).  The camp dates are the last week in July (July 25-August 1, 2012).

In 2011,  the scholarship was won by the Canadian singing performer and showman Arden Reimer. For this year’s camp, we have been notified that other scholarships have been awarded to the young American actor Nathan Gamble (A Dolphin’s Tale) and to the German singer Thilo Berndt - and both have confirmed their attendance.

Sound like something you’d be interested in doing?

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to self-motivated, responsible learners from all backgrounds. If you are aged twelve to eighteen years old and have an interest in storytelling and film making, this is an excellent opportunity to further develop  your skills while having fun and being taught by top flight award-winning filmmakers, including Oscar and Emmy winners.

What’s more, if you decide to apply, mentioning TheSkyKid.com would also serve as a waver of the fifty dollar application fee.

Finally, by way of illustrating the quality of work developed at the camp, we invite you to view a short film about the camp shot in the Summer of 2011 by 14-year-old Prodigy Camper Rachael Sonnenberg:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEXLpQ8HyYk

Apply now at TheProdigyCamp web site

The film is based on real events and it tells the story of Sabine Kuegler’s unusual childhood; a Coming-of-Age story of a young girl (played by Stella Kunkat) who grew up deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.  Sabine’s father is a linguist and, when a new tribe is discovered, he decides to build a house in the jungle and learn the tribe’s language and culture.  His wife and children: Sabine,  just eight years old at the time, her older sister and their younger brother move into the house after the tribal chief promises that the family will be safe as long as they do not interfere with the customs and the daily lives of his people.  As it turns out, this simple condition is hard to follow when a culture clash is present.  And, when the family finds itself in the middle of a tribal war, choices have to be made that may jeopardize the family’s safety.

First encounters

As was mentioned earlier,  the film is based on the autobiographical novel of Sabine Kuegler.  The story is narrated by the now grown up Sabine, remembering her childhood experiences and adventures.  As the story unfolds, Sabine discovers not only the world of the Fayu tribe, but learns about herself as well.  She reflects on how what she saw, heard and learned in the jungle shaped her personality.

The movie was divided into chapters like in a book ( I haven’t read the book Dschungelkind/Jungle Child,  but I suspect that the chapter titles from it were used in the film). As each new chapter is about to begin, the title on screen played the role of a teaser or spoiler. Such an approach may have hindered the flow of the action in the movie but, in the case of Jungle Child -- which features the elements of both drama and documentary —  it actually made the story better by adding an extra layer of interaction with the viewer.

Friendship

The cinematography of the film is one of its best features: breathtaking vivid images of the jungle and ingenuous scenes revealing the life of an unknown culture. In that respect, the movie much reminded me of the 2005 film End of the Spear starring Chase Ellison.  Stella Kunkat’s portrayal of the young Sabine made a huge impression on me with her expressiveness and very believable performance.  Casting Stella and Tom Hoßbach in the movie (who played Sabina’s little brother) resulted in a bit of a stereotypical portrayal of German youth as far as appearance is concerned.  Yet, in their case, both talent and the cute factor contributed significantly to  the overall appeal of the film.

The Jungle

If you approach Jungle Child (2011)  with expectations of powerful emotional scenes or swift action scenes, you may be disappointed.  The main achievement of its director, Roland Suso Richter, was to tell a story that engages the audience without being overly manipulative, as when one reads a good book.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWx67ybanbQ

Jungle Child (2011) is nominated in the Best International Film of the 4th Annual Coming of Age movie awards.

Film title: Dschungelkind
Also known as: Jungle Child
Release year: 2011 -- UFA Cinema, ARD Degeto Film, Biscuit Films
Director: Roland Suso Richter
Cast: Stella Kunkat, Tom Hoßbach, Thomas Kretschmann, Nadja Uhl, Sven Gielnik, Emmanuel Simeon and others