The 57th New York Film Festival has ended, but not so regarding the euphoria that attendees guaranteed to experience throughout 17 days. Look no further than the thoughts of our member Mark Schumann in this four-part series as proof, some of which will also feature reviews of this year’s cinematic heavyweights such as The Irishman, Pain and Glory and Parasite!
ICYMI: Part 1 and Part 2 are here.
What’s Cooking at the New York Film Festival? (Pain and Glory)
Over the years, the New York Film Festival has celebrated the works of some of the world’s leading moviemakers.
From Scorsese to Spielberg, Iñárritu to Cuarón, the annual event from Film at Lincoln Center becomes a showcase for the best of international film. That’s why it was so special, on the second evening of this year’s event, to savor the magic of Pain and Glory, the latest work from Spanish moviemaker Pedro Almodóvar.
A man looks in the mirror to see what his life could have been while fearing what it may have become. While he clearly sees the wisdom of age in the lines that crease his face, he looks behind his eyes to consider what choices he has made. As he continues to stare at himself, he wonders what in his personal narrative he would like the chance to rewrite.
As the film progresses, Almodóvar questions how people react to aging. But he dares to provide many answers. Instead the moviemaker lets his characters consider how accurately they want to remember as well as what history they might prefer to reconsider. He suggests that confronting the details of the past may not always be the best way to learn from what has been. And, perhaps, some experiences should simply be forgotten.
The film introduces us to Salvador, a successful movie maker is in the midst of a bit of career confusion. He isn’t sure what type of work he wants to pursue or which relationships he may care about. All he knows is he likes his routine, art work and memories, and he may have some unfinished business to address in his personal and professional lives. As Salvador considers whether or not to participate in a tribute to a film he once made, he reconnects with a former colleague as well as encounters a past lover, each prompting the man looking in the mirror to reconsider which parts of him are still alive and which may need some attention.
Like the best of Almodóvar films – including All About My Mother and Talk to Her – this new piece is at his best when the moviemaker brings his own fears to the characters he creates. This time, we can’t help but wonder how much of the man on the screen reflects the man behind the camera as we watch someone try to resolve, after so many years, the origins of the priorities he lives every day. Through his narrative, Almodóvar beautifully explores the layers of memory that we may reconsider or discard as years pass. With Pain and Glory, the moviemaker lets us see into a corner of his life he may still be deciding how to remember.
And that’s what’s cooking this year at the New York Film Festival.
Mark Schumann is The Reel Dad for Hearst Connecticut Media. Since 1999 his film reviews have helped families across New England and Metro New York City choose the movies to share together.
