A posh girls boarding school seen in Bertrand Bonello’s “Zombi Child,” which screens October 1 and 2.
➤ NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL, from p.24
I don’t have any problem with
the fi lm’s visual style, which goes
back and forth between hand-held
close-ups and more sedate, static
shots, but the script is simultaneously
too ambiguous and on-thenose.
The fi lm begins in media
res, with Ahmed already radicalized,
avoiding psychology in a way
that might be admirable in another
context. But here, it’s easy
to fi ll in the gaps in a facile manner:
for instance, “Young Ahmed”
suggests that the boy’s problems
lie with an absent father. Despite
the emphasis on Islam, the plot is
actually rather generic: the details
could easily be swapped out with
Ahmed joining a gang or turned
into a white boy becoming a neo-
Nazi. There’s no real confl ict or argument
to the fi lm, because it uses
the mix of austerity and melodrama
that has served the Dardenne
brothers well in the past to reduce
Ahmed to a symbol of thoughtless
violence rather than a threedimensional
teenager.
Bertrand Bonello’s 2016 “Nocturama”
is one of this decade’s
masterpieces, so expectations
were high for his follow-up “Zombi
Child” (Oct. 1, 6 p.m. at Alice Tully
Hall; Oct. 2, 9:15 p.m. at the Walter
Reade). It puzzled, if not exactly
disappointing, many critics when
it premiered at Cannes in the
spring. My initial response was
positive but rather baffl ed. Thinking
FILM MOVEMENT
about it as I write now, it feels
refreshing not to have been able to
come up with an immediate judgment
or interpretation.
Set in 1962 Haiti and presentday
France, “Zombi Child” cuts
back and forth between the stories
of Clairvius Narcisse (Mackenson
Bijou), a man drugged into
zombiehood by his brother, and
fi ve teenage girls at a posh boarding
school. (One of them turns
out to be Clairvius’ granddaughter.)
Bonello brings up all kinds of
charged thematic material about
colonialism, racism, gender, and
the nature of freedom. But it’s
hard to parse exactly what “Zombi
Child” has to say about these subjects
— it creates a very elaborate
construct to play out a celebration
of liberation in several forms and
at different times, but that feels
both simplistic and insuffi cient as
a description.
Like many recent directors, Bonello
is reaching out from the arthouse
toward genre forms. “Zombi
Child” draws on ideas and images
from horror fi lms, but it also has
space to include a political science
lecture by real-life scholar Patrick
Boucheron lasting several minutes.
Thankfully, its inquiry into
desire and freedom plays out more
like a fever dream, with this year’s
best musical number!
57TH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
| Sep. 27-Oct. 13 | Film at
Lincoln Center, various theaters |
fi lmlinc.org/nyff2019
Personalized
protection
Coverage that’s catered to you.
Your protection needs are unique. Shouldn't your
insurance coverage be just as well? I am committed to
learning what you need. And, just as important, what
you don't. Call me or stop by to get a quote today.
John Wiltshire
212-799-2900
161 West 54th Street, Apt. 602E
New York, NY 10019
johnwiltshire@allstate.com
I am proud to support the LGBTQ Community!
Subject to terms, conditions and availability. Savings vary. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance
Co., Northbrook, IL © 2018 Allstate Insurance Co.
TOP $ PAID
FOR JUDAICA
COLLECTIBLES
HOUSE
CALLS
SAME DAY
SERVICE
AVAILABLE
SAME SERVICE
AVAILABLE
HOUSE
CALLS
SERVING
MANHATTAN
AND THE ENTIRE
TRI-STATE AREA
ANTIQUES AND ESTATE BUYERS
WE W
PAY $ CASH $ FOR
ALL GOLD, GOLD & STERLING SILVER
COSTUME JEWELRY, ALL COINS, PAPER
MONEY & STAMP COLLECTIONS
ALL GOLD...BROKEN OR NOT
PRE- 1960 FURNITURE, CLOCKS &
WATCHES (WORKING OR NOT)
TIFFANY, BACCARAT, LALIQUE
YERS
The List is Endless
Q
MILITARY
Collections Wanted
Swords, Knives,
Helmets, etc.
SEE OUR AD IN THE SUNDAY POST
516-974-6528
ASK FOR CHRISTOPHER
www.AntiqueAndEstateBuyers.com
for Antique
10957937
ANTIQUE & ESTATE BUYERS
We buy anything old. One piece or house full.
WILL TRAVEL. HOUSE CALLS. WILL TRAVEL
ENTIRE
TRI-STATE!
WILL WILL TRAVEL.TRAVEL. WE WE MAKE HOUSE HOUSE CALLS.
CALLS.
1029 WEST JERICHO 37W 47TH TURNPIKE,ST, NYC
SMITHTOWN, L.I.
FREE
Estimate
GayCityNews.com | September 26 - October 9, 2019 29
/www.AntiqueAndEstateBuyers.com
/www.AntiqueAndEstateBuyers.com
/nyff2019
link
/GayCityNews.com
link