RED CARPET: FROM LONDON TO DOHA
Doha, Oct 25th 2010
Welcome to Cinépol. This blog is an approach to cinema as an art but also as a political object, in the etymological sense of the word.
Like it or not, the film industry reflects the cultural influence of a country and, to an extent, its political power. The UK for instance has been busy since its government swung to the right last May, with launching a series of strict reforms designed to save the country's economy. From cutting job in the already questionable health sector, to lowering the budget of the British Film Institute to 15%, there is just one step...
Meanwhile, under Doha's skyscrapers, in the richest country in the world, tents and auditoriums are being built to celebrate the birth of the Qatari film industry. Tomorrow the second annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival will open under Doha Film Institute's umbrella. And while its English alter ego is running out of money, DFI is looking to invest in films. And whether it be for its gas or its films, we are now staring at Doha, intrigued.
We will be writing about it extensively in the coming days.
Sources : Sharon Hall Shipp & Doha Film Institute
THE SOCIAL NETWORK: A FILM THAT CAME TOO SOON?
Barely six years old, and only three after if became famous internationally, Facebook already has its own movie. It shows how big this thing is, when you think Justin Bieber waited he turned sixteen before releasing his autobiography...
The subject matter was definitely going to attract cinema goers, and frankly, the film is remarkably accomplished. It has been doing well at the U.S. box office (over $ 72 million after staying at the top for two weeks after its release). And as elsewhere, critics are unanimous. American website Rotten Tomatoes estimated that 97% of the 233 listed reviews have praised the work of David Fincher.
The film takes us back to the early days of then TheFacebook, a website created by IT genious Mark Zuckerberg, who shortly became the youngest billionaire in the world. Fincher applied a theory developed in Ben Mezrich The Accidental Billionaires - Zuckerberg's social inanity - and which has since been denied by Zuckerberg himself. This "flaw" earned him two lawsuits: one against three former Harvard students who accused him of having stolen the Facebook idea from them, whilst the other opposed him to Eduardo Saverin, his best friend and co-founder of Facebook who used to enjoy a greater popularity than Zuckerberg in student circles at the time.
There is not much to say about the script, subtle and humbly served by two talented actors - Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. From Harvard's corridors to the glossy Silicon Valley, these environments for the privileged do not appear glamorous nor vile. They are only the background of Zuckerberg's story, no more and no less. Just like him, Fincher never seems to give them any value, and this is for the best. As for the film direction and the editing, they are fair and effective, making The Social Network a pleasant film to watch.
I got bored after watching two-thirds of the film. It may be because, like the website that inspired it, The Social Network lacks... substance. But opinions differ. Some are blindly fascinated with this extraordinary entrepreneur who might well have had the idea of the century. Others think that opportunism prevails with Zuckerberg, who ultimately yields to the temptation of power and money, driven by Sean Parker, the founder of Napster and played in the film by Justin Timberlake. They are disappointed not to find this je-ne-sais-quoi that elevates, educates, transports.
The moral of the story is that there is none. The Social Network is a good photo of the era we live in. Framed around a well-told story, it modestly reveals the blurred edges of our demoralised Western world but it never judges. By never wanting to stick his neck out, David Fincher made a film without a soul. Modeled after his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, the film is a mirror of our society, who has fueled this young man's success.
Since it was launched, Facebook has been both an inspiration and a centre of controversy. Could it be simply getting too much attention? After all, it is just a social website. Should have David Fincher - and Justin Bieber with his book - waited a few more years and let the audience take the necessary step back to analyse the new problematics that have emerged with Facebook? Even if the film is well made, going to the cinema to understand a social phenomenon which we are so close to is ultimately equivalent to not leaving home at all...
