An Interview With an AMPAS Voter

by John Villeneuve

Earlier today, I was granted a short tête-à-tête with an AMPAS member who was gracious enough to put aside some time to answer assorted questions about this years Oscar race. In particular, the Foreign Film category. Though this member did not violate any rules by speaking with me, his/her name will remain anonymous (at their request). The interview went as follows

In regards to the Foreign Film category (and knowing that you have not yet screened them all), what films have impressed you the most this year?

Remember, we really are just a little over 1/2 way through the 65 films. At this point I’d have to say I was most impressed by Argentina (The Secret in Her Eyes), Norway (Max Manus), Canada (I Killed My Mother), Israel (Ajami). There are several others that I would rank high, for instance Bulgaria (The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner), Slovenia (Landscape No. 2) and Poland (Reverse). But so far the first four were particularly impressive

Are there any particular performers or performances in a foreign film this year that have excited you?

Ricardo Darin in two films (The Secret in Her Eyes, The Dancer and the Thief), the young Argentinean actor Abel Ayala (The Dancer and the Thief) in the Spanish film, who I expect will become a star. Kim Hye-ja, the mother in MOTHER was quite impressive, as were the two actors (Kaarina Hazard, Jukka Keinonen) in the Finnish film (Letters to Father Jacob). I was also impressed by Axsel Hennie, who played Max Manus…and I must give super props to both Xavier Dolan and Anne Dorval who burnt up the screen in the Canadian film (I Killed My Mother) as mother and son.

How about direction? Did you find that there were any new or up-and-coming directors to watch out for?

Watch Xavier Dolan, who was 19 when he wrote, directed and acted in I KILLED MY MOTHER. Quite a tour de force. I expect great things from this director, whose filmmaking skills at a young age reminded me a little of that other wunderkind of a different era: Orson Welles.

Obviously there are some veteran directors in this years list. Would you say that any of them are at the top of their game? And who would they be?

I really respect Klaus H√§r√∂ (Letters From Father Jacob)…his film this year was exquisitely directed. I haven’t seen the Haneke (The White Ribbon) or Audiard (A Prophet) films yet, so can’t say. I liked Tornatore’s film (Baaria) a lot…the direction was especially good, he reined in his tendency to over do the emotional pangs, which may work against his film. I liked Trueba’s film (The Dancer and the Thief) a heck of a lot better than the one that actually won the Oscar back in the early ’90s (Belle Epoque), but it didn’t have that film’s virtuosity, admittedly.

Visually speaking, which films had cinematography that really stood out or impressed you?

This has been a great year for cinematography. It’s especially interesting how many films are shown in wide screen…I suppose they were shot in super-35, but it makes for impressive visuals. Among the more obscure films, I thought the Colombian (The Wind Journeys), Peruvian (The Milk of Sorrow), Korean (Mother), Uruguaian (Bad Day for Fishing) and even the Sri Lankan (The Road from Elephant Pass) films were very well shot.

Are there any foreign films that did not strike a chord for you?

I disliked the Australian film (Samson & Delilah); but even that one had something
going for it. I was confused by the Cuban film (Fallen Gods) which made little sense to me. But in truth, this has been an above average year so far…I’ve enjoyed most of the screenings.

One of my personal favorites this year is Peru’s, The Milk of Sorrow. But I understand that it was not, so to speak, a home run for you. Would you care to comment on why that is?

It had fine cinematography for sure. There was a strong sense of the characters’ poverty; and the contrast with the wealth of the pianist was striking. I respect the filmmaking…but the girl’s passivity – or maybe it was more her passive aggressiveness, plus all the sidetracks into the weddings didn’t make me love the film. It’s a fragile bond, this thing of emotional involvement with a film. The girl and her mother’s situation called out for making a connection…and it didn’t happen for me.

Finally, aside from the foreign language films, are there any particular movies that impressed you, and if so, which ones? (I understand that The Hurt Locker was a stand-out for you).

Among my favorites this year: Hurt Locker […] The Messenger, Young Victoria, Red Cliffs, An Education and Precious. Actually that just scratches the surface […] I think this has been a good year for the foreign film, less so for Hollywood (but there are several important Oscar bait films that I haven’t seen yet.) I do need to stress that I don’t think I am a typical Academy filmgoer. I would definitely hesitate before counting on my choices being a prognosticator of the Oscars. On a personal note, I’m now one of the “old, retired people” that this committee is supposedly made up of (at least reading the press criticisms). But when I first started serving on this committee I was 37…and I can attest that there are plenty of relatively young people serving today. This committee is, in my opinion, one of the most rewarding perks of Academy membership. It’s gratifying that it seems like more people are attending films this year than ever before. And please, try not to be too hard on this committee. I know that year after year there is much controversy in the press. But mostly the problem is with the limitations on submissions imposed on the award itself by the rules and the very nature of a “foreign language film Oscar”, not the committee’s job of judging the films once they are submitted.

That concludes my interview, and I would like to offer my interviewee a special thank-you and appreciation for indulging me during this decidedly hectic and, above all, historic decision making moment.