Curling — Curling(Blu Ray)
Curling is the fourth feature-length film from New Brunswick, Canada based director/writer Denis Côté- and he certainly captures both the stark white-out of the landscape of the setting, and the lulling grimness of its characters. The largely score-less film is very much a statement in cinematic minimalism, with Côté threading an appealingly stark-though- at times ambiguous plot/ flow
The film centers in on a period in the lives of father & daughter Jean-Francois & Julyvonne Sauvageau, played by real-life father & daughter Emmanuel & Philomène Bilodeau. The mustached & thick bowl haired Jean-Francois works as an odd-job man in both the town's local bowling alley & hotel. And Julyvonne is near hitting her teens, just got glasses due to bad eyesight, and is keen to go out more & socialize- through her father makes her stay at home to clean, loosely do home school, and ebb out a lonely existence. The film opens with the pair going to the opticians- then walking home on a snow swirled road- where they get stopped & questioned by a patrolling cop. This scene feels like it could have come from a Bella Tarr film- with it’s lingering shot of the distant figures, and the whole stark landscape. Though Curling pacing is slow, it's never quite up to Tarr's truly crawling flow.
As the film unfolds Jean-Francois moves between his two jobs, and the largely dejected & tired owners/customers. While Julyvonne stares out of their houses isolated window, down the straight road that runs in front of the house, and out into the white snow & ice covered countryside. On her travels, she comes across a caged tiger, and a dumping ground for human bodies- neither of these discoveries are reported or explained- leaving one to wonder if these are real or imagined- and if the bodies are real, is it something to do with her father?.
The film runs at a fairly standard just over an hour & a half mark, but feels longer due to the pacing of the whole thing- though oddly it remains a fairly compelling character study with underlining feeling of mystery, with very, very subtle thriller & horror tropes. Both Emmanuel & Philomène Bilodeau are very naturalistic & believable, the small supporting cast are good too- with special mention going to lightly sleazy-yet kind bowl alley owner, and the tired & ready to retire grey-haired female owner of the local hotel. The film features no formal score or soundtrack for most of its runtime- the only time , aside from background location music, we get score is when Julyvonne is allowed to play music after dinner. The first time it’s "I Think We’re Alone Now" by Tiffany, and the other time it’s a similar bright yet bland pop tune- and on each, she dances in front of her awkward looking father. The film is very much about mood, and less about the plot, or definitive answers- so it glumly begins, then glumly drifts off just over an hour & a half later. There is certainly a sparse art-house feel to the film & it’s unfold, so you’ve got to be ready for that- but if your looking for a low-key drama with a bleak setting, and coolly moody cinematography I think Curling is for you, just don’t go expecting anything been fully explained or resolved.
This is the world premiere of the film- and it's presented on a region free disc. On the extras front, we get a twenty-five-minute on-screen interview with the director, and this is rather interesting, though we don’t get any big answers to the films mysteries. Côté starts by talking about that when he started getting into film he was a huge horror fan, but then switched to be more of a cinephile. He goes on to discuss where the film sits in his filmography, the small cast, and how the film fits into the Canadian film genre of suicidal realism. The directors down-to-earth and the interview give an interesting insight into his influences.
Next, we get Côté 2015 short film May We Sleep Soundly(Que nous nous assoupissions) - this runs at just over the fifteen-minute mark, and takes the ambiguous elements of Curling to new heights- as we basically POV shots of someone wandering around in a snow heavy forest/ landscape & going in a house where everyone is asleep. It’s edited in quite a jarring manner- which I guess adds more edge to the whole thing- it’s ok I guess, but not something I can see myself revisiting. Lastly we a twenty-four-page booklet- featuring two new essays about Curling from film critics/ writers Adam Nayman & Tom McSorley.
Curling will certainly not be for everyone- as it’s so low-key, and stark in both its visual presentation, story & unfold. But if you’ve enjoyed other minimal & low-key forms of art, be it film or sound, then I think you may well find this oddly appealing in it’s steady & glum unfold.