News, analysis and comment - film/tv/radio 

MIFF daily diary 5

By Richard Watts ArtsHub | Thursday, July 29, 2010

'To Die Like a Man' part of the MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010  

TO DIE LIKE A MAN

The latest film from Portuguese director João Pedro Rodrigues is, like his earlier works O Fantasma (2000) and Odete, a queer-themed drama that borders on melodrama; but unlike his first two films, To Die Like a Man is filmed in such a stylised and fragmented way as to drain almost all emotion from the story in progress.

The film opens with a group of camouflage-clad soldiers on a night-time training exercise in a forest. Two of the men creep away from their comrades, and once alone, fall into a passionate embrace which leads quickly to sex, and then to murder.

Next we meet Tonia (Fernando Santos), an aging drag queen dealing simultaneously with two major dramas: his loss of status in the nightclub where he has worked for years, and a highly strung junkie boyfriend, Rosario (Alexander David), who is young enough to be his own son.

At Rosario’s insistence, Tonia is contemplating having a full sex change; a procedure which is explained to viewers in detail early in the film through the inventive use of origami, but we are given no indication that gender reassignment would bring any form of stability to the pair’s relationship, even once Rosario gives up using heroin. Instead we explore the petty details day-to-day of Tonia’s life: her falling out with an old friend, her fights with an up-and-coming young drag queen at work, and her infected, pus-leaking left nipple.

Just when it seems we are going to be witnessing a mundane domestic drama (well, as mundane as any drama can be whose main character is a highly strung drag queen), the film takes a twist by reintroducing the murderous young soldier we met in the first scene. He is, of course, Tonia’s son.

Before we have even had a chance to process this revelation, the film swiftly enters road trip territory – and very trippy territory it is, with Tonia and Rosario encountering a reclusive transsexual couple living in the forest who take them snipe hunting (despite the fact that snipe are extinct). It’s at this point that things get seriously fragmentary, with a sepia-toned musical sequence by an Antony and the Johnsons sound-alike sweeping up the characters for several excruciating minutes, after which we’re back to the action, and indeed, back to melodrama.

Of all the films I have seen at MIFF to date, To Die Like a Man is the most baffling and frustrating. Like a deranged cross between Fassbinder and Almodovar, Rodrigues introduces plot elements only to discard them minutes later; embraces melodrama only to abandon it in favour of formal abstraction; and coaxes both magnificent and scenery-chewing performances from his cast.

There is a heartfelt and poignant drama buried somewhere in To Die Like a Man, but unfortunately it is lost – no doubt deliberately – amidst the fragmented, arch and dry film that Rodrigues has crafted.

To Die Like a Man (dir. João Pedro Rodrigues from his own screenplay, produced by Maria Joao Sigalho, Portugal/France 2009)

Melbourne International Film Festival, June 22 – August 8

’It’s a matter of taste’

TO DIE LIKE A MAN (Trailer) - The best video clips are here

Richard Watts

Richard Watts is a Melbourne-based arts writer and broadcaster. In addition to writing for Arts Hub he presents the weekly program SmartArts on 3RRR. Richard has worked for a wide array of arts organisations, and has sat on numerous boards. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts

E: editor@artshub.com.au

Related news

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures

Sarah Ward 2 Feb 2012

ACMI: Julie Moggan's documentary offers a slight and sweet glimpse at romance novel publishers Harlequin Mills & Boon.

Man on a Ledge

Man on a Ledge

Sarah Ward 1 Feb 2012

HOYTS: If the success of Man on a Ledge was judged on its adherence to its name, it would be a hit. Sadly, the film disappoints.

The Straits

The Straits

Melanie Sheridan 31 Jan 2012

ABC1: Set in the tropical paradise of Australia’s Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait, The Straits is a bullet-riddled, darkly funny local crime drama.

Alphas

Alphas

Melanie Sheridan 31 Jan 2012

SCI-FI CHANNEL: It’s not groundbreaking science fiction but Alphas is a serviceable ‘mutant’ show.

The Artist

The Artist

Sarah Ward 30 Jan 2012

ROADSHOW: With captivating turns from Oscar contenders Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, The Artist captures the essence of movie magic to become itself an instant classic.

J. Edgar

J. Edgar

Sarah Ward 24 Jan 2012

ROADSHOW: Sluggish direction and an average script bog down what should have been a fascinating film about one of America's best-known figures.

Warehouse 13 - Season 3 Episode 1

Warehouse 13 - Season 3 Episode 1

Melanie Sheridan 24 Jan 2012

SCI FI CHANNEL: If agents Mulder and Scully teamed up with Indiana Jones and Noah Wylie's Librarian, you might get a show like Warehouse 13.

Live Live Cinema: Carnival of Souls

Live Live Cinema: Carnival of Souls

Gareth Beal 23 Jan 2012

SYDNEY FESTIVAL: Live Live Cinema: Carnival of Souls is wonderful entertainment, and hopefully a precursor to many similar productions over the coming years.

Weekend

Weekend

Nicole Eckersley 23 Jan 2012

RIALTO: This lovely film about a gay one-weekend-stand manages to be languid, witty and insightful all at once.

An Evening With Vincent Moon

An Evening With Vincent Moon

Aleksia Barron 23 Jan 2012

ROOFTOP CINEMA: One-take experimental music videos may not be to every taste but if they’re to yours, watching them with the city lights as a backdrop is the way to do it.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Sarah Ward 17 Jan 2012

UNIVERSAL: The embodiment of the old-fashioned spy genre, this new cinematic interpretation of John le Carré’s famed novel is an intelligent, enigmatic and enthralling movie.

Skins series 5

Skins series 5

Helen Begley 16 Jan 2012

MADMAN: With an entirely new cast and set of stories, series 5 of British TV show Skins continues the form set in earlier seasons as it follows the lives of eight teens navigating life, love, lust and more.

Young Adult

Young Adult

Sarah Ward 16 Jan 2012

PARAMOUNT: A gender-reversed take on the man-child movies common of late, Young Adult sees Charlize Theron put in her best screen performance since Monster.

Kiss Me Again

Kiss Me Again

Sarah Ward 13 Jan 2012

MADMAN: The sequel to Gabriele Muccino's 2001 film The Last Kiss, Kiss Me Again is an uneven effort given life by a fine ensemble cast.

The Interrupters

The Interrupters

Sarah Ward 14 Jan 2012

ACMI: Seventeen years after his documentary Hoop Dreams, director Steve James returns with a powerful, unflinching look at Chicago's violence prevention endeavour CeaseFire.

Collaborators

Collaborators

Bianca Rohlje 14 Jan 2012

SHARMILL FILMS: National Theatre Live screens live performances from Britain's stage to cinemas worldwide. Its third season kicks off with the thoroughly enjoyable Collaborators.

Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn

Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn

Kate Boston Smith 11 Jan 2012

MADMAN: A rare look behind the scenes of one of the most venerated music photographers of our times, Shadow Play offers you an insight into the mind of a visionary.

Flickerfest 2012

Flickerfest 2012

Bernadette Burke 11 Jan 2012

BONDI PAVILLION: Celebrating its 21st birthday this year, Flickerfest kicked off with a strong program full of excellent birthday gifts (aka films).

Hugo

Hugo

Sarah Ward 10 Jan 2012

PARAMOUNT: Martin Scorsese defies expectations to bring audiences a love letter to the early days of movie-making and what may just be his greatest cinematic achievement.

The Missing Person

The Missing Person

Sarah Ward 10 Jan 2012

MADMAN: With a complex performance from Michael Shannon lifting the film from engaging to irresistable, The Missing Person is worth seeking out on DVD.