Film Fridays: TIFF's Slow and Slower

The films we've seen thus far have been refreshingly slow, excessive even in their length and pace. Chilean Pablo Solis' Parentesis (Time Off) was shot on miniDV and blown up to 35mm, and it looks beautiful. Its protagonist, Camilo, is a 28 year-old night shift video clerk, who aimlessly wanders Santiago, buying records and trying to tire himself out. It's all of no use though - his insomnia is merciless. Camilo's girlfriend asks for a one week 'time off,' and the movie charts that revelatory week, one in which Camilo meets a bizarre teenage girl and has deep conversations with his mute millionare sage of a friend. The editing is kind of absurd, and at one point Camilo breaks into a rollerblading song and dance number, and the film at times seems a melange of styles, but the acting is great, and it's enjoyable to see a film this rough and disjointed. And the music is terrific.

Even slower than Time Off is the Japanese teen rock film Linda, Linda, Linda. It meanders, it holds shots for excrutiatingly long periods of time, and it seems to exist in an otherworld, where school has been interrupted for the "Shibu High Holly Festival," and the students busy themselves by making crepes and selling popcorn. The four terrific leads are putting together a few numbers for the festival's rock concert, and the film leisurely follows them around as they get ready for that big day. Almost in real time, or so it feels like. The performance at the end, however, and intermittent moments of profound quirkiness and amusing hijinx, make it a worthwhile adventure.