(brief report from the Toronto International Film Festival)
I picked this film in the TIFF because of another of Director Ozpetak's work "Facing Window" (2003) which I enjoyed tremendously. Although I still like "Window" a little better, "A perfect day" is an entirely satisfying cinematic experience. Similar to "Window", "Perfect Day" is ordinary stories handled with deftly hands by Ozpetak. It is however darker and tends somewhat towards melodramatic, lacking some of the easy grace of "Window".
Again similar to "Window", "Perfect day" runs two parallel plots, this time both on dysfunctional families. The main plot surrounds a divorced couple Emma and Antonio with a teenage daughter and a grad-school son, both wanting to see their parents back together. Emma, however, firmly believes that what is over is over, despite her ex-husband's persistent plead. Living with her mother now, she firmly forbids the kids to visit their father who now lives alone in their old home. Loosely connected to the main story, the sub-plot tells the story of another family, headed by Antonio's boss (Antonio is a bodyguard), an ambitious politician whose invalid wife had committed suicide. His young and beautiful second wife then falls in love with his own son.
The simple description above gives only a small glimpse into the proliferation of characters close to a dozen including the more important of the support cast. The entire story happens within 24 hours, as the somewhat sarcastic title intimates. With a stead and deftly hand, Ozpetak keeps the complex events and characters in full rein. Character development of the two key protagonists is handled skillfully, allowing the audience to explore the reasons for the failed relationship and at the same time leaving room for them to arrive at their own conclusion. The "tour de force" (quoting from TIFF's literature on the film) ending is somewhat melodramatic but this could be a matter of individual taste. Personally, I prefer the more subtle and reflective style of "Facing window".
I picked this film in the TIFF because of another of Director Ozpetak's work "Facing Window" (2003) which I enjoyed tremendously. Although I still like "Window" a little better, "A perfect day" is an entirely satisfying cinematic experience. Similar to "Window", "Perfect Day" is ordinary stories handled with deftly hands by Ozpetak. It is however darker and tends somewhat towards melodramatic, lacking some of the easy grace of "Window".
Again similar to "Window", "Perfect day" runs two parallel plots, this time both on dysfunctional families. The main plot surrounds a divorced couple Emma and Antonio with a teenage daughter and a grad-school son, both wanting to see their parents back together. Emma, however, firmly believes that what is over is over, despite her ex-husband's persistent plead. Living with her mother now, she firmly forbids the kids to visit their father who now lives alone in their old home. Loosely connected to the main story, the sub-plot tells the story of another family, headed by Antonio's boss (Antonio is a bodyguard), an ambitious politician whose invalid wife had committed suicide. His young and beautiful second wife then falls in love with his own son.
The simple description above gives only a small glimpse into the proliferation of characters close to a dozen including the more important of the support cast. The entire story happens within 24 hours, as the somewhat sarcastic title intimates. With a stead and deftly hand, Ozpetak keeps the complex events and characters in full rein. Character development of the two key protagonists is handled skillfully, allowing the audience to explore the reasons for the failed relationship and at the same time leaving room for them to arrive at their own conclusion. The "tour de force" (quoting from TIFF's literature on the film) ending is somewhat melodramatic but this could be a matter of individual taste. Personally, I prefer the more subtle and reflective style of "Facing window".