Film examines grief in child’s eyes
By Jeff Randall
Film Critic
When most people think of child
actors, images of Gary Coleman and
Ricky Schroeder come to mind.
But in Europe, there’s a new face
that could help change people’s
impressions about child actors
worldwide. Her name is Victoire
Thivisol, and she is the star and title
character in “Ponette,” a new film by
French director Jacques Doillon.
At the age of four, Thivisol not
only carried this film, but also man
aged to capture a Best Actress Award
at the 1996 Venice Film Festival.
“Ponette” is the story of a young
girl (Thivisol) who is forced to deal
with loss and death for the first time
when her mother (Marie Trintignant)
dies in a car accident. Ponette is left
with a broken arm, a confused father
and a multitude of opinions about
how she should deal with her sudden
ly changed life.
Her father (Xavier Beauvois), a
..
devout atheist, is consumed with
anger at his deceased wife for her
carelessness. While attempting to
resolve this anger, he leaves Ponette
with her aunt and cousins. Ponette’s
aunt (Claire Nebout) is a devout
Catholic who tells Ponette the story of
Christ’s resurrection, and leaves the
young girl with the impression that
her mother will also come back to life.
And Ponette’s young cousins put forth
their own ideas about death and what
happens afterward - ideas that are
often more terrifying than reassuring.
In the midst of these conflicting
philosophies, Ponette is left to her
own ideas about where her mother
truly is; and when she begins seeing
visions of her mother at night, she
decides that her mother is actually
still with her. This belief upsets just
about everyone Ponette is close to,
including her father and aunt. About
the only person who sympathizes is
her youngest cousin (Matiaz Bureau),
who tries his best to reassure Ponette,
even if he can’t quite understand.
With “Ponette,” director Doillon
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TIM Facts
Title: Tonette*
Stare: Victoire Thivisol, Matiaz Bureau,
Delphine Schittz
Director: Jacques Doillon
Rating: NR
Grade: B+
Five Words: New child star carries film.
has created a film that is risky not
only in its subject matter, but also in
its casting (mostly four- and five
year-olds). The examination of death
and religious belief from a child’s
point of view makes one realize that
even the strongest convictions can be
of little comfort in a time of tragedy;
and Victoire Thivisol does a remark
able job portraying this confusion
with a sense of honesty and inno
cence that - in reality - could only be
relayed through a child.
Four-year-old Matiaz Bureau is
equally compelling as Ponette’s lov
ing cousin. Out of all the cast, Bureau
creates the best on-screen chemistry
with Thivisol - even when his charac
ter is as immature and mean-spirited
^- _IIII'i* II.—
Photo courtesy of Arrow Releasing
VICTOIRE THIVISOL stars in “Ponette,” the story of a young girl forced to
deal with the aftermath of her mother’s death.
as his age would dictate.
This film’s only weakness lies in
its long-winded and slow-paced deliv
ery, which drags out an admittedly
complex subject a bit too long to hold
interest throughout the story. These
excesses, however, prove to be little
more than a speed bump in an other
wise outstanding work by Doillon.
Many directors have tried to make
films that show the world through a
child’s eyes; Doillon has not only suc
ceeded at this task, he has excelled.
“Ponettewhich is in French and
is subtitled, opened Thursday at the
Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater and
continues through Sunday, and Oct.
2-4. Screenings are at 7 p.m. and 9
p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; 1
p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on
Saturdays; and 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m.
and 9 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is
$6 for the general public, $5 for stu
dents and $4 for children, seniors and
members of the Friends of the Mary
Riepma Ross Film Theater.
Film furrows ‘Acres’ of heartache s
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
If you are thinking about going to
see “A Thousand Acres,” consider
these safety tips:
First, bring hankies. Plenty of
hankies. The crying factor of this
film is way up there, compounded
by the number of modern social
issues it touches on in a mere 100
minutes.
Also, if you are a male and attend
ing this film, you’ll hate yourself and
everyone like you by the time it is
over - every male in this flick is either
an abuser (child, ate^hel, you riame
it), a lawyer or a jerk in general.
Finally, if you tend to get emo
tionally involved or connected with
films and the characters therein, have
a nice comedy waiting for you after
seeing “A Thousand Acres.”
Iowa farmer Larry Cook (Jason
Robards) is as “my-way-or-the-high
way” as they come, and despite his
age, he runs the family with a heavy
patriarchal iron fist. Still, eldest
daughter Ginny (Jessica Lange) loves
him despite his faults, and sees the
good in everything. Middle daughter
Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer) is showing
signs of intolerance, but also shows
glimmers of joy because of her
response to treatments for second
generation cancer.
Youngest daughter Caroline
(Jennifer Jason Leigh) has moved off
the farm and become a successful
lawyer, virtually shutting out the rest
of her family, although she visits
occasionally.
One day, Larry announces he is
splitting up the land between the
three daughters in an effort to keep
the government from laying a heavy
tax on it. However, when Caroline
expresses an uncertainty, Larry takes
this as an insult and splits the land 50
Photo courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
JESSICA LANGE (left), Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Jason Leigh star as
three sisters whose father offers to divide the family’s 100-year-old farm
among them in “A Thousand Acres.”_
3U oetween uinny ana Kose.
From here, everything gradually
dissolves, revealing long-hidden
secrets and surprising alliances,
whether they be between the sisters,
their spouses or even the father him
self, who accuses the daughters of
using, and then ignoring him.
In a Shakespearean nutshell, it’s
“King Lear” with Iowa license plates.
Pfeiffer and Lange both give
incredible performances. Lange
draws the audience into her world,
and manages to keep it there even as
her life melts around her, and the
walls of reality come crashing
down.
Pfeiffer is great as well, refusing
to be typecast in “romantic” roles
after her work in “Up Close and
Personal” and “One Fine Day.” She
once again shows the Oscar-worthi
ness she has shown in the past.
Pfeiffer takes Rose and turns her into
a woman who feeds off of anger the
same way cancer threatens to eat
away her life.
-,
The Facts
Title: “A Thousand Acres”
Stars: Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Jason Robards, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Rating: R (subject matter, language)
Grade: A
Five Words: Land division separates sisters,
family.
Director Jocelyn Moorhouse
(“How To Make An American Quilt”)
draws incredible performances from
all of the performers, even Leigh,
whose character at first appears to be
the quiet and insecure little sister, but
eventually evolves into something ...
different.
Overall, a very fine film, but not
one to be taken lightly, so have a quiet
drink after watching it, before going
back to face the real world.
Heck, have two drinks. A pitcher
is worth “A Thousand Acres.”
Art display encapsulates lamily diversity
By Julie Abrahamson
Staff Reporter
Picture the perfect family: a moth
er, father and two children. Does this
sound ideal? While the scenario may
be perceived as normal, it doesn’t nec
essarily fit the modem family mold.
A free art display - sponsored by
University Program Council -
explores the notion today through
Oct. 12 in the north lobby of
Nebraska Union.
“Love Makes a Family: Living in
Lesbian and Gay Families,” features
interview transcripts combined with
photographs of families with gay and
lesbian members.
The display visually confronts
homophobia and emphasizes diversi
ty within families, purporting that
picture-perfect families surpass
appearance and focus by providing
love, care, support and acceptance.
Knowing gay and lesbian people
helps educate others about the gay civil
rights movement, said Pat Tetreault,
advisor of Someone You Know, a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln stu
dent organization working to establish
the humanity of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered people.
“The more people find they know
people who are gay or lesbian, the more
likely they are to be for gay and lesbian
rights,” Tetreault said. “They realize
that gays and lesbians are people, too.”
Among the photographic dis
play’s subjects is a girl happily sitting
outside with her two mothers.
During an interview accompany
ing the photograph, one of the moth
ers likened her situation to white
water rafting.
“You keep learning to negotiate
the rough parts,” the woman was
quoted as saying. “By being who we
are, by being open and positive about
it, we change a little bit of the world.”
Her daughter, Liza, a second
grader, agreed, saying, “A family is a
bunch of people, or not so many, who
love each other.”
The exhibit will be displayed 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. weekends.