I have had a chance to see L'Iceberg on the Debut Film Festival in Zagreb, where I live. I was reluctant to see it at first, but when I did, it completely blew my mind - the acting, the directing, the writing, the cinematography - perfect! Basically, it is a story of a family woman, Fiona (Fiona Gordon, who works in a fast-food restaurant. One day, before returning home to her estranged husband Julien (Dominique Abel), she gets accidentally locked in the restaurant's room-sized freezer. Even though she survives, she develops a strange affection - one may say addiction - for ice and cold. Once she returns home, she sees a TV documentary about an iceberg (hence the title) on the far north and attempts to reach it, no matter what. In her pursuit of her cold goal, she elopes into a small village on the north of Belgium, where she tries to convince a deaf-mute sailor, Rene (Philippe Martz), to take to the iceberg. Her husband follows her and tries to convince her to return to her family, but she refuses and goes on the trip with Rene. But, what she doesn't know is that her husband has hidden himself aboard Rene's boat, which is *so* aptly named Titanic...
The film is a series of static shots, each one crafted so perfectly in every aspect. Each of the shots contains its own gag, which are mostly slapstick, and at other times very subtle jokes concerning family life, village folk and people's habits. Every shot is also fascinatingly choreographed and photographed, which makes the audience feel like they are watching a painting come to life. There is only one moving shot in the entire film - a panning shot of the boat with all three main characters on it.
On top of all that, the film is extremely funny, and I think everybody could find something for them in it - whether it is slapstick, parody, absurd or simply surrealism (Like the shot of Julien watching a huge ocean-liner sailing less than ten feet from their boat, which the other two characters don't notice). In simpler terms, a cross between Charles Chaplin, Jacques Tati and Monty Python.
10 out of 10, a must-see!
The film is a series of static shots, each one crafted so perfectly in every aspect. Each of the shots contains its own gag, which are mostly slapstick, and at other times very subtle jokes concerning family life, village folk and people's habits. Every shot is also fascinatingly choreographed and photographed, which makes the audience feel like they are watching a painting come to life. There is only one moving shot in the entire film - a panning shot of the boat with all three main characters on it.
On top of all that, the film is extremely funny, and I think everybody could find something for them in it - whether it is slapstick, parody, absurd or simply surrealism (Like the shot of Julien watching a huge ocean-liner sailing less than ten feet from their boat, which the other two characters don't notice). In simpler terms, a cross between Charles Chaplin, Jacques Tati and Monty Python.
10 out of 10, a must-see!