Film: Pamfir

Back in London again. On a Ryanair plane this time, damnit - the Lauda ones are so much more comfortable. It's not even so much the plastic seats over leather, it's the lack of air-conditioning.. Awkward flight time, I was too early to eat at my mother's, and too late to eat out in London. I compromised by eating from a food stall in Liverpool Street - the one with the steak slices. They've changed the name, but I can't remember to what, and can't seem to see it on the station directory - the guy behind the counter recognised me though, I think. And I was begged from as I ate - ah, the nostagia.. I also heard that famous TFL announcement voiced by the King and Queen - and on the way home, I caught a little bit of leftover celebratory decoration!

Anyway, today, I was - heh - thinking of film again. Now, that film listings site is, as established, a nightmare - but I had a choice of two; there was Pamfir, which is Ukrainian, and The Blue Caftan, which is Moroccan. Both showing in my local cinema (how else would I even know they existed..?). Anyway, both are rated the same, but straightaway, Pamfir looked more interesting to me, set in dense forests swirling with mist, and lying somewhere on the border between fact and fantasy.. 

So, off I trotted - a bit later than I'd have liked, but I had the chance to get ahead by doing a couple of easy work tasks before I left. And mercifully, GBK wasn't busy, and they served me quickly. And it was delish - although it continually bemuses me that the crumbed chicken burger consists of a massive chicken escalope, plonked between two halves of a bun, one third its length! Would it kill them to make the bun a little bigger? or to give slightly less chicken? It'd be so much easier to eat.. Anyway, I gobbled it down, and finished five minutes before the scheduled start time - the cinema, after all, is very close. My, I was stuffed though - didn't even manage to finish the chocolate honeycomb bites I always get, there!

Fairytales are mentioned in the trailer - if this is a fairytale, then the title character is a gentle giant. A legend back home for his strength, he used to be involved in smuggling, which is quite a way of life in this isolated community - actually reminded me somewhat of the black market around our part of rural Ireland, when I was growing up. However, we never had this level of corruption, with police and government officials on the take.. Dangerous, when grudges are involved.

And yes, there's a surreal air to this - Pamfir (a nickname that apparently refers to a kind of stone) seems to be the only saviour of the neighbourhood - not only the strongman, but the only one possessed of the wisdom to know which of these people are wolves: and they're not the ones in the masks, which seem to be a tradition around Christmas. Very like the wrenboys, in Ireland, the day after.. except, in this Ukrainian village, wrestling seems to be the thing.

So anyway, Pamfir's son is delighted to see him - but he's talking about going away again, so the daft teenager sets fire to the local church, where Pamfir's work permits are being kept, for some reason I forget - for the pastor to sign, or something. Anyway, the fire spreads rapidly, causing extensive damage - and so the lad's ambition is achieved, of keeping Pamfir there; he agrees to one final smuggling job, to pay for the repairs. And that's the start of all his woes..

It's visceral. It's violent in a couple of parts, there's also a lot of muck - these people live in a region without many paved roads, it seems, but with a lot of rain - so, there's a lot of mud. An easier watch than The Beasts, mind - our hero is always dependable, even if those around him aren't. I enjoyed this window into a part of Europe I haven't visited - yet.. apparently, when fighting broke out, the film editing wasn't quite finished, but they managed to send the materials abroad to finish. Kudos..

Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), for Retrograde, in the Kiln. Based on Sidney Poitier, and what he had to do to become a star, it seems.. Now, this is from the same writer as For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy. Which I hated. So I'm taking a risk.

On Thursday, I'm back with The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London, for wine tasting followed by comedy (hmm..) in La Pizzica restaurant. Could be interesting..

On Friday, I was thinking of film (which meant I had no idea) - but London Social & Cultural Meetups, whom I haven't been with in so long, are having a trip to the National Gallery, to see an exhibition of art related to St. Francis of Assisi! I wasn't going to go with them, given that the group was to include that mad lady that I've been avoiding - but when I looked today, she'd cancelled! for whatever reason. So I'm now free to go. They do advise booking a (free) ticket, and although we're supposed to meet in the Sainsbury Wing, it seems that's closed for renovations.. well, we'll figure it out.

And on Saturday, I'm busy.. First, I booked with UITCS for the matinée of Leaves of Glass, at the Park Theatre.

And then I have to dash across London.. you see, Mandy, who runs London Herstory Guided Walks, has now started a new Meetup group, Buddies on a Budget in London. And lo, if she isn't taking a group to an outdoor Eurovision party! First, she suggested Battersea - but (free) tickets for that went really fast, with only three of us having managed to book. So we've now switched venue, and are going to Between the Bridges, complete with drag acts! You don't have to pay, but if you buy a ticket, it comes with a free drink.. and this, apart from, as she says, being likely to be more fun, also has the advantage of starting an hour later. Which is handy for me, rushing across town as I'll be.. Both advertised by Eventbrite, and as of now, Between the Bridges still has tickets..