This week was the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) and to ensure that I would actually make it to some films this year, I decided to make my choices based on location rather than on films. The ADFF had a new venue – the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr – with an outdoor screen, which is only about 15 minutes from my place.
Rather than drive through traffic for a half-hour to get to the Marina Mall or Abu Dhabi Theatre venues, it was an easy choice for location. Based on that, the number of films available to attend were limited, which was great for decision-making. π
So, last Friday, R and I headed out to see Stockholm East – a Swedish love story.
It was quite good, though a little too ‘happy-ending’ for my cynical taste. π I really love moments in the film where there could have been drama, like when the heroine goes to the ex-partner’s home to find the hero and though she could have been nasty or rude, she was civil and cooperative. We could still sense her dislike and annoyance with the heroine and the situation, but unlike a Hollywood film, the subtleties of her demeanor and tone said all that needed to be said to express how she felt.
Will write about the other films in coming posts… π
