2012 MUBI World Cup Voting, Match #47: Ireland (Nothing Personal) vs. Romania (The World According to Ion B.)
Oooops, not sure why I got distracted and started this one late. I set it to end one hour later than normal.
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 0 – Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 1
It’s not easy to say a lot in a film. When numerous themes and concepts compete for our attention, it all too easy to descend into an episodic or confused mish-mash. Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of The World According to Ion B. is how much information is conveyed, seemingly effortlessly, in a one hour documentary.
Much of this richness is due to one Ion Barladeanu, a 63 year-old homeless man whose long festering career as a collage artist is about to drag him (much to his own bemusement) into semi-respectable society. Ion B. is a self-proclaimed rascal who would be an ideal fictional character, were he not real. His closest narrative film counterpart may be the title character in Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala.
Alexander Nanau’s 2009 film expertly balances the details of Ion B.’s life of the dumpster with a look at his art, collected from thrown out magazines. Is collage art really art? I think that case is well made here. Especially when it gets political and we see the effects of Communist tyranny on an unconventional soul. Add to that a family reunion, a gallery opening and the quest to find a homeless man a home and there’s a lot of story here.
The greatest pleasure of this film, however, remains just watching Ion B. be Ion B.
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 0 / Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 1
Ireland (Nothing Personal) – 1 v Romania (The World According to Ion B.) – 0
i loved Ion B. !! but i want to vote for Nothing Personal here because it’s one of my favourite films of recent years
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 1 — Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 0
The Romanian doc The World According To Ion B is something of a fluff piece. One of those professional films commissioned by marketing concerns. There was no tension, no surprises, merely a hagiography of a bum turned collectable artist. Certainly Ion B’s collages are very cool, and he’s an interesting character. I could say the same thing about many people, let’s say Joseph Beuys. His work is very interesting, he was an interesting personality. Does that mean just because someone films and edits a documentary about him that the film is in any way good or bad because of the subject? No. It’s up to the filmmaker to utilize his tools and talents to make a personal film, or otherwise he/she run the risk of just doing a run of the mill professional job. To me, that’s what Alexander Nanau has done. Certainly not bad, but rather ordinary. I also didn’t appreciate that the viewer was always overly conscious that the camera was there, it always seemed “set-up” as opposed to fresh and impromptu. Too shiny, too clean, too middle-of-the-road. Something my mother would undoubtedly recommend to her golf club.
Nothing Personal doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a romantic story. All the tropes are in place. Lotte Verbeek, the whispy red-headed actress playing Anne (or “You”) performed well. Stephen Rea walked through it playing the same role he’s played for 20 years. It Stephen Rea, John Lynch, or Cillian Murphy aren’t in the movie then it isn’t Irish. Sure, it’s all been done before, viewers can play “name the movie it reminds you of already seeing” for hours. But that being said, it was a tad better than I expected, and the holes in the story seem to have been left out purposefully. Why? I don’t know. If the camera went back to close-ups of seaweed in the garden one more time, I never could have finished it. The landscapes weren’t as gratuitously pretty as some films which slather postcard settings (though it was close), nor were there unbelievable dramas springing out from a group of screenwriters trying to top each other. Instead, it seemed to chose the Francois Ozon style of vague unrest and viewer head-scratching, though without his chops. Maybe I just wanted a romance where the closest we get to obligatory sex is merely holding hands.
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 1 — Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 0
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 1 — Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 0
Tommy votes against his own submission. It can happen folks.
I liked the narrative structure of Nothing Personal with the headings. I found it to be refreshing and the beauty of the location helped make it enjoyable as well. As for The World, meeting the artist and being introduced to his artistic vision through a biopic film was very interesting, but I enjoyed the unfolding of the narrative in Nothing Personal more.
Haha Riss. I really love Nothing Personal. I only have one issue with it and that issue is length. A film like this would be significantly more affecting if it gave in a bit to time. A relationship that develops like the one here seemed a bit rushed and I just wish it could have been slightly longer. It’s a beautiful film though. I only went with Ion B because I hadn’t ever heard of him and there’s a lot said about this person in only an hour.
nice to see a match where i’ve already seen both movies long before the match.
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 1 — Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 0
ion b. is cool, but the film about him sucks. plus, i heard the guys who made the film bought all the rights to sell bîrlădeanu’s works for one euro and only carrying the poor fellow around for marketing reasons.
nothing personal is forever in my mind with that mad shout to repell the rapists. i saw it on big screen and it was scary. i thought it was a dutch film, not an irish one.
Ireland (Nothing Personal) 0 – Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 1
The film about Ion B. is slightly mediocre,I agree,but I’d prefer that one over NP.NP didn’t transmit s**t to me,while Ion B. sends some sort of emotion about the soul of the artist.My opinion.Also,NP is meandering.Could’ve been a short.
Could someone please close this one at 11:00 PM GMT for me? I won’t be around at that time.
i got it riss
Thank you
ok this match is closed, final tally
5-3 ireland (nothing personal) congratulations!
Soldiers are we,
whose lives are pledged to Ireland,
Some have come
from a land beyond the wave,
Sworn to be free,
no more our ancient sireland,
Shall shelter the despot or the slave.
Tonight we man the “bearna baoil”,
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal,
’Mid cannon’s roar and rifles’ peal,
We’ll chant a soldier’s song
Congrats Ireland.
Sinne Fianna Fáil,
Atá fá gheall ag Éirinn,
Buidhean dár sluagh tar rúinn do ráinig
chughainn:
Fámho’dh bhe’rh saor,
Sean-t’r ár sinnsear feasta
N’ fágfar fá’n t’orán ná fa’n tráil;
Anocht a theigeamh sa bhearna baoghail,
Le gean ar Gaedh’ chun báis nó saoghail,
Le gunna sgréach: Fá lamhach na piléar. ’
Seo Libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann.
Plays hell with spell check.
so pissed i missed voting for this match, but IE won so it’s fine with me, i was gonna vote for Nothing Personal anyways. jab iontach eirinn!
Risselada
This topic is part of the 2012 MUBI World Cup. If you have not already done so, please read the first post at the topic for an introduction to and rules about this year’s World Cup:
http://mubi.com/topics/2012-mubi-world-cup-introduction-submit-your-list-of-films
Ireland
Original title: Nothing Personal
Directed by: Urszula Antoniak
Approximate runtime: 85 min
Submitted by: Cat, Tommy
Romania
Original title: Lumea văzută de Ion B.
Directed by: Alexander Nanau
Approximate runtime: 61 min
Submitted by: Brad S.
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The purpose of this topic is to cast votes in the matchup listed above and also to be a forum for discussing the films in the match.
Anyone who has seen both of the films listed above may vote in this match. You must vote for whichever of the two films you personally like better. In order to vote you must post a reply to this topic containing one of the following sequences:
If you are voting for Nothing Personal: “Ireland (Nothing Personal) 1 – Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 0”
If you are voting for The World According to Ion B.: “Ireland (Nothing Personal) 0 – Romania (The World According to Ion B.) 1”
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