Los Angeles Film Festival Guide 2008

 HEIDI FLEISS: THE WOULD-BE MADAM OF CRYSTAL (USA) Could this be the last Heidi Fleiss documentary? Perhaps. In the unexpected and poignant turn of events that concludes this 70-minute HBO-produced film, Fleiss appears to be on her way to becoming a (relatively) contented desert eccentric. We see her go to Nevada to open a man-filled bordello for women, only to get sidetracked by run-ins with the locals and her own drug addiction. There are reports that Fleiss clashed with filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Inside Deep Throat), but they’ve nevertheless found a way to suggest that a reprieve from public scrutiny — and her own ambition — has finally come her way. Here’s hoping it sticks. (Majestic Crest, Thurs., June 26, 9:30 p.m.; The Landmark, Sat., June 28, 10 p.m.) (CW)

Largo

You, the Living

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More About

• AMC Avco Center
• Lee Atwater
• Lee Atwater Story
• Italian Cultural Institute
• Documentary Films

HELLO, STRANGER (South Korea) In this gentle, conciliatory drama about the plight of migrants to South Korea, a legal defector from North Korea threads his way through the South’s morass of heedless hypercapitalism while giving and receiving succor from kindly individuals willing to buck the system. Though awkwardly mounted by director Kim Dong-hyun, who seems uncomfortable with the conventions of realism, Hello, Stranger makes an honorable and moving, if slightly naive, addition to the flourishing cinema of global displacement, while shedding light on the complex migratory politics of contemporary Asia. (AMC Avco Center, Fri., June 20, 7 p.m. and Thurs., June 26, 4 p.m.) (ET)

GO  HOLD ME TIGHT, LET ME GO (England) This powerful documentary about an English boarding school for emotionally troubled children feels a little long, yet I find myself haunted by the children it depicts. With beautiful restraint, filmmaker Kim Longinotto (Shinjuku Boys) tracks a year in the life of several boys, ranging in age from 8 to 15, who’ve been sent to Oxford’s Mulberry Bush School because they’re too temperamental, or too violent, or too nakedly emotional for the public system to handle. Watching these youths rant and rave makes one’s heart pound with anxiety, even as the teachers and counselors respond with a humbling level of patience. (The Landmark, Sat., June 21, 7:15 p.m. and Thurs., June 26, 7 p.m.) (CW)

HOTEL VERY WELCOME (Germany) The Western travelers roaming Asia in this uneven but appealing film from German director Sonja Heiss are classically clueless about themselves and the culture around them. In Bangkok, a 30-year-old German woman’s only human contact is with the Thai travel agent she’s talking to on the phone. Elsewhere in Thailand, two 20-something English backpackers grow increasingly sick of each other. Meanwhile, in India, an Irishman rediscovers his better self. Although Heiss is a little too in love with the sight of the English boys swaying to trance music, her willingness to linger too long feels true to the tradition of the wayward seeker. (AMC Avco Center, Sat., June 21, 2 p.m. and Sun., June 22, 9:30 p.m.) (CW)

GO  I’LL COME RUNNING (Denmark/USA) The first feature by Texas-based director Spencer Parsons begins as a thin but likable snapshot of romance among the rudderless 20-something set — in this case, an Austin waitress (Melonie Diaz) and the Danish backpacker (Jon Lange) who saunters into her bar — then abruptly morphs into a surprisingly insightful portrait of how a sudden loss reverberates through a family and a circle of friends. Parsons isn’t much of a visual stylist, and the film veers off in an unfortunately histrionic direction near the end, but there are fine performances along the way (especially from the very appealing Diaz) and a nice feel for relationships made — and unmade — by simple twists of fate. (Regent, Sat., June 21, 9:45 p.m.; The Landmark, Wed., June 25, 4 p.m. and Thurs., June 26, 7:15 p.m.) (SF)

INFINITE BORDER (Mexico) Director Juan Manuel Sepúlveda’s documentary on the difficulties of Central Americans crossing Mexico on their way to the U.S. catalogs familiar hardships — harsh terrain, crooked cops, racial prejudice — but transcends expectation by focusing on the spiritual nature of the quest for a better life. The camera lingers on lush mountains, a seemingly endless train as it ambles down a track filled with human cargo, and conversations between travelers. Also revealed in this visually striking film, though, are many ironies and hypocrisies: The attitudes of some Mexican officials toward Central American immigrants mirrors that of the Minutemen in the U.S. toward Mexican illegals, with bloodshed underscoring the bigotry. (Italian Cultural Institute, Sun., June 22, 9:45 p.m.; The Landmark, Mon., June 23, 9:45 p.m.) (EH)

CRITIC’S PICK  LARGO (USA) With its cozy tables, miniature stage and strict no-talking policy, the old Largo was the rare venue that catered to the performers rather than the audience. Why, then, does Largo show as little of the club interior as possible? The performers are framed in frontal midshots, cutting out everything except the space behind them, and while the black-and-white film stock suits the club’s classy musical fare, it fails to capture the candlelit glow that was so much a part of the Largo experience. Since the release of this documentary coincides with Largo’s relocation from Fairfax to the larger and more conventional Coronet Theater on La Cienega, one would think the focus would be on the aspects of the original location which couldn’t simply be re-created. Perhaps for Mark “Flanny” Flanagan, Largo’s founder and the film’s producer-director, the old club wasn’t so much about how it felt but who was there. In 112 minutes, Largo packs in a lot of performances and, in a fashion true to the club’s idiosyncratic ethos, alternates between singer-songwriters and comedians. Largo always had a soft spot for maudlin folk music, and at times one identifies with the audience member who heckles Michael Penn as he’s tuning up: “Just set it on ‘sensitive songwriter’ and go!” But where the music is sappy, the comedy is daring and razor-sharp. Louis C.K. and Sarah Silverman aren’t the comedic equivalent of Jackson Browne and Aimee Mann, but they offset each other’s presence in the film. The best segment of all isn’t song or standup, but a Boogie Nights anecdote related with pitch-perfect timing by John C. Reilly. Largo might not be a wholly satisfying translation of the old Fairfax experience, but if every defunct Los Angeles venue were accorded a time capsule with this much detail, the city would finally have the history it deserves. (Majestic Crest, Sun., June 22, 9:30 p.m.; The Landmark, Tues., June 24, 4:15 p.m.; Mann Festival, Wed., June 25, 9:45 p.m.) (Sam Sweet)