BEAR'S KISS (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: A girl who travels with a circus falls in love with a bear who shape-shifts into a handsome man. It sounds like a fairy-tale fantasy, but it really is a bleak little tale. A co-operation of several European countries creates a film that falls short of the magic it would need. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), high +1 (-4 to +4)
This is a European film, a polyglot production of several different countries, directed by Russian Sergei Bodrov. A young bear at a traveling circus turns out to be a shape-shifter who can become human through love. The main focus of the film is life within a small traveling circus. The script is slow and has some inconsistencies that should have been worked out, but the film does have its moments of interest and some likable music.
As the film opens in the Siberian wilderness we see hunters shooting a bear and taking her cub. The cub is bought for a circus that travels through Europe from Russia to Spain. Lola (Rebecka Liljeberg), in her late teens, is the daughter of a performer. She adopts and loves the cub. Other members of the circus think she might be a little too closely attached to the animal. Lola is also interested in romance, but not enough to separate her from her bear that she loves and who apparently loves her back. When her foster mother leaves the circus, Lola chooses to stay with her bear. One evening the bear is not in his cage and a naked young man is there in its place, claiming to be the bear.
This story has all sorts of fantasy possibilities, but unfortunately few of them are realized in the film. BEAR'S KISS is solid and pleasant but never manages to be magical. Some of the inconsistencies should have been worked out of the script. (Sometimes when the bear shifts to human it is naked, sometimes clothed.) At one point some dogs pull from their master and chase the bear in human form. We know it is the bear in him that enrages them, but we see only a man. The viewer sees Lola, the bear, and the dogs running but not a sign of the master. For all the master knows, the dogs are about to maul a human. There is no explanation why their master does not follow them. The film is likable but somehow lacks the infectious enchantment it needs. Further, the tone and look is dark. It is not clear whom the intended audience for BEAR'S KISS is. This is certainly not a children's film. But it is not likely the story will appeal to many adults. Many scenes fall short of their potential. Scenes showing a fight with the bear are not at all convincing. The music is however surprisingly good. One song that pops out of nowhere and seems to be from the wrong film is nevertheless a very good song. Perhaps it needed a better film.
This is an unusual fantasy that does not always work. I rate it a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
(Sergei Bodrov, Jr. played the human form of the bear. He and was the son of director Sergei Bodrov and had a fan following of his own. Sadly, he was killed on September 20, 2002, when an earthquake and the resulting avalanche covered the Ossetia region high in the Caucasus Mountains, where he and his film crew were creating a new film.)
Mark R. Leeper mleeper@optonline.net Copyright 2002 Mark R. Leeper
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