Best Actor
Last Kiss In Paris
David Michaels, a troubled New York poet (Damian Chapa) finds inspiration and heartbreak in the enigmatic, institutionalized Poet Regina Romanescu (Olga Kent)
As their bond deepens, David must confront the darkness of Regina's past and oppressive forces that seem to keep them apart.
As their bond deepens, David must confront the darkness of Regina's past and oppressive forces that seem to keep them apart.
Damian Chapa
Director
Damian Chapa, born in Ohio and raised in New York City, honed his artistic vision during his formative years. He later relocated to Hollywood, where he rose to prominence as a versatile actor, director, and producer. Chapa's intense portrayal of Miklo Velka in "Blood In Blood Out" cemented his reputation as a talented actor. His directorial debut, "Kill You Twice," and subsequent acclaimed works like "El Padrino" showcased his ability to craft diverse, emotionally resonant stories.
So I happened to write about the talented Damian Chapa. The occasion is great - the main role in the movie “Last Kiss In Paris” brought him the title of best actor.
“Last Kiss In Paris” - one of the most complex films among those with which I was able to work. An amazing variety of expressive techniques that the director resorts to and completely unpredictable moves. We, critics, proceed from the axiom that a movie is a closed system that follows a pattern developed from within. However, “Last Kiss In Paris” does not recognize any rules over itself, and therefore it is not an easy task to make sense of it.
To begin with, Damian Chapa is the director of the very movie that brought him the title of best actor. In the attached abstract was the authorship of Chapa, but his first appearance on the screen canceled the need to refer to the accompanying text - in the main role of the author - he put “Last Kiss In Paris”. The character of Damian Chapa is not just seen, but is actually the center of events, the only stable and even objective element of what is happening. A measure of common sense, if there is such a thing
“Last Kiss In Paris” is a visualization of the borderline state of the world and its inhabitants, of the conventionality and fragility of the romanticization of madness, on which the stereotype of the poet and his way of existence is based. From the point of view of the modern concept of cinema, Last Kiss in its original form seems irrelevant, also stylistically. However, it is worth noting the work with the virtual stay of the heroine - here director Damian Chapa hits the target and copes with a non-trivial task caused by the inclusion of “screens” in the classical narrative chain. Thus, the question of inspiration, the muse, and the figure of the woman for the creator in general is resolved here through the questioning of her materiality. The finale of the movie raises the degree - did she exist? The distance between the characters and their worlds becomes a gate, a border that Damian Chapa will never cross.
It is obvious that Last Kiss In Paris is the magnum opus of the author. One can see with the naked eye the colossal effort he has put in. Incredible variety of plans, storyboards, descriptive shots, Damian Chapa deliberately goes to complicate the construction. It's worth saying that this variety of “points of view” comes at the expense of the purity of the movie, the clarity of the method and probably its overall confidence. For example, the line of the heroine Regina and the introduction of heterogeneous plot aggravations do not allow to realize the main mission of her image - to mesmerize, charm and fall in love with her gaze. Moreover, the author, so, literally directly refers to “Blade Runner” and “Last Tango In Paris”, which together with all the director's techniques excessively burden “Last Kiss In Paris”.
Damian Chapa is an accomplished cinematographer and actor. His acting has its own special, recognizable style, developed within the framework of his author's poetics. Defying the laws of cinema is a rare case, but it is exactly what we had the chance to observe.
“Last Kiss In Paris” - one of the most complex films among those with which I was able to work. An amazing variety of expressive techniques that the director resorts to and completely unpredictable moves. We, critics, proceed from the axiom that a movie is a closed system that follows a pattern developed from within. However, “Last Kiss In Paris” does not recognize any rules over itself, and therefore it is not an easy task to make sense of it.
To begin with, Damian Chapa is the director of the very movie that brought him the title of best actor. In the attached abstract was the authorship of Chapa, but his first appearance on the screen canceled the need to refer to the accompanying text - in the main role of the author - he put “Last Kiss In Paris”. The character of Damian Chapa is not just seen, but is actually the center of events, the only stable and even objective element of what is happening. A measure of common sense, if there is such a thing
“Last Kiss In Paris” is a visualization of the borderline state of the world and its inhabitants, of the conventionality and fragility of the romanticization of madness, on which the stereotype of the poet and his way of existence is based. From the point of view of the modern concept of cinema, Last Kiss in its original form seems irrelevant, also stylistically. However, it is worth noting the work with the virtual stay of the heroine - here director Damian Chapa hits the target and copes with a non-trivial task caused by the inclusion of “screens” in the classical narrative chain. Thus, the question of inspiration, the muse, and the figure of the woman for the creator in general is resolved here through the questioning of her materiality. The finale of the movie raises the degree - did she exist? The distance between the characters and their worlds becomes a gate, a border that Damian Chapa will never cross.
It is obvious that Last Kiss In Paris is the magnum opus of the author. One can see with the naked eye the colossal effort he has put in. Incredible variety of plans, storyboards, descriptive shots, Damian Chapa deliberately goes to complicate the construction. It's worth saying that this variety of “points of view” comes at the expense of the purity of the movie, the clarity of the method and probably its overall confidence. For example, the line of the heroine Regina and the introduction of heterogeneous plot aggravations do not allow to realize the main mission of her image - to mesmerize, charm and fall in love with her gaze. Moreover, the author, so, literally directly refers to “Blade Runner” and “Last Tango In Paris”, which together with all the director's techniques excessively burden “Last Kiss In Paris”.
Damian Chapa is an accomplished cinematographer and actor. His acting has its own special, recognizable style, developed within the framework of his author's poetics. Defying the laws of cinema is a rare case, but it is exactly what we had the chance to observe.