The Polish premiere of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s “Don Jon”, which stars Scarlet Johansson as one of the main protagonists, will open this year’s edition of the Tofifest IFF. It is a feisty independent American comedy that juggles with various genres of pop culture.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is both the director and main character in the film. He portrays a handsome sex addict, who meets a sexy blonde and incurable romantic (Scarlet Johansson). It is an original love story, in which the two favourite pop culture genres — porn and melodrama — flirt with each other. This film will open the 11th edition of the Tofifest IFF in Torun, on 21st October.
Since its premiere on screen, the film has been nothing but triumph in American cinemas. “Don Jon” is an author’s film, directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, according to his own script. The actor has become famous, thanks to his performances, among others, in “Looper”, “Inception”, or “500 Days of Summer”, but “Don Jon” is the first film that he both directed and played in (as the title Don Jon).
The film has not only been acclaimed by critics, all around the world, but also broken box-office records. It cost merely 6 million dollars, but in the United States alone it earned more than 9 million, during the first weekend of its release.
“This is a remarkably mature and thoughtful film. Every detail of his modest film is well thought out and executed,” said Leonard Martin, a critic for Indiewire.com — one of the most opinion-making film websites in the USA.
“Only an actor as appealing as Joseph Gordon-Levitt could pull off the role he creates for himself in ‘Don Jon’s Addiction,’ an endearingly masturbatory look at how a culture of objectification erodes our capacity for intimacy”, concludes Peter Deburge, a film critic for Variety.
“It’s clear Gordon-Levitt has jotted down notes from all the directors he’s worked with over the years, and his admiration for thoughtful mise-en-scéne really comes through in key moments in the film. Brilliant, gutsy, and fantastic,” wrote Chase Whale, a journalist for Twitchfilm.com.
There are only a couple things that matter for Jon: gym, car, God, family, buddies, and porn films. His buddies call him Don Jon, as there is no woman, who could resist him. Barbara is young, sexy, and she has “a class”. She is in love with love stories made in Hollywood and dreams about Prince Charming, with whom she would ride towards the setting sun. Both of them love film, particularly those that end happily… Even though each of them prefers a different genre…
The 11th edition of the Tofifest IFF will take place in Torun, between 21st and 27th October, 2013. The main donators of the festival include the Torun City Hall, the Marshal Office of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, MEDIA Programme, and Bella.