MIFF Day 7
Is it the absence of daylight that attracts strange mutant creatures to MIFF?
OKI'S MOVIE
There was a very strange man sitting next to me during this movie. He had breathing problems, laughed maniacally for about a minute at the beginning and then talked at the screen every now and again. He looked like an overweight Michael Rymer (who has a film at MIFF this year). Strange.
And then there was the film. For the love of God, would filmmakers stop thinking that films about filmmaking are interesting! It's narcissism of epic proportions. And bloody lazy writing. That said, while Hong Sang Soo is on my shitlist for severe cinematic wankery, I kinda liked Oki's Movie a bit too. There's plenty to hate, and hate it I do, but there's also some great scenes. Overall it's kinda like Littlerock. I didn't mind it at an emotional level, but I despise much of it on a formal level. Total wank, but not unpleasant to watch in parts.
KHODORKOVSKY
I remember hearing about Mikhail Khodorkovsky when he was arrested back in 2003. He was described as a political prisoner who had run afoul of Vladimir Putin. This doco delves not just into his imprisonment, but also how he came to be the richest man in Russia. What unfolds is the story of a man who isn't exactly a hero to the oppressed. He's one of the men who seized the chance to take possession of state assets, unquestionably via corrupt means, and transformed it into something great. But as his wealth grew, so apparently did his social conscience. And then he made the mistake of taking on Putin. There's little doubt that the charges against him are mostly trumped up, but what's interesting is the speculation around why he chose to return to Russia, having been warned he was going to be arrested. The idea that he has political ambitions, and that prison will give him credentials that his wealth couldn't buy is an interesting one. He's in prison for at least another six years, but it will be interesting to see what happens to him once Putin is gone and he is released.
THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
I'm only midway through MIFF, but I'm calling this the best documentary of the festival. Joshua Milton Blahyi was known as General Butt Naked during the Liberian civil war. He and his soldiers ran into battle naked, terrifying their enemies and committing countless atrocities on the civilian population. By his own estimate, he's responsible for at least 20,000 deaths. But something happened. A local Bishop felt called by God to tell him he needed to repent of his sins. And he did, and then he vanished. Ten years later he reappeared in the capital as an evangelist preaching the love of God and seeking the forgiveness of everyone whose lives he destroyed. I personally have the view that no repentance is genuine unless the person has a complete acceptance of the consequences of their actions. And Blahyi seems to. He was the first person to testify at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, fully aware that he might be put on trial for his crimes with his confession used as evidence against him. He sought out his former child soldiers and rescued them from the streets they were living on, got them off drugs and set up a group home to help them. But then death threats were made against him and he fled to Ghana. Some of the men he was helping ended up back on the streets, some of them didn't. And in the end, he can't take the guilt of running away and comes back. It's an extraordinary portrait of the struggles of a man who has done unspeakable things to cope with his guilt, his faith and his past. He's anything but perfect, and half the time you wonder if he might be faking the whole thing, but that idea doesn't stack up against everything he does. He knows what he did, and he knows it's never going to leave him, but he's doing his best to atone. It'll test the limits of your faith, if you have one, and make you think hard about what it takes to genuinely turn a life around. Confronting, provocative and completely brilliant filmmaking.
OKI'S MOVIE
There was a very strange man sitting next to me during this movie. He had breathing problems, laughed maniacally for about a minute at the beginning and then talked at the screen every now and again. He looked like an overweight Michael Rymer (who has a film at MIFF this year). Strange.
And then there was the film. For the love of God, would filmmakers stop thinking that films about filmmaking are interesting! It's narcissism of epic proportions. And bloody lazy writing. That said, while Hong Sang Soo is on my shitlist for severe cinematic wankery, I kinda liked Oki's Movie a bit too. There's plenty to hate, and hate it I do, but there's also some great scenes. Overall it's kinda like Littlerock. I didn't mind it at an emotional level, but I despise much of it on a formal level. Total wank, but not unpleasant to watch in parts.
KHODORKOVSKY
I remember hearing about Mikhail Khodorkovsky when he was arrested back in 2003. He was described as a political prisoner who had run afoul of Vladimir Putin. This doco delves not just into his imprisonment, but also how he came to be the richest man in Russia. What unfolds is the story of a man who isn't exactly a hero to the oppressed. He's one of the men who seized the chance to take possession of state assets, unquestionably via corrupt means, and transformed it into something great. But as his wealth grew, so apparently did his social conscience. And then he made the mistake of taking on Putin. There's little doubt that the charges against him are mostly trumped up, but what's interesting is the speculation around why he chose to return to Russia, having been warned he was going to be arrested. The idea that he has political ambitions, and that prison will give him credentials that his wealth couldn't buy is an interesting one. He's in prison for at least another six years, but it will be interesting to see what happens to him once Putin is gone and he is released.
THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
I'm only midway through MIFF, but I'm calling this the best documentary of the festival. Joshua Milton Blahyi was known as General Butt Naked during the Liberian civil war. He and his soldiers ran into battle naked, terrifying their enemies and committing countless atrocities on the civilian population. By his own estimate, he's responsible for at least 20,000 deaths. But something happened. A local Bishop felt called by God to tell him he needed to repent of his sins. And he did, and then he vanished. Ten years later he reappeared in the capital as an evangelist preaching the love of God and seeking the forgiveness of everyone whose lives he destroyed. I personally have the view that no repentance is genuine unless the person has a complete acceptance of the consequences of their actions. And Blahyi seems to. He was the first person to testify at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, fully aware that he might be put on trial for his crimes with his confession used as evidence against him. He sought out his former child soldiers and rescued them from the streets they were living on, got them off drugs and set up a group home to help them. But then death threats were made against him and he fled to Ghana. Some of the men he was helping ended up back on the streets, some of them didn't. And in the end, he can't take the guilt of running away and comes back. It's an extraordinary portrait of the struggles of a man who has done unspeakable things to cope with his guilt, his faith and his past. He's anything but perfect, and half the time you wonder if he might be faking the whole thing, but that idea doesn't stack up against everything he does. He knows what he did, and he knows it's never going to leave him, but he's doing his best to atone. It'll test the limits of your faith, if you have one, and make you think hard about what it takes to genuinely turn a life around. Confronting, provocative and completely brilliant filmmaking.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:23 PM
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