MIFF 2015 - Day 15
Today was a very good day.
Theeb
Young Theeb (it means wolf) and his older brother Hussein are the sons of a sheik, recently deceased. When a man from another tribe arrives with an English officer, Hussein is charged with helping them reach a particular well for some kind of rendezvous. Theeb runs after them, and since the Englishman is determined to reach the well, they let him stay. What follows is a series of misadventures that leaves Theeb caring for the man who killed his brother, as it's the only way he'll get out of the desert alive. It's a gorgeously shot film, with some amazingly tense action sequences and presents an interesting perspective on the first world war. For Theeb and the people he encounters, the war is less of an issue than the introduction of the railway, slowly taking away a way of life and driving men to desperate acts to survive.
Mediterranea
A topical film about two friends from Berkina Faso who travel to Italy seeking work and a better life for their families. It's a quietly observational story, following them the whole way, their experiences on a boat, being robbed by bandits on their way to Libya, living in a shanty town in Italy and trying to get work and residency permits. It's a sad story, full of love for its characters and willing to look at the complexities of their situation. There's an interesting moment towards the end as well, as an employer talks about his own grandfather's experience emigrating to the US. It showcases the commonality of the experience, while also showing that empathy has eroded. And when that hope is taken, it's shattering.
808
A paean to one of the most influential pieces of music equipment ever made, the Roland 808. The film has an enormous amount of contributors telling us all the ways that this one drum machine changed the face of music, defined the sound of decades and continues its influence through to today. There were only 12,000 ever built, but they're still in high demand. If you love electronic music in all its varied forms, this is a film to learn how much of it was born from a single machine and a lot of producers who fell in love with it and experimented heavily with it.
Deathgasm
Pure cinematic joy. Heavy Metal, Zombies, Angry Teens, Chainsaws and Satanists. It's hysterical fun, full of amazing gore effects, awesome metal tracks and a bunch of actors who really sell the story of an evil metal hymn that summons demons to walk the earth. Basically, it's kind of like Evil Dead, if Ash was more Slash. A film to watch with a large audience cheering every insane moment. I had so much fun with this.
Theeb
Young Theeb (it means wolf) and his older brother Hussein are the sons of a sheik, recently deceased. When a man from another tribe arrives with an English officer, Hussein is charged with helping them reach a particular well for some kind of rendezvous. Theeb runs after them, and since the Englishman is determined to reach the well, they let him stay. What follows is a series of misadventures that leaves Theeb caring for the man who killed his brother, as it's the only way he'll get out of the desert alive. It's a gorgeously shot film, with some amazingly tense action sequences and presents an interesting perspective on the first world war. For Theeb and the people he encounters, the war is less of an issue than the introduction of the railway, slowly taking away a way of life and driving men to desperate acts to survive.
Mediterranea
A topical film about two friends from Berkina Faso who travel to Italy seeking work and a better life for their families. It's a quietly observational story, following them the whole way, their experiences on a boat, being robbed by bandits on their way to Libya, living in a shanty town in Italy and trying to get work and residency permits. It's a sad story, full of love for its characters and willing to look at the complexities of their situation. There's an interesting moment towards the end as well, as an employer talks about his own grandfather's experience emigrating to the US. It showcases the commonality of the experience, while also showing that empathy has eroded. And when that hope is taken, it's shattering.
808
A paean to one of the most influential pieces of music equipment ever made, the Roland 808. The film has an enormous amount of contributors telling us all the ways that this one drum machine changed the face of music, defined the sound of decades and continues its influence through to today. There were only 12,000 ever built, but they're still in high demand. If you love electronic music in all its varied forms, this is a film to learn how much of it was born from a single machine and a lot of producers who fell in love with it and experimented heavily with it.
Deathgasm
Pure cinematic joy. Heavy Metal, Zombies, Angry Teens, Chainsaws and Satanists. It's hysterical fun, full of amazing gore effects, awesome metal tracks and a bunch of actors who really sell the story of an evil metal hymn that summons demons to walk the earth. Basically, it's kind of like Evil Dead, if Ash was more Slash. A film to watch with a large audience cheering every insane moment. I had so much fun with this.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:45 PM
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