MIFF 2015 - Day 17
Sigh, another year over. 53 films watched, several missed, but overall it was a reasonably good year. There was a definitely lack of excitement amongst the crowds though. We weren't just going through the motions, but nothing really seemed to capture the imagination. Sure there were excellent films, but nothing really seemed to break out. People weren't talking it seemed. Or maybe they were all on Twitter and I missed it. Still, I had a good time. Now, onto the final day of reviews.
Best of Enemies
In 1968, ABC was the lowest ranked of the three national networks in the USA. With the Democratic and Republican conventions taking place, they didn't have the money to do coverage the way the other two networks could. So instead, they hired Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr to debate each day, and more or less invented the pundit television that pervades to this day. The animosity between the two men was palpable, and to see two highly educated and articulate men attempt to tear each other down is hugely entertaining. But behind it, there's a nuanced understanding of the medium of television, and how this format is ultimately a debilitating form of debate. Vidal wins decisively, with Buckley losing his cool and obsessed by it for many years to come. Vidal likewise relives it frequently, for different reasons. It's a wonderfully constructed film that has a lot more to say than just celebrating a legendary debate.
Deep Web
Digging into the case of Ross Ulbricht, aka Dread Pirate Roberts, and the Silk Road, this documentary doesn't limit itself simply to the fairly interesting case of the theoretically anonymous online drug marketplace, it reckons with the mission statement of the site, and the larger implications of the technology. You wouldn't think a drug marketplace would include harm minimisation amongst its goals, but it turns out that was one of them. And strangely enough, there are some statistics to support the idea that it reduced violent crime a bit. But the more interesting stuff comes around how the detectives managed to compromise the servers and track people down. Evidence that was not allowed to be presented at the trial, despite being part of the FBI transcripts, pretty clearly demonstrates that the way they claim to have accessed the site was not the truth. Which leads to the conclusion it was a dedicated hacking effort, without warrant, on a foreign server. The legal and privacy implications are fairly serious, but in a post-Snowden world unsurprising. At the end you're left with a number of questions about government overreach and the surveillance state. Ross Ulbricht very likely is the founder of Silk Road, but how he was unmasked is kind of disturbing.
Under Electric Clouds
I liked this film, but bits of it are a chore. The work is rewarded when it all comes together at the end, but it can test your patience. But visually it's amazing, and very very Russian. By that I mean long takes, philosophical conversations and elliptical narrative. Of Alexey German Jr's two films that I've seen, I prefer Paper Soldier, but this is still great. I took it mostly as an allegorical reflection on the state of Russia, and how the post-Yeltsin era saw hope very quickly fade away. There's a telling moment late in the film when a young woman simply assumes that some kids are locked up for doing something bad, as the state wouldn't imprison them otherwise. The erasure of history is a theme through the film, and its outcome is seen in that simple scene.
Brand: A Second Coming
A really interesting look at comedian Russell Brand and his trajectory from drug addicted celebrity to social justice revolutionary. It really goes seem to cover his whole life, unvarnished. There's footage of him smoking heroin, and the dull look on his face is chilling. What's interesting is to see how intense a figure he is. When he pursued fame, he did it with a single-minded focus. And when he had his moment and realised how empty it was, his pursuit of social justice becomes equally focused. The documentary also looks at the ways the media has attempted to marginalise him for his stands, and his own responses to that. Brand is a complex individual, and while he might not change the world, the film makes it clear that he's changed a lot of people's lives for the better. With social enterprises, advocacy and other things, he's inspiring. And also very funny.
Best of Enemies
In 1968, ABC was the lowest ranked of the three national networks in the USA. With the Democratic and Republican conventions taking place, they didn't have the money to do coverage the way the other two networks could. So instead, they hired Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr to debate each day, and more or less invented the pundit television that pervades to this day. The animosity between the two men was palpable, and to see two highly educated and articulate men attempt to tear each other down is hugely entertaining. But behind it, there's a nuanced understanding of the medium of television, and how this format is ultimately a debilitating form of debate. Vidal wins decisively, with Buckley losing his cool and obsessed by it for many years to come. Vidal likewise relives it frequently, for different reasons. It's a wonderfully constructed film that has a lot more to say than just celebrating a legendary debate.
Deep Web
Digging into the case of Ross Ulbricht, aka Dread Pirate Roberts, and the Silk Road, this documentary doesn't limit itself simply to the fairly interesting case of the theoretically anonymous online drug marketplace, it reckons with the mission statement of the site, and the larger implications of the technology. You wouldn't think a drug marketplace would include harm minimisation amongst its goals, but it turns out that was one of them. And strangely enough, there are some statistics to support the idea that it reduced violent crime a bit. But the more interesting stuff comes around how the detectives managed to compromise the servers and track people down. Evidence that was not allowed to be presented at the trial, despite being part of the FBI transcripts, pretty clearly demonstrates that the way they claim to have accessed the site was not the truth. Which leads to the conclusion it was a dedicated hacking effort, without warrant, on a foreign server. The legal and privacy implications are fairly serious, but in a post-Snowden world unsurprising. At the end you're left with a number of questions about government overreach and the surveillance state. Ross Ulbricht very likely is the founder of Silk Road, but how he was unmasked is kind of disturbing.
Under Electric Clouds
I liked this film, but bits of it are a chore. The work is rewarded when it all comes together at the end, but it can test your patience. But visually it's amazing, and very very Russian. By that I mean long takes, philosophical conversations and elliptical narrative. Of Alexey German Jr's two films that I've seen, I prefer Paper Soldier, but this is still great. I took it mostly as an allegorical reflection on the state of Russia, and how the post-Yeltsin era saw hope very quickly fade away. There's a telling moment late in the film when a young woman simply assumes that some kids are locked up for doing something bad, as the state wouldn't imprison them otherwise. The erasure of history is a theme through the film, and its outcome is seen in that simple scene.
Brand: A Second Coming
A really interesting look at comedian Russell Brand and his trajectory from drug addicted celebrity to social justice revolutionary. It really goes seem to cover his whole life, unvarnished. There's footage of him smoking heroin, and the dull look on his face is chilling. What's interesting is to see how intense a figure he is. When he pursued fame, he did it with a single-minded focus. And when he had his moment and realised how empty it was, his pursuit of social justice becomes equally focused. The documentary also looks at the ways the media has attempted to marginalise him for his stands, and his own responses to that. Brand is a complex individual, and while he might not change the world, the film makes it clear that he's changed a lot of people's lives for the better. With social enterprises, advocacy and other things, he's inspiring. And also very funny.
posted by Andrew Lee at 10:49 PM
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