MIFF 2015 - Day 7
Today was a day for celebrating cinema.
The Wolfpack
One of the most anticipated documentaries of the festival didn't disappoint. Telling the story of the Angulo family, who raised 7 children inside their lower east side apartment in Manhattan, and almost never let them leave. The children grew up learning about the outside world mainly through cinema, and re-enacted their favourites as a way to pass the time. The film opens with them playing out Reservoir Dogs, complete with prop guns they made from cardboard and tape, and we also see Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight and a few others. This would have made an excellent double feature with Raiders!, as both deal with cinema as a kind of therapy. But what's interesting about this film is that it doesn't go for easy shots at the father who is kind of abusive, kind of protective. There's a bit of empathy for him, as he explains he kept his children in the apartment out of fear of what was happening in their block. Drug deals, murders, he wanted them safe. But he was also abusive to their mother, and they don't shy away from that fact either. There's not really a strong narrative in the film, it's more portraiture, showing these children as they grow up and break free of their parent's restrictions and step out into a world they've only known via a screen. It's not what I was expecting, but it's amazing all the same.
Turbo Kid
There's a different kind of love for cinema on display here. One of the best films the 80's never produced. It's a throwback, a post-apocalyptic exploitation film with heroes riding BMX bikes and firing energy beams from their power gloves. There's a clear love for the dodgy genre films of the time, the sort that you'd get from Roger Corman, Charles Band and the like. It's never arch in its references, more just taking the vibe and making it its own. And the story is really sweet, ultimately. A boy who read comics about the Turbo Rider stumbles across an actual Turbo Rider suit, and tries to become a hero. With his friend Apple, a manic girl who turns out to be a robot, and a gruff arm-wrestler, they fight an evil warlord and save the wasteland. With lots and lots of comically awesome gore. It's a great party film, with really engaging performances from the two leads, and a genuinely good heart at the centre of all the violence and craziness.
The Wolfpack
One of the most anticipated documentaries of the festival didn't disappoint. Telling the story of the Angulo family, who raised 7 children inside their lower east side apartment in Manhattan, and almost never let them leave. The children grew up learning about the outside world mainly through cinema, and re-enacted their favourites as a way to pass the time. The film opens with them playing out Reservoir Dogs, complete with prop guns they made from cardboard and tape, and we also see Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight and a few others. This would have made an excellent double feature with Raiders!, as both deal with cinema as a kind of therapy. But what's interesting about this film is that it doesn't go for easy shots at the father who is kind of abusive, kind of protective. There's a bit of empathy for him, as he explains he kept his children in the apartment out of fear of what was happening in their block. Drug deals, murders, he wanted them safe. But he was also abusive to their mother, and they don't shy away from that fact either. There's not really a strong narrative in the film, it's more portraiture, showing these children as they grow up and break free of their parent's restrictions and step out into a world they've only known via a screen. It's not what I was expecting, but it's amazing all the same.
Turbo Kid
There's a different kind of love for cinema on display here. One of the best films the 80's never produced. It's a throwback, a post-apocalyptic exploitation film with heroes riding BMX bikes and firing energy beams from their power gloves. There's a clear love for the dodgy genre films of the time, the sort that you'd get from Roger Corman, Charles Band and the like. It's never arch in its references, more just taking the vibe and making it its own. And the story is really sweet, ultimately. A boy who read comics about the Turbo Rider stumbles across an actual Turbo Rider suit, and tries to become a hero. With his friend Apple, a manic girl who turns out to be a robot, and a gruff arm-wrestler, they fight an evil warlord and save the wasteland. With lots and lots of comically awesome gore. It's a great party film, with really engaging performances from the two leads, and a genuinely good heart at the centre of all the violence and craziness.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:56 PM
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