MIFF 2016 - Day 1

Weiner

A funny, nuanced and honest look at a politician who became a walking punchline for his sexting. But there's more to him than that, and the film opens with him famous for something other than his infamous photography skills. You see what a passionate and powerful political speaker he could be. And then it all comes crashing down. Twice. And you get to see the second scandal up close. It's sad, because it's a portrait of a highly intelligent and gifted politician brought down by his own flaws. But more than that, it's the portrait of a husband and wife working their way through forgiveness and reconciliation, and being forced to walk the same path again. It doesn't pull any punches, but the filmmakers also manage to treat their subjects with respect.

Under the Shadow

This superb horror film set during the Iran/Iraq war sees a mother and child terrorised by djinn, along with Iranian religious police, bombings and family drama. The horror intensifies as more and more friends and neighbours flee the bombings, leaving the two alone with a supernatural evil. The parallels to Iranian isolationism, not to mention some of the sexual politics, put this apart from your run of the mill creepfest. There's some incredibly creepy moments, and plenty of jumpscares, but it has plenty of depth. A great way to cap off day one of the festival.