MIFF 2016 - Day 3
Childhood of a Leader
The first technical hiccup of the festival for me. No subtitles for the French sections of the film. But it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on, as the tone and expression was pretty clear, and much of the storytelling was handled visually. It's essentially an arthouse family drama wrapped up in the trappings of an overwrought Hammer horror film, and doesn't quite reach the heights its bombast aspires to, but its a fun ride. A little brat wreaks havoc on his family, their discipline undermined by the adoration the servants have for the boy. Set against the Versailles negotiations, and ending in a coda where the boy is a fascist dictator, your nose is fairly rubbed in the subtext. But it's visually and aurally splendid, and anyone who wonders what Ser Davos looks like without a beard will find their answer here.
Kate Plays Christine
A sort of semi-fictionalised documentary, we follow Kate Shiel as she prepares for a role, playing Christine Chubbuck, a news reporter who shot herself on live television, providing the inspiration for Network. We investigate her life, and ruminate on the many sadnesses of her death. One notable point being that a woman killed herself and ended up being translated into film as an angry man. It's a solid film, but needs a bit of tightening up in the editing to make the sudden detour at the end make sense.
Regolith
A short film by Melbourne filmmaker Mark La Rosa, it's a man's meditation on the troubles of his older sister, who struggles with mental illness. It makes its points effectively, especially the self-fulfilling prophecy of labelling her a bad girl. Very good.
Lily Lane
A mother tells her son a fairy table about a young boy living in the woods with a hunter. The story grows darker and darker. Meanwhile, she negotiates life with her estranged husband (who remains offscreen) and the death of her mother. Slowly it all comes together, and the grim fairytale grows into a catharsis. It's from a filmmaker with a clear and distinct voice, but definitely not to everyone's taste. It took a little while, but it won me over.
The first technical hiccup of the festival for me. No subtitles for the French sections of the film. But it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on, as the tone and expression was pretty clear, and much of the storytelling was handled visually. It's essentially an arthouse family drama wrapped up in the trappings of an overwrought Hammer horror film, and doesn't quite reach the heights its bombast aspires to, but its a fun ride. A little brat wreaks havoc on his family, their discipline undermined by the adoration the servants have for the boy. Set against the Versailles negotiations, and ending in a coda where the boy is a fascist dictator, your nose is fairly rubbed in the subtext. But it's visually and aurally splendid, and anyone who wonders what Ser Davos looks like without a beard will find their answer here.
Kate Plays Christine
A sort of semi-fictionalised documentary, we follow Kate Shiel as she prepares for a role, playing Christine Chubbuck, a news reporter who shot herself on live television, providing the inspiration for Network. We investigate her life, and ruminate on the many sadnesses of her death. One notable point being that a woman killed herself and ended up being translated into film as an angry man. It's a solid film, but needs a bit of tightening up in the editing to make the sudden detour at the end make sense.
Regolith
A short film by Melbourne filmmaker Mark La Rosa, it's a man's meditation on the troubles of his older sister, who struggles with mental illness. It makes its points effectively, especially the self-fulfilling prophecy of labelling her a bad girl. Very good.
Lily Lane
A mother tells her son a fairy table about a young boy living in the woods with a hunter. The story grows darker and darker. Meanwhile, she negotiates life with her estranged husband (who remains offscreen) and the death of her mother. Slowly it all comes together, and the grim fairytale grows into a catharsis. It's from a filmmaker with a clear and distinct voice, but definitely not to everyone's taste. It took a little while, but it won me over.
posted by Andrew Lee at 4:07 PM
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