MIFF 2018 - Day 17

People's Republic of Desire

Doco about livestreaming in China. YY is kinda like Twitch meets YouTube, where people livestream themselves and their fans buy them "gifts" in the form of tokens that get converted to cash. The doco follows two of the biggest stars on the platform, and their fans. And slowly, all the ugliness behind the smiles comes out. It's like a microcosm of unrestrained capitalism. Additionally, the idea that a virtual reality is an escape from a miserable real one is teased out. Amazing and depressing viewing.

Behind The Curve

Flat earthers. They're amongst us, and this film somewhat lovingly explores them, their beliefs and their community, while also talking to scientists and psychiatrists about how this could be happening in what is ostensibly an enlightened age. Needing to be the hero of your own story rises to the top, which makes a lot of sense in an age of disenfranchisement. It's funny, but compassionate, with a really smart observation by a science educator that flat earthers are inquisitive people who've gone wrong somewhere along the way, and the solution is to encourage that desire to know and hope that eventually evidence will win out. The film gives plenty of proof that won't usually happen, but it seems like the best way to tackle it. Ridicule and marginalisation gets us nowhere. There's also a moment where two of the leading flat earthers are watching Dark City. So perfect.

Searching

Unfriended was the first "screen" movie, consisting entirely of watching someone's computer screen. This sees the format turned into more than just a horror film. The opening gives a precis of a family while also being a potted history of the development of the internet. And lots of internet trends both good and vile get an airing in this fascinating film about a father looking for his missing daughter. It does require you to believe that "find my iPhone" doesn't exist, since that's the obvious thing nobody does, and the big twist (because of course there's one) seemed a bit much, but overall it's a great sign of what can be done with this kind of storytelling.

Ash Is Purest White

I thought this was going to be a bit of a feminist take on the Chinese gangster genre, but it's far more of a messed up love story set against increasing capitalism in China. Hard to describe, but wonderful to watch. A great way to end another year of MIFF.

MIFF 2018 - Day 16

Pope Francis: A Man Of His Word

I overheard some call this film a 90 minute sermon. And truthfully, it is. But given the message is to love each other, care for the environment and all the other things that the modern church seems to have lost sight of in pursuing culture wars, it's a sermon worth listening to. Time will ultimately tell how far Pope Francis can steer the Catholic Church into a more progressive stance. Vatican II tried and was eventually defeated by conservative forces in the church. But at least he is trying.

The Dawn Wall

Don't watch if you're afraid of heights. This is a fun doco about a remarkable free climb up a cliff face in Yosemite National Park. It was thought to be impossible, until it was done. Really inspiring and a remarkable story.

I Used To Be Normal

A really sweet doco about boyband fangirls. It runs the gamut from how they're manufactured and manipulative to who really cares when they bring joy. And community, and a kind of empowerment. It's such a positive and happy film. Really enjoyable.

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Wow. The Mexican cartel wars viewed through the magic realist lens of children whose parents are it's victims. Full of wild and dark fantasy mixed with the horrifying reality of cartel violence, it's amazing to watch. The child actors are really impressive too. So good.

Animation Shorts

A hell of a lot of technical ability on display, but far less in the storytelling department. I liked an animated memoir of Hiroshima called Oban, and there was a trippy one called [O] that recalled Peter Chung's work. Otherwise it was all pretty forgettable.

MIFF 2018 - Day 15

The King

Elvis as metaphor for the rise and decline of America. That's an idea too big to be contained in a two hour film. But they try, and they cover an immense amount of social, cultural, and political ground. Ultimately it can't bring it all together, but gee it throws a lot at you. A confused and enlightening mess.

Documentary Shorts

The usual mixed bag. Some, like House of JXN, feel like a proof of concept for something longer, while others like Silica and Symphony of a Sad Sea are perfectly constructed gems. Though I have no idea what Armageddon 2 was. I think that was meant to be in the WTF shorts program.

Donbass

Scenes from a faked civil war. It's fiction, but all about the war in Ukraine. It's genuinely unsettling in parts, horrifying and also sometimes comic. Opening with a faked bombing and actors portraying shocked bystanders, it ramps up from there demonstrating the manipulation of a populace. Not every sequence works, but it's a powerful film.

The Spy Gone North

A ripper of a spy thriller with a heart crying for a reunified Korea. It's tense and well paced from the get go, only occasionally let down by some bad cgi. The core is a conflicted spy who is caught between serving his country and the needs of the intelligence agency he works for, navigating corrupt politicians in the south and deadly mistrust in the north. Based on a true story, some of the events are insane. Like South Korean politicians paying the North to attack just before an election to favour the ruling party. It's fictionalised, but still, damn.

MIFF 2018 - Day 13

Chris The Swiss

Anja is a documentary filmmaker who wants to understand how her cousin Chris, a journalist, died while covering the war in the former Yugoslavia. What emerges is a complex portrait of a very stupid man. Young and naive, thrillseeking, or maybe more. He moves from covering the war to joining a paramilitary. Somehow he thinks he'll write a book about their atrocities, and ends up being killed by them. It's depressing and upsetting stuff, but gives insight into how people can become capable of appaling violence.

Everybody Knows

A solid little thriller cum soap opera as a girl is kidnapped at a wedding which triggers the exposure of old family wounds, resentments and secrets. The end is disappointingly conventional given how unusual the focus is prior, with a lazy reveal that seems unnecessary. But it's a fun ride.

First Reformed

Could anyone besides Paul Schrader make something this off kilter and genius? Tackling environmental apocalypse, the corporate takeover of religion, hope, despair, and faith, this is a singular vision and bloody awesome. Surgically analysing the problems, corruptions and conflicts of mega church religion vs the older traditions of the faith in a few spare scenes is amazing to watch. Plus, anything that quotes Thomas Merton gets extra points from me. The end will either inspire or frustrate, but I loved every minute.

American Animals

A highly inventive documentary slash dramatisation of a highly unusual heist. Directed with brio and digging into the motivations of the four boys involved, it also reckons with the damage they did. It draws out the end way too much, with bad slomo set to Leonard Cohen, but otherwise this is a really good watch.

MIFF 2018 - Day 12

Big Fish & Begonia

A beautifully animated Chinese fantasy film. I wonder if it's meant to serve as propaganda, warning children who go overseas to study to remember not to bring "destructive" ideas back with them. There's a lot of moralising about how bringing something from the outside world will destroy your life and your entire community. That aside though, it's a gorgeous and fun film.

Lu Over The Wall

A brilliant and weird mermaid tale. Animated in a way that reminded me of Mind Game, it covers similar ground to Ponyo, but in a far more interesting way. One of my favourites this festival. Also, I want a merdog.

1%

Well, this was a surprise. Viscerally filmed, this Aussie biker movie grabs your attention and holds it right the way through. It's grim and nasty, sometimes in ways that feel a bit cheap, but it's playing to its genre. The end I'm a little bit iffy on, but not enough to say I didn't like it. A solid ride.

Happy Sad Man

A great documentary exploring men's mental health. The different men speak to a range of issues and their families also speak on how they manage too. It's a great film to get people talking as well as increasing understanding.

Thoroughbreds

Another one for the genre of "stage plays turned into movies that feel like stage plays". The dialogue is cracking, and the ground it covers is really interesting. Does being a sociopath automatically make you a bad person? This says no, in a really engaging way. Great performances and witty dialogue make for a great night at the theatre.

MIFF 2018 - Day 11

The Central Airport

Berlin's Tempelhof airport is a park these days. People ride bikes, walk their dogs, have parties... It's also the temporary home for hundreds of refugees. The film seems satisfied with juxtaposing images of the park with short scenes from the lives of refugees. There's some interesting stories told, but it feels over long and under structured.

Jirga

A beautifully shot film let down by an unengaging lead performance. That said, it picks up towards the end. But its story of an Australian soldier seeking to apologise to an Afghan village for killing one of them during a raid is both topical and well handled.

Caniba

A documentary about a Japanese cannibal who is being cared for by his brother after a stroke. Sound interesting? It really isn't. The final third feels highly contrived, and I can't believe such a disturbing and interesting subject could be turned into a film so dull and boring.

MIFF 2018 - Day 10

[Censored]

Interesting in parts but undeveloped in full. Seeing a bunch of clips censored from movies really shows how some things are presented. Violence against women, affection, violence in general. It needed more work I think to dig into the ideas behind the theming of sequences, but it was OK.

Wrath of Silence

A grim and ugly thriller set against corruption in China's mining industry. It's a tightly directed film, but didn't end up sticking with me the way similar thrillers have tended to. Highly enjoyable in the moment though.

The Night Eats The World

A solid little zombie tale. A man wakes up in an apartment to find himself the sole survivor of a zombie apocalypse. So he sets about gathering supplies and trying to survive. And rigging up Rube Goldberg contraptions to help him make music. It's very much a study of a man losing his sanity to loneliness. Nothing much new to add to the genre, but a good entry into it.

MIFF 2018 - Day 9

Mr Inbetween

The return of Ray Shoesmith, last seen in 2005 in The Magician. It's nice to see the laconic hitman back on screen. This six part series is great fun, and very different to your typical crime series. Not all of it works or goes anywhere, there's a promising thread where Ray is sentenced to anger management group therapy that hopefully gets developed in a second season. But overall it's great television and excellent storytelling. Especially episode 3. That one is gold.

Mirai

Hosada's best since Summer Wars I reckon. A great film about family, the struggles of parenting, being a big brother or a little sister, all wrapped up in a gorgeous magic realist fantasy. Loved it.

MIFF 2018 - Day 8

Manto

A biopic about a writer who spent his life fighting obscenity charges for depicting everyday life, I'm definitely interested in reading his work. The film I'm less impressed with. It's good, but probably would have worked better for me if I knew more about the guy.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

The man is amazing, the film about him not so much. Maybe I was just tired and grumpy, but it didn't engage me outside of some performance scenes.

Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds

Alex Proyas' first feature. It's a visually stunning oddity, something that wouldn't be out of place in a double feature with Delicatessen or something like that. Weird and gorgeous.

Outrage: Coda

Better than Outrage, still worse than Brother, Kitano pays the bills with a twisty tale of double and triple crossing yakuza. Unlike his earlier work, there's no real character or empathy here. Just plot mechanics and black humour. Fun enough though.

MIFF 2018 - Day 7

A Woman Captured

A woman, Eta, brags that she has servants and doesn't have to work. Intrigued, the film maker asks if she can document this. And thus we're introduced to Marish, who isn't a servant, but actually a slave. She works at a factory but Eta takes her wages. She cooks and cares for the family. And surprisingly, over one and a half years, they film. Eventually Marish develops a plan to escape. The film never fully explains how Marish ended up in slavery, but it does highlight how society is ill equipped to deal with it. Social services don't exist and the police admit they know but are unable to do anything stop it. It's estimated about 22,000 people in Hungary are held in slavery, with up to 1.5 million across Europe. This film gives an extreme close up on the whole awful thing.

Yellow Is Forbidden

A fly on the wall doco following Gao Pei's quest to become a member of the haute cotoure commission in France. Or I think that's what it's about. It's a bit unfocused. But always interesting and full of weird and ostentatious fashions.

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist

A short and punchy doco about Vivienne Westwood that is more about life after punk. And the more you watch, the more sense it makes. She's one of the sharpest minds around, and highly aware of the failures of punk as a social movement. To leave her defined by a moment she rejects would be a disservice her. This is a great antidote to your misconceptions.

MIFF 2018 - Day 6

Our House

And odd little ghost story. A house haunted by two sets of women. A mother and daughter, and an amnesiac and the woman who found her. It's something to be experienced rather than analysed I think, but a fairly strong showing for what's a film school graduation piece.

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion and Disco

A verbal biography of a fashion icon. Kind of snapshot of swinging sixties fashion. Fun.

Burning

Pretty much the definition of slow burn. Initially I was thinking it was an overly arty story about a dropkick, a cocktease and a sociopath. It kinda is to be honest. But the drawn out nature works in its favour, building to a sad but satisfying climax. Highly recommended.

Euthanizer

A car mechanic euthanises people's pets for cheap, while lecturing them on what terrible owners they are. He also gets into a sadomasochistic relationship with his dying father's nurse and ends up fighting a bunch of neo nazis. It sounds like the basis for an absurdist comedy, but there's more to it than that. He has reasons for his actions and they're interesting. I wasn't expecting too much from this one, but it was great.

MIFF 2018 - Day 5

Scary Mother

Hard to categorise, but who cares? This is a fascinating and uncomfortable film with a meta narrative around the exploitative nature of writing. But it's also playing with mental illness, patriarchy, exploitation and delusion. It delights in flipping your sympathies and screwing with your understanding of what's going on. Weirdly, it would make an excellent double feature with Bodied.

The First Lap

A young couple reckon with societal expectations and their own fear and confusion in this low key and beautifully observed film. It's a slice of life drama with a keen eye for the trials and joys of the couple. Really lovely.

Ghosthunter

This film was a shock. I'd call it false advertising but that's not entirely fair. What starts out as a study of a guy who hunts ghosts in his spare time quickly becomes about him hunting the ghosts of his past, and it's awful. Just about every kind of abuse you could imagine ends up being part of the subject, and the going becomes really heavy. It's a great film, but just make sure you're ready for it. It wrecked me.

The Cured

The tropiest trope that ever troped. I called the ending straight away, and while it threw out some clever ideas, it did nothing with them and just fell back into lazy tropeland. Really disappointing and just infuriatingly lazy and dumb.

MIFF 2018 - Day 4

The Eyes of Orson Welles

A video essay, kinda like those things you find on YouTube. It's uneven, but it draws out Welles political activism and how that informed his films. It elevates your understanding of the man and his work, so ultimately my complaints fade away.

Fugue

The best film yet. A woman suffering a dissociative fugue is found wandering the streets of Warsaw, and is claimed by her family. She's a different person though, and their shared past is slowly rewritten in both positive and dark ways. Go in knowing nothing else and leave in awe of the talent on display.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The appeal of this film was its claim to be a queer take on John Hughes oeuvre. And it's so good. Both a reminder of how much we've lost in the complexity of teen movies, and a brutal interrogation of the ineptitude and abuse inherent in the whole "pray the gay away" movement. It's an excellent film.

MIFF 2018 - Day 3

Mug

A Polish metalhead has an accident and end up getting a face transplant. And the village he lives in loses its collective shit. His fiance dumps him, his mother attempts an exorcism, the media won't leave him alone. It pokes at everyone, holding superstition and fickle relationships up to ridicule. It could have done with a bit more structure, and it's use of blur filters was seriously distracting, but it was interesting enough.

The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears

MIFF 2018 - Day 2

Our New President

As a survey of Russian television propaganda, it's interesting. As a documentary on Russian coverage of the 2016 US election, it's a disappointment. Needed a good editor to tighten it up.

Damsel

A silly film that delights in messing with your expectations. A man goes to "rescue" the woman he loves from the clutches of another man. And when it all goes wrong, she spends the rest of the film fending off the "help" of every other man she encounters. It's slight, but fun.

Three Identical Strangers

Triplets separated at birth accidentally find each other 19 years later. It sounds like a fairy tale, until you learn why they were separated. What seems like negligence turns out to be a heavily designed psychological experiment. It's some seriously disturbing stuff, and an important insight into the scientific mindset of the time. Those interviewed from the project are fairly unrepentant, almost ghoulish in their anticipation of what could be learned. But for the siblings denied their family, there's only sadness.

The World Is Yours

Imagine a Guy Ritchie film about loser gangsters, but with heart and empathy. It's hugely entertaining, weird and funny, but with a good heart.

Bodied

Skewering privileged white people agonising over race relations and cultural appropriation while also reckoning with the uglier aspects of battle rap, this is really funny, stylish and a bit of a mess. But the great characters carry the film, and the rap battles are excellent. It's a YouTube original, so go look it up.

MIFF 2018 - Day 1

Let The Corpses Tan

If Kenneth Anger made a spaghetti western, it'd probably be like this. Way too many extreme close ups, but fun enough, if not particularly memorable.

Mandy

Not as good as Beyond The Black Rainbow, but still a trippy good time. Nicolas Cage delivering a quietly unhinged performance, and surprisingly, Linus Roache as a mansonian cult leader. Visually like a pulp fantasy book cover, it's not good, but lots of fun all the same.