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.