MIFF 2019 - Day 6
Meeting Gorbachev
Werner Herzog interviews Mikhail Gorbachev. Sounds like a slam dunk, but despite meeting him three times, Gorbachev is not the greatest of interviewees. He's not particularly communicative. Far more interesting are the other people commenting on his life and career. There are some great insights, for instance that many encouraged him in his Perestroika and Glasnost initiatives as they knew it would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union, giving them freedom for their own homelands. Also interesting was Gorbachev's regret that he didn't exile Boris Yeltsin after the failed coup, knowing he was up to no good. You get the sense of a decent man unwilling to play ruthless power games, and coming off the worse for it. It's an interesting overview of a significant political career, but you don't so much meet Gorbachev as hear about him from others. Not quite what was advertised.
Brittany Runs a Marathon
A real crowdpleaser about an overweight woman whose life is spiraling out of control. Then she takes up running, and in finding purpose finds a way to get her life on track. Sort of. Brittany is a completely believable character, full of insecurities and self-loathing, struggling to love herself as she transforms her life. It's kinda excruciating at times to see how she behaves, and how much you enjoy the film depends on how willing you are to go along with her, warts and all. But it's a warm, sweet film with some smart observations and a lot of laughs.
Alice
Alice lives a quiet life as a housewife, until the day her husband doesn't come home, her credit cards are blocked, and the bank tells her they're going to repossess their home. He's been spending big on escorts, and now that he's driven them broke he's run away. Forced to try and save her home, she ends up working as an escort herself. And she doesn't find it all that terrible. It's a solid little family drama, examining the conflicting attitudes to sex workers and their clients, as well as showing Alice's journey to knowing herself.
Werner Herzog interviews Mikhail Gorbachev. Sounds like a slam dunk, but despite meeting him three times, Gorbachev is not the greatest of interviewees. He's not particularly communicative. Far more interesting are the other people commenting on his life and career. There are some great insights, for instance that many encouraged him in his Perestroika and Glasnost initiatives as they knew it would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union, giving them freedom for their own homelands. Also interesting was Gorbachev's regret that he didn't exile Boris Yeltsin after the failed coup, knowing he was up to no good. You get the sense of a decent man unwilling to play ruthless power games, and coming off the worse for it. It's an interesting overview of a significant political career, but you don't so much meet Gorbachev as hear about him from others. Not quite what was advertised.
Brittany Runs a Marathon
A real crowdpleaser about an overweight woman whose life is spiraling out of control. Then she takes up running, and in finding purpose finds a way to get her life on track. Sort of. Brittany is a completely believable character, full of insecurities and self-loathing, struggling to love herself as she transforms her life. It's kinda excruciating at times to see how she behaves, and how much you enjoy the film depends on how willing you are to go along with her, warts and all. But it's a warm, sweet film with some smart observations and a lot of laughs.
Alice
Alice lives a quiet life as a housewife, until the day her husband doesn't come home, her credit cards are blocked, and the bank tells her they're going to repossess their home. He's been spending big on escorts, and now that he's driven them broke he's run away. Forced to try and save her home, she ends up working as an escort herself. And she doesn't find it all that terrible. It's a solid little family drama, examining the conflicting attitudes to sex workers and their clients, as well as showing Alice's journey to knowing herself.
posted by Andrew Lee at 2:39 PM
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