The problem with planning to write anything about the film festival is people. It is a lot more fun (and more socially acceptable) to chat and hang out with people that you bump into before and after films than to sit in the corner and write, especially if you don’t see them often – unfortunately, the people I know have taste and discernment (as well as being incredibly good looking and smart), and thus will often be found at films that I want to see.
This means that I will be trying to keep these reviews short, since I want to get to bed at a reasonable time. 🙂
Film #1: Where Do We Go Now?
This film was preceded by Night Shift, a short following a struggling Polynesian Auckland airport cleaner; this was clearly set out and competently done, but the twist (if you can call it that) wasn’t too surprising, and it’s nothing I’ll be trying to find it to show other people.
Where Do We Go Now? is set in a Lebanese village where the women, the imam and the priest are trying to stop violence erupting between the Muslim and Christian men. It is a comedy, has elements of a Bollywood-style musical, and is a mix of sad and funny. I liked that both holy men were trying to tamp down the discord, rather than take advantage of it, and their uncertainty about whether what they were doing was the right thing; but the stars of the film are the women, and they are worth watching. Something is niggling at me about the portrayal of women as essentially united in wanting to protect the village… perhaps because I suspect that women are just as likely to be part of the problem as the solution? Still, it’s a nice aspiration, and a nice film.
Film #2: This Must Be The Place
Sean Penn is a soft-spoken Keith Richards/Ozzy Osbourne ex-rocker, who meanders through his life until he is forced to return to America to attend his dying father. There, he receives a quest, and sets out, diffidently and quietly, across the United States to fulfil his duty.
This film reminded me of Broken Flowers – not in that it had annoyingly long driving sequences (it didn’t), but in that there was a dreamlike quality to many of the events, and our main character drifted into and out of weird circumstances without comment or substantial consequence. Dammit, the official review mentions Broken Flowers too, now I’m second-guessing myself. 🙂
Anyway, it’s about growing up (though using the metaphor of smoking annoyed me, since there’s something infantile about sucking on a cigarette), and forgiveness. Sean Penn is good and true as an unusual character, and I’m a sucker for Frances McDormand; so in summary, I enjoyed it.
Film #3: Keep The Lights On
A gay couple get together and break up repeatedly. I wanted to like it, and some parts were enjoyable, but I think that some of the cultural norms were too far away from mine for me to empathise. For example, they meet via some sort of phone hook-up line… and they both use it again later, even though they both claim to be in love, and are hurt when they realise that the other one is using it. I mean, I don’t even like the Pina Colada song, this kind of attitude isn’t something that’s going to may me sympathetic to the main characters.
Ultimately, I didn’t really enjoy this film.
Film #4: Caesar Must Die
The short before this film was Alwyn Motel, clearly shot around the Lyall Bay/Newtown area (if you live here, anyway). It was okay, with some well-done sound and nice visual symbolism, but I don’t think I would have picked up on a vital plot point (that the main character had lost his job because of a previous conviction) if the film-maker hadn’t told us about it beforehand. This may have been a failing on my part?
The main feature was an Italian version of the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, performed by hardened criminals (murderers, drug traffickers and mafia) in a maximum security prison. They were convincing as Shakespeare’s characters; but surprisingly, a bit stilted when playing themselves during the re-enactments of the what went on in the prison around the play. (I suppose it’s a lot harder to play yourself.) Some of the actors definitely felt dangerous, and I wouldn’t want to run into them in a dark alley; but as a weird pseudo-documentary, I quite enjoyed it.
Film #5: Cabin in the Woods
This was the Joss Whedon movie; unsurprisingly, there was a good crowd atmosphere in the sold-out theatre. It was a clever idea, well executed, with good actors – there was one bit of stunt casting that I’d already seen in another movie, but it’s a good stunt, so I guess it can be forgiven. I can easily imagine re-watching with the pause button, trying to catch all the little bits that are going on in the busier scenes and the throw-away lines. The only objection that I have (and it’s a bit of a weird one) is that I find the underlying premise deeply depressing – that bad things must be done by good people in order to keep the world safe is a trope I distrust. Still, a good film, and I will almost certainly be watching it again.
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