Off-topic Rants

I must have completely zoned out when I read the description of this film. If I had consciously known it was about an abortion, there is no way in hell I would have gone and seen it. I must have also tuned out when people were talking about this film they’ve seen with a drawn out abortion scene in it. For some reason, I was sure this title referred to a movie about a marriage – but I was completely wrong. Set in the Soviet block during the final days of communism, this is a gritty tale about two female students in Bucharest, one of whom is pregnant. Rather than give birth to the child, she has decided to ask her friend for help in organising an illegal termination. With an extremely limited budget, the girls are forced to call on the services of a dodgy backyard operator, in a hotel room. As I said, this is not the sort of film I’d normally go and see. I hate blood, and medical procedures. The thought of watching a poor and desperate young student go through a risky, prohibited and life threatening procedure in a dirty hotel room gives me the chills. However, this was a really good film. It still scared the hell out of me, and was seriously depressing, moving and hard to watch – but the characters and situations seemed so unfortunately real and the film had such well scripted dialogue, that it’s very hard not to appreciate how great a film this really is. It’s not a complex film – there are only a few key characters and a very simple plot, however it’s incredibly dramatic. Watching a dubious abortion take place was too much for a lot of people – there were several that left the theatre near the start of the movie; they obviously didn’t pay attention to the blurb either. But luckily, because I’m too stubborn, I stayed till the end. Although hard to watch, I felt it was an important movie to stick with for some reason. I think I just really cared about the characters (or at least just Otilia). I never want to watch it again – but I’m glad I made it to the end without fainting.

This is a documentary about the mystery disappearance of the Warhol Factory’s Danny Williams in 1966. Williams was in love with the art of lighting and film making, but was also heavily experimenting with drugs, sleeping with his male boss, Andy Warhol, and falling in and out with the other artists. It’s a film that sets out to discover what really happened the night he left his car on a cliff face, by looking over never-seen-before footage, including many films Williams made at the Factory, and interviewing friends, family and co-workers, about his past. It’s an interesting insight into a man’s life. Personally, I found it a tad boring – as I didn’t really know much about Williams coming into the film, and the way he was portrayed, meant that I didn’t really care to learn more. It was cut together pretty well – mixing interviews and archive footage, and some of the interviews were incredibly interesting, however, the film as a whole just didn’t grab me.

This is a very simple, very real, and very gritty tale about a woman who visits her grandson at his army base in war-torn Chechnya. There is no visible fighting or battles during this film, as it’s purely a point of view of the grandmother as she reunites with her grandson, and chats to the other young soldiers at the camp. Visually, the film is shot in stunning monochrome, with striking faded, dirty and rough production design. This is a very slow film. We just stick with the grandma as she slowly stumbles around the camp. Everyone in the film seems exhausted. It successfully portrays that war is far from exciting – it’s extremely tough work and essentially soul destroying. That said, it’s not strictly anti-war – it more of an observational piece. Take out of it what you will. Personally, although I respected the acting, directing, cinematography, production design and sound design, I found this film to be too humdrum and long-winded. I fell asleep a couple of times, and didn’t really pay that much attention when I was actually awake. It’s very sad – and makes you really hate war and what it does to all these young people; however it’s a very draining film. Beautifully crafted – but not my sort of film…

This is a very simple film about a person living alone on home detention (after obviously coming out of jail recently), preparing for a Christmas lunch for his teenage niece, sister in law accompanied by her latest boyfriend. But things quickly turn sour when an old friend reveals a disturbing truth about the new boyfriend. The whole film has been designed to look as if it’s done in a single steady cam take, which gives you a very painstaking detailed view of every single thing that happens in the story. It’s made to look as if it’s playing out in real time – and it works. The start seems a tad slow – as we watch Chris, the main character prepare, but things quickly speed up as the other characters are introduced. When the truth about the new boyfriend is reveal tension soon hits an all time high. At first I thought the acting was pretty average – the dialogue seemed very unnatural. However, I soon came to the realisation that in this situation, this is how these people would have really talked. The sound design was pretty average – it felt as if a whole lot of stock standard “outdoor sounds” were playing in repeat mode. The cinematography was basic – yet impressive, if only because it was using natural lighting, and yet you never saw a stray boom or crew shadow. This film was pretty good. It had its slow moments, but the drama and the tension at the end made up for it. It’s a very emotional film – I really fell for the characters. But it wasn’t a masterpiece.

What a complete and utter load of shit. I remember watching an interview with David Lynch a couple of months back and thinking, “this guy is an idiot”. He completely ignored the intelligent Italian interviewer, claiming he couldn’t understand him, despite the fact that the TV host spoke better English than Lynch. This movie was horrible. The only problem is that I feel a little bit guilty bagging the crap out of it because I had to leave early and haven’t actually seen the end. But that’s Lynch’s fault as well! The film ran for way too long – so long that it went well past the departure time of the last train out of the city, much to my dismay. Then again, what I did see was dreadful, so there was no real way it could have recovered itself. This film was obviously just made to be different and challenge its viewers. It was certainly different – but not in a good way. The photography was uncomfortable with extreme close ups and badly framed images. The editing was sometimes predictable but mostly seemingly random and without real motive. A lot of the shots were out of focus for no particular reason. Everything about this film was random and completely over the top. From rabbits speaking gibberish to prostitutes singing and dancing – this film really had it all. But it was really boring to watch. It did have some funny moments and some good characters. I really loved the producer character as he tried to collect money from crew in charity. The lead lady was acted incredibly well – she must have gone through hell making this film. But the film itself, and admittedly I haven’t seen the end – was just a complete and utter waste of time. I’m sure some boring film geek could make up reasons for why every shot was there, but I honestly think this was just a lot stuff thrown on paper for just the hell of it. It’s more of an experimental film than anything else. Personally – I hated it. It drove me batty. But I still want to see the end…

This is a very odd, yet surprisingly entertainment and perplexing film about a young American who barely makes a living as a Michael Jackson impersonator in Paris. He loves “being” Michael – but he’s obviously unhappy with his life as it currently stands. Things take a turn for the better when a fake Marilyn Monroe makes an appearance whilst he’s performing at a retirement village. He’s instantly attracted to her, and when she suggests that he should come back with her to a self-sufficient community far away, “where no one gets old” and she lives with her husband Charlie Chaplin, daughter Shirley Temple, plus a host of other phoney celebrities, he decides to pack up and come along for the ride. The film is primarily about a three way relationship between Michael, Marilyn and Charlie and their crazy lifestyle. However, it also follows a separate and completely unrelated story about nuns jumping out of planes and surviving. It’s almost like watching a feature film on the TV and having strange ads in between. This film is very bizarre, but as the characters are all so fascinating, the film really hooks you in. It’s not a comedy in the traditional sense – although there are some funny moments. There is a lot of drama and heartache, as we watch these unusual characters go about their strange existence. To be honest, I’m not sure if I understood “the bigger picture” of this film – or even if there was a common theme throughout the whole film. However, despite this, I was fascinated by what I was watching and some of the visual (especially the opening and closing shots) were beautifully shot. A very different film – but one well worth watching!

This is a great short New Zealand film about a brother and sister, who live in fear of their overly protective father. They mother is no longer in their lives for some unspecified reason, and as a result the father focuses all of his attention on making sure his children are the best they can be. He forces his daughter to play the piano, not allowing her to play her own thing as well as forcing both his children to run for quite a distance to ensure they keep healthy. His persistence turns to violence if they don’t play by his rules. This is a tale about two siblings who eventually team together, as brother and sister should, to overcome their fears and obstacles. Some of the acting in this film seemed a little bit suspect; although it’s hard to tell if that was due to bad acting, or whether the characters would actually be like that in a real world situation. The production values were fantastic – as is to be expected with these heavily funded short films. It had a good build up to a very satisfying, although slightly cliché conclusion.

This is one of the best slasher/horror/comedy film’s I’ve ever seen. Completely sick, absolutely hilarious, and extremely terrifying – this film really had it all. A team of sales executives from an international arms company head to a corporate retreat in the forests of Hungary for a morale-building exercise. But when the come across a road block due to a fallen tree, they are forced to walk to their far-away lodge. They make it – safely, but are soon hunted down one by one by a mystery man in the woods. This film exceeds all expectations. It manipulates the audience every step of the way with perfect precision. The English humour is fantastic – with touches of The Office, and Shaun of the Dead thrown in for good measure. There are a lot of scenes that are so sick they make you laugh – and scenes so scary they’ll make you hide. The set ups and payoffs are by far the best I’ve seen in a while. I really loved this film and I’m finding it impossible to fault. The acting was perfect, the locations were perfect, it has great sound and visuals, so many funny moments, and some great special effects. I came out of this film feeling extremely satisfied!

This is a beautiful and very well acted short film about two teenagers living in a small Mexican town. Sofia, a beautiful young lady, hates her life and the fact that her mother sleeps around, and doesn’t seem to care about her in the slightest. Jonas on the other hand, has a lovely mother, who really cares about him. Sofia and Jonas begin to form a relationship, but Sofia wants to leave the town for good. It’s a story about Jonas struggle to head off with this intriguing, yet unstable young lady, or stay at home with his loving mum. The acting in this short film is truly top class. I really loved this film. It was shot beautifully, and had good sound design. But what drew me in were the characters. They felt so real. This is not a happy film, but gives a great insight into the lives of two young lovers who have very different backgrounds, despite living in the same small town.

This is a fantastic action/adventure film about a sexy and cunning secret service agent, who is put in charge of looking after a former co-worker’s teenage children before he heads permanently underground. As she tries to protect these children, and reunite them with their father one last time, an unusual game of cat and mouse takes place, as hit man watch their every move hoping that they will reveal the location of the father. This is a really exciting film, with some very fascinating concepts, as well as some great and exceptionally funny dialogue. The relationship between the two children, whom have never met before, and are not related by blood, is very intriguing as they become closer and closer. The lead character is fantastic. She’s very unpredictable – one minute she’s the perfect spy, and you’re confident she could kill anyone, and the next you realise that she’s still human – and can make mistakes. Although there is a lot of suspense and action right throughout the film, the film also strongly focuses on the three main characters and their relationships together. I really enjoyed this film – it was very exciting and surprisingly funny.

This is a truly fantastic short film about a man and women who stumble home drunk, after an obviously fun and alcohol filled night. Everything is going to plan for the two, as they enter an unlocked tennis court (after taking of their shoes as per the sign) and start making out passionately, until the lights turn on and all hell brakes loose. This film has a killer punch line and a completely unpredictable little twist. The sound design and musical score is fantastic – and is absolutely terrifying in sections. The acting is fantastic – you really love these characters even though this is a short film. The script and concept, although simple, is extremely effective. The visual effects are terrific, and are another stand out of the film. Overall, this is an amazingly faultless film and is truly entertaining.

Essentially this is a New Zealand film about a whole lot of mutant sheep that go on a rampage to try and kill everyone, due to a generic engineering experiment going horribly wrong. It’s tremendously funny, and gives the audience exactly what they want – sheep killing people. The visual effects are fantastic, and are so real that they’re funny. To be honest, I don’t know what else to write. It’s a lot of sheep killing people – nothing more, nothing less! It’s completely mad, and very fun! Everything is tongue in cheek. The story isn’t hugely complex, or that well written, but it doesn’t really matter. No one really cares about these things when there’s some sheep killing to be had! Very sick – very funny!

Set mainly in a single location, Bug is an American horror/thriller essentially about two people who believe bugs are invading their home and their bodies. An exceptionally strange, yet pleasant man is brought along to a woman’s hotel room, and despite all odds, the two quickly become friends. Basically, the woman is lonely, and this man actually listens to her and talks to her as a normal human being. The man obviously has a few loose screws, and convinces the lady of all kinds of weird and absolutely crazy things – mainly revolving around information transmitting bugs. This is a seriously strange movie. It builds up as this very scary and ghastly horror film, but ends up being more silly and funny than anything else. It does have some very gory and gruesome movements, but even they are so over-the-top, that you can’t help but laugh. The film introduces several characters into the story – the girls best friend, and ex-husband, however they really only play minor roles. This is mainly a film about a guy and a girl, and one insane person can make another sane person crazy! The cinematography and set design is fantastic! Despite the fact that there was really only one location, it was never visually boring – in fact it was the polar opposite. Towards the end of the film, when everyone was pretty much raving mad, the whole hotel suite was covered in aluminium foil – which looked absolutely magnificent! The sound design was also noteworthy – surround sound was used to great effect. It was an entertaining film I must admit – it was never dull or boring – however, it was just a little too weird and over-the-top. I was expecting this very serious, very dark and very scary film, and instead I got this strangely humorous and very sick thing instead. The female lead was acted very well, despite the eccentric script. I honestly don’t know what to make of this film. I don’t exactly know what it was trying to be. It certainly wasn’t a horror film in the traditional sense. And it wasn’t an all-out comedy by any stretch of the imagination. I really like the concept – your brain convincing you that bugs are everywhere – however, this film was just a little too odd for me. Never-the-less, it kept you interested, and will no doubt be a good discussion point once the film festival is over.

I went into this film, just purely out of luck. I had a space free, and this film seemed the best out of the bunch in that timeslot. Luck was on my side this time, as Cages is a truly fantastic Belgium film, and is up there in my list of favourite films so far at the festival. The film opens by introducing Eve and Damien – two people who are obviously both passionately in love. Eve is a ambulance medic, who spends her work hours saving lives. Damien runs an unusual pub called The Zoo, where they host an annual content for the best animal noise. Their world is turned completely up-side-down when Eve is involved in an accident whilst at work, which results in her loosing her ability to speak. The silence soon becomes too much for Damien, and their relationship is seriously put to the test. He starts secretly seeing someone else. When their relationship is on the verge of suffocation, Eve takes drastic action, and in desperation to hang onto Damien she takes him prisoner – locking him up in his own home. This is an absolute thriller of a film, with some many things that are just completely unexpected. When the film looks as if it’s heading in one direction, it quickly surprises you and heads off somewhere else. From the moment the film starts, I feel in love with Eve. I think it was something about her eyes. She’s an amazing actor; her ability to say so much with no auditable words is truly incredible. The actor who played Damien was also spot on, although you can’t help but to feel strongly against his character as Eve is clearly the “good guy” despite her shady methods. This is also a really bizarre film – the animal mimicking show is seriously out there. The cinematography is fantastic – especially during these scenes. Some of the crane/helicopter shots of Eve and Damien on the hill overlooking the ocean are also breathtaking. The sound design was marvellous and did a great job and manipulating the audience’s perceptions. The blend between musical score, sound effects and live action was also incredible. I really loved the audio in one of the opening scenes, when the music suddenly dissipated, to reveal the sound of Eve performing CPR. The transition was great. I really enjoyed this film but there were some uncomfortable scenes – at one stage Eve pretty much rapes her husband, which seriously pushes her “good guy” status. This film was completely not what I expected – even when I was watching it, I kept thinking I had it all figured out, only to be proven seriously wrong. I find it really hard to fault this film. It’s an incredibly unique film, with a great script, executed perfectly.

This is a film about a reclusive Chinese harp player who purchases a dead fish from a sexy lady at a seafood market, places it in his bath and lets his imagination run wild. This is a typical VCA film – very arty, with a rather unclear message. The cinematography and sound design are good – although they are pretty much like every other VCA film of this variety. To be perfectly honest, I don’t like this type of film. It’s just all a bit too weird for me.

A New Zealand film, Clean Linen is a peculiar film about two children who spend their days doing chores around the house and secretly watching their father’s pornography video collection. When they are caught by their mother, things are a bit heated in the house. Despite the fact that this was an interesting film to watch, I think I may have missed the point. I didn’t really get what the message behind the film was. None of the acting seemed that terrific, although there wasn’t much dialogue or action. The cinematography was noteworthy, with some very nice visuals of the house. Overall, this was a slightly entertaining piece – although not really my cup of tea.

This is a fantastic Australian film narrated by a teenager who tells a story from the past, about his neighbours – a similarly aged boy, with a Bogan father and a sexy mother that everyone wants to sleep with (especially the narrator himself). Told from the perspective of the narrator, this is a story of a confused boy, surrounded by sex and drugs, with no love in sight. The parents are always having sex (in easy hearing distance of their unfortunate child), and are constantly throwing huge parties, with all their Bogan friends. Things turn nasty with the cops turn up to one of the usual afternoon drinks, and the boy greets the cops with a crossbow. The acting in this film is superb, but what’s even more impressive is the narration. The film is gritty in style, with a very real suburban feel. You never quite know where the film is heading, or whether it going to end up happy or sad – it’s unpredictable and very well written. It’s a very cleaver concept that is executed perfectly.

I’ve never seen the first instalment of this Russian trilogy before, so maybe I’ve missed a lot of the back story to the Matrix-like film, Day Watch. Essentially, it’s a film about an age old battle between good vs. evil – light vs. dark. Anton (from the light side) wrestles with his loyalty to his dark-sided son and his loyalty to the Night Watch team (the good guys). Set in modern day Moscow, when vampires belonging to the Dark side start mysteriously being killed, and Anton is framed for their murders, he must forget about saving his son from the clutches of the baddies, and try and escape the Day Watch, which is looking for his blood. This is an ultra-modern film, with some amazing special effects. The computer generated landscapes are breathtaking, and the epic battles easily rival those of movies such as Lord of the Rings. Although the film is spoken in Russian, the subtitles are perhaps the highlight of the film. Unlike traditional subtitles, these ones interact with the action of the film, and help to propel the story along. The amazing use of type would make any typography teacher go bananas. There were some jokes throughout the film, that I think were “in jokes” – either referencing to previous films, or very specifically Russian jokes. However, there were plenty of moments for new-to-the-series viewers to enjoy. There was also perhaps the most amazing fast car sequence I’ve ever seen – although all visual effects, it was really impressive to see a car slide so unnaturally around corners, fly effortlessly through the air, drive around the walls of a building, smash through the window, and then hoon around the hallways. The look of the film was very unique, very modern, very bold and very prominent. It looked like a real action movie. The sound design was also really impressive – we great use of surround sound, especially when viewed in a big venue like The Regent. I must say, even without seeing the previous film, this is a really standout movie at the film festival – if only for the special effects alone.

I actually stumbled into this film by accident, as the many days of movie watching finally took a toll on my brain and logical thinking. However, it was a great mistake to make as Everything’s Gone Green is a really good film. This is a very Garden State-like film about a guy called Ryan. In one unfortunate day, he is dumped by his girlfriend, kicked out of his house, fired from his job, told his family has won the lottery, and then finds out it’s a mistake. Nothing seems to be going right for the poor man. Things start to look up when, by chance he meets a beautiful film set-dresser named Ming, at the site of a dead whale on a beach. But, as fate would have it, Ming is already dating a shady entrepreneur named Bryce. Things start to look up for young Ryan when he finds himself a job at the National Lottery Corporation, and his brother hooks him up with a fantastic apartment. When Bryce proposes a bizarre money-laundering scheme, Ryan ignores his ethics, signs up and is on the fast track to wealth. After all, everyone is doing something dodgy to make a living! Even his apparently innocent parents are selling dope to make a lot of cash quickly. This is a very light hearted comical critique of our notions of corruption and success. It has some pure gold moments in it. The cast is fantastic – there is some great chemistry between Ryan and Ming, as well as an interesting four way relationship when you include Bryce and Ming’s traditionally Chinese mother. Ryan’s best friend, parents, brother, and boss are also fantastic characters that really make this film stand out. It’s very quirky, with some funny yet eccentric moments thrown in for good measure.

Exit, a Swedish film directed by Peter Lindmark, is probably one of the most thrilling and exciting films I’ve seen at MIFF so far. Thomas is a successful venture capitalist, with a beautiful wife and daughter, and a high-flying business that is making a tonne of cash. Everything is travelling along perfectly until on the eve of closing a lucrative financial deal, his business partner, close friend and mentor, Wihelm is killed and Thomas is framed for his murder. A mix between the Bourne series and The Fugitive, this is an simmering, multi-layered thriller, jam-packed with complex plots, unexpected twists and turns, and non-stop action. The cast in this film is fantastic. Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Thomas, carries with him all the signature traits of a hero, and yet, you always have the feeling that he’s not the good guy he may seem. This is probably due to his previous roles in movies such as Casino Royale, but he has the degree of danger in his eye, that always makes you wonder if you’re batting for the right person. The villains in this film are also brilliant, and actually remind me of some of the corporate criminals in the Bond series. Overall, this is a great movie that honestly keeps you at the end of your seat. There are some very hard to watch moments – such as one involving an air-compressed nail gun as a torture device – but it’s not overly gory. Thomas is forced to rely only on his wits to protect himself and his family, and I think that’s what makes this film so great. All the pressure is on his shoulders, so he has to do some amazing things to ensure his family lives to see another day.

Walking into the theatre, I really didn’t know what to expect from this film. Featuring in the “Forbidden Pleasures” section of the festival, I was sure that I was going to get a fair bit of nudity and adult themes. Hell, to be perfectly honest, I was even expecting to see a fair bit of soft-core porn. Well, with that in mind, this film didn’t disappoint. There was a lot of nudity, adult themes, and soft-core porn – although in some cases it was pushing its “soft” classification. This is a bizarre, yet extremely entertaining film about a trusting French director who is trying to make a film exploring all aspects of female pleasure. While he amazingly finds actresses to star in his movie (although many people do refuse), what he gets in return is more than just naughty acts caught on celluloid, rather a very complicated multi-way relationship. If you don’t like watching young, very desirable, girls playing with themselves under the table of a fancy restaurant, this film is not for you. If you’re not attracted by beautifully filmed sapphic lovers in a hotel corridor, this film is not for you either. But this film is honestly not just an excuse for showing off a lot of breasts and lesbian love scenes. It’s a dark and intense tale examining how we can become completely blinded by our passions instead of using our head and the advice received from our trusted friends. In the case of this film, the director chooses to ignore the wise words from his loving wife and dead grandmother, and the consequences are ghastly. Right throughout the film there is a lot of strange voiceovers, with dialogue such as “their blue desert is only a circle ringed by hell”. There is also several characters that hide in the shadows; athletic female angels, who describe themselves as “not angels anymore, but not witches yet either”, looking over the events that unfold. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what to make of this film. It’s seriously weird. But it’s very interesting to watch. The director is basically moulding and manipulating these girls, to make his movie come to life, despite claiming that he only has the very best intentions. It’s going to be one of those films that you’re either going to love or hate – I don’t think there is any middle ground. Personally, I found this film really unique, and I’ll admit, having a lot of beautiful women making love to each other didn’t hurt, but there was more to this film than just that.

This film is a snapshot into a lives of several young people holed up in a small town called Falkenberg. It’s not a traditional narrative – but more a mood piece, trying to capture what it’s like growing up in that seemingly boring environment, and how these people deal with crossing over from adolescence to adulthood. This is a very slow and almost observatory film, with lots of shots of scenery, and people just hanging about. It tries to evoke emotion, not through dialogue, but more beautiful images of mundane things. It does have one tragic scene, which adds some more energy to the film, but for the most part, this is just a very measured and leisurely film about growing up.

Fast Lane is a suburb Australian short film about a boy who returns home from a party one night clammy and pale. His mum knows that something is wrong, but Ash doesn’t want to reveal that he may have killed someone by throwing a rock onto a busy freeway. This is an excellent moving story about the relationship between two young teenage boys, and how they deal with growing up and what happens when they egg each other on to do stupid things. The acting is terrific, both by the two boys and by Ash’s mother. This is a really moving short film with a satisfying ending.

This is probably on of the greatest documentaries I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. What’s even better is that it’s Australian! It’s the story of Norma Khouri, the author of a best-selling book, Forbidden Love. After the book sold millions right around the globe, and Norma achieved fame and fortune, people started to do a bit of research, and came to the conclusion that the book was fiction – not fact as originally thought. As the filmmaker digs deeper, Norma isn’t the Jordanian virgin on the run from Islamic extremists, she makes out to be. She under investigation from the FBI, has a husband with supposed connections to the mafia, three children, and a whole lot of lies relating to her book. This film is really exciting. It starts off all “Norma is a hero”. It builds her up as some kind of angel. But then, all of a sudden, it shows another side of the story. Her opposition are given room to argue. It’s soon shown that not much in her book is truthful. In fact, a lot of the so-called facts are blatant lies. The filmmaker then goes on a journey to try and uncover the truth. They travel to Jordon with Norma, in an attempt to clear her name, but just end up digging up more dirt. This is a really entertaining documentary, with tremendous production values. Visually, the film is pristine, with great interview backdrops, and vivid locations. The audio design is fantastic, with appropriate music, crystal clear interviews, and some killer and appropriate sound effects. The graphics are very nice – I really love the “smoking title card”; the text looks fantastic. I also feel the filmmakers made a very honest film. They showed all sides and angles of the story, and basically let the audience decide what’s what. I can’t fault this film – it’s absolutely perfect!

This film has a very strange beginning in retrospect. It opens with a comedy performer getting lost in the backstage maze of corridors, as he tries to find the stage door. I have absolutely no idea what relevance this has to anything. The comedian eventually finds the stage, and performs his work to a very unsatisfied crowd. After his show he tries to chat up a young women at the bar – but is quickly rejected. On his drive home, he drives past her, and tries again – but still no dice. In frustration he starts masturbating, and runs off the road. His car is stuck in a ditch, so he gets a ride off two men, who are on their way home from a bar opening. As they drive along, the driver doesn’t see the same women running in the middle of the road until the last minute, quickly turns and runs off the road, and down through the forest. The car gets jammed between two trees. No one is hurt – but they’re stuck. The windows are bullet proof, so they can’t smash them. This is a hilarious film about three men, stuck in a car. After several days with no help in sight, a young boy discovers them – but instead of helping, he treats them as a science experiment. Despite the fact that it’s a fairly unbelievable concept, it’s surprisingly realistic, and incredibly funny. Trapped together, they are forced to share unwanted intimacies, and do some pretty disgusting things just to survive. I really enjoyed this movie. It was fairly simple (most of it was filmed in a stationary car), but incredibly effective. The only complaint I have, is that the ending was slightly sudden – with no real resolution. However, it didn’t really matter. This was a really simple idea, shot incredibly well with a great cast, and fantastic script fully of genuinely funny moments.

This is a very strange and unconventional film about a screenwriter who is trying to write a screenplay about a young man who is on the run after he murdered his lover. The film constantly switches between fantasy and reality, as we move from the screenwriters world into the world of his character. The journey the screenwriter designs for his character, inspires him to take the same voyage himself. The film is narrated right throughout the whole movie by the screenwriter, which helps seamlessly blend the two worlds together. This is a very odd movie. At times it’s very hard to work out what it’s all about. However, due to the complex nature of the film, it’s quite an interesting watch. Some of the locations are very beautiful – featuring vast snowy mountains. This film almost feels like a strange dream. It just floats around, with no strict story or structure. It feels as if the director is making it up as he goes along. Although some sections of the film were a tad uninteresting – most of the film was enjoyable and entertaining. It had a lot of film and television references and jokes in it, which is always interesting. Overall, a very strange film – but worth watching!

This is a seriously funny and very peculiar film about an old man reminiscing about how, from a very young age, all he wanted in life was to become a millionaire. Over four decades, we watch him transform from a cunning hot dog vendor, to a man of great fortune and eventually a hermit, in constant pursuit of money and women. Full of fantastic slapstick comedy, with some dark political and social satire, this is an enthralling and action-packed film about a vertically challenged man’s life. From a technical point of view, the lighting and photography in this film is fantastic – it has a very fairy tale, yet at the same time realistic look about it. The camera work is also very noteworthy – with some great shots of tables spinning to portray time passing. The story is completely engrossing and enchanting, with some fantastic and extremely unique characters. The way it blends history and fiction is also very cleaver. A very funny film that is very colourful, with some of the most amazing set designs I’ve seen. A masterpiece in so many ways…

This is a marvellous short film about two ladies, who live in the small country town of Katoomba, and both want to get out and travel the world. Everything looks as if it’s going to plan until one of the girl’s falls quickly and deeply in love with a new man to the town. This newly formed relationship essentially destroys the tight bond between the girls. The acting and casting for this short film is perfect – both lead ladies are such lovable and real characters. The supporting cast is also spot on, and adds such a great degree of realism to the film. The locations are beautiful. The cinematography is superb, although I think there may have been something wrong with the projection as the whole film appeared to be slightly soft in focus. It looks like it was shot and projected on film, despite the fact that the images looked as if they had very little resolution. Regardless, the film was so good that any technical glitches didn’t matter in the slightest. The musical score was suburb and really added to the mood of the film. This is a film essentially about friendship, about how a friendship can suddenly end, and about growing up. This is one of my favourable short films, simply because it’s so beautiful to watch thanks to a fantastic location and a fantastic cast.

Directed by Tokyo born Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maborosi is an extremely slow, yet visually pleasing film about a young women’s struggle to get on with life after her husband commits suicide by jumping in front of a train – leaving their child fatherless. After her husband’s death, she is “set up” with another man who lives on the coast with a child of his own. Made in 1995, this film has a classically Japanese style to it. The cinematography is very lush – however I found the film just too slow to seriously concentrate. Nothing really seemed to happen during the whole 110 minutes! There were a lot of scenery shots, and one scene where the new husband is eating fish at the kitchen table for about 10 minutes! Why this scene was included, and why it went for so long remains a mystery to me! The music throughout the film was very beautiful and lovely to listen to, however there wasn’t enough of it to keep me awake. I’m also not completely sure whether I fell asleep in sections and missed bits of the plot, or whether some sections of the stories just didn’t connect together – but I found this film very hard to follow. The characters in the film where very powerful, and the way the director used light and space to convey emotions was very interesting, however, I just honestly thought this film had no real point to it – and if it did, it could have been compressed into a 5 minute short film. Obviously I wasn’t its biggest fan.

Documentary filmmakers Debbie Melnyck and Rick Caine set out to make a relatively simple and straightforward documentary about their hero Michael Moore, but as they start filming and putting together the film, they soon discover that the Mr Moore isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. Just like Moore’s own film, Roger & Me, this film sees the filmmakers chasing an ever elusive interview with the man himself, facing obstacles and bulky body guards, as well as uncovering hidden and damning truths from opponents, collaborators and even friends. It’s really great to see someone has taken all of Moore’s tricks and methods, and then applied them to Moore himself. It’s also great to see that someone is challenging Moore and the way he makes films in a very intelligent and appropriate manner. This is a really clever concept, which is executed perfectly. It has some really great interviews with people that love and hate Moore, and challenges everything Moore has to say, and has said in the past. Although I wouldn’t say this film is unbiased – I’m sure the filmmakers got pretty pissed off with Mr Moore when he wouldn’t give them a proper sit down interview – it seems to simply give you the facts, and let you as the audience decide whether Moore is a goodie or a baddie. But really, who knows what was left on the cutting room floor…

Released in 1988, Mapantsula was filmed in Soweto (South Africa) and tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who spends his days stealing from unsuspecting Whites and brawling with rivals in Black bars, as well as a little police informing on the side. Whilst he is busy doing his thing, everyone else in Soweto are struggling during tough times, as rent costs are getting higher and the police lock and more and more innocent people. Inevitably, Panic is caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle, having to choose between individual gain, and a united stand against the system. This film gives you an inside look into what it was like during this period in Soweto, and also gives you a glimpse of what it was like to be a struggling Black South African in a world controlled by uncaring Whites. What amazes me with this film, is how accurately it captures what Soweto is like (sadly in both past and present), and also the relationship between the lower class Blacks and the upper class Whites. This film gives you a great insight into the township life, and is a great little history lesson into the Apartheid fight. Despite its age, this film is extremely powerful and is sadly still relevant today. One of my favourite films of the festival thus far.

Nothing really beats a film about some good old fashion rock rolling. As four men drive home after a failed skiing trip, they make a quick toilet stop along the way. This is where they discover the rock – a lanky bolder sitting on the edge of a cliff just waiting to be pushed over and sent down the hundreds of kilometres of mountain into a lake. But this particular rock just doesn’t want to budge. Apparently people have been trying to move it for years. But male pride prevents the team from giving up. This is a film about male bonding, and male ego, as the four are put to a series of physical and psychological tests as they try and send the rock flying. More and more cars pull up full of additional male arrogance, shovels and chain saws are obtained, even a donkey steps up to the challenge – but the bastard just won’t budge. I really enjoyed this film. Starting off as a human interest drama, as soon as the rock appears, classic comedy moments surface. This is a movie that I can really relate to. Right throughout the film I was honestly thinking – now, how would I move this rock? I’m not quite sure what it is about a rock sitting on the top of a hill, but for some reason it seems like human instinct to want to push it down. The only negative thing I have to say about this film was the subtitles. They were incredibly hard to read. But apart from that, this was a great film! Very simple – the look of the film was very rough, and gritty, as was the soundtrack, but it was a film about men trying to get a rock to roll so it was very appropriate. A masterpiece of Iran cinema!

This year’s animation shorts programme offered a great deal of variety. Norbot, an Australian short animation, told the story of a child that was born with huge ears, and his fight to find his place in the world. This was a very funny film, with some very cute animations. Horn OK Please, a UK animation, offered a day in the life of a Mumbai taxi driver, as he struggled to raise enough money to upgrade his ageing car to a shiny new model. It had fantastic animation, and some very funny moments. Adjustment was what I would regard as an experimental short film that used a whole heap of different stop motion animation techniques to fell the story of an obsessive visual diarist, who documents the disintegration of his relationship. It mixed normal video footage with stop frame animation, as well as photo realistic 3D graphics, and traditional flip book animation to great effect. I felt like this short film was more about the techniques than the story, but never-the-less, I was very impressed. I really loved the flip book style animation using a toilet paper roll, and also the section where they mixed current video footage, with flip book animation from the past. The Lady on the Threshold, was a bizarre animation, about a sea captain who arrives home and is intrigued by a mysterious beautiful women. He soon finds out the woman is married to another sea caption, who has be involved in an accident in the past that has resulted in a loss of his legs and hands. As the story continues, we learn what really happened to the sea captain. This was a very dark piece, with a very satisfying, although slightly sick conclusion. The Bronze Mirror is a very funny short film about some villagers in ancient Korea, who stumble across a mirror – a piece of technology that is not yet known to the masses. They get quite a shock when they see a familiar face in the piece of glass in front of them! Fetch, is a great, yet really short, film about a man trying to get his dog to fetch a stick. Slightly sick, but very funny! Lapsus, was also another funny, yet very simple animation about a nervous nun, a white space and a black void. Driven purely by visual humour, the nun is forced to explore the dark and the light side of the screen. Despite its simplicity, this is very cleaver concept that is executed perfectly! The only other film work mentioning (although there were several other films shown), was Ark. This was a very dark film, about an unknown virus that has destroyed almost the entire human population. Unsure of why all this is happening, the remaining survivors escape via the sea to a far away island. Although the ending is a bit of a letdown in some ways, the 3D animation is some of the best I’ve ever seen. It has a very dark, and almost Matrix feel to it, but it’s extremely realistic.

Australian Short Stories is a collection of Australian Indigenous films of all different shapes and sizes. It opened with Hush – a fantastic and very funny little film about a mother who works as a phone sex person during the night, and is eventually found out by her outraged daughter. Backseat, is a moving film about a young girl who is reunited with her real family, courtesy of her foster parents. Custard, is a cute and peculiar film about a teenage Aboriginal girl, and her grandmother as they deal with the death of her grandfather. Nana, was my favourite film of the screening. It’s a very simple little film, narrated by a young girl as she explains what she loves about her Nana. What makes this film so funny is that the Nana does a lot of crazy things, which you just don’t imagine Nana’s should or could do! The young girl telling the story is so innocent, and full of love for her Nana, and yet the old Nana is so not innocent and full of hate for the drunks that come to her town! When the Natives Get Restless is a 28 minute documentary that explores the lives of an aboriginal community living in a housing estate in Dubbo. This is a very moving documentary that captures some amazing interviews from kids who are causing trouble simply because they’ve got nothing else to do. It also gives you a revealing insight into what the people are going through as they are effectively kick out of their homes and are forced to relocate. The filmmakers obviously spend a great deal of time in Dubbo, as they have obtained a great deal of trust from the people they speak to. There was also a collection of ABC funded animations, which tell different Aboriginal dreamtime stories – although to be perfectly honest, despite the fact that they were of the highest production values, and utilised some fantastic and varied animation techniques I wasn’t the biggest fan. Everything was a bit too “arty” for me, and I found it hard to really connect with the story. Finally, Crocodile Dreaming is a fantastic short film about another dreamtime story, of a man who loses a stone containing all of the tribe’s ancestor’s stories, and as a result angers the crocodile spirits. When a crocodile kills his daughter in a normally safe lagoon, the community is forced to send someone to try and find the rock and return it to the rightful place. This film had some absolutely amazing visual effects that were incredibly realistic. It successfully merged reality with fantasy to great effect. The soundtrack was also amazing – with some great creepy sound effects.

I Want to Be a Pilot, is a depressing and eye-opening film about a 12-year-old boy who lives in the slums of East Africa, and only has one dream in life – to become a pilot, so that he can escape the world he’s grown up in, and fly away to see his parents. The narration right throughout the film, by the boy, is incredibly effective. The visuals, showing the wasteland that he lives in is dirty and grotty film that really fits in with the whole theme of the film. It’s a sad film, for obvious reasons, but is very powerful, and is a great film for highlighting the poverty problems in Africa.

When you walk into this programme, you know you’re going to witness some pretty abstract and crazy things. This was no exception. From strobing dots to 20 minutes of naked stop frame animation, to random lost film footage, to sped up and reversed footage of wheels rolling down hills – this collection had it all. I won’t describe each film individually, because everything all kind of melted into one horrible nightmare. There was some great stuff in there. I really loved the concept of having multiple layers of paper, and as each layer is ripped off, a different image is revealed. I also loved some of the stop frame animation techniques. However, most of the films had sequences which were incredibly repetitive, and a sound track that made you go a little bit loopy. Everything was very random and obviously had no real purpose or story. There was a lot of storing, but that was bearable compared to the horrible loud sounds coming from some of the films. Most of the films went for too long. You could easily hear the audience getting more and more frustrated and impatient as some of the films just didn’t know when to stop. Seventeen minutes of repeating footage of scary clowns, and other swaying items is really enough to make you sick. It’s worth watching this programme, if only to take away a couple of technical ideas and concepts – but I never (and I really mean never!), want to see any of these films again.

I was really impressed with the Short & Local films this year. It opened with Sian Davies film, Poetry, a beautiful, yet shadowy film about two teenage girls struggling with the complexities of the schoolyard, relationships and growing up. The acting in this film was spot on – you really felt for and believed these characters. The portrayal of the school was also extremely realistic. Unlike a lot of films, this really felt, looked and sounded like a high school environment. The bullying scattered right throughout the film is exactly the kind of stuff that happens in schools right throughout Australia every day – it’s captured with extreme accuracy. Nothing was sugar coated, everything was spot on. The cinematography, colour grading and set design of the film was very appropriate and helped compliment the dark mood of the film. I really loved the colour scheme of the film – nothing was bright and friendly, but instead dark and contrasty. The sound design was also subtle, yet extremely effective. It’s hard to re-create what a school yard sounds like, and yet this film pulled it off. Technically, I felt this film was a great achievement. However, the story for me seemed to lack any real depth. I didn’t really understand what the two girls were going through – but maybe that’s simply because I’m a boy, I’m not sure.

Once again, the short film sessions at MIFF this year have all been extremely impressive. Caught, is a short and simple one gag film about a man who sleeps over at a woman’s house, and is unfortunately greeted by a not-so-impressed boyfriend as he tries to leave. The film is beautifully acted and directed, and has a killer punch line. This is a really great little rollercoaster ride, despite only lasting three minutes. It has an absolutely fantastic ending.

I’m not quite sure if you can call it a documentary, as it seriously pushes the boundaries of the genre, so I’ll just call it a film about suburbs. In documentary style, it examines the attraction and the bleak realities of suburban living. Focussing mainly on a typical suburban family going through their daily life, this film also has many interviews with developers and cultural theorists, all discussing the one thing – suburbs. This film is also all an illusion. It drags you in, claiming to be a doco, only to reveal that the characters you have grown to love and trust and simply actors. But the beautiful thing is, even after you are told that everyone was following a script, you quickly discover that the actors are just as down to earth and lovely as the characters they portrayed. This is subtly funny and incredibly well scripted film. In retrospect, everything was a little bit too perfect at the beginning. All the characters were just too perfect. The kids also didn’t look anything like their parents – and were more a Hollywood family than real life. It’s a film that really makes you think about urban growth and sprawl, but also about the nature of documentary film making. I really enjoyed this film – despite being tricked by the directors. It’s a very cleaver concept, which reveals what it’s really like to like in the suburbs, even though we were only watching actors.

Snow Angels is a naturalistic Canadian film that explores several different relationships that all interconnect in one way or another. Arthur is a trombonist for the high school, who is exploring his first real relationship with a new girl to the school, a photographer named Lila, while his parents are battling their way through a patchy separation. Meanwhile, Arthur’s co-worker and childhood baby sitter Annie is fighting off her alcoholic and potentially suicidal ex-husband who persists in re-entering her life, and that of their daughter. To add to the complications, Annie is sleeping with her best friend’s husband – her best friend also working with her and Arthur. This is an ultimately sad and depressing film about human suffering, personal connections, and the complexities of love and relationships. The film has an almost “Garden State” feel too it, without the comedy. Although there are some funny moments – most of which come from Arthur – this is essentially a sad story with a large amount of death involved. You become instantly attached to all of the characters, despite their obvious flaws. The acting is fantastic – you almost feel as if you’re watching real events, rather than a fictional story. This is a film about people, so you don’t really pay that much attention to the visuals, although everything is very beautiful – set in lush snowy locations. I really liked this film – although it’s hard to say that I enjoyed it. It was tremendously sad and gloomy, although there were signs of life and happiness. The music was very appropriate and added to the beauty of the film, but the characters are what made this film so special for me.

Soft Words is a very political film about how John Howard and the government misuse the English language for political gain. Mixing interviews with archive footage, as well as text overlay quotes; this is a very powerful short film that pushes its point incredibly well.

Spider is an absolutely fantastic short film about Jack – a man who loves to play practical jokes on his girlfriend – and what happens when things don’t go exactly to plan. Opening with a quote, “it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye – mum”, this film is a very simple idea, but executed brilliantly. It has several key moments where things just don’t happen as planed – leaving the audience in complete and utter shock. The events are so unpredictable and heart breaking, that they’re funny. The film looks great – despite the fact that most of it takes place in a single location – a car. The characters and acting are superb, especially the extras (specifically the two Indian men who work in the petrol station). This film has some fantastic visual effects, which look completely realistic. Overall, this is just a really entertaining film. A great concept that was filmed perfectly!

The Bet Collector, a Philippines film, follows the life of Amy, an uncanny saleswoman who runs around town convincing people to part with their hard earned cast by placing bets on the illegal game of Jueteng, or by collecting money for the families of recently deceased locals to cover the funeral costs. This film had a really great central topic to base its story around – Jueteng. Despite the fact that it’s banned, everyone it seems is addicted to it, even the police who are responsible for ensuring it doesn’t take place. However, although the game is referenced to right throughout the film, it doesn’t play as bigger role as I would have hoped. Instead, the film is basically about Amy’s troubles – endless cycles of poverty, corruption, and trying to avoid the cops. It has some funny moments – Amy is constantly working out potentially winning numbers based on situations that happen around her (for instance, when a boy gets scared by a frog he thinks is a snake, she puts a bet on 12 and 9 for frog and coward). There is also some humorous chase and hiding sequences, as the Jueteng players and bookies think that the police are near. By overall, this was a pretty disappointing film. There seemed to be not point to the film – or at least, if there was one, I didn’t pick up. The film made reference to Amy’s dead son quite a bit, but I’m not exactly sure why. The film had a very documentary feel to it – especially at the beginning, and as a result, everything looked very real and natural. It had some dramatic moments – for example, there was a shooting sequence – but it didn’t really seem to help propel the story. It felt like more of an observational film about a whole lot of people addicted to a game they called Jueteng.

This is a very funny and essentially harmless film about the owner of an IT company that decides to sell up and move on, forcing to wheel out the CEO to sign on the dotted line, sealing the deal. Trouble is the supposed America-based CEO doesn’t really exist. He’s basically just an e-mail address that is created to take the blame for unpopular decisions. The solution that the owner comes up with, who claims to be just another white collar worker in the film, is to hire an actor to play the part in his devious charade. But, as the actor begins to slowly fit into his character, he becomes attached to his associates, and tries to convince the owner not to sell up. This is a very strange, yet incredibly entertaining film. Using a lot of very random camera angles and shots, as well as opening and closing with narration which talks about the fact that the film is a comedy – this is not your conventional film. The characters are all completely over-the-top, and definitely completely-and-utterly crazy – but are all very likable in a strange office co-worker kind of way. This is a very unique film, with a very unusual style. I really enjoyed it.

This is without a doubt, my favourite film of the festival so far. It tells the story of William, an aspiring actor, who meets and falls quickly and madly in love with Sara, a seductive singer/songwriter, just a few days before his 21st birthday. William convinces Sara to come away with him to Mexico, while he works on a feature film. During their time away, William becomes completely and utterly devoted and obsessed with Sara. They are both caught up in the giddy flutter of young love. However, Sara goes home early, and by the time William gets back to the women of his dreams, she has decided that the relationship is over. William is devastated. His perfect world comes quickly crashing to a halt. Having never experienced the pain of love and heartbreak, he takes things a little hard (well, really hard), and ends up fleeing home to Texas in search for answers. Yearning for someone to love him the way he loved Sara, William’s journey to his birthplace forces him to come to terms with his own past. This is a coming of age tale of first love and heartbreak, but it’s also the story of a wounded young boy searching for a father he never knew. I guess what made this film so special for me, was that it felt so real. As someone that’s in the same age bracket as the characters in this film, I can honestly relate to them and recognised a lot of the emotional patterns they went through. Everything in this film felt so authentic and close to home. William’s tragic descent into desperation and despair, and his increasingly chaotic and manic behaviour, although slightly scary, felt perfectly understandable, and although the scenes were he left messages on Sara’s answering machine were extremely uncomfortable to watch – you could understand why William was leaving them, even though you knew he shouldn’t be. From the beginning of this film, you knew where everything was heading. The reality is that all of this stuff happens on a day to day basis. Young lovers are constantly going through these exact same scenarios. This is what made this film so interesting to me. I could relate to it, and although I didn’t necessarily learn from it – it was nice to know that this kind of situation is normal, and is all part of growing up. The acting in this film was phenomenal. Mark Webber, who played William, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, who played Sara, has an amazing chemistry in this film. When they fall in love – you honestly believe that the actors are in love. When they break up, the tears and frustration are so real, that you completely forget you are watching a fictional film. The soundtrack in this film was also a highlight. It really complimented the emotion of the scenes, in much the same way as in films such as Garden State. Visually, the film looks absolutely beautiful, with a very country USA tone to the images. As I said, this is by far my favourite film of the festival thus far.

Directed by Naomi Kawase, The Mourning Forest is a visually and emotionally beautiful film about a young lady called Machiko, who works at a retirement home nearby a vast forest. Shigeki, a retiree at the home forms a strong connection with Machiko, as she reminds him greatly of his deceased wife. Although the relationship starts off badly – Machiko gets struck down by Shigeki after she tries touches one of his possessions, which she shouldn’t have – the two quickly become attached to one another, as they play games in the fields. Despite the fact that there is a huge age difference between the two, they have a common love for childish games such as hide and seek. When Machiko takes Shigeki on a drive in the country as a birthday present, things don’t exactly go to plan when the car gets stuck in a ditch. Shigeki runs off, as the two continue a more serious version of hide and seek in the forest. During their time under the canopy of trees, they learn a lot more about themselves and each other.

This is a very low budget independent film – but in the best possible way. Full of blood and guts – this is a film, split into three parts by three different filmmakers, about a mysterious signal that gets sent out around an American city, taking over every electronic device, and wreaking psychological pandemonium. All of a sudden, the signal turns normal people into homicidal maniacs. Amongst all the mayhem is a woman that is cheating on her husband. As people are killing each other left, right and centre, a three way relationship is battling out till the death. I’m not normally a fan of horror films – nor am I a fan of blood in any shape or form. However, this is a really entertaining film. It starts off looking as if it’s going to be absolutely terrifying. I was honestly thinking that I was going to freak out catching the train home alone late at night. However, as the movie progressed, the gore factor rose, but with it, so did the humour. The horrific events that took place, where just so outrageous and surreal, that you couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe it was laughing in fear – but it was laughing never-the-less. This wasn’t your traditional zombie comedy, nor was it an apocalyptic horror film – it was in a league of its own. The special effects were crud – but effective. There were plenty of moments that made you jump – and lots of movements where I was forced to look away in disgust. Overall, this was an entertaining film. I didn’t leave the theatre looking over my shoulder, which was a good thing. The film messed around with time as well, turning back on itself, and also played around with what is real, and what is in the mind. I don’t think I’d watch it again any time soon – but I’m glad I’ve seen it once.

This is an extremely entertaining and obviously no-budget mockumentary about a fictional land rights claim in the town of Waimate, New Zealand. The Maori locals have been fighting for decades to regain their land, which they believe they were forcefully removed from in a bloody battle back in 1866. Unfortunately, when they take their views to the courtroom, they have no evidence to back them up, and their court claim is rejected. However, they decided to appeal the decision after they find a supposed 138 year old cannonball buried in a paddock, which they believe confirms their case. Just when they think they’ve finally got everything sorted, the cannonball goes missing, and they are forced to come up with some new evidence. This film is basically a war between the Maori locals and an evil farmer who currently has ownership of the land and isn’t afraid to do anything he can to make sure it stays under his name. All of this action, including interviews with other locals is captured by Dave, a documentary filmmaker, who takes you along this hilarious journey. This film is a mixture between Kenny and The Castle. Every single character is completely eccentric, and tremendously funny. The Maori people will do everything in their power to try and get their land back – even if it means breaking all the rules. The production values of this film are horrible – it’s very much a no-budget documentary, shot on a handycam – but the people and the script are so perfect, that it really doesn’t matter. This film treats a normally controversial topic with a very new and very funny angle. Although there are some moments in the movie which are painful to watch (simply because the characters are so nutty – kind of like The Office), most of the time you simply can’t look away and stop laughing. Overall, this is a pretty good movie considering – although I’m sure with a slightly bigger budget, some more jokes and funny moments could have been thrown in.

Shohei Imamura’s 1979 film, Vengeance Is Mine, tells the story of a 78-day crime spree by a serial killer who is constantly evading police in Japan. The film constantly jumps too and fro in time; one moment the killer is locked up, the next we are seeing the crimes he has committed in the past. This is a very powerful and dramatic film, with some very graphic images of people getting murder in cold blood. Its action packed from start to finished, and hasn’t really aged. I really liked this movie – although it’s hard to say that I enjoyed it. There are some really tough moments to watch. The characters in this film are very well acted, and portray some very mysterious and intriguing relationships between each other. Right throughout the movie you, as a viewer, are constantly trying to work out what the main character is thinking, and why he does the horrible things he does – it very rarely gives you a second to relax, and absorb the information. The only think I disliked about the film was the very bizarre ending. Maybe there is some kind of religious message throughout the whole film that I simply didn’t get.

This is one of the more bizarre films I’ve seen at the festival. I’m not exactly sure what it was about. It wasn’t your traditional narrative. It was basically just a whole lot of beautifully crafted, and precisely framed long-takes of awkward, although mostly humorous, encounters involving a series of equally strange characters. The look and style of the film was very plain, minimal, and almost like that of a really low budget uncreative student film. Everything looked as if it was a studio set, and was purposely placed. This film was already incredibly funny – in a very weird sense. It reminded me of the great “cow bell” skit. These filmmakers must have had some serious patience and persistence. All of their jokes were incredibly subtle, and everything ran on for just those few minutes too long – but it uncomfortable to watch, yet at the same time, absolutely perplexing. I really enjoyed this film, and it’s very dry humour. It was seriously unusual – but very funny and unpredictable.